Today’s Enlightening Entertainment will be presented in Aulacese (Vietnamese), with subtitles in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai.

In Aulacese (Vietnamese) culture, cải lương (modern folk opera) is a popular theater art that dates back about three centuries, when the flourishing South was a new land. Among those who settled in the South at that time were musicians from the royal palace in the ancient capital Huế. Since then, the kind of ceremonial music often heard in the palace became more widely known among the populace.

Eventually, new songs were composed. Many amateur musical groups were formed, adopting music and song as a form of elegant entertainment. From about 1912 to 1915, the artists of these musical groups began to combine gestures to their songs. Since then, a new genre called ca ra bộ was born. Performers conversed; sometimes a song would be used as dialogue. Ca ra bộ continued to develop to create the theatrical art that is now called modern folk opera.

The orchestra for Aulacese modern folk opera usually consists of the six-string guitar, the moon lute, the pear-shaped lute, two-string fiddle, sixteen-string zither, and monochord zither. The themes of Aulacese modern folk opera highlight humanitarian and moral values. The dialogues are profound, the song lyrics and tunes are rhythmic and rich in melody. These are some of the reasons cải lương (modern folk opera) has an enduring place in the hearts of the Aulacese people.

In the Lunar New Year 2007, during an outdoor gathering with our Association members in Formosa (Taiwan), Supreme Master Ching Hai was moved to spontaneously sing a folk opera song “Spiritual Practice is a Source of Blessing” written by Mr. Viễn Châu, which she knew by heart since her youth. We now invite you to listen to an excerpt of this folk opera song through the voice of Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Kneeling down, she sobs in the main hall of worship
As the temple bell sounds the hour of prayer O young devotee, why do you wish to be a nun?
Finding comfort in the scriptures, and acquainting yourself with spiritual practice?
But how can you achieve enlightenment when earthly traces are still evident on your seasoned countenance?
Are you rid of worldly debt or are still entangled?
Did you renounce the world because glory and fame have lost their appeal and life seems like an abyss?
Or was it because of a fleeting moment of jealousy and distress that you intend to hide yourself behind the temple’s gate to bury your grief and forget your sorrow?

On Enlightening Entertainment, Supreme Master Television is pleased to introduce different forms of arts from Âu Lạc (Vietnam), as well as from other countries in the world, in order to share the beauty and cultures of the peoples on our planet.

The modern folk opera “The Exploiters’ Scale” is based on an ancient Buddhist story, suggesting that people live honestly and virtuously in order to have a clear conscience and to sow the seeds of peace and happiness for this life and future lives.

We now invite you to watch “The Exploiters’ Scale” by playwright Lê Quang Năm, with performances by Ms. Thoại Mỹ as Hiếu, Mr. Tô Châu as the District Chief, Ms. Vân Hà as the District Chief’s Wife, Mr. Hữu Quốc as Mr. Cần, Ms. Quỳnh Hương as Mrs. Kiệm, Mr. Hữu Tài as Village Elder, Mr. Điền Trung as Phát Tài, Ms. Bảo Trân as Saloon Owner, Mr. Hoài Nam as Servant, and other artists.

Thank you for watching today’s Enlightening Entertainment. Coming up is Words of Wisdom. Please tune in on Supreme Master Television next Thursday for the Aulacese chèo traditional opera “Heavenly Affinity” by playwright Nguyễn Thị Hồng Ngát. May you and your loved ones be graced with peace and happiness. We bid you farewell for now.

In the past, I’ve sown countless bad karma from my action, speech and thought due to inherent greed, anger and ignorance. Today, before Master, I sincerely wish to repent my mistakes and bad karma. I pray to Shakyamuni Buddha to witness my heartfelt repentance. From now until the next life and forever, I will never, ever commit sinful deeds. Amitabha be praised. Shakyamuni Buddha be praised. Amitabha be praised. Shakyamuni Buddha be praised.

Wife! (Yes.)

Kneel down here with me. We ask God and Buddha to witness. We bow to beseech God and Buddha to witness: our house is submerged in water, its roof leaking; we barely have enough food and worry about our next meal everyday.

