You are watching Words of Wisdom Rebroadcast of Live Videoconference with Supreme Master Ching Hai “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.” Taichung, Formosa (Taiwan) - October 11, 2009

B(m): Greetings honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen! And welcome to the climate change conference, “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.,” which stands for LOHAS, Organic, Vegan, and Eco-friendly. Greetings too to our worldwide viewers who are joining us today live through Supreme Master TV's 14 satellite platforms, IPTVs, Cable TVs, and internet TV via www.SupremeMasterTV.com. Let's care for this planet and protect the environment today through this conference. I'm your host, Buddy Cunanan.

S(f): Global warming and climate change have become serious worldwide concerns. The issue of climate is no longer just a one-day news event but now has a serious impact on everyone's daily life.

B(m): Yes, very true. You know, there are so many terrible, terrible disasters that have happened. From the 2003 European heat wave to the 2004 south Asian tsunami, to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, the 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, to the recurring wild fires in California and Australia, the terrible Typhoons Pepeng and Undoy that devastated metro Manila and many parts of Northern Luzon.

S(f): And, of course, the disaster caused by Typhoon Morakot in Formosa (Taiwan) this August, and lately as well - Typhoon Parma, which did not land in Formosa (Taiwan) but caused a lot of disaster in Yi Lan, which made us feel like we are facing the climate change.

B(m): Indeed. You know, disaster relief; making arrangements for refugees; victims of energy and food crises; collapsing ecological stability; international, regional, and local cooperation - all of these are happening around us.

S(f): Today, we are extremely honored to be able to invite many researchers and experts to join our conference. And through panel discussions, they will thoroughly explain the main causes and effects of climate change and make concrete suggestions, in four dimensions - LOHAS, Organic, Vegan, and Eco - to address this global crisis.

B(m): Yes. This conference is a product of so many groups and people coming together to protect the Earth and protect the environment. And so we have 29 co-organizers who have helped make this conference happen. At this juncture, I'd like to say a special thanks to Chung-Hsing University for providing Hui-Sun Hall, this beautiful place where we can come and meet and talk about this very pressing issue of climate change and global warming.

S(f): Yes, it's really such a beautiful place. Now, we would like to invite Dr. Shaw Jie-Fu, the President of Chung-Hsing University for his opening remarks.

SJF(m): Greetings to all the distinguished guests! First of all, I represent Chung Hsing University in welcoming everyone to this very meaningful conference. Although this conference is called an academic forum, it's been carefully designed so that everyone in the audience can clearly understand and accept the very important message of this conference regarding climate change. I think everyone understands very well that climate change caused by global warming has started to impact the entire world.

It has also become a focus of many important international conferences. The nonstop droughts, floods and food shortage problems in recent years are closely connected with global climate change in one way or another. Formosa (Taiwan), in particular, had a record rainfall this August. Typhoon Morakot caused very serious damage. This is a very obvious example. In our conference today, we have invited several prominent scholars including Professor Liu Shaw-Chen and Professor Liu Chong-Ming. They will give us excellent explanations on the topic of climate change. Chung Hsing University has been established for 90 years. It is the oldest established university in Formosa (Taiwan).

Currently, Chung Hsing University consists of including the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources, College of Life Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Science, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts, and College of Social Science & Management. We are one of the top research universities funded by the initiative of the Ministry of Education, “Five-Year Fifty Billion NTD.” And we've made outstanding accomplishments, especially in the areas of agricultural science and engineering. In the area of agricultural science, we've reached the top one hundred list in the world on which we rank the 85th.

Therefore, in the agricultural field, we have outstanding scientific personnel and resources. For a long time, we have been making every effort in agricultural research and education. In the meantime, we apply our research to real life. That's why we've created the first organic and eco-friendly campus. We have also set up an organic farmers' market so we can serve as an excellent bridge to reach the consumers. Our hope is to make major contributions to sustainable development. Lastly, I'd like to thank the organizers, as well as other co-organizers. They have worked hard to make this event happen. Lastly, I wish everyone good health, all wishes fulfilled, and a successful conference. Thank you!

S(f): Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Shaw. Chung-Hsing University is a “green” university in Formosa (Taiwan). And its campus is so eco-friendly and pleasant. I think this is the environment that we should have on this planet.

B(m): Yes, I agree. Going green these days is something considered special. However, years and years ago, it was a normal thing for our ancestors. Unfortunately, about 200 years ago, man started living more luxuriously, started expanding his life, creating more pollution and exhausting more resources, and making climate change more serious. In fact, scientific studies show that the pace of climate change today is faster than what they had originally assessed or predicted.

S(f): That's right. Before we start the conference, we would like to introduce to you a video about climate change. Now please watch “Practice the way of L.O.V.E.” to halt climate change.

If you knew our home could be completely destroyed or our lives are seriously threatened, would you let it continue going on? As a result of climate change, disasters like Morakot are not that unusual now. So we have to be prepared for the worst. And we are drafting a piece of legislation called Homeland Planning Act, which will divide the country into different regions. Some may have to be evacuated. But this is very difficult in this country;we attach a lot of importance to the factor of global warming.

Dr. James Hansen(m): Director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies    You don't notice that there's a crisis but, in fact, we are at a crisis point now because we are very close to passing tipping points in the climate system that would have very undesirable consequences.

T. Colin Campbell There are a couple of individuals - very significant people - who have been making this report, and looking very carefully at the numbers. and their conclusion now is that the contribution of livestock production to global warming is more than 60%. It's not 18% which was first suggested three or four years ago, it's not even the 50 -some percent suggested a short while ago.

For the past years, the livestock industry continues to expand. Where are the expanding lands and huge amount of grain coming from? Amazon deforestation increased 69% due to the demand for meat during August 2007 and August 2008. The livestock sector is by far the single largest anthropogenic user of land. Deforestation is playing a major role in climate change. More than 300 experts stated, “If we lose the forests, we lose the fight against climate change.”

A more urgent crisis is happening in the permafrost. Gases like methane are being released from the permafrost and the sea floor. As the gases will be released in huge quantities, the situation will be out of control.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: The permafrost layer is melting each day. And the methane gas, or other gases even, is releasing into the atmosphere.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Methane and nitrous oxide are made by livestock raising, livestock keeping. They are far more poisonous, far more dangerous than CO2.
Another gas implicated in several mass extinctions in the Earth's history is hydrogen sulfide. This colorless and highly toxic gas deadens our sense of smell, and at higher concentration, causes blindness and eventually death. Livestock and chemical fertilizers seriously pollute the water People use targetless fishing trawlers, promptly destroying the ocean ecology.

The ocean area lacking oxygen grows. Hydrogen sulfide then results in a dead zone. In the past, according to paleontologist Peter Ward, “Hydrogen Sulfide in the oceans and atmosphere turned the sky green and choked off oxygen for plants, animals and marine life.” He further warned that global warming caused by human activities “could reproduce the same hydrogen sulfide situation that killed more than 90% of life during the Permian period.” Our home is being destroyed and our lives are facing serious threats. We need to curb climate change.

Dr. James Hansen The point of no return is when you get to a place where the dynamics of the system takes over, and then you can't do anything about it. It's too late.

Q(m): There are many things that people can do to reduce their carbon emissions, but changing your light bulb and many of the things are much less effective than changing your diet.

Dr Rajendra Pachauri Q(m): Meat production and consumption, it's hugely intensive in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.

Maneka Gandhi(f) Unless we change our food choices, nothing else matters, because it is meat that is destroying most of our forests, it is meat that pollutes the waters, it is meat that is creating disease which leads to all our money being diverted to hospitals. So it is the first choice for any body who wants to save the Earth.

Q(m): And if you eat less meat, you will be healtier, and so would the planet.

Q(f): There's where the climate problem is: our meat consumption!

VO (m): Earth, our one and only Home. Earth nurses all of life with love. It's time for us to be guardian of our Mother Earth. To protect our Home and all the coinhabitants with love.

The lifestyle of loving the Earth is called LOHAS.s LOHAS: Lifestyle Of Health And Sustainability

Q(m): But you don't have to have a farm to do organic plants. You can plant tomatoes in pots on your balcony. You can put potatoes in them. You can have these shelf pots that you can plant all your herbs in. You can plant your lettuces. Try something. Just experiment.

VO (m): In one of the longest studies ever conducted on organic farming practices, research by the US-based Rodale Institute has found that organic soil management not only minimizes fossil fuel use, it can also reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide by removing it from the air and storing it as carbon in the soil. Scientists at the institute estimate that if organic practices such as planting cover crops, composting and crop rotation were implemented on the planet's 3.5 billion tillable acres, nearly 40 percent of current CO2 emissions could be absorbed.

Q(f): We've realized that it is good to plant trees that we can absorb some of the carbon dioxide. We have learned enough to know that the breeding of hundreds and thousands of animals for food is terribly damaging to the environment. So more and more people are eating less meat or no meat.

Howard Lyman Q(m): I do what I do today as a hard-core vegan for the love of the animals. I know that no animal has to die for me to live.

Q(f): Just connect to the Earth, feel the Earth, feel the vibration of the sun, the sky, the clouds, everything around us, run all the way through us, and go right in through our feet to the heart of the Earth.

Dr. Rima Morrell, Animal Communicator Living Ark Animal Sanctuary Founder Q(f): Please, for the sake of all the animals, be veg, go green, look at the flowers and Save the Planet.

B(m): Ladies and gentlemen, this video is a reminder for all of us to respect and cherish lives and to halt climate change in order to preserve the beauty and the harmony of this planet.

S(f): Yes, let's work together with love and change our daily living and attitudes so that we can end the crisis of global warming. Now, we have special video greetings from important people around the world for this conference.

B(m): Yes, first, we have Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, the Chairman of IPCC, and the joint Laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize 2007.

Dr. Pachauri (m): Let me, at the outset, convey my greetings to all you participants of this extremely important conference in Taichung, Formosa (Taiwan). I'm deeply grieved at the terrible disaster that took place in Formosa (Taiwan) as a result of Typhoon Morakot. This obviously affected the lives and property of so many people and my deepest sympathies for those who lost their loved ones and who have lost all their belongings and possessions.

Now, I really don't want to link any single incident, any weather-related event to human-induced climate change, because that would be scientifically wrong. But I do want to emphasize that as a result of climate change, events like this are likely to increase, not only in number and frequency, but also in magnitude and intensity. So I would like to appeal to all of you to spread the message across the world that we have to bring about major changes by which we can reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses.

There is, of course, a lot that we can do in industry, in transport, and in every economic activity that human beings carry out, but what is going to be critically important is for us to change our value systems and to change our lifestyles. An important element of changes in lifestyles is to be able to alter our diet. Unfortunately, the world has gone into a pattern of excessive consumption of meat protein. And you'll find that wherever incomes go up, people start consuming more and more meat, more and more animal protein.

Just to give you an example, the first time I went to China was in 1981 and at that stage about the only meat that people ate was pork or some amount of poultry products. But today, with the increase in prosperity of China, you'll find a lot of people eating more and more meat. And China is not alone. This is happening in other parts of the world also. I find that even in India, which is essentially a vegetarian society, a great move towards eating much more meat, much more poultry products and so on.

So, we know that the emissions of greenhouse gases associated with the cycle of meat production, poultry production and all forms of animal food that we consume, is extremely high. And one means by which we can reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses is to see that we cut down on meat consumption. And the result would be that not only would we be healthier, but so would the planet. It's now proved beyond doubt, medically as well, that those who live on a vegetarian diet certainly avoid some of the worst diseases that are now associated, and are known to be associated, with consumption of animal products, with poultry and so on.

So, my submission would be that we should eat much less meat, and if possible, we should eliminate the consumption of red meat completely, because red meat, that's beef, lamb, mutton - is associated with the highest levels of emissions of greenhouse gases of all forms of food. So, if we really want to save the planet, if we want to live a healthy and contented life, I would like to submit that moving towards much lower consumption of meat would be in the interests of human beings and it certainly would be in the interests of the planet.

So I would like to appeal to you to consider this carefully, and you would find that when you make such a move that you'd actually feel much better. And my slogan is: “If you eat less meat, you would be healthier, and so would the planet.” I hope all of you will deliberate on all aspects of climate change and particularly on the importance of bringing about lifestyle changes. So I hope you have a productive and very pleasant conference. Thank you.

S(f): Thank you, Dr. Pachauri, for your loving concern for Formosa (Taiwan) and your dedication in saving this planet.

B(m): Next, we have Mr. Philippe Roch, the former Director of the Federal Environmental Office in Switzerland.

Mr. Philippe Roch Independant Consultant Former Secretary of State Former Director of the Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland in French:
I am Philippe Roch, Former Director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, Secretary of State, who participated in all international negotiations on the environment during 13 years.

We have tackled some questions on climate change and human rights, which is an extremely interesting issue. Allow me to remind you also that if we want to ensure everyone's development and human rights for all, we must course share what we have, we must also stop wasting. However, we must not forget the one who gives us all our resources. That's nature herself, the ecosystems, who nowadays suffers extreme damages from overexploitation, destruction of the forests, the sea, etc., and that, obviously, in order to share with one another, we must have something to share and it's really nature who gives us all we need, and we must absolutely respect her as our mother.

Therefore, I am of course delighted to know that you will be having a videoconference on the environment, the theme of which is to protect our own home with love, and I think that this is the fundamental element. Once we understand that we live in a big “house,” all together in one big family - all the humans, and with all the living beings, the animals, the plants - then our relationship with the planet will change, and we will respect her, and we can no longer destroy her.

S(f): Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Philippe Roch, for your encouraging words. Next we will have Mr. Gilberto Natalini, the City Councilman of São Paulo City, Brazil.brazilian city councilman GILBERTO NATALINI message Original in Portuguese My name is Gilberto Natalini, I am a doctor and also the Councilman for the city of São Paulo for PSDB.

I am currently in my third term as Councilman. It is very important that conferences like these are organized throughout the world since the situation now is very tough, very complicated. Planet Earth is suffering extremely serious changes in relation to its climate issues and I would like to wish the participants of this conference great success, a fruitful discussion, and many positive proposed result for the improvement of Earth's conditions.

The Brazilian government owes the world a firm position in respect to fighting the deforestation of the Amazon and of our forests. The increase in our deforestation is due to, among other things, the advancement of animal agriculture's frontier in Brazil. This means the destruction of forest for livestock raising , livestock to supply the market. What happens in Brazil is wasted land and wasted water by the livestock industry. This is as much to supply the national market as the foreign market. I believe that sustainability measures are needed and are fundamental in the world today.

And we work very hard so that they are passed in our city and country. I also believe that organic agriculture is a very important way, very healthy for the protection of human health as well as the protection of the ecosystem. Since pesticides are great destroyers. I will give you here an example: huge groups of widgeons in Lake Feia in the region of northern Rio de Janeiro state were decimated by the use of pesticides and plantations around the lake.

And finally, the issue of eating a diet high in vegetables, the vegetarian lifestyle- this can also be an extremely important measure. But then we face the cultural issues of humanity, people from many countries of the world who have been consuming animal flesh for millennia. There must be a whole process of education, a process of discussion so that people can can change their habits. I want to ask Dr. Pachauri and Supreme Master to dedicate themselves, and I am sure they will dedicate all their efforts so that this meeting can be successful.

I also want to ask all participants of the conference to support the sustainability cause, to defend the planet and help us, particularly in developing countries and the poorer countries so that people over there can overcome the misery, end poverty, and defend the planet. This is our sincere wish on behalf of the city of São Paulo and all its citizens. Thank you very much.

B(m): Thank you, Mr. Gilberto Natalini and all the speakers again for your time and sincere efforts to halt climate change. Many thanks to all our esteemed guests of this conference for sharing with us their great and exciting viewpoints.

Water waste: not only land and food, but water is also required in huge amounts. Just one hamburger costs 625 gallons of clean water, or, it would cost you about 45 showers. A month and a half or two months without taking a shower, for one pound of hamburger beef alone. Imagine that! On a side note, one cow in his lifetime before slaughter, uses enough fresh water to float a large naval ship. Imagine that again! Just one cow.

