Features
on Environmental Protection --
Rescue the Earth by Protecting the Environment
Over the last century, human civilization has experienced rapid technological
and industrial advancement. Although this progress has brought convenience
into our lives and a high degree of economic development, it has cost
the Earth dearly. The beautiful natural environment has been devastated
by pollution, and the limited resources of our planet are almost depleted
due to unrestrained exploitation by humankind. Master once said to
us, "This Earth is really beautiful! I don't want her to be destroyed
so quickly. People in this world spent a lot of money going to the
moon, but they spend very little on taking care of the Earth. This
is not right!"
Although we are only visitors on this planet, we ought to think about
future generations and all the other sentient beings living here.
Each one of us is obliged to love and care for this beautiful Earth.
In addition to encouraging us to practice diligently and protect the
Earth, Master has, since the early years of Her preaching, consistently
taught fellow practitioners how to save energy and preserve the natural
environment in daily life. Master's forward-looking concepts have
been more penetrating and thorough than the environmental protection
ideals advocated by scholars and experts. Even before the world became
widely aware of today's drastic ecological and climatic changes, Master
had already warned humankind and offered practical solutions to these
serious problems: vegetarianism and reforestation. (Please refer to
Master's 1994 discourse in Japan: "The Way to Save the World
from Doomsday".) Such general knowledge and concepts may not
be profound theories, but they are absolutely feasible and effective.
Through Master's words and actions, we witness and learn a scripture
that is very much alive with the wisdom of an Enlightened Master.
Cherishing the Earth's Precious Resources
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai at the Shatin Center, Hong Kong,
September 11, 1993 (Originally in Chinese)
Our planet is suffering from severe devastation in this age, as trees
are cut down and mountain forests destroyed indiscriminately. Many
beautiful places have been ruined and reduced to deserts. New deserts
are emerging every year. Take a look at the statistics and you will
know. Consequently, the Earth's climate has changed drastically. It
has become peculiar with the occurrence of many typhoons and earthquakes,
and sharp fluctuations in temperature. Mercury readings soar high
in places with normally cold climates and plunge low in places with
warm climates. Our bodies can hardly adapt to the changes. For instance,
we may be accustomed to living in Hong Kong, where the weather turns
cool in September and October, and becomes really cold in November
and December. Our bodies have already adapted to these annual variations,
and a sudden change brings physical discomfort. We may become ill
and have lots of trouble.
Caring for Nature
Human beings have enormous destructive power. They care little about
society or the future, and are concerned only about their immediate
personal benefit. Therefore, a considerable part of the Earth's resources
have been destroyed, which in turn has affected the world economy.
Should a torrential downpour occur where no effort has been made to
conserve soil and water, there will be no trees to absorb the rain
permeating the soil, and it is later released slowly like a river.
The result is a flood disaster. When floods occur, many houses are
destroyed, crops are submerged in water, and the global economy suffers.
Recent floods in the United States have incurred losses totaling billions
of dollars, and the U.S. has yet to completely recover from these
disasters. This is all caused by humankind's destruction of the environment.
If every group, unit, and individual can act like our group and care
lovingly for Mother Nature the way I teach you, then our world will
be different. We may think that only communist or extremist countries
wage wars that destroy our planet and jeopardize human lives. But
in reality, they are not the only ones; even small groups, small units,
or individuals can destroy the Earth. They do it bit by bit every
day. This is chronic destruction. War causes one-time damage, and
the aftereffects disappear in a few decades. When people realize that
war brings no benefits, they call for a cease-fire and begin reconstruction
and restoration efforts. However, the chronic destruction that goes
on daily throughout the world is difficult to restore. It causes damage
and creates risks that are no less than those caused by war.
I do not teach you these things because of money. For example, sometimes
I teach you how to pick fruit, take care of trees, and spray unhealthy
trees. Trees become sick sometimes. Worms grow inside and devour them,
then the trees fall. Therefore, you must take care of the trees when
you have time. Those who know how to do it should teach those who
do not. Work together. Each one of you can tender a few trees. And
when fruit grows, we can pick it.
