| | Paint Your Life Colorfully | | The Time Has Come! | | Occupation of the Beggar's Wife | | A Drawing as Evidence | | Early Big Shopping | | New Year, New People, New Atmosphere | | Change Your Attitude and Start Anew | | Beautify the World with Love | | New Year, New Person! | | World Peace is Brought About by Personal Example | | A Dog Catching Mice | | Master's Poetry Book -- The Dream of a Butterfly (English edition) | | New Book Released One World...of peace through music -- Musical Revelations of the Millennium | |
After we practice the Quan Yin Method, our level rises a little higher and we lose a lot of interest in life. We still do things and work, but we don't have as much attachment and excitement about life. Some of us are like that. Sometimes we see there is no use in having a boyfriend, because we have lost interest in sex and everything else; so what's the use? And then when he feels that you have no interest like that, he also feels no interest. Or maybe he feels, " What's the use of having a girlfriend?" if he's not getting anything. So of course he gets bored and you get bored, and both of you are bored, and what can we do? It's okay; just enjoy, and don't be too serious. You forget we are just remembering that we are saints.
Everything else is the same, but just adding into our lives. There's no need to be so serious about being a saint; just enjoy whatever comes. For example, suppose I am a Buddha. Suppose just because I am a Buddha, I don't need to say, "Oh, I don't need all these flowers! These are all ephemeral; these are impermanent; what are all these for? Tomorrow they're gone, so don't put anything here for me. Don't put anything here. They are impermanent. They are all illusion, Maya!" I don't need to do that. I enjoy it; I see that the flowers are beautiful, but my heart doesn't get attached to them. If you give me flowers, it's fine. If you don't, I won't die.
Don't expect anything; or not expect anything; don't expect this way or that way, and then you won't feel bored or disappointed. Go to see movies, enjoy life, take a walk, listen to music, hold hands, walk together in the park, do anything. Just enjoy that moment as long as it lasts; be romantic. Look at the moon together. Write poetry to him, paint his ugly face for fun, whatever. Just hang around.
When I said that I was bored yesterday, it was just one of my passing moods because everything doesn't work in my room, and I am too bored, explaining all the time, wasting my time, and I want to have a lot of time to spend with you. I don't want to spend a lot of time fixing my toilet and my bathroom, and looking for my underwear, for example. Because they arrange things in such a complicated way, and I am bored with all this fuss. But that doesn't mean I'm bored with life. It doesn't mean I'm bored with you. I'm very happy that you came. In every one of you I'm very interested, because I am sure that if I have time to spend time with every one of you, I am sure everyone of you will have a lot of interesting things to tell me. And I can learn a lot of nice stories from you and we will have a wonderful time together.
So it's just that, for the sake of pacifying the world I can't afford to always have a personal relationship with every of you. But each one of us has to develop fast and then also help our neighbors to develop so that our world is not such an unbearable place, or disasters don't come too quickly, so that everyone still has time to remember his God Nature. So therefore I can't afford to spend time with you. Otherwise, each one of you is a wonderful piece of creation, and is a wonderful book of poetry, and life, a real thing, a real creature, with a real history. Each one of you has a real history and you should treasure that. You should treasure your boyfriend's good point of view, and his good qualities, and his wonderful inner wisdom and nature. You must dig that out and enjoy it.
Don't just look at the surface. Don't just think, "Oh, if I become a nun I will be better, a saint or more quickly enlightened. If I have a better boyfriend I will feel better." It's not true. Whatever you put into a relationship, that's what you get out. It's the same with life and enlightenment and everything else. Whatever we put in is what we get out. We are the only ones who really create our own life and experience. Change whatever is necessary to make yourself feel better. Change your hairstyle, change your make-up, change your clothes, change your lifestyle, change something! Make it nice and more interesting. If you are an interesting person, you will never feel very bored, anywhere.
There was a disciple who was responsible for brewing and serving tea for his master. His master had a precious antique teapot, which the master loved very much. Once, perhaps because he was too deep in samadhi and his limbs became weak, the disciple broke the teapot inadvertently. He was frightened to death, having no idea about how to explain it to his master.
