Master Says
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai,
Cape Town, South Africa, November 27, 1999
(Originally in English)
Heaven Is Only the Beginning
For everything in this life, we can prepare. We must prepare
a long time for everything we want to enjoy or experience. We even prepare
for a 'rainy day.' We work hard and then spend some, and we put some
in the bank and some in a savings account for emergencies. And we even
save for retirement; we prepare for the funeral service, but we forget
to prepare for the road after.
Every one of us knows we don't live here very long. We
are not here to stay. But the worldly demands and the struggle for survival
have always tried to make us forget what we are here for, and that we
won't be here very long at all.
Learn to Face Death Squarely
Anyhow, all of us will leave this physical world one day,
but not all of us are prepared for the final departure. That's why most
of us feel very uneasy and fearful about that day. Even though some
of us are still very young, like me, we already worry about this fearful
day of departure. That is because we have not prepared very well for
it. We prepare insurance for sickness, for the house, for the mortgage
and for everything else, but we have not prepared for the day that we
will depart from this world. In the Bible it is stated , "Forsake
the flesh for the spirit; learn to die so that you will begin to live."
We might read this every day or even more than once a day. But many
of us do not know how to die daily so that we can know life as it truly
is. Of course, that's all right also. Because we all have Eternity to
make our choices, again and again.
I am not here today to show you how to live your life.
I will show you how to die. Because it's only when we learn how to die
and face death squarely that we will no longer be afraid of the unknown.
Once we die, it's the same as living now, except with much, much better
conditions. We are freer. We can move anywhere at a speed faster than
light. We can have anything we want in an instant. We are freer than
a bird. And we can have access to God anytime, because we will be one
with God. But that is only if we have prepared for it. Because our thoughts
are very powerful. In everyday life, whatever we think or desire the
most will come to us. Suppose at the time of departure from this world
that our thoughts were dwelling on something, and it had not come true
yet, then we would return again to this physical planet to live out
our desires or to fulfill our wishes. So for anyone who does not wish
to come back here again, or who would like to master the destiny of
their future existence after this one, there is a way to prepare for
that.
At the time of our departure from this world, if our thoughts
are very powerful about something, we will be drawn to that thing, that
event or that desire. This means that when we are alive, we should train
our thoughts in a very positive way every day, as much as we can, until
it becomes second nature, until it becomes us. Then at the time of death,
we will go where our thoughts lead us. We are the essence of God and
we have God power within us, whether we are aware of it or not. So our
thoughts are, practically speaking, very, very powerful.
God Is Forever Merciful
If, during our lifetime, we are brainwashed into believing
that we are sinners, that we are unredeemable wretches who are not worthy
of God's love, that we will go to hell, and we have been told how terrible
hell is--then at the time of death, if we believe what we have been
told, we will go to the so-called hell. Even though hell doesn't exist,
we create it or other people create it for us. Since the old times,
fear has been injected into our genes, into our brains, into our way
of life, so that certain groups of people could have control over us
and make us submit to whatever their purpose, which was not always very
noble. Therefore, in order to free ourselves, we have to re-acquaint
ourselves again with the true teaching of all the Masters since ancient
times. This teaching is that God--or Buddha or Allah--is ever merciful.
We are the children of this highest power, and we will
be forever loved, forgiven, and helped in any way possible in this life
and the life after. I have seen that myself. I have seen God power at
work. I have seen only love and mercy in the realm of the invisible
as well as the realm of the physical. There is no such thing as damnation,
hell or revenge from God. Because even if our mortal parents love us
and forgive us time and time again, our God Father or God Mother will
be infinite times more loving and forgiving. The only problem is that
we have long been brainwashed into thinking that we will be punished
for whatever mistakes we may make in this world. We will do so--we do
all the time, because our physical brain, the physical body and the
physical environment force us into making mistakes. But it doesn't matter
what mistakes we make, God can always repair them. So Hes would never
condemn or punish us in any of the ways that we have been made to believe.
That's what I have discovered. So I would like to share
it with you. And I hope that from today you will keep this in your mind,
whether you want to study further with us or not: Remember that God
is merciful. And have no fear whatsoever, either here or hereafter.
At the time of departure, there will be beautiful beings of Heaven waiting
for us immediately as the soul leaves the body. The reason that many
people have not been able to see this, including at the time of death,
is that they have not prepared themselves. Or perhaps they have prepared
themselves in the wrong way, such as thinking they have done wrong in
their lifetime, for example, like breaking some of the Commandments.
