| To purify the Earth,
human hearts must be pure; to protect the Earth,
human hearts must also be protected.
--Dharma Master Cheng Yen
“Tzu Chi volunteers come from all walks
of life, but they share the same love and commitment
for those around them,” Dharma Master Cheng
Yen said today during the final session of the
Tzu Chi Environmental Protection Conference. As
she thanked all Tzu Chi environmental volunteers
for their work of recycling and protecting cherished
resources, she described the challenges we face
today.
“As the Earth’s population continues
to grow, resources are being consumed more and
more rapidly,” Master Cheng Yen said. For
example, because of human demand for meat, many
forests and trees are destroyed to make way for
grasslands to raise and feed livestock. Their
excrement then contaminates the soil and water.
Chemicals produced in manufacturing also pollute
the environment. As our living conditions degenerate,
so do the relations between people, Master Cheng
Yen said.
“The myriad disasters on Earth are caused
by humanity’s greed and selfish desires,”
she said. “To cherish and protect the earth,
human beings must purify their own hearts and
reach out to care for those around them.”
Master Cheng Yen noted the speed with which people’s
minds are being polluted with greed and selfishness.
With a heavy heart, she said it is hard to combat
that polluting force when working to spread good
in the world. “When human beings harbor
negative thoughts and evil ideas, disasters will
occur,” she said. “Similarly, if we
gather the strength of our compassion, then peace
will prevail. The compassionate climate created
by all the good thoughts generated by the environmental
volunteers can purify humanity and cleanse our
polluted earth.”
“The Earth cannot withstand any more abuse
by human beings. We need to use love to heal these
wounds,” Master Cheng Yen said.
She expressed her gratitude towards the volunteers,
calling them all bodhisattvas (guardian angels)
who take care of our planet. She asked them to
continue to educate the public about cherishing
our resources, extending the life of all non-living
things and eliminating the amount of trash that
is created. In other words, reduce consumption
and protect our planet’s limited resources.
The Earth needs to be cleansed, as do people’s
hearts. “There is a clear and serene place
in everyone’s heart, but sometimes it is
polluted by impurities,” she said. “Once
motivated within, we must also inspire and purify
others to find this place so that our Earth can
be a pure land.”
Master Cheng Yen urged the audience to reflect
and cultivate their own minds and then to influence
others to achieve this self-awareness and sense
of fulfillment.
Source: from Tzu Chi
Monthly No. 456 (Nov. 2004)
Dharma Master Der Fan’s Daily Journal, Oct.
3, 2004 (August 20 on the lunar calendar)
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