Implications of Spiritual Acts
Every action by a spiritual practitioner carries symbolic significance.
When we act with the intent to preserve, this power of loving concern
will spread from our corner of the world to the whole planet. The
Earth will be conserved, crops will be protected, the global economy
will be sustained, and everyone will have food to eat. The world will
have adequate resources and sufficient food for everyone. We do not
do this so we can save a lot of money; in fact, little can be saved
in this way. It is merely a symbolic action. Having the spirit to
conserve and the heart to contribute demonstrates the power of conservation
and positive strength that we want to share with the world. If this
power of conservation pervades every corner of the globe, the world
will be much safer.
When everyone is engaged in destruction and no one makes any effort
at conservation, of course, the positive power will diminish until
no protective power is left and only the negative, destructive power
prevails. Therefore, we must try to maintain a balance. We may be
few in number, but our power is great. We spiritual practitioners
can focus our minds to such an extent that even though we are doing
only a little bit, the outcome is comparatively more significant and
the impact greater than our efforts. Therefore, do not say, "Well,
it is merely a few acres of land. How much benefit can we bring to
the world? Why should Master take all this trouble?" When each
person does a little bit, the combined effort is enormous. In the
world outside, everyone causes a little bit of damage. All actions
should begin from individuals. Therefore, when you do a positive deed,
bear in mind that you are doing it for a symbolic purpose.
When we do it, our protective power can offset the destructive force
in the world. Even though we cannot completely compensate for past
actions, at least we can try to maintain a balance. Otherwise, if
everyone is being destructive and no one is committed to conservation,
the world will become a desert sooner or later. Now there is less
and less forested land; the same is happening here around us. All
the surrounding mountains have become bald like a monk's head. Therefore,
we must balance it a bit symbolically. If we had not preserved the
forests here, this place would have become barren. Do you think it
would have looked nice? Fortunately, we still have some green and
richly forested areas here. In the summertime, you can sit under the
trees to read, meditate, cool off, chat, rest, or lie in hammocks.
Had we not taken good care of this place, the trees would have become
sick, withered, and finally died. The whole place would have become
as bare as the mountains over there. How would you have felt then?
Wouldn't it have been a lot worse than it is now?
Jeopardizing Both the Earth and Humankind
If the natural environment is slightly destroyed and humankind adds
to the damage without anyone taking care of Mother Nature, our planet
Earth will one day become like Mars. Do you know about Mars? Why is
it called Mars (the Chinese term for Mars is "Fire Plane")?
It is because there is only fire up there and the planet is red. There
is no life, at least not on its surface. I "hear" that there
is life underground, however. This is because the planet suffered
severe devastation in the past, and there was a war with other beings.
Although they battled only because they had no other alternative,
the karma remains. They killed each other with chemical bombs, which
made the planet barren. Besides, humans cannot live there because
the surrounding atmosphere is still highly toxic. The non-toxic atmosphere
of our planet Earth contains oxygen; therefore, we can live. But perhaps
our oxygen is not pure, so we cannot live long and our life force
is weak; we cannot enjoy a long life. On Mars, or other more dangerous
or worn-out planets, the atmosphere is in even worse condition. Pervaded
only by toxic gases and no oxygen, it allows no life to survive.
Today, the humans on Earth have enormous destructive power and have
created plenty of toxic gases. For the sake of money, people give
no thought to the future, or about the people around them, not even
their own children or future generations. Therefore, the air on Earth
is becoming increasingly toxic, and people are afflicted by more illnesses.
It is difficult to cure their illnesses because their immunity is
growing weaker.
Cherishing God's Grace
Trees generate oxygen to maintain a balance in the air in our environment.
Without them, the Earth will have only floods and fires; it will be
hot and dry like a desert; the atmosphere will become unbalanced.