Maybe these people have prepared themselves in a negative way because
they thought they did something wrong in their life. So they expect
damnation or punishment, and that's what they get.
Retrain Yourself to Find God's Essence
Whatever you believe shall be materialized, because you
are God. You are one with God, always, even though at the moment, due
to physical hindrances, some of us do not realize this. We truly have
nothing but God within us and without us; we are nothing but God's essence.
There is nowhere else we could go but to be within God's embrace, all
the time, 24 hours. We are separated from God because of our thinking
and our deep-rooted beliefs that we are mere mortals. In order to remember
that we are God again, we must train ourselves backward again. The way
we have trained ourselves to think--as separate from God--we have to
retrain in the opposite direction. We will do that until finally it
becomes automatic. And then, because we contact God every day through
our diligent and pure intention of practice, we will know for sure that
we are one with God. So at the time of departure, there's nothing but
God surrounding us, or heavenly beings that come and greet us to the
higher dimensions of Love.
Some dead people do not see this phenomenon. Even though
Jesus stands by and Buddha is near, they do not see Them. Also they
don't realize that they could manifest anything at will, that they have
the power of creativity in their hands. Especially after leaving this
physical body, the whole power will be returned to us again. It's not
really returned, but without the hindrance of this physical body we
become all-powerful again, just like in the days we were with God, before
we descended into this world.
But some of us depart from this world without knowing
this secret; we did not learn it; we did not learn to master our thinking
while we were in the physical body. So at the time of death, we forget
even more. For example, you have probably heard about people who died
and "came back" complaining that they were in hell, they need
help, they need prayer, etc. These examples are true but only for those
people. They are not true in general--not true for you and not true
for me.
For those who have learned the secret of the universe,
who have learned the power of creativity, and have learned to be one
with the universal mighty power, they know everything before and after
they die. They are masters of their own destiny--anywhere, now and hereafter.
But to arrive there, we need some practice. It may take a few days,
a few weeks or a few months. Not only do we practice to remember our
own creative power, we practice so that we also enjoy Heaven while living;
we enjoy contacting God's intelligence while we are still here on this
planet, so that we can make use of this power to enhance our life and
the lives of the people that walk on our path. But this takes some discipline,
even though it's so easy. We would rather work for money, for a car,
for a house or for a beauty, than work to re-earn the Kingdom of God.
Why? Because it's become a habit. Whatever we have been trained to do
since we were young, we continue doing that.
The brain doesn't like change. The brain likes everything
settled, simple and fixed, with the same routine every day. Whether
bad or good, the brain likes that. It becomes very upset when change
takes place. Because machines are like that, and the brain is also only
a machine. Even the power behind the brain, the mind, is not very highly
qualified for the purpose of attaining Heaven. The mind is just like
the electric power behind the computer. So we have to return to the
source of all wisdom and Truth. If we do not train ourselves now, at
the time of death it will be too late.
Prepare Yourself Daily for the Life Hereafter
Our brain and our mind have become fixed into some negative
thinking patterns, and we have not had enough time to escape from or
to repair those patterns. But we can do so during the time that we sojourn
on this planet. This is the easiest way. Because if we have not prepared
for that day, if we have not learned about what we are doing and where
we are going, then at the time of death we will be overwhelmed by different
dimensional karmas. Karma is the Sanskrit term for the law of cause
and effect. Whatever we do in this lifetime will be ingrained as impressions
in our thinking, and when we die we will bring those impressions with
us. So if we want to erase that, we must do some deep contemplation
and purification. We can call it meditation, contemplation or deep prayer.
But we must do it correctly. There is a very easy way to do it, but
it must be correct. Just like everything else, there's a correct way.
And if we know that way, it's very easy.
At the time of departure, we all hope to go to Heaven.
We normally should; every average citizen in the world will go to Heaven.
But there are different degrees of enjoyment of Heaven, just like there
are different houses in Cape Town. Some houses are cheaper, while others
are more expensive, with more equipment, more comforts, a swimming pool,
everything. The extent of our developed consciousness is the extent
to which we will enjoy Heaven after we leave this physical world. That
is, if we have trained ourselves sufficiently, we can ascend to Heaven
immediately after death. If not, we will sometimes hover around for
a while until we realize that we really are gone, that we no longer
have a physical instrument to work with, that our speech will not be
heard by our loved ones, or that our wife or our husband is bringing
another person in front of our nose every day to our bed. And there's
nothing we can do about it. It doesn't matter how much we complain or
how many tantrums we throw. No one understands anything, and nobody
cares.
