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Amid the sweltering weather, it is hard not to feel the heat radiating from the ground and surroundings. One can only imagine how agonising it must be for workers who have to work under the scorching sun. For us to be able to live in peace and comfort, we must thank each other for contributing to our society.
Looking at the current state of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought uncertainties and fear to the public. Recent natural disasters caused by climate change have also brought much suffering on Earth. The Earth is clearly in a state of emergency. Greed, destruction, and environmental pollution have resulted in the accumulation of bad karma. When people’s minds are imbalanced, the Earth will also reflect the state of our mind by being in a state of instability. How can we salvage the situation? The only way is for everyone to be vigilant, understand the law of Karma, and be mindful of our actions. Just like how the Earth moves on its designated path, any deviation can result in devastating consequences.
When one’s heart is occupied with greed, it’s easy to deviate from the middle path and have a growing desire for more. Thus it is crucial for us to promote important values of right understanding, right faith, and right actions. On top of that, we need to correct our undesirable habits and constantly reflect on whether we have hurt others with our bad temper. We must also reflect if we have harmed others to benefit ourselves or committed the karma of killing just to satisfy our desire for meat.
The custom of Chinese culture believes that the gate of Hell opens during the Seventh Lunar month. Therefore, many households would kill animals to make offerings to appease these spirits. This is a misconception. Killing and making animal offerings will not bring us happiness and peace. Blessings are not obtained through prayers but through doing good deeds. When everyone takes action to create blessings for themselves and everyone else, the world will be a blessed place. When everyone constantly observes right actions and thoughts, there will be peace and stability in every family and the whole society. Strictly upholding precepts is the ultimate act of devotion. Hence, we should not just pray for peace and safety during the Lunar Seventh month, but we should also constantly uphold the right thought and guide others towards the right direction in Life.
Planet Earth is the most beautiful and miraculous planet in the Galaxy. We humans need this Earth for survival, and only humans know how to protect and appreciate this planet. We seek to pave a better path using truth and reasoning to make it easier for future generations to not deviate from the right path in life. We should also promote calmness and harmony so that we will not be led astray by our greed. By being contented and finding joy in helping others, we can create a stable and nurturing environment for all sentient beings.
Towards the end of the Seventh Lunar month, Tzu Chi volunteers staged a theatre play based on the Sutra of Infinite Meaning. Thanks to Tang Mei Yun Taiwanese Opera Company and U-Theatre who helped to bring forth the beauty and true teachings of the Sutra. Seeing how everyone put their utmost effort into this play made me gasp in admiration. Regardless of which Buddhist sutras, the main theme often revolves around the concept of “suffering”. Such as suffering from impermanence or suffering from the process of ageing and dying. Therefore, do not watch this performance merely as a form of entertainment, but watch it intently with your heart.
The play depicted the footsteps of Buddha, who was born in Lumbini, Nepal. Despite being a famous tourist destination, the living environment there is still very much improvised. Based on the video recording brought back by Tzu Chi volunteers, I could see that the living condition there is worse than I imagined. The type of suffering they endure is one seemingly without a way out. To help the locals, our volunteers worked hard to brainstorm ways to bring lasting improvement to their lives and bring vibrancy back to the hometown of the Buddha.
Buddha was born 2,500 years ago. Despite being born to a royal family as a Crown Prince, he did not indulge in a lavish lifestyle and instead renounced worldly desires to be a monk. He ended up becoming enlightened and obtaining ultimate wisdom about the universe, which all of us possessed as well. “There is no difference between the mind, Buddha and sentient beings”. However, how do we truly practise universal and unconditional compassion and empathy?
I’m grateful to Tzu Chi volunteers from Malaysia and Singapore for actively reaching out and stepping into Nepal to further understand the living conditions of the locals after learning about my wish to improve the living environment of Buddha’ homeland. Having witnessed the vicious cycle of local people suffering and dying from sickness due to poor medical facilities and the lack of education, they volunteered to improve the poverty and disease-stricken lives of the locals.
Even though I often ponder how much time and energy I have left to assist the people in Nepal, I still continue to appeal to others to volunteer for this cause. If we could gather the strength and determination of all the volunteers, nothing is impossible. Seeing how the volunteers from Malaysia and Singapore worked together, I hope that Tzu Chi volunteers around the globe could hear my wishes and thoughts and join hands in this mission, which is to reintroduce Buddhism to the homeland of Buddha.
As life flows through the passage of time, we are preserving the value of our life by cherishing and making full use of every day we have. Just like a lit candle which sacrificed itself to light up the surrounding, we can reach out to victims of any disaster or distress anywhere just like a Bodhisattva if we are willing to do so. As such, may everyone light up their heart and continue to nurture kindness and unleash our wisdom to bring greater awareness to this world.
Translated by Soh Wan Siew
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