This is because trees absorb carbon dioxide for circulation and transformation,
and release oxygen that is beneficial to our bodies. If we look at
green plants frequently, our eyes will feel relaxed, we will feel
good, and our bodies will feel very comfortable. Therefore, trees
are vital to human beings. When we take care of them, we also take
care of ourselves. This has nothing to do with money.
This is symbolic conservation of Nature. We do not worship Nature;
we preserve it. Sometimes, we have to cut trees for a greater purpose
or out of genuine necessity. But when we don't have a reason to do
so, we should preserve them all. It is a symbolic action. We do not
do it for money, nor is it because I am fastidious that I trouble
you. You may think that it is not worthwhile, because you can buy
a lot with a few dollars, but the meaning is different. Everyone wants
to buy and no one wants to plant. Since God has bestowed the great
Nature on us, we ought to take good care of it to show that we cherish
what Hes has given us. And Hes will give us more. For instance, parents
give some money to their child, and the child manages and runs a business
well. As his business prospers and expands, the parents trust him
more and are happy to give him more wealth. Then, he will prosper
even more. If the child squanders, wastes, or loses the money, will
his parents give him more? Of course not! This is very simple and
logical.
Therefore, when we possess anything that we think is good, we ought
to cherish it, take care of it, and make it even better. Since we
spiritual practitioners have great power, we create a more tremendous
impact doing the same thing that non-practitioners do. It is because
we do it with focused attention and love, which is very much different
than the way people outside do it-inattentively or for money. We thus
have greater influential power that brings greater benefit to the
world. Therefore, bear in mind your own power when you do anything.
Otherwise, spiritual practitioners are no different than non-spiritual
practitioners. Then why should you practice spiritually and expend
so much effort? Do you feel that you have improved when you go to
group meditation? If you are truly sincere, you will feel yourself
improving, and you will make progress.
Related Topics:
Features
on Environmental Protection --
Economizing to Avoid Running Short
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa,
September 1991 (Originally in Chinese)
I always consider the economic situation and circumstances of each
country I visit. I do not ignore these aspects just because I am wealthy.
Of course, I have enough money to install hundreds of heaters and
air-conditioners, but my house has no air-conditioning. When we were
building the old wooden hut in Hsihu, a resident disciple kept persuading
me to install an air-conditioner, but I refused. I didn't want one
because no one else had one. A little heat cannot kill us; it is coldness
that is dreadful. Coldness consumes our energy and makes us tremble
all the time. As a result, we cannot concentrate on our work, and
that makes a difference. Occasionally, I turn on the electric heater
when my physical condition demands it. For instance, when it is cold
during the night, I turn on the heater for a while, and then switch
it off; I don't keep it on the whole day. Besides, I always choose
one that consumes the least electricity. They bought some 400-watt
heaters for me, but I dare not use them because I don't think they
are necessary. For me alone, 300 watts is more than enough, and I
use it only because I can't find a heater with a lower power consumption
rating. Each time they buy an electric appliance, I always check the
wattage. Here I have become an electric power expert. Whenever we
buy any electric appliance, I always check the required wattage first.
Today, they brought me three heaters from abroad, and the first thing
I checked was the wattage. A resident disciple assured me that the
consumption would not be high, but I insisted: "It definitely
will be high! I know the electrical appliances made in that country
require high wattage." Indeed I was right. I found that they
were all 1,500- and 1,000-watt units. I said, "Return them; I
am not using them." I dare not use even 400-watt units, not to
mention those consuming 1,000 watts or more! I can make a fire with
timber. The only exception is when it is too cold at night, or when
I fall ill. My body cannot stand the cold, and to preserve this body
for serving everyone, I have to use it for a while. Otherwise, I rarely
use it.
Whatever I teach you, I really practice myself. Please cut down on
power consumption, otherwise, it won't last long. The first ones to
suffer will be us. Don't use it as lavishly as you can, and think
that it is good for us; it might not be! We have an idiom in Au Lac
that says, "Eat less and you will have enough food for a long
time." My grandma taught me this, which means if we eat all the
food today, we will have no food for tomorrow. The reason I am telling
you this is not because of money. We can afford the electricity bill
today, but please be more moderate in using electricity.
