Spiritual practitioners can transcend the atmosphere of cause and effect and karmic hindrances, so we can feel more relaxed.

~Supreme Master Ching Hai

Supreme Art

Latest Longevity Lamp Designs

Created by Supreme Master Ching Hai - "Door of Heaven" and "Heavenly Rain"

Used for the first time in the making of Longevity Lamps, bamboo enhances these latest designs with an ancient touch and a look of classical beauty.

The uniquely-shaped "Door of Heaven" ceiling lamp features a four-phase switch (soft night light, warm-toned double night lamp, night lamp plus daylight lamp, and brilliant daylight lamp), providing a variety of light intensities appropriate for different circumstances. This lamp also features a door that can be opened, symbolizing that the Door of Heaven has already been opened for us.

The "Heavenly Rain" lamp features many strings of tiny bamboo pieces symbolizing raindrops - a truly ingenious design! With each gentle breeze, the bamboo sways and dances gracefully, portraying a shower of nectar raining down from Heaven onto Earth. Master once said, "I love rain. So, when it rains, remember me! The rain is like blessing from Heaven. The rain is like the connection message from Heaven to Earth. So I like it very much. That is the only thing I like; it comforts my soul." When the Longevity Lamp "Heavenly Rain" is turned on, its radiance creates the feeling of basking in God's ocean of love.

Anything can be beautiful to a beautiful heart -- even dry desert flowers bring simple joy to Her

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, California, U.S.A. March 9, 1994

(Originally in English) Videotape No. 409

It's called "Desert Flowers," very rare. You have to go to the desert to see them. And not all deserts have this kind of flower. Different deserts have different flowers. Most deserts have one kind of flower only; it's a bluish kind of flower. Only one place has these rusty red flowers; they're beautiful. They look like the real ones we have at home.

These flowers look very dry but they're not. Just their color looks dry, but they're not dry. The plants are still very green inside; when you break them, they're still green. That's the way some desert flowers are. All flowers, when they're in different conditions, have different colors and different forms.

We are similar. All people in different situations and different circumstances appear different, from the outside and sometimes from the inside. I don't mean the inside soul or the original, eternal person. I mean the character of the person: the personalities and habits he or she acquires through contact with the environment or his/her background. But they are still beautiful, just like desert flowers.

So whenever I paint, I don't just paint an impression of the objects or the scenery; there is some meaning behind it. So desert flowers are like things in some of those different environments, like people who look strange, look a little bit peculiar, don't look like us or just maybe look like me. These are similar to desert flowers.

"Desert Flowers," a pastel painting by Supreme Master Ching Hai

Summer Linen Series Can Be Worn for a Lifetime!
-- New Romantic SM Celestial Clothes for Men

The latest SM Celestial Clothes series is the Romantic Summer Group of men's shirts. The main fabric is linen, "the queen of yarns," which is highly efficient in absorbing moisture and dispersing heat, and is also resistant to decay and bacterial build-up. The fabric is of a knit construction and its linen yarn is mixed with viscose rayon, providing a soft, smooth texture. This new series of men's fashions is also highly ventilating and crease-resistant. Both its crew neck and polo shirts allow the wearer freedom and ease of movement. During the long, sizzling summer, the designs are perfect for work, recreation and casual wear. The shirts can easily be matched with other clothing, allowing for trouble-free ensemble selection. This exciting new line shows that the SM Celestial Clothes are excellent for men, too!

The crew neck knitted shirt is available in three designs:

• No. 1: Beige color; stripes across the chest and collar are embroidered with beehive patterns and the word "Celestial." A simple yet elegant design.
• No. 2: Beige color with the word "Celestial" embroidered on collar and chest.
• No. 3: V shaped notch in front of collar; decorated with elegant Chinese patterns on chest and back. A nostalgic design that makes the wearer look younger! Available in blue, beige and natural linen. Suitable for both men and women.

The knitted polo shirt is also available in three designs:

• No.1: Beige color; natural linen edge fitted along collar; three stripes across the chest with attractive patterns in between.
• No. 2: Beige and natural linen colors; features lively diamond-shaped patterns embroidered with the SM logo in the middle.
• No. 3: Beige and light yellow colors; vertical stripes on the chest consist of the SM logo and diamond- and wave-shaped patterns. Looks really smart and elegant.

The SM Celestial Clothes line also has good news for those who have to wear socks all day during the hot summer months! SM Celestial Clothes has designed socks made of pure natural linen. They are soft and smooth to the touch, highly moisture absorbent, and mold and odor resistant, providing an efficient means to improve foot hygiene and prevent athlete's foot and other skin conditions.

Panorama of Events

Report from France

A Spiritual Atmosphere Permeates the City of Art

[Paris] In June 2002, French initiates held a festive party at the Paris Center to celebrate the release of the French edition of I Have Come to Take You Home. The contact person invited initiates, would-be initiates and those who had participated in Master's translation work, as well as their friends and relatives, to the party. This excellent new translation will provide the French-speaking population around the world with a valuable resource for contacting the Truth.

The book publication party includes a vegetarian cooking session, during which initiates demonstrate how to prepare standard French cuisine and Asian delicacies.

Initiates hold a casual and relaxing "Happy Yogi Country Fashion Show" at a beautiful town in the south of France to give local residents a chance to appreciate the rich and multi-dimensional creativity of a spiritual Master, and the happy, open ambiance of Her disciples.

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Report from Switzerland

Master's Smile Radiates at the Geneva Book Fair

[Geneva] At the Geneva International Book Fair held in May 2002, initiates from the Geneva Center set up an exhibition booth displaying Master's publications in various European languages, including the French edition of I Have Come to Take You Home. Master's teachings on videotapes and DVDs were also available. Several fellow initiates came from Paris to help with preparatory work for the Fair, while other European Centers in London, Rome, Paris and Munich provided the required books, video tapes and sample booklets and made a concerted effort to ensure the success of their exhibition.

The Geneva exhibition booth was small, but it was radiant with joy and permeated by Master's enchanting smile. Geneva is an international city and people from many different ethnic and religious backgrounds stopped by to ask about Master's teachings. Some remembered Master from Her lecture tour in 1993 and others had seen Her on Quan Yin websites.

Fellow practitioners engaged in a cordial exchange with members of the Swiss Vegetarian Society, who sponsored a booth at the Fair for the first time, and were very happy to learn that Master supports vegetarianism. The Vegetarian Society members gladly exchanged sample booklets with Geneva initiates and promised to maintain contact. The adjacent booth was run by representatives of an Islamic publishing company, who also were very interested in Master's teachings, although they had to first get used to the idea of a lady Master!

While working at the exhibition booth, fellow initiates were surrounded by Master's books and videos, and could feel a very intense and elevated energy, as if they were at a retreat. This energy also attracted people with affinity, who not only were interested in meditation, but also embraced an open attitude toward Master's teachings and the idea of following the guidance of a living Master.

Video Seminar - Love Conquers All

In June 2002, fellow practitioners from Geneva held another Truth-sharing event in the form of a video seminar. Prior to the seminar,, Master's posters were affixed to every lamppost on a pedestrian bridge over the River Rhone in the middle of the city so that every few meters, pedestrians were greeted by Master's beautiful smile. Fellow practitioners simply named this bridge the Ching Hai Bridge!

On the day of the seminar, a young lady who participated shared her story with us. Influenced by an unhappy childhood, she used to constantly quarrel with her family members. However, the more she did so, the more difficult her life became. In the end, she realized that it was better to accept her karma and thank God for giving her the opportunity to grow through interacting with her family. She realized that only love can overcome hatred, and only loving others can make one's life content.

Organizing these two events was an eye opener for Geneva fellow practitioners, who previously had been eager to share Master's teachings with others, but always felt that though many people believed in God, few were ready to accept a living Master. Now they have discovered that there is a great deal of interest in meditation among young and old members of the public, and a more open attitude toward Master's teachings than they had ever imagined.

Sp8-1-136.jpg: Guests eagerly discuss Master's teachings with fellow practitioners at the Geneva video seminar.

Sp8-2-136.jpg: Audience members watch Master's videotape with rapt attention.

Report from the United Kingdom

Spiritual Flowers Blossom in London

[London] On June 14, 2002, the London Center held a video seminar introducing Master's teachings and the Convenient Method for the first time in the area of Euston, Central London, and received a very warm response from the local community.

The blessed presence of Master through Her photos, the video lecture and the art work we displayed set the stage for a magical evening. After Master's videotaped lecture ended, a very challenging question and answer session was held, after which we perceived the visitors' satisfaction through their thunderous applause. One of the initiates who answered questions during the session then jokingly declared, "Wow! It's amazing how I become so wise when I stand on the stage!" God's blessing was miraculous.

More than 30 sincere brothers and sisters who attended the lecture received the Convenient Method. During the 30-minute Convenient Method meditation session, everyone was embraced by Master's unconditional love and infinite Light. After meditation, all the participants enjoyed delicious blessed food, abundant desserts and a variety of beverages.

There was so much love and harmony in the air that not one person left without receiving numerous hugs and well wishes, capping a memorable night. We felt that several years of spiritual cultivation had suddenly blossomed on the day of the seminar. Thank You, Master, for bestowing on us this magic.

