Life Wisdom: Peaceful Mind, Peaceful World
“This wildfire is hard to deal with as it spreads very quickly with the strong wind,” said Michalis Chrisochoidis, Greek Minister of Public Protection.
“This used to be my house. As you can see, I've lost everything. All I have now is the clothes I'm wearing and my wife and children,” said a citizen.
In the area where the wildfires occurred, a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius and 10% a humidity of less than 10% have been recorded. These extremes were caused by a heat wave. We've been suffering from the heat wave over the past week,” said a Greek official.
Recently, it feels as if time is dragging on, for disasters caused by climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are still ongoing. There are many disasters in the world. What can we do? Being anxious or worried doesn't help at all. We must quickly find ways to mitigate disasters.
Nature's elements have become imbalanced, and due to the imbalance of the elements of water, fire, and air, climate disasters have been occurring. The imbalance of Nature's elements results from the imbalance in people's minds. Insatiable greed in many people's minds has led to the imbalance of the element of air.
So, there are not only climate disasters but also the COVID-19 disease that can spread through the air. We all have to wear a face mask as the virus can get into our body through the air we inhale. What is the origin of the virus? How did it pass from animals to humans and how did it spread among people?
Now, it is dangerous to have a mass gathering. So, there are lockdowns and people have to follow social distancing. When exactly will this pandemic end? With a larger distance between us, how can our hearts remain close together?
I often say that we must learn the crucial lessons taught by the pandemic. We must quickly curb our desires and clean away greed, anger, ignorance, and discursive thoughts that have tainted our heart and mind so that we can start over again. This is a crucial lesson from the pandemic.
Let us calm our minds and hear and see more about what's happening in the world. I always pay much attention to what's happening in the world and have seen many disasters. When I saw that wildfires were still burning in many places, my heart would be burning with anxiety. I was as anxious and worried as those threatened by wildfires. And, when I saw floods that were still ongoing, I was so worried that it's like my heart was also submerged in floodwater. How serious the flood was!
“During today's disaster survey, what I see really saddens me. A lot of roads have been destroyed and many bridges have collapsed. During the first four or five days, those affected were cut off from the outside world. There was no electricity or telecom connection. Later on, as roads were repaired using excavators, those affected could access relief resources,” said Liu Junling, Tzu Chi volunteer.
“The floodwater rushed in from the back. I dare not stay there anymore. It's flooded, so I can't sleep there, either,” said a citizen.
“Everything is flooded. All of the farmland is flooded. This year's crops have been destroyed,” said another citizen.
The farmers' crops have been destroyed and many people have become homeless as their houses have been leveled. When I saw the much devastation, my heart was sinking as if it had also been submerged in the floodwater. With so many disasters in the world, I'm always very anxious and worried. Yet, can worrying solve anything?
I often tell myself, "To mitigate disasters, I should call on more people to live with vigilance and sincere piety. It's a must to call on everyone to do so." To bring peace to the world, we must begin with each individual. The Earth is in a dire condition now. Look at how heavy rains have caused severe floods and how the land in some places has cracked open due to droughts. Without water, crops cannot grow.
This is also a crisis to mankind. While an excess of rainwater causes flooding, with no rain or water, we can't sustain our lives. So, only when climate conditions are in balance can the world be at peace, and only when the world is free of disasters can our lives be peaceful and full of blessings. Everyone, this depends on our minds. Everything arises from our minds, which is expounded in the Avatamsaka Sutra.
Let us all cultivate a good heart, harbor good thoughts, and work together with sincere piety to love and protect all animals. This way, we can live a pure and peaceful life, for we don't consume animals and
are therefore not indebted to them. When climate conditions are favorable, naturally all living beings can be safe and well.
It all depends on ourselves, for when we all take good care of our minds, climate conditions will be favorable and we can be safe and well. There is too much to share. I hope everyone can take my words to heart and live them out. Practicing the Dharma is not difficult, and only when we do it can we be filled with spiritual joy, have a broad and pure heart, and feel at ease and peace every day.
By practicing the Dharma, we can enjoy peace of mind, which is a true blessing in life. So, everyone, please take the Dharma to heart and live it out.
Sitemap