opportunities to do good deeds. We must not talk about compassion for a short time; we must be steadfast in our kindness and continuous in our caring. We must never look for or expect rewards for our goodness, but always selflessly behave with compassion, without any attachment or desire of profit for ourselves. The only way to achieve splendor and peace in the world is through equality and compassion. We must rid ourselves of selfishness and self-grasping to truly promote peace in this world. In Chinese, the word for "I" contains two radicals of which one means spear. The connotation of this is that most of our troubles stem from our own selves. In English, the word for "I" is a single capital letter. The connotation of this is that the self is egotistic! The truth is that because we have such strong senses of self, we always think in terms of our wealth, our opinion, our profit, and our social standing. From this we generate untold suffering and bad karma. When we are locked into our sense of self, we see the whole world through a kind of prejudice. The Warring States and Southern and Northern dynasties in China, the American Civil War, the conflicts in South Africa, and the religious wars in Europe were caused fundamentally by people who grasped too tightly to their sense of self. Lao- Tzu said, "The great calamities of life are caused by a grasping sense of self. " The Buddha said, "Endless troubles result from the self. " If two people live together and both have a strong sense of self, they will not be peaceful for long. If each member of a family always expects everything to go his own way, that family will experience many problems and upsets. If nations and societies all act in the same way, there will never be peace. During the Period of Warring States in China (403-222 BCE), Queen Chao questioned a minister from the state of Ch'i. At
13
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker