..續本文上一頁 Mahayana Buddhism when we are carrying out our roles in society—even if we do not fully diminish our selfishness but at the very least strive toward benefiting others and aim to help others—society will gain direct benefits from our actions. If you doubt whether you can gain happiness from an altruistic mind, consider the words of the Nobel Peace Prize winner and advocate of non-violence, Martin Luther King, who said, “A clean conscience is the softest pillow.” If you want a good conscience, happiness, and joy, should you keep hoping for gain or should you help others

　　 I believe it is quite obvious.

　　Today, moral values in society are declining and the dark shadow is rapidly increasing—until it is impossible to dispel it. Maybe I am too pessimistic, perhaps I am not. By looking around us, we can see that material development has reached an extraordinary level. Entertainment in our major cities is now huge, even comparable to any country abroad. However, are people satisfied with it

　　 No, they aren”t. Are they happy

　　 No, they are not. Many people become a servant to and completely enslaved by money, property, or cars; for the sake of their career and fortune, they act selfishly and unscrupulously. But the results are often the opposite of what they want, and ultimately they are further away from happiness.

　　IV. The Effect of Buddhism on the Mind

　　In contrast, in the Tibetan region, our living standard is not high, the climate is harsh, but the happiness index is very high. Statistics from previous years show that many people live to over one hundred years old. What is the reason for this

　　 Many scientists believe that this is related to people”s mental health. In the Tibetan region, the only way to improve your mental health is Mahayana Buddhism; hence, British historian Arnold J. Toynbee said, “In the coming 21st century, the only human civilization fit to liberate the world from the pit of global chaos or crises is the Theosophy or Wisdom of Confucianism and Mahayana Buddhism.” This is a very true and justified statement.

　　As mentioned above, there are two possible solutions to uproot the fundamental problems in the present time. One is to study the works of Confucius and Mencius. This is especially important to the Han Chinese, because with this philosophy in mind, many suicides among college students, which are caused simply by frustration, can be prevented. The second solution is that you can practice Mahayana Buddhism. With this, a practitioner can develop the ability to deal with problems and even a big challenge with peace of mind.

　　When I went to Yushu to provide disaster relief, I saw many collapsed houses, many casualties, and wounded. The horror of this scene cannot be expressed in words. Hundreds of monks and nuns went there to recite Buddhist prayers for the dead and comfort the victims. During this process, it was evident that because of faith, local people had a sense of impermanence and were well prepared to face death. They were confronted with a natural disaster, they did not blame others, and treated it as something that could be expected to happen. Many of them said, “Things and events are impermanent” or “The nature of samsara is suffering.” To them, this catastrophe was not something insurmountable.

　　During that time, we saw that a China News reporter was very moved when we were discussing some affairs with local villagers at the Yushu racecourse. He said to us, “I have personally been to many disaster scenes at home and abroad, including the Wen Chuan earthquake. I was at the disaster scene and saw countless horrors. Some people discovered that their relatives had died and were not able to cope with the sadness, and committed suicide. Some saw all their wealth destroyed and were not able to deal with it menta…

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