12_Return to Nature, Harmony and Coexistence

Return to Nature, Harmony and Coexistence

Greetings to all the Dharma Masters, Dharma Teachers and Sangha staff from World Buddhist Sangha Council. After several years of suspension of communication and exchanges due to the epidemic, we are gathered here in New Zealand once again to discuss the future development of Buddhism. It is a great honour and a memorable occasion to be able to meet with all the great masters again, to praise each other and to make offerings to each other. This year, I would like to share some of my insights on the theme of "Return to Nature, Harmony and Coexistence".

Over the past two to three decades, the rapid development of technology and communication has broken down geographical boundaries and brought convenience to life and business development. There was a time when "globalisation" and "integration" became an inevitable way for mankind to move forward into the new century. However, it has been proved objectively that the globalisation of materialism and consumerism has failed to achieve the ideals of greater integration and harmony in the world. On the contrary, the slogan of "self-priority" has been raised by all sectors of the community, which has led to the development of confrontation and conflict, resulting in the worrying situation of incessant wars and ethnic conflicts in the world today.
In addition to the current global situation, the "consume to consume" lifestyle of human beings has caused serious damage to the climate and over-exploitation of natural species. In recent years, climate anomalies around the world, especially extreme heat, super typhoons and torrential rains, have caused serious casualties, and the impacts have been catastrophic. These are the consequences of the disharmony between mankind and nature.
The theme of this year's conference, "Returning to Nature, Living in Harmony", is a timely and appropriate call for Buddhist monks to work on the current human problems. In my personal opinion, the current attitude of "sustainable development" is too focused on short-term returns and neglects the respect and care for each class and ethnic group. Our Buddhist Avalokiteshvara, who "listens to the sounds of the world's troubles and seeks them out to relieve suffering" and "manifests himself in whatever body he should be in to save beings", teaches us to be sensitive to the needs of society, ethnic groups and even individuals, and to be more attentive and sympathetic to the process of "seeking common ground while reserving differences", and to respond to the real needs of different strata through actions, so that they can be truly respected and helped, instead of being sacrifices or failures in the pursuit of “common ground” or "integration". Instead of becoming victims or losers in the "quest for common ground" and "unification", they should be given genuine respect and help. Only in this way can we eliminate conflicts and achieve the goal of harmonious coexistence. Similarly, as human beings live on the Earth, don't forget that you are not only a user of the Earth's resources, but also a part of them, and that you will certainly become a victim of blind and uncontrolled squandering. If we all follow Avalokiteshvara's example of looking at nature in the spirit of "great compassion based on sameness in essence ", showing more care and respect, and appreciating the close relationship between people and things, "living together as one", we can naturally reduce unnecessary losses and develop the belief and motivation to cherish, preserve and unify, thus achieving true harmony and integration. Amitabha Buddha.