You are watching Words of Wisdom Rebroadcast of Live Videoconference with Supreme Master Ching Hai 『Children's Health & Sustainable Planet』 Jeju International Conference Jeju Island,S. Korea - September 21,2009

Grace (f): We now know that an organic vegan diet is the key to halt climate change and our next question is related to that topic. It is for Mr. Lee Chang-Hong here on the stage to answer.

Callie (f): And the question comes from Mr. Kim Young-Ho, the Chairperson of Jeju Heuksallim Association, an organic farming organization.

Mr. Kim Young-Ho (m): Glad to see you. I am a farmer and I consider organic farming to be an agricultural business dealing with the ecosystem and living beings through natural circulation. Therefore,I believe switching to organic farming should be prioritized if we want to reduce CO2 emissions because organic farming is based on natural circulation. However,organic farming is still not very popular around the world including in Korea. If you have an idea about how to spread organic farming faster, please share it with us.

Lee Chang-Hong (m): Yes,thank you for asking the question. Actually,what I said regarding eco-friendly farming today was quite the opposite to what people usually think. When I talked about eco-friendly farming, what I tried to say was that we need to have a new element in eco-friendly farming. And what we've felt most necessary was to change our concept of sanitation.

In fact,we make a lot of effort to farm in eco-friendly ways, but what is more important to have is a mutual understanding amongst ourselves. For me,the rewarding part of participating in this conference was, although I also have been working in the environmental field and have been concerned about global warming and desertification, learning the fact that there is a much easier way to translate into action, which is being vegan, was very interesting, very beneficial to me.

In addition,regarding what I talked about earlier,about organisms being decomposed as I said,I realized that the technology that helps prevent decomposition is also important in curbing global warming. Decomposition means the transformation of organic matter into inorganic matter. The inorganic matter includes ammonia, carbon dioxide,and hydrogen sulfide,etc., which are related to global warming. Then,do we have the technology to prevent this inorganic matter occurring?

People say we do not have it yet at this point. However,I've always been telling people about this. Why we haven't thought about kimchi that we always eat? It is said that kimchi does not turn into inorganic matter and the longer it's fermented, the better it is. However yogurt which is made with only good microbes in a sanitary and scientific way will be spoiled if it is left at room temperature for 2 or 3 hours. In contrast,Kimchi even has colon bacillus. Many experts have been trying to discover a substance that can eradicate or kill colon bacillus.

However,they haven't been able to find it. I have a different point of view. From the viewpoint of letting them live, I wanted to explain to you in my earlier presentation that the way for us to avoid killing microbes and to coexist with them can be found in our fermented foods. Thus,I think we need to systematize it and so on. Therefore, in order to develop this , today's conference is a good opportunity for discussion. And we need to approach the subject with an open mind.

People tend to think the information which they cannot find in books is unreliable,but we shouldn't think like that. We need to review the implication of Korea's fermented food on this subject. Likewise,we may need to look at diseases like swine flu from the new perspective. We even place leftover kimchi back in the storage container again. We store it and consume it again later. It means we can systemize the way harmful germs naturally disappear after a while. We can review the concept of sanitation in this aspect. We need to apply the concept in the eco-friendly area. With this new concept, I think environmentally friendly farming can expand more.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Callie (f): Thank you, Mr. Lee Chang-Hong, for sharing your experience and knowledge.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Very good,very good. Excellent.

Grace (f): Mr. Kim has one more question, this time for Supreme Master Ching Hai, about a slightly deeper meaning of organic farming. Mr. Kim, please go ahead with your second question.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Welcome,Mr. Kim.

Mr. Kim Young-Ho (m): I agree with Supreme Master Ching Hai's words that all humans should change to a vegetarian-based diet to prevent global warming. I am confident that organic farming is eco-friendly and life-saving, and the most suitable farming method that can prevent climate change. But many people still do not realize how important it is. After changing to organic farming, I feel much more at peace mentally. I feel the soil, living beings,and crops all revive healthily, and feel respect towards all lives. If we eat organic agricultural products that save all living beings, it will offer peace and coexistence; therefore,this is the farming method and diet style for our future. I would appreciate it if you could share your words on the inner or spiritual aspects that organic farming has to offer to us.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good question. Good question,Mr. Kim. Thank you. Good question. Thank you so much for this thoughtful question. When you speak about organic farming and the Earth, your love for living beings is very clear and evident. So you have already conveyed some of the inner spiritual aspect of organic farming through your deep care. That really is the most important principle, the love for all beings. But we can talk about it to perhaps clarify a little bit more.

