20200305共造善緣消業障Doing Collective Good for the Peace of Our World
"The aid recipients have been suffering from starvation over a long period of time. Some of them get only one meal a day. Most people here are in a difficult situation."
"Children at this school are from poor families. There's no food for them to eat at home. If they can have at least one meal at school, they won't starve."
We see that many people in impoverished countries are extremely poor. We also see have been in great suffering and experienced social turmoil for more than eight years. A few people's unwholesome thoughts and ignorance have led to the unwholesome acts of many people. Many homes have been destroyed and many people have lost their lives or fled their homeland.
"There is an unbelievable number of refugees. The road has been clogged with traffic."
"There are 27 families living in 14 tents. We can't unload our possessions and there is no firewood. We are in a dire situation."
The refugees have been stranded in other countries. Even if Syria regains peace and Syria refugees can go back home, they'll have no place to live as their homes have already been destroyed. In a time like this, there are many disasters. And what caused such armed conflicts in Syria? People's bad karma. Due to people's collective karma, many countries suffer from conflicts and even wars have occurred. The conflicts have arisen from a few people's unwholesome thoughts.
When we give rise to unwholesome thoughts, we will do unwholesome deeds. For example, if I think you are an eyesore and you are annoyed to hear my voice, we may have conflicts and the conflicts may lead to great calamities. Such is how bad karma leads to bad consequences. Life after life, people have been creating and accumulating bad karma collectively.
We see that many Syrian people have been displaced. They are truly in great suffering. See how life is truly filled with suffering and how wars can bring people great suffering. When people fight with swords, guns, or other weapons, wars occur. Once a war starts, it will indeed bring about great suffering and misery. For many years, there has not been a single day that Syrian people can enjoy safety and peace.
They've been suffering unspeakably indeed. See how the refugees have endured the rain and wind in the bitter cold. The grounds inside their tents have become very muddy and the weather is freezing cold. Sometimes, there are even sandstorms. They are indeed in great suffering.
As a result of people's own karma, some have been poor since they were born. Some used to be well off. Yet, due to wars and social turmoil, their homes were shattered. Having been forced from home, they've truly endured much hardship. Compared to the refugees who can't have a safe and peaceful life, it's rare and precious that we can enjoy safety and peace and fill our stomachs. For that, we must harbor gratitude at all times.
As we are blessed with safety and peace, we must pray with sincere piety for those who can't enjoy safety and peace. To do that, there is no other way than to go vegetarian. This is how we can do our share to pray for a safe and peaceful world. In addition to wars, there is also a coronavirus outbreak now. So, we truly must pray with sincere piety and practice vegetarianism.
We don't need to panic (in the face of disasters,) for disasters befall those who have accumulated bad karma over many lifetimes. We reap what we sow. This is the law of karma. (So, instead of feeling panic,) we must quickly calm and settle our minds and pray with sincere piety. As our lives unfold according to the law of karma, we don't know when and how karmic conditions will come to bear upon us. So, we must sow good karma collectively and dissolve bad karma.
In our daily morning service, we always dedicate our merits and say: "May we eliminate all afflictions caused by the Three Obstructions." We must awaken from our wrong ways. We shouldn't give rise to greed anymore. Nor should we give rise to anger and the desire to dominate others. If we don't harbor love and easily give rise to anger, we may commit killing and sow bad karma. We should put love first and put down and get rid of our anger. When everyone harbors love, disasters will be mitigated.
We see that Muslims keep their hands open during prayers (to receive God's grace and blessings. Let us look at the blessings and goodness we have.) I don't know the texts in the Quran. Yet, I think that we should all reach out our hands, open our palms, place them upon our heart, and reflect on how we can give back for the many blessings we've received.
We have abundant food and a safe environment and live together in harmony. How can we not be grateful and give back? To express our gratitude and give back, we must practice vegetarianism with sincere piety to pray for safety and peace in the world.
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