Beel Low See Temple, Singapore. 12.02.2021
Namo Shakya Muni Buddha.
Dear Most Respected Venerable monks and nuns.
Dear lay Buddhists.
According to the western calendar, today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, February 12, 2021. From faraway Germany, I have the honor of being invited by the Most Venerable Master Hui Siong, Abbot of Beel Low See Temple in Singapore and other temples in Malaysia and Indonesia, to have a talk online with you all today. First of all, I want to thank Master Hui Siong for the invitation, also his secretary Miss Jackie and all of you for this opportunity.
Buddha has taught us that everything arises with conditions, and the true nature of everything is emptiness. I am sure, as Buddhists, you are familiar with this teaching. He also taught us other teachings, like “The Three Seals”, according to Theravada tradition, such as: impermanence, suffering and non-self or “The Four Seals” according to Mahayana traditions, such as: impermanence, suffering, emptiness and non-self. No matter which traditions, these teachings are the common guidelines for us to practice Buddhism. So, when things as sufferings arise, how do we approach and deal with it?
Since February 2020 till now, the world has been and is still fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been millions of deaths and even more infected, causing many things to be put on standby including religious activities. Up until then, you have been free to come and go to temples, to meet monks and nuns without any restrictions. But since then, despite the fact that temples are still open, lay Buddhists cannot gather. Everyone is afraid of being infected, so the best solution is to stay home, but even that is still not completely safe. Before, your husband or wife is used to go to work every day. So, you only see each other at home or at the weekends. Now, due to the pandemic, you have to stay and work at home and therefore interact more often with your husband, wife, parents and children. This may give rise to problems which might lead to anxiety and stress, causing damage in relationships.
Adults might lose their jobs, with limited income emerges financial problems which lead to stress and distance between close relatives. The only reason for this is the lack of understanding, which could destroy this bubbly happiness. There are even cases of suicides. However, suicide would not solve anything, it only brings more sufferings to you and the loving ones. The world is facing a huge challenge. So, what can Buddhism or rather religion do to help us? This is a rather tricky question to answer, but let me first tell you these following stories. You can think it over and find the answer for yourselves.
In April 2020, Italy has had a breaking high number of Covid-19 deaths and infected daily. The government tried their best to deal with it but the death number still did not decrease. The first story is about a 90 years old man who was infected with Covid-19 and was brought to the hospital. He had to breath with an Oxygen-tank for more than two weeks before he got better. The day he was sent home, he held the doctor’s hand to thank him. He suddenly burst out crying with no reason. The doctor was worried and asked: “Don’t you have enough money to pay the hospital bill? If so, I can suggest the hospital to allow you pay in installments.” The old man answered: “No, I don’t have problem with the payment!” “Why are you crying then?” asked the doctor. The old man then said: “I have been living for more than 90 years now, and I have been breathing so much Oxygen into my lungs, but all of that time I have never paid attention to my breath. I never appreciated the air I was breathing in either. Today, I would like to deeply thank you, doctor and nurses, especially the Oxygen-tank that you had been providing me with. If it was not it, I could have died a few days ago.”
The second story happened in Australia. After a Dharma talk in Sydney, a young child saw me drinking milk, he then came forward and gently spoke to me: “Master, you should stop drinking milk!”. I was very surprised and asked him “Why?”. He replied: “You should watch this short video clip. It is very interesting!”. And here is what the story is about. There was an animal farm amongst many in Australia that raise cows for milk. Among the big herd there was a newborn calf and its mother. The calf wanted to have milk and ran to his mother. But the farmer saw it and hit him hard on the head with a hammer. The calf was instantly killed then. As I saw those scenes, I thought to myself “That is it how I have been competing with the little calf over the milk for the benefit of myself”. And from that day on, I stop drinking milk, because it indirectly causes suffering for the calves.
The first story tells us to appreciate things that we have and not what we are looking for. Even the bubbly happiness that we used to wish each other during joyous occasions are conditional. Yet, we might not have discovered the true nature of happiness – unlike the old Italian man who was so thankful for the oxygen – even though we are also breathing every day. Because happiness is not real. That is why humans always try to look for happiness but don’t realize that real happiness is around us, in our family, friends and society. Take a look inward to realize the true cause of damage in your relationships. It certainly does not come from the lack of money; it is because we don’t know how to live and to deal with it when we lose our jobs. The answer is right there in your way of view, not in society or religion.
The second story helps us to realize that all living beings have the right to live. We use our rights as human beings to suppress and take away the lives of other weaker beings. The choice of not eating other lives or drinking milk is individual, no one can decide for others. When I arrived in Germany in 1977 from Japan (44 years ago), it was very difficult to buy tofu. But now I can buy lots of vegetarian foods made from soy beans everywhere in German markets. Of course, it is not because German people have become Buddhists. It is rather compassion and respect for lives that many Germans have now become vegetarians.
Facing the suffering of all sentient beings, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas always observe, teach and create many different means to guide humans from ignorance to enlightenment; but we are still ignorant, hate each other, trying to kill each other. So, when death is so close to us, even if the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are near, we still won’t get salvation. The Buddha has said, he is only a teacher, a guide. He can guide us and knows which road is dangerous and which one is safe; but still, we choose the dangerous one. So, it is not his but our fault.
If we want to escape the suffering of Covid-19 and other sufferings in this life, each of us should be aware of how to live and interact with each other, within our family and society. We should not resent or find fault in others, but instead in ourselves. That way, even if a great calamity descends upon us, we still would not be disappointed. Everyone is used to find faults in the heaven, in the earth, in Buddha and in others but never in one’s self.
I wish you all a Happy New Year, full of peace and happiness in your daily lives.