Host (m): We are extremely fortunate today to have so many experts who will thoroughly explain to us the main causes and effects of climate change and make concrete suggestions of actions that can be taken.

S(f): Yes，action now is very important. Our esteemed experts have put lots of effort to study climate change and are appealing to the people of the world to recognize the very real threat of global warming. First，we would like to introduce Dr. Liu Shaw-Chen.

B(m): Yes，Dr. Liu is currently the Director of the Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica. He is also the Co-chairman of the Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Change, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences. He used to be the Director of the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics， National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Join us in welcoming Dr. Liu Shaw-Chen.

LSC(m): Thank you. Supreme Master Ching Hai, President Shaw Jie-Fu, honorable VIPs, ladies and gentleman, good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me to share with you this afternoon about one important subject, that is global change and the August ８th flooding, by Typhoon Morakot. Global change or global warming is going to give us the kind of environment to make the August ８th disaster more often and worse. I think that message is extremely important. Global temperature increase is, over last century, about ０.６ degrees centigrade.

And also the global ocean surface rise is above １５ centimeters. And the third is the snow cover has been decreasing. The increase of the global temperature and also the sea surface rise is relatively small over the last century. And most people, I think, would have the perception that the increase is gradual and long term. But what they forgot to think is, together with global warming, we actually also have very urgent change - that's the change to our extreme weather events.

Significant increase in very heavy precipitation, and also decrease in very light rain, has been occurring all over the world. We'll show you some examples. Even over the oceans, the same thing has been happening. And with the increase of very heavy precipitation comes the increased risk of flooding and also mudslides, just like the August ８th flooding in southern Formosa (Taiwan). And also with the decrease of light rain… we all know that light rain is very beneficial to the soil because it's a very critical source of soil moisture.

And by losing light precipitation, we are increasing the risk of drought. Despite the disaster of flooding only two months ago, the drought situation in Formosa (Taiwan) in the last few years have been very severe and very frequent and that has to do with the decrease of light rain in Formosa (Taiwan). This figure shows the change of precipitation intensity in Formosa (Taiwan). Showing to the right, these are very heavy precipitation. Here are very light precipitation, and different color means the average of every １０ years, except the blue one is the last five years,２００１-２００５.

And years １９６１-１９７０ is on top. You see light precipitation has been decreasing and heavy rains are increasing. This is the whole United States. You can see the same thing - the heavy precipitation increasing. The light one, the United States is different from Formosa (Taiwan). The light one actually didn't show much change - that's mostly because in the US in the last ５０ years or so the entire precipitation has been increasing, while in Formosa (Taiwan), the total precipitation has been rather constant. This one is for China, of course you see, this shows the linear trend of number of days of very light rain,０.１ millimeter per day - that's Chinese drizzle, what Chinese call 『Maomaoyu.』

And blue means decrease, and you can see, over most of China has been decreasing. There are some exceptions. And over Formosa (Taiwan), we had the same thing - our light drizzle, our『Maomaoyu』 decreased in the last ４０，４５ to ５０ years. Our Maomaoyu ５０ years ago was ７０ days per year, and now we got only ３５ days - a factor of ２ decrease in drizzle, in Maomaoyu. That's a big loss of precipitation, particularly for places like Taichung and further south. In the spring we need the light drizzle to give us the precipitation for the spring planting.

Researchers in Academia Sinica in the last two years have been finding some very alarming changes in heavy precipitation. Essentially, in the last ５０ years we found that the top ten percent of very heavy precipitation increased by almost a factor of two. So that's a large increase in ５０ years. And corresponding to that, the light precipitation decreased by a factor of two, by ５０％ also, and that's a very large change for Formosa (Taiwan). There are only four typhoons, on average, each year landed on Formosa (Taiwan).

And Formosa (Taiwan) has about ４０％ of precipitation from typhoons. That means most of the heavy precipitation is coming from typhoons in Formosa (Taiwan). In other words, the very heavy typhoon precipitation in the last ５０ years has increased by a factor of two. And you can imagine, that really increases the flooding and the mudslides. We are predicting there'll be more strong precipitation associated with typhoons to Formosa (Taiwan) in future years.

In fact, we are predicting the next increase by another fold instead of by a factor of ２ - the next one will be by a factor of ３. And the increase by another fold will take, not ５０ years, only about ２０-２５ years. Because the increase in global temperature is going to speed up in the next century, essentially almost doubling, in fact, near the end, tripling the rate of global temperature increase.

Actually, we try to quantify the change in the precipitation intensity with the global temperature. We divide the intensity into １０ equal parts. So this is the top １０％ precipitation - very strong precipitation, typhoons - and this is the light drizzle, the Maomaoyu. And you can see the strong heavy precipitation, for each degree increase in global temperature, would increase by a factor of １.４，or １４０％， and the light one would decrease by ７０％. Now，this is the IPCC's prediction of temperature increase in this century,  the ２１st century，and the often mentioned C１ case is the case that the temperature would increase by a factor of ２ by the end of the ２１st century.

And thus, when we try very hard to decrease the greenhouse gas emission, we increase temperature only by ２ degrees. If we don't try to limit the greenhouse gas emission, we would get the A２ case - that's the pink one, or this one. And A２ case, the temperature increase is very close to ４ degrees. With B２ case, because it's increased by ２ degrees and each degree is １４０％ - ２ degrees means a ２８０％ increase in heavy precipitation - and A２ case is ４ degrees - ４ times １４０ is ５６０％ increase in precipitation, heavy precipitation, and that's really alarming.

I can't believe living in that kind of environment. And that means that typhoons in Formosa (Taiwan) would bring ３-５ times more heavy precipitation, and imagine, that would mean at least ３-５ times more floods and more mudslides. And here, I want to mention that we should not forget the decrease of light precipitation, because it's in a different season in Formosa (Taiwan). In winter and spring,  the decrease of light precipitation will continue to increase the risk and the frequency of drought in Formosa (Taiwan).

This shows, for southern China, it's the similar thing - the heavy one is not as much, it's ６３％ for each degree, and that's about half of Formosa (Taiwan). The pink one， you see, the global average, the heavy precipitation would increase by １１０％ - a little bit less than Formosa (Taiwan) but very large. And these increases are going to be larger in the tropical region and that means, where there's a lot of precipitation already, it's going to increase more. And also in places like India, in the summer monsoon  they have very heavy precipitation - those are going to get more and more frequent.

So，the places with a lot of flooding，it's going to have an increase, but where there's very little precipitation, actually，the drought is going to get worse. What we are saying is that, globally, we are seeing the same thing - very alarming change in heavy precipitation and light precipitation. And the only way to stop these kinds of disastrous changes is to stop increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Thank you for your attention.

S(f): Thank you，Dr. Liu， for your insightful speech.

B(m): Thank you very much ，sir. We need more scientists like you to awaken people and make people understand the seriousness of climate change. Let's give him another round of applause please.

The next guest speaker is also an expert on climate change and another highly esteemed individual - he is Dr. Liu Chung-Ming. Dr. Liu is the Professor of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences and the Director of the Global Change Research Center of National Taiwan University. Let's now warmly greet and welcome Dr. Liu Chung-Ming.

LCM(m): Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm really honored to be here. In the past １０-１５ years, I've been attending many different kinds of seminars, conferences, lectures, and so on. But today, there's more than a thousand audience members and I understand through broadcasting, it's probably like a １００ million. I'm really honored to have this opportunity to talk about what I have been doing in the past few years.

Climate change is ongoing, the global temperature keeps warming. It's actually like Typhoon Morakot, people in Formosa (Taiwan) think it's very serious, then probably next year or the year after, we will have another typhoon, probably breaking this year's record. So what we need is, we need to adapt to the climate change. We have to live with it, we have to dance with it, we have to stay alive with the coming disasters.

And to pave the way to do it, it's not just personal, everyone, what we can do about it. We actually need the government, we need people working together, so we need the law. We need to establish this National Climate Security Act. What I want to talk about is adaptation - to decrease climate vulnerability and to increase adaptation capacity. This is the general temperature increasing trend in Formosa (Taiwan) and this is the global trend. So this is just saying that we are in the same warming trend as the world. This shows that the central part is climate change.

This means that the ongoing climate change is composed of a lot of events like temperature increase, heavy rainfall, and sea level rise - everything. So we will have more hazards, disasters, and will affect all primary industries, like agriculture and so on, and certainly will affect our ecosystem and human health. And we need all people concerned to be involved. We just saw the video showing that our President Ma has mentioned about we will establish the national protection law. This is all included.

So, under the United Nations climate change framework, we usually talk about this mitigation, so we have the Kyoto Protocol which talks about reducing the greenhouse gas emissions, including the theme of today which actually is how to reduce the emissions. But the other thing is adaptation, which means we have to live with the climate change. So we have to do the impact assessment, we have to have a certain strategy for the coming １００ years. We need to know how to live with it.

So, under the UNFCCC, they actually have this Nairobi work program for these developed countries and certainly for the least developed countries; they all need to work on this subject. First of all, you need scientists to work together to project the future climate change and to assess sea level rise; so Formosa (Taiwan) will probably lose how much land. So we'll probably have to just protect ourselves and we'll probably have to live inward.

And also, about these heavy rains, if we can estimate how much frequency this heavy rain will increase and how much amount of water will come in, then we'll probably have to figure out, like, for the mountain area, could we have more people living there？ I mean, all these landslides, more serious events will come out, so what we should do with that？ So that's actually a very difficult task.

And this is under the UN development program, they also have a strategy to do this, a similar concept. And definitely for this coming disaster, we always have loss, so to talk about adaptation is just to minimize the loss. So, in simple words, this year we have record-breaking rainfall, we also have record-breaking loss. But later, for the coming years, we'll probably have another record-breaking rainfall and typhoon and so on.

But we don't want to have another record-breaking loss. How much we can benefit from doing this adaptation task？ And this is talking about worldwide, besides UN， each country, what do they do？ Are they working on this subject, like the EU, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom？ The UK actually passed the climate bill to tackle this issue. And for developing countries like China, like India, they have set up the initial program to work on this and certainly for these least developed countries or small island developing states, they are working on these subjects under UN guidance.

And currently in Formosa (Taiwan), last year, I have been working on this project, so we did certain surveys. And it seems that most people in Formosa (Taiwan), they understand the current status of climate change. They know the threat to these small islands, and the issue is how can we tackle this？ For instance, if another Typhoon Morakot comes, do we construct more, like, a high wall so we can protect ourselves within it？ I mean, the engineering approach probably will not work, so we need something else.

We need a non-engineering approach. However, talking about adaptation, people will say that once you adapt to the climate change, it probably means that we will not be facing another serious typhoon. Actually, no. We will still have serious typhoons, because of the temperature warming. We have higher temperature seawater and it will help to intensify the intensity of these typhoons and also widen the typhoon's influence area. The natural disasters still cannot be avoided, but we can hope to reduce the damage.

That's the general expectation, we hope. Under this general idea, last year we proposed a framework on the national climate change impacts assessment adaptation strategy. We need legislation adaption, industry and land use adaption. So, our president mentioned about national land production law, it's actually one of them; it's just a part of this general framework. This is for the coastal, that's the low lying area, like this year in Pintung, this land-subsidence area. The total population, I think it's close to ５０，０００ people，so we cannot just move them. We cannot just say,『You are not suitable to live in these subsidence areas with the sea level rise and land subsidence.』

This area is definitely the most vulnerable area in Formosa (Taiwan), but we cannot just move them. We have to have a plan. We have to have a strategy to work on this issue and it probably takes ３０ years to thoroughly move them. That is a long term and a difficult task. So we need legislation to pave the foundation for all the tasks. One simple act I propose is this Climate Security Act. Under this, the greenhouse gas emission is right here. With this greenhouse gas emission, we have a lot of interaction going on.

So, actually, there is a lot money going through this greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, carbon tax or maybe these carbon trade activities, like emissions trade and so on. It will probably get to the general reduction of greenhouse emissions from this country. From all this money flow, we can take out some of it and put into these three funds. One is called Climate Security Fund, which is for each disaster. Like this year, our government has to put out a lot of money just for rebuilding the areas. And the other is for Minority Fund - for those most disadvantaged minority welfare.

Another is for Adaptation Fund. So my general conclusion, based on the evidence of climate change impacts, proper adaptation strategies are needed to sustain the future development of human existence. A proposal for national climate change adaptation framework is addressed to facilitate adaptation capacity building in Formosa (Taiwan). The Climate Security Act is waiting for positive response from legislation. Thank you.

B(m): Thank you， Dr. Liu Chung-Ming， for your excellent speech. Thank you，sir.

S(f): Ladies and gentlemen， we will be discussing other important issues later. But before that， let's watch a beautiful aboriginal dance performance to remind us about the nature with harmony.

B(m): Yes，here in Formosa (Taiwan)， there are over one dozen different aboriginal tribes and this performance is a very beautiful one. It's by the Ming Tai Aboriginal Dance Club， composed of high school boys and girls， who practiced very long and very hard to present a very special dance number.

S(f): Have you ever seen this before？

B(m): No，no， but in the Philippines we also have many aboriginal tribes and they are very similar to the ones you have in Formosa (Taiwan). So this is something the people of the Philippines and Formosan (Taiwanese) share， the aboriginal links， and today's dance is actually three special dances that are now merged into one called 『The Mountain Forest Shaking Dance.』 So，let's all extend a hand of friendship to our aboriginal brothers and sisters by giving them a warm round of applause.

B(m): Fantastic！ S(f): What a wonderful and beautiful dance！

B(m): Yes，what a wonderful performance！ I almost wanted to join them. Now,  this is a beautiful example of the beauty of ancient traditions and the need for all of us to preserve these for generations to come. Now，many thanks to the Ming Tai Aboriginal Dance Club, whose members are actually members of Formosa's (Taiwan) indigenous tribes as well.

S(f): Yes. Do you know Eagle is the holy bird of aboriginals？

B(m): No，no. I saw some of them dancing kind of like an eagle dance.

S(f): Yes. Every boy has been taught to learn the spirituality of the male eagle.

B(m): How interesting，how interesting. And it is one of the three themes of the dance， the first one was『Harvest，』 the second『Youth，』 and the third 『Power of Nature.』

Dr. Liu, Shaw-Chen Director of Research Center For Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica(m): We should spare no effort in promoting the vegetarian diet. I hope today's conference can awaken people's awareness and help them become vegetarians. If you are not a vegetarian yet, then today is a good day to start. If you are a vegetarian already, you should try harder to promote it. Global warming is a very dangerous issue and its impact is enormous. The only way to mitigate global warming is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Ms. Tan Ai-Chen vegetarian, animal-lover, renowned actress，Host of『Modern Vegetarian Cooking Show』Q(f): I think regardless of nationality, religion, affiliation, and political party, we should work together to save the Earth by being vegetarian, which is not only good for our health, but also good for the environment.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: So that we can have time to, catch up with technology and have time to let our Mother Earth rest，to restore her health and then to replenish the abundance of whatever we need in this world. how I really want to embrace the leaders and the non-leaders people of this world.

『Wake up，wake up now. Wake up，my love; wake up my friend， save yourself. Wake up and save yourself and save all of us.』 How I really love to give them all the knowledge that I have，because that is the best present that anyone could give to anyone.

We have a special video greeting for all of you from Ms. Live Kleveland. She is the Information Director of the Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance, who will share with all of us the need for humankind to co-exist with nature.

Greetings to all of you who are participating in the conference. This is Liv Kleveland. I work for the Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance. As a lawyer, I'm working to try to give animals the rights that they deserve in our society. I'm a vegan and that's because of the animals and also because of the environment. In our society, animals are kept in factory farms where they have no possibilities at all to live like what they are made for. Young babies are taken from their mothers. Mutilations are common. The animals are fed intensively. Many of them never see sunlight. They are kept indoors all their lives. And they are transported to slaughter in thousands, in millions.

So the animals are forced to live in a way that is detrimental to their health and welfare and that is a major reason for me not to eat their meat. Also I don't eat meat because of the environment. Meat production is actually one important reason why our climate is changing so rapidly. To stop eating meat is something everyone can do to help stop the changes in the climate. And a lot of the energy in that plant food is lost in the animal to keep the animal alive and as manure from the animal. So it's much better to eat the plants directly because then you use less energy than if you eat meat. So one way to fight world hunger is actually to eat less meat. Animals are in many ways like us.

