Spirituality is Our Shared DNA

The Buddhadharma serves as an illuminating beacon, preventing us from losing our way. By following the teachings of the Buddha, we uncover ourselves, understand where we stand, and establish ourselves on the path toward Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Buddhadharma emphasizes the karmic causality and effects—our present actions constitute causes that will ripen into respective effects in the future. To cultivate positive karma, we must collectively connect with the Buddha, dedicating all our actions to the aspiration of attaining Buddhahood and liberating all beings from suffering to fulfill the supreme wisdom. This represents the ultimate, altruistic path of enlightenment and constitutes the “fundamental DNA” of our interpersonal relationships.

Beginning with the annual Water, Land, and Air Dharma Assembly, we engage in efforts to bring peace to beings across the six realms of beings. Through performing contrition and making aspirations, we purify and transform our karmic DNA, aspiring to be reborn in Sukhavati of Buddha Amitabha. Over the years, everyone has participated with profound sincerity and commitment. The Water and Land Assembly this year reconvened at the Taoyuan Arena where we gathered to strengthen and sustain our bodhicitta. We aspire to let this beacon of Buddhist teachings illuminate the world, bring peace, and shine through suffering, alleviating beings who suffer due to exploitation and deprivation worldwide to encounter Dharma and be free from the destruction and entanglement of transgressions and negative karma.

The inner essence of Buddhadharma is the luminosity of our primordial awareness and enlightenment, which is naturally perfect and complete. Our task is to recognize and abide within this essence. Furthermore, we must cultivate loving-kindness, understanding that we are all part of an entity of interdependence where everything manifests from Buddha-nature. All phenomena without exception are manifestations of Buddha-nature, including ecology. We and all other forms of beings share the same DNA expressed as different forms. Spirituality constitutes our fundamental DNA. “Spiritual ecology” means that spirituality is ecology and ecology is spirituality—all ecological systems are different DNA combinations coded from within spirituality. Without spirituality, ecology cannot flourish.

Therefore, everything serves as our companion and partner. We share the same spirituality, mutually dependent on one another, and form an entity of interdependence that gives and supports one another—this is a life of giving. Today’s world sadly operates on exploitation, which mostly provokes mutual suffering and does not constitute sustainable ecological cycle. The ecological cycle functions through giving. For our world to improve and achieve peace, we must learn ecological sharing, transforming the world into one that gives generously.