The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

01 TZU CHI 121 By Dharma Master Cheng Yen Translated by Ho Joo Lim aster’s Teaching In addition to frequent handwashing, wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places, the most fundamental way to prevent an outbreak and mitigate disasters is to adopt a vegetarian diet. This way, we do not only show our sincere piety in action, but also prevent contracting zoonotic diseases. T he Chinese New Year celebration is over, and as the days pass by, my heart is weighed down by worries, for there are disasters happening around the world. The wildfires that broke out in Australia last year are still raging. More than 100 million animals are killed, and the firefighters are stretched beyond endurance. The most heartrending is the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) that spread fromWuhan, China to more than 200 countries, with daily confirmed cases increasing at an alarming rate, while causing major concern and distress among the international community. What is the origin of the virus that we cannot see with our naked eyes or touch, but is transmitting silently? According to certain studies, it could be from some wild animals. They have been living freely in their natural habitat, but humans, to satisfy their palates, catch the wild animals for food. Consequently, viruses are transmitted from animals to humans, and then spread between people. Apart fromwild animals, there are alsomany animals that have been domesticated by humans, waiting to be caught and slaughtered for human consumption. For human beings’ own interests and desires, they disregard the right of other living creatures to live, cruelly killing defenceless animals for their flesh. As animals are natural hosts for viruses and bacteria, whenever there is an outbreak, like hand, foot and mouth disease or avian influenza, thousands or even tens of thousands of animals will then be culled to stop the diseases from spreading further. Currently, there is no vaccine or antidote for the novel coronavirus. What we can do is to heighten our vigilance and take protective measures which include washing our hands frequently, wearing a face mask and avoiding crowded places. But, doing these is not enough. The most fundamental way to prevent ourselves from contracting Respecting Lives and Going Vegetarian to Ward Off Disasters