In today's world, we're witnessing a severe decline in social order, the human way of life, and moral values, despite the remarkable advancements in technology. Strangely enough, while materialism may not acknowledge it, the reality is clear – the overall sense of happiness is rapidly diminishing. Once people lose faith in the law of causality and start believing in the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest, it seems like there are no restraints to keep them from doing whatever they want.
Even ordinary people can uphold some principles under the constraints of their moral compass. For example, we are influenced by movies and TV shows. The behavior patterns of the characters in them, such as helping the weak and the oppressed, are unconsciously imitated by us. In movies and TV shows, there are often heroes who, when they see a beautiful woman being bullied, will go up and knock down the bad guy, then run away with the beautiful woman. In the end, the beautiful woman falls hopelessly in love with you. This kind of thing will have a great impact on men, and they will go out specifically to see if there are any beautiful women being bullied.
This kind of influence is still relatively good, because it at least keeps people within certain moral boundaries. A completely materialistic person who deeply and comprehensively believes in the survival of the fittest will behave in a very terrifying way. If he is also very intelligent, then this person will be very sharp-tongued, with a terrifyingly clear logic. He will do anything, and all he does is for his own desires and interests. Whether his actions are deceptive or violent is irrelevant. Violence can be disguised as a just act. Deception can be justified by many voices, and the real voice can be said to be deceptive. Is this what is happening online now? This is very terrifying!
If this continues for a long time, mutual trust will be lost. When there is no trust between people, people will not feel that life is good. So, everyone is afraid of being cheated when they go out, and they are afraid of being "kidney harvested" when they go to Thailand for meditation. Many fellow practitioners have lived here for several years, and their kidneys are perfectly fine. This shows that you have mistaken the place to cut off the kidney.
These propagandas are very terrifying and have no bottom line. Why is that so? Because those who spread these propagandas do not believe in true causality. As long as they can get away with it, they can do anything. This is precisely the terrifying consequence of materialisticNUMPAGES epistemology, so I will talk about "cognition" in this meditation retreat.
Now, after all that, what I really wanted to say is this: I acknowledge that it may have delved into deeper layers and broader territory than usual, but I truly believe it has meaning. In essence, this is the message I aimed to convey. Does this resonate with you? I invite feedback from both the live audience and our online community. I see nods in the audience already! You rock!
A fellow online said, "In Myanmar, they harvest kidneys." I'm not sure if there is kidney harvesting in Myanmar, but the purpose of harvesting kidneys is to transplant them into living people. To do so, it needs two things: a buyer and medical technology. It is unknown whether Myanmar has these conditions. There are only warlords there. What are they going to do with the harvested kidneys? Fry them or stew them? I won't make a conclusion lightly before I have absolute certainty.
But here in Chiang Mai, it is definitely not the case. However, everyone should still be careful. Do not cause trouble when you go out. If you go out and cause trouble yourself and get beaten up, and then say "that place is bad," in fact, it is you who caused trouble and deserved to be beaten up. Nowadays, anyone can make short videos and post them on social media to stir up public opinion. We need to be careful. Since everyone is doing it, and you still believe everything you see without questioning, would that be a bit naive?
I used to read books in the bathroom. Of course, as a Buddhist, I had some dos and don'ts. I would not read sacred texts like "Finding Comfort and Ease in the Nature of Mind, A Dzogchen Teaching" in it. My bathroom bookshelf – once a portal to Jin Yong's martial arts epics and Chiung Yao's romances like "Outside the Window" – now stands largely abandoned. I am now lured by short videos.
When watching short videos, it is essential to be cautious about the information presented by the media, especially in places where the information source is incomplete. Some messages are entirely fabricated, unfounded, and distorted.
In our interconnected world, information, true or not, travels at the speed of a click. It's tempting to take every headline or overheard conversation as gospel, but that's where critical thinking comes in. Claims about sensitive topics like religious beliefs or personal accusations need a closer examination. Don't let hearsay or sensational headlines sway your judgment – research, verify, and form your own conclusions based on reliable sources. Remember, a little skepticism goes a long way in navigating the confusing world of information.
It is not a big deal if it only affects some little things in everyday life, but when it starts influencing important decisions, that's a different story. Take the case of someone seeking a profound seven-day meditation retreat in Chiang Mai. For those earnestly dedicated to Buddhist practice, even without guaranteed enlightenment, seven days of meditation retreat holds immense value. But then, a sensationalized video about kidney harvesting in the area paints a picture of danger, casting a shadow of fear over their journey. The decision, once clear, becomes shrouded in doubt, might dissuade them from coming, significantly influencing their could-be life-altering choices.
The same is true for learning Buddhism. Sometimes, a short video is enough to destroy your faith in Buddhism because your understanding of it is limited. What should we do then? Just be careful. It is not about quickly arriving at accurate, correct, systematic, and clear conclusions—those are hard to come by.