Sp5-1-136.jpg: During the question and answer session at the Euston video seminar, guests attentively listen to Master's teachings as interpreted by our initiates, who resolve many long-standing questions.

Sp5-2-136.jpg: Many guests enthusiastically discuss Master's teachings with an initiate displaying Master's publications.

Report from Peru

Master's Divine Love Pervades Peru

[Peru] During a recent visit by a Quan a messenger, local fellow initiates held four video seminars around Peru in Puno, Wiracocha Park in the capital city Lima, Chiclayo and Chancay north of Lima, bringing the good news about the Quan Yin Method to many eager Truth-seekers. With Master's blessings, the seminars were highly successful; received enthusiastic responses from the local people. And many participants who learned the Convenient Method had excellent experiences.

Sp7-1-136.jpg: One of the video seminars in Peru receives an enthusiastic response from local residents.

Sp7-3-136.jpg: A Quan Yin messenger and fellow initiates from Peru hold a two-day retreat and initiation session at a scenic location. During this period, the clean, quiet, ethereal venue was filled with Master's blessings. (Sp7-2.jpg)

Sp7-2-136.jpg: At the end of the retreat and initiation, all the participants were excited and contented, their faces radiating great joy.

Report from California, U.S.A.

The Santa Rosa Health and Harmony Festival

[Santa Rosa] On June 8-9, 2002, fellow practitioners from San Jose joined with the San Francisco Center to sponsor a booth at a highly regarded health fair - the Health and Harmony Festival - in Santa Rosa County. The Festival's atmosphere was extremely lively and spiritual, reflecting its goal of expanding spirituality by promoting physical and mental health!

A large picture of Master placed in our booth attracted a great deal of attention, and made our display stand out from all the others. Moreover, Master's teachings were warmly received by visitors, including a shirtless, bearded man who stopped by our booth and silently stared at Her picture with a somewhat moody expression on his face. The man caught the attention of one of our initiates, who interviewed him and discovered that the brother had been wandering aimlessly around the Festival grounds for some time. Although there were many things to see and many programs to enjoy at the event, at first he did not know what he was looking for, but was eventually attracted to Master's picture. As the interview unfolded, a sad story surfaced that belied the man's emotionless expression.

Fifteen years ago, he was living in a beautiful marriage and was a happy, healthy vegetarian. During this period, he taught a class in vegetarian cooking at a church to help people become vegetarian. Then one day he met a so-called "master from afar," who told him that he should use alcohol to enhance his spiritual practice. Out of ignorance, the man believed the master, turned into an alcoholic, and instead degraded his spiritual level. Shortly afterwards, the man's wife could not bear his behavior anymore and told him to leave his house, and he thus became homeless!

Fortunately, however, his wife remained married to him and still took care of him when he was in need; for instance, by welcoming him home to take baths. The man had totally lost himself and considered his wife to be the only "deity" in his miserable, spiritless existence.

However, he remembered seeing Master Ching Hai's picture a long time ago, perhaps before he had met the false master. So when he saw Her image at the Festival, he felt an overwhelming affinity with Her. It was as if he had found his long-awaited Savior!

Upon learning that Master Ching Hai is a living Master Who imparts the method of immediate enlightenment and eternal liberation, the brother deeply treasured the sample booklet he received from our initiates, and sincerely hopes to someday follow the Quan Yin path!

Sp1-1-136.jpg: A large picture of Master hangs in our booth, lovingly watching over the participants during the event. Besides presenting Master's videotaped lectures and displaying Her publications, fellow practitioners also prepared sample booklets, Master's News magazines, and cards listing Internet links to Quan Yin Web sites as gifts to interested guests.

Report from Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Sharing Truth and Love in Cambridge

[Boston] For many inhabitants of the Greater Boston area, June 15 2002 was full of rich spiritual meaning. For on that day, Boston initiates participated in the annual Cambridge Charles Riverside Festival, taking advantage of the event to promote vegetarianism and share information about spiritual practice with the local community. Over the past few years, fellow practitioners from Boston have participated in the Festival, and this year was no different, as several sister initiates braved windy, rainy conditions to eagerly distribute Master's publications, vegetarian food and fliers about a video seminar to be held the same day. Many people were touched by the presence of Master's infinite love, and responded with sincerity and affirmation.

Then, after the Festival ended, fellow practitioners immediately rushed to the Harvard-Yenching Library at Harvard University, the venue for one of Master's 1991 lectures. There, they prepared for the above-mentioned video seminar, the first such Truth-sharing activity to be conducted solely by Boston area fellow practitioners in a decade. To ensure its success, some initiates held special group meditation and prayer sessions each morning and evening for a week prior to the event.

Although the seminar was conceived and prepared in only a week's time, it proceeded smoothly and successfully in a warm, relaxed atmosphere marked by abundant laughter. In addition, all the seminar's audience members enrolled to learn the Convenient Method!

Sp3-1-136.jpg: Despite cold, wet weather, a continuous flow of people, attracted by the large variety of beautifully displayed vegetarian foods prepared by local initiates, experiences Master's warmth and hospitality at the Cambridge Charles Riverside Festival.

Report from Japan

A Vegetarian Resort Receives a Warm Welcome!

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[Chibaken] At a time when vegetarianism is yet to be widely accepted in their country, Japanese initiates find it all the more important to popularize the vegetarian diet through all possible means. So, recently, a group of fellow practitioners pooled their efforts and resources to start the Pension Rikigen Holiday Village at a scenic coastal location in Tateyama-Shi, Chibaken. The Holiday Village is a beautiful, quiet place that covers 1,500 square meters, faces the sea and is flanked by a mountain on one side. It takes only five minutes to walk from the Village to the seaside, where visitors can enjoy blue skies, cool breezes and the sweet smell of the ocean. The resort offers a wide variety of vegetarian cuisine to tourists and area residents alike, and provides guest accommodations, tennis courts and a building that can be used by fellow initiates for group meditation.

Since Pension Rikigen's construction, its widespread acceptance by the local community has given the initiates much consolation. Some of the resort's neighbors have even decided to follow a vegetarian diet, while two ladies sent flowers for Master's birthday celebrations. Many visitors who come to eat or spend a holiday at Pension Rikigen eagerly pick up Master's sample booklets or make further inquiries about Her teachings. Normally, people who vacation by the sea choose to eat seafood, which is why the Pension Rikigen Holiday Village, known for no smoking, no alcohol and a vegetarian cuisine, is unique in the area. It has attracted many guests, who bestow great compliments on the cooking staff after enjoying their delicious, meat-free meals.

Japanese initiates plan to hold a wide variety of activities at the Pension Rikigen Holiday Village, such as Chinese tea-drinking demonstrations, vegetarian cooking classes and free vegetarian food sampling parties, to create more opportunities for people to follow the right path and attain the Truth.

Contact information:

Pension Rikigen
86-1, Hasama, Tateyama-shi, Chibaken, Japan 294-0307
Tel: 81-470-20-9127 / Fax: 81-470-20-9128

Report from Macau

Fruitful Vegetarian Activities in Macau

[Macau] Since Macau initiates participated in the Cross-strait Book Exhibition in March of 2002, many people in the area have become deeply interested in Master's teachings. However, their inadequate understanding of vegetarianism has caused some to delay beginning practice of the Quan Yin Method. To remedy this situation, fellow practitioners decided to introduce vegetarianism to the public by holding vegetarian cooking classes and preparing a weekly open buffet, where they offer various dishes in local styles such as Shanghai, Cantonese, Hubei, Aulacese and Macau.

The buffet not only gives fellow practitioners an opportunity to exchange experiences about the culinary arts and learn helpful tips from each other, but also assists guests in cultivating correct concepts about vegetarianism. Some participants have asked to learn the Convenient Method immediately after eating their meals, helping us realize that as long as we are willing to contribute what we can, we will achieve the goal of sharing the Truth, even through simple activities such as relaxed and carefree dinner parties!

Report from Bali, Indonesia

Let Us Pray for a Brighter Future

[Bali] On May 19, 2002, the Denpasar Center held a successful seminar featuring one of Master's videos. The venue was filled with an audience of about 800, including more than 200 people who learned the Convenient Method afterwards.

Originally, the seminar was scheduled to be held at the Denpasar Art Center, but the venue had to be changed. Despite this unforeseen adjustment in plans, local fellow practitioners managed to rearrange the whole event and inform people without difficulty. Many fellow practitioners from Jakarta, Malang and Surabaya came and merrily joined in the preparation work. Everyone, including non-initiates, was very supportive and cooperative, enabling the seminar to run smoothly.

Since Bali is a conservative place where residents adhere to ancient religious rituals and customs, fellow practitioners were not certain whether the local people would be interested in the seminar. However, the initiates persisted in the their work with the strong faith that Master would take care of everything, and left the results in God's hands. Then, on the day of the event, the seminar venue was unexpectedly filled to capacity! During the question and answer session after the video presentation, most attendees wanted to know whether the Quan Yin Method is consistent with Bali's existing rituals and religious practices. The initiates replied that the Quan Yin Method can help everyone to better understand the area's traditional rituals, and help them to communicate better with their religious masters. The audience responded with a thunderous round of applause.

Some people expressed a yearning to see Master in person, and asked, "Why is Master not here for the seminar?" In reply, fellow practitioners said, "Let us all pray together that Master will one day visit us!" With this sincere prayer, the seminar come to an end.

