Diligent cultivation is the hard truth of avoiding unwholesome karma and its retribution.

What did the Buddha do when King Virūḍhaka led his army to exterminate the Śākya clan?

This time, when we Buddhist practitioners encountered the viral disaster, although we did not personally go out to treat the sick and save people, or kill the virus, we used the methods of saving sentient beings unique to Buddhism, such as dedicating the merit (pariṇāma) of reciting sutras, recollecting the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), and studying the Dharma, to help bring the pandemic to an end as soon as possible. In this way we also made our due contribution to the country and, to a certain extent, saved sentient beings. Exactly how great this extent is cannot be specifically stated; one can only say that the effect of this dedication of merit is not small. Now, the merit of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is immeasurable—when they encounter natural disasters and calamities caused by humans, do they not have many, many skillful and expedient means to resolve the disasters of sentient beings, without needing to kill living beings and form evil karmic bonds with them, thereby dissolving all disasters?

When sentient beings lack sufficient merit and wisdom, the only solutions to disasters they can think of are killing and hostility; they cannot think of a better way to resolve them. But when merit and wisdom are sufficient, a single thought can dissolve a disaster. Therefore, whenever sentient beings encounter a disaster, they naturally think of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, because the wisdom of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is lofty and vast, and they can resolve these problems without the slightest effort.

So each of us must still diligently cultivate. Only cultivation is the true principle; without cultivation, one can never avoid committing evil karma and then suffering its evil retribution.