If
the prisoners do not admit their mistakes and face their conscience,
but continue to wear a mask of coolness and ignore their inner feelings,
they will commit crimes again after they are released, and killing will
grow into a habit. They will treat a human just like an object, not
realizing that human life is very precious. They do not consider the
feelings of the victims or those of the victims' relatives and friends.
Therefore, this method of edifying prisoners is very effective.
Those
children or prisoners are not really that bad. Their behavior is mostly
due to their wretched family backgrounds. For instance, their mother
might have been a drug addict, or their step-father might have been
addicted to gambling or alcohol and often beat them up. Such family
backgrounds account for the misdeeds of the children, who vent their
wrath on other people. Therefore, the educational system in this prison
also has the inmates face this kind of background. The inmates are advised
not to vent their animosity on innocent people, who could be as miserable
as they are, and come from the same kind of family background.
Different
methods are employed to educate prisoners from different family backgrounds,
and the results have proven the education to be highly effective. A
total of 160 prisoners have been released from this prison and only
one has committed another crime. However, the prison can only accept
24 such prisoners into this program each year, because this is a task
that takes time and patience.
Therefore,
it is better to take good care of our children when they are young;
and we only have a few children to take care of. Do not wait until they
are grown up and become a heavy burden on society.
The
foundation of ethics and morality should be established at a young age,
so that when children grow up, they can do everything resolutely, correctly,
and free from errors. Therefore, in addition to practicing spiritually
yourselves, you should also take care of your children, educate them,
and let them know the benefits of spiritual practice. This is not merely
the obligation of parents. It is also the obligation of every citizen
of the nation, and of every brother and sister in this world. We hope
that the twenty-first century will be a glorious era, with every family
devoted to spiritual practice and each person a saintly person. It will
require the effort of all of you to accomplish this goal. (Applause)
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