Sp6-1-136.jpg: Participants at the Bali video seminar attentively watch Master's videotape.

Sp6-2-136.jpg: A great variety of Master's publications brightens the eyes and refreshes the minds of guests at the seminar.

Sp6-3all.jpg: Local Newspapers report the news of Master's seminar in Bali.

Report from Australia

An Upbeat Video Seminar at Belconnen

[Canberra] On April 20, 2002, with the assistance of a Quan Yin messenger, initiates from the Canberra Center organized a seminar presenting one of Master's lecture videos at the Belconnen Public Library. Many of the attendees expressed positive reactions to Master's lecture and sought further information about the Quan Yin Method.

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Report from Korea

Sharing Truth at the 2002 Seoul

                         International Book Exhibition

[Seoul] The 2002 Seoul International Book Exhibition was held from June 7 to 14 at Seoul's COEX Convention Center (the site of Master's 2000 Korea lecture). As in previous years, the Seoul Center participated in the event to actively share Master's teachings and the Quan Yin Method with the public.

At the Exhibition fellow practitioners from Korea introduced Master's publications in special new formats, such as e-Books and e-Archives. Through the use of state-of-the-art equipment, videotapes were dubbed in Korean, and the event was transmitted in real-time via the Internet on a Korean Quan Yin Website. The brilliant live broadcast on the Internet was on a par with the work of professional journalists.

On June 10, although the World Cup football match between Korea and the United States captured everyone's attention, Heaven suddenly dispatched some timely rain that drove a huge crowd into the Book Exhibition hall. Seizing this opportunity, fellow practitioners immediately tuned in to the live broadcast of the football match and drew an unexpected crowd to Master's exhibition booth. After enjoying the match, some of the visitors stayed to watch Master's videos. As a result, many people who had never heard Master's name became highly interested, and inquired about Her teachings. Fellow practitioners are very grateful for God's help!

Many changes were introduced by initiates at this year's Exhibition. And not only were the visitors fascinated, but fellow practitioners also gained precious practical experience.

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Being nothing short of a bookshop, the large display of Master's publications at the 2002 Seoul International Book Exhibition is enough to satisfy the needs of countless Truth-aspirants.

Sp4-2-136.jpg: Making use of the latest technology, Korean fellow practitioners produce a live Internet broadcast of the 2002 Seoul International Book Exhibition.

Sp4-3-136.jpg: Visitors attentively watch and listen to Master's words of wisdom on a TV screen.

Report from Formosa

An Artistic Event at the Dragon Boat Festival

[Tainan] On June 15, 2002, by invitation of the Tainan Art Center, initiates from Tainan, Formosa conducted an entertainment activity combining spirituality and the arts at the Center's Holiday Square during the annual Dragon Boat Festival.

In addition to dance and musical programs demonstrating the bliss and loving sentiments obtainable through spiritual practice, fellow initiates conducted a lively S.M. Celestial Clothes fashion show and presented a display of Master's Longevity Lamps, in hopes of leading participants to enter the spiritual path through the beauty of art.

Sp2-1-136.jpg: A display of Longevity Lamps, with their distinctive shapes and spiritual radiance symbolizing "Light forever," add special meaning to the Dragon Boat Festival.

Sp2-2-136.jpg: Enthusiastic visitors quickly deplete the supply of Master's sample booklets and News magazines. Some visitors immediately read the booklets and magazines on the spot, becoming totally absorbed in Master's love.

A documentary on this activity is included in Serial No. 67 of the A Journey Through Aesthetic Realms program. For online viewing, please visit: http://137.hichannel.com.tw 

Events DateBook

To keep pace with the planet's ongoing spiritual elevation, the local centers of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association are holding more and more video seminars and other Truth-sharing activities worldwide. You are welcome to join in these activities with your friends and relatives.

For the latest schedule of our Truth-sharing activities, please visit the following URLs:
http://www.Godsdirectcontact.org/seminar/  (U.S.A.)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/seminar/index.htm  (Formosa)

Master's Wonders

Life's Most Marvelous Moments --
 MMeetings with Master's Transformation Embodiment

A conversation between Supreme Master Ching Hai and fellow initiates at a tea party, the Florida Center, U.S.A, May 12, 2002

(Originally in Chinese)

The more we practice the Quan Yin Method, the more powerful we become. But new initiates cannot withstand too much blessing from God all at once so it's okay for them to meditate only two to three hours a day, and then sit longer by and by. Some can meditate for eight hours, or eighteen hours, or even twenty-four hours a day after they have practiced for a long time. But new initiates cannot practice so much; otherwise, there may be a problem because they cannot bear so much of God's power. Although this power was ours originally, there may be problems if we have not adjusted or adapted ourselves well when we suddenly receive too much power. That's why I have told you it's okay to meditate just two to three hours a day. Half an hour to one hour is enough for Convenient Method practitioners. It's not that the "greedier" you are in practice, the better you become. Of course, more practice helps, but you still have to take your time.

Some great spiritual practitioners in the Himalayas practice all day long. They meditate eight or eighteen hours a day, so their magical power is strong. They can appear and disappear all of a sudden before you know it. Of course, that's their inner Light form. Sometimes we can touch this manifestation form, just like we were touching a physical body. Try it on your neighbors. (Master and audience laugh.) Maybe it's a transformation embodiment. (Laughter) Those practitioners are on very high levels, so they have countless manifestations. It's just an outcome of cumulative practice.

How does this happen? Our bodies and the cells in the body evolve, and so do our souls. Most people take millions of years to advance to this level in the natural circulation system. However, with the Quan Yin Method, it takes only two to three weeks to attain the level that takes ordinary people several lifetimes of practice to reach. As a matter of fact, this is not really spiritual practice; it's just becoming involved in the circulation system of the universe. Ordinarily, those who don't practice the Quan Yin Method, but instead rely on doing charity, observing the precepts, and being good people, can reach this level only after eons.

The Quan Yin Method includes spiritual cultivation, keeping the precepts, purifying our body, speech and mind and meditating on the inner Sound and Light; so that we can elevate ourselves with respect to the whole evolutionary system. Human beings were originally crude. Their cells and brains were all crude. They had to evolve gradually to become intelligent human beings. After we learn the Quan Yin Method, we can evolve into more intelligent people, having both spirituality and magical power; not tangible magic, but a kind of "doing without doing." The more we practice this Method, the higher we develop ourselves, and the higher beings we become. We will progress very quickly in the evolutionary system.

When humans first appeared on this planet in very ancient times, some looked like gorillas, not only in appearance, but in thinking and behavior as well. At that time, humans could not do many things and gradually developed into what they are now. If we practice the Quan Yin Method, our levels can soar through several levels, without waiting millions of years for evolution to take its course.

The Quan Yin Method is nothing superstitious or mystical. We simply have an inner system that makes us progress. Even if we do not speed it up, it still automatically proceeds, but slowly. The Quan Yin Method accelerates this system. Therefore, when we first begin to practice it, we cannot practice very much; two to three hours a day are enough.

The practitioners in the Himalayas practice all day, and they are constantly in samadhi; thus, they have great magical power. They transform, appear and disappear, and we can never get hold of them! Some of our initiates also have seen the inner Light form of Master in their meditation or at home. Sometimes the manifestation form Master talks to them. They see Her not only through their inner vision, but also when they open their eyes, just like I see you now. They can even shake Her hand. But this form of Master doesn't stay very long. Of course, the manifestation form Master can stay, but it's not necessary for it to do so. And this form of Master only speaks a few words and then leaves. These initiates really have this sort of experience because they have practiced the Quan Yin Method for many lifetimes or have practiced very diligently in this lifetime.

It's really a pity if we don't practice this Method! The more we do, the greater we become. If we really know the benefits of practicing this Method, sometimes we like to forsake the whole world, and hide ourselves in some secret place for spiritual practice. Inside of us there is much potential power that we have not yet developed. In this world, we are powerless and lead a poor life like a beggar. But it doesn't matter. We can take our time. Maybe several lifetimes from now our magical power will grow as great!

Have you ever read the story of Yogananda (a great Indian saint of the twentieth century)? (Audience: Yes.) His Master Babaji often came and went, and His disciples could never get hold of Him. Sometimes Babaji would come to a disciple's home and then disappear, and the disciple might think his Master had gone. Since Babaji could conceal himself in the wind, rain, sun and air, you could never get hold of Him because He had practiced for such a long time! Those Masters are very different from ordinary people. They fly rather than walk. Sometimes they don't even bother to fly - they hide themselves in the air and disappear. We must have enough merit to see their manifestation forms.

Some of our fellow initiates have also seen this kind of manifestation form. I have heard stories about people seeing my manifestation form. Right? (Yes.) You saw it? Was it Master's inner Light form or a physical one? (Sister A: It looked like a human body, except it didn't talk.) Maybe you have not evolved to the level of being able to converse with it. (Master and audience laugh.) This is quite good already! Practice more and the manifestation form Master will talk to you. (Master and audience laugh.) Could you touch it? (Sister A: Master's manifestation form turned around and smiled at me. We were riding a bus together.) Riding a bus together? Poor me! (Laughter) Maybe I had too many disciples at that time, and I had no money! (Master and audience laugh.) Tell the story again, because they haven't heard the story and don't understand what we're laughing about.

