(Bell)
Dear Thay, my name is Bob.
I live in Los Angeles.
I'd like to talk to you about the nutrients you spoke of.
In particular, a nutrient that I thought you left out,
and that was air as a nutrient.
In the travels that you have done throughout the world
perhaps you have looked at the skies
and you may have seen a spraying
that is coming from high altitude aircrafts.
White lines that are criss-crossing even over cities.
They are all over Los Angeles.
These chemtrails spread, they become artificial clouds.
There is an overcast that happens in Los Angeles
and we are getting less sunshine that we normally have had.
What disturbs me is that there has been independent scientists,
with integrity,
that have taken samples of this spraying, of this residue,
and they have found aluminum, barium and these are toxins,
toxins to our health.
We are consuming this air,
this is very dangerous.
My personal concern is that I have two fears.
One is that I am very frightened by it,
because it means that my health is threatened,
my loved ones' health is threatened
if we are ingesting this kind of toxic air.
Also I am angry,
I am angry that nothing is being done.
The mediums say nothing.
Politicians, senators are saying nothing about it
or they are denying that something is going on with our skies.
I have to cope with these two fears or two feelings in me daily.
I am involved with a group in Los Angeles to try to change it.
But we are getting nowhere because there is mostly silence.
I'm asking you:
What can I do as an activist in this area
to cope with these feelings of anger and fear that I carry?
Anger and despair are two kinds of pollution.
Pollution.
I wish it was only that.
The internal pollution.
If you have hate, anger, fear, despair
there is pollution inside
and that will not help
to reduce the pollution outside.
People have their idea of happiness.
They believe that without a lot of money, power,
they cannot be really happy.
People believe that happiness is the capacity of consuming.
When you have a lot of money you consume a lot
and you are happy.
So these notions of happiness are very dangerous.
Because we are destroying ourselves and the world
by that kind of notion, idea about happiness.
So the education system, there is something wrong in it.
We do not teach ourselves and our children
how to experience true happiness.
So if you want to be a true activist,
first of all you have to live your life in such a way
that can set an example to the people around.
Your life becomes your message.
With that kind of living example you can influence other people around you.
If you write a letter of protest, if you speak with anger or fear,
that will not help your cause.
That is why
look deeply and see the people who are victims of their notions of happiness,
their wrong views about happiness,
their way of life that destroys themselves and the ecosystem.
You see that they are the object of your compassion.
You are not angry at them anymore.
And you try to help them.
To write an angry letter of protest is not as effective as to write a love letter.
Because when you are able to write a love letter
you touch the best thing in the politician, in the leader.
You may wake them up
and the may change their course, their idea of happiness.
So we need a community, a Sangha,
in order to be able to do something.
Alone, even if you are a very talented person
you cannot do much.
Even a Buddha without a Sangha cannot do much.
So as an activist, if you want to change the world
you need a Sangha,
you need people who have the same kind of insight,
the same kind of purpose,
the same kind of motivation,
the same capacity to live a life
that can be an example for the world.
With such a Sangha you will be able to do something
to change.
Otherwise,
we cannot find a way out of the situation.
That is why, for me,
to practice mindful living, to build a Sangha
so that you have a collective energy supporting you
gives you a means to promote your insight
and offer to the people the way out,
save the planet and our own species.
(Bell)