Hiếu and Tài can’t afford to go to school. O god of the soil, please have pity to bless us.

O God in Heaven and God on Earth, help us get rich to escape a life of poverty.

We sincerely promise that if later we become wealthy, we’ll do charity and help the destitute.

Oh, your prayer is right. We’ll do good deeds to accumulate merits for our children to enjoy later. We’re too poor. But who knows, our children may become officials and lead a royal life.

All right, try to dig. I’ll carry the soil to build a higher foundation to avoid floods. It’d be late in the day if we wait for Hiếu and Tài to help us.

This is heavy soil, but I just struck something.

You probably dug into a decayed piece of wood or a rock. If you can’t dig there, go elsewhere.

Wait, wait! (What?) Let me dig some more to see. Wife!

What is it?

There’s a pot.

Dig it up then.

Look! This pot seems very old. I wonder what’s in there.

Give it to me. I’ll pour it out to check.

Easy.

Oh, my! (What is it?) O husband! (Yes?)

It seems to be gold mixed with dirt.

What did you say? There’s no such thing as gold mixed with dirt. Let me see!

Gold! (Gold!) It’s gold all right, O wife!

O husband!

God and Buddha have pitied me. I’m very grateful to God and Buddha. I’m rich now. I’m very rich now!

Let me see! 1 tael, 2.6 taels, 2 taels 2.4 taels. Anyone there? Tửng!

I’m right next to you.

Goodness, why didn’t you tell me that you were standing next to me?

Yes, I’m here.

O God! How many times have I told you, Tửng? I told you to keep your voice low. You’re standing next to me, but you’re talking like I’m on the other side of the river. Keep it down, will you?

What is it that you want to teach me, Boss?

Goodness! You just shocked me out of my wits.

I’m used to it.

I wouldn’t dare teach you anything, but may I ask you something? Have you collected the rice?

Our boat is so small; it can only carry a maximum of 5 tons.

You mean you only bought that much?

No, I bought a lot. You told me to buy all the rice for sale before anyone else could buy it.

That’s smart of you. So how much did you buy?

I bought a total of 1 ton of rice.

How about the rice plants?

I bought 2 tons.

I told you to buy them all. How come you only bought that much?

Because you gave me so little money.

Fine, I will give you more. Why didn’t you say so? Go right away! The price for rice is climbing; the more I buy, the more I profit. Otherwise I’ll miss the chance and fellow traders will bid higher. Any delay would reduce my profit. Whoever else sells it, buy more.

Let me tell you, Boss.

What now?

You must reward me, sir.

Why? Tell me.

Other merchants paid 1.6 taels of gold for 1 ton, but I beat them by paying a smashing 2.6 taels. (Oh God!)

Ouch! How come you hit me?

How dumb can you get! People paid 1.6 taels of gold. So the highest you should pay is 1.8. But here you paid 2.6. Oh God! So I lost 1 tael of gold. How very dumb! Ouch! I’m not dumb! I just got conned.

Why?

You see, it’s a poor harvest, and farmers make it difficult for buyers. I talked till my throat was dry for them to agree to sell. It’s your ancestors’ grace that I could buy 3 tons after going from one village to another.

But I want to know who’d dare con you?

I bargained to compete with the brokers. If they’d pay one, I’d pay twice. If they’d pay twice, I’d pay quadruple. Just like that until I went up to 2.6 taels...

Oh God! You paid twice the price. What a blockhead!

Oh, yes, how come I didn’t know I’m a blockhead! But it’s funny, when I agreed to pay 2.6 taels, they said...

What did they say?

They said, “Go ahead; buy at a higher price for fun.”

You were obviously conned by them. Why did you buy?

I knew I was being tricked, but I had to buy in order to go home. If I didn’t, they’d beat me to dead. I was scared, so I had to buy to get out of trouble.

You still have some brains then. Oh, well, I’ll sell at a higher price; I won’t lose anything. Go take care of the rice shipment.

Yes, I’m leaving now. Ouch!

See? You’re not being mindful. You trip even while simply walking.