Sister A: It was eight years ago. I was on a local Hsinchu bus when I saw Master. She was sitting opposite me, only one seat away. But I didn't know Master at the time. When the bus passed by Chungli, and arrived at Lungtan, Master got off the bus,, and She turned and smiled at me after crossed the road. I thought, "Why, this person makes me feel good!" The next day, I saw a poster in the same place, saying that a Master from the Himalayas was going to give a lecture. Only then did I realize that the person I had seen the day before was the Master on the poster.

Master: Maybe She was taking the bus to the lecture at the time. (Master and audience laugh.)

Sister A: I thought so. But later a sister nearby said that Master was on a retreat; besides, She couldn't be traveling alone.

Master: Right, I don't remember Her ever taking a bus in Formosa, but maybe She had no money at that time! (Laughter) Or maybe She snuck out alone to do it, and didn't tell me. (Master laughs.) Some non-initiates have also seen the manifestation form of Master at their homes, but after that they became fellow initiates.

Sister B: About seven or eight years ago, upon arriving home, my tenant told me, "It's a pity you weren't home - your Master was here! (Laughter) She asked me, 'Are you hungry? Have you eaten?' And I said, 'I'm not hungry. I don't want to eat.' Then Master said, 'You should eat. Come, let me wash the rice and cook it for you.' Your Master is really powerful! She even knew where you stored your rice!'" (Audience laughs.) My tenant said she didn't trouble Master with the cooking, and added, "It's really a pity that you didn't come back in time." She was completely unaware that she had seen Master's manifestation form!

Master: It's a pity that she didn't eat the rice cooked by the Master. You didn't see it yourself?

Sister B: No. I'm very happy already that Master came to my home!

Sister C: Master, the following is not my personal experience, but a story that a sister initiate told me. Her neighbor was over eighty when he passed away recently. Before he died, the sister initiate showed him Your photo, which reminded him of something that had happened some forty or fifty years earlier, when he was recruited by the Japanese army and sent to Manila, the Philippines. The boat he took to Manila sank to the bottom of the sea while crossing a very deep ocean trench. From the ocean depths, he saw the manifestation form of Master come to rescue him, and was thus saved from drowning. When he saw Master's photo on the cover of Her Aphorisms book, he found that the Lady in the picture looked exactly like the person who had saved him many years earlier. He was very grateful to Master for saving his life.

Sister D: Master, my father-in-law once told me that when he was hospitalized, he saw Master come to see him. At that time Master was in white and asked him, "Do you know who I am?" And he answered, "You are just an old woman!" (Laughter) Master then replied, "Look again, and look carefully." Then he thought to himself, "Well, maybe She is my son's master - Master Ching Hai!" Then Master said, "Take care of your health; you will be all right." Hearing this, he was so happy and touched that he began crying, and Master soon disappeared. The following day, my father-in-law received a call from us, telling him that we would come to pick him up and he could live with us. He was very delighted. Thank you, Master!

Sister E: Over ten years ago, I paid a visit to a friend and got lost on my way home. I got stuck for a long time and still couldn't find the right directions home. Later I saw Master in front of me, looking the same as in the photo in which She is dressed as Quan Yin Bodhisattva (the Goddess of Mercy)! I then followed the directions of the manifestation form of Master, and found the right way home!

Master: Great!

Sister E: Later I bought a copy of that photo. (Master and audience laugh.) After my experience, Master wore the dress I saw in my experience.

Master: The photo of me in a white dress led you home?

Sister E: Yes!

Master: There are still many people who have had experiences! What we are talking about is Master's manifestation form that can talk to you physically. It's a special situation, and not the way you see in your meditation. What you see in your meditation is an inner vision. What we are talking about here is Master's manifestation form communicating with someone in the realm of the physical world, and this is different from what you see in meditation. In these cases, Master comes down from above to reach you. But when you see Master in your meditation, it means you have elevated to a higher dimension. If you see the Master with your eyes open, it means that Master has come down to communicate with you in this world. The Master you see here now is neither "up" nor "down." It's called the level of the "Tea Party." (Master and audience laugh.)

Brother A: have two stories, but they are not about my own experience. The first is that of my wife's nephew. When my mother-in-law was a new initiate, one day she took her grandson to the Taipei Youth Park. There, the child said that he wanted to go to the washroom, so my mother-in-law strolled about while he was inside. After emerging from the washroom, the child couldn't find his grandmother, so he became frightened. At that moment, he knew that he shouldn't cry for he was afraid he might be taken away by bad people because if he cried, others would know that he was lost.

Master: How old was the child?

Brother A: About four or five. During the time when the boy was very afraid, Master came up and talked to him, saying, "Follow me, and don't cry!" He followed close behind Master and found his grandmother after they had gone by two places. Then he told his grandmother, "I saw Master just now. She led me to you." This was the first time I had heard of Master's manifestation appearing near our home. Before that I had only experienced being tested and awakened by Master in my dreams. (Master and audience laugh.)

The other story I have is about a Hsinchu sister initiate's experience. One day before she was initiated, she went shopping for food at a market, where a small nun gave her a sample booklet, and told her to go to a lecture. When she looked at the booklet, she thought, "Gee, isn't this person in the photo the nun who gave me the booklet?" (Laughter) But she couldn't find Master when she turned around. Master had not only appeared before her, but also spoken to her. Of course, she was later initiated.

Master: Your work is not perfect enough! You see, I have to hand out the sample booklets myself! (Laughter) Lazy workers! You missed one of my disciples and I had to look for her myself! You see, it's better for me to rely on myself! (Master and audience laugh.)

Sister F: My daughter has had frequent communications with Master since she was little. But I try not to ask her about them because we shouldn't ask about others' experiences. Once she acted in a very strange way. When I was chatting with an initiate, she kept bowing here and there. I found it very weird so I asked her, "What are you doing?" And she said, "Master has come!" I replied, "If Master comes, bow to Her only!" My daughter then said, "But She keeps moving!" (Laughter) And I responded, "Tell me where Master is so I won't bump into Her!" (Laughter)

When my daughter was two or three years old, I took her to the suspension bridge over Taipei Bitan (the largest lake in Taipei). I put her on the bridge and told her, "Sit here. I have to buy something. If any bad people want to take you away, shout for me." She answered, "I'll call Master, not you!" (Master and audience laugh.) The other day, my daughter and I went out with some initiates. I saw a big rock, and told my daughter and another little initiate to stand on it so I could take a photograph of them. To get a better picture, I asked them to move back a little. After taking the picture, I came up to my daughter and found that right behind the rock was the ocean. The children had been standing on the edge of the rock and had almost fallen into the sea! I asked my daughter, "Why didn't you tell me?" And she replied, "Master is here. I'm not afraid!" Around that time, she had often talked about Master coming, and this time I didn't expect that Master had really come. After the photo was developed, we could see that my daughter's arm appeared to be transparent, and the sea behind her could be seen through her arm. The owner of the photo studio was very surprised and asked, "What happened?"

Master: Maybe something was wrong with your film. (Laughter)

Sister G: Seven or eight years ago, I drove to Yangming Mountain one day and gave a woman hitchhiker a ride. I gave her a copy of Master's sample booklet because she seemed to be a Buddhist. When she saw the booklet, she said: "Gee, I seem to have seen this Master before!" Finally, she revealed that several times while she and her husband were riding a motorbike on the way to the Yangming Center, they had seen a nun jogging along the road. The woman said she felt strange because the nun jogged even on rainy days, and seemed to be insulated from the rain even though she didn't wear a raincoat.

As I was giving the woman a ride home to Wanli, my car went by the Yangming Center and she pointed to a certain place and said, "The nun I saw disappeared here, but I don't see any temple!" The place she pointed to was the location of the Center, where Master had previously stayed. But Master was abroad and not in Formosa at the time the woman saw Her. The woman then said, "When it's sunny, she jogs; when it's rainy, she still jogs." (Master and audience laugh.) Both she and her husband had seen it. Then I gave her some issues of Master's News magazines and a sample booklet, and asked which form of Master she had seen. She said it was the one on the old version of Master's sample booklet, in which Master was dressed as a nun. Thank you, Master! (Audience applauds.)

Master: Why are you thanking me? I just jogged. (Master and audience laugh.) People thank me just because I do exercises. Can you believe it? (Master and audience laugh.) I was just bored on Yangming Mountain, because they boxed me in there, so I had to jog a little to get some fresh air! When talking about your experiences, you can never finish! (Laughter)

Aphorisms

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa, June 13, 1991 (Originally in Chinese)

Usually, even if we know our past mistakes, we do not have the power to repent. If we can truly repent, however, our karmic hindrances will be erased. We must really practice spiritually in order to repent. Therefore, we still have to meditate.

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa, June 28, 1991 (Originally in Chinese)

Spiritual practitioners can transcend the atmosphere of cause and effect and karmic hindrances, so we can feel more relaxed. Therefore, the more we practice, the happier and smoother our lives will be. Because we have escaped from the process of karmic hindrances, it can no longer get hold of us, for we are above it.

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Singapore, March 8, 1993 (Originally in English) Videotape No. 327

If we are intelligent, we may have a high social status in society, or a high position in the country or among the people on earth. But if we have wisdom, we can attain Heaven even while on earth.