At that time, it creates great suffering for us. Also,
we will be overwhelmed by the results of our thinking during the lifetime
while we were in the physical body. During the time we are living, if
we keep thinking negatively, then when we die, that's what we get. So
if we die without preparing, without meditation on positive power, without
connecting to God's power, the negative thinking that we had during
the lifetime will overwhelm us and take us to unpleasant places. And
that's why people say there is hell. We could escape from that hell
if we are conscious enough at the time to walk out of our own prison.
But most of the time, we have not prepared, so we are weak. We are not
strong enough to walk out, so we have to stay in the negative atmosphere
for a while until it dies down.
There is also another kind of pressure for us, not just
our own individually--created sphere of negativity or pressure. We also
have the collectively created consequences of the people on this planet,
as well as that of our relatives and friends. Because we haven't learned
the art of mastering our own destiny or how to walk the correct way
to Heaven, we will stray here and there; we will be pulled apart in
different directions or pushed into the unpleasant scenery of an illusionary
planet, which to us at that moment seems absolutely real. And that's
how people say they enter hell, and they suffer.
Ingrain the Right Thoughts before Death
But it must not be like that. Even if you don't want to
practice vegetarian compassion or practice meditation with us, you should
always tell yourself and remember that God is merciful. That is the
only thought you should remember at the time of death. Then you will
be clear enough to see that Jesus is standing by, that Heaven is opening
its gates, that angels are greeting you with the music of the Celestial
Realms. You must remember something noble like that--that we are the
sons and daughters of God, that we can never be anything lower than
that and that nothing at all can harm us. These thoughts should be ingrained
in your mind. If you think like this, you will not fear the Angel of
Death because he doesn't really exist. He exists because we created
him by believing in him during our lifetime, so he manifests. Whatever
you wish shall be given unto you. Knock, and it shall be opened; ask,
and it shall be given.
Because on this planet, sometimes we ask for something
and when it doesn't come immediately, we think it doesn't work. But
it works all the time. It's just that because we are hindered by this
physical body, we might not see a result immediately. Sometimes it comes
a little bit later, and we have forgotten. We forget that we wanted
it. We think, "Oh, this is just luck!" or, "This is just
bad fortune that these things happen to me." But nothing really
happened without us wanting it in the first place. Also, if we are not
strong enough in our will, then of course the karma, the negative or
positive collective consciousness will affect our daily life as well
as our time of departure.
In our daily life, we are more or less shielded by this
physical ignorance. At least we don't know when something bad is coming.
But when we leave this physical protection, we will see everything.
Everything will affect us immediately. If we die, and the loved ones
are crying and lingering and missing us so much, and they cry and they
suffer, we feel it exactly as if we are suffering. That's why during
the time of the loved one's departure, maybe the best thing is that
we should just pray for them to go to Heaven, to enjoy and be liberated.
Maybe we shouldn't be praying, crying, lamenting and missing them so
much, because that will make them feel very miserable and delay their
departure to a higher dimension. Death should be celebrated, not mourned,
because that is our final liberation. Nothing can touch us anymore;
nothing can harm us. Nothing can cover us anymore. We will know everything,
and we will be a part of everything. We can be anywhere in a fraction
of a second. Everything that we wish for will come true immediately.
Remember Your Heavenly Heritage
But in order to prepare for a higher reward than just
this, we should learn the art of mastering our own destiny and our own
future. We should create our own Heaven, prepare our own future, and
not let the atmosphere or karma of other people influence us and drag
us here and there like a slave or a dog. Because we are the master.
We are the Children of the Ocean of Love, of God. We have dignity. We
should walk like a god; we should act like a god; we should think like
a god. It's not easy, because we have forgotten how to do that. But
that's only a habit, and habits can be trained; they can also be broken
with time. During our busy activities, of course it is difficult for
us to control our thoughts and train ourselves again back to the glory
of who we really are. That's why we have to choose a short time--span
during our busy schedule to be quietly alone with ourselves and with
God. At that time, we can concentrate our power of thinking. Then we
can correct the habits of our thoughts and make them positive. And day
by day like this, we will become the Children of Heaven again, as we
really are.
