Dear Tony,

How are you? I hear that you may have an addiction to alcohol. You are not the only one; there are so many people all over the world who experience suffering from this. It is one of the major kinds of suffering. Not only do you suffer, but your family also suffers. Many family problems can come from this, and poor relations with neighbors and problems with outside people as well, and not only that, car accidents also happen. Also some families lose all their wealth from drinking—even those who don’t have much money. All their money goes on alcohol, but there are other things that don’t have this effect that they can enjoy instead. If their money is not spent this way there are many other ways to enjoy, with no danger, with no need for danger to the life. Thinking like that, we should think that it harms other people and likewise it harms the world.

The purpose of our life is not just to eliminate problems and achieve happiness for ourselves, because our past, present and future happiness is all achieved due to the kindness of others. Everything we receive is due to the kindness of other living beings. For example, for the protection of our life—even when the house that protects us from heat and cold is being built, so many living beings are killed. So many insects have to be killed when the land is prepared, and also the people are so hot and experience so many hardships. So our happiness of even living in a house is due the kindness of sentient beings; the suffering of sentient beings.

Numberless sentient beings died, even insects; so many insects died. Each day that we live longer—each day, each hour, by eating food and drinking—for example, in order for one grain of rice to grow in the field, by preparing the land, using fertilizer etc, then so many ants and so many insects have to die. They have to be killed in order to grow rice, then having to grow the rice again, so many insects and living beings are killed again; and again to grow the rice, so many insects are killed again. Many insects have to die, numberless beings die. One grain of rice came about because of this, and another grain of rice, and another grain of rice; it all came about from this. So for thousands, hundreds of thousands, or a million eons, or if you think back, for years and years and so forth, numberless sentient beings have died for this. Numberless sentient beings and humans have died for this; they have suffered for this. Just for the rice.

Who eats the rice? We eat the rice. Think, “My happiness and my comfort comes from this rice. Every day, every hour that I live longer completely comes from this, numberless sentient beings died from this one grain of rice.” On one plate there are so many grains of rice. Wow, wow, wow. Numberless sentient beings died for this rice and for the vegetables too. Think, “All my happiness and comfort comes from numberless sentient beings, because of their kindness.” Also, everything we drink—if we put our water through a purifying machine, even though we can’t see how many bugs are harmed, but we boil the water etc, wow. So our past, present and future comfort and happiness comes from them.

Therefore it’s important to think, “I must benefit everybody; I must do something for them. I must do something for them. I can’t live my life just for myself, for my own contentment and happiness, it’s impossible. It’s crazy. I must do something to benefit them. My life should be of benefit to them. To do that, I must live long, and for that, I must stop drinking. Also, I should be healthy to be able to benefit them; to help them I need to be healthy. Alcohol brings about a short life and brings many diseases. If I am sick I can’t benefit them, so that’s it. I can’t benefit them. All this comfort and happiness comes from them, but I’ve destroyed my life. Not only does alcohol harm me; it harms the numberless sentient beings. I must live a long life and be healthy to benefit them, therefore I should not drink.”

Think, “I should not drink, for the happiness of all sentient beings, for the numberless beings. Not only for my happiness, but also for peace in this world.” Peace has to start one-by-one [with one person]. Start with the family —start by giving peace to your husband and peace to your children. Peace starts within your family, then the neighbors, and then it spreads out to other people. But it starts like that—giving peace to the world starts one-by-one. Therefore, in order to bring peace to the world, it’s good not to drink alcohol and also it’s good to live carefully, not carelessly. That’s it, I think that’s the essence. And you must have courage.

If you can think that way, then your life becomes so precious, because you are benefiting others. You stop harming and start benefiting others. If you don’t stop harming others, you can’t benefit others. Benefiting others is based on stopping harm to others. From this, you can see life becomes so precious, you can see that; you don’t see life as hopeless, without meaning. Life has great meaning, the human life in particular. Don’t see life as hopeless; it has great meaning, to bring happiness to numberless sentient beings.

So it’s best to stop drinking alcohol. There are many books on the shortcomings of alcohol. Also, there is not only this life; there are future lives, therefore you have a great responsibility in this life to prepare [for the future lives.] And not only that, you have been my dear mother numberless times.

Thank you, thank you.

With my love...