(2) Buddha Came to Save and Protect Us

　　Today is the birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha. We are all inspired by Buddha”s beneficence and kindness to come together to celebrate his birthday. May we sincerely express our happiness deep from our heart. In today”s birthday puja, let”s speak about how to appreciate Buddha”s kindness. The purpose of Buddha being born in this “Five Impurities” world more than two thousand years ago was to liberate distressed sentient beings like us. The Buddha is of great benevolence to us.

　　According to the Buddha, a sentient being who aspires to persevere on the path of Bodhisattva and accumulates unlimited pure merits for three Great Asogi Kalpa periods, may go to a pure land and attain Buddhahood. But in order to save the sentient beings, the Buddha had chosen to attain enlightenment in this Five Impurities mundane world. In other words, Buddha came to save and liberate us. Therefore, the Buddha”s presence in this world is of great significance to us. We should not forget about his kindness.

　　When the Buddha was diligently walking the path of Bodhisattva, he did not only aspire to achieve Buddhahood for himself. He also had a very deep concern for all the distressed sentient beings in this world. The Buddha showed much compassion in his constant actions of helping sentient beings. The world is like a dirty, stinking sewage tank and we are almost drowning in it. No one but the Buddha was willing to come to this suffering world to rescue us. Therefore, when Buddha was born in this world more than two thousand years ago, he denounced the worldly life, practiced diligently, attained enlightenment and then preached his teachings. If there was no distressed sentient beings like us, he wouldn”t have needed to come into this suffering world, as he had already freed himself from the cycle of birth and death and awakened to the truth of all phenomena.

　　The contributions of Buddha to us are profound and incomparable. As Buddhists we should reinforce the concept of appreciating the Buddha. Otherwise, if we do not understand the Buddha”s sincerity, do not learn his compassion, and do not pursue the vast merits of the great teaching in Buddhism, we do not qualify as the Buddha”s faithful disciples.

　　What are the benefits of the birth of Buddha to this human world

　　 What are his ways to help all sentient beings

　　1. The birth of Buddha has shone a light on sentient beings who live in this world of darkness. Please do not think that the mighty sun and these bright fluorescent lights are the mentioned brightness. The world we are living in, is full of conflicts and injustices. There is fear and darkness among people. It seems that the human world has lost the light of truth which poses as the biggest defect in human nature. At a glance, human actions seem to have ideals, plans and targets. But if we look more carefully, these actions are thoughtless and out of our control. Sentient beings in this world spend their whole life living in ignorance and distress.

　　Sariputra once said, "I am like a blind man before the emergence of the Buddha." Even Sariputra, who was known as the wisest among Buddha”s disciples thought that he was as if blind before the emergence of the Buddha, not to mention sentient beings like us. The emergence of the Buddha brought, us the light of truth to this world, he showed us the right way to liberate our sufferings. He is of great benevolence to us.

　　2. The birth of Buddha in this world has also brought us warmth. Warmth comes together with light. For instance, when the sun rises, there is light as well as warmth. The warmth in this world is manifested in the love between spouses and siblings, the sincerity among relatives and friends, and the dedication to one”s community and country. However, when …

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