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa, August 18, 1991 (Originally in Chinese)

The more we spiritual practitioners look inward, the better we will be. Within us are our virtuous quality, supreme wisdom, and greatest power. If we turn outward, the power and concentration of our wisdom will be dispersed.

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa, January 12, 1992 (Originally in Chinese)

Do not lose your original Self or personal demeanor for the sake of anyone. Only in this way can we be original, genuine, and natural. We'll be charismatic, lovely and beautiful. It is not good to imitate anyone.

While on the Path

Overcoming the Ego

By Sister Chung Wen-hung Taipei, Formosa

On May 5, 1999, in response to an audience member's question at a lecture in Madrid, Spain, Master stated that overcoming our shortcomings, ego and evil inclinations to become masters of ourselves is the most splendid victory imaginable, superior to that of any war. I was deeply touched to learn Master's supreme wisdom on this subject, for I was initiated over ten years ago, and although I feel I have been sincere on the path and undergone many challenges, I still fail one test after another. Fortunately, however, through Master's sacred blessings, I am always able to restore my poise and continue to face life with confidence.

I was raised in a well-to-do family, and as a child listened to no one but my father. Throughout my school years, I made smooth educational progress and thought myself to be as intelligent and talented as any of my schoolmates. Then, after becoming a respected junior high school teacher, my ego grew even larger, and I came to admire few people in my life besides Master. Outwardly, I seemed quite easy-going, but inwardly I was arrogant and stubborn.

Then, after getting married, in order to become perfect in my own eyes and satisfy my eagerness to do everything well, I undertook all the household work for the family, working during the day and doing chores until midnight. I almost passed out at work a few times, but still refused to ask for help. Through this egotistical behavior I hurt myself very much! But fortunately, I was being taken care of by Master, who led me through many difficulties without my being aware of it. I am very grateful for God's arrangements as my family members "cut down" my ego, and gave me a chance to learn the lesson of humility. Thanks to God, when I was young I was strictly trained by my mother, and before my marriage was taught by my mother and sister-in-law how to do housework, without which my life might have been even worse!

At the time of my initiation, Formosa was at its peak economically, and many people were indulging in all forms of physical comforts, so we spiritual practitioners, who maintained a vegetarian diet and meditated every day, looked quite alien. Also, as unruly students disrespectfully humiliated their teachers, I felt lucky because Master always teaches us to accommodate everything with love. Around this time, for example, several of young girls deliberately laughed at me in front of my husband and criticized spiritual practice. Their disrespectful words and my husband's mocking response hurt my ego very much. Although I bore the pain on the surface, I was angry and sad inside. Due to Master's understanding of my situation at the time, as She walked around the Hsihu Meditation Hall after a lecture, She smiled at me, winked and said, "Don't mind what others say about you!" Suddenly, my inner troubles disappeared, and I was elevated by Master's sweet smile as Her loving blessings overcame the deep hurt within me. Actually, these minor words of ridicule I had experienced were nothing compared to the slander and stress that Master undergoes regularly.

It often requires great effort and much time on Master's part to train us to dispose of our bad habits. Furthermore, many kinds of subtle ego games are difficult for us to recognize, so we have to trouble our Master, the great director of the universe, to arrange many learning situations for us, and burden many beings of affinity to play the games with us, so that we can learn to diminish the ego. In this regard, I clearly remember the Christmas 2001 Four-day Retreat in Florida, U.S.A, when Master answered an initiate's question as follows: "When people scold you, you should take it as my scolding you and be more loving toward them, and your anger will disappear." These wise words provide an excellent remedy for overcoming the ego.

Master Says

Enlightenment Comes in the Relaxed Moments

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Florida, USA, June 8, 2001 (Originally in English) Videotape No. 716

We Bathe in the Ocean of Love

I am very happy to see you today. You must be good today, good people. Because sometimes not very good people have come and I also feel it. Today, probably you are in a good mood, like flying spirits. Just relax, and then everything will come to you. Just relax; remember that the Bible says, "Don't worry about tomorrow, because God will take care of everything, including even the blades of grass and the lilies of the field." How would Hes not take care of you? You are Hiers begotten children in Hiers own image. You are saturated with Hiers love and blessings, all day long, for 24 or even 25 hours, over and over. Just be still and feel it. Be still; then you can feel it.

For example, the wind is blowing and the breeze is so nice, but you keep struggling: "I want wind; I want the wind; I'm hot!" The more you struggle and sweat, the hotter and more uncomfortable you feel. Then you become exhausted, and you might even drop dead - in the presence of the wind!

My dogs are like that. So don't be a dog! (Audience laughs.) When a new dog comes, especially a puppy, he's always panting, "Ah, ah, ah!" He always wants me to do something, and he always wants to hang around me. I'm right there, but he's always hanging at my feet, obstructing both of our movements. Sometimes, for example, I put him inside a room with all of his toys and a big, big place to play. And he has water and everything. But he has to hang around right at the gate, panting all the time, drooling and sweating and screaming - for no reason! He could have relaxed. I feel terrible putting him in a crate, which is only for when he's naughty and only for a while. It's just for training purposes, or for when he's sick, so that he rests instead of jumping all over and wasting energy. So I give him a whole room, which is bigger than my room. I treat him at least as an equal, or sometimes even better than myself. The dogs eat before I do; they eat fruit and all kinds of things. I peel fruit and vegetables to give them. I don't even do that for myself! Most of the time if the disciples or whoever don't have already-peeled fruit, I don't eat fruit. They bring the whole basket up, and then they bring it down again, hoping that one day I will see the fruit and eat it.

I never see the fruit; I never bother. I don't think of fruit. But now that I have dogs, I peel the fruit every day, and then give it to the puppy. I treat him better than myself. But he's so panicky, running around next to the gate, then climbing up and down the gate all the time, exhausting himself and sweating and drooling. And he looks so terrible: for what? I already told him, "I'm busy right now; stay there, and in a while, I'll take you out, if you're good." But no, he obstructs himself. He messes it all up, and then pees everywhere - not where he's supposed to, in the designated area - then he gets more punishment, and then he can't get out, ever.

This is the problem with us, too. You're always right here in the presence of God, all the time. If God is not here right now, God is never anywhere. If God doesn't know what you want already, Hes knows nothing. Then Hes' a stupid guy; there's no need to worship Hirm or go find Hirm. So just relax, know that God is all-knowing, and ask for whatever you really need. I always know you are here, and if you're more relaxed, I will come around. If I feel your relaxed atmosphere, maybe I will be attracted to it. Because I love this kind of cool atmosphere. And then I will probably inch myself in your direction and ask you something, and then we can be a couple of good conversationalists. We can talk about things that you would never probably dream we could talk about - instead of grabbing me for two seconds, getting scolded, and putting your tail between your legs to run away like a dog. You're not dogs; I'm sorry, don't be offended. But you do have a tail somewhere; some of you have! (Master and everyone laugh.)

Anyway, just relax; whatever happens will happen. Many of you are always like that. Spiritual practice is not like doing business out there, where you have to climb on top of each other to get the glory. You don't have to snatch the profit from the next person to get it. Everything you do outside to get attention, to grab glory or success, drop it before you come through the gate. If you want that way of being busy or bugging people for yourself, then you can pick it up when you go out. But once you come in here, you can relax. Remember, you are a saint or saint-to-be; behave like one. You're noble, you're good, you're protected, you're loved, you're noticed, you're welcome, and you're cared for - 24 hours. You are the ones the world should look up to. Walk like that. Then you will be like that.

Keep Thinking of Yourself as a Saint

Believe me. Whatever you think, you get; so think of yourself as a good, good saint. Even if you don't believe it that much, try. Keep thinking like that because you are. You are in the process of remembering again that you are a saint, anyway. You were a saint before you came here. It's just that you have chosen to forget, to be a human and do whatever silly things you have to do for the role you play here. But now, once you go into a Center, that is the time to forget your role and to remember your real Self. So every time you walk through the gate of the Center, remember: You are a saint, you are a Buddha, and you are reclaiming yourself now. "This is a time all for myself, all for my sainthood; nothing else comes between that and me. I'm OK; I'm great; I'm going to practice during these two, three, or four hours I am here, as a saint. I'm going to practice and rehearse again my role as a saint in this world." Because if you want to be an ordinary stupid person again in the Center, where else can you be a saint? Where else can you remember yourself as great, as holy, as flawless, as intelligent, as enlightened, as all blessing, all grace, all glory, all God-like?

You may ask me questions; that's OK. You may ask them to satisfy your brain. But don't act like a stupid nuisance. Don't lower your level of dignity. Don't lower your consciousness. Don't be contented with the lower self. Don't be a habit-driven creature, going everywhere and being a nuisance, grabbing and greedy, bugging people and making a fool, a stupid 'you-know-what' of yourself.

The law of God is: "As you think, so shall you become." Keep thinking until your thinking power becomes very strong, and then you become that. Whatever you think you are, you will become. It may not be in one day that you think and you become a saint, or that you will remember yourself as a saint right away. But keep thinking in that direction, or at least whenever you go to the Center. That is the time for you to be a saint, at least.

