Animals Can Help Us Develop Our Inner Love

动物可以帮助我们发展内边的爱心

(Originally in Chinese)

We ought to remind and love each other, including loving animals. They appear weak, small and helpless, needing our worldly and material help, love and protection.

我们每个人应该互相提醒、互相爱护，包括爱护动物在内，他们看起来比较弱小、无助，需要我们帮忙，需要我们疼爱和保护。

Loving the Weak Is the Way of the True Hero
疼爱弱小才是真正的英雄行为

If we love and protect animals, in return, they will help us in many ways. However, we should not help animals because we expect benefit, but because we love the weak and small. This is the way of the true hero. Heroes do not have to go to war or perform spectacular deeds. The heroic quality lies in the heart.

如果我们爱护动物的话，他们会反过来帮助我们很多。不过我们帮助动物不是为了要得到利益，而是因为我们要疼爱弱小，这样才是真正的英雄。英雄不一定是要出去打仗，也不一定是做很多了不起的事情，英雄的品质是在心里。

If we can love and protect small animals, that means we can also love and protect other sentient beings. Someone said to me: “If a person can love a dog, a bird or any other weak and small animal, that person definitely can love other humans too.” Thus, by loving animals, we help bring peace to the world. If we do it together, there will be no more wars among us.

如果我们能够爱护小动物的话，那表示说我们也可以爱护其它所有众生。有人跟我说，一个人如果能够爱一只狗、一只鸟或是其它弱小动物的话，他一定也会爱别人。所以我们爱护动物也是帮助世界和平，如果大家一起疼爱的话，那我们一定不会互相打仗。

When we love and protect animals, our compassion will develop naturally. If any of you have a dog, a bird or other pets, you will have noticed this change. When you hug them or look at them, your heart will naturally fill with love and you will not think of anything else. By loving and pampering them, this loving aura will pervade our house, our whole family, and emanate beyond, extending the positive atmosphere to the world.

当我们爱护动物的时候，我们的爱心自然会发展。各位如果有养狗、养鸟或其它宠物，就会晓得这种情况。当你跟他们抱在一起、看着他们的时候，自然就想爱他们，没有别的想法。我们这样爱护他、宠爱他，这种爱的气氛就会充满我们整个房子、整个家庭，然后也会散发出来，带给世界好的气氛。

When every family is full of love, there will be peace in the world, because of the atmosphere. You all know how important that is. When we see people living in harmony and loving each other, we will also feel very happy. Suppose we enter a house where people are quarreling or fighting, we immediately feel uncomfortable too. Is that not so? (Audience: Yes!)

如果每个家庭都充满爱的气氛，世界一定会和平。因为气氛很重要，这一点大家都晓得。当我们看到人们和平相处、互相疼爱时，我们自己也会觉得很快乐。假使我们进去一个房子，看到有人在那边吵闹、打架，我们突然间也会觉得心里不舒服，是不是这样？（大众答：是！）

Therefore, animals can help us develop our inner love, change our ambiance, and make us happy; and this happy atmosphere will affect the whole world. Imagine if every family could be so happy and loving; of course the world would be a wonderful place, wouldn’t it? (Audience: Yes.) We don’t need to talk about whether animals are of a high spiritual level or of any significant benefit to us. At the very least, they can help us develop our compassion. That alone would make us feel very comfortable.


所以动物可以帮助我们发展内边的爱心出来，让整个气氛变得不一样、变得快乐，而这种快乐的气氛也会影响整个世界。想象如果每个家庭都是这么快乐、这么充满爱心的气氛，当然世界会很好啊，是吗？（大众答：是！）我们先不谈动物是否有灵性、有没有帮忙我们什么明显的地方，起码他们可以帮助我们发展爱心出来，这样我们自己也会觉得很舒服。

If we have time to sit with a dog, pat it, and show our love, very soon our whole body will feel very comfortable. Even our body feels comfortable, not to mention our atmosphere. Our whole body feels the presence of a serene electrical current that is very soothing. We can feel it distinctly. Therefore, dogs can really help us in this way; it is not necessary to communicate with them through supernatural means or use telepathy to understand their language. Just the sensation in our physical body is enough to prove that dogs are truly helpful to humankind.

如果你有空跟狗坐在一起，摸摸他、疼爱他，等一下你整个身体也会觉得很舒服。连身体也很舒服，不要说气氛什么的，整个身体好像有电波一样，一种清静的电波，让我们觉得非常舒服，我们可以明显感觉得到。所以狗在这方面真的有帮助人，不一定要用神通跟他们沟通，不一定要有他心通了解他们的语言。光从物质的方面、肉体的感觉来看，就已经足够证明狗真的有帮助人。

God Created Animals to Help Humans
上帝造动物是为了帮助人类

In the Bible, it is said that God created animals to help us. We should give some thought as to how they help us. My personal experience is that they have helped me. Scientists have proved that if you love animals and keep pets at home, you will be physically healthier and mentally happier. When you are happy, you attract good luck and a happy atmosphere to your home because like attracts like. Also, seeing your pets every day, your love will develop, and this love will attract more love. For instance, when you go outside, people will love you more, dogs won’t bite you, and you might attract more love to your home.

