Dharma Master Cheng Yen - Japan's Earthquake: A Wake-Up Call

Amitayus48 SG

http://www.tzuchi.org.sg/en/master/20110315.html

Based on Dharma Master Cheng Yen's conversations in Chinese

With a heart heavy with grief and worry, Dharma Master Cheng Yen talks to Tzu Chi volunteers about the magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunamis that devastated Japan on March 11:

"We must truly be on guard, and live each day with a sense of piety and vigilance. The disasters happening now are not isolated events. Nature is already out of balance."

"We mustn't think, 'It happened in Japan. That's a different country. It has little to do with me.' We all live under the same sky and on the same land. Oceans may separate us, but underneath the oceans, the land is still connected. We may be situated on different tectonic plates, but each plate impacts the other—how can we really say we are separate? Everything is interlinked."

"People today are well-educated, but despite their knowledge, people remain ignorant of life's principles. Mother Earth is already overburdened; each disaster is a wake-up call showing the signs of her distress. All of us must truly awaken, reflect, and make changes in our lifestyles. At this time, we really need to pray for our world. I hope everyone will do this most sincerely by taking up the vegetarian fast and abstaining from meat which will help mitigate global warming."

Namo God Of Mercy /\

realization SG

AMTF!

Dawnfirstlight SG

Humans go against nature. That is why nature is going against us now. This is the law of nature.

sinweiy SG

水灾从贪心来的，这真正的因；火灾，地球温度上升是属於火灾，从瞋恨心来的，风灾是愚痴心来的，地震是从傲慢来的.

佛告訴我們，水災，貪心的感應；火災，瞋恚的感應，你看現在人脾氣多大，小不如意就發脾氣。日常生活當中，你看看急躁，我們中國人講心浮氣躁，冷靜想一想是不是？一點都不錯。

Water element related to greed.

Fire element related to hatred.

Wind element related to folly.

Earth element related to pride.

Asromanista2001 SG

http://www.tzuchi.org.sg/en/master/20110315.html

Based on Dharma Master Cheng Yen's conversations in Chinese

Namo God Of Mercy /\

so he fell for the global warming hoax also eh ?

isn't the earthquake a ''casual'' event ? with the tsunami a ''casual'' effect ?

PedoBear SG

its karma

the descendents need to pay for the sins of their forefathers

remember nanking

remember singapore

like to kill so much ppl during ww2 now all need to suffer

SoulDivine SG

its karma

the descendents need to pay for the sins of their forefathers

remember nanking

remember singapore

like to kill so much ppl during ww2 now all need to suffer

I am sad to say this, but it is true that there is karma invovled in these series of natural disasters and there will be more to come.

Mother Earth is in a bad shape and needs to do whatever she needs to do to restore balance. It is either humanity wakes up from their deep slumber and start practicing meditation+compassion AS SOON AS POSSIBLE or majority of the world's population will be "leaving" this planet for good.

Japan's disasters made me realised that "people" have not resolve their karmic issues with the Japanese. Anger and hatred towards the Japanese generated during WorldWar2 has yet to be resolved ->Warning: By holding to such negative thoughts/emotions, it will cause(has caused) harm to oneself as well as others. It is complusory for everyone to resolve all our karmic issues as we no longer have the option to ignore our past karmic issues anymore.

I sincerely hope that everyone can forgive themselves and others for whatever mistakes committed in the past.

Pinknutri SG

I am sad to say this, but it is true that there is karma invovled in these series of natural disasters and there will be more to come.

Mother Earth is in a bad shape and needs to do whatever she needs to do to restore balance. It is either humanity wakes up from their deep slumber and start practicing mediation+compassion AS SOON AS POSSIBLE or majority of the world's population will be "leaving" this planet for good.

Japan's disasters made me realised that "people" has not yet to resolve their karmic issues with the Japanese. Anger and hatred towards the Japanese generated during WorldWar2 has yet to be resolved ->Warning: By holding to such negative thoughts/emotions, it will cause(has caused) harm to oneself as well as others. It is complusory for everyone to resolve all our karmic issues as we no longer have the option to ignore our past karmic issues anymore.

I sincerely hope that everyone can forgive themselves and others for whatever mistakes committed in the past.

You sound to me like a deep soul. I kind of taking your words seriously. How to appease our Mother Earth with immediate effect.

SoulDivine SG

Lady Gaia (Mother Earth) is way above you and me. She has her own plans. You do not need to appease her.

To stop air pollution, our technology has to change-> no more burning of fossil fuels.

Just take good care of yourself and the people around you if you can -> Learning Reiki

Singapore AFOL SG

水灾从贪心来的，这真正的因；火灾，地球温度上升是属於火灾，从瞋恨心来的，风灾是愚痴心来的，地震是从傲慢来的.

Water element related to greed.

Fire element related to hatred.

Wind element related to folly.

Earth element related to pride.

Earthquakes are caused by tectonic plates .

It's a nataurally occuring natural event and have nothing to do with karma,greed,hatred,folly and pride.

Don't be supertitious.