Leading a Frugal Life
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa,
December 24, 1991 (Originally in Chinese)
When you cook, you use too much ginger. It is not only wasteful but
also not delicious. Money is not the only thing you waste; you waste
many other things as well. Fields where ginger has been grown cannot
be used to plant other crops for several years. I hear that it is
because the soil has become too pungent. If you grow carrots in such
soil, they will become pungent carrots. (Master and everyone laugh.)
(Fellow practitioner: No other crops can be grown for six years.)
Wow! After growing ginger, the soil cannot be used for six years.
Can you imagine that? Therefore, it is very wasteful; it is not just
a matter of money.
If every one of us can do things considerately and frugally, we will
not be the only ones to benefit. The whole country and even the universe
will, too. Therefore, we must not spend lavishly just because we have
money. No! The materials in this world are to be shared by the world.
It is because people do not think considerately, but act wastefully
instead, that there are people starving to death in the world. Some
developing countries sell their food at low prices to developed countries,
and later domestic food shortages cause starvation among their own
people. Therefore, when some people are too wasteful, others will
suffer from insufficiency.
The ginger that we use in cooking is used as an herb in other countries.
Drinking a little bit each time or using a little to prepare ginger
soup will keep us warm for a whole day. But here, we cook entire woks
full of ginger for several thousand people. You know how big our woks
are. God knows how much ginger you cook! It takes a long time to grow
this ginger! Ginger is mostly planted in the mountains. Farmers have
to carry fertilizer up the hills, and plant the ginger in lines on
the slopes; it is a very laborious and difficult task.
The more we waste, the heavier is our karma, because people have
to work extremely hard to grow it , with sweat and tears! If we waste
too much, in excess of our blessed reward, we have to pay for that
excessive amount, for other people's karma, effort and pain. When
you sometimes eat very complicated or highly processed food, you don't
feel good in your meditation that day. You don't have to wait until
you have violated the precepts or eaten meat. Just by eating excessively
processed food, or food requiring much preparatory work, we will also
be hindered. Because people are very tired from working, their grudging
atmosphere will go into the food.
Since ancient times, spiritual masters have advised us to live a
simple life, as simple as possible. Of course, I am not saying that
you only need to eat brown rice seasoned with salt every day. (Master
and everyone laugh.) What I mean is that, in every aspect, we must
try to be as frugal and simple as possible. This is good for us, our
country, and the whole world.
Esteem and Protect Mother Nature
Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai, N.J., U.S.A.
June 24, 1992 (Originally in English)
So when you park, try not to hit a tree! And don't cut it down just
because it doesn't suit your car. Go find another place. The trees
are there for beauty and protection. They're good for your car. When
it's summer, it's not too hot, and when it snows a lot, they stop
some of the snow, and it scatters all over instead of all falling
on your car. They're very good. And the wind and all that, it's good
for your car and good for you. Don't try to cut all of them down,
or you will destroy the forest. We should try to preserve them, and
meanwhile we can use them. That's why I think this car park is the
best; you can park. And later, if it's necessary, we can sprinkle
some gravel on top of it. But if the earth is hard enough, and it
doesn't cause trouble, then we should just keep it like that. Otherwise,
it might look ugly, criss-crossed and different.
Also, when you pitch your tent, please don't clean up the dry leaves.
They keep your tent protected from the moist ground, and also keep
your tent soft like a carpet. So they are very good for you. Then
when you take your tent away, the earth will not be left naked and
the rain will not flow down with all the earth. And later we will
have mountains no more.
So just keep the leaves; they are clean. The leaves are very clean,
soft and beautiful. For your feet, they're very soft, like a carpet.
I saw in many places where you camp that you clean away all the leaves.
This is very unintelligent! We should try to enjoy nature and preserve
the natural environment. They are always good for us.
That's why I don't allow people to cut the trees where it's not necessary.
