| | The Importance of a Vegetarian Diet | | A Grand Vision | | Purify Yourself,and Benefit the World | | Vegetarianism and Environmental Protection | | The Way to Rejuvenation | | A Misunderstanding | | Fond but Forgetful | | Making It Heavier | | Rescue the Earth by Protecting the Environment | | Cherishing the Earth's Precious Resources | | Caring for Nature | | Implications of Spiritual Acts | | Jeopardizing Both the Earth and Humankind | | Cherishing God's Grace | | | | Economizing to Avoid Running Short | | Leading a Frugal Life | | Esteem and Protect Mother Nature | | Be a Moderate Environmental Preserver | | A Radical Solution | | Relief Expenditures for El Salvador Earthquake Victims | | Supreme Master Ching Hai Contributes US$10,000 for Earthquake victims in Gujarat, India | | Table 1: Expenditures for CharitableActivities in Formosa for March and April 2001 (Unit: NT$) | |
Be careful about what you eat so that you do not contaminate yourself, and make the cells and the brain confused. This will consequently hinder your spiritual progress. It's not that God cares about what we eat, but if we poison our systems with intoxicating things or impure foods such as meat or animal products, then the cells of the body and the brain will also become contaminated and confused. And thus we will not be able to think clearly or sit calmly to find the source of happiness and wisdom.
We have to sit calmly. In both our sitting and daily activities, we must practice to be calmer and to focus more inwardly, so that we can contact the real source of our Godlike quality. From there, we can take care of every daily problem and pain, and make life happier. If we confuse our cells, brain, blood, and sentimental condition, we will also be confused. Then we cannot think straight anymore. When we sit in meditation, we will become very restless and agitated. Even if we sit well in meditation, our vision will be clouded with negative influences from the poisonous things that we have taken into our body. So it's not that God cares what we eat or I care what you eat, or that if you eat a little meat you go straight to hell. It's not true. It's just that if we want to be Godlike, we must take care that everything we do and everything we eat is pure so that we will become pure also.
Everything you eat here is purely vegetarian and very hygienic, because they use gloves and masks when cooking for you. Even if they carry some bacteria or cold virus, they will not impart it to you. But when you eat outside in other restaurants, of course, we cannot guarantee this. But you can recite the Holy Names to purify the food and offer it to God before you eat! This also minimizes a lot of infection for you.
I also do not care what you eat, but whatever you eat will affect your meditation, spiritual practice, mood, temperament, personality and your thinking about value of life. Everything hangs on that also. As long as we are in the material world, every material thing affects us; that's why we must carefully eat pure food-the food that has less karmic burden and less suffering-for our sake. Because animals fear death and cling to life, they suffer a lot. If they are forced to die prematurely for us, of course, their fear and hatred are retained in the flesh that we eat. That's why we also become aggressive, agitated, discontented, and sometimes violent, just like how the animals feel before they die.
Plants also have feelings, not really feelings, but reflex reactions, and not that much, either. Their lifespan also is not as long as that of animals. Their fear is not so intense. Besides, they can grow again. You can cut one branch of a tree and it will grow another two or three branches, sometimes. So if we cut some trees, it's all right, but plant three more. Or if we cut a branch, let it grow three more. It's okay. We don't worship nature. We use nature, but we also protect nature for our own sake. Human beings must always come first. Some very fanatic people say, "Okay, then we don't eat plants also, because they have life." I say, "Okay, then die." We don't worship fanaticism; we do everything in a middle way and very mild manner, just the same way we behave.
The more we develop this world, the more Heavens there will be. We will create a new Heaven. It is just like when we go to a very deserted land with no water or trees, and we begin to dig wells, and we plant trees, vegetables, etc. We make a useless wasteland become a fertile, green, beautiful place. Then we create a new park, a new garden or new living quarters that otherwise had not been there. It did not exist before we came. And from a lousy place, with all kinds of shrubs and thorny bushes growing all over, we make living quarters, a small paradise.
That's how we better the world. Similarly, we will do it on a greater or larger scale. As we move along spiritually, we will move along in helping the world, in beautifying the environment and helping with the poor and the needy. We have to help the whole world, not only one nation. And that is our vision of the future.