Stop eating meat. I think that everyone that has been so lucky as to get to know an animal as an individual knows that an animal like a dog or a cow, or a pig, or even a hen is a person. I wish a lot of luck to the conference “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.” in Taichung, Formosa and I hope that everyone who participates will extend their love to animals too. Be veg! Go green! Save our planet!

S(f): Thanks, Ms. Live Kleveland. We are so touched by your love for this Earth and animals.

B(m): Yes, it's truly very inspiring and that is also one of our next topics; to live in harmony with nature. Everyone knows our theme, love, or “L.O.V.E.” and we hope that all of us can live simple, healthy and of course vegan lives.

B(m): Our next speaker is someone most of you are familiar with, Ms. Tan Ai-Chen. She is a true animal lover, who has rescued many stray cats and dogs and beleaguered animals. A famous movie and TV actress, Ms. Tan is also a vegetarian cooking show host.

S(f): Let's warmly welcome Ms. Tan Ai-Chen.

TAC(f): Thank you, thank you. Hallo, everyone! Thank you. I thank the many people in the audience who have been watching my “Modern Heart” vegetarian show every day. It's on air daily at 5PM, 11AM, and 1:30AM. I have been hosting this show for 7 years. Every day, we introduce one or two vegetarian dishes. So far we have introduced over 2,000 dishes. Who can say that vegetarian food lacks variety? Right? Q(all): Right.

TAC(f): Thank you. I have been a vegetarian for 21 years. The vegetarian diet is really wonderful. It makes us healthy, and it gives us more stamina and, of course, we become younger. I'm 56 years old now, and thank Heavens I don't look like I'm 65. This is the biggest benefit the vegetarian diet brings us. Many people ask me, “How did you become a vegetarian?” In Chinese tradition, vegetarianism is often associated with religions, because this compassionate act of non-killing has been advocated by Buddhism.

However, the reason I am a vegetarian is that I don't have the heart to eat small animals. It has nothing to do with religion at all. In fact, I grew up in a Christian family. I'm a Christian. My parents-in-law are both devout Christians. So, before I became a vegetarian, I had never heard of Buddhism. I started to learn about Buddhism since becoming a vegetarian. And because of Buddhism, I got to know the phrase “sentient beings,” which means that animals, just like us humans, also have feelings and desires. We have our likes, we know fear, and so do the animals.

Similar to us humans, animals also have romantic love, family love, and friendships. They even have ethical concepts and ranking among the young and the old. I totally agree with what Supreme Master Ching Hai says, “Many animals are nobler than humans.” Only when you have lived with animals will you understand this. Today, because of our time constraint, I will just share with you the pictures of these little sentient animals that made me become a vegetarian.

These are the stray dogs I adopted; there are more than 60 of them. It is very hard to get them together to take one picture, so I only have photos of small groups.This also shows some of them. If you think they are all dogs, you are wrong. What's the one in the middle? He likes to mingle with the dogs and he sees himself as a dog. Why? You see, he is very affectionate towards the dogs. He even kisses them. He thinks that this female dog is his mother. He is very smart. I have about 60 dogs, many of them are stray dogs.

This little piglet is called “Philly.” Upon his arrival, he attached himself to this most beautiful dog called “Queen” and he thinks “Queen” is his mother. Once, he even screamed when he saw a pig, because he had never seen such an animal in the world. People told me that he is a mini-pig. He is very nice to the dogs. He is also very friendly to humans. As soon as I sit down, he is sure to come up to kiss me. He is very affectionate. In fact, it feels quite strange when a pig keeps kissing you with his snout. This pig is very smart.

When I first adopted him, people told me he was a mini-pig. Now the mini-pig has grown to this size. Fortunately, the Taipei Zoo believes he has educational value, so they adopted him. After he moved to the Taipei Zoo, he grew even bigger. He only lies there and eats. But if you say pigs are stupid, I must restore their reputation. Two years after he was sent to the Taipei Zoo, I had time to visit him. I stood next to him and said, “Philly, Mom is here. Let Mom touch your little face.” As soon as he heard me, he immediately stood up, because he loves me touching his big snout. He still thought he had a small face. So when I touched him, he immediately stood up. People asked me, “How come he knows you?” I said, “Of course! He is my son!” After two years he still recognizes my voice. If you think pigs are stupid, you are really doing them an injustice. If you think I'm only raising dogs and pigs, you are wrong. All these dogs are raised by me.

This is a mastiff. Everyone knows that mastiffs could bite people, right? They are fierce. But actually, this dog is proof that, after listening to the Buddha's chants daily for half a year, he will not bite people anymore. He even lets my neighbor, a child whom he doesn't know, take him out for a walk. So animals are just like humans. They can also improve their personalities through education and good influences. All these animals have been miraculously influenced by Buddhist teachings. These are also blind dogs that I adopted at that time.

Okay, what do you see here? A squirrel! She was abandoned by her mother. When we found her in the grass, she was less than 10 centimeters long. Her eyes were not yet open. So, I used syringes to feed her rice soup. Little by little she grew up. I don't confine animals when I raise them. I just raise them in the yard. By the 7th month, one day while I wasn't home, she brought her boyfriend back to my yard. He was a big, handsome squirrel. Every day after she finished eating, she would carry a couple of grapes in her mouth and sneak them out of the fence and give them to her boyfriend.

Then, I started to prepare double portions so she could bring some to her boyfriend after she finished eating herself. It was like this every day. During the day, she would go out to stay with her love, and at night, she would come back to sleep. But gradually, she stopped coming back to sleep. But she would still come back every day to get food for her boyfriend since I always prepared food for her. One day, when she was 8th months old, to our surprise, she didn't come back for food. I was very worried, so I called a veterinarian at the Taipei Zoo. After I told him the situation, he asked me how old she was. I said she was 8 months old. He said to me frankly, “Congratulations, you are now a grandma.” So do you think they have romance? Yes. I'm very happy for her new family.

Let's move on to the next picture. Doesn't she look like my baby? She looks so much like me. Twenty years ago, unfortunately, there was no animal protection law or wildlife shelters in Formosa (Taiwan). In those days, people liked to keep wild animals as pets, but sometimes they abandoned them, perhaps because they couldn't raise them anymore.

I happened to have a husband who was a busybody. He would always say, “My wife knows how to raise them,” so he would bring them home. That's why I have such experiences with these animals. Of course, as long as you live with them, the animals will treat you as their mother. Let's look at the next picture. Okay, what's this? It's a flying squirrel. After she was born, her mother was not willing to nurse her. Her caretaker didn't know how to raise her either, so she grew up little by little under my care. Eventually, I had to teach her how to fly. She thought she was a dog, and she liked to stand on her feet and walk on the ground. Then we thought, what is a flying squirrel most scared of in the forest? The eagles, right? But in our home, the flying squirrel gets along with the eagle very well.

Let's look at the next picture. At that time, I adopted a Formosan (Taiwanese) crested goshawk. This is an owl I adopted at that time. In the forest, one would say to the other, “You are my food.” The other one would say, “Please don't eat me.” But in our home, they get along peacefully. Every day, they stand on the cabinet and watch us. Their favorite pastime is to stand next to each other on the back of the chair and watch the dogs outside the window. This is their everyday routine.

This big eagle used to be an eaglet when I just adopted him. Do you know why he is looking at my mouth? It is because birds feed their nestlings with their beak, right? He treats me as his mom. Every time when I was about to enter the house, he would start to squeal as soon as he heard me open the door. Every day he would check to see if I had food in my mouth. So sometimes I put some food in my mouth and feed him with my mouth, so he can enjoy the affection of a mother.

These are a pair of geese. In the mother and father goose, I see a kind of indescribable love and also the affection between parents and young ones. They really touch my heart deeply. I hope in the future I'll have the opportunity to share with everyone the stories of these animals. Do you think a snake can recognize people? Let me tell you, even cold-blooded animals can recognize people. When we approach the fish tank, do the fish you feed every day swim towards you? Do they swim away from strangers? Right? So cold-blooded animals also recognize people. Of course, he recognizes me because he always feels very comfortable when he sits on me.

Okay, here, I was interviewing a gorilla. He was locked in a cage. I went in to interview him. There used to be an animal program called “The Funny Family,” right? They said I was risking my life to film the show; but I was very sad.

It is because from the eyes of this gorilla, I see the extreme sadness of a mother. We all know that wild animals are locked in the zoos, away from their family. But do they have emotions? Yes, like we humans, they also love their family, so I can never forget the sad expression in her eyes. That's why we should love and protect animals. As humans, the most direct way to love them is to protect them. Yesterday someone said to me, “Many people say that they are animal lovers while they are holding their dog or cat. But if they say they love animals, how do they have the heart to keep eating animal flesh?” Right?

So we should put ourselves in the animals' shoes. Like us, animals also have emotions. So don't afflict what we fear on the animals and make them suffer. This is why I'm a vegetarian. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story. Thank you.

B(m): Thank you, Ms. Tan Ai-Chen, for your very heart-warming and moving stories. Very inspiring. Thank you. Have you watched Ms. Tan's movies?

S(f): Yes. Since I was a little girl.

B(m): You know, I think it's great that celebrities get involved in good causes because they are able to influence other people to do good deeds as well - for nature, for the animals, and for the environment. Don't you think so?

S(f): Yes, I totally agree. And I love mini-pigs because of her and many people and most friends of mine are paying more attention to animals and stray cats and dogs.

B(m): That's great to know. Our next speaker is Mr. Lin Hung-Rui who is the President of Suiis, the first website promoting vegetarianism in Formosa (Taiwan).

S(f): So let's all welcome Mr. Lin.

LHR(m): Good afternoon, friends. Today I'm very honored to be here to share with you how to be a care-free vegetarian. First, I'll share with you my vegetarian experience. It has been 13 years since I became a vegetarian. The reason I became a vegetarian was because I learned that animals were just like us humans. Because of this, when I was in high school, I started to learn to be a vegetarian. Although I look very young, I am already close to 40. Many people say, “Mr. Lin looks very young.” Actually, it is because of my vegetarian diet. From the very beginning until now, I have experienced the evolution of the vegetarian environment in our society.

In the early days, it was very difficult to be a vegetarian. I remember when I had my vegetarian meals, my best company was a can of mushrooms, or a can of soy protein plus a bowl of white rice. This was my lunch or even my dinner. Of course, thanks to my dietary habit, I weighed only 59 kilograms. In the past few years, vegetarian food has evolved, and I find being a vegetarian in Formosa (Taiwan) now is a big blessing. Our vegetarian food can be simple and basic, or it can be very fancy. It's also available in cuisines from around the world. Our fellow practitioners have opened quite a few Loving Huts in Formosa (Taiwan). They are really great blessings to our vegetarian friends. Let's give them a warm round of applause.

From the previous talks, we know that global warming has already made a huge impact on our environment. The August 8 typhoon disaster and the typhoons some days prior caused tremendous damage. So we made up our minds to switch to the vegetarian diet. We will start with reducing the proportion of meat in our meals. Everyone asks us, “Why eat vegetarian?” “What's the benefit of eating vegetarian?” Right?

Everyone has an ultimate goal. We should try to deal with others with a non-judgmental mind. For the time being, they may not be able to understand our good intention, but we don't have to provoke them. We just need to show them some facts now and then. We can say to them, for example, “Three days ago, I heard a lecture from a professor.” We also learn some information from Supreme Master TV, so once in a while we can send the information to them. Slowly, they will start to understand.

Let me give you a simple example. My father used to be very opposed to my being a vegetarian. The approach I took was not to argue with him. I kept on being a vegetarian. Whenever he was criticizing me, I would always prove to him that his arguments were wrong. For example, he said that vegetarian food was not nutritious. So I showed him how big and strong I had become. He said vegetarians wouldn't get married, but I did get married. I kept resolving his confusions. Slowly, in our family meals, we started to have vegetarian dishes, one dish at a time, and slowly it got to the point that half of the dishes were vegetarian. In recent years, most of our dishes have become vegetarian.

Each time my father's friends make fun of him, saying, “How come this son of yours eats vegetarian? It's not very manly,” etc. My father recently started to reason back to his friends, saying, “What are you talking about? Look, he looks so handsome, so youthful.” So I think when we are on this path, difficulties and frustrations are unavoidable, but our goals and faith should stay firm. In addition, we should also keep in mind that we should have some flexibility.

For example, a while ago we were promoting “Meatless Mondays,” so they can start by eating vegetarian every Monday. You can say, “Today is Monday, I invite everyone to have a vegetarian meal.” This way you give them a topic, or point to them a direction, and you guide them slowly this way. When we are guiding them in this process, if we find that some of their concepts aren't clear we can promptly give them some help or point them in the right direction, and tell them about the correct vegetarian concept.

I think when we guide others to become vegetarians, the most important thing is to be in harmony with people. Only this way can we make people realize that being vegetarian is such a wonderful, joyful, and care-free way of life. Whenever we are together with them, it is an opportunity for us to sow a vegetarian seed. We never know when it will start to sprout, but one day it will surely grow. They will start to have this feeling, this realization that they can choose an alternative dietary habit, or they can have a different approach to change our world. This is the best way. Thank you for this opportunity to share with you. Thank you.

B(m): Thank you very much, Mr. Lin Hung-Rui. Our next speaker is Mr. Lin-Hsu Wen-Er. He is the Chief Editor of Persimmon Books, which is the leading vegetarian book publisher in Formosa (Taiwan). They published the Chinese version of “The Mad Cowboy” by Mr. Howard Lyman and “The China Study” by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. Let's welcome Mr. Lin Hsu Wen-Er.

LHW(m): Hallo, distinguished guests. I want to share with everyone how to live harmoniously with nature. I think there is only one simple rule for living harmoniously with nature, that is to treat nature like a human being. You don't need to see it as a god or something. I think nature is actually a “good person.” It gives us the four seasons, which arrive at predictable times - spring, autumn and summer come with fixed schedules. But occasionally nature also has temper tantrums. Sometimes it shows you some humor, like dropping some rain on you while you are all dressed up and on the way to a party, then you may become soaked. But after a while, it may become sunny again.

Nature actually has a timetable. If you do things according to its schedule, then you will receive plenty of protection from nature. But right now, nature seems to have changed. There is a saying in Chinese, “Harmony between humankind and nature.” This is such a wonderful state. But if we have truly experienced the state of “harmony between humankind and nature,” we wouldn't intentionally cause harm to nature, because harming nature is no different than harming ourselves. But actually, we often do things that harm ourselves. So actually, we have not lived up to such a good teaching.

So, I feel the first rule in dealing with nature is to treat it like a person. A person needs respect, and a person needs to be loved and protected. So if we use this attitude toward nature, we don't need complicated theories or philosophy. We will know how to be close to nature. So, how can we befriend nature? I just mentioned one principle, and there are three steps to follow.

The first step is not to rush to a conclusion about what nature is. We should first find out who we are, what is the most important thing in ourselves, and what is the most precious thing in our life. Some may say it's love, and others may say it's money; but actually, within all these topics, if there is no life itself, love or money will become nothing. So I think, first of all, we should be clear about whether nature is truly very important to us. If you truly think it's very important, naturally you won't harm it. But nowadays, people are too removed from nature, so they may not truly think this way. So I think, only when we truly understand this point can we truly realize that our survival is closely associated with nature. Only then can we face up to this question.

What's the second step? After we realize that nature is truly very important for us, and that we are so removed from nature, we should start learning about nature. I often see that some parents or older people are anxious to make their kids learn the piano or other things. But actually, the person who needs education the most is we, ourselves, because we may not even know nature that well. So as adults, we should relearn and ask ourselves if we really know nature. The best way to know it is to learn from our children. If you observe children at 4 or 5 years old who are still learning to speak, you will find that they have no fear of nature. They would touch a dog, or even animals you think are more fearsome such as a snake or a lizard.

