Dharma: 970905人間菩提英文版Awakening to the Lessons that Disasters Bring Us (更正日期)

Awakening to the Lessons that Disasters Bring Us / 每日播出內容｜ 300K 300K ｜ 56K

人間菩提--覺醒的時刻

This world we live in is like a vast sea.

When the sea is serene and peaceful, all is calm and beautiful.

Such a state of serenity and peace is indeed the most beautiful.

Likewise, when the world is peaceful and calm, everyone will be safe and sound.

But, when the winds rise, waves on the sea will surge, as the water sways and rolls. At the same time, there will be dark clouds scudding across the sky making it difficult to tell whether it is daytime or evening hours.

At a time like this, we'll know that the weather is changing.

(When the climate conditions are imbalanced,) major disasters will occur.

Why are there so many disasters around the world?

Why are the climate conditions imbalanced?

As I often say, (it's all due to man's desires) which lead people to live a self-indulgent lifestyle: and (the disasters we experience now).

(are a result of our overindulgence and greed)

We see the U.S. It has been continuously developing its industries.

However, as industries grow and get more advanced more natural resources will be depleted. In the beginning, manual labor was used to dig up resources.

Then, machineries were invented and used.

As technologies became more and more advanced, explosives or high-tech excavators were applied.

That's how powerful the tools have become, and they have the capacity to do great damage to the land.

Not only are people excavating mountains and the land, but they are even drilling into the ocean bed. See how people keep drilling for oil, and how natural gases from oil wells keep burning and sending clouds of smoke upwards to the sky.

That's how the Earth has been drilled and dug up in recent times, scholars have been studying why there have been such erratic weather conditions.

A rise in atmospheric temperatures also causes a rise in sea surface temperatures with that, circular wind activity also increases.

When sea surface temperatures increase, it will provide fuel for tropical depressions that develop over the ocean and so wind speed will also increase, so that they fulfill the criteria for a hurricane.

Basically, along with global warming, there will be a noticeable increase in hurricanes and typhoons.

So, now they know.

Why are hurricanes forming one after the other and continually stiking the U.S.?

A few days ago, we were very worried about Hurricane Gustav hitting the U.S., so we prayed with utmost piety.

We hope that through self-reflection & repentance, everyone could pray with humble piety from the bottom of their hearts, so that they could be safe and sound.

Local authorities also kept calling on everyone to be on the alert and to evacuate.

A dozen or so shelters were set up in Dallas and Tzu Chi volunteers went to help look five of those shelters.

Yesterday afternoon in the U.S., people had already begun heading home and the shelters also started to close.

However, some of the people didn't bring much money with them when they evacuated, and now they had no money to pay for the gas they needed to go home. So, Tzu Chi volunteers along with the Red Cross and the local government began looking at how they could help these people.

Yesterday, Tzu Chi's U.S. headquarters quickly sent gift cards to our volunteers in Dallas for them to give out to the evacuees to buy gas for their trip home.

For each car, the people can receive a gift card of US$100 which is around NT$3,000 for them to fill up their cars with gas.

See, our volunteers not only solved their problem,

(but they also ease people's worries because)

(now the people can go home)

See how considerate our volunteers are.

I am truly grateful to Tzu Chi volunteers for being so mindful and loving.

They have done what they feel is right and after having done so, they feet at peace and ease.

However, we see that three more tropical storms and lined up across the Atlantic, with the first again sweeping through the Caribbean and causing much devastation again.

For some countries that are poor to begin with they've been devastated by disaster once and again.

Isn't all this the result of the negative karma created by living beings?

Because of their negative karma, they were born to areas plagued by poverty where disasters, political turmoil, etc. keep occurring.

They truly endure unspeakable suffering.

With one disaster occurring after another, I hope everyone can awaken to the lessons they bring and stop their spree of overindulgence and greed.

It is truly time for us to awaken to the lessons that disasters bring.

Turing to Sichuan, China---

Our local volunteers have started up a book club in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan.

This book club is very successful.

The local volunteers are now starting initiatives.

Though our volunteers from Taiwan have returned, our local volunteers carried on this relay of love by starting this initiative.

During the book club, everyone was very moved and they encouraged and supported one another. It was truly very moving.

Among those who served in our fifth aid team in Sichuan was a Taiwanese businessman from Kunshan near Shanghai. He spread the word about eating vegetarian among his employees who have all started to do so in their deaily lives.

Many have made vows to eat vegetarian for a certain period.

Some have vowed to eat vegetarian for a year, some a month while others for their whole lives. That is how he encouraged his employees.

See how one person is able to inspire so many others.

Because of the Sichuan Earthquake, love was inspired in the hearts of the people of Sichuan.

See, the local volunteers have all made strong vows be it young entrepreneurs, local housewives, or small children.

Now that they have helped the locals, (to settle down for the time being, they began to)

(share Dharma with others by holding the book club)

It's the same with this Taiwanese businessman in Kunshan who promoted vegetarianism among his staff.

I believe that all Taiwanese businesspeople in different parts of China will cherish and love the local people, giving both their efforts and love while inspiring sincerity and love in the locals.

I'm sure that with great mindfulness, everyone can do this.

Seeing these natural disasters, (which are a result of our overindulgence,)

Everyone should reflect carefully and put an end to our greed rather than continuing to use up the Earth's resources.

See how adorable our recycling volunteers are and how they cherish the Earth's resources.

I hope that this attitude of cherishing resource can spread quickly around the world so that we won't keep excavating mountains and drilling into the ocean floor.

May we all be humble, cautious, and pious

地球暖化毀生態
覺醒時刻挽狂瀾
救世救心惜福觀
推動克己護資源

古斯塔夫颶風遠離，美國路易斯安那州撤離的居民，開始陸續返回家園。全美慈濟志工緊急動員，在達拉斯設立了五所收容中心，提供毛毯、靜思語小冊子，還協調餐廳供應熱食。

雖然一系列的防災措施發揮了功效，讓災民平安度過，然而緊追在古斯塔夫後面的，還有漢娜、艾克、約瑟芬三個風暴陸續形成。證嚴上人在今天志工早會上開示，人人不要貪圖一時的享受，浪費自然資源，只有時時戒慎，敬天愛地才能拯救大地。

古斯塔夫颶風過後，美國路易斯安那州撤離避難的居民，終於可以陸續回家。一系列的防災措施確實發揮了功效，讓災民有驚無險、平安度過。證嚴上人感恩美國慈濟人發揮大愛精神，給災民最及時的幫助。

古斯塔夫剛走，熱帶風暴漢娜緊接而來，已經在海地、多明尼加帶來災情，緊追在後的還有艾克、約瑟芬兩個風暴。科學家早已證實，暖化危機是生態浩劫的主因，面對天災，除了提高警覺之外，我們更應該反省自身，避免過度開發、資源浪費。

驚世的災難，要有警世的覺悟。敬天愛地，克制人心貪念，才能天地祥和。