The time for serving tea arrived, and the disciple was standing there in a foolish manner, not knowing what to do. Finally, he came up with a clever way to save himself!
Straightening his clothes, he went inside, bowed to his master ceremoniously and said, "Master, I have a big problem, which has caused a lot of concern in my mind. I have wanted to ask you about this for a long time; but dared not do so, fearing that I would trouble master. I wonder if I may ask you today." The master said, "Of course you may. Why didn't you ask sooner? You came here to follow master because you need to ask questions!"
So the disciple asked, "Master! Why is it that for everything, death follows birth? Why must there be death? You and I, are we also going to die? We are practitioners, and being so sincere, do we still have to die?" His master said, "Oh, Sure! Shakyamuni Buddha, Jesus, Confucius and Lao-tzu all had to die. Where there is birth, there must be death!" Then the disciple continued to ask, "Is there any exception, anything that will not die?" The master said, "Absolutely not! Death must follow birth. If the time has come, death is for sure!" Then the disciple stood up and said, "I report to master, the time has come for your teapot today!"
An old beggar was sitting at the corner of a big market, holding up his bowl to beg. An old lady felt pity for him and gave him some money out of her purse. She comforted him by saying, "Ah! I feel so sorry in my heart seeing that you still have to beg at this old age! How come your life has become this way? It's all right if you will not tell me. I just ask you out of compassion."
The old beggar was very miserable over there. Tears falling, he said painfully, "I don't know why, but I feel even more miserable hearing you ask about this! Seeing you reminds me of my wife. I would not be begging now if she were still alive!" So the old lady asked, "Oh! So your wife was very capable! What was her job while she was alive?" The beggar answered, "She did the begging for me every day while she was alive, therefore I did not have to do it myself."
A man went to borrow money from his friend. He brought along all the proper writing materials, preparing to write an IOU for his friend. Since the speed of his writing was relatively slow, his friend suggested, "Ah, no need to write an IOU. It's troublesome! Just let me make a drawing of your face and it will be good enough!" The man asked, "Why make a drawing of my face?" The friend answered, "Because I am afraid that later on when I come to claim my money, your face will look different. So I will make a drawing first to feel secure!"
An offender was brought to trial before a judge. The judge asked him, "What is the crime you have committed?" The offender said, "I went shopping too early during the New Year." The judge said, "This is not a crime! Is there a mistake, perhaps? So how early did you go shopping?" He answered, "The shop was not yet open for business, and I was already inside."
Many people misunderstand the meaning of the New Year and other festivals. On every grand occasion or New Year, we should expend more effort to reflect and introspect on ourselves, and how we can serve the world better and contribute more to our relatives and friends or the country. The occasion is not to be used every time as an excuse for making merry; instead we should be refining our coarse behavior and speech.
Of course, everyone is aware of this. I just take this opportunity to remind you. You don't have to listen if you have done it already. If you have not done it, or have forgotten to do so, then you ought to be reminded!
Now that the New Year has come, we can do something new, change programs, and probably we will feel different. We can begin to change some of our habits, or change some of the jobs we don't like to do, and instead do the jobs we like to do. For instance, we all wonder where we come from. Who are we after all? Why did we come to this world? How do we leave the world when we die? Who leaves the world? Where are we leaving for? Normally we are too busy to question and study these holy questions. But this year, we can decide to do it. By doing so, we celebrate the New Year in a really nice way.
In such a happy atmosphere of the New Year, we should not forget the less fortunate people. We should use our love, devotional spirit and spirit of care for each other to beautify this world and let our world become more and more meaningful, more and more beautiful.
I hope you have a good, new, fresh start and begin a new you. Tell your mind what to do, and then your mind will order the cells in your body what to do, because this is just like you have been doing since your birth. You tell yourself to brush your teeth, then the cells in the hand move, and the muscles of the arm move the way the mind has ordered.
Similarly, now you can begin to order your body and mind to do what you want, but according to the highest standards, then it will listen. The body is yours, the mind is yours, the brain is yours, and it's up to you to give them information and orders.