Do you remember how long it’s been since Hiếu left to become a nun?

How could I? I only remember money. I’m too occupied with our business to even have time to lie down. There’s no help in the house. The one servant we hired doesn’t finish all the work, but he eats like a buffalo. I’d go bankrupt if I hired two people.

Then don’t complain that you’re tired.

Why do you have to talk about that unfilial girl? She wants to leave home to become a Buddha. I see no Buddha, except her getting skinnier everyday. Our prosperous business keeps us so busy. Yet she left for the temple to live on everyone’s donation.

You can’t say that.

Why not?

Everyone has a different ideal. But her leading a monastic life is very painful for me. There are all kinds of fine and nutritious foods at home. Yet, she goes to the temple to eat fermented beancurd and vegetables.

That’s why she’s an idiot!

How come my daughter thinks senseless?

When we were poor, she endured it. Now we’re rich, she refused to enjoy. Our wealth wouldn’t run out for three generations, yet she...

Amitabha be praised! Wealth is the rope that binds people. To get rich, one must be involved in immoral practices.

Leave quickly; don’t ever come back here. I don’t have a child like you. How dare you say I’m immoral! I brought you up and now you berate your parents. In doing business, one must take advantage of good opportunities. That’s how I come to this today. Bought for a penny, sold for a dollar. To get rich, I must charge without mercy.

I’m happy that you’ve learnt a few lines from the temple to insult your parents. You lead a penniless, ascetic, monastic life only to harm your body; I don’t see you become any Buddha or deity.

Mom and Dad, if in this life you commit heartless, immoral deeds, next life, you’ll reap bad karma. You’ll badly affect your children and be cursed by people. Spiritual practice is to enlighten yourself, to liberate yourself from this world. It’s not only to become a Buddha or deity, but first to be free of suffering. When you’re not bound by ignorance and arrogance, you’re already a Buddha.

We have our way of practice; we don’t need you lecturing.

I have my own Heaven. You can have your ideal, as long as you don’t come back here to bother us.

Amitabha Buddha be praised! I practice spiritually to repay your favor. Material possessions are transient. I advise you to do charity to enjoy lasting happiness. The more opulent your life is, the more ascetic mine is. Sowing good seeds, you’ll reap good fruits. When you’re ignorant, money becomes sinful. When you’re enlightened, money has goodness. If you weigh money so heavily, you’ll die because of money. I advise you to do good deeds to help yourselves and other beings, so that you lessen your burden of karmic debts.

Did you hear what she said? She practices spiritually to lecture her parents. Go away! Go lecture to the poor and hungry. Your mother and I lack nothing. This is Buddhahood already, child!

No, you’re still lacking.

If people need money, I offer them a loan. If people are hungry, I sell them rice to get by. In this whole district, I’m the only rice dealer. See? That’s charity already. What did you say I'm lacking?

You lack a humane heart.

I’d have been dead if I had no heart, wouldn’t I? It still beats normally, the blood flows regularly. See?

Not really, Dad. One day, your heart will be stifled from extreme anguish and the blood will stop flowing. At that time, you’ll realize what Nirvana is and what purgatory is. I practice spiritually to find peace and happiness. I bid you farewell.

You left your parents and didn’t feel unfilial. Now you even came back to provoke us. Fine, try to become a Buddha before it’s too late!

Dad, give me 50 taels of gold!

Go to your room to get some sleep, son. You’re too drunk.

So, you’re not gonna give me money?

You got drunk then came home asking for money like that?

He’s too drunk and doesn’t know anything. Don’t torture him.

I’m not drunk. If you don’t give me money, I’ll drink on credit again. That’s all right with me.

Who would let you drink on credit?

You’re wrong, ma’am. People even beg me to drink on credit. Who in this whole district doesn’t know I’m the son of the richest man? They’d extend me any credit I so wish. They’re not afraid of losing any money I owe them. So, you’re giving it to me or not?

My goodness! Son! Why do you want a big sum of money?

To pay off my debt to the saloon. What you gave me wasn’t enough. It doesn’t look good for a wealthy man to leave his son in debt.