The power of creation is within your sight. It's in your head, in your brain, and in your mind. Because you're God, you have this creative power. So you can create what you are. Create yourself with dignity; create yourself as a saint; create yourself as a Buddha. Keep creating, until it becomes reality. How do you think we became like this? Because we have been thinking and creating ourselves like this - until we became it. It took time, but it happened. That's why we have to meditate every day: to create, re-create, and remember - until we are firm in our remembrance of our original Self. Then we are assured that we are Saints. We have just forgotten, and now we have to try to remember, again and again.

Every time you walk through the Center's gate, remember that you are a Saint. The more you remember, the more you will be one, and the more enlightenment will come to you and be nearer to you. It is already there; it's just that the more you remind yourself, the more you realize you have.

So do not obstruct yourself with those stupid habits. You are a Saint. Don't make a fool of yourself. It looks silly, it looks funny, it looks stupid, and I'm not proud of you when you do that. I'm proud of you when you walk with your head high, when you're in very noble spirits, when you're self confident, knowing that you are Saints, or at least knowing that you are Saints who maybe doesn't realize it yet. At least you can say, "Maybe I haven't remembered it fully yet, but I know I'm a Saint." Each time you think and walk like a Saint, you are a Saint - there's no question about it. Because you are already! It's just that you always forget it. Each time you remember, that is the time you are. My God, it's so easy to be a Saint. It's easier than eating, sleeping, or anything else. Just remember it.

Selected Questions and Answers

An Enlightened Master's Guidance Is Necessary for Spiritual Practice

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Florida, USA, June 8, 2001 (Originally in English) Videotape No. 716

Q: Master, I just wanted to let you know that in medicine, people are waking up. I don't know if you saw that Newsweek and Time recently published "The Power of Yoga." Also, they're studying the physiology of ecstasy and spiritual experience.
M: It's about time!

Q: So it made big headlines; you may have seen.
M: They had difficulty, but they kind of admit indirectly that God exists.

Q: In that article it was funny because they said kundalini yoga was the easiest yoga and that hatha yoga was the most difficult.
M: These are all exercises; we have to go beyond that. Actually, when you practice the Quan Yin Method, sometimes you also feel the kundalini awaken. It's more natural than having it start right at the bottom of everything. We start at the top, and everything has to go up. It's better than starting at the bottom, and climbing. If you happen to have a bigger bottom, then it can take a long time! (Laughter)

Q:  But it's becoming an issue because so many people are going at it blindly, and then having problems. They come to physicians because of all kinds of symptoms and issues. So it takes a whole way of organizing to make sure that there's no negative effect from the people's practice. They practice on their own because they hear about all of this, and they're doing whatever they want to do.
M: I know. You guys are lucky. How many people have gone "cuckoo" because of spiritual malpractice? I have told you and everyone many times: Either don't do anything, or go and find the real Teacher to learn it correctly, the one who can be behind you and support you all the way through, from here to Heaven. Otherwise, you'll get lost in some "nihilism" or void somewhere. The void is big and the universe is vast; where will you go without a Guide?

And, of course, you are bound to bump into some astral entities or a black hole. You could get lost forever, and that would be terrible! It's better not to fool with the universe, especially spiritual power. If you fool with atomic bomb power, that's scary enough already. But even that, you can handle; that's physical. But something invisible or unknown, if you tamper with it: Oh, my God, I can't even begin to think about it!

Q:  In the article on ecstasy, the issue also is that people get certain glimpses, and then they get frustrated because they don't have guidance after that.
M: Yes, it's true. Well, they should search. Nowadays, if you don't find a Master, it's your own fault. There're e-mail and websites; there's everything, everywhere. The Supreme Master is everywhere, all over. Whenever I turn on a computer, I stare directly at myself. "Who's that? My God!" (Master and everyone laugh.)

It's so easy to question today. But I don't know. Maybe it's not easy for lay people to understand who is who. And they don't know whom to trust, and so they just go with the wind. It's a pity, though. That's why you guys are there. You're all over; you're omnipresent. You can tell everyone what is what and who is who. You are the thousand arms of Quan Yin Bodhisattva (the Goddess of Mercy) and the thousand eyes of Quan Yin Bodhisattva. You're everywhere. You do things, you talk and you walk.

That's why I tell you to walk like a Buddha. If you can't walk like that every minute of the day, at least walk in the Center like a Buddha. Here we only have Buddhas, and nothing else. So, just be one. Otherwise, you stand out like a sore thumb in the forest of Buddhahood here.

Q: So the only thing that prevents us from becoming our Buddha Nature is believing that we are not Buddhas?
M: Yes, that's the only thing!

Q:  And it's as simple as that?
M: Yes, it is. But it's not that simple, because your mind makes it very complicated. You make Buddha or God something far away, something untouchable, something unapproachable. And as you think, so you become. If a fish doesn't know where the ocean is while she's swimming in it, there's no one who can help her. If she doesn't know where the ocean is, in which she's swimming right now, she'll never know anywhere else, no matter how far she travels. It's the same as what I've told you: Going to the Himalayas is of no use. You should stay here, and work with your own Himalaya. (Master points to the wisdom eye.)

Stay wherever you are; you have to know God right there. Because Hes is everywhere. I keep telling you that God is omnipresent and omnipotent. Is that just a joke? And "The Kingdom of God is within you." Is that a joke, or did Jesus tell a lie? Or, "Buddha is within you." Did Buddha make a joke about emotional trust? No! They all told the Truth. So you just have to remind yourself every day, "I am a Buddha." And if you don't know that you are Buddha, do something Buddha-like. For example, help other people to get enlightened. The more you help people in any way, the more enlightened you become and the more you realize, "Yes, I have this power."

Once you talk to other people, your Buddha Nature will come out and talk to them. You will realize, "My God, can I talk like this? Look who's talking! (Laughter) I never knew how to talk like this before." The more you use this Buddha power inside you, the more you sincerely wish other people to be enlightened naturally. Not like you're coercing or forcing or blackmailing them, but naturally. The more it comes out, the more you realize, "I do have this power! Otherwise, where else does it come from? How could I talk like this?" Once you recognize your eloquence and your convincing power, you'll convince yourself, too. Well, thanks to you, I became a Buddha. That's what it means. Because if you didn't need me, I would probably just put my Buddhahood to the side and go play football. (Laughter)

Persist in Your Ideal

Q:  We know there are people in the world who aren't enlightened. They're just pretty much walking with their blinders on and don't know the divine creatures that they are. Are there ways You might suggest that we don't become discouraged by the overwhelming numbers of these blind people, other than just to recognize that they are divine, and love them for what they are anyway?

M: Love them for what they are, and do your own thing. They can do their thing, and you should also do your thing. If you cannot influence them in any way, then just keep to yourself and protect yourself, at least so that you do not become dispirited.

That's why we have to keep together -- through group meditation, retreats, lectures, videotapes, books and so on -- reminding yourself until you're strong on your feet and can walk by yourself and aren't influenced by anything. Then you become a master of yourself and a master of the world, instead of the world becoming your master. You don't have to teach anyone to be a master. You're the master of yourself. That's the hardest thing to do.

It's no problem, in the hospital there might be only two or three doctors, or ten at the most. But they aren't overwhelmed by the number of patients in the hospital, because they know what they're doing. They've studied for years, and they treat the patients instead of letting the patients infect them with their diseases or misery.

Concentrate on One Method in Order to Achieve Sainthood

Q:  I hear every Master say when they teach, "Don't go to another teacher." I know You said if you're riding two bicycles, you can't learn to ride one. At the same time, I understand that we are One, somewhere, somehow. So why is it that this Oneness doesn't override the individual Master?

M: Because you're already separated. It takes time and power and concentration to become One again with all beings. So while you're separated, you'd better just concentrate on what you know and study what you have, first. Otherwise, you'll overwhelm yourself with many seemingly contradictory theories and teachings.

The real Masters teach the same Truth, but one may express it differently to certain individuals. And the affinity that this Master has with His students is different from the kind you have with other masters. But if you overwhelm yourself with too many factors, then you can't digest it. And that will make you slow to progress. Because you confuse yourself and you have doubts about this path. Yet you can't go to that other path because it seems similar. Because you're not yet developed enough to discriminate which one is which, or assimilate that all are One. So you might just as well stay with the level of your truth, until you go above it. And then, of course, you can go to hell, not to mention going to another human being's same level or a higher level or a different level.

Stick with one thing at a time. It's not that it's forbidden; it's just that while you're studying with one professor in English, there's no need to go to another English professor, because he will probably give you a different kind of teaching or lesson. Just like he would give a mechanic different terminology than you. You are studying to become a plumber, so he would use different terminology for you. Both teach English, but you learn about one thing at a time.

If later you want to, you can join the other teacher. But by then it won't be necessary. So it's not necessary now, it won't be necessary later, it never has been and never will be necessary. Stick with one teacher. If you believe this teacher teaches the whole Truth, then stick with that. If you don't believe it, then you can leave this teacher, go somewhere else and stick with that teacher alone. But be careful before you move. Otherwise, you'll waste your time shopping around.

Faith can move mountains. And I can promise you that whatever I teach you is wholly true. If not, I fear God's punishment. If I were not able to teach, I would not dare. Because I'm also a lady and a woman; I'm a human, and I also fear God. If I weren't "there," I wouldn't dare. Maybe you would dare, but I wouldn't. Because I fear God. Why would I do that, if I didn't know? Because I don't feel that I need anything. Looking into my heart, I realize I don't need anything.