The reason why we couldn't do anything before, or we were failures is because we didn't give enough orders to the brain as to what to do, and the brain could not tell the cells what to do. So it continued to order in the old way - sleep, drink, eat, produce children, work and die.
Now we can do all that; it's not that we eliminate any of that; but we can do more useful things than just sleeping all the time or eating, and then finish our life. Otherwise, we spend all our time in nonsense activities, when it can be used for better things that are more satisfactory for us, more useful for society, and more fun.
Above all, wherever you go, try to have fun; and don't repeat the same mistakes all the time. It's very boring. People can forgive us, but not every time. They can forgive us, but they cannot be interested in us when we make the same mistakes all the time. So we should try not to make the same mistakes all the time. If people have told you already they don't like that, then don't do it twice; that should be more than enough. You should always remember that. If you don't remember, write it down: "Don't do this again!" Or write the opposite.
For example, instead of saying "Don't walk north", say "Walk south." Be more positive, if you can. Instead of saying, "Don't talk too loudly," say "Talk quietly, talk gently, or talk in a lower voice." Then repeat it to yourself a few times. See if you can do it. If not, repeat it again, and try not to always bore people with the same mistakes.
Whatever you like to do, when you think it benefits yourself and others, try to do it this year. Make a list of what you want to do and do it. Admit your mistakes and apologize if you do wrong. If you don't do wrong, you don't have to apologize; just forget it. There's no need to argue too much; it wastes your and other people's time. If you can, explain it; if they don't believe you, forget it. It's no big deal.
Try to meditate more, of course. All the time - walking, sitting, sleeping, working, on your break hours and everywhere, try to always concentrate on your wisdom center, and recite the protective names; this will help you a lot.
There's no need to always sit and see visions. If you improve, you will see everywhere that you have improved. Your love, your intelligence, your creative ability, your integration with people, your understanding of all other things - that is when you progress. There's no need to sit there and wait for the light all the time. Maybe the light comes, but then you don't see it; you are busy snoring. Or the sound comes when you're snoring, but it's so loud that you cannot compare with it.
The world will continue to exist if we meditate more. Try to generate positive energy without even thinking of doing that. Do without doing; that's the best way.
I have said everything before. The important thing is that you have to put the teachings into action, and then it will be fine! Of course, we should progress in the New Year. Instead of getting "older" every year, we should be "stronger" spiritually, and wiser. Then, we deserve to be called "elder"; the older the better. For instance, if we did something last year that we or others disliked, then we ought to rectify it in the New Year with our best effort, improve our behavior and speech to become better.
The Master is not telling you to speak in a flattering manner wherever you go, for instance, praising others with words not from your heart, or just doing it to win others' feelings or to delight them, when we are thinking the other way at heart. We should speak according to our heart. The oneness of outer actions and inner thoughts is "Zen". Otherwise, we are hypocrites. It is true that we should behave naturally, but politeness and nobleness are also essential. Observing our refined behavior, even people with no elegance will feel ashamed of their attitudes. The New Year gives us a chance to become a new person. If we did well last year, we should be even better in the New Year. If not, then we can improve in the New Year; the more the better.
Many people misunderstand the meaning of the New Year and other festivals. On every grand occasion or New Year, we should expend more effort in reflecting and introspecting on ourselves, on how we can serve the world better, and on contributing more to our relatives and friends or the country. The occasion is not to be used every time as an excuse for making merry; instead we should be refining our coarse behavior and speech. Of course, everyone is aware of this. I just take this opportunity to remind you. You don't have to listen if you have done this already. If you have not done it, or have forgotten to do so, then you ought to be reminded!
We have to set a good example for the world in every aspect, including relief missions, spiritual practice, handling friendships and the relationship between Master and disciples. Only when absolutely necessary, should we use stern methods. Is it not better if we can treat each other in a refined and noble manner? The creation of heaven should start from here!