Yeah. (All right.) But that’s a lot of money, son.

Don’t give him a cent. Let the creditor deal with him. You and Hiếu are unfilial and insolent children, just bringing troubles for your parents.

I’m not insolent , all right? I’m very filial; you just don’t know it.

You’re filial? Tell me how.

Let me ask you this. You both make a lot of money, for whom?

For you children to have some capital and do business.

Right! It’s for me, so it’s my money. Now I spend it and you say I’m unfilial. Can you take it with you when you die?

Oh God! He wishes me dead! You, you... God help me!

What are you doing?

It’s all your fault. You spoiled him too much, so he’s unruly now. He treats his parents like dirt.

That’s what you said, not I. You’re still my mother, anyhow. Don’t force me to turn unfilial.

There, did you hear what he said?

Enough! Be quiet, both of you! Son, I’ll give you money when you’re sober.

Do you know that this gold is from my own tears and sweat? That’s from your parents’ hard work. Spend it for the right things, not for your drinking from dawn to dusk.

Don’t accuse me wrongly, ma’am. You don’t deserve to be my mother. I get drunk only twice a day and you said from dawn to dusk.

But you should just ask for a small amount.

The 50 taels I asked for is nothing at all. Why bargain with me, Dad? You make hundreds of taels every day. I only asked for chump change, and you calculated with me. Why?

Be quiet! Keep your voice down a little. If the District Chief hears it, he’ll make me pay high taxes, and I’ll be losing money.

Don’t be afraid! The District Chief’s son and I are good friends. Thanks to him, I learned how to drink wine, gamble, and smoke. There’s one thing even more thrilling, Dad!

What’s so thrilling, son?

It’s that...

That? Oh, no, drop that, son! Anyone who falls into those things will end up penniless. Listen to me, son. Do business first to have status in society, then you can have anything you want.

Haven’t you heard “a man without wine is like a flag without any wind”? A man who doesn’t drink wine are ridiculed by his friends as a sissy. Smoking dope with a girl next to you is the best; that’s one of the four entertainments. I only lack one of them, Dad.

Then have it too to complete the set! Your parents make money to prepare for your wedding. You spend it like that, what’s left of your future?

Don’t you worry. At the saloon, some girls are crazy about me. They take care of my every meal, every glass of wine, and even...

Be quiet! I forbid you to go there.

Son, don’t you know those are places that squeeze money out of you? If you have money, they treat you well; otherwise, you’re dirt to them.

Of course, I know. But my legs drag my body along. Dad, that place is so much fun. When you have time, I’ll take you there. My God, it’s awesome, Dad!

Enough! You’re corrupt and want to corrupt him too?

Don’t entice me to do foolish things, son! I’m old already; what do I go there for?

What do you mean old? When you go there, the girls will call you “honey” very sweetly. Don’t worry, Dad. I feel so bad for myself, Daddy!

Don’t cry, my beloved son. Why are you crying?

How could I not? I’m ugly-looking and illiterate. Moneywise, I’m even inferior to Lộc, the District Chief’s son.

How can we compare with them, son? A district chief is like a local king; he can have anything he wishes.

He spends money like water but is no match for me, so he calls me big brother. Each time I come, the girls pamper me. I give 5 coins to any girl who feeds me, 10 coins to any girl who kisses me.

And so the girls keep on feeding me, until I’m broke and even owe them money.

Woe to me then, son! If you spend money like that, I’ll go bankrupt!

If I spend money my entire life, that wouldn’t drain your wealth. You worry too much, Dad.

Did you hear that? Go ahead, give him more money! I’ll leave this house for you two to live. If I say it, I’ll do it.

Calm down. Let me take the time to talk to him.

If you spoil our son like that, disaster will befall us some day. I just get more annoyed staying around here.

You know what, Dad? This afternoon when I arrived at the saloon, I saw Lộc holding my girlfriend, so I got mad and I hit his head with the wine bottle.

Oh God!

I thought his head would crack, but it was the bottle that broke. He just lay there, like I was a nobody.

