20131023 Changing Our Ways for a Better World
I put up a tent near my house and live there. I dare not go back to my house now because I’m worried it may collapse due to aftershocks. It really breaks my heart because the home I’d worked so many year4s to build was destroyed in an instant just like that. It’s been eight days since an earthquake hit Bohol in the Philippines.
A few days ago, Tzu Chi volunteers in Manila and Cebu arrived in Bohol to provide aid. It was truly a long journey as it took 1.5 hours by plane. In Bohol, our volunteers saw scenes of devastation everywhere. Some locals are not well-off to begin with, and now their houses were leveled by the quake.
And many couldn’t move back as their houses have been damaged. We see a family where only a brother and sister survived. The rest of their family members were all buried in debris. We also see a boy whose head was injured during the quake and the wound was left untreated for days.
So, our medical volunteer, Dr. Sy. Cleaned and sewed up the wound for him. Fortunately, there were medical volunteers on the relief team this time. Seeing the boy, Dr. Sy quickly treated him under a makeshift tent. There were several cases like this.
In some of the worst-hit areas in Bohol, our volunteers have given out blankets and emergency cash to those affected. Since the earthquake hit last week, there have been continual aftershocks. So far, over 2,000 aftershocks have been recorded. This morning, I saw on the news that a magitude-5.4 aftershock hit Bohol two days ago.
It was a major one, so the people there still live in fear. These are natural disasters. Apart from earthquakes, etc., there are also hurricanes--- Take Mexico for example. Last month, Hurricane Manuel made landfall, and caused extensive destruction there.
The disaster areas have not recovered yet, and now there is another hurricane, Raymond, off Mexico’s Pacific coast. Everyone is very worried that Hurricane Raymond will bring more devastation. Weather reports have predicted that this hurricane is very powerful and will dump heavy rains along Mexico’s Pacific coast.
So, the locals are very worried. In our world today, see how erratic climate conditions have become, bringing disasters to us one after another. There are disasters all around the world. With Nature going out of balance, disasters are occurring more and more frequently.
So, in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha used causes and conditions and metaphors to tell us that our world is like a burning house and in a very desperate situation. The Buddha used all sorts of ways to teach and warn us about it. So, I hope that everyone can quickly awaken when they see disasters strike.
Why do I talk about disasters every day as if I were reporting news when I have more Tzu Chi events than I can share? In fact, I am not reporting news, but I want to tell everyone that our world is in a state of crisis as disasters are occurring all around the world. That’s why everyday, I have to tell everyone when and where disasters are occurring in this world.
All that I want to tell you is that we should serve as living bodhisattvas and reach out the suffering. This is what we must vow to do. We must not turn a deaf ear or close our eyes to the Dharma. Since we’ve come across it, we should learn, reflect on, and practice it.
Having learned the Dharma, we should ponder it and put it into practice by making vows to give of ourselves to do good. All it takes is a shift in perspective and we can change from pursuing material pleasures to benefiting humanity. Only when we change ourselves can the world be changed.
This is what everyone should work hard to do . Please don’t take your time and wait until you’ve earned enough money to do good. We just need enough money for the basic living, so we should not keep wanting more. The more we earn, the more harm we could do to our environment.
Take for example the electronic devices we use every day. As small as some of them may be, these high-tech devices, including computers, tablets, etc., contain metals and minerals, which need to be mined from the mountain or land. After mining, people still have to refine these metals from a large amount of ores, thereby causing great damage to our environment.
Nowadays, almost everyone uses electronic devices. Take tablets for example. Even I myself need one to read reports from our volunteers around the world. Without it, how could this be possible? That’s why we should work harder to encourage people to use these devices as a long time as possible so long as they’re still useable.
We should cherish them and not discard them whenever newer models are marketed. If we do, we’ll create much electronic waste as we may have more than one electronic device. So, when we give in to our desires, we’ll bring harm to the environment. What’s worst is that our minds will also be corrupted.
See how some office workers use their smartphones all the time instead of doing their work. Even two- or three-year-old children play with cell phones, tablets, etc. instead of learning things, they’re lost in the cyber world at such a young age. They indulge themselves in these unwholesome activities without knowing the danger they’ve gotten themselves into.
This is truly scary. Seeing that, I all the more admire the Buddha for what he said over 2,000 years ago. Back then, he had already predicted what our world today would be like. What can we do about it? We feel helpless. But can we just let it be? No, we can’t.
That’s why the Buddha kept calling out to us. From the Lotus Sutra, we can sense how anxious and eager the Buddha was to guide us. So, I hope everyone can be mindful at all times.
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