All conditioned dharmas
Are like dreams, illusions, bubbles and shadows,
Like dewdrops and lightning too.
We should contemplate thus.

All conditioned dharmas are things that are done, expressed, and have form; they are mundane dharmas. Everything in the mundane realm is called conditioned dharmas, their polar opposite is unconditioned dharmas. Unconditioned dharmas are not like dreams, illusions, bubbles or shadows, they are not like dews or lighting. Conditioned dharmas are not ultimate and thorough; they are impermanent. Since unconditioned dharmas have not come into being and ceased to be, they have no start or finish, they are without shape or form, they are intangible. There are many kinds of unconditioned dharmas. Here we're talking about the unconditioned and yet not without conditions; this is great creation and great transformation. This kind of unconditioned dharma is not easy to cultivate and not easy to understand.

Most people are attached to conditioned dharmas, thinking that mundane dharmas are worth being infatuated with. From morning to night, they sought after fame and pursue fortune. They drift along the shifting currents in the sea of karma. As soon as they're careless, they're blown away by the sea and the wind of karma so that there is not a trace of them left. Then who knows to which destiny they have fallen. The human population on this planet may be large, but the number of other beings, including many hell-beings and hungry ghosts, is not small either. It is difficult to remain forever in the realm of humans because waves in the sea of karma bob up and down, drifting and blowing along so that we become dizzy; we cannot tell the difference between east and west, north and south. We are currently in a time when the Dharma is on the decline, which means that it is almost gone. It is at the tip of its branches. Everyone has forgotten the Dharma that is fundamental and pursues superficialities instead. Consequently, the more they chase, the more they fail to locate the truth. They want to grab onto something, something fake-conditioned dharmas. They do not know about unconditioned dharmas at all, they have even forgotten the term, therefore dharma is on the decline.

Not only is Buddhism at its decline, other religions are headed down hill too. Since 1963, Catholicism has had many priests who did not observe the rules that they were supposed to follow. Catholic nuns, fathers and pastors have all changed. Buddhism is the same. It is being turned by modernity, as it turns, the Dharma degenerates. That is why I often say, members of clergy in all religions are fully responsible for the Dharma degenerating. Meanwhile, education has changed too. Educators are no longer teaching because they want to develop young people into upstanding world leaders. In ancient times, scholars were cautious and hardworking, turning gray from studying. They will not think, "How do I become a famous scholar or educator and be in the limelight?" That kind of thinking never crossed their minds. Instead, they studied how to develop future leaders, change trends, and make a difference in the world. In the past, scholars adhered to this tradition and attitude.

What about contemporary scholars and professors? They teach young people how to become rich and famous. In ancient time, scholars were interested in understanding the principles, including: detaching from desires, developing thorough understanding, rectifying the mind, being sincere, cultivating, organizing the family, govern the country, and bringing peace to the world. These eight principles develop in young people proper thinking and good character. Now, however, some scholars and professors encourage people to take drugs and contraceptives, be defiant toward their parents, and become the world's outstanding trouble-makers. Our society at large is becoming worse by the day, and the professors of all famous universities ought to be held fully responsible. Nearly every television programs nowadays make people perverted and crude. From this, we can tell how people are not like they used to be, moral virtue has sunken to an all-time low. All this has its reasons. Not one factor, but many factors contribute to the fact that young people cannot stand their ground and have no willpower. This is extremely sad. This is why those in religion and education should try to change this type of behavior and thinking in people quickly, that way major world disasters like these can still be averted. If we continue like this for much longer and do not improve, Armageddon will descend soon.

Are there ways to salvage this situation since the mind is the leverage to everything? When people are good, the world is good; when people are bad, the world is bad and the end of world will arrive soon. If we do not want the Dharma or the world to end, all of us must strike up our spirits and rescue others during this terrible storm. I am not asking you to give up your life to save people, but to stop this terrible storm. Look, there are natural and manmade disasters everywhere, be it flood, tornados, fire, or war. Quite a number of people die from these major disasters. [We do not know the exact number because] sometimes we do not even know how many people had died in a smaller-scale catastrophe such as a plane crash, train derailment, or auto accident. These tragedies happen due to people's violent thoughts and shortage of virtue. People do not realize this though and are not living up to their responsibility. They push their responsibility onto other people. No one reflects and say, "It is my fault that the world is imperfect." No one thinks that way, which is why the state of the world is deteriorating by the day.

Fortunately, there is still a way to change all this without much effort or money: if everyone could stop eating meat and become vegetarians who do not kill and liberate life, then disasters around the world will disappear without a trace. This is why being vegetarian is extremely important. These disasters occur because of resentment in the dead victims. Various catastrophes occur when this type of energy fill up the universe. If everyone refrains from killing by not eating any kind of meat and liberating life instead, people will have no more violent thoughts. Why are people so agitated and angry? It is because they eat meat, which increases their desire and making them hateful rather than kind. If we do not want any disasters in the world, we must quickly stop killing, stop eating meat, and liberate life so that we may avoid the onset of another major disaster.