The thunderstorm takes a sudden turn,
Duststorms of war ensue;
Creatures in air and on land die,
Plants do too;
George Bush is stuck sitting on a tiger;
Saddam Hussein rides a crane, flying nowhere;
Representatives make frequent visits to the UN;
Dashing about for diplomacy,
But insisting on their ways.
Gorbachev screams: "Stop this nuclear
War from breaking out. Let there be peace!"

"When things reach an extreme, they turn around. When things become frightening, fortune is at hand." Everything is changing around us: some for the better, some for worse. What powers change things for the better or worse? Our minds. That is why people's minds are "three dots that hang like stars and a hook like the crescent moon. It is the cause of our growing fur and becoming Buddhas too." Your actions are good or bad depending on the state of your mind, which creates everything. That is why the Buddha also said, "If anyone wishes to know all the Buddhas that exist throughout time, one should contemplate the nature of the Dharma Realm, [for] everything is made from the mind alone."

Everyone is concerned about the war in the Middle East; they all think it is a big deal. If people are quarrelsome, wars start; if people want peace, peace will come. In general, the world is now enjoying a time of peace but some feel that this is not too satisfactory, so they wage war against other nations. The Iraq war is not a skirmish, but a world war. A single confrontation is not enough for some; there must be clashes all over the world. These come like a sudden changes in weather, like the changing trends and customs.

Since people prize belligerence and confrontation, the [figurative] thunderstorm takes a sudden turn and dust storms of war ensue. The thunder represents the commotion that people want after a long peace. They want to unleash their bullets, firearms and nuclear artillery, so the clouds of war mount.

Creatures in air and on land die, and plants do too. Whether it is a fowl, a creature of the sea, a land animal, or a plant--they all die; all of them are destroyed. Since air missiles have not set off enough ground explosions, they detonate a round of explosions across the sky, as well. To uphold justice, armies try to prevent Hussein from acting like a fanatic by doing things such as developing nuclear arms. The U.S. wants to stop him, but not reaching any agreement, they start a war, which cause countless lives to be lost and do untold damage to people's property. But President Bush underestimated Hussein; he did not think Hussein would be so stubborn. Similarly, Hussein underestimated the U.S. too; he thought, "Americans' lives are so precious, you wouldn't dare to wage a war!" But then Bush thought, "You do not I will fight, so I will. I will fight! And I will win!"

Who will win in this war? No one will win; both parties in war will suffer losses and their powers will dissolve. It is as if President Bush is riding a tiger and cannot get off: if he were to come down, the tiger would bite him. That is why George Bush is stuck sitting on a tiger while Saddam Hussein rides a crane, flying nowhere. Hussein is riding on a magic crane that he thinks is headed for heaven, however, there is no "heaven" for him to enter. His chance of survival in war is slim, and yet, if he does survive, it is impossible for him to enter heaven, despite being on top of a crane [or being in power]. Since he cannot enter heaven, he cannot soar there and become the overnight sensation he wants to be.

Representatives make frequent visits to UN. Department representatives on both sides of the conflict and the United Nations have been corresponding. One side gives its rationale, but the other side claims itself to be in the right. Dashing about for diplomacy but insisting on their ways. People representing the East and the West are rushing about, hollering and claiming that their view is right, which is not helpful. To stop this war, a third country needs to stand up and say, "Both of you must stop; if you do not stop fighting, I will wage a war against both of you, and all three of us will go to blows!" Once a third party is involved, the two nations will calm down. Look, I am afraid this is the way things may be in the future. I am not a member of China's leading faction, but if I were, I would come out and call on people like that. If you have the means, recommend me for China's head of state. See how ambitious I am!

Gorbachev screams: "Stop this nuclear war from breaking out. Let there be peace!" He screamed, "You stop fighting now! If you do not stop, I will confront both of you and join this three-party war." Once he does that, the two nations currently at war will calm down. Each side is afraid the other will look to Russia for support, so both countries will stop fighting! It is like a game of chess: one side has already lost if the opponent has a better strategy! But if the third party that stands up is not powerful enough, the world will be in even more chaos. Everything has two or more sides to it: looking at things from all perspectives tell us that conflicts will not necessarily be okay just because another party gets involved.