To Protect Living Beings, I Will Not Use Plastic Bags!
If one does not comprehend the background of this piece of news, one will not know. But with a closer look at it, it is terrifying. Hence, do not use plastic bags from now on. This is because while we merely use it as a receptacle, it is transferred through our hands into the ocean and it had hurt the lives of many sentient beings.
We will definitely not use something merely for its convenience if it is known that many children will be killed by the usage. However, we may not be really bothered and will continue to use this item if who we are hurting are merely the young baby birds or the innocent lives of other animals; or perhaps we are totally unaware of the situation. It seems like the majority is absolutely unaware of it!
From the perspective of the Bodhisattva Vows, we must not continue to create negative karma in this vicious circle of “serial killing”. I hope that all the students will stop using plastic bags immediately from now on. I do not even wish to ask for a gradual reduction in quantity. I feel that an immediate stop is what is required. Thenceforth, every individual will influence even more individuals to stop using plastic bags immediately and refuse usage of plastic bags. Beginning with this action, won’t we be able to rescue the birds on the island?
They lived on the island and did not harm us humans. Yet what we have conveniently discarded had cost their lives. Observe how the mother birds feel for their young when feeding them and how painstakingly they feed them. Had they known what they were feeding their young were all poisons and absolutely inedible, think about it, it is horrifying!
Hence, I have labelled these plastic bags as “serial killers” because when they kill a fish, after the fish die, they do not fully disintegrate. They will go on taking another fish’s life, and another and another… and eventually it will come back to haunt us, humans, and take our lives.
Why do we use plastic bags? It is because they are thin, more convenient and light weighted, among many advantages. But it is exactly because of these advantages that have obstructed our views and this has caused such huge damages to our current environment. The beautiful clear blue ocean has now become a sea of sadness and is in a very bad shape. If we do not begin working diligently at it now, what will the ocean become in 20 years’ time? It will be truly unimaginable.
Hence I always say, “We must emulate the bird’s spirit — didn’t Shakyamuni Buddha rescue a forest fire when he was once a bird?” Someone has commented — The ocean is such a massive garbage zone, what can I do? Begin with me and stop using plastic bags from today. This is not a command, but an appeal to all of you. Whenever you reach out for a plastic bag, think of those little birds that had died tragically and those gigantic living beings which had all perished like a livid rope in the ocean. Can you imagine – their stomachs are filled with plastic bags and they are consuming them day in and day out, not knowing what they are ingesting, in unfathomable pain and suffering from organ failures? How much torment must they go through at the brink of their deaths? The source of such suffering actually stems from our shopping where we unwittingly and happily carried our shopping items in plastic bags. Once we have used and then discarded them, such is the outcome.
It was mentioned in handbook volume 8 of Shifu’s discourse on the Lamrim: 【Having understood virtuous and non-virtuous karma and their effects, do not leave it at just an understanding, but meditate on it over and over, because this is a very obscure subject and it is difficult to acquire certainty about it.】 What is the right view towards an issue? For example, what is the right view in relation to plastic bags? Should human beings use plastic bags? Should we really use them? If plastic bags have taken away the lives of numerous birds and fishes, and those who are directly impacted including humans who are now more prone to all kinds of (health) complications, illnesses and cancer etc., then why do we still covet this little convenience and continue to use them ? Surely, the problem lies with the understanding. Thus, the perspective of karma is established from here which may appear to be a minor issue, but will eventually become a global environmental threat.
It is no longer viable to tackle and clear the massive volume of garbage and plastic bags floating in the ocean. Some countries had wanted to haul them up. However, in doing so, they found that large number of marine lives were also being hauled up. So they feel that hauling is not a solution. Currently, the world is at its wits’ end on how to tackle this environmental issue caused by floating plastic debris in the ocean. Incinerating plastics causes air pollution; burying them in landfills disrupts underground drainage ecosystems. Even if you incinerate plastics, it cannot be disintegrated completely. In its minutest grain, it will still continue to devastate all lives. Therefore speaking from this perspective, there is indeed no reason for us to continue using plastic bags. The right view we should have towards plastic bags is to stop using them because it has already harmed the lives of many sentient beings!
We say “no killing” and want to “rescue and liberate all sentient beings”. So stop using the plastic bag that you are clutching now because we do not know which fish or bird will swallow it. What are we doing here for all sentient beings including the numerous of them in the ocean and sky? I save up this plastic bag, and you avoid using a plastic bag. In actual fact what kind of karma have you created for the countless number of sentient beings? It is the karma of protecting and saving others’ lives. Even though it is just a little plastic bag, whenever you wish to use it in your daily lives, pause to contemplate, “Ah! I won’t use it. I want to protect and save these lives.” Therefore, everyone is able to accumulate lots and lots of merits through the act of not using plastic bags, which is to protect lives and develop compassion. In fact, plastic bags have gradually involve us in the issue of compassion.
From this perspective, it relates to the problem of our habits. That is, we have the habit of using plastic bags. So when we are faced with this habit, we must not relent, and immediately cut it off. This is all that we need to do. I hope you do not have any hesitation or doubts on this? I sincerely request all of you to stop using! Do not procrastinate, do not slack and stop using it right away! This is because plastic bags will harm and kill many lives.