You hit him like that, he’d surely die. If the District Chief finds out, he won’t leave you alone. You’ve brought us trouble, and you’ll have to go to jail.

Goodness, he’s big like a bull; that wouldn’t hurt him a bit. But do you know how upset I was?

Why were you upset?

He dared look down on me; he just lay there. I kicked him a few times, he didn’t care to say a thing.

My God! You even kicked him. Then what?

I was upset, so I went home.

Who is Tài?

He’s this humble man’s son.

Guards! Tie him up and take him to the district court for trial.

Yes.

I haven’t done anything wrong. Why are you arresting me? Dad, I’m wrongly accused! Help me!

Your Honor, what did my son do that displeases you?

He killed my son.

He hit my son to death. Guards, take him away!

Oh God!

Dad, help me!

O son! I’ll save you, son! I’ll save you!

Court power!

Bring the criminal in. Phát Tài! (Yes.) Do you realize your crime?

Yes. I was angry and acted without thinking, so I unintentionally harmed my friend. Please have pity, Your Honor.

Such a great official like you are our parent. My son made a mistake. May I bear the punishment? He’s still very naive and foolish, Your Honor.

Be quiet!

Yes, ma’am.

What did you say? Who was your friend? You killed my son, so you have to pay with your own life. My beloved son! Now that you died, whom am I to live with? District Chief, you must not be soft-hearted. Punish him properly to set an example for others. You must sentence him to death!

This is a public court. Don’t make it hard for me to judge.

He must die! He must die as an offering to my son’s spirit. My son died such an unjust death. I’m so heartbroken, O son! You, killer! Your crime is not pardonable. O son, if your spirit is sacred, come back and avenge, so that I can follow you in peace.

Please bear with the pain and wait for my judgment. A district chief like me can’t make a wrong verdict.

Please judge fairly, Your Honor.

Fair trial, fair trial. The district chief’s son is a village tyrant.

Quiet, everyone!

They’re rioting at the district court. Arrest them all!

Wait, wait! Any case of injustice can be reported.

It’s very unjust for me, Your Honor! (Why?) My daughter was disgraced by your son. She bit her tongue and took her own life. As commoners, we could only keep quiet and pray to God.

You must have a witness to your accusation. You people are accomplices that conspired to kill my son.

I’m the witness; I saw that with my own eyes. He humiliated the elder’s daughter, then came to bully the girls at my place. He ate and drank without paying; he even smashed my furniture many times.

Is that true? Why didn’t you report it?

We’re doing honest business, offering our smiles, not our bodies. We didn’t dare to clash with officials, so we just endured it.

That’s true!

Be quiet! You people falsely accused a dead person. You are all accomplices. Your Honor, they dare riot at the public court. Arrest them all!

No, no! People speak from their hearts. I’m a district chief; why wouldn’t they defend me?

That insolent relied on his parents’ position to have lived in debauchery and caused troubles. What a shame it is for me as an official! Having a son gone astray, I’m to blame.

Please reduce the sentence for the offender.

Please have mercy and forgive me. I’m very grateful, Your Honor.

My God! You didn’t give birth to him so you feel no pain. Our family had only one precious son to continue our lineage. Now he’s dead, but I don’t see you grieve. You spend all day caring for the people and the country, but neglect your own family. Why?

I advise you to subdue your anger. All the parents are to blame, who else? Spoiling our children and giving them no proper guidance will bring disasters to society later on.

Guards! Take him outside to be beheaded right away!

Hold on! Go back, all of you! Phát Tài, have you realized your misdeed?

Yes, I admit my wrongs.

It’s good that you do. I’d rather suffer alone than let another family endure misery.

Your Honor!

I spare you the death sentence but not a life without penalty. You’re exiled to the border for 10 years of hard labor to redeem your mistakes.

I bow to Your Mercy.

I bow to Your Mercy.

Confiscate all their properties and money to help the poor.

We’re very grateful, Your Honor.

Public court dismiss!

Mr. District Chief! Stay! I disagree with your verdict. I... Stay... stay...