The weather has changed, in many places drastically, because people
have cut down too many trees, and they cannot grow fast enough to
replace them. The weather has changed, and the rains are being all
washed away instead of being preserved in the earth. The trees attract
rain and also keep the water; it flows slowly down, and it preserves
the mountains. It also preserves the streams and the rivers and all
that. If we cut down all the trees, we will be short of water, and
the weather will change drastically. That we could not bear.
That's why many places and many countries are short of water. Sometimes
it's because they cut trees at random, not considering how it will
be afterward, in the future. Because our children still have to live
on; they will go on living after we die. After I die, this center
will still be here and your children will come. So it's not for one
or two days that you use places; you have to keep them for the future.
Do not think that I am strict with you or forbid you to do that, do
this, or do the other thing. It's all for your good. We have to preserve
things that we enjoy. We have to think ahead into the future, and
not just say, "Oh, I can use it today or tomorrow. I don't care,"
and damage everything. That's how people damage many beautiful places,
cut so many trees and kill so many animals.
Animals are there for a reason. They are also inhabitants of the
earth; we have no right to kill them. I've heard some people say that
their research has found that animals sometimes heal people's sickness,
probably because of their love. That's why many people like to keep
dogs and cats, despite the inconvenience and the attachment that they
bind people with. But because they are so loving and probably so soothing
somehow, people feel good and keep them.
The same with trees, water, and forests-they also heal. Don't you
feel better when you walk a little bit in the forest? Your eyes feel
better. And your lungs feel good, your skin feels smooth, and your
mood is calmer. That is all due to nature: The trees and the air that
they breathe out to give us oxygen.
Therefore, it is very necessary to keep nature intact as much as
we can. If we told a professional, for example, to make a parking
lot out of this, I think all the trees would be gone, with only cement
left over. But I don't think it is necessary to do that! We have a
big piece of land, and we can afford to just park between the trees.
Because when you park over here between the trees, sometimes you don't
feel like walking down right away. If you see a friend, you can just
stand underneath the tree next to your car and have a few words with
each other. It's better than standing on top of the overheated cement
concrete floor. And then if you talk, both are also 'smoking up'!
(Master and everyone laugh.) It gives you a very hard feeling, standing
on the concrete floor.
So I think I like to preserve the trees, not only for me but for
everyone, for America, for the world. Everywhere we go we have to
try to protect nature. Especially now that we are so-called spiritual
practitioners, we should prove that we are very sensitive to the environment
and to the needs of other people.
I cannot believe a person parks his car and then has to cut down
a tree just because it's in front of his car! He should park elsewhere.
How can a person do that? It's a waste of time, waste of manpower.
We already worked all day to make a parking lot for him. And then
here he comes, parks one car and cuts down a big tree, this big already.
(Master makes large circle with Her hands) It takes 20 years, maybe,
to grow until the tree is that big! Very seldom do I allow people
to cut down big trees, except when they are absolutely in the way.
I just say to cut down the small trees, because they grow; those trees
grow in maybe a few months. A few months from now, another tree will
grow like that, so it's not much of a loss. It's not yet very important.
But even then, only when necessary. Otherwise I don't let them cut
them down.
It's difficult to grow a tree, but easy to cut it down. When it's
not necessary, why do it? I cannot bear that! It's cruel, inconsiderate
and stupid. Really, you cannot just do things like that. If everyone
comes in to park a car and cuts down a tree, or maybe even two trees,
then soon there are no more trees. Just because he didn't like it
in front of his car, he cut it down so that he could go through. He
didn't want to reverse the car. I cannot believe it!
So try to understand this, not only here, but wherever you go. Try
to preserve nature. Only destroy when it's absolutely necessary, or
you waste time, waste the beauty of nature, and waste manpower. And
sometimes it wastes money.
I'm very protective of the trees, animals, grasses, everything. I'm
very protective because I feel hurt when they are destroyed. Even
with reason, it's already bad enough. We can't be too ridiculously
strict; we become too stupid then. But we cannot just cut things down
at random. It shows our cold-blooded nature, and it's no good.