In contrast, we would be scared to see these animals. Once in a park, a kid saw a tree lizard, so he said to his grandma, “Grandma, grandma, there is a tree lizard over there!” When the grandmother saw the lizard, she immediately backed up 3 steps. She hurriedly made him come back, “That's a chameleon. Come back or it will bite you.” Everyone feels scared upon seeing unfamiliar things in nature. If we truly want to regain the heart of a child, we should learn from our children. When we were born, we weren't scared of these things.

If we are willing to rediscover nature, the question of what we should eat will come up. If you don't believe me, go watch a child. If you give him a piece of orange or an apple, he will eat it very happily. But if you give him a piece of meat or a shrimp, he needs to learn to eat it. If you bring your child to a supermarket, you may observe and see if he will linger in front of the fruit or vegetable stand, or a poultry or pork stand. Actually, the smell of all kinds of food already tells us the answer. Children and newborn babies tend to like colorful, beautiful things.

Meat is either red or white, unlike the fruit in nature, which has many colors. So I think if we sincerely regain the heart of a child and observe, the answer of what we should eat is actually very clear. I want to mention another concept of how to live harmoniously with nature. Nature is like our lover. We have been asking too much from it. When we are in love with a person, of course sometime we demand, but sometimes we also give; so we keep a good balance. But humans have been taking too much from nature. If one of the lovers demands too much, what will happen? Perhaps the other one will turn against his or her partner. When they are breaking up, the best scenario is that they talk and forgive each other.

If you don't live with nature harmoniously, the situation will be exactly the same as what happens between a couple. Nature may give us a storm today or snow tomorrow in an unexpected place. For no reason, an earthquake may occur. If we don't live in harmony with nature, the result of nature turning against us is much more terrible than breaking up with a lover.

So I think the third step is when we wake up and realize that nature is very important, and we start to learn what nature is teaching us in our life, the next thing we need to do is to give. It is because only when we give, can we gain. It is the same with a couple in love. You can't keep asking for things from your boyfriend or girlfriend; you must give. To give is to sacrifice. The love of parents to a child often involves sacrifice. They must sacrifice their time to take care of the child. It is the same between us and nature. We need to sacrifice the desire of our palate and stomach, because giving up certain foods is really difficult.

So there is only one word that can make a person willingly change his habit, and that's the theme of today's event - “love.” Only love can make a person willing to sacrifice. So we need to reflect if we really love nature so much. When you realize that this is a matter of life and death to us, I believe you will think that a little sacrifice is actually not a big deal. Today, I shared with you how we can give back to nature and how to put it into practice. This is the hope for humanity. I'll stop here. Thank you.

S(f): Thank you, Mr. Lin Hsu, for your beautiful message.

I used to be a pig farmer, but now I'm a vegetarian. This seminar is very meaningful to me. I hope when those livestock farmers and non-vegetarians hear my little story and see the way I've changed, they'll change too.
 
Right now the most feasible way to halt global warming is for people to adopt a vegetarian diet. This diet is also the best for our health. If everyone eats vegetarian meals, we can immediately change the food chain and have an impact on the agriculture and livestock industry. I think this is the current and future trend. The direction that the Supreme Master International Association is advocating can definitely reduce global warming and climate change.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: In the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, 91% of the land that was deforested since 1970, is used for livestock pasture. This is a devastating way to make a cheap profit at the cost of our planet's and our people's survival. We are eating our planet by consuming meat.

VOICE: Tune in to Supreme Master Television this Tuesday, December 22, for part 4 of the rebroadcast of the videoconference “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.” on Words of Wisdom.

Tune in to Supreme Master Television today for the rebroadcast of the videoconference “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.” on Words of Wisdom.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Please help. Please help each other, please help us. Because many of our world co-citizens are not aware that many of our other co-citizens are dying because of lack of water, and lack of water means lack of food, lack of security. We must do everything we can. And the first step to begin is to be vegan.

VOICE: Join us on Supreme Master Television this Friday, December 25, for part 6 of the rebroadcast of the videoconference with Guest of Honor, Supreme Master Ching Hai, entitled “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.” on Words of Wisdom.

Tune in to Supreme Master Television today for the rebroadcast of the live videoconference “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.” with Guest of Honor, Supreme Master Ching Hai, on Words of Wisdom.

The next speaker is the Mayor of the city of Santiago in the Philippines, the Honorable Amelita Navarro.

B(m): I'm very proud to have Mayor Navarro here today because she and I are both from the great province of Isabela in the Philippines, and I know her to be one of the most hardworking, most honest and most pro-environment mayors in the Philippines. So, let's give her a warm round of applause.

Ms. Navarro (f): Supreme Master Ching Hai, Chairman Lin Cheng Hu, the Honorable Renato Lee, Manila Economic and Cultural Office Representative in Formosa (Taiwan), other VIP guests who have spoken earlier, friends of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, friends, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. It is a rare privilege for me and my delegation to be invited by our beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai to attend this very important climate conference here in your beautiful country, and for that, our deepest gratitude.

Also, our special thanks to the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association led by Chairman Lin Cheng Hu for hosting me and the rest of the Philippine delegation from Santiago City. Thank you for your generosity and warm hospitality. Our topic, “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.,” is very timely because climate change is upon us and it is the biggest threat facing mankind today, even more threatening than international terrorism because climate change goes beyond boundaries of race and economies. It is all encompassing.

Ms. Navarro (f): When I received the invitation from your Association for me to attend this conference and to speak before you on the issue of saving our planet, I paused for a while and was struck with this overwhelming question: Indeed, what have I done as a mother? First, to my city of Santiago, where I am a mother to more than 135,000 residents, and second, as a mother to my four children to help secure their future. More than just a mother with concerns for the future of her children, I am also a public official who is concerned with the future of the Philippines and what the future holds for my beloved city.

Allow me first to share with you what the Philippines has been doing in this global fight against climate change. As you know, world leaders are now racing against time to come up with a new climate change protocol by December in Copenhagen at the conference of parties, COP 15, because the Kyoto Protocol - the single most important global treaty to fight climate change - is set to expire by 2012, and a new protocol must be voted upon by world leaders in Copenhagen. The Philippines has been negotiating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for a position that will protect not only Filipinos, but all the residents of low lying archipelagic nations like the Philippines.

Our country, like the rest of the world, is pushing for what we call “deep and early” cuts of greenhouse gas emissions by industrialized or developed nations, otherwise known as the Annex I countries. Why is this so? Because scientists point to the year 2050 as the tipping point of irreversible climate change unless the world cuts its GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions by 50%. By 2050, polar caps in the North and South Poles will melt, raising sea levels by six to seven meters.

And when that happens, small archipelagic nations like the Philippines will go underwater. But even before the tipping point is reached in 2050, we in the Philippines, are being hit by onslaught of early climate change or what Secretary Alvarez calls as “creeping climate change,” which is characterized by the 20 storms that visit us yearly, which are becoming more ferocious and are escalating in intensity each year. We need deep and early cuts to moderate these raging storms. We in the Philippines cannot wait until 2015 because climate change is hitting us now.

As a nation of more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines feels the pain of natural disasters and rising seas more than most nations. Because of this, we take every opportunity we can to call on all the countries to collectively secure a positive outcome to the UNFCCC negotiations. And we are banking on the support of similarly situated island nations and the ASEAN to support the Philippine initiative. Due to the serious threat of the survival of mankind, there is a need for every citizen to be on one footing against climate change.

Every citizen should work toward reducing his or her carbon footprint or the indicator of how much each person pollutes the Earth. At the city level, some of the most important programs we have undertaken in Santiago City are proper waste management. As you know, when garbage is left to rot by itself, it produces methane which is 21 times more lethal than carbon dioxide as a global warming gas. So, it is very important to properly manage our waste. Before I started the waste management program of Santiago City, we were generating 52 tons of garbage daily.

Now, we are down to only 34 tons per day. I have committed my administration to the protection, preservation and promotion of the environment for our generation and the future generations. I have clearly spelled this out in the “State of the City” address in January 2009, where I declared that my administration's stress has been and will always be to improve the quality of life of the people, by providing them access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities, availability of clean and safe drinking water, peace and order, a healthy environment and freedom.

My goal for Santiago City is not only human development - but sustainable development - that is balanced amongst social, economic and environmental objectives. For I see these environmental objectives will ensure environmental sustainability by implementing development plans as one of the Millennium Development Goals, or MDG targets.

One of our trusts is solid waste management. On solid waste management, a major setback is the people's behavior to extremes. To address this concern, the city environment and government, together with different officials - NGOs, POs, civic and religious groups - join hands in the implementation of our city scheme, service education, IEC dissemination, forums, symposia, group discussions, house-to-house campaigns, were conducted on waste segregation and recycling.

In our city, we strictly enforce the following policies: no waste segregation, no collection of garbage. And by littering law as provided under city ordinance number 94-7, ordinance requiring residential and commercial establishments to clean the sidewalk fronting their establishments. We supported the observance of “Earth Hour” resolution number 6-99 and joined the big switch, which is resolution number 6162.

We have completed the seminar on basic training for pollution control officers, the first one in the whole Philippines. And as a result of it, we enter into a memorandum of agreement with hospitals and healthcare waste generators in the city. We will soon start using our sanitary landfill facility mandated by the Republic Act 9003 under strict timetable pursuant to my executive order number 2009-81, creating the task force on sanitary landfill. To be sure of the continuity of our programs, we allocated $5 million under the economic development plan.

This is on top of the budgetary allocations for other environmental programs like infrastructure, clean and green and beautification. We put our material recovery facilities throughout the villages managed by the village officials. We also have our own City Environment and Natural Resource Office (CENRO). The biodegradable waste of the city was treated using the indigenous microorganism for composting bioorganic fertilizer known as ESN.

Ms Navarro (f): In the promotion of the vegetarian diet, the city was inspired by the teaching of Supreme Master Ching Hai. We have community gardens in each village for the production of vegetables and other ornamental plants using bio organic fertilizer. Last July 24th, 158 committed youths who responded to the call of Master Ching Hai, called for the defining and transforming youth involvement as an influential and critical agent for societal and global change, attended the 4-day seminar which promoted vegetarianism.

A part of this summit was dedicated to serving Mother Earth by planting mahogany trees, Tai Chi exercises, feng shui, the Save the Planet movement of Master Ching Hai. Right now, almost all our people, especially the youth of Santiago, are with the pamphlet that describes how to do the vegetarian program for the city. Of course, at this point in time, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our Supreme Master for initiating the program on vegetarianism. It was during the visit of Master Ching Hai's associates in Santiago that we started to formulate an ordinance leading to the establishment of a vegetarian society and we were the first one in the Philippines to do this.

And now, in our own little way, we, in Santiago, are doing our share in helping to save our planet and future generations of the Filipinos. My fervent wish that some inspiration coming from the Supreme Master that has sparked change in the people of Santiago will also be burned in the hearts of all the delegates here present this afternoon. And when we return to our localities, may we bring the desire, this burning zeal for life, planting and cultivating the seeds of love that we have received from Supreme Master Ching Hai to inspire our people, to spark a revolution to begin the change. Be veg! Go green! Save the planet! Long live! To all of us!

B(m): Thank you, Mayor Navarro. Thank you very much for traveling a long way to attend our conference and for giving us that very meaningful message.

S(f): We have so many honorable VIPs today but, unfortunately, it is impossible to introduce everyone because of the limited time. But we would like to acknowledge some officials. Let's give them a round of applause when they are introduced.

B(m): First, we have Mr. Renato Lee of the Manila Economic and Cultural office who is here with his son and 11 delegates from the Philippines.

S(f): And next, we have Mr. Chen Tien-Wen, Taichung City Council Deputy Speaker. And next, we have Ms. Chang Hwang-Jen, the Director of Environmental Protection Bureau, Tainan city. And next, we have Ms. Wong Chin-Lien, the representative of Legislator Wong Chin-Chu. And lastly, we have Mr. Chiang Da-Long, the founder of Yu Da Educational Corporation.

B(m): Thank you to all our guests and worldwide viewers for joining us today in this very meaningful conference. We appreciate it very much.

S(f): Ladies and gentlemen, shortly, we will welcome a very special Guest of Honor, Supreme Master Ching Hai. As you know Supreme Master Ching Hai used to live in Formosa (Taiwan). She is deeply concerned about all the people who live on this island.

B(m): Supreme Master Ching Hai has dedicated herself to helping people face and solve the problem of global warming. She has been invited to many climate change conferences all over the world and has given advice to many people from many, many countries. Let's watch the video “Walk the Way of Love to Halt Climate Change.”

There's only one religion, that is the religion of God, of love, of understanding. There's only one church, one temple - that is the temple of enlightenment. Come to that temple, and then we will know all the religions of the world. The essence of life is love. The essence of God, of Buddha, of Allah, is love. There is nothing else but love. When we make the choice of love, that's the highest choice, the noblest choice.

Supreme Master Ching Hai is a world renowned humanitarian, artist and spiritual visionary. Her life-long unconditional devotion has extended beyond all cultural boundaries. Her noble love has been manifested through her generous philanthropy; her brilliant artistry has profoundly reminded us of our yearnings for the Kingdom of God.

Supreme Master Ching Hai was born in central Âu Lạc (Vietnam). As a young adult, she went to Europe to study and did charity works for the Red Cross. She soon discovered that pain and suffering exist in all corners of the globe. Searching for the remedy to this ill, therefore, became her foremost goal. She then embarked on a journey in search for spiritual understanding. Finally, in the deepest reaches of the Himalayas in India, she found an enlightened Master who imparted to her a meditation technique which contemplates on the inner Light and Sound, that is, the Quan Yin Method. After a period of practice, she became fully enlightened.

As we approach the next decade of this millennium, foremost on the minds of many concerned citizens are the global effects of climate change, we are greatly blessed with individuals and organizations who have dedicated themselves to help save the planet. They bring to the world the light of hope and voice of awakening. Supreme Master Ching Hai is extremely concerned about the sustenance and survival of the grand ecology on Earth. Given the urgency of the situation, she proposed the fastest, most effective solution, that is, for humans to return to compassion, and be vegetarian.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: In order to save ourselves, we must be vegetarian. A vegetarian diet is nonviolence in the highest sense. And the vegetarian diet is love in action. Stop all the cruelty, beginning on our plate, generating loving, kind energy around the world. Stop water shortage and water pollution, stop food shortages, stop world hunger and war, prevent deadly diseases, save enormous tax and medical bills to build a better world, and support new useful inventions and good people's organizations.

And now, there is a spiritual aspect also. When a person partakes in direct or indirect killing of any sentient beings, be it human or animals, he or she enters the cycle of revenge and violence. And it will only end when one stops doing it. Hence, we have to love our enemy, because only love and forgiveness will have the power to break the negative effect of hatred and vengeance. On both spiritual and physical levels, the greater the number of people who change their diet and hearts, the more time we gain to curb the crisis. In particular, Supreme Master Ching Hai has emphasized the importance of the media in helping to stop global warming quickly.

Q(f): So you are saying that being a vegetarian is at least one thing everybody can do (Yes.) to save this planet?

Supreme Master Ching Hai: It is just so easy to do, to save the planet like that. And then the governments have to help. Maybe distribute more information encouraging more vegetarian diet lifestyle. And the media help to spread out more news about the goodness of vegetarian. Have to be like a fashion, like a surge of new wave information, new positive constructive ideas and information about how good is a vegetarian diet and it has been proven such and such.

Just bombarding the whole planet with a new energy of compassion and love and health, then everybody will join in. Supportive energy is very important. Let us embark on a compassionate, delightful, and noble lifestyle. Be veg! Go green! Save the planet! May the kindness and compassion of all sentient beings lead us to a beautiful and peaceful world.

B(m): Yes, Supreme Master Ching Hai has really done a lot of great works. Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for, let's invite Supreme Master Ching Hai! Hallo, Supreme Master!

S(f): Hallo, Master!

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo.

S(f): Hallo, Master!

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you all. Thank you all so much for a beautiful, beautiful gathering. Hallo, everyone.

B(m): Thank you very much, Master, for your great efforts to save the planet. You look so beautiful today. We love and adore you very much.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you.