Translation and review by: Lim Siew Cheng, Chiang Sheau Huey, Dawn Chen
保护生命，我不用塑胶袋！
这个消息不了解的时候是不知道的，但是看一看真的是惊悚。所以从此不要用塑料袋，因为虽然我们是用它来装东西，但是它经过我们的手流进海洋之后，已经伤害了很多众生的生命。
如果有一个东西，你用它图了方便，可是很多小朋友拿到它就死了，那么我们人类一定不会用的。但是因为伤及的是鸟的小孩，或者说很多无辜的生命，可能人们就不太管它们，会继续用；或者说根本不知道，大多数是根本不知道吧！
从菩萨戒的角度，我们不能在这个“连环杀生”的链条里面，再投入我们的业力。希望所有的同学从此不再用塑胶袋。我不想用“慢慢减量”这种方法，我觉得“从此不用”就可以了。然后每个人再回去影响更多人也从此不用、拒绝用塑料袋，从这个行为开始，是不是可以救岛上的那些小鸟
它们在岛上生活，它们也没有伤害人类，但是人类随手扔的东西却害死了它们。你看它妈妈对小鸟那种心，很认真地喂它东西，但是如果它妈妈知道它喂的都是毒药，喂它的东西根本不能吃。你想想，怵目惊心！
所以，我现在把塑料袋叫“连环杀手”，因为它杀了一条鱼，那条鱼死了之后它也不会烂，它会再杀另一个生命、再杀另一个、再杀另一个… …最后一定会杀到人类本身的，就循环到自己头上了。
为什么我们会用塑料袋？因为塑料袋薄，比较方便，也轻，有诸多的好处，但是就是因为这个好处障蔽着，看不到现在已经对环境造成了这么大的影响。蔚蓝色的海洋多么美，现在已经成为悲伤的海洋了，已经弄成这样！如果现在我们不开始努力的话，20年之后的大海会是什么样子？实在是不敢想像。
所以我常说一句话：我们要发扬那只鸟的精神——释迦牟尼佛在因地不是曾做为一只鸟，救森林大火吗？ ——有人说，海洋那么大一个垃圾带，我能怎么办？从我做起，从现在开始不用塑料袋。不敢命令诸位，只是恳请诸位，当你的手要去碰塑料袋的时候，想一想那些惨死的小鸟，还有那些那么庞大的生命，后来像一条绳子一样死在海洋里。你可以想想，胃里面塞满塑料袋，然后每天吃、每天吃，却不知道是什么，莫名其妙的、衰竭的痛苦。它在临死前要受多少痛苦？可是这些痛苦，居然是我在无意间快快乐乐拎着东西去购物，然后拎回来的，一丢就成这样了。
师父在《广论》手抄稿第8册里提到：“了知黑白业果，非为了知即便止住，应数修习，因为此是极不现见的事，极难获得决定的见解。”对一件事的正知见是什么？比如说关于塑料袋的正知见是什么？到底人类该不该用塑料袋？到底该不该用？如果它已经造成了那么多小鸟的死亡、鱼类的死亡，直接会影响的，还有人类容易得各种并发症、癌症……那么为什么人一定要贪这么一个小方便、一定要用它呢？肯定是“见解”出问题。所以说“业果见”就是建立在这里——看似小，可是它最后会成为一个威胁世界的环境问题。
海洋上漂浮那么多的垃圾袋、塑料袋，已经没法处理了。有的国家想要去捞，但是他们去捞的时候发现会捞起了很多海洋的生物，同样会对海洋生物造成大量杀生，所以他们觉得“捞”也不是办法。所以现在全世界对这些漂浮的塑胶袋都束手无策，就是烧了会影响空气；埋到土里会隔断地下水，会对水层进行隔断，然后你烧了也不行，也弄不了它，而分解后的颗粒一直一直在那儿祸害所有的生命。所以，从这样的一个角度来说，已经没有什么理由继续用塑胶袋，我们对塑料袋的正知见就是拒绝用它，因为它已经伤害到有情的生命了！
我们说“不杀生”，要“善放诸生命”，手里这一个塑料袋，你“不用"它，因为我们不知道哪一条鱼或者哪一只鸟会吞到它。所以我们是对所有的、很多很多海洋、空中的有情怎么样？ ——我省下这个塑料袋，你不用一个塑料袋，实际上你对不可思议的有情造了一个什么业啊？ ——"保护它生命的业。"虽然是一个小小的塑料袋，你每天要用的时候想："啊！我不要用，我要保护那些所有的生命。"所以说每个人都透过不用塑料袋这个行为，可以累积很大很大的资粮——就是护生、长养慈悲心，其实塑料袋已经渐渐涉及慈悲心的问题了。
从这个角度，就涉及"习气" 的问题——我们会有一个用塑料袋的习气。那么在面对这个习气的时候，就是"不要手软，立刻截断"就可以了。你们没有疑议吧？恳请诸位"不要再用"了！不要拖延、不要懈怠，就立刻不要用了！因为它会杀害其他的生命。