Of course,when we say organic farming,we are talking about vegan - fruits,vegetables, legumes and other plants only, no animal products - because this clearly already indicates a spiritual high level of living standards. When we live and let live, when we love all beings as if we love ourselves, then that is already very highly spiritual. And of course, that is in line with all the greatest religions on Earth. That will be very pleasing to Heaven.

This allows us more to completely extend our respect and care to all life. And that's why you feel more peaceful,you see? You feel more connected with the surroundings around you because they all pulsate with life. The Earth is pulsating with love and life, the trees,the plants,they are pulsating all this love for life and life. When we sit under a tree, we feel this protective love from the tree. When we enjoy a delicious fruit, we feel the connectedness of this unconditional love from the tree to offer us nutrition and a pleasing taste.

If we are in the organic vegan trend or planting organic vegan farming method, then you will feel that more and more the love from nature,the love from the planet Earth, the love from the trees, the love from even a blade of grass, from flowers. We will feel so much love in the air that we breathe. We feel so much love from the earth that we walk on. This we cannot even explain in human language. We must feel it. I always feel it, but I can't transmit this spiritual message to other people.

Everyone must experience it for himself. Once we turn to a compassionate Heaven intended lifestyle of a vegan diet, then we will feel more and more love, more and more connected all the time. Just like the way you feel. So you have your own experience to speak of and to tell people. The way you describe organic farming,Mr. Kim, sounds quite like a spiritual principle known as ahimsa, or non-violence. Ahimsa means not harming any sentient beings, beginning with a vegan diet. Organic vegan diet is the best.

As we sow, so shall we reap. If we sow these benevolent seeds on the Earth,as well as in our heart,as a vegan, we avoid all animal products. For example,most of the milk production causes suffering, first of all because the babies of the mother cows are taken away at birth. Not many people know that, including myself before. And these baby cows will soon be killed. Deprived from mother's milk and mother's love, they'll be killed as soon as they're taken away. Then,the mother is forcefully hooked up to a machine that can cause tormenting pain along with illness, just so that humans can take her milk.

Another example of a practice causing harm to both animals and Earth is the use of chemical pesticides. If you can imagine, over 5 billion pounds of pesticides are used throughout the world each year! And only about 10% - 10%! - of these chemicals even reach the areas where they are intended for. So the rest? What happens? They go into the air and water where they have been linked to everything from cancer of humans and animals to oceanic dead zones. In Europe,one pesticide was found to be the reason for billions of bees dying across the continent, while others are known to make the eggshells of birds become thinner, resulting in the death of their babies because the shells crack and break before the baby is ready to be born.

Since organic vegan farming does not use pesticides and does not have anything to do with livestock raising, milk production or any such harmful activity, it could be called a practice of compassion, in line with Heaven, with values that are echoed in many spiritual paths and religious teachings, such as the followers of Buddhism and Confucianism and as written in their scriptures. Like the Dhammapada Sutra states:『A man is not noble because he injures living creatures. He is called noble because he does not injure any living beings.』 And from the noble teachings of Confucianism:

How does a saintly king treat animals? It's stated:『He would like to see them live and cannot bear to see them die. Hearing their wails, he cannot eat their flesh for he does not have the heart to do so.』I'm just referring to two of the great religions in our world. And many other religions say the same. But I'm not here to be a priestess today and preach to the whole audience, moreover we don't have time. So forgive me other religions, if I did not mention yours, but it's the same.