S(f): Thank you, Master, for joining our conference today.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thanks for inviting me. Thanks. Everybody was great. Good speech, good dance. B(m): Thank you, Master.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good MCs, good people.

B(m): Thank you, Master. Supreme Master Ching Hai, before beginning our question-and-answer session with you, would you like to share your message about climate change with us?

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes. Sure! Sure! I join in with you in expressing some thoughts and support for your group and the great people of Formosa (Taiwan) who really care for their island and for their planet. First of all, I would like to say “hallo” to all the beautiful people of Formosa or Taiwan on this richly historic island. I'm extremely honored to be with you again, among your great presence, feeling your shining, genuine spirit, very loving spirit.

Even over long distance, I never forget the people of Formosa (Taiwan), how hospitable they are, how hospitable they have been to me, and how hospitable they always will be because that is their nature. The nature of the Formosan (Taiwanese) people is very hospitable, very pure, very genuine. I can go on forever but I will get too emotional. I miss Formosa (Taiwan).

I would like to thank you all also, the esteemed government officials, distinguished speakers, the media, the gracious ones who share video messages with us, and all concerned citizens. Thank you for making the time to come to this important meeting during your busy schedules. We especially thank the Honorable Mayor Amelita Navarro of Santiago who came all the way from the Philippines and setting aside her precious schedule to participate in this conference. Heaven bless you all, precious guests.

And such an example of commitment to this noble cause shows us that governmental leaders and influential personages are sincere and ready to act to save this Earth. Perhaps today you will find the new insights and strength to help inform them and support the leaders on this important and urgent mission. The conference location of Formosa (Taiwan) is both fond and familiar to me, as it is a place I have previously stayed many years in the company of her pure-hearted, loving, hospitable people.

The Formosan (Taiwanese) people have a special place in my heart, and today, we would like to place our faith in them, perhaps to help humankind awaken. I pray that we all join hands together, with new courage, new determination. Because in acting quickly, we still have time to save the world. We still have time to save the world if we act now, if we be veg now. Thank you so much. Heaven bless Formosa (Taiwan). S(f): Thank you, Master.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you.

I am Mayor Amy Sison Navarro from the beautiful city of Santiago City, Philippines. I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to you, Master Ching Hai for inviting me to be part of this. Because I owe a lot from you. Santiago City is the first city in the Philippines that is promoting vegetarianism in that part of the country. I also would like to thank Master Ching Hai for the warm reception that we are having right now. Also I would like to thank her for the benevolence which she gave us when she donated a sum of US$10,000 for our typhoon victims last May. So on behalf of my people, I thank Master Ching Hai for the opportunity to be one with her principles and her practice. Again I say to her: “Long live!”

Hi everyone, this is Mayor Amy Sison Navarro of Santiago City from the Philippines.

To all of you: Be veg! Go green! And save the planet!

Water waste: not only land and food, but water is also required in huge amounts. Just one hamburger costs 625 gallons of clean water, or, it would cost you about 45 showers. A month and a half or two months without taking a shower, for one hamburger alone. Imagine that! On a side note, one cow in his lifetime before slaughter, uses enough fresh water to float a large naval ship. Imagine that again! Just one cow.

S(f): Master， we have special guests here with us who have questions for you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Welcome，welcome.

B(m): Now，let's begin our question-and-answer session with Supreme Master Ching Hai. First，we have Dr. Liu Shaw-Chen， the Director of Research Center for Environmental Changes， Academia Sinica.

LSC(m): Supreme Master Ching Hai…

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Welcome，Doctor.

LSC(m): Thank you. What specific actions have you suggested to reduce the greenhouse gases？ And are these actions effective？ Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo，Dr. Liu.  You are a distinguished scientist and I'm honored to be of some service. I'm glad to meet you. Thank you for raising this very important question on behalf of the audience， because perhaps you are already aware of the answer. Dr. Liu，in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions，we must stop the source of greenhouse gas emission. The source of greenhouse gas emission is ５０％ from animal raising， animal products，and we have to stop that source as soon as before yesterday. We must stop further raising and reproduction of animals for meat or any other use. We don't need animals' dead，suffering products to stay alive. I even wear fake fur. This，I designed it - artificial fur. Doesn't it look beautiful？ S and B(m): Yes，very beautiful. S(f): Lovely color.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes. We don't need to kill to live. That is a very simple philosophy to understand. All the wise sages of old have told us that， and we would be wise too to listen to their counsel. Coming back to our modern day， countless humans and animals have proven thus. Stop the animal industry， then we will stop greenhouse gas emissions. According to a new study， the livestock industry is responsible for more than ５０％. This is a new research， new conclusion. Because before that， the UN estimated that it's only １８％ - one eight. And now，the scientists have discovered that it is more than ５０％ of all greenhouse gas emissions comes from livestock raising，comes from the animal industry.

But I am sure there is more than that; we will get more and more updates all the time. The more updates we get， the sadder，the more grim the picture that we get. This is according to a new calculation， an update since the calculation of １８％ which was announced in ２００６. Now，three years later， we discover that it is more than ５０％ by the scientists. So，if the globe changes to a vegan diet and stops the livestock industry from continuing，then ５０％ of greenhouse gases can start to go down and quickly because the majority of the livestock emissions is methane， not carbon dioxide.

You are very aware of this， Dr. Liu. Within a ２０-year period， kilo per kilo - meaning for every kilo of methane emitted， it has ７２ times more of the heating capacity than from one kilo of ＣＯ２， means carbon dioxide. That is why the livestock sector is responsible for so much of the global warming. At least more than ５０％ of it. So，in addition， the good news is that methane is a very short-lived gas.

Carbon dioxide takes many decades to leave our atmosphere， but methane has a lifetime of about １２ years only. So that's why scientists， including NASA researcher Dr. Gavin Schmidt， even said that，『It may be more cost-efficient to reduce methane in the atmosphere than it is to reduce carbon dioxide.』 I quoted him exactly. Therefore，it's more effective and smart for us to focus on methane first， and to do that we have to stop its number one source， the meat industry.

And for that， we must change our diet. Scientists also found that if we change our diet to a vegan diet， we can release vast amounts of land from producing grains for animal feed and return it to forest or feeding humans. Even you have said so， Dr. Liu，in an interview on the Supreme Master Television，that these forests would then be natural carbon sinks， or areas that absorb and remove a lot of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. According to researchers in the Netherlands， the forests would be so effective at absorbing carbon dioxide that we would save a lot of money and energy from trying to develop expensive technologies to do what the trees can do better.

World governments could save tens of trillions of US dollars，- I leave you to calculate how much - over just a few decades if everyone be veg and plant organic. When we plant organic farming， the organic farming will also absorb another ４０％，at least， of the carbon dioxide in the air already. So you see，５０％ less from no more animal industry， ４０％ less carbon dioxide from organic farming， then we will be singing， our world will be saved. Our children will continue to live in this home forever. Right now，one-third of the entire Earth's land surface is used either for grazing animals or growing feed for the animals， not for humans. We humans use very little of this agriculture section. Is that an efficient way to use the land？ MC (m & f): No.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: It's not，yes，it's not. In the Amazon，the world's largest rainforest， ９１％ of the land that was deforested since １９７０is used for livestock pasture. Imagine，the lung of the Earth being barren just for livestock pasture， ９１％ of it. This is a devastating way to make a cheap profit at the cost of our planet's and our people's survival. We are eating our planet by consuming meat. So，without the needless animal industry，not only will we gain forests， we can also have organic vegan farmlands to grow real，decent food for humans， and like the forests， these farmlands can also absorb a lot of heat，a lot of heat from the atmosphere.

I repeat again， the organic farming absorbs a lot of heat from the atmosphere. And a global shift to organic vegan practices could mean ４０％ of all greenhouse gases absorbed as well，apart from the ５０ plus percent that we eliminate through the terminating of the animals raising practice. See？ So we see here， if we really want to get to the bottom line to find the most effective solution to climate change， we cannot，we absolutely cannot go on ignoring the most urgent， serious cause - that is the animal consumption and the like - because it is heating up our Earth at a dangerous speed， causing catastrophic disasters everywhere; causing suffering to our sweet，defenseless， blessing，loving animals; causing suffering to hundreds of millions of our humans' co-existence through meat-related diseases.

Losing loved ones， losing homes，losing lives， losing hopes. One-sixth of the population is starving. Children die every few seconds from hunger. Right now as we are speaking，Bangladesh is only half the size of what it used to be decades ago. The list never ends if we continue to partake in this killing phenomena， massacring tragedy called『animal industry.』We can replace this with hundreds more varieties of nutritious，healthy life-saving food substances. We have info for this， free to download and disseminate，at www.SupremeMasterＴＶ.com. Please help us to inform people before it's too late. Thank you，Dr. Liu. Thank you for your precious time and your wonderful question.

S(f): Thank you，Master，for your wise answer for us. Next，we have Mr. Huang Mu-Lang，an environment-caring artist.

Mr. Huang (m): My name is Mu-Lang Huang. Thank you very much that I have the chance to enjoy being here， and to meet you. Today I learn from you about LOHAS， organic，vegan，eco. This is our life and the goal.

HM(m): When I read your book 『The Noble Wilds，』 I wondered how the ＮＱ (Noble Quality) of the animals was determined. ＮＱ is mentioned on the first page of your book. I am very surprised to see that humans' ＮＱ is less than that of many other animals listed in your book. Please tell us that if people's ＮＱ is so much lower，what can people do to remedy it， and how can people adopt a world view of co-existence with nature？ Supreme Master， you have achieved the level of being one with all creation. I greatly admire your boundless love. However，in the time of global climate change， frequent disasters， and global crisis，in order to avoid total destruction， do you have more concrete instructions and directions，besides your loving lectures， to the worldly people？ Thank you！

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Mr. Wang，thank you for participating in this forum. So，you are an environmentally caring artist. I'm very，very happy that you are doing that. I hope you are fine. You look good. And you look like an artist，that's for sure. To answer your first question，sir，I was also surprised myself， surprised to discover the differences in ＮＱ - meaning Noble Quality among the races， between the animals， different animals， and between animals and humans. For those in the audience who may not know， ＮＱ refers to our Noble Quality and the Noble Quality in all beings.

In the book， 『The Noble Wilds，』 I have listed some of the ＮＱ percentages. For example，cows have ４０％ Noble Quality; pigs have ３０％ ＮＱ， means Noble Quality; dogs，３０％ ＮＱ; geese，２０％; duck，８％ ＮＱ，meaning Noble Quality，etc.，etc. Whereas for humans， there are lots of us who have an average ＮＱ of １０％，and many other humans who have an ＮＱ of just ３％. It's very sad for me to discover that as well. As much as I'm surprised， I was sad. For comparison， lions also have ３％ ＮＱ and tigers have ４％ ＮＱ.

So why do some animals have a higher ＮＱ？ I asked them and they said it's because they have more unconditional love. And I checked up with the responsible divine power and confirmed the same， that the reason why some animals have high ＮＱ is because they have unconditional love， they radiate compassion， they don't harm other co-inhabitants. Except the few that we have mentioned， like tigers and lions. They may even protect them， with selfless disregard for their own safety. You，and the people in the audience，probably would have the chance to observe this in the wild or in your own backyard or in your own household with your pets， your dogs，etc. Whereas us humans， although we are equipped with a higher intellect， we often do the opposite.

For example: we hunt for fun; we fish for fun on weekends; we don't care about other people suffering from hunger; we wage war en mass， destroy en mass; promote wars， promote destruction， promote the killing of other people， selling and producing weapons for that reason， and promoting wars for that reason. So actually，it is not surprising if we come to think about it deeply that many humans have the ＮＱ similar to the lions，or just ３％.

But even then， the lion only kills when he's hungry; he doesn't kill for fun. And when the lion kills some animals， he asks the permission from that animal. He asks the agreement from that animal， and they both have a mutual agreement before the lion or the tiger kills the other species for food. If you have the telepathic communication ability awakened，which we all have anyway， then you will know this as well. It's not only I who say this but anybody who can communicate with animals will understand this fact， that any animal who kills another animal for food， they ask permission，and they only choose the weak， the old，the incapable，to kill for food so that they will preserve the strong and the thriving reproduction of that species. So they only kill when they are hungry， the tigers and the lions.

Humans， we never have a need to kill another to survive. We have a lot of choices of food in the fruit and vegetable kingdoms. We have more than enough. We are allowed to defend for our own life， but even then， we will still enter the cycle of never-ending revenge. If we kill others，we will get killed in return. And then，in return， we will kill the relatives or loved ones of that person in return. And so it goes on forever.

So there are three ways to raise our Noble Quality， and they are: First，never harm any living being. The one simple rule of all time，of all religions， of all the great Masters since time immemorial.

Second，always do good to others in any situation. Follow our heart and intuition，and if anyone needs help at any time， we must help them. Think of the dog who doesn't hesitate one second to jump into harm's way to defend his human companion，or into a collapsed building to rescue a trapped stranger. The dogs have ３０％ Noble Quality， because they don't hesitate to sacrifice for others. Noble Quality means we put others before ourselves; we're ready to sacrifice anytime for a good cause. We're ready to help any time other people need us， depends on our capacity.

Many other things we can do，we would do if we possess a high Noble Quality. So，anything good， anything that is noble， that means it comes from Noble Quality or ＮＱ. Yes. Or，we think of the water buffalo in China who pushed himself into a well and got stuck， just in time before the family's little daughter almost fell in. He had ４０％ Noble Quality. That's no wonder. Keep the loving veg diet.

That's number three. If we cannot do much else， like charity or helping someone， just do this， just be veg. Because the veg diet alone saves hundreds of animal lives from entering your graveyard stomach， and avoid making ourselves into a graveyard，of course. And there will be incredible positive loving energy from your being and transforming every cell， elevating all around us. The people，the animals that come in contact with us，we elevate them into a higher level of consciousness.

In the Bible，God said， 『I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. Your hands are full of blood. Stop killing the innocent！ Otherwise，I will not listen to your prayers.』 In the Buddhist sutra， it also says very clearly， 『Eating meat destroys the seeds of compassion， and a meat eater's every action will terrify all beings due to their bodily scent of meat.』 It's very simple:

to murder a life is not a noble way of living， including indirect murder of ordering the death， or enjoying the death of an animal for food. So，we must keep the loving veg diet to protect our precious noble Self. So，as well as all these， we can improve our Noble Quality by loving action. Always remind ourselves to be noble， to do good deeds to help those who need， and help animals whenever we can. They will in turn help to elevate our ＮＱ. We have a lot of information about this on SupremeMasterＴＶ.com， feel free to download and print them， as well as many programs you can download and learn many good tips on being veg， planting organic foods， and there are even plenty of shows about a variety of good deeds to inspire you.

Mr. Huang，regarding the concrete instructions and guidance to avoid the planet's destruction， it's again: be veg，go green， do good deeds and be loving. That's the loving way to live，that's the noble way to live. Plant organic vegetables as our food， wherever possible， in your backyard， in your balcony. We must develop our innate noble qualities， because after all， we are humane beings. And，it's the only way we can save the planet from destruction.

Mr. Huang， you still want to hear some more other quality？ Instead of ＮＱ？ We have another called ＬＱ，I have just discovered yesterday， because of your telepathic questions sending to my brain wave， I have discovered another kind of quality. Do you have time to hear some more？ Or the audience would like to hear some more？ Yes！

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good. If you did not question this， I would not have looked into the other corner of the library of the universe， or I would not have asked other divine beings or animals for more information，because I probably did not need it. So now，in addition to ＮＱ - which means Noble Quality - we have another to be endowed within us，that is ＬＱ. ＬＱ means Loving Quality or Godly Quality - we call it ＬＱ for Loving Quality.

Loving Quality， this is an unconditional loving quality. It's even beyond the love between husband and wife， beyond the love of the mother and child. Because this unconditional Loving Quality - meaning we have love for all beings， not just our relatives and friends- we're ready to sacrifice or help anyone who is in need， be it our kin or just total strangers， be it our benefactor or even our enemy，which Jesus has mentioned， 『Love thy enemy.』 This is the Loving Quality that we should cultivate. Many animals have higher ＬＱ than humans. I'm sorry again. I'm also very sad to discover this. And also， size doesn't matter， I just discovered as well.

