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Tzu Chi is grateful to be invited again to attend the Parliament of the World's Religions and to be able to showcase Buddhism and Dharma at an international level, thus promoting Buddhism to the world.
Religion is a way of life and a form of education, whereas Buddhism is the world's greatest and most beneficial form of education. Unfortunately, most people associated Buddhism with only praying with incense, praying for safety and prosperity, and also as a way of getting their wishes granted.
Therefore, we must cherish and seize the opportunity to showcase the true core of Buddhism. Buddhism applies to almost all aspects of our daily life, especially concerning the topic of climate change, which is largely caused by the lifestyle of most people. Simply put, many animals are raised to satisfy the demand for meat, thus creating a large amount of environmental pollution. As the human population increases, human's growing appetite for meat becomes one of the greatest sources of environmental pollution. Buddha had already proposed a solution to this problem, which is to promote vegetarianism.
The world has braved the COVID-19 pandemic that lasted for three years, and we are now back to our everyday lifestyle without pandemic restrictions. However, there are still numerous occasions when mask-wearing is still required to reduce the risk of transmission and to protect everyone else, including ourselves. If we were not infected, we would not risk infecting other people. As the saying goes, “When one cares for themselves, it’s equivalent to taking care of others”. Hence, do not underestimate the impact of a simple act. Instead, we should always be considerate towards others and be mindful of our actions and how our actions can impact society.
Even though Tzu Chi attended the conference organized by the United Nations, it does not necessarily mean that sharing the spirit of Buddhism and promoting environmental conservation can only be done on a stage. Through our actions during our daily lives, we can also exhibit our values. Our daily attitude actions demonstrate our value better than deliberate acts. This is so when we exhibit a natural and pure aura through food, clothing, and lifestyle choices.
As such, I encourage everyone to pay great attention to and attend such international conferences because these are opportunities that we get to “voice out” for the world and Buddhism. Even so, we must remain humble and work towards contributing peace and harmony among people. Be harmonious and courteous towards others so that others can feel comfortable in our presence. We must preserve our caring spirit so that wherever we go, people can feel our care and concern.
Even an ordinary person can attain outstanding achievements.
A person who is poor now may not remain poor forever.
As long as one is willing to make vows, one can also create an impact on the world.
What we are pursuing is not a profit-driven career but an organization that seeks to benefit society. This is a demonstration of our religious belief and a way in which we promote Dharma to benefit sentient beings.
Two thousand five hundred years ago, Buddha came to Earth and became the Enlighted One in a world that had not known about wisdom and Truth. The Buddha possessed the right understanding and right view. Hence, we ought to be very confident about the Dharma. Recently, there has been much discussion about the Buddha’s homeland, Nepal. Even though most people still perceived Nepal as a developing country struggling with poverty, the Nepalese were self-contented and modest people who lived like the saying, “One who is contented is always happy”.
From the videos taken by Tzu Chi volunteers who went to Nepal, we could see that the living environment of the Nepalese was not very hygienic. Therefore, we need to invest more time and effort to help improve their living condition. It also served as a reminder to us -- to stay presentable and positive and to actively and diligently contribute to society.
We came to this world not to enjoy life but to fully utilize the value of our lives, for the richest people are those with love within their hearts. So how should we educate the rich and assist the poor? Some people are so trapped in poverty that they give up on themselves. Hence, we should motivate them to persevere and work hard to be spiritually rich.
Just like the Rice Bank movement in Myanmar, where farmers would always keep away a handful of rice before cooking. This handful of rice grains “saved” from every meal by 83,000 families is enough to feed close to 4,000 households in need. Such a simple yet inspiring story reached several Nepalese families, which Tzu Chi assisted and went on to inspire them to help others in need too.
The story of the Rice Bank movement in Myanmar is very touching and can be shared with people from different religious backgrounds. Ponder carefully what content we should share during the United Nations Conference this year. Even though this is a simple story, it shows how an ordinary person can contribute and how a person who is poor now may not remain poor forever. As long as one is willing to make a vow, one can also create an impact on this world. Such an inspirational story serves to motivate everyone.
Apart from praising and respecting others, we should also respect and cherish our religion. I have repeatedly emphasized the importance of gratitude, respect, and love. The main theme which we are conveying is “to always serve Buddhism and all sentient beings”. We will also be promoting environmental conservation and vegetarianism. Therefore, I appeal to everyone to continue improving ourselves so that we can introduce Buddhism internationally. I look forward to seeing everyone working diligently towards that goal!
Translated by Soh Wan Siew
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