..续本文上一页too. Whether young or elderly, even if you only perform three prostrations a day, it can be very beneficial.

　　In addition, if you have time, it is best to do sitting meditation in the morning after you wake up. If you really do not know how to do this, then you can visualize Shakyamuni Buddha in front of you, and sit with your eyes closed for a while. Then, again visualize the Buddha, sit for a while, and proceed in this manner. However, if this is too difficult for you, you can simply let your mind settle down without any thoughts and sit calmly for a couple of minutes or even half an hour. Doing this will make the qi in your arteries and veins flow normally and thus benefit your physical and mental health greatly.

　　Of course, the fundamental basis of the above “Five Adjustments” is an altruistic mind and the desire to benefit others. This is the most important thing. If you act selfishly, no matter how you maintain your health, it will only bring suffering; on the other hand, if your mind is altruistic, everything you do will be done in an unpressured way. Even if you are not always successful in what you do, your mental state will be joyful, without anxiety, restlessness, or dissatisfaction.

　　This is a very important point for society at present. If everyone is very selfish, this creates a vicious circle. It is like if you are in a movie theater and someone in the front row stands up. The people behind also have to stand up in order to see the show, and you can imagine what will happen. We can see that in today”s world many concepts have been reversed. Life for the rich, powerful, and capable shouldn”t be limited to self promotion or self interest. What is more important is that they should be concerned about the people around them. Thus, altruism is also charity.

　　Two days ago, on June 16, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates from the United States hosted a banquet dinner. They invited many celebrities, including the Mayor of New York. At the dinner, the two urged these super-rich Americans, who have billions of dollars, to donate half of their fortune to charity. On the spot, a number of very rich Americans made pledges, and announced them in public.

　　However, in some areas of China, this concept of charity is still not widely promoted, and many people do not see the importance of helping others. When a disaster occurs, they quickly raise money to deal with the emergency, and then immediately after that withdraw again. This shows how their concept of charity is immature. We should know that there are many people around us who need help and care, such as those who cannot afford medical care, children who cannot afford education, and elderly people who have nobody to care for them. If we generate loving kindness toward them, only then can we sustain our community. Otherwise, having several luxury villas and a few luxury cars are not necessarily signs of social development. However great the material wealth a society has, if a society”s spiritual climate does not improve, it is only deceiving itself, and in the end it will destroy itself.

　　Therefore, as human beings, we should lean together in the direction of helping and benefiting others. Otherwise, if everyone only takes care of their own interests, making progress through activities that favor themselves and harm others, however much we talk about rapid development this will in fact result in regression. Nowadays, some entrepreneurs” behavior is shocking. They have a lot of money, but the source of the money is not clean, and they have used dirty tricks to harm countless people to achieve what they have now. What will be the consequence of this

　　 It is quite obvious. We can conclude that today”s society really needs Mahayana Buddhism. What is Mahayana Buddhism

　　 To reiterate, it unconditionally benefits all human beings and even all sentient beings. This kind of supreme spirit will emit the light to dispel the darkness, regardless of our homeland or ethnicity.

　　I hope you can keep what I have shared and discussed today with you all in mind, if it suits you. Finally, I pray that everyone can help all sentient beings with bodhicitta. Thank you.

《The Tibetan Culture of Nurturing the Mind and Prolonging Life》全文阅读结束。