Don’t be distressed; don’t cry anymore. At the moment, we’re very lucky to have this hut at the temple’s backyard for shelter.

If not for Hiếu’s request to the Nun to let us stay here temporarily, you and I wouldn’t know where to stay after our properties were confiscated. I remember how I scolded her as unfilial for leaving us to be a nun. Now as I hear the temple bell, my conscience is stricken.

All we have left is this scale. In the past, thanks to it, I was able to get rich. From the richest man of this district, I’m now empty-handed. This world is like a dream; only upon waking up, you realize it’s unreal and impermanent.

We got our wealth the dirty way, so we are punished by Heaven. It’s too late now to repent.

That was just part of our sin. Had we kept our promise to the god of the soil, our conscience wouldn’t be stricken now.

You helped me build great wealth. It was also you that caused sin.

O God! Why does the silver color of mercury now turn red? It’s the color of good people’s blood. I made the scale shaft hollow to fill it with mercury. The buyers received less, the seller reaped more. Blood! So much blood!

O my husband!

Blood! (Oh my!) Blood! Blood!

O Hiếu, our eyes are opened now. It’s ruthless and heartless to live on the sweat and tears of many people.

Now that we understand it, all is lost. We’ve become empty-handed again.

I’d rather die than live in shame.

If you’re gone, I’d feel even more miserable. Let’s die together then.

Mom and Dad, using death to escape your sorrow will only intensify it, while on the sea of ignorance there’s a glimpse of a boat toward the shore of awakening. The Truth has long illumined the way back. Your death won’t liberate you from the karmic cycle. Return to your True Self. Buddha’s compassionate teaching delivers sentient beings to the shore of enlightenment. Liberate yourselves from suffering, Detach from the world and escape transmigration.

Amitabha be praised! Now we understand your ideal. In poverty or wealth, we need to keep our hearts righteous.

Hiếu, I’m happy that you’ve escaped the circle of woes. I wasn’t able to hold on to the Truth. Due to temptations in society, I became an immoral person. One must always think of the consequence. People are born with bottomless greed and selfish tendencies. We should keep our hearts uncorrupted and free of illusions. That is the greatest source of happiness.

It’s not too late now for you to repent. Find for yourself some space within your heart.

Your jeweled words make us so happy like we’ve found a live-giving medicine.

If we want to end bad karma, don’t create it. As humans, we must learn to reflect.

Today we’d like to kneel at the feet of Buddha. We vow to follow him.

Help shave our heads to lead a monastic life to redeem our wrongdoings.

Amitabha Buddha be praised! What good is it for you to practice spiritually in the temple when your heart isn’t yet free of distress? Let your heart be pure and peaceful while you remain in the suffering world to build merit for your future life. Spiritual practice is to light our torch of wisdom to erase all afflictive obstructions for the true tranquility of our soul. That is true spiritual practice.

The good or bad is neither far nor near. They make our hearts waver. We need to know what is right and what is wrong to clearly see our direction. Please don’t be confused or worried. Fear only that you cannot discern black from white. Aspire for great compassion and return to goodness. The path of Truth, goodness and beauty is the path of spiritual practice.

Today, I come to repent all my past wrongs. I pray to Shakyamuni Buddha to compassionately forgive me. My life is miserable due to my ignorance, but now my heart is light and carefree, because I’ve repented sincerely and take refuge in the Three Jewels. I vow to redeem my past mistakes, and follow the example of the Exalted One.

Supreme Master Ching Hai has sent gifts to Hoằng Pháp Temple in sincere appreciation of the temple’s elaborate efforts in producing many films and modern folk operas with profound spiritual significance. The Venerable Abbot Thích Chân Tính remarked that the purpose of the Hoằng Pháp Temple is to disseminate Truth teachings to benefit the public and thus everyone is encouraged to widely share DVDs produced by the temple.

Supreme Master Ching Hai also sent gifts and loving regards to artists and professionals contributing to the modern folk opera “The Exploiters’ Scale,” broadcast on Supreme Master Television. They expressed their thankfulness for her caring.