Now,organic vegan farming also brings positive benefit to our own karma. Karma means the retribution,bad or good. So karma follows the law of the universe that says: for every action there is an equal consequence. So,if we injure or kill others,we could be injured or killed in return,sooner or later - not could be, but surely will be. Organic vegan farming, with its approach of causing the least harm to others, offers the least burden of bad karma (retribution). And we can even go a step further, only harvesting from plants that bear fruit,or harvest in such a way that the plant continues to grow. It is thus much better to grow our own food as you do,Mr. Kim, so that we can, for example, pick the outer leaves of the lettuce instead of killing the entire plant.

In fact,some practitioners of one religion called Jainism don't even eat root vegetables because they wish to avoid unintentional harm to the beings living in the soil,such as earthworms,which are beneficial to our farming. They are there to fertilize the soil, to air the soil so that our plants grow better, our harvest will be more abundant. They risk their lives to save ours. We should even consider their lives and spare their lives and be protective of their lives.

I thank you,Mr Kim, for this question so that I have an opportunity not to inform you,but I guess to inform others who are not aware. Because I'm sure you are already aware of all this because it is just this level of human nobility and kindness that is needed for our own inner peace and for the Earth to flourish once more. So please, continue your practice, Mr. Kim,and encourage others to do so. Give them more information about how you do it and why you do it. And get as many people as possible to appreciate its merits the way you do.

You can also feel free to download anything from SupremeMasterTV.com that might be helpful to you in making this message more clear to others. We have a section called organic farming, dedicated only to organic farming to anyone who can log in and benefit from it. We need it,Mr. Kim. We need people like you. We need people who distribute all the necessary information for organic farming. This is truly the way of the future. It is the way to our ultimate humanity and brotherhood among all beings on the planet. Bless you and all your future endeavors.

Callie (f): Thank you. Thank you, Supreme Master Ching Hai, for your enlightening answer about organic farming. It was very touching.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: You're welcome.

Dr. Hwang: Many people are afraid of swine flu. We have to strengthen our immunity to fight against the infection. One of the best and effective ways to do this is to not eat meat,fish, eggs or milk. Instead,we should eat brown rice, vegetables and fruits. The vegetarian diet plays a vital role in strengthening our immune system. When she (Supreme Master Ching Hai) was almost in tears, that revealed her compassionate nature. She seems to have a wide range of interests and an in-depth knowledge about the planet's environmental problems and vegetarianism. She is someone I could learn a lot from.

Kim Young-Ho Chairman,Jeju Heuksallim Research Center Chairman,Jeju Heuksallim Association CEO,Saengdeuleu Agricultural Cooperative Organic farmer I agree with Supreme Master Ching Hai that humankind should change to a plant-based diet to prevent global warming. I am confident that organic farming is eco-friendly and life-saving, and is most suitable to prevent climate change.

Go Gwang-Pyo High school student Seminar PT Student (m): Through this conference, I now know that the vegetarian diet can preserve our Earth's environment. Only the vegetarian diet can save humankind. I will work hard to encourage many of my friends to switch to the vegetarian diet.

Kim Tae-Sung General Secretary of Jeju YMCA Chief of Jeju Island Agenda 21 Kim(m): I'm relieved that there exist conscious, enlightened beings like her (Supreme Master Ching Hai) who worry about the future of the Earth. She was in tears when she talked about our children. I was so moved. I believe the Earth has been protected because of people like her. I hope all of us will join hands to protect the Earth and create a sustainable planet for the children of the future.

High school students Conference participants Students(m) : (in English) Be Veg Go Green Save the Planet!

Lee Chang-HongDirector of EM Environment Center I used to associate meat-eating with the hunger issue, but today I have been able to see that it's an important clue to the solution of environmental problems such as global warming. If we combine environmental activities with the vegetarian movement, the future of the Earth is hopeful. When we think of livestock,it's not just a food problem, we must consider its importance in terms of climate change as well as the health of the entire planet.

Yoo Tae-WooDirector of Jeju International Continuing Education Institute We should be veg in order to save the Earth. I felt from this conference that we could spread this movement throughout Jeju Island. If the government, educators,politicians, and NGOs work together we can do anything. I look forward to the day when Jeju Island is reborn as a vegan island.