So if I teach you, it's because I should and because I know. And what I know, I give to you, the highest Truth that I know. If I teach you because I need you or need money, fame or things like that, then maybe I do it wrongly or maybe I just do it for the sake of having the fame or the profit. But when I look into my heart, I see I don't need anything! And whatever I know, I know it's the Truth. Many of us know it's the Truth -- we can testify to it again and again.

Even if I'm wrong, all of you can't be wrong. And I've been searching Heaven and Earth: There's no better thing than what I've taught you. (Applause) This is not meant to convert you. It's just to tell you because you ask. But of course, as is your level, so will you understand me or not understand me. I can't force you. I'm just telling you as a promise, as a vow, as a statement, so that if you need this confirmation, you have it.

Pearls on the Web

Shaking It Off

Shared by brother initiate Phong Do, Melbourne, Australia

(Originally in English)

Below is a story from the Internet http://english.hongkong.com/chain_email/shake_it_off.html  that I would like to share it with everyone.

One day, a farmer's donkey fell into a dried up well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided that the animal was old, the well needed to be covered up, and retrieving the donkey just wasn't worth the effort. So he invited his neighbors to come over and help him bury the donkey in the well to put him out of his misery.

They all grabbed shovels and began to scoop dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and again cried pitifully. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down into the well and was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel load of dirt that hit his back, the donkey did something amazing. He shook it off and took a step up!

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped triumphantly over the edge of the well and trotted off! As with the donkey, life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each setback we encounter is like dirt shoveled on our backs. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, by never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

What seemed like it would bury the donkey actually blessed him-because of the way in which he handled his adversity. This is a key to one of the mysteries of life. If we face our problems, respond to them positively and refuse to give in to panic and bitterness, the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us!

It is up to us to remember to develop the ability to forgive, forget, and press toward our goal. We need to keep developing our faith, our hope and our ability to love unconditionally. These are the tools that will help us "shake it off and step up" out of the wells in which we find ourselves.

Remember these five simple rules for being happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Master Tells A Story

The Story of a Japanese Sword Master

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai at an International Seven-day Retreat in Taipei, Formosa, May 21-27, 1994 (Originally in Chinese) Videotape No. 429

There was a Japanese man who wanted to learn the famous national martial art of kendo. The man visited a sword master and wanted to become his student. But the master didn't want to accept him; so he begged the master sincerely, "It doesn't matter if you don't teach me. Please let me stay, and I will sweep the floor, wash the toilet, cook, sew and polish your shoes for you. I look up to you very much. Teach me when you want to, and if you don't want to, it's okay. I won't ask for too much!" Therefore, the master let him stay.

The man lived there for a period of time, and the sword master didn't teach him anything, but told him to do the daily household chores, which were boring. After some time, in spite of what he was doing, be it cooking, washing, cleaning during the daytime, or even sleeping at night, the master would suddenly appear howling, with sword in hand, ready to duel with him. So the man had to be on constant alert. Even when he was cooking or cleaning the toilet, he had to be on the lookout. (Laughter)

That's what it's like when you "train" me. I have to be ready at all times. (Master laughs.) When I go to the bathroom, I have to check if there are any cameras around, or if there are any disciples nearby. I am so "tense" that it makes me be in "Zen" for twenty-four hours! (Laughter) I couldn't bear it before, but now I'm getting used to it. Sometimes it happens to you as well, like when I come to see you without informing you. So you have the expectation all the time. You might see me around the stairway or when you're eating. Then we will always miss each other! (Master and audience laugh.) Because I'm constantly afraid of being seen by you, and you expect me to appear suddenly, we are ready to communicate at any time. That's nice! (Master and audience laugh and audience applauds.)

Now let's go back to the sword master. In the end, the disciple became a very famous sword master. His success came from the special teaching method of his master, and not from the common kind that begins at 7 A.M. and ends at 9 P.M. and everything is taught in a common way. The master used an uncommon method. He often attacked the disciple when the disciple was not prepared, like when he was cooking, bathing or sleeping at night. So the disciple had to be on constant alert, and later he became a very good and famous kendo master!

It is the same with our spiritual practice. We have to be prepared at all times. We should not say, "Well, I'm happy now and I want to hang around here and do nothing." This is an ephemeral world. We have to be ready to handle any sudden situation. Why is this world ephemeral? It is for us to learn the spirit of preparedness, and to learn to be cautious at all times. This world is neither good nor bad. It just depends on how we make use of situations, and learn the lessons that are good for us. We have to always be learning. We should be in Zen twenty-four hours a day.

Cinema Scene

Sphere--A Cautionary Tale about the Power of Thought

Genre: Science Fiction
MPAA Rating: PG-13

By brother initiate Lin Jin-feng, Taipei News Group

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if everything you ever imagined immediately came true? In the movie Sphere, a group of elite researchers from the United States unexpectedly receives this amazing gift. And their story is worthy of viewers' serious reflection.

Early in the film, psychologist Dr. Norman Johnson shocks the US government with a false research report on "Unknown Life Forms" that describes possible contact between human beings and extraterrestrials. His report mentions some of his friends: mathematician Harry Adams, astrophysicist Ted Fielding, and biochemist Beth Halpern, all of whom have latent negative sentiments lurking in their subconscious minds. Norman has been afraid of jellyfish and sea snakes since childhood; Harry fears squids; and Beth is prone to suicidal thoughts.

Subsequently, NASA detects a spacecraft lying in the ocean a thousand feet under water, and suspects that it was left behind by extraterrestrials. It thus brings together the elite researchers mentioned in Dr. Johnson's report and launches an underwater expedition. Led by U.S. Navy Captain Harold Barnes, several members descend to a base deep in the ocean.

On the ocean floor, the explorers find a huge golden sphere that has no entrance, but seems to contain life! It is later confirmed that all those who have contemplated the sphere are able to immediately realize their feelings and thoughts. But none of the scientists is aware of possessing this "super human" ability to make every wish come true. Instead, they continuously inflict harm on each other through their negative thoughts. After a chain of terrible accidents that leave many researchers and team members dead, only three - Harry, Norman and Beth - survive.

The disasters begin with Norman, who has dreaded jellyfish since childhood. When he sees a character named Vicky enter the water, he is overcome by this phobia, which inadvertently generates a group of jellyfish that kill Vicky. Next, Harry reads a book about giant monsters at the bottom of the sea, and this stirs up his hidden phobia about squids. As a result, in a dream, his subconscious mind creates a giant squid that attacks the group's underwater base, severely damaging it and killing many people. Finally, Beth, who has suicidal tendencies, sets off the automatic triggering system of a time bomb. Thus, the negative thoughts and images hidden in the characters' minds lead to the project's failure and the loss of many lives. Once the time bomb is activated, the researchers seek to escape in a rescue submarine. And after a prolonged struggle between their positive and negative thoughts, they finally escape from danger and make it to the surface.

Back on land, they do not know how they will respond to a pending debriefing about their findings. Their underwater expedition has resulted in many casualties and destroyed their underwater base and billion-dollar equipment. Will anyone believe their story, which will appear to be nothing short of a myth? How can a giant squid, a jellyfish and sea snakes exist at a depth of a thousand feet and kill people, not to mention the huge golden sphere that has bestowed supernatural abilities on them? Their base has been totally destroyed; all the others are dead. Why have the three of them survived?

Although their supernatural powers are still with them, they are afraid that the monsters in their nightmares may appear by their bedsides. What should they do? If the golden sphere falls into the hands of evil people, there may be a major disaster, but who are the real evil ones? They feel that they are, after finding that, despite being top scientists and good citizens, once they possess supernatural powers, they harm each other with the most distorted, vile, vicious and bizarre thinking. They realize that, although the supernatural ability to turn their thoughts into reality is indeed a superb gift, unfortunately, the thoughts generated by their minds have not been to the benefit of humankind. And this renders them unqualified to possess this greatest of all gifts in human history. Finally, they unanimously agree to forget about the golden sphere and their supernatural abilities.

Thus, in the film Sphere, a fantastic golden sphere is supposed to bring infinite happiness to humankind, but instead brings only great disaster.

The film's story line relates directly to our own lives as spiritual practitioners. After embarking on the path of on spiritual practice, we too gradually come to possess supernatural powers. But, unlike the characters in the movie, in daily life we need to train our minds so as to generate only positive thoughts at all times, regardless of the situation. Only then can we be prepared to receive God's abundant and gracious gifts, and enable ourselves to apply them properly. Otherwise, even when God gives us gifts and blessings, we will be unable to enjoy them.

Supreme Master Ching Hai's TV Program

Master Tells Jokes

A Novel Way to Park

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Florida, USA, October 4, 1999 (Originally in English)

There was a young man, a first time driver, who tried to park a car between two others. He put the car into reverse and "bang" ran into the car behind him. And then he put the car back into forward gear, and "bang" hit his front end into the car in front of him. And so back and forth he went, banging both cars each time he went into reverse or forward. So the woman next to him couldn't resist asking him, "Do you always have to use your ears to park?" "Bang! Bang! Bang!" - parking by ears!

