Equality among people leads to wholeness and freeness in the human world. Everything in this world is originally whole and free. However, our ignoran… - Hsing Yun

Volunteers are a very important part of public life. To volunteer one’s work without any monetary reward is a type of moral duty, which not only benefits the public but also promotes the spirit of oneness and coexistence. Through voluntary hard work and dedication, one will bring out the compassion and love in people, and inspire righteousness and virtue in society. Furthermore, voluntary work can contribute tremendously to public welfare and charity campaigns, relief aids, and the bettering of society. Therefore, if everyone can be a volunteer, then society will naturally be filled with peace and goodness.

Mankind has been living on earth for millenniums, but why is it that no one ever discovered gravitational force before Newton? I believe that it is because Newton had a unique ability to observe. In Buddhist terms, Newton possessed a very high level of awareness, which is very important to the development of personal wisdom. Buddhism places a strong emphasis on the advancement of individual awareness; because only through progressive elevation of awareness can we develop and enhance our wisdom, which leads to the understanding and appreciation of nirvana.

In this world, the meaning of compassion is often distorted, leading to excessive indulgence and turning a blind eye to what is wrong. When applied inappropriately, compassion can become the source of crimes and wrongdoings. For instance, the common practice of freeing live animals actually causes harm to more animal lives. Inappropriate and lavish giving of money only nurture greed and corruption. Therefore, true compassion and tolerance must be supplemented by prajna wisdom to prevent traveling down the wrong path, rendering the initial intentions futile.