Every corner of the Earth affects the whole planet. You know it very well, because recently the fire in Indonesia affected the whole of Singapore, Malaysia and the neighboring countries. So actually, from this kind of natural lesson, we can tell that one person or one place on this planet affects another part of our planet.
Therefore, if you, yourself-your heart, your mind, your speech and your actions-are pure, how beneficial can it be to this planet? This is very logical; we have no need to argue or demonstrate.
We deplete the Earth because we raise cattle and animals. Actually, this is another way we can contribute to our planet. You know all this; you read more books than I ever can imagine-about vegetarianism, about how to save our world, about environmental love and all kinds of things. And the vegetarian diet is the answer to all of these questions. Our earth is collapsing because we eat too much meat. Actually, we have to put it that way. Roughly speaking, it's like that. You read the newspapers more than I do; you watch television more than I ever do. I don't watch television.
But you know that every minute, every year, we cut down forests as big as England just to raise animals. So how many rain forests have been destroyed? This changes the atmosphere and changes the rain. That's why our planet is heating up, and many places are having problems with floods and drought for long periods, even in America.
So if we want to save the planet, if we want to preach environmental care, we should be vegetarian. There's no other thing to do. And that is just a small thing compared to all the vaccinations and all the pure water used for meat and things like that. You know better than I do. I don't want to preach to you about the things that you already read in newspapers and magazines and watch on television every day. I am just reminding you of a small portion of it. But the harmful effects of the meat diet are larger than life, not only that-to so many things, and harmful to ourselves.
By practicing the Quan Yin Method, we change our spiritual condition, concepts and wisdom, and also our bodily organs and cells, which
become refreshed and purged of toxins. If we have no time to meditate, these changes will not take place. If we are busy working hard for
the multitude, or when we are too exhausted, these changes are not discernible. Otherwise, each time we meditate, all our cells are
renewed; therefore, we say “return to childhood? We become younger not only in mentality, but in body as well. We feel healthier, our body
becomes more supple, and our skin more tender. As all toxic substances are eliminated, we look better and better each day.
Except for the Quan Yin Method, I have not noticed any other method that can bring about changes that are so fast and marvelous. As you all
know, there are many forms of exercises and tonics in society that claim to make people younger. However, the results have been
unimpressive; even the people selling the tonics grow older themselves. (Master and everyone laugh) They also do not look pretty. Right?
(Yes)
A worker said to his boss: "Boss, I am in love with your daughter and want to marry her. May I have your consent?" The boss replied, "But have you been to see my wife and talk to her?" The man said, "Yes, I have! But I like your daughter better."
Bernard was invited to his friend Ruben's home for dinner. Ruben, the host, made all the arrangements and requested his wife to prepare dinner and make Bernard feel at home. But he always used endearing terms like sweetheart, sugar plum, apple pie, honey pie, honey dew, morning rose, and pumpkin pie to call his wife whenever he requested something or talked to her.
Bernard was very, very impressed. He said: "Oh, my God, you are really, really sweet. After all these years of marriage, you still call her all these sweet names. You must have a very happy marriage. I am glad for you." Ruben said, "Shh, don't speak so loudly. I began to forget her name three years ago."
A new clerk was sent to the post office by his boss to mail a big envelope. When he reached the window, the woman behind the counter put the envelope on the scales, weighed it and said, "This is too heavy. You don't have enough stamps on the envelope. You need more stamps."
The clerk scolded and screamed at her: "You idiot, that will make it heavier, won't it?"
Features on Environmental Protection --
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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Features on Environmental Protection --
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.
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.
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.
Q: If Allah, Buddha or Jesus were alive today, would they be Greenies? A Greenie is someone who is environmentally conscious.
M: Partially, perhaps, yes. We should protect the Earth's greenery as much as possible for our own benefit. But we should not become nature worshippers, whereby every tree is worth more than a human being. Trees are for human beings. So in case we need them, we should preserve them as much as our space, time and the population allow.
In that case, probably Jesus, and Allah, whoever, would vote for that. I am also a nature preserver myself, and all our practitioners are not allowed to cut trees unnecessarily. But if necessary, we cut them-in order to build in that space some better institution for other people. So we cannot always preserve nature without concern for human comfort. We had better see to the situation: where we should preserve and when, and how much.
