I'm Only a Child

This five-minute video was just emailed to me and, frankly, I didn't want to wait to share it with you. When someone asks good questions, they need to be heard. And thirteen year-old Severn Suzuki asks some some very good ones.

How will we—how will you—answer her?

Comments

[anybody]

After practicing Amitabha name recitation the only thing to say is: "if a nuclear bomb were to explode we would simply say that it was time to go to the Pure Land. No pain, no fear, true freedom. A benefit given to all sentient beings" Who practice name chanting diligently without letting themselves get deluded deviated or polluted.

I would tell this child in the face of a dying planet and the world is ending, retreat into a quiet place and chant Amitabha's name.

anybody

[Venerable Wuling]

Anybody,

Difficult to ask a non-Pure Land Buddhist to do. And frankly, the vast majority of Pure Land Buddhists would also have difficulty chanting as the world was ending for while the principle is known, the practice is far from enough. As Mr. Li Bingnan told Ven. Master Chin Kung, only one or two out of 10,000 Pure Land practitioners succeed in attaining rebirth in the Wester Pure Land.

Also, I have a feeling Severn would ask what happened to the Buddha's admonition "to do no harm"? Why didn't we stop the exploitation of the planet when we realized what we were doing? Why didn't we give up our material comforts to leave something for our children? It could be a long time until the world finally "ends"--what are our children supposed to do until then? When do the adults take responsibility for what they have done?

[Layman]

Thank you for sharing this. I am going to share this clip too with others.

Coming from a 13 year old, a lot of us should be ashame of ourselves. The world's condition today show how selfish we are. We failed to realise that, what we have today are all borrow from our future generation. It's not us to keep or destroy. It doesn't belong to us. It's very true indeed that human will destroy human. Human will destroy nature but Nature will not destroy others...*sigh*

It's not a matter of fact that how would I answer her. What's important is how will those leaders who claimed that they are serving the people of the world, answer her. I could tell her a lot of things like;it's all because of delusion,ignorance and greed that we acted this way but it will not be enough.I can tell her a lot of "truth" but if people like Bush, Osama, etc don't change their mentality, nothing will work. If people that think only of their own interest in stead of others don't change their mentality, it'll still be the same. Master Chi Kung wrote many letters to President Bush calling for world peace but it was all ignored. I wonder, what and how will Bush answer Severn's questions...

I do hope that after that conference,leaders of the world will take this as a "wake up call" and start making a difference. To Severn Suzuki, I would like to say : Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You did make a difference!

Amitoufo