People in high positions in particular, should care more about their qualities. As an official, one should be honest and upright. A government servant must work diligently for the nation, and sacrifice for the well-being of her people. Spiritual practitioners or liaison persons for Master etc., should also mind the manner and quality of their actions and speech, and sacrifice for others, instead of enjoying personal comfort. Parents should take care of their children, of course, and make them comfortable, but not spoil them badly. Children naturally should be filial and obedient to their parents and elders.
Teachers should fulfill their responsibilities, and provide moral and ethical lessons for their students. The basic A, B, C lessons, which everyone can teach, are not enough. The greatest responsibility of a teacher is to teach children about ethics, superior qualities. This also applies to parents. Just feeding and dressing children are not enough. If everyone fulfilled his or her responsibilities - parents protected their children well, and children were filial - the world would be in great peace, beginning with the family. Then, all natural disasters and war calamities would diminish.
We say that with the guidance of a virtuous and enlightened friend, our life will improve and become nobler. Our fellow practitioners can be such virtuous and enlightened friends, very good friends. Even non-initiated people outside can be our teachers sometimes, reminding us of some beautiful things, for instance, when observing them doing good deeds or speaking good things, our hearts will become more open. Even if we see them doing bad deeds, at least we can learn a lesson and refrain from doing the same!
I wish everyone a happy and successful New Year, achieving early enlightenment and liberation.
If we wholeheartedly want to practice spiritually, we will definitely find a true Master. But if we are just curious, or we have the wish to practice but do not understand what spiritual practice is; we observe other people doing it and so we also follow; we hear that it is good to meditate and so we also follow and meditate; in this case, of course, it is very unlikely that we will find a true Master. However, if we are really determined to pursue spiritual practice and yearn for liberation, sooner or later we will find the Master.
It is so happy in Heaven that there is nothing to remind us of spiritual practice. It is so agonizing in hell that it is impossible to practice spiritually there. In the secular world, we have suffering, joy, misunderstanding, ignorance, wisdom, enlightenment, the unenlightened, and lots of different situations. Therefore, we can learn quickly from various situations in life, and we can find sufficient material from which to experience and train ourselves. We have the chance to practice to become Saints, which we cannot find in other worlds. Therefore, the human body is very precious. We must cherish the chance to practice spiritually without delay.
There are many stories that are kind of like parables, reminding us about life and all the funny things in life. For example, there is one story about a dog who could catch mice. This book is a collection of the jokes of the saints. Before, we heard non-saint stories; now we hear saint stories, saints' jokes, the jokes of the saints, which are a little bit dry, but that's what people expect of saints; always talking about big philosophy and many parables about the cosmos, the microcosms, macrocosms, and macaroni... So a saint can never laugh in public. Maybe he can laugh alone; maybe the saint just buys this kind of book, a joke book, and then sits in his bathroom and reads alone. And when he comes outside, he says, "Emptiness is reality; reality is emptiness."
So he is one of those kinds of people. After the saint has studied in his bathroom and laughed his heart out, he comes out and talks about this kind of thing. If you don't tell everyone else, I will continue to read jokes to you, later.
This story is about a dog who could catch mice. Now we have heard that only cats can catch mice. How come this dog could catch mice?
Who knows? Please raise your hand. Now, don't laugh. You're not allowed to laugh in such a "serious congregation." If you have the least bit of "education," you don't laugh like that. Who knows why the dog could catch mice? No? How come? You are supposed to be enlightened!
Okay, there was a country in China a long time ago. We'll call it the Chi Dynasty. There was a person who could read the palms of dogs. In other words, he was a dog palmist. His neighbors heard about his talent, so they asked the dog palmist to go and buy a dog for them so that they could catch mice.
One year passed by. Then the dog palmist eventually bought a dog, brought it to the neighbor, and said, "This is a German shepherd; it's very good, a number one dog." So the neighbor thanked him and kept the dog. Many years passed, and the neighbor people never saw the dog catch any mice, not any mice at all, not even the hair of a mouse, and it did not even look at a mouse.