Singapore AFOL SG

Nice link

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-causes-earthquake.html

If you want to know more about the causes of earthquakes, read this article

When the earth shakes due to the movements of plates below the earth’s crust it is known as Earthquake. Earthquakes are natural disasters, which kill thousands of people in an instant and can destroy cities and countries- human habitation across miles. The vibration during an earthquake has the potential to wreak havoc and destruction, which is beyond imagination. The destruction is the maximum near the epicenter, the place from where the vibrations arise and spread. Of late there have been many such natural disasters, which can be associated with earthquakes like the Tsunami that hit the shores of India, Thailand and razed down buildings and annihilated many lives. It seemed like Mother Nature was avenging herself on us who have used all her endowments to the fullest extent without caring to rejuvenate them. Here we would try to find out the causes of earthquakes so that we can all contribute to the prevention of such things in our own small ways. Individual awareness would definitely lead to mass awareness.

Causes of earthquakes

If seen broadly we can say that earthquakes are caused due to two major reasons. The first reason is the eruption of volcanoes, which are sudden, and as is known volcanoes are seat of inner disturbance and can effect the plates which is the second cause of earthquakes. Earthquakes are caused due to disturbance in the movement of plates, which again can be caused due to various reasons like under crust waves or cracks in the plates.

Plate Tectonic Theory

The outer layer of the earth is divided into many sections known as plates, which are floating on the molten magma beneath the earth’s crust. Now the movement of these plates is determined by the convection current in the molten magma. The heat makes these plates rise and vice versa. Therefore after intervals there are plates that get submerged in the molten magma and there plates that rise upwards and at times even new crust is formed from the molten magma which in turn forms a new plate until it connects itself with the already existing ones. At times these plates and can be pushed up to form mountains and hills and the movement is so slow that it is really hard to comprehend that there is any movement at all. The movement and the results come out to be visible suddenly. Now these plates are the bases on which the continents stand and when these plates move the continents also move. Most of the earthquakes occur on the edges of the plates where a plate is under one or across. This movement disrupts the balance and position of all plates, which leads to tremors, which are called earthquakes.

Volcanic Eruptions

When volcanoes erupt it is because the molten magma under the crust of the earth is under enormous pressure and to release that pressure it looks for an opening and exerts pressure on the earth’s crust and the plate in turn. A place, which is the seat of an active volcano, is often prone to earthquakes as well because the pressure that is exerted by the magma exceeds the limit these plates move and that causes earthquakes. Earthquakes are also caused after a volcanic eruption since the eruption also leads to a disturbance in the position of plates, which either move further or resettle and can result into severe or light tremors.

The excessive exploitation of earth’s resources for our own benefits like building dams to store large volumes of water and blasting rocks and mountains to build bridges and roads is also the reason behind such natural disruptions.

Singapore AFOL SG

its karma

the descendents need to pay for the sins of their forefathers

remember nanking

remember singapore

like to kill so much ppl during ww2 now all need to suffer

Don't be supertitious.

It has nothing to do with karma.

Earthquake is a naturally occuring activity.

Singapore AFOL SG

I rather believe in Lady Gaga.

SoulDivine SG

"People today are well-educated, but despite their knowledge, people remain ignorant of life's principles. Mother Earth is already overburdened; each disaster is a wake-up call showing the signs of her distress. All of us must truly awaken, reflect, and make changes in our lifestyles. At this time, we really need to pray for our world. I hope everyone will do this most sincerely by taking up the vegetarian fast and abstaining from meat which will help mitigate global warming."

I strongly agree with what Dharma Master Cheng Yen has said.

Singapore AFOL SG

No offense to any buddhist.

Only speaking scientifically on how earthquake happens.

Isis SG

水灾从贪心来的，这真正的因；火灾，地球温度上升是属於火灾，从瞋恨心来的，风灾是愚痴心来的，地震是从傲慢来的.

Water element related to greed.

Fire element related to hatred.

Wind element related to folly.

Earth element related to pride.

Hi i am also quite interested to know how the defilements can lead to the natural disaster and perhaps if you know the name of the sutra which may explain more in details?

Isn't the earthquake a natural disaster that occur due to some movement of the earth plates. In recent years, the natural disaster seems to be occurring very frequently. When tsuanmi occurs during 2004, scientist said Tsuanmi is a natural phenomenon that happens once in a hundred years but now tsuanmi is happening once in 7 years?

There was a hypothesis which assumes that the galactic alignment in 2012 and the gravity pull of black hole may cause some major disruption to the sun and earth. Perhaps because we are approaching the galactic alighment that may pay a part in encouraging the active movement of the plate. Personally i don't know if this is true but it is just a hypothesis so don't take it too seriously.

Human beings are a part of this earth. We depend on one another and mother earth to survive. Our thought, speech and action also can affect one another.

PedoBear SG

No offense to any buddhist.

Only speaking scientifically on how earthquake happens.

why come to a religious forum to talk down on other's beliefs?

Asromanista2001 SG

You sound to me like a deep soul. I kind of taking your words seriously. How to appease our Mother Earth with immediate effect.

Soul Divine is just spouting stuff from those New Age websites lah...................

Rooney9 SG

Soul Divine is just spouting stuff from those New Age websites lah...................

new age simi lai eh?

Rooney9 SG

why come to a religious forum to talk down on other's beliefs?

actually I agreed. earthquake is movement of tectonic plates and tsunamis occured to the seismic strength generated as a result of the quake in seabed.