For example， for domestic animals， ＬＱ ranges from high， as high as ３００％ to low of ８０％. That's for domestic animals. The following are some examples to give you an idea of animal's average ＬＱ. For example，the dogs that you have at home， they have １１０％ ＬＱ， that means more than １００％; pigs，surprise， １２０％ ＬＱ; ducks，the little ducks that quack around your yard， ９０％ ＬＱ; chicken，also ９０％ ＬＱ. The chicken that we're calling them little chicks， they have ９０％ ＬＱ. That's almost １００％. In the beginning， I thought １００％ ＬＱ， １００％ Loving Quality， that is perfect already; but I was informed that it's not，１００％ is not the perfect yet. More than １００％ we do have.

Now，chicken ９０％ ＬＱ， if you remember; buffalo，１１０％ ＬＱ; horse，１８０％ ＬＱ. Well，on and on and on. But these are just some examples. Now，for wild animals， I am surprised again， just like you will be， Mr. Huang. Their ＬＱ has a range of high， also from ３００ to a low ３０. For instance， wild monkeys' average is １００％ ＬＱ; the bears that we try to save in the Arctic，１１０％ ＬＱ; elephants，only １００％ ＬＱ - I'm surprised too - whales，the big whales that some people hunt for food， ３００％ ＬＱ， ３００％ Loving Quality housed within that loving great，gentle giant we call whales. W-H-A-L-E-S. Now，penguins， smaller than whales， but they have ２００％ ＬＱ. And the seals that people hunt and club them to death savagely for fur， they have ３００％ ＬＱ. So，up to now， we have whales and seals.

And cows also have ３００％ ＬＱ. The cows that we massacre every day to eat， without a second thought， without mercy， without compassion， without thinking twice. The cows that plow our field， that give milk to some of our children， they have ３００％ ＬＱ. So，up to now， we have the three greatest - the whales，the seals， and the cows， which have ３００％ ＬＱ. Now，the dolphins that we love to play with， １１０％ ＬＱ; the rabbit，１１０％ ＬＱ - imagine？ The rabbit that hops around，that looks so cute，１１０％ ＬＱ. So，ＮＱ is important， ＬＱ is also very important. Intelligent IQ， maybe we have，maybe not， but ＬＱ，ＮＱ is very important. Now，we come to the tiger， ２０％ ＬＱ; lion，２１％ ＬＱ; leopard，２２％ ＬＱ. Would you like to know about humans，sir？ S(f) and B(m): Yes. B(m): Yes，Master. S(f): Yes，very much.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good，I hear it loud. How do we humans compare？ Now，the human average is ２０％ ＬＱ. The highest ＬＱ of the humans on this planet is ９０％ ＬＱ， and the lowest of all of us Have only ５％ ＬＱ. Of course， the saints，the sages， they have thousands of percent ＬＱ. They are not humans， we don't call them humans like us. So I'm very sorry to inform you this， as I was informed even the day before yesterday. But it may be of some help to some of us to re-introspect about how we spend our precious time， and short time even， on this planet，and with what we depart from it.

So，if we keep our focus on always being loving，selfless，and kind， our ＬＱ and ＮＱ， and even IQ will rise up in no time. We all have a big bank of Loving Quality within us， big account. The more we spend it， the more interest we will gain. ＮＱ，ＬＱ are similar in pattern. That is， the more we exercise in due circumstances or in our mental makeup， in our mental concept， in our way of life， the higher and greater we will develop，the greater we will become. You will be happier with yourself and happier each day with each other. We will smile even in our dreams. Try. Try and you will see what I mean. Thank you，Mr. Huang. Interesting question. Thank you.

B(m): Thank you， Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Mr. Huang (m): Thank you. I appreciate your rich advice and so rich of the information for me. From now on， today and after， your talk will always be the gold on my mind， with my family，with all the friends around me. So I thank you very much for your advice. Thank you. Bye bye.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you，sir， for your question.

B(m): Thank you， Supreme Master Ching Hai， for your beautiful words of wisdom.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: No，it's not my wisdom. I have to thank Mr. Huang for asking a very educational question and thus invoked my mind to go search for the true answer. Not just any ordinary answer but a true answer. Because you have asked a question， so I went searching for the truth of the universe. If you had not asked this question I probably would not have thought about asking about ＬＱ - meaning Loving Quality. This is also new to me， so I have to thank you， Mr. Huang. Thank you so much. And thank all the universal divinity for educating me this way.

B(m): Thank you，Master. And thank you， Mr. Huang.

Huang Mu-Lang Artist in Chinese (m): It's a great honor to be present at this conference. It's a very educational conference.

I'm truly honored to participate in this conference. The most important thing is that our Earth is in an extremely urgent crisis. Every one of us has the duty to understand it. We are very fortunate to have Supreme Master Ching Hai's leadership. In recent years， her main message to the public is to ask people to keep the vegetarian diet as much as possible and to stop eating meat. I have already introduced the harm of the meat diet and the benefit of the plant-based diet. Here she calls on us to be LOHAS，eco， vegan，and organic. The important message of these five topics is to protect our home with love. We all should try our best to change ourselves in our daily life， and then people in the world will follow our example and change themselves， and then our Earth can be saved.

Be veg！ Go green！ Save the planet！

Next，we have Mr. Lai Mao-Sheng who teaches people about organic planting in Yuanlin Community College in Changhua County.

LM(m): Supreme Master and honorable guests， (Supreme Master Ching Hai: How are you？) good evening. I'm here to prove to you that after being a vegetarian for over ４０ years， ever since childhood， a vegetarian diet is good for our health！ When I was little， I aspired to promote environmental protection when I grew up. I've worked in this field for over ２０ years now.(Supreme Master Ching Hai: Bravo！)

I've been promoting changing organic waste into food. This is the result of my past work. But I won't talk about my work today. I'm here to ask Master's advice. Global warming has caused many changes to planetary climate. One area of negligence of us humans is using clean water to flush the toilet. How can we call on everyone to cherish our water resources， reduce water waste， establish a system for recycling water and capture rainwater for utilization？ Thank you！

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes. Thank you，Mr. Lai. Thank you for being veg. And thank you for protecting the environment all these decades. We have tried to go in your direction all these years as well. Recently we go a step further to try to inform the people all this on Supreme Master ＴＶ， such as what foods to plant to save water， like edible plants that don't need much water and can sustain us with more than enough nutrition. We tell people to do organic farming， how to conserve rainwater， ground water， and conserve land， planting trees to attract rain，and the trees also preserve water in the soil so it doesn't erode the land and run away，etc.，etc. And we also show many of the organic self-farmers everywhere in different countries to show people the examples of how easy it is to plant organic，nutritious，and waterless vegetarian food.

For example，in Âu Lạc - meaning Vietnam; I like the name Âu Lạc because it denotes a lucky， auspicious meaning and also wishing the people of Vietnam well. Âu Lạc means 『happy and prosperous，』 and also the name of our ancestors. Now，the farmers in Âu Lạc - meaning Vietnam - discovered a way to reap bountiful harvests during their dry season， which lasts from November to May. They plant drought-resistant crops like green peas，peanuts， black sesame， sweet potato leaves， and creamy beans，etc. They don't need any water for this. They just plant them on dry land， or even watermelons and some other melons，etc. - no watering，no irrigating， nothing needed.

The farmers explain that the leaves from the bean plants and other plants spread over the soil to keep the moisture in. The leaves also later become part of the soil and help the soil stay rich. So，there is no need even for fertilizer as they would need for rice or corn，for example. It's nature's miracle at work，and there is a bare minimum to almost no labor required even， until it's time to harvest， and which is also very easy. They don't even need much work. They just pull the plant up. That's it.

As you mentioned，Mr. Lai， there are also good ways to harvest the rainwater， by guiding the rain into the soil to be used by the trees and the plants. The trees are like living pumps to use the water to give fruits， and prevent erosion，etc. They use these water-conserving techniques in dry parts of Africa and India and，as a result， the water level rises more than they take out from their wells. And the villagers in the Alwar district of Rajasthan，India，where one Indian village was able to guide the water enough that it brought back to life five flowing rivers， - five flowing rivers - that had been dead before， been dried up before due to withdrawing too much water. Now they bring back to life five flowing， abundant rivers， five，which had been dried up before. You see？

Because of withdrawing too much water and deforestation. So now the Indian villagers， they have organized and they have done their best to revive these ５ dead rivers. We could learn from them as well. But even these water losses pale in comparison to the incredible amount of water that is wasted for animal production. It takes approximately ４，６６４ liters of water to produce just one serving of beef，but an entire vegan meal can be produced with only ３７１ liters of water. The livestock sector is probably the world's biggest source of water pollution as well， Mr. Lai. I am sure you know all this， being an environmentalist.

Excessive animal waste， chemical fertilizers， and pesticides degrade waterways， killing aquatic organisms by creating algae blooms， which in turn chokes the oxygen from water systems and help form these oceanic dead zones. The number of oxygen-depleted oceanic dead zones has increased from only ４９ in the １９６０s to ４０５ in ２００８. And I am sure there are more now， there are much more sea dead zones right now. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the largest in the world. It is ２２，０００ square kilometers and was created mainly from agriculture runoff， including food raised for livestock and manure. Around ２１２，０００ metric tons of fish are estimated to die in the Gulf of Mexico dead zone every year， Mr. Lai.

I'm sure you know this. I am just saying all this for the knowledge of the audience. However sad it is，we must be informed of the fact. Mr. Lai， in addition to these useful farming programs， we try our best to inform people of the numerous， contaminated drying or disappeared dead rivers and lakes all over the world. There're tens of thousands of rivers and lakes dying all over the world. People are dying from droughts，people are leaving their villages， their hometowns because they don't have any more water to drink. Just because we Formosan (Taiwanese) still have water， just because where I am sitting，I am lucky to still have water， doesn't mean tens of millions of other people are as lucky. Some die on the road because of starvation; some die on the road looking for water. This is very，very tragic， Mr. Lai.

I hope we all wake up and wake up quick to save our people， to save our home. We have listed some on the SupremeMasterＴＶ.com for your reference. Please copy at no cost and send it to all other people who you can come in touch with - by mail， by e-mail，by post， leaflets，poster，whatever may be suitable to you. I also encourage the audience to do the same. Please help. Please help each other， please help us.

Because many of our world co-citizens are not aware that many of our other co-citizens are dying because of lack of water， and lack of water means lack of food， lack of security. Water means everything to our existence. We must conserve the water; we must do everything we can. And the first step to begin is to be vegan. Because animal industry uses ７０ more percent of our clean water of our planet！ Thank you，Mr Lai. Thank you for doing what you do and thank you for your questions. Mr. Lai (m): Thank you.

S(f): Thank you very much， Master，for your very valuable and useful information. Next，we have Ms. Tan Ai-Chen， animal lover，well-known movie and ＴＶ actress， and a vegetarian cooking show host.

TAC(f): Supreme Master Ching Hai， we are all very confident. Please don't feel too sad.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo！

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo.

TAC(f): Master， you look so beautiful today. Is your dress specially designed for today's conference？

TAC(f): Yes，１９ years ago， I read a report that while you were practicing in the mountains in Miaoli， you lived a simple life. You had told people that they could be very happy by surviving on white rice， nori seaweed and black sesame. I'd like to ask you that if we eat a vegetarian diet， how can we keep our diet simple and keep our body energized with a beautiful complexion just like you？ Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo，Ms. Tan. Thank you for coming here. You also look beautiful and healthy. TAC(f): Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: You are also beautiful， and very，very healthy yourself. You are a good example of being a vegan. Twenty-plus years ago， it's true that I was eating black sesame. No seaweed， no luxury like that. Sesame and brown rice and clean water and salt， or sometimes soy sauce. Now，that was when I was on a retreat. I sit in retreat， meditation alone for three months and， of course，I didn't want to bother people bringing food to me every day. First，it's bothering to the busy，ordinary people. Second，they will be disturbing me every time knocking at the door for food，so I just made simple sesame in a big pot and easy to eat anytime I wish. The thing is，that's also enough nutrition.

Because there was a monk in Formosa (Taiwan)， he's teaching qigong; he's very，very strong. He could bend metal like you bend noodles. Big metal stick like my thumb， he would bend it like you bend noodles. And if you put a knife to his throat， he would just bend it by his own chi power - means the vital energy of his body. He just makes the knife spring away or bend it - useless，you can't kill him. And if you stab him on the back，the knife also springs back. If you broke a glass bottle on his body， it would just break into pieces; it never harms or injures his body. And he eats only black sesame，brown rice， and water. Why black sesame？ Because black sesame is cheaper，that's all. White sesame also has good quality. But I don't advise everybody to just eat that. All right？ That is for people who have no time or who would prefer to live very frugal and simple， like a monk or a retreat person.

I am not always eating black sesame and brown rice，Ms. Tan. But I do very，very often， because of my busy schedule， you understand，Ms. Tan？ But whenever I am not busy，I also do a little cooking show for people to let people know that vegetarian is very tasty， just the way you do. Yes，I'm going the same direction as you are. And I don't advise everybody just to eat brown rice，sesame， even though it's healthy， but it's not that palatable all the time. Although when I eat it， I feel very，very good. Tasty，yes？ Anything was tasty. But the thing is， not everybody likes this. Yes？ So please，don't advise your audience on ＴＶ to just eat brown rice and sesame.

Even though， according to Oshawa， the Japanese nutritionist… he was very healthy and very，very famous. He wrote a book about nutrition and how to cure cancer and all kinds of incurable diseases by brown rice and sesame. If we want to cure our disease， we have to eat according to the instruction， not just blindly sesame and brown rice. Not just that，but people who eat vegetarian，they also cure many diseases. You know that yourself. You want to have brown rice，sesame， all the time？ Can do. The monk，he's still living， he stays in Formosa (Taiwan). He lives in a place called Ling Shan Lecture Hall.

You can go and learn qigong with him and you know how he's very，very strong. You cannot defeat him with anything. I am also a living example. I eat brown rice，sesame， a lot，a lot of times whenever I'm too busy， can't even cook or I don't want to bother my assistants to cook because they are also busy. Then，we，all of us， eat brown rice，sesame. And even my dogs，during those times， they also eat brown rice，sesame， and they're very healthy. No problem with any of us at all. It is a problem when we eat a lot more rich food.

Sometimes I feel sorry for them and I give them a little vegan butter and vegan cheese and all that， and then they get fat and the doctor says， 『Oh，please， put your dogs on a diet.』 Something like that. Otherwise，even just brown rice and sesame， for me，it was enough. I had never experienced any health problems when I was on brown rice， sesame，and a water diet. It's just that，of course I'm going out a lot also， and whenever I'm out， people cook vegetarian and I just eat them. But during the brown rice， sesame period， I never experienced any discomfort of any kind.

Now，we will have a lot of energy and health from the vegetarian diet. The one that you're teaching is very nutritious already. But not all have to eat brown rice sesame，please. We have tons of nutritious， appealing，tasty food from the vegetables， fruits，legume kingdom， which can be enjoyed raw， liquid，or cooked. They are delectable， healthy，and give us an abundance of energy inside and make us young，vigorous outside. We will feel happy， happy and very energetic. You know it yourself. And your audience of your cooking show would know that; they would tell you that. They would give you feedback on that.

People，even， just to eat vegetables for two weeks，they feel a big difference already. And thanks，by the way， for what you're doing to help bring this vital information to the public on your veggie show. You're doing a great job. When people see just how beautiful，and healthy and energetic you are， they will be convinced. I'm sure countless people have become vegetarian because of your show. God bless you.

We also have a lot of international shows and healthy lifestyle advice and cooking shows from experts，medical professionals，yogis from all over the world to offer people knowledge of a better lifestyle， the vegetarian lifestyle. All people can log on to our website for a rich wealth of veggie info. The myth that vegetarians are undernourished is just a myth，nothing else. To prove it，we can point to so many beautiful， healthy vegetarians and successful vegans out there.

