20210422斷欲聚愛順四時More Love, Less Desire
I've been praying for the peace of the world and favorable climate conditions. Yet, there are still many disasters in the world, which is truly saddening. We can see that Nature's elements have become imbalanced. More and more animal and plant species have become extinct due to climate change.
Although all matter ends up in annihilation, the Earth is deteriorating faster than expected. We are all faced with this situation. Despite living in different places, we've been creating bad karma collectively on Earth. Because of the bad karma, disasters have been occurring constantly around the world. The Earth is truly in a dire condition. Yet, many people have yet to awaken.
In the Lotus Sutra, this world is compared to a house on fire, in which people's desires bring about disasters. Many people are still seeking to satisfy their desires, not knowing that this is wrong. In these troubling times, we should try to calm down. We should all settle our hearts and minds and learn the crucial lesson taught by the disasters.
Let us call on everyone to think about how to bring about safety and peace in the world. Let us share the lesson learned from disasters so as to inspire everyone to love all life and keep their desires in check. This is the most important thing. For many years, we Tzu Chi members have been giving of ourselves without asking for anything in return. Wherever there are people in suffering, we always go to their aid. Yet, there is too small a number of Tuz Chi members.
It may seem that there are many Tzu Chi members. Yet, this is only a tiny proportion of the world population, just like a tiny ant next to the Himalayas. Our strength is limited. I hope people and the government can share the lessons learned from disasters so everyone can understand and take action to make a difference. This is the only way to benefit humanity.
We cannot cool down a burning hot iron plate by sprinkling only a few drops of water. Only by pouring a large bucket of water can we cool it down. A few drops of water won't help at all. We must pool drops of water together to fill a large bucket. We must not underestimate any drop of water, thinking that a drop of water makes no difference. Each drop is indispensable to fill the bucket.
So, may every one of us share the benefits of vegetarianism and call on others to stop eating meat. Let us call on everyone to stop the killing of animals, curb their desire for meat, and adopt a simple diet. Grains and vegetables are indeed the most healthy food. Only when everyone understands this can we make a difference.
We see how the deputy general manager of a large factory, who is also a Tzu Chi volunteer, practices vegetarianism and encourages his employees to do the same. When hundreds of employees go vegetarian, a lot of animals can be saved for each single meal. Such is creating merits.
This deputy general manager has also been creating merits because he sets a good example by going vegetarian and encourages others to do the same. Indeed, only when we work together to create merits can we mitigate climate disasters and bring about safety and peace in the world. This requires everyone's effort. The efforts of only a few people are not enough. Yet, each person's efforts are indispensable to form a great strength.
Drops of water, when accumulated, can nourish the land. This way, the land will not dry up or crack open. Only when the land is nourished by water can abundant crops grow. We humans must love and care for the Earth so there will be enough water to nourish the land, allowing abundant crops to grow. This is a virtuous circle. To create this virtuous circle, it is imperative that each of us love and care for the Earth.
In all, I hope everyone can go vegetarian and love all life so no animals will cry for their lives. When animals are killed, they cry in pain and give rise to hatred. Due to their hatred, climate disasters have been occurring. I often speak of the law of karma. Let us all reflect on it. If everyone can truly understand it and love all life, the world will be at peace and climate conditions will be favorable.
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