Grandma's Busy Home

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Florida, USA,

June 13, 2001 (Originally in English)

There was a man who came to his friend's house to pick up a little child for preschool, and he saw an elderly woman hugging the child before they left the house. So, the man said, "Who's that?" and the child responded, "It's my grandmother. She came to visit us for Christmas." Then the man said, "Oh, that's very nice. Where does your grandmother live?" and the child replied, "She lives at the airport." And so the man asked, "How come?" The child answered, "Every time she says she wants to see us, we go there and pick her up!"

Old But Still Ingenious

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Florida, USA,

June 13, 2001 (Originally in English)

There was a 75-year-old multi-millionaire who had just married a beautiful 18-year-old blond girl. So his friends asked him, "How did you manage to get an 18-year-old girl to marry you, when you're 75?" And the old man replied, "I told her I was 99, so she would marry me quick!"

Please visit the following web sites to enjoy the original video versions of these jokes, and you may share the joy of Master's humor with those around you as well:

http://www.godsdirectcontact.org/eng/news/136/jk1.htm  (USA)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/news/136/jk1.htm  (Formosa)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.net/eng/news/136/jk1.htm  (USA)

Spiritual Cultivation and Life

Attaining Spiritual Realization through Farming

Brother Tian and his family live in a remote mountain village in northern China. An incident that occurred to them last year has been widely discussed in the local community, and also provides precious inspiration for fellow practitioners and others around the world.

Narrated by brother initiate Tian, Mainland China

Recorded by the News Group, Mainland China

Since the spring of 2001, northern China has been hit by a severe drought, and as a result, brother Tian's family was recently left with over sixty acres of dry farmland without irrigation facilities. Other irrigated farms were not doing any better, because the local mountain stream had long ago dried up. Last spring, wild grass on the mountain was dry and yellow, a scene usually seen only in autumn. Brother Tian said that his family's ploughing efforts turned up only dry soil, and the topsoil in the fields was easily blown away by the wind. It was about time to sow seeds, but Heaven simply refused to send down any rain. Looking desperately at the cracked soil in their region, most of the farmers around brother Tian predicted that it was going to be a very bad year. And they decided not to plant any crops, fearing that they would lose their seed and fertilizer, and waste a lot of effort, if the drought persisted.

Days passed and rain finally came, but it was too light to do any good, and the soil the farmers turned up was still dry. While the villagers speculated and waited, brother Tian and his family, bringing along their donkey, went up the mountain to cultivate their land and became the laughingstock of the area. Knowing that brother Tian was following Master Ching Hai in spiritual practice, they mocked him, saying, "You don't have to farm. Simply let your God and Master feed you." Brother Tian was never good at debating, and after following Master, he found talk to be even less constructive than he had before. He noticed that many families in the local village who had religious beliefs were not cultivating their land, trusting that God would bestow food on them. When the Tian family worked hard on the slope with their donkey, the villagers often looked on with scepticism.

Since there was very little rain, they could not cultivate in the usual way so brother Tian tried a new method of shallow planting. In this way, the water that was scarcely retained by the soil was kept beneath the surface after ploughing, and the dry soil that was dug up served to block the sunlight from evaporating the moisture underground. While working on his land, brother Tian thought, "Feed for livestock costs many times more than seeds for planting. The people don't mind wasting food on livestock, but mind spending money for seed and fertilizer. The world is truly topsy-turvy! But since there is a little rain, I will give it a try. Otherwise, how will I know if my method works or not?" Incredibly, just after he finished cultivating his land, rain came to his area. It was not very heavy, but the water managed to penetrate the topsoil, and held together the dry surface soil and the wet soil beneath. Several rainfalls soon followed, and brother Tian always ploughed the land just in time to catch the water. Needless to say, he had to work much harder than in the past, but his efforts paid off. Surprisingly, most of the millet seedlings he sowed survived and grew!

When autumn came, of all the farmland on the slope, only the stretch belonging to the Tians was lush green and yielding a fair harvest. It was not as good as in past years, but after storing some for themselves, they still had several thousand catties (a catty equals 500 grams) to sell. At that time, the other farmers came to realize that they had been wrong. Some of them concluded, "From now on, be it a good year or bad, we'll follow the example of the Tian family, and then we can't go wrong!"

After the Tians harvested their crops, their harvest almost filled their barn. But then selling the surplus became their next problem. In previous years, buyers would come on their own initiative; this year, however, hardly anyone came. Even if they wanted to sell their crops cheaply, no buyer could be found. The Tians then meditated together each day, and finally thought of a solution. They sorted the millet meticulously and divided it into many grades. Then, brother Tian and his wife and eldest daughter went out together to sell the millet. Every morning, they each loaded about fifty catties of millet onto their bicycles and cycled for over twenty kilometers to a town where they sold the millet on the streets. Any crops that were not sold that day would be bartered for living necessities at the market. Thanks to Master's blessings, their business was good, and they even fetched better prices than in previous years. Before Lunar New Year 2002, they managed to sell all their surplus crops, and earned a net profit of more than RMB four thousand. As they had to cycle back and forth for more than forty kilometers each day, they became physically stronger, which subsequently improved their meditation.

Mrs. Tian was simple, but intelligent when speaking about their good fortune. She said that when they first followed Master, they were still keeping a large amount of livestock, which is one of the essential sources of income for most Chinese farming households. Local farmers have the deep-rooted belief that growing crops alone can yield only a limited income, so they feel they have to keep livestock as a supplement to their livelihood from crops. When the Tian family learned the Truth through Master's teachings, however, they decided to stop raising livestock. The short-term benefits derived from killing can never compensate for the harm done to sentient beings; such a practice only pushes us into the abyss of agony and disaster. Regarding his family's transformation, brother Tian said confidently, "If we have faith in Master, in God, Hes will definitely take care of our lives."

Another miracle that brother Tian revealed to us was that, in childhood, he was playful and never liked studying. Having spent only two years in primary school, he was basically illiterate. However, after following Master, he could understand every word of Master's teachings, though he remained illiterate when reading other books or newspapers!

Living in the mountains of northern China, apart from farming and raising livestock, the only way that people like the Tians can earn money is by picking mushrooms. But when too many people began to pursue this business, the trade became highly competitive. Therefore, the Tians switched to digging medicinal herbs. Logically speaking, there was nothing wrong in what they did. But one day, they discovered that often there were numerous tiny creatures living on the roots of the herbs they picked, and they felt very sorry for them. Since then, they have stopped doing this work. In farming, killing is also involved, but that is inevitable. Digging medicinal herbs in not inevitable, so they decided to stop the practice.

God always bestows grace on those who have unwavering faith in Hirm. So some time later, brother Tian found a field of wild scallions with light-colored flowers on a nearby mountain. Since then, each morning, and at the cooler time of the afternoon, he and his family first meditate and then climb the mountain to pick wild scallions. At home, they wash and sort them, and then pack them in bottles. They then sell them to large restaurants along the local highway as seasoning ingredients. Since beginning this enterprise, several restaurants have come to their home to make purchases, and the business now gives them a handsome income. Each year, after deducting their living expenses and the fees for their two children who are studying in secondary school and high school in the nearby town, brother Tian and his wife still have a sizeable surplus.

Brother Tian was absolutely correct when he said that following Master in spiritual practice is never a losing proposition! In the past, he and his family worked hard at farming, but still had to worry about having no food for their next meal. Watching their children grow up, brother Tian and his wife worried that they would not have the means to give them a good education. After embarking on spiritual practice, however, although their fate of "bowing down to earth and arching their backs to Heaven" has not changed, Master's love has transformed their way of thinking and implanted in them saintly hearts that are cheerful and free of ambitious desires. They still do the same work each day, but are always in a very good mood and enjoy special harvests. At present, the Tians live in a spacious house that was earned through their diligent labor, and are admired by their whole village.

On those of us who live in the secular world, God has already bestowed Hiers grace - the Quan Yin Method, which liberates us from transmigration, and the Supreme Master Ching Hai, who is most merciful and all-loving. As long as we can maintain our faith, practice diligently and implement Master's teachings to live a sound and balanced life, God's almighty love will forever protect and bless us, as it has brother Tian and his family.

Pearls of Wisdom

Learning the Spirit of Independence

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa, Seven-day retreat, February 13-18, 1989 (Originally in Chinese) MP3-4

We have to learn to be independent because who is going to accompany us at the moment of death? There was no one with us when we were born, so of course, there will also be no one else with us when we die. Therefore, we have to learn right now to be independent. The more independent we are, the more worthy we feel, and then we will not be defeated or shaken. At that time we will know who we are, and know our own abilities and what we can accomplish.

After we are put to the test, drilled and polished, we will have experienced everything. After that we will not be easily cheated or oppressed. Also, our hearts will not be easily swayed. Therefore, every situation is meant for us to learn, and the more we learn, the better we become. This is the reason I do not want to spoil you.

I can feel that you are progressing, becoming more and more confident, more independent, and gaining more of a sense of responsibility. You are becoming responsible for yourself and are able to take care of yourself. When we are not being spoiled, we feel great! Perhaps when we newly arrive at the center, we have a sense of strangeness, feeling that no one is taking care of us. The fellow practitioners all seem very cold. No one greets us. We have to set up our own tents, and fill our own bowls with rice. (Master and audience laugh.) Nevertheless, after we endure it for a while, we feel, "Yeah! It's great! I can bear it,