Life Wisdom: Cultivating Our Compassion for All Lives on Earth
I’m glad that we participated in the COP26 summit; right now, this meeting is like a summit, too. I’m grateful to modern technology, so despite that we are physically far apart, in this moment, we are meeting on the internet. I’m happy to see Tzu Chi volunteers in many different countries come together at this moment.
To have a common mission is a special affinity, and I heard volunteers talk about “Tzu Chi” in various languages. I’m truly touched; especially when I saw that the Dharma was present in this summit, which was an UN event. Moreover, Buddhism was not only visible, it also took part in the dialogue. Such is my lifelong vow of working for Buddhism and for living beings.
Vegetarianism was talked about at COP26. We must be vegetarian and advocate it. From the report we could see that vegetarianism isn’t tied to particular religions or nationalities; many people advocated for vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is a fundamental way to lessen the impact of climate change. We are all in the same boat because we cannot survive without Earth.
We live on the same soil and breathe the same air. The air we breathe is in the same atmosphere and the soil we live on is from the same planet, so, we truly must protect and love Earth. Furthermore, let us protect the clear sky, which means not to pollute the air; however, that is easier said than done.
Recently, I’ve been talking about the grand lesson, which is about the matter of food. Food is the most important issue. This is the time to educate; no matter which walks of life, people need to learn about this.What do people need to learn about? Food, that is the most important matter. Food is a huge matter.
This is why we are advocating vegetarianism. Only by eating a vegetarian diet can we have clean air. In all, people need to be vegetarian.
In eating a meat diet, look at how many animals’ lives are taken. Because of human’s cravings for meat, a lot of livestock are raised. Every day, we need to feed close to 8 billion people. How much food is eaten by a person in a day? Recently, I’ve been saying this every day. I know that, when I give a talk, Tzu Chi volunteers around the world would listen to my talk online. In my speech, I always talk about advocating vegetarianism.
Do people know how many animals are killed for food in one second? The UN has provided statistics on the number of animals killed for food. I believe everyone knows this. Don’t just hear the number and pay no heed. We need to remember the number and ponder on it. Every second, 2,556 animals are killed. Every day, more than 200 million animals are killed. See, how many animals need to be raised in order to satisfy people’s cravings for meat?
Volunteers, our world is facing a crisis and everyone has a responsibility. At this time, food is an important matter. It is a major issue in this world. If we can solve the food problem, we’ll be able to have clean and fresh air. Otherwise, no matter how much knowledge we have or how advanced our technology is, they are of little help in cleaning up our air. The best solution is to educate people. It’s crucial to educate people about our eating habit and food. This is why food is an important matter.
At the climate summit, people talk in depth about the issues. Yet, instead of talking a lot about it, they ought to just implement the solutions. We need to walk the talk and raise everyone’s awareness about the important matter of eating. There’s no need to write frivolously about it. Merely writing about the problems doesn’t really help in cleaning up our air.
The most important is that everyone has to practice vegetarianism; after knowing and understanding this is a must, we have to practice it ourselves and share this practice and experience with other people. It is the most important that we put vegetarianism into practice.
All volunteers online now are disciples of mine, your hearts and my heart are united as one. We have to share the same mission and take up the responsibility of caring for the world. At times like this, all of us should work hard for it. As we share the same aspiration, when one takes action, a thousand will join. Now we can do the same; as one speaks up and advocates vegetarianism, hundreds of thousands of people will follow.
When we open our mouth, we talk about vegetarianism and call on everyone to go vegetarian. People normally say, “This person is cultivated and kind.” Indeed, we should now start eating vegetarian food to keep our body healthy. Only when everyone advocates vegetarianism, eats vegetarian food, and puts it into practice can we truly encourage people to adopt it and make people listen, see, and be willing to eat vegetarian food.
I hope that we don’t look down on fireflies. Despite being very tiny, fireflies Despite being very tiny, fireflies can glow and give out light. For this, fireflies can lead the way. We must be like a firefly that can lead the way and guide people toward the right direction in life. Only in this way can we love and cherish the Earth and purify the air. Therefore, purifying the air and protecting the world rely on us to go vegetarian. This is truly a grand lesson for us all.
Eating matters a lot and eating vegetarian food is the most important of all. What we eat matters greatly, if we stop eating meat and adopt vegetarianism, we can help purify the air and protect the environment. I hope that everyone can take in my words. Let us come together in one heart and have the same aspiration. This aspiration is shared between my disciples and me; with the same conviction, everyone around the world unites together to advocate vegetarianism. In all, this is the grand lesson for us all; what we eat matters greatly.
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