So, they went to the dog palmist and asked him whether he had read the palms wrongly, whether the dog was really a German shepherd or whether it was a Beijing terrier. Then the dog palmist said, "No, no, no, it's definitely, one hundred and twenty percent German shepherd. This dog is sehr gut, muy bien (very good)! But, you must know, this dog is trained to catch sheep or antelope; he does not want to catch mice." And the neighbors said, "Then what shall we do? We just want a dog who catches mice. We told you."
So the palmist said, "Don't worry, just bind him in one corner, and don't let him eat anything. Then if a mouse passes by, he will surely catch it." And after that, the dog began to catch mice. Then afterwards, even when they let him free, he also caught mice, because it was a habit.
This is similar to the story of humans. We are normally from Heaven; we have everything that we could ever want or not want, and we are almighty. We are powerful, and glorious. Now, we come here into this physical world and we are bound in this physical prison, this small room. Some are bigger rooms, but, still ... my room is very small! (Master and audience laugh.) Well, we are practitioners; we can only talk from personal experience.
Therefore, we catch mice. The mice in this world are money, fame, name, profit, competition, you know, fighting, bickering, being bitter, and back biting among each other - these are all mice. And pitifully, we enjoy them, because we have been bound in these physical chains. And then we know nothing else. We forget our origin; that's the way we live our life.
Well, it's not a dog's life; it's just a parable. Some people do really live a so-called "dog's life," because it's really miserable. We work sometimes very hard. Some people work eighteen hours, if they have a lot of children or they have a lot of debts to pay off. Or if they had a kind of sickness or illness that suddenly left them bankrupt, they might have to work hard day and night, just to pay for their two or three meals a day and some clothes to cover their body. That's it.
Because we have really forgotten our real Self. It's very difficult to remember, but you do remember now, a little bit, one by one, slowly. It takes time, because now to stop the dog from catching mice is very difficult. Before he wouldn't do it, but now he won't stop. Everything is like a habit. So I think we should always remember, in the midst of all this suffering and confusion, we should always remember our own, real origin. Never give in to the negative power of this world that always wants us to think we are nothing, we are sinful, we can never be anything, we can never do anything, and we can never want anything more than just a few morsels of food and a few pieces of clothing every day.
So this is very good. I have nothing to say any more because the story is very clear.
To enjoy the original audio and video version of the story, please visit: http://www.Godsdirectcontact.org/eng/news/119/st1.htm
Master's lyrical talent shines through every one of the poems in The Dream of a Butterfly, depicting the spiritual footsteps She has taken
in Her heavenly quest and beyond Her Great Awakening, and portraying Her innermost feelings about romantic love and spiritual devotion.
Each verse in these works is a pulsating heartbeat, and every poem a beautiful painting and melody that moves the heart. The Dream of a
Butterfly, now available in English after the release of the Au Lacese edition, with its elegant, vitalizing, and meaningful poems, leads
us into the inner world of the poet, enriching our lives and embracing us with boundless, profound love in the mundane world. We hope that
you will savor it for yourself, and also acquire it for your loved ones as a gift . To enjoy mor vivid pictures along with the poems from
the new book, please visit:
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/publication/latest/butterfly/index.htm
(Formosa, in English)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org/poetry/
(USA, in English)
The musical event of the century held in Los Angeles in December 1998 remains a popular topic of conversation. Like cool, crystal clear
streams meandering down a mountain peak through a valley, the uplifting musical scores penetrated our hearts to awaken our innate
creativity and infinite love that winter evening. A superb record of this grand concert has now been published to enable readers to explore
and appreciate its pulsating music and exquisite performances. This beautifully printed 216-page volume in Chinese, English and Aulacese is
a brilliant compilation of the evening's piano scores, which perfectly unite lyrics from Master's poems with melodies composed by Academy
and Emmy Award winners. A special highlight of the book is the complete original script of the remarkable orchestral poetic drama -- "The
Peace Seeker," created by Academy and Emmy Award winner Fred Karlin. Readers will also find exclusive comments by various celebrities,
including Hollywood composers, on Master's inspirational poems, stimulating musical pieces, and enchanting photographs, to help them relive
the musical event of the century. This musical remembrance of One World...of peace through music is a precious collection that no music or
poetry lover can afford to miss.