Q: Thank you, Master Ching Hai, for sharing your wisdom with us. I have a question about the escalating world population and its accompanying problem of further environmental abuse and the greater demand for food. Would you like to comment on the escalating world population? Is it world karma? Or is this going to create a certain kind of karma in the future?
M: It's not that we are overpopulated, really. We are just not spread out evenly. People are just condensed in certain areas of the world and do not want to move to another area. That is all. We have many vast areas of wilderness that have not been used, many virgin islands, many vast plateaus that are only green with forests and there's nothing there. People just like to concentrate in New York, for example, because there's more fun here.(Laughter) Yes, because if a government is able to create jobs and industry and employment of different kinds in different places, people will go there also to work. They just get condensed in certain places because it's easier to find employment there, or safety. If the safety, security and employment opportunities presented themselves in those other different places, people would go there also. They would go for security, for their livelihood. That's very natural.
So, it's not that we should fear overpopulation. We should be more organized to give the people of the world more benefits of employment opportunities, housing and security. Then everywhere will be the same. We will never be overpopulated.
And about your question concerning food, you should know better. Because in America, we have so much information concerning how to preserve the world. The vegetarian diet is one of the best ways to preserve the world's resources, and to feed the whole population of the earth. Because we waste a lot of vegetarian food, energy, electricity, and medicine to raise animals. Whereas it could feed other people directly. And many countries of the third world nations sell their protein-enriched vegetarian food for cheaper prices. But that is not a help to the other world nations' populations. If we spread out all the food evenly the vegetarian diet will help this, not only for ourselves, not only for the animals, but for the whole world.
One of the research magazines has already said that if we eat vegetarian, the world will not be hungry anymore. And also we have to organize. I know a person who can make rice bran into nutritious food and milk, even. And we talked last time about that. He said he spends about three hundred thousand dollars and he can feed six hundred thousand people in Ceylon-the poor, the undernourished, the mothers, and all that. It was fantastic! It's because of the way we do it in many parts of the world; it's that we waste the natural resources, and not that we don't have enough.
God wouldn't put us here to starve. Actually, we starve ourselves. So we have to rethink, reorganize, and that needs the blessing of many countries' governments. They have to bless us with their absolute honesty, cleanliness and dignity, and the will to serve people instead of serving themselves. If we have this blessing from all the countries' governments, we'll have no problem. We have to have good leadership, good economic organization and ruling talents, and honest governments. But that can come about more rapidly when most of these people or all of these people become spiritual. Then they will know the discipline; they will know the precepts; they will know how to be honest and clean; they will know how to use their wisdom. They can think of many things to do and reorganize our lives.
Q: That seems to be very difficult because as I see it, much of the environmental abuse today has to do with a growing population's demand for more living space, for homes, for living the way we in the 20th century know and want to live. Look at the jungles in Brazil, the environmental abuse there, the destruction of the forests there, the rain forests. The land is being defoliated and that results in floods. And these are not unrelated to the problem of overpopulation.
M: Yes, everything is related to each other, of course, in this world. And the only solution is to solve it from the root, not the branches. And the root is spiritual stability. Understand? (Applause) So all we have to do is to try to spread the spiritual message, what we know, and keep to the spiritual discipline. That's what people don't have. It's OK to plug yourself into an electric machine and have some lights and some buzzing music and get samadhi. But if you don't have moral discipline, then you only use the power for bad things sometimes, and you can't control it. That's why, in this group, we teach people the precepts first. Precepts are important. We have to know where we go and maneuver our power. If we have power without love, without compassion, without proper understanding of the moral value, then it's no use. It becomes black magic. That's where black magic comes from. So, it's easy to get enlightenment, but it's hard to keep it. In our path, if you are not truly disciplined and morally equipped, the master will take away some of your power so that you cannot abuse it and do bad things to the society. That's the difference. Master has control of the master power.
I am very happy with all of your intelligent questions, very intelligent. People do these things because they are not wise enough, like abusing the land that you have mentioned, or doing something just because of their lack of wisdom. So the root is wisdom, spiritual practice, getting enlightened.
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Table 2: Expenditures for Needy Households in Formosa for March and April
2001
(Unit: NT$)