Outstanding artist Hữu Quốc, in the role of Mr. Cần:

Greetings, all viewers far and near. I wish you all great health, good luck and success in life. The artists’ voice about protecting the environment as well as rare animal and plant species is very necessary. If we can be aware of this, our world will become better everyday. Many people are not aware of protecting the environment around them and therefore cause unfavorable impacts; we all must bear the consequences such as natural disasters, floods, etc.

I know that a number of artists are also vegetarians. If we eat vegetarian, we will have good health, and the spiritual benefit of a vegetarian diet is that our nature will be gentler and less violent. I also have pets in my family, such as dogs and cats. I don’t understand why some people can eat dogs and cats etc. I love my pets, and many people even love them as their own children. So I hope that aside from having love for human beings, we also have love for our pets, and more importantly, that we’re more aware of protecting our environment and wild animals.

Those are messages that not only I but also many social organizations and world leaders right now are calling upon us to protect the environment. Protecting our environment is protecting ourselves. Personally I think, if we eat vegetarian, it’s a good practice, and the important thing is we must join in our effort to help this planet. Let’s join hands to protect the place where we were born and grew up so that we can enjoy the best with everyone.

Traditional musician Văn Lắm:

I’m musician Văn Lắm, with respectful greetings to Master.

What are your thoughts on a vegetarian diet for health benefits?

About the vegetarian diet, when people are ill, doctors also advise them to eat more vegetables and reduce meat and fat consumption. In my opinion, the vegetarian diet is good for our health. When we eat vegetarian, we are less hot-tempered. That is good for everyone. So I think it’s good for us to eat more vegetarian food.

For example, caring for a pet dog is a precious thing because animals are also intelligent like us humans. When we scold them, they obey us. Since I frequently visit the temple and care for a pet dog, I realize how smart he is. When I care for the dog, I love him very much; he’s just like my own child. In our moments of distress in life, he can help lessen our sorrow.

I advise everyone in the world to always eat a lot of vegetarian food. It’s good for our health; it’s beneficial to ourselves and our communities. When we live here, we must know how to keep the environment on our Earth clean. Of course, if everyone joins in the effort, we can make it happen. I’d like to thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for sending my family a gift filled with love. I wish Master great health and longevity in order to guide the practicing disciples and help this world become more beautiful forever.

Traditional musician Mỹ Hoa:

Respectful greetings, Supreme Master Television viewers. I wanted to be vegetarian to reduce killing. I became vegetarian just a few years back, about 3 years ago. If many people become vegetarian, then livestock agriculture will be lessened. We need to be veg more to protect our health and avoid killing. I wish that everyone be vegetarian so that we can protect our environment and save the planet. I thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for thinking of the artists who contributed to the modern folk opera “The Exploiters’ Scale” by sending us gifts.

Editor and outstanding artist Ms. Út Bạch Lan, actress Vân Hà in the role of the District Chief’s wife, actor Hữu Tài in the role of the Elder, musician Thái An, and traditional musicians Duy Khôi and Quang Dũng, all of whom have participated previously on Supreme Master Television, also received gifts and well-wishes from Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Respectful greetings, Supreme Master Television viewers. I’d like to suggest to you: Be Veg, Go Green, to Save the Planet.

Supreme Master Television sincerely thanks Hoằng Pháp Temple, all the artists and professionals who contributed to the modern folk opera “The Exploiters’ Scale,” which reminds humankind to pursue a virtuous life and noble ideals. We wish you blessings in your daily lives as well as in your endeavors to uphold spiritual and artistic values and to bring peace and goodness to the public at large.

Thank you for watching today’s Enlightening Entertainment. Coming up is Words of Wisdom. Please tune in on Supreme Master Television next Thursday for the Aulacese chèo traditional opera “Heavenly Affinity” by playwright Nguyễn Thị Hồng Ngát. May you and your loved ones be graced with peace and happiness. We bid you farewell for now.

The modern folk opera “The Exploiters’ Scale” is based on an ancient Buddhist story, suggesting that people live honestly and virtuously in order to have a clear conscience and to sow the seeds of peace and happiness for this life and future lives.