Practicing the Environmental Protection does not burden us; instead, it gives us true freedom. Because the foundation of the Environmental Protection is from our “benevolent compassion,” it is the endless consideration and devotion from our heart, and we will never ask for any rewards. This positive attitude helps us overcome selfishness, obsession, and worries, and lets us always feel joy and peace. The true spirit of the Environmental Protection is to achieve “Universal Harmony” as the ultimate goal, and by “starting with myself” as the method. In other words, we should always carefully consider the future of this beautiful world, and always love this world as well. The basic way to achieve this goal is to start with everyone’s minute efforts, including every drop and every particle in our life.
The concept of the Environmental Protection is to ask every one of us to save natural resources, to protect the Eco-system, to reduce waste production, to recycle and reuse the same resource, and to refrain from producing and using poisonous chemical substances. Unfortunately, in this highly commercialized consumer civilization; we have formed many wasteful living habits. Are we willing to re-adjust our life patterns for the security of our world? Are we willing to correct our life pace to help achieve global well-being? Are we willing to change our own habits for the future of others and of this world?
The following is a list of situations that require individual sacrifice to ensure the well-being of the future of the world:
When I face many delicious foods, am I willing to buy less or eat less?
When I face various fashionable clothing and accessories, am I willing to buy one fewer item?
When I face the choice of using disposable tableware, am I willing to take the extra time to reuse non-disposable kinds?
When I go shopping, am I willing to bring my own shopping bags instead of getting another plastic bag from the store?
When I purchase merchandise, am I willing to spend the time to read the label to find out whether it satisfies the Environmental Protection principles?
If I have a car to drive, am I willing to take a bus, ride a bike, or to walk the extra distance to help save energy and reduce pollution?
If I have the choice of riding an elevator, am I willing to use the stairway to save energy and to also exercise as well?
When I have the choice on many kinds of convenient, ready-made cleaning agents, am I willing to look for safe and now poisonous substitutes?
Since I have been used to throwing away all of my trash, am I willing to take the time to separate them into different types of materials for recycling?
Am I willing to clean and separate bottles, aluminum cans, and to bundle up papers to sell or to recycle?
When I use paper, envelopes, or paper bags, am I willing to reuse the other side of papers and to reuse bags and envelopes?
Am I willing to pay more attention, make more contact, and learn more about the news and information of the Environmental Protection?
Am I also willing to exchange ideas with others and try to inspire them to do the same?
All of these seem to be burdensome, and time and energy consuming. From the viewpoint of the Environmental Protection, it is our choice -- a happy and joyful choice from our conscience, as well as a wise and smart choice concerning the well-being of the world! As long as we are benevolent and loving and consider the future of mankind and the world, we will feel neither burdened nor restrained in our minute effort to uphold the Environmental Protection. Instead, the feeling of harmonious giving will fulfill our heart. Superficially, it may seem like only a small “giving” from each individual’s sacrifice. However, if we can influence many others to do so, and be persistent as well, the world will have a great “gain” -- a universally happy way of achieving a pure land! We are sacrificing a portion of our selfish desires in exchange for a portion of our spiritual purification. How precious and valuable of this is! Sacrifice! Sacrifice! If we can sacrifice for others and for the good future of the Great Nature, then it will be the most blissful and rewarding act of benevolence from all of us. I wish that we all together “have great sacrificing and receive a great gain.” We can widely propagate the great benevolence of Maitreya , and together we can build the Pure Land of the world!
The concept of the Environmental Protection is to ask every one of us to save natural resources, to protect the Eco-system, to reduce waste production, to recycle and reuse the same resource, and to refrain from producing and using poisonous chemical substances. Unfortunately, in this highly commercialized consumer civilization; we have formed many wasteful living habits. Are we willing to re-adjust our life patterns for the security of our world? Are we willing to correct our life pace to help achieve global well-being? Are we willing to change our own habits for the future of others and of this world?
The following is a list of situations that require individual sacrifice to ensure the well-being of the future of the world:
When I face many delicious foods, am I willing to buy less or eat less?
When I face various fashionable clothing and accessories, am I willing to buy one fewer item?
When I face the choice of using disposable tableware, am I willing to take the extra time to reuse non-disposable kinds?
When I go shopping, am I willing to bring my own shopping bags instead of getting another plastic bag from the store?
When I purchase merchandise, am I willing to spend the time to read the label to find out whether it satisfies the Environmental Protection principles?
If I have a car to drive, am I willing to take a bus, ride a bike, or to walk the extra distance to help save energy and reduce pollution?
If I have the choice of riding an elevator, am I willing to use the stairway to save energy and to also exercise as well?
When I have the choice on many kinds of convenient, ready-made cleaning agents, am I willing to look for safe and now poisonous substitutes?
Since I have been used to throwing away all of my trash, am I willing to take the time to separate them into different types of materials for recycling?
Am I willing to clean and separate bottles, aluminum cans, and to bundle up papers to sell or to recycle?
When I use paper, envelopes, or paper bags, am I willing to reuse the other side of papers and to reuse bags and envelopes?
Am I willing to pay more attention, make more contact, and learn more about the news and information of the Environmental Protection?
Am I also willing to exchange ideas with others and try to inspire them to do the same?
All of these seem to be burdensome, and time and energy consuming. From the viewpoint of the Environmental Protection, it is our choice -- a happy and joyful choice from our conscience, as well as a wise and smart choice concerning the well-being of the world! As long as we are benevolent and loving and consider the future of mankind and the world, we will feel neither burdened nor restrained in our minute effort to uphold the Environmental Protection. Instead, the feeling of harmonious giving will fulfill our heart. Superficially, it may seem like only a small “giving” from each individual’s sacrifice. However, if we can influence many others to do so, and be persistent as well, the world will have a great “gain” -- a universally happy way of achieving a pure land! We are sacrificing a portion of our selfish desires in exchange for a portion of our spiritual purification. How precious and valuable of this is! Sacrifice! Sacrifice! If we can sacrifice for others and for the good future of the Great Nature, then it will be the most blissful and rewarding act of benevolence from all of us. I wish that we all together “have great sacrificing and receive a great gain.” We can widely propagate the great benevolence of Maitreya , and together we can build the Pure Land of the world!
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