That's why we should meditate every day, not just after
initiation. Because after initiation, you're liberated already. You
are a free person. You really are free. No one can touch you any more.
But in order to have a smoother life here and to enjoy Heaven while
we're still breathing, in order to re-train ourselves into being the
Prince and Princess of Heaven, we must remind ourselves every day. It's
sometimes not even enough. Because we have already been reminded, time
after time, for a long, long time, just how bad we are.
So now we have to be reminded again of how good we really
are. That's why it takes time. It takes everyday practice to remember
this. You are not going to learn anything; you're just going to remember,
because there's nothing for you to learn. You are the King of Heaven;
you are part of Heaven, part of the whole universal power. There's nothing
you cannot do. Just take the time to remember it again. I am here to
help you to remember, and it's not as difficult as you think. It's easier
than making a living; it's easier than driving a car; it's easier than
sleeping. So it would be to our benefit to try, because it is so easy
and simple.
To those who could devote their entire heart and mind
to regaining Heaven, we can give you the whole instruction. You meditate
two to three hours a day, or as much as you can. For example, you can
cut down a little on sleep, talk less on the phone, and watch only the
important news on TV--don't just sit there and watch whatever comes
on. So then you will have a lot of time. We find that we have a lot
more time to spare if we cut down on many of the unnecessary activities
we used to do just to kill time. Now we don't have time to kill; we
use it to live. We use it to resurrect our soul. Then, not only will
we feel good and bless ourselves, we will bless others as well.
A habit is hard to break, we all know that. But that doesn't
mean it's impossible. Before, I couldn't drive a car. I just got a license
recently. So when I found that I could drive, my God! I felt like a
human being. I felt like everyone else on this planet. I was so proud;
I wanted everyone to see that I was driving. Because I trained myself.
The first time, I failed. The second time, I failed. But the third time,
I succeeded. Even learning to drive takes so long! It takes effort,
money and concentration. Still, we can do it. We can do this and many
other things, like learning English or even learning to walk. We were
born crawling--not even crawling, lying helpless as a baby. But as a
baby, we know how to try. We try to crawl, and then we try to stand
up, and then we try toddling around. Then we try to walk. And then we
run, and now we even fly!
An Enlightened Master Lights the Way
So everything is a process of learning. To a baby, it
must seem impossible to see the adult running, riding a bicycle, driving,
jumping around or dancing. But to us, it's easy, because we have tried;
we have trained ourselves. Similarly, we can train like that to go to
Heaven. It looks difficult at first, but it isn't. It is more difficult
if we try by ourselves. But it's not difficult if someone else already
knows how, and shows us by hands-on experience or teaching. It's very
simple. That's why since ancient times, God has sent a lot of teachers
to show us the way, because we have forgotten.
Being able to show us the way doesn't mean that person
is better than us. We call him or her "teacher" just because
in the beginning, they teach us something. In this planet, we call someone
a teacher of English or professor of Mathematics, for example. But in
the order of Heaven, no one is lower or higher. There is just someone
who walks the way first and shows the one who walks later. And someone
who knows the way already can show us; it's easier, less stressful,
surer and quicker.
We could try to walk back to Heaven by ourselves, but
there are so many parts of the road we don't know because we have forgotten,
and sometimes it could be frightening. That's why many people feel they
are not up to it. They're scared. But when you have someone walking
with you, holding your hand and protecting you, showing you the way
to walk and where to avoid, then the road is more pleasant. You have
a companion, and it's quicker and easier. So in short, I am here in
case you feel you want to remember again who you truly are. And there's
no cost and there are no conditions.
The so-called Five Precepts are not the Five Precepts.
They are a measure of your readiness, or a way that we can measure our
standard of quality. Remember when Moses came from the mountain and
handed down the Ten Commandments? He said they were from God, so that
we know where we are and where we stand. It's not that you must follow
me "or else." It's not that. You don't even have to follow
me. I will just teach you once, and you can remember all the time. Then
you can do it alone.
After we give you the instruction, you will know what
to do. You'll be your own master every day. The difficulty is not following
one master, or any master. The difficulty is being your own master,
having the discipline to do what you have chosen to do and what you
know is the best for your soul.
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