Life Wisdom: Practicing Kind Speech and Wholesome Eating Habits
Seeing everyone wear a face mask, I'm reminded of our mouth. With our mouth, we can interact with others and share the Dharma with them. Through our speech, we can express our thoughts. To have a heart-to-heart talk, we must use our mouth, and to eat food and enjoy good health, we must use our mouth, too.
Yet, our mouth is also a source of bad karma. When interacting with one another, we can show care through our speech. By speaking good words, we can open people's minds and bring joy and peace to their hearts. Speaking good words benefits people a lot. It can bring about peace in the world and set people's minds at ease. To take in nutrients from food, we must also use our mouth.
Yet, people are picky about food. Some prefer sweet food, and still others prefer salty food. Taste varies from person to person. This is how people are picky about food. Even worse, through their mouths, people have consumed countless animals. While some people like animals, others have a fear of them.
Yet, whether they like or fear animals, they kill animals and consume them. Take snakes for example. Most people are afraid of snakes. Yet, many people eat snake meat too.
Even if they are afraid of snakes, they eat their meat all the same. This is people's mentality. Led by greed and ignorance, people have gulped down the lives of countless animals. Also, people crave physical comfort.
When it's hot and the sun is strong, they hide from the sunlight and the heat by staying in air-conditioned spaces. People seek places that can bring them physical comfort. This is people's mentality too.
Do people know how many resources are consumed for their physical comfort and how much pollution is created? Air-conditioning consumes energy and the impurities discharged also pollute the air. Severe environmental pollution has led to the imbalance of Nature's elements, so there are many natural disasters in the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic is also a result of people's collective bad karma. Not only has the air been polluted, but the virus has become rampant. How did the virus get into people's body? Through their mouth. The virus was carried by animals.
People crossed the line and ate animals. If we don't consume animals, we won't bring viruses into our mouth. Since we all have knowledge and wisdom, I hope we can all think about what it means to kill an animal for food. We kill an animal just for a few seconds of sensation brought by eating meat. Yet, how long does it take to raise the animal and how many grains does it consume? Livestock are mostly raised (in captivity).
Just think, we all need freedom, enjoy large space, and like to have some fun outdoors. Contrarily, the livestock are miserable. Due to people's demand for meat, some make a living from livestock farming and look for ways to increase productivity.
The Earth is so vast and many vegetables and fruits can be grown. Vegetables and fruits are delicious, and people can get full by eating them. Yet, people still crave meat. This explains why some people do business in livestock farming and kill animals for food, which creates bad karma. Animals are killed bloodily to satisfy people's desire for meat.
This is how bad karma is created as a result of killing and eating meat. Bad karma leads to bad consequences, which teach us a true principle that can be summed up in one word: love. We must harbor genuine love towards people, animals, and everything in the world. This way, Nature's elements will be in balance.
There will be a proper amount of sunlight and warmth to nurture the land. Seeds can grow well as there is dew at night, rainwater, gentle air, and mild temperatures. Mother Nature nurtures us by providing us with abundant vegetables and grains. So, we must live with Mother Nature and all beings with a grateful heart.
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