The True “Wealth”
Talks during Animal Liberation by over Ten Thousand Practitioners in Beijing
(June 27, 2010 AM)
Today, the main purpose for coming here is not to meet me or look at me, but to recite the scriptures. So, what is the scripture that we are going to recite? I heard that we are going to liberate tens of thousands of birds, and many fish here. Whether we are Buddhist or non-Buddhist, having a kind heart is the basic principle of our life, which we all must possess; and saving the life of living beings is an activity that stems from our kind heart. I am therefore very happy to see many Beijing lay practitioners and Dharma friends perform these virtuous activities.
In today’s society, moral and ethical values decline every day. Very few people carry out virtuous activities. Although external material conditions are improving rapidly, confusion and suffering of the mind is increasing. In this situation, we are able to reverse the trend, to do something truly beneficial for sentient beings and also for ourselves. It is my view that this activity is truly very constructive and meaningful. For this reason, we should all feel joy while carrying out this animal liberation.
Although I have more to say, due to time constraints, I will cut it short. Below, I would like to stress a few points.
Importance of Altruism
Firstly, to make our life meaningful, we must use it to benefit sentient beings. This is the essence of Mahayana Buddhism. As it says in Answers to the Questions of Disciples, “Of all the activities, the most supreme is to benefit others.” In this world, benefiting sentient beings is the supreme activity; other activities have no significant meaning. This is something that Buddha is more than happy to do, and also rejoices in others doing. As it says in the Flower Adornment Sutra, “Whoever cherishes sentient beings will please all the buddhas.” If we can make sentient beings happy, our merits increase automatically. Therefore, I hope that everyone can dedicate more time and effort to doing something meaningful for the benefit of sentient beings in their daily lives.
Care and Love for Life
Secondly, the most precious thing in this world is life. When someone is facing a life-threatening crisis, even if he has to give up all his property, status, and fame to save his life, he will be more than happy to do so. Just like how we do not want our life to be taken away, all other living beings equally value their lives. We should therefore treat them equally. In order to protect life equally for all living beings, we must try our very best to release and liberate them. The Brahmajala Sutra says, “A disciple of the Buddha should have a mind of compassion and cultivate the practice of liberating sentient beings. He must reflect thus: throughout the eons of time, all male sentient beings have been my father, all female sentient beings my mother.” Since every sentient being has been our past mother and father, we should liberate them with a compassionate heart to repay their kindness. The merit of this virtuous activity is definitely vast.
In Chinese Buddhism, Master Lian Chi, Master Han Shan, Master Yin Kuang, and other great masters all advocated animal liberation. In Tibetan Buddhism, the omniscient Longchenpa, Lama Tsongkhapa, Mipham Rinpoche, His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok, and all other great masters also put a lot of energy and efforts into animal liberations, and rescued and protected an infinite number of lives. Knowing the importance of it, if you can arrange a fixed schedule, or even occasionally organize an animal liberation event, this will be very meaningful. Even if you release one fish or one bird in a month or a year, this virtue is still incredible.
This year I wrote the lyrics for a song called “Song of Animal Liberation,” which has been published online. Some of the lyrics are as follows:
“One by one, the little birds return to the blue sky, their joyful songs pervade the sky and space. Moved by this, Indra rains down joy and happiness, causing mountains and rivers to become calm and peaceful.
“One by one, the little fish return to the sea, their dances of freedom rock the sea. Moved by this, the naga king sprinkles nectar, causing flowers, grasses, and trees to grow with joy.
……
“Groups of cattle and sheep, one by one, return to the grasslands. Their peaceful shadows decorate the land of snows. Moved by this, the Dharma protectors grant joy and happiness, causing the white clouds and green grass to move and feel alive.”
These are my thoughts, feelings, and experiences when I carry out animal liberation. If we actively participate in animal liberation events, not only do the animals gain happiness, but it also brings positive effects for society, making it harmonious, and making relationships between people, people and animals, and people and nature harmonious, too. Therefore, we should care for all life, even a fish or a bird. We should try our best to liberate them.
