The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.107)

02 2019 • 02 The recycling volunteers’ ideals were put into action and the fruits of their labour were recognized internationally. The 24th Conference on Climate Change organized by the United Nations (UN) was held in Poland in December 2018. One of Tzu Chi’s representatives, Dr Lin Ming Nan, Vice Superintendent of Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, told the delegates of the Conference that the clothes that he was wearing were made from recyclable PET bottles. Thanks to advanced technology, Tzu Chi is able to convert many recyclable items into basic necessities of life. Moreover, Dr Lin also emphasized the close relationship between climate change and a vegetarian diet. According to the statistics released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, due to man’s appetite for meat, more than a hundred million lives [both of poultry and livestock] vanish on a daily basis. In order to produce enough meat for human consumption, humans resort to intensive animal farming. Lots of farmlands are needed for this purpose, besides enormous water resources and animal feed. Animal farming is a major culprit in polluting the air and the Earth. In the Conference, there were experts who held the opinion that to conserve the Earth and maintain a healthy lifestyle, the best and easiest way is for everyone to go vegetarian. All forms of life, regardless of whether they are animals or humans, possess the survival instinct. Animals that are caught or slaughtered would harbour hatred and anger too. Since the human race is the wisest and most intelligent form of life on Earth, humans are expected to be wise enough to protect animals and not to kill them for food. The sanctity of life must be respected and protected at all times. Never eat animals that harbour bitterness against humanity. Be it conclusions from UN Conference or scientific findings, both have stated that if we do not change our lifestyle for the better, the negative impact of climate change will be further aggravated. Suffering is a fact of life, but if we adopt a “could-not-care-less” attitude and do not tackle the problem head-on, then suffering begins to assume terrifying proportions! If most people cling to craving for meat, they are committing an unwholesome karma, or in Buddhist parlance: they commit bad karma collectively, then they will reap the bad fruit of their karma collectively. If for personal gains everyone is unwilling to come to a consensus and take collective actions, and continue with intensive industrialization in the name of economic growth; or is unwilling to change their mentality and living habits for the better, the Earth will be plunged into crisis. To reach a consensus is important, but more importantly, it is to know the right way to put into action what have been agreed hand in hand. The theme for the 2018 Year-end Blessing Ceremony is: “Nurture a love for life, a heart of gratitude and respect for one another. Foster the spirit of harmony, prevent conflicts, and create blessings hand in hand.” That is, to show gratitude to one another and for everything; and to respect and love not only people, but also all sentient beings. Besides sticking to a vegetarian diet to avoid killing, we must also say good words to people we interact with. At times, oral disputes can degenerate into man-made disasters. On the contrary, if we build up an excellent rapport with others and introduce the wonderful Dharma to them, we can walk together to serve humanity. As such, we can enjoy a peaceful and harmonious world. We must let everyone understand the Buddhist concept of “karma”. It sets in motion a chain of causes culminating in karmic fruit. We must also appeal to more people to participate in doing good deeds. Lastly, let us walk together the Bodhisattva Path. aster’s Teaching