| | Spiritual Practitioners of the Cyber Age | | Master Goes Online | | Countless Advantages | | Efficient and Easy | | Easy Surfing, Free CD-ROM | | | | Blessing the World Is the Duty of Spiritual Practitioners | | Tonic for the Soul | | The World Needs Spiritual Food | | Spiritual Light Dispels the Darkness of Ignorance | | Spiritual Practice Helps the World Most | | Sharing Spiritual Merits with the World | | Fulfilling the Duties of a Spiritual Practitioner | | | | Concentration and Professionalism | | Qualities Are Infectious--Be They Physical or Spiritual | | Girl Turned Snake Companion | | Developing Good Qualities | | Never Make Deals with Maya | | Attend Group Meditation Often--To Be Near Virtuous Friends | | | | Each Soul Makes Its Own Choices | | Spiritual Practice Creates a Perfect Tool for God | | Spiritual Dogs | | The Dog That Circled Master | | A Dog on a Pilgrimage | | The Dog That Saluted Master | | Blessed Dogs Waiting for Master | | | | Everything You Need to Know about Asian American History | | Subject: The Key of Immediate Enlightenment--Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association | | Worldly Life and Spiritual Practice Need Not Be Separated | | | | Realization of Universal Love | | Master's Sample Booklets in Various Language Versions are Now Available on the Internet! | | | | | | "Letters Between Master and Spiritual Practitioners,Volume I" (Now Available in English) | | Misunderstanding the Prescription | | The Most Practical Words | | Hint for a Proposal | | Such a "Gentleman" | |
Master once said that in this modern age, a Buddha must hold a walkie-talkie and mobile phone in one hand, while handling a fax machine and surfing the Net with the other. As disciples of a modern Buddha, we cannot be "outdated Buddhas" in this respect! Let us learn how to go online and follow Master every step of the way on Her earthly journey.
Supreme Master Ching Hai News has followed closely on the heels of the cyber age, changing from a traditional print periodical into an
online multimedia magazine, accessible on the Internet 24 hours a day. Now, each issue of the News magazine focuses on a selected theme
presented in a multimedia package of text, sound, and visual images specially integrated to bring Master close to readers. The Quan Yin Web
sites provide immediate access to the latest news about the Quan Yin family, an extensive collection of Master's teachings, and a gallery
of Her artistic creations. Also available are sound and video clips of Master telling stories, touching musical performances, and past
celebrations that allow you to relive beautiful memories. Above all, the Quan Yin Web sites transcend both time and spatial constraints to
bring you the News magazine online anytime and anywhere-a privilege unaffordable in the print format.
Fellow practitioners wanting to learn this cyber method of accessing Master's teachings may be interested in obtaining the CD--"How to
Surf the Internet/How to Get Online," a special News Group production that guides you through the basic techniques of linking and surfing
the Net, enjoying audio and video programs, and downloading the News magazine. In this educational, user-friendly CD-ROM formatted like a
comic book, Little Bodhi guides you through each simple step until you can travel the cyber world freely and easily!
[Hsihu, Formosa]The News Group has produced a special CD to teach fellow practitioners important techniques for getting online in
the cyber age. This CD is available free of charge while at the same time educational Internet classes are being held at the Hsihu Center
and other local centers around Formosa in April of 2001. Fellow practitioners are elated and encouraged to know that Master is using the
most rapid communication tool of our time to carry out God's will. They have demonstrated a keen interest and enthusiasm in mastering the
techniques that will enable them to quickly access the latest spiritual information on the Quan Yin Web sites.
The first Internet class was held at the Hsihu Center on the first Sunday of April. By noon of that day, the News Group service counter was
crowded with young initiates eager to learn how to get online. As soon as the computers were hooked up, the youngsters sat down in an
orderly fashion and started to learn seriously. Very soon, adults and even elderly fellow initiates joined in. It was obvious that all of
the participants earnestly wanted to become proficient in using this modern tool that will help them progress faster on the spiritual path.
The free instructional CD proved to be very popular, as all copies were give away in no time! Each center in Formosa obtained a copy for
additional duplication. Many fellow practitioners could hardly wait until group meditation time at their local centers to obtain the CD;
they wanted to master the technique that very day, in line with the spirit of efficiency in the cyber age.
The CD offers detailed explanations and uses illustrations in lieu of text to make it easy to learn the process of getting online. Thanks
to this special product, even fellow practitioners inexperienced in using the Internet now have no trouble traveling cyber space and
following closely on the heels of the "Modern Buddha" as Her up-to-date disciples.
caption:Fellow practitioners enthusiastically learn to get online by following the instructions in the specially prepared CD "How to Surf
the Internet/How to Get Online."
Good spiritual practitioners have blessing power wherever they go. Fully charged with their magnetic fields and loaded with merits, they enhance the vibrations of things they touch and the ground they walk on. Sometimes, people enjoy being near these practitioners, seeking a touch, taking a look, or just offering them food; and they are changed from within.
