2022/06/15 Kaohsiung Online Book Club

Sharer: Yuan Huiling (Ci Xiang)

Title: With heart as vast as universe, Purity in mind, Kind wholesome thoughts , Preservation of lives.

Progress:  Following Master's Footsteps Year 2021  Autumn Scroll,  August 9-15th

Translator:  Name    Wong Siew Ching (MY) 黄曉清 （慮曉）

Reviewer: Name Ho Joo Lim (MY) 何裕霖（本鴻）

Seeing the imbalances of the four major elements : floods, forest fires.... The disasters that are happening are terrifying. The effects that of the earth has been damaged slowly emerges  one by one.  Not limited to those happened in Taiwan, it affected many other countries. Due to effects of climate change, many disasters have happened. For example, in July-August 2021, Greece experienced the strongest heat wave occurrence in last few decades. The high temperature on the 3rd was as high as 47.1°C, and ignited 78 wildfires within 24 hours. At least 6,000 hectares of land were burned and more than 100 houses were destroyed. At the same time in Taiwan, the southwest wind pattern air flow brought a large amount of ​​heavy rainfall, causing flooding in the central and southern regions. According to the statistics of the Agricultural Committee, the damaged area of ​​crops exceeded 2,000 hectares, with estimated agricultural losses exceeded 40 million Taiwan dollar. 

 Even though the national vaccine coverage rate in the United States have reached 70% of their population , the Delta variant of Covid 19 virus is rampant, and the number of infected people is still rising. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people who have been vaccinated to still wear masks to avoid the spreading of the Delta variant  of the virus. In August 2021, multiple  cluster of infections broke out in Vietnam, and the government announced that the home-based quarantine for epidemic prevention in 19 provinces was extended for two more weeks. On July 24, 2021, a Tzu Chi member in Kluang district, Malaysia saw that many neighbors were having difficulty in their daily life due to the impact of the epidemic, and reported to Tzu Chi volunteers. The volunteers went for home visits and assessment, sending essential living supplies to the 8 approved families.

   Some people may think the pandemic is very far from me, there are still more than tens to hundreds of kilometers away, and it has nothing to do with me! But the earth is a place where we humans breathe and live together. Once the earth is being gradually destroyed, the small universe like of our body will also suffered.

From the elements of fire to water, the climate is unpredictable. Dry and parched earth cannot be sown, and the fertile fields were flooded. How does the life cycle of of the bacteria and  germs changed ? As a result, people must have social distancing between each other and " covering " their mouths and noses from other persons. What we're facing these disasters, what should we do? Worry? Agonizing over it? These are all to no avail.

  In [Life Wisdom] of 20210805 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKpCuD8G-c0(2:30~4:57)

Master Cheng Yen taught: "Small microcosm are human beings, and human beings are greedy, and this greed has impacted not only the climate, but also brought about sickness and diseases. Sickness can be transmitted via air, so we all have to wear masks. The viruses, spreading through air from the breathing of human beings, affecting one another. How the virus become infects human? How the virus spread from nature to humans?

As a result, when people being close to each other, there arise a warning sign.  This is  the “segregation”.  Social distancing being put in place and when will this end? We need to keep a distance from each other but what about our heart? That’s why I would say Great Education, the teachings which is to stop our desires, stopping our  greediness, hatred and ignorance. To quickly clear and sweep away the afflictions and clutters accumulated in our heart, and let the purity of our initial aspiration, to return through the Great Education".

We're grateful for the discourse by Master Cheng Yen, let us understand that the big macrocosm comes from the small microcosm. If there is greed in the heart, it will be tainted by afflictions. In addition to stopping greed, contempt and ignorance, we still need to call on vigilance, sincerity and upholding the precepts. Working together to devoutly safeguarding life. In this way, we can live a clean and untainted life, and be at ease and free from karmic debt. Finally, I would like to share with you [Quotations of Jing Si]: "With gratitude, you can feel warmth and happiness; with kind thoughts, you can appreciate the beauty of all things.   

Master Cheng Yen often said, "You should be grateful for peace in every day; life is impermanent, and you don't know what will happen in the next instant. Always keep the word "gratitude" in your heart, and your heart will be very warm and happy, and there would not be arising of affliction in mind."