You know we have all of them on ＴＶ. Some of them are very famous， like in Formosa (Taiwan)， even，look at your fellow celebrity Big S，also known as Barbie Hsu internationally， who is a lovely vegetarian singer and actress. There are movie stars like Tobey Maguire who played Spiderman; Kareena Kapoor from India; Yogi Cameron，the former super male model， the most expensive male model who became an acclaimed Ayurveda and yoga therapist; American vegan basketball stars James Donaldson and John Salley; Brendan Brazier， the professional Ironman tri-athlete and vegan; Olympic athletes，etc.

In fact， many of the best athletes and supermodels choose to be vegetarian or vegan so that they can maintain top healthy condition to do their job; that's why they're the best in their field. Just log onto our website www.SupremeMasterＴＶ. com／alternative-living. You can download a free flyer that has some of these veggie elite people，and the benefits of a veg diet. Many more unsung vegan and vegetarian heroes who walk among us， of all ages and all professions - from doctors， to actresses，to singers，to athletes，to fitness trainers.

They are healthy， their eyes are shining， and skin is glowing. They often have a brighter face and attitude. And it's been proven that they live longer. It is the meat eating population who suffer ３，４，５，７ times the rate of cancer，heart disease， diabetes，etc. In Formosa(Taiwan)， a study found that the vegetarian diet protects men from getting prostate cancer even，and that's the most dangerous for men - prostate cancer; men are very afraid of that. Another study found that Formosan (Taiwanese) postmenopausal women who were vegetarian had a much lower blood pressure than women who were not vegetarian.

There are countless studies such as these，and about children as well. Children who are born and raised vegetarian seldom get sick like their non-vegetarian peers who come to school with the flu or get skin disease and allergies and obesity and all kinds of unbearable afflictions at a tender age. So it's not fair to the children to feed them meat. It's time to look after our family health in a better way. Even the US First Lady， Michelle Obama， she shared with her people through personal experiences that fresh vegetables and fruits daily give herself and her family more energy and better health. And she's going to appear on some of the Sesame Street ＴＶ shows to teach children about how beneficial vegetables and fruits are. You see？ It's good news.

Many doctors in the US advise people to be veg. They treat their patients with veg diet，and they go out a healthier， medicine-free，longer life-expectancy person. These are respected and even famous doctors like Dr. Joel Fuhrman， Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn， Dr. Neal Barnard， and Dr. John McDougall， to name a few，who are all vegans themselves， by the way. It is said that Dr. McDougall even joked that he nearly went bankrupt because he lost his patients.

They all get healthy and didn't need a doctor anymore！ They don't come back. Some of these experts and vegan health information were featured on Supreme Master Television. We have them all and more on SupremeMasterＴＶ.com. Free to download and print out and give it to your people whenever you need. Thank you，Ms. Tan， for your noble role as an example and a show host in helping people. B(m): Thank you， Supreme Master Ching Hai.

This is a very important subject. I hope everybody will pay close attention to the issue of climate change.

Q Fever Norovirus

Mouth，liver，breast & colorectal cancer

Children afflicted by anxiety and depression

A study in Mississippi， USA found that heart attack were reduced by ２７％ three years after indoor smoking was banned， with similar bans in １１ other worldwide locations also showing a reduction in both heart attacks and heart disease.

Now，we're joined by Mr. Chen Tien-Wen， the Deputy Speaker of Taichung City Council， who will share with us some very good news about community vegan solutions to climate change. Let's welcome Mr. Chen.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Welcome Mr. Chen.

CTW(m): Greetings.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo.

CTW(m): I'm the Deputy Speaker of Taichung City Council， Chen Tien-Wen. Today，I am very glad to have this chance to join the climate change conference. Every member of our council knows very well about the harmful effects of global warming on Earth. From the research of experts，we have learned that the livestock industry is the major factor causing global warming.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes.

CTW(m): The livestock industry consumes a large amount of resources such as land， water，food and crops， causing severe damage to the ecological balance. For example， the Amazon rainforest (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Right.) is diminishing at an alarming rate. Everywhere there is a food crisis. And a large amount of poisonous greenhouse gases have been produced， such as methane and carbon dioxide. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other researchers and experts from both Formosa (Taiwan) and overseas have pointed out one common solution，which is the plant-based diet as a method to mitigate climate change.

To answer the call of the Environmental Protection Administration for daily carbon reduction by １ kilogram，our council held an ad hoc meeting in September and proposed a bill to provide one day of only vegan meals every week to the students of all public schools in Taichung. The Education Department of our city government also sent letters to public school students， encouraging them to eat vegetarian meals one day a week.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Bravo.

CTW(m): For the sustainability and survival of the Earth， we all should contribute our effort，and being veg is something each person can do. Eating vegetarian meals one day a week is just a beginning. I hope with everyone's effort and the blessing of the Supreme Master， there will be more and more vegetarians， and then our Earth will become a better place. This is my opinion. Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: God bless. Yes. Wonderful！ Wonderful news， Mr. Chen！ Wonderful news！ Thank you and thanks your enlightened government and your people who support it. Very good. We should do that everywhere and more. Wonderful city. A good step，good step.

S(f): Thank you，Master.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good government.

S(f): Thank you so much Deputy Speaker of Taichung City Council， Mr. Chen. And we have now Mr. Lin-Hsu Wen-Er， the Chief Editor of Persimmon Books and the CEO of website www.vegeplanet.com.

LSWE(m): Hallo，Supreme Master.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo.

LSWE(m): I am a little over ４０ years old now and I got to know you about ２７ or ２８ years ago when I was about １５ or １６ years old. One day，in a phone booth， I saw a few booklets of 『The Key of Immediate Enlightenment.』 So I already read your book at that time. So I am very happy to have the chance today to talk to you face to face. Next，I'd like to ask you a more practical question.

LSWE(m): We mentioned the problem of the livestock industry， but the truth is that because there is demand， there is killing. However，both vegetarians and meat eaters face the same consequence of raising livestock， such as poor air quality and polluted environment. Vegetarians still have to share all the consequences even though they don't eat meat. It seems very unfair. (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes.)

So some people suggested to tax meat products so that meat eaters have to pay more， and in this way we can reduce the demand of meat products. But，it is actually very difficult to implement. So I have an idea. Before， there used to be the issue of cigarette smoking. Now，smoke addicts have to go outside the buildings to smoke. I think this is a very good outcome of the Tobacco Control Act. So，is it possible that we also pass a legislation on meat products like the Tobacco Control Act， so that meat shoppers at least see some warning labels on the meat products？

Something like， 『Animal protein is harmful to your health.』 『Meat eating increases the carbon emission that contributes to global warming.』 Through legislation， we can make a meat eater (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes.) see the label that reminds him that the steak or shrimp in front of him is costing a big price that we all have to pay. I wonder what you think about this idea， and are there other more practical means that can more quickly improve the Earth's global warming situation？ Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you. Very good！ Very good，Mr. Lin-Hsu. I am very impressed to see that you are both Chief Editor of a big book publishing company， as well as the head of a vegetarian website. Very young，and very，very enthusiastic， very compassionate. Thank you. For being in such a position，you must be a very busy man. I understand. But you look so healthy！ And handsome！ And as a media leader in the veg world，you still continue doing your job and still look good！ So the vegetarian diet clearly helps you look good and healthy and intelligent to do all your jobs. Bravo for your positive effects already，for being a walking example. And yes，your proposal is a very，very good idea. Yes，that's right！ Give him an applause！ Bravo！ Doesn't he look handsome and young？ And very enthusiastic and smart.

I am sure your wife would say that every day. Now，we should be warning people all about the products containing meat，and milk and eggs also，fish even. Anything to do with animal products we should，as you said， put a warning label on them. This is because these products bring many of the same health problems and involves the same animal cruelty，and they are destroying our home. The egg industry， for example，routinely disposes of male chicks at a very young age by throwing them into a grinder where they are crushed into so-called meat while they are still alive. Oh God.

How can we ever do this？How can we ever do this？ Imagine if it were our own defenseless children who were treated thus？ Imagine if it's ourselves who were thrown into a grinder and made to suffer while still alive？ My God. Is there any hell more horrible than this？Mr. Lin-Hsu，besides being horrifically inhumane， even just to think about it， even just to mention it， it wrenches our hearts. How can we imagine anybody would do this？ I did not know this before either， I did not even know this. The more we go into this information， the more we know about this terrible treatment to the helpless and innocent little chickens and animals.

I can't imagine that we do this. I can't imagine anyone would do this. These activities are carried out in completely unhygienic conditions， making them a breeding ground for deadly bacteria like E. coli and viruses such as swine flu and in turn killing humans， making people suffer， a lot of people suffer not by death， but by the separation， the loss of loved ones. Even young children who die by swine flu and leaving parents painful， suffering so much. The damaging health effects of meat and dairy are now well documented for everyone to see.

Besides being directly linked to increased risk of such fatal diseases as colon cancer， links have also been made to many other cancers， heart disease， stroke，diabetes， infertility in women and even mercury poisoning found in fish. Another type of meat poisoning can come from arsenic，which is often fed to poultry to make them grow faster and，in turn， we feed ourselves with this poultry. Of course，then we poison ourselves as well. But nobody would tell us about this. So we are feeding ourselves with poisons every day， not just from poultry， but from cows and pigs， ducks，geese，and not to talk about the cruelty beyond imagination that we are not even allowed to know and to see.

If everybody sees how the chickens are treated， how pigs are treated，and how little tiny chickens are treated， grind alive like that， I don't think they would want to ever eat chicken meat again. But we are not even allowed to see this. Most of the farms are hidden away from us， hidden away from our conscience. And we，for not knowing， contribute to all this cruelty. And we，for not knowing， feed poison to our tender，young，helpless innocent children and wonder why they're sick， they're ill and have to make them suffer for medicine， injections，operations， and cause so much pain to us，the parents. If only all people know this. We're trying to inform them，please help us to inform everybody. This is beyond hell.

One US study that looked at all sources of arsenic acid - arsenic，you know， a poison substance - said that among the highest are seafood and poultry. Seafood and poultry - poultry means chickens， ducks and all that - they contain the most arsenic. And you know arsenic is poison. Not only that， chronic arsenic exposure has been associated with all forms of cancer in Formosa (Taiwan). Please look into the research and see it for yourself.

In other research，１６４ samples of ready-to-serve prepared meat foods from a scientific center in Formosa - means Taiwan，in Taiwan - were evaluated， with up to almost ３０％ found to contain some form of bacteria contamination， including the potentially， deadly，lethal E. coli. Finally， in one of the worst animal disease outbreaks to hit the island of Formosa (Taiwan)， the virus called hoof-and-mouth disease was transmitted from one pig that came to the island in early １９９７. Within just six weeks， ６，０００ farms had been stricken， resulting in the tragic slaughter，massacring ３.８ million pigs.

Although in that case there were no reported human infections， this gives you some idea of how quickly animal-borne diseases can spread，causing devastation for themselves and humans alike. And these are just a few examples. So，you can see， Mr. Lin-Hsu， the best is to abolish meat altogether. Because unlike tobacco， drugs and alcohol， animal consumption is eating up our planet， is killing us humans，and destroying our only home that soon we might not even have a planet to live on，for our children to continue to live on. We have no time to waste now as in the case of the other ３ poisonous substances，namely drugs， alcohol and tobacco.

Even if we put labels or warning on meat packaging， it's not sufficient. Now，we can see meat is everywhere， legally killing us and our children， legally killing our planet， killing the environment on massive scales  We must stop animal production now and at all costs if we want to keep this planet called home. The government gives subsidies to animal industry anyway. So these subsidies can also be used instead to turn meat and related businesses into wholesome vegan businesses. Good for the people， good for the business， good for the planet. Doing this we only gain hugely.

Not just immediately， but for the long，long run， and we can keep this planet forever and make it into a paradise by just throwing that meat away and stop the animal industry. So please，Mr. Lin-Hsu， use your media power， join us in informing people of this harm so that they simply stop eating meat. It's too cruel. It's too unwise. It's too insufficient. It's too unsustainable， and it's killing our people and our planet - legally killing. If somebody goes out and kills somebody， we put him in jail. Meat is murder！ Meat is killing billions of people，killing our planet，our only home！

We have to do something about this crime. It's really simple to be veg， and it is the only way to a future for ourselves and all beings in this world. Thank you，Mr. Lin-Hsu， for being veg and doing what you are doing to help to save the planet and save us from being the cruelest beings in the universe. Wishing you all the best， and God bless your efforts，sir.

S(f): Thank you，Master， for strongly advising us. We really should stop eating meat. Next，we have Mr. Lin Hung-Rui， the President of Suiis， the first website promoting vegetarianism in Formosa (Taiwan).

LHR(m): Supreme Master Ching Hai， we have been promoting vegetarianism on the internet， and I'd like to ask you what we can do or what changes we can make in the areas of promoting vegetarianism to (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good.) help roll back global warming through the use of social network analysis， such as Facebook，Twitter， and Plurk？ Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Oh Sure，sure. Sure，Mr. Lin，welcome. And I'm glad to see you're a vegetarian as well， hopefully a vegan. Congratulations for your noble initiative in being the first to establish a vegetarian website in Formosa. Formosa means Taiwan， you know，right？ I hope. I like the name『Formosa』 because it depicts your island - meaning beautiful. So，that is truly an accomplishment！ So，you are already leading the way in using modern technology to reach the public. Everybody could do like what you do. You're right. They should emulate you and do the same to spread this information about the beneficial vegetarian diet to all corners of the world. Every corner of the world， everybody should know this - by modern technology，by internet. You asked about what the social networking sites can also do assist in efforts to halt global warming through the vegan diet.

I say『vegan』because as explained earlier， this really is the way we need to go to stop the greenhouse gases and the animal suffering. All the websites should help to promote this， but we can't force them， we can only plead with them， can only inform them and everyone should decide. Please decide soon， otherwise we might have no time. We might not have anything to save when we do want to save. It might be too late then.

Please do it soon - now！ So，promoting the planet-cooling vegan diet through social network is surely good，yes，yes！ You can surely use them to spread the veg idea， veg benefits， veg planet-saving，and the website themselves should do it also. We should inform people what's good for them because it's also good for us. We are living on the same planet. We should also inform people about the terrible harms and cost to our environment and the health of people and children，as well as the life and death matter of our world and related data. We have to inform them all.

Almost all people can do this，passing on the true information， the true cost of the animal diet. These can be effective because they use the most modern technology to reach the public. So，yes，Mr. Lin. Please spread the『be veg』message and get the word out to as many people as possible. Help people to wake up， because time is running out on us. Thank you for your dedication to this noble cause，and I wish you all the best in heroically helping to save our world. God bless you. Buddha bless you.

B(m): Thank you，Master， for your very insightful and useful advice.

Fighting global warming with the vegan diet is the most effective way. We all know that global warming is getting worse. Especially this year， there have been so many typhoons，and each one was stronger than the previous one. We all know that they are caused by climate change resulting from global warming. So each one of us should do something to help. Apart from helping with the disaster relief work and giving financial aid， I think the most important and the fastest way to help is to go vegan. This is because keeping a vegan diet can minimize the effects of global warming， and it's something each person can do easily. Thank you.

B(m): Next，we have Mr. Luo Hon-Xian， an ex-pig farmer turned vegetarian.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you，Mr. Luo. Congratulations！

LHC(m): Dear Master， I'm so happy to see you！ I used to be a pig farmer. a conflict arose inside me， so I decided to give up raising pigs and became a vegetarian. Thank you！

LHC(m): I remember， once a pig dealer came to get pigs from me，and I dragged a pig out with the help of the pig dealer. While we were dragging the pig out， other pigs started to panic. They were really frightened，so they started to run around. That scene had a great impact on me， and I can still feel it now. That night for some reason I couldn't fall asleep， and I kept thinking about this matter. The next day， since the weather was getting hotter， I went to chat with my neighbor，Teacher Lin， who has been an organic farmer for many years.

Then we talked about the pigs. Mr. Lin advised me to stop raising pigs. I asked him why， and he explained to me that raising pigs has affected our weather. I learned the impact of the waste from pigs and animal agriculture， just like what the professors have just said. After our conversation， I started to think about it: it takes a whole year to raise a pig to maturity. No matter how foul the weather was， or how late it was， I couldn't take a break; I had to go to the pigsty and feed them. I felt for them like the way I felt for my family. But when one year was up， I would sever my feelings for them because I wanted to sell them for worldly gains. Now，I feel a little sad about it. I'm sorry.