The Joy of Practicing Dharma
Thirdly, studying Dharma can bring about the greatest joy and happiness. In Tibet, most people have faith in Buddhism from their childhood on, and I am one of them. I have been studying Buddhism for twenty to thirty years now, and, during this process, I have come to feel deeply that happiness for oneself is very difficult to obtain from the external, material world. Even if you have a house, family, status, and properties, it is still not a given that you will be happy. In contrast, if your inner mind has some renunciation, freedom, and serenity, you will naturally be happy. I therefore hope that you will seek happiness in your heart, and, regarding material possessions, that just being able to maintain your basic living conditions will be enough. You should refrain from having a strong desire for excessive external wealth.
Actually, the fact that Dharma can bring about happiness has already been proved by the personal experiences of many practitioners. It is definitely possible for you to do the same. Most people here today are now learning and studying the Bodhicharyavatara, The Words of My Perfect Teacher, The Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path, and other Mahayana teachings. During this process, if you make use of what you learn to constantly subdue your mind, after a considerable amount of effort you will realize that the happiness that you gain from Dharma wisdom is far more than the happiness and satisfaction you gain from pursuing material benefits or the excitement from your sense organs. Why? Because external things are usually difficult to obtain, and even if you successfully obtain them, they will be exhausted easily. On the other hand, if you gain an experiential understanding of Dharma, this, generally speaking, remains with you always.
At the moment, the suicide rate in the Han Region is particularly high. According to the data from the Ministry of Health, each year there are two hundred thousand suicides due to mental problems. The rate is even higher in many universities. This suggests that material wellbeing alone cannot bring happiness, nor the power conferred by knowledge alone. In contrast, in our Tibetan region, where 99% of the population believe in Tibetan Buddhism, we have never heard of anyone committing suicide due to romantic or relationship problems, or heard of anyone jumping off a building because of failure in business, so we can see that Buddhism can bring tremendous contentment and happiness. Today, millions of people around the world are interested in the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan lamas. This is not blindly done, like chasing a miracle cure, but through their wisdom they investigate and observe, and then they understand what can really make them more positive, perfect, and happier.
Thus, we should not entrust our happiness to the outside environment; this is my understanding after studying Buddhism for many years. If you have a conducive situation, I would advise that you spend some time in and put some effort into the practice of meditation, chanting, and reading books, especially studying Dharma. Likewise, when I give advice to Buddhist study groups outside our monastery, I have always emphasized that listening, contemplating, and meditating on Dharma should always be our first priority. Other ritual or superficial activities should be secondary. Therefore, my Beijing Dharma friends, the only thing I hope for is that everyone is focusing on learning and studying Dharma. The better you learn, the more you will harvest.
Of course, whether you learn or not is nothing to do with me personally, but is certainly for your own benefit. When comparing the kind heart and behavior toward others, as well as attitude to life, between Buddhists and non-Buddhists, you will see a huge difference between them. Thus, studying Mahayana Buddhism not only benefits other living beings but also benefits you in that it improves your personality, and so on.
Due to time constraints, I have to stop now. If you have confidence in what I have said and are interested, you can study Buddhism via the Internet, CDs, or books. Many of you participated in this animal liberation event out of curiosity. However, there are also some of you who have been following my teachings on a long-term basis and would like to take this opportunity to meet each other. In any case, meeting each other, shaking hands, and taking photographs are not very important. What is the most important thing? It is to integrate the teachings of Buddhism into your heart. This is of the utmost importance in your life. If you can do so, then you will be able to cope with anything that happens in your life easily, even facing death. Otherwise, no matter how great the superficial things you acquire, they are meaningless.
Today, I am very glad to perform the animal liberation together with everyone here. I have briefly talked about the above three points and now we should start the event. Thank you.