圣经里面有讲，上帝说祂造动物出来，是为了帮助我们。那我们要想看看，他们帮助我们哪些地方呢？我自己亲身体验到他们有帮助。科学家也有证明说，如果你爱护动物，家里有养宠物的话，你的身体会更健康，精神会更快乐。当你精神快乐的时候，就会吸引那些好运来，也会吸引快乐的气氛到你家里来，因为同性相吸的缘故。然后你天天看到你的宠物，爱心都发展出来，这个爱心又会吸引别的爱心，比方说你出去外面，人家会疼爱你，狗也不会咬你，或是你会吸引许多爱力到你的家里。


Therefore, in helping animals, we truly benefit ourselves as well. No matter whom we help, we always benefit. We often think that when we help others, it is the other party that benefits. This is not necessarily the case! That person will reciprocate with love. So, when we help someone, he will be grateful and pray for us, and our lives will be more comfortable and happy. Prayers are effective!

所以我们帮助动物，真正也是对自己有利，不管帮助谁，对自己都会有利。我们常常认为我们帮助别人，就是对方有利。不一定！那个人会反过来散发爱心给我们。我们帮助一个人，他会感恩，他回去会祷告，让我们的生活更舒服、更快乐。祷告有用喔！

Animals communicate directly with Heaven. So, if we help them, they will surely report to Heaven that this person is very nice. We can say that they pray for us. If not, Heaven has eyes! If we have been nice to people and helped them, Heaven will record it. When we help animals, Heaven will also record it.

动物跟天堂是直接沟通的，所以如果我们帮助他们的话，他们一定也会跟天堂沟通，会说这个人很好。所以我们也可以这么说，动物会为我们祷告。不然的话，老天有眼嘛，我们对谁有好处、有帮助，天堂会记录下来；我们帮助动物，天堂也会记录下来。

In Au Lac, we have a legend that says if you have been benevolent and treated dogs well, when you cross the bridge (to the other shore) after you die, the dogs will not bark loudly. This is because, if they bark loudly, you will become frightened and fall into the hellish river, where there are many crocodiles and snakes, which is almost like hell. However, if you have been nice to the dogs, they will greet you, love and protect you, and let you pass safely and smoothly into Heaven. That bridge separates Heaven and hell. That is what the legend means. I have not been there, but it makes sense. Whatever the ancient people said always makes sense. Why would they lie to us, right? (Audience: Yes!)

在悠乐，我们有一个传说：如果我们善良、对狗好的话，我们死了以后经过一条桥（奈何桥）的时候，狗就不会大叫一声「汪」（大众笑），因为如果他大叫一声的话，你会吓一跳，然后会掉到那条坏的河里，河里有一大堆鳄鱼、蛇啊等等，意思说差不多像地狱一样。如果你对狗好的话，你经过那条桥时，他会跟你打招呼、会爱护你，让你平安过去，顺利到天堂。那条桥就是隔开天堂跟地狱，意思是这样。我没有经过那边啦（大众笑），不过听起来很有道理，古人说什么都有道理的，古人何必骗我们呢？是吗？（大众答：是！）

Exhibiting Our Noble Heart
帮助动物以展现高贵的心灵
Whether this story is true or not, we should love and protect the small and weak when we see them, for in doing so, we show the magnanimous heart of a hero. As such, we are already a noble person and would not wonder whether they will help us or not. Of course they have helped to bring out our noble heart, which is more important than wealth or social status. Thus, we ought to love animals. In every country, there are animal shelters or similar facilities. We should do our best to help them in any way we can. If we cannot adopt any animals, we can make a financial contribution or help these organizations take care of animals or find good families to adopt them.

不管这个故事对不对，我们看到弱小，就要爱护他们就对啦。因为我们爱护弱小，就是有英雄的心、宽宏大量的心，这样子的话，我们已经是高贵的人，根本不会想他帮不帮我们。当然他有帮我们，帮我们把高贵的心灵展现出来，这比钱财、地位都还要重要，所以我们应该要爱护动物。每个国家都有动物收容所等等，我们能帮忙什么地方就尽量帮忙，如果不能收养的话，也可以捐钱或是出力帮助这些机构，帮助他们照顾动物，让动物能够得到好的家庭收养。