first she asked him about the common people. Then she asked him about the collection of taxes. Lastly, she asked him about the king. The minister of Ch'i was not pleased with the order of her concerns, but the Queen had done it just right! She was not so concerned about herself or the king of Ch'i, but she was first concerned about the common people and their welfare. This is an effective foundation of a nation by the people, of the people, and for the people. The grasping self must learn to expand itself from the little self to the large self and from the selfish self to the selfless self. Near the end of World War II, President Roosevelt asked Master T'ai Hsu, "How can we attain world peace?" Master T'ai Hsu answered "Through compassion and selflessness!" If we want peace, the best way to get it is to eradicate first the selfishness in our hearts. When selfishness is eradicated, and we feel no attachment to things of the world, how can there ever be another war? We must use broad-mindedness and tolerance to promote peace. Broad-mindedness enables us to become tolerant. Through tolerance, we will succeed in being in harmony with others, and thereby achieve peace. If we have a large piece of land, we can construct great buildings. The ocean is broad and deep, beneath its surface it holds immense variety and splendor. If one If one can tolerate an entire nation, then he or she will be able to lead the nation. If we can tolerate the great absolute, which permeates all things, then we will become the kings of the Dharma! The world we live in is only as big as our hearts. Some people say that wars start over bread, and others say that they start over land. The truth is that bread and land are just contingent manifestations of our inner selves. If we can purify our hearts and rid ourselves of selfishness, then we will
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