Because of this， I became more resolute to stop raising pigs. And then I became a vegetarian. I have already been a vegetarian for ４ months. Almost four months. Actually，a vegan！When my mother heard that we had become vegetarians， she was happier than anybody else. Before I became a vegan， I weighed over １００ kilograms. Any time I did anything， I would always feel fatigued. And I was very impatient when I dealt with things. Since I became a vegan， I've been losing weight.
Also，I would pause to think before I talk. Now，even if I sleep only five hours a day， I don't feel tired at all. The next day， I still feel energetic. (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Very good.)

My friend asked me， 『Are you taking drugs？』 I said，『Not at all！ Why would I take drugs？』 My mother also feels that I'm doing the right thing by becoming a vegetarian. Only keeping a vegan diet can make us very healthy. Finally，I'd like to thank Master Ching Hai for your teaching. The images on Supreme Master ＴＶ are all so striking to me. Every image touches my heart. I will always remember Master's words. Finally，I'd like to advise all the animal farmers in the world and in Formosa (Taiwan) to give up raising animals. Actually， pigs are very intelligent. They love one another and they are very united. And they have very clean habits. Also，pigs have higher IQ than dogs. So，in the future， while you scold people， don't say，『You're dumber than a pig.』 You should say， 『Even a dog is smarter than you！』

Supreme Master Ching Hai: It's true. What I mean is that they are very intelligent， so don't kill them， such intelligent animals. Instead，we should treat the pigs as our pets.

Now I still have １２ pigs in the pen. I will keep these １２ pigs until they die. Also，I've changed my job. I'm a truck driver now， and I do organic farming. I turned the remaining land I have into an organic farm. So，I just want to tell everybody，every fellow animal farmer， that you can also choose this kind of lifestyle. The key is whether you want it or not. Thank you. Master， I have a question for you. (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Please.) What should the worldly people do and what should they give up in order to save our only planet？ This is my question. Thank you，Master.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hi. Thank you，Mr. Luo. Your speech has answered your own question. We have to give up meat， that's all there is， just meat. Give up meat and we have everything else. We have the great planet， we have the future for our children，we will have paradise on Earth. It's really worth the change. And bravo for your decision to stop pig farming and become a vegan. And even become organic farmer，my God， you're getting better and so quick，so quick， I'm very impressed. And now you even promote loving animal awareness by real effort and activities. Like，you're taking your pigs to the school and explain it to the children how loving， intelligent the animals are， and encouraging other farmers to turn to vegan organic instead. Thank you so much， thank you so much.

And you know yourself by your example and real experience that you are not only healthier now，you also help saving the planet. You are a hero now. And you are even a vegan， you have the clear conscience. Thank you，my hero. You have the clear conscience of knowing that you no longer contribute to the killing， bad retribution that is taking its toll on our world. Congratulations and thank you for your compassionate choice. And thank you for your noble activities at the present to inform others. So，what should we insist on giving up to save our only planet？ Well，Mr. Luo，you know already the answer.

The historic decision that you made in your own life， giving up the cruel practice of animal raising， giving up meat and becoming an organic farmer. The answer you have already，that is， we give up meat and then we plant organic vegetables. Very simple，very simple. It's not much change， not much demand on anybody at all. At least give up meat and the world will become a paradise. And we will continue to have this world and a better world to live in. Thank you，Mr. Luo， thank you really from my heart，thank you for making a good example.

S(f): Thank you，Master. Thank you for this important message.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good example.

S(f): Finally，we have Mr. Chen Hsueh-Yu， a mathematics teacher of Mighty Brains Cram School.

CHY(m): Dear Supreme Master Ching Hai， how are you？ In recent programs on Supreme Master Television，you talked about the history of Venus and Mars. These facts aren't recorded in our human history and weren't observed by the scientists. We are very fascinated by such cosmic mystery， and at the same time， we feel the insignificance of our own existence. On our planet， since Edison invented the electric bulb， human life started to change drastically. In a very short period of a couple hundred years， the material life of humans has advanced and has become very comfortable. We'd like to ask Master whether humans' spiritual life also has to go through several stages？ You mentioned that you attained the cosmic secret through deep meditation. We heard that the energy field of spiritual practitioners can change the material world， so if more people start spiritual practice， can we reduce the harm brought by climate change more quickly？ Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you，Mr. Chen， for being with us and for your insightful question. Yes，there are many stages of spiritual improvement and progress. I have mentioned these before in many of my lectures a couple of decades ago，and our Association members have printed them out in a small booklet and some other bigger books called 『The Key of Enlightenment.』 Please ask for it from our centers. The booklet that mentions different levels of spiritual advancement are free to take home. It is also described in the scriptures of many great religions， although maybe not as clear and not as categorized like in that little booklet. But in Buddhism， Christianity，you will find here and there the examples of spiritual levels.

Here is one from Buddhism:

Virtues are borne through loving heart to uplift sentient beings The attainment of a Saint and Buddha status Result in charity， and the love to deliver fellow beings. If you have love for all existing beings and show it when a needed situation arises， if you feel their pain as if yours，then you know that you are at the right saintly level - a walking，breathing， living saint whose existence will bring joy to countless others and is well loved by Heaven in the hereafter and even now. So，you can try easing into a deeper state of realization to realize your own spiritual level and improve your universal knowledge.

You can find a like-minded group of friends or guide to show you the beginning of the road， if you are not yet at the beginning， or more advanced if you are already on the advanced state of spiritual level. And of course， you are correct that the magnetic field from spiritual practitioners can change the material world. But to some extent， it depends on how deep the karmic retribution of the whole population of the planet people. If it's a lot of bad karmic (retribution) heavy weight， then we need a lot more spiritual practitioners to uplift it.

But the best is the people have to awaken themselves and neutralize the negative effect of what they have been doing. And the more practitioners， the more beneficial and uplifting energy we will have to counter darkness in the world. But，we must also put this vibration into action， this knowledge into action as well. We have to turn around， change our concept - just turn around and change our concept， determine to live a nobler， more compassionate life and walk the way of love. We have to determine， to decide that from now on we will not harm any beings at any cost. Instead，we will help everyone to evolve， to enjoy life in the name of God， in the love of the Buddha.

If you want some more information， maybe some of our centers could help you in Formosa (Taiwan). Thank you，Mr. Chen. It's a very long subject， if we discuss about spiritual levels. But if you get my booklet， at least you can have an idea about what level you are in at the moment， and go from there， Mr. Chen. Thank you. Buddha bless you.

S(f): Thank you， Supreme Master Ching Hai， for your very special message for us.

B(m): At this point we would like to recognize the Mayor of Santiago City， the Honorable Amelita Navarro will share some words with Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Welcome，Madame Mayor.

Mayor Navarro (f): Good afternoon again， Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good afternoon.

Mayor Navarro (f): I would like to repeat once again，it's an honor to be with you and to talk to you personally. It's a dream come true for me. I just have a comment and this is: as a country that is situated in the typhoon belt， the Philippines will bear the brunt of climate change earlier than we have predicted. As a matter of fact， Storm Undoy that submerged Metro Manila is a record of sorts. Then，within just one week， Typhoon Pepeng flooded northern Luzon， prompting the weather bureau to say that that was the first storm that has stayed on land for almost １０ days， devastating all of northern Luzon.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: I'm so sorry.

Mayor Navarro (f): These are all due to climate change. That is why we are one with you in minimizing global warming. Again，thank you for planting the seeds of vegetarianism in my city，Santiago. It is a hard job for us to take，but we will take the challenge and the challenge must begin now. On behalf of the City Council of Santiago， I also would like to thank you for your donation during Typhoon Emong， codename Chan-Hom， wherein you donated US$１０，０００ for the devastated crops and properties. It went a long，long way to help my farmers to start anew. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you， Madame Mayor. Thank you for being such a good mother to your co-citizens. Thank you for such a motherly love and the higher love even， that not only you become an example of choosing the loving diet， but you also sign into law and encourage your citizens and other prefectures to do the same. This is really great news indeed. I have to thank you. If we have more mayors like you，the Philippines will not have to suffer so much. I'm so sorry and， of course，we are always there to help in whatever way we can to alleviate some of the suffering of our co-citizens in the Philippines，because they are loving，peaceful， very hospitable people， very generous people. They deserve all the love and help from the whole world.
 
Supreme Master Ching Hai: Saying that，we also do not forget all the islands and other countries who are submerging or sinking or disappearing or disappeared because of climate change. My heart is troubled every day， thinking of all these innocent people and all the defenseless animals who have to suffer in this great upheaval we call climate change. But we still have time， Madame， we still have time. We could not reverse the effect of climate change in the past. Whatever happened due to typhoons and floods and earthquakes，etc.，that occur in the Philippines and elsewhere，we could not reverse the effect.

But we could stop future disasters by doing what you do， by converting，returning to the compassionate vegetarian diet and encouraging others to do the same. The government has the power to do this. I beg all the governments of the world，please， do this before it's too late， for the sake of your citizens and your own children as well. I have been pleading many times and I have been praying to Heaven to manifest physically on this planet to awaken the leaders， the people，one by one. I've been praying for all this. And I hope the leaders， the governments，and the people are listening.

Important are the governments - must make example， must use the governing power to save the planet. This is the only one chance. I really wish all the governments follow your example， Madame. But，thank you so much for being one torch in the darkness. We need more torches like you. Thank you. God bless the Philippines and we will always support your people in whatever way we can. I will be sending some more people and some more financial support shortly after this for the newly devastated disaster in your beautiful land. I am so sorry， I could never cry enough for all the victims. I am so sorry，Madame. Please convey my love to your people.

Please，tell them I love them very much. And in my little， humble power， I pray for them. Thank you for coming to share the good news， and to share your blessing energy with us and Formosa (Taiwan). God bless you，Madame. God bless you so much.

S(f): Thank you，Master. We thank our guests for their very valuable questions. We hope that the panel discussions and the speakers' insightful analyses will make everyone realize the terrible impact of climate change on the Earth and our daily lives.

B(m): We hope that this conference will awaken the consciousness of the public to the pressing climate change crisis and other environmental issues. Master，before we close our conference， would you like to give a last brief message for us？

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Sure，I'd be glad to I would thank everyone again - the governments， the leaders， the supportive media， precious guests， and the audience - for your presence today and for your shared knowledge. I have learned a lot from you and I have enjoyed your love.

Even the guests from afar who lend their caring spirit through a video greeting and the esteemed dignitaries and scientists. The kind experts who share their time and knowledge with us， though they are busy and far away that they could not come， but they send their words of wisdom and loving concern through recording video. And I thank the caring panelists for your valued contributions in addressing our urgent planetary state. I also appreciate all the distinguished government officials， media members and guests，again and again， in this important meeting.

And of course， I'm very touched by your caring support and goodwill wish to save this home for ourselves and more importantly， for our children. And we all thank the organizers who made this possible for us to convene and reaffirm our love and determination to be heroes for our planet. I am proud and touched by the leadership of Formosa (Taiwan) and the Taichung government to carry the torchlight toward a brighter vegan world. As I have said before， I truly have faith in Formosa (Taiwan) that maybe we could become the first vegan country on the globe. Seeing your steps in the direction of peace and compassion fills me with hope that together we will be able to save this planet.

Whatever we have gained from our time today， please go forward， walk with love to inform others of the need to do the same，that is: Be veg，go green， do good deeds and our planet will be saved. May this special land exist in safety，this special Formosa (Taiwan) island exist forever so that I might have a chance to come back and visit you again and again. Thank you and I love you all. God loves us all.

S(f): Thank you，Master. We love you too.

B(m): Thank you，Master.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Be blessed. S(f): Thank you，Master， for your precious time and all the important messages. Be blessed. Save our world. Save our vegan world. God bless. Buddha bless you. Thank you so much. Thank you again.

B(m): Thank you，Master.

S(f): Thank you，Master.

B(m): Joining us onstage are the VIPs， esteemed guests，and delegates from all over who have come to join us in this climate change conference. Along with delegates from ２９ co-organizers who are standing here onstage， hand in hand to show their commitment to fighting the threat of climate change and global warming， let us take action today and every day to save the Earth and care for the environment. Thank you to all the participants of this conference and our global viewers for joining us today.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you， all these heroes. All these heroes， thank you so much.

B(m): Thank you. Together we are showing our resolution to save the planet and our co-inhabitants by being veg and going green. Let's all Be veg！ Go green！ And save the planet！One more time. Let's all，together， １，２，let's all: Be veg！ Go green！ And save the planet！ Thank you very much， Supreme Master Ching Hai.

S(f): Thank you，Master.

B(m): Thank you very much， Chung Ching University， all our esteemed guest and delegates. Thank you，Taichung City.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you all of you.

S(f): Thank you everyone for joining our conference today. B(m): Thank you. Bye-bye.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you all of you. God bless. Buddha bless you. Thank you.

B(m): Thank you， Supreme Master， we love you！

S(f): Bye-bye. B(m): God bless you，ma'am.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: God bless Formosa (Taiwan).

I think this topic is very important in light of the current status of global warming. Especially after experiencing the disaster of Typhoon Morakot on August ８，more people are concerned about the extreme weather caused by global warming and climate change. This typhoon resulted in such a serious disaster in Formosa (Taiwan). So reducing the greenhouse effect is a very important issue. In our daily life， keeping a vegan diet as much as possible is an action people can take to fight global warming. Also，I think this diet is very beneficial to our health. Reducing meat consumption or quitting eating meat altogether is beneficial to our digestive system and immune system.

So our government should take the lead to help people understand this issue， and encourage them to participate in seminars to learn more about the truth. Then they will change their lifestyle. Since about a year ago I have tried to be totally vegan. The vegan diet makes me feel lighter. Also，since my immune system is stronger， I haven't been sick much. Also，I feel my mind is clearer，which is very interesting， meaning I can now think more clearly.

In the area of promoting veganism， since last year， or the year before， we have been promoting Meatless Mondays. All my colleagues now eat vegetarian meals when they eat at the office. Meatless Mondays plays a leading role. We have also communicated with schools， with the support from our mayor. So Meatless Mondays is also happening in our schools. We hope in the future we can have a vegetarian menu or a vegetarian cafeteria in order to make eating vegetarian more convenient.

As the countdown continued with just over 1200 days left to save the planet, the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association members in Taichung, Formosa (Taiwan) collaborated with 29 other co-organizers to host the climate change conference entitled “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.” on October 11.

The letters L.O.V.E. signify “L” for LOHAS, which stands for “lifestyles of health and sustainability”; “O” for Organic; “V” for Vegan; and “E” for Eco dimensions to Save the Planet. Thousands of participants attended the event to stay informed about the latest facts on global warming, ways to live sustainably, and the single most effective solution – the plant-based, animal-free diet. The conference was co-hosted by Thelmo Luis “Buddy” Cunanan, the famous Philippine TV host of NBN Television.

Discussions on the themes of L.O.V.E. were conducted by distinguished panelists, including environmental scientists Dr. Liu Shaw-Chen and Professor Liu Chung-Ming; famous Formosan (Taiwanese) film and television personality Ms. Tan Ai-Chen; president of the Formosa’s first veg-promoting website, Mr. Lin Hong-Jui; chief editor of Persimmon Cultural Enterprise Co., Ltd., Mr. Linshu Wen-Er; and former pig farmer turned vegan, Mr. Luo Hon-Xian. Other dignitaries included guest speaker, the Honorable Mayor Amelita Navarro of Santiago, the Philippines and Mr. Chen Tien-Wen, Deputy Speaker of Taichung City Council.

Graciously accepting an invitation to attend via videoconference as the event’s guest of honor was Supreme Master Ching Hai. We now invite you to join us for  the 8-part series rebroadcast of the videoconference with Supreme Master Ching Hai, entitled “Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.,” held on October 11, 2009
Taichung,Formosa (Taiwan).

『Protect Our Home with L.O.V.E.，』which stands for LOHAS，Organic，Vegan，and Eco-friendly.