20210305長情大愛護眾生 Keeping Our Desires in Check by Following True Principles中英
One RMB dollar(0.15 USD) a day isn’t much, yet it can accumulate considerably and be used to help the needy. This is what I think. So, I always come here on foot, not by bus.
Indeed, early every morning, I pave the Bodhisattva Path by expounding the Buddha’s teachings, hoping that everyone can begin each day by walking the path steadfastly without even the slightest deviation.
I mention this very often and I hope everyone can follow my words. I advocate goodness each and every day because Nature’s elements have become imbalanced and climate change is getting worse. The root cause is human activities. Forests have been shrinking as people are turning them into grazing land to produce meat.
Due to people’s desire for meat, forests have been destroyed, the land has been damaged, and many resources have been extracted. To access all resources, the land is excavated constantly, which has not only damaged the environment but also polluted the air. Aren’t we humans to blame? We humans are responsible for air pollution and environmental deterioration, and all of this is a result of our desire.
One of our worst desires is our desire for meat. Craving the taste of meat, we humans raise animals and kill them for food. The killing of animals has corrupted our inherently good nature. We have yet to follow the true principles of life. From now on, we must learn the crucial lessons disasters. In addition to climate disasters, there is also the COVID-19 pandemic. We humans truly must awaken.
Why is the Earth in such a desire condition? Because we humans have yet to awaken. When we get something, we always want more. We have yet to eliminate our ignorance, afflictions, and insatiable desires. Many people, before they passed away, were still instructing who they’d leave their inheritance to.
The bigger the inheritance, the bigger the fight for it. Their children were originally in good terms. Yet, their fight for the inheritance pitted them against one another and perpetuated hatred across generations. We often hear about such a thing.
In all, we will suffer when we lost desires corrupt our true nature. If we do not keep our desires in check and simply let them grow bigger and bigger, the much inheritance we leave to our children will only turn their mutual love into hatred. This is what may happen when we are entangled by desires. We’ve tied many karmic knots. We must unite the thread and straighten it out without breaking it.
My mother tells me that one doesn’t have to donate money to do good. Recycling is very meaningful as it can save the Earth.
She gives all the recyclables to Tzu Chi.
Tzu Chi will collect the recyclables, and we’re also doing good.
Protecting the Earth brings me great joy. Recycling is truly the right thing to do. Good deeds will bring about good consequences. We must undo the knots and pull the thread straight. We must also take in the Buddha’s teachings correctly.
Over 2,500 years ago, the Buddha guided people to cultivate enlightened love. I often say that we must nurture lasting compassion and spread great love. With compassion comes great love. We need to awaken in order to nurture enlightened love.
We must love all life and walk the Bodhisattva Path. I hope we can all learn from disasters and heighten our vigilance. To bring peace and prosperity to our society, we must live together in harmony. If we can all count our blessings and harbor gratitude at all times, we can live at peace and in harmony. Instead of leaving our desires unchecked, we must all be content so the world can be well and be free of disasters.
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