The milk or tonic we drink, and sometimes even the mineral water that contains many minerals, does not appear to be nourishing. Our naked eye cannot discern any minerals in the mineral water. It seems no different than ordinary water, when it is actually very nourishing. While physical substances contain physical nutrition, speech of a higher level or spiritual nature carries spiritual blessings, too. Tangible things have tangible power that ensures our physical well-being, but intangible things have intangible power that nourishes our invisible body-our soul- and keeps us mentally healthy.
The physical things in this world contain only physical nutrition. But as human beings, we are more than just this body. We have a spiritual nature as well. Our thinking comes from this invisible spirit, whose existence cannot be denied. We may say, "Today I am in high spirits or in low spirits," or "I am spiritually drained." Everyone knows that the spirit exists, but no one can describe it or pinpoint its whereabouts.
Likewise, we cannot say that spiritual practitioners have no blessing power. We know that they do, which is why we feel very comfortable when we sometimes come near highly spiritual and ethical people. If we have not been in their proximity for a long period of time, we miss them very much. They are the invisible food that nourishes our invisible spiritual body. It is like watering plants. If we water their roots, they feel comfortable, turn lush green, flourish, and bear many flowers and fruits. This is because water contains many nutrients. Similarly, if we nourish our spiritual body with the invisible water, it too will grow big and strong, relax, and blossom.
Water from the Ganges River is definitely blessed, and these blessings become attached to physical things. For instance, when we water a plant, water permeates its roots and is transported to the cells of every little leaf. The plant is nourished by the nutritious water. Similarly, spiritual tonic can be absorbed by the cells of any physical body in its proximity. The more tonic the body absorbs, the stronger and better it becomes. And the more internal changes occur.
As long as we water and fertilize a small plant, it will absorb everything, and grow stronger, taller, more beautiful, and different. So will our spiritual body. When we come close to such spiritual nutrition as the magnetic field, morality, and love of great practitioners, our spiritual bodies flourish and feel comfortable. This is unlike physical comfort, for our physical bodies look the same, while our spiritual bodies feel comfortable and relaxed because we have consumed spiritual food. Therefore, a single spiritual practitioner can benefit many people.
A river benefits many beings, including plants and vegetation. Sometimes a river may flow underground, but it continues to nourish vast fields, countless trees, fruit, minerals, and animals. Its influence reaches far and wide. In the same way, we spiritual practitioners are blessed with an invisible blessing power. It is so rich and nutritious that anyone who comes near will benefit and develop very well. That is why there are spiritual practitioners who develop their power life after life in order to bless this world.
There are many people doing different jobs in this world. Farmers plant crops; road builders pave roads; drivers transport us to various
destinations; and spiritual practitioners bless people's souls and spirit. We all have to work, but that does not mean that we should all
be road builders or farmers. Some people have misconceptions about this. They think that everyone should be a farmer in order to help the
world. But that just helps the stomach, and leaves many other aspects without help. We need different people for the many kinds of work; we
need doctors, road builders, train pilots, airplane pilots, mechanics, and most of all, farmers of spiritual food. These are few in number.
(Master laughs.) Many people plant vegetables and fruit, but few plant spiritual food. Therefore, we practice the Quan Yin Method, by which
we plant this kind of food. It is our responsibility.
Initiation and good spiritual practice bring you comfort. When you go out, people feel comfortable around you and treat you well because they feel the benefit. Some people feel uncomfortable in the beginning. This is because of their heavy karma and the strong internal resistance that causes them pain when they meet you. This is like having been isolated in a dark room away from the sun for a long time. Seeing the sun then hurts the eye. It is like the discomfort our eyes experience if the light is turned on when we have not quite awakened. We often see the light, but because we have been asleep or haven't seen the sun for a long time, our eyes hurt in the beginning and we want to complain. But we cannot accuse the light or the sun of being wicked or bad. It is because we are not yet accustomed to it.
Most people feel comfortable and benefited around spiritual practitioners. The sick get better; the stupid get smarter; people whose
business is floundering find that their business has improved (audience laughs); those in poor health get better; the unhappy ones feel
happier. These are common phenomena. But there might be one or two who cannot bear it. For some of you, your husband or wife might have
quarreled with you after you received initiation. This happens in the beginning, because they haven't seen the sun for a long time, so
their eyes feel discomfort at the sudden sunshine. Later they come for initiation and apologize to me (audience laughs). We are fine
because we walk in the sun every day, while they have been caged in a small, dark room and feel uncomfortable at the sight of the sun.
You should know that we are always blessing this world, and anyone who meets us benefits. If you encounter occasional resistance from a
couple of people, you must realize that they have been away from the sun for a long time and you should not be angry with them; instead,
you should have pity on them. You should take your time and be patient. Things will be fine after they become comfortable. The situation is
different for everyone. Some things may be good for them, and we should seek what is good for us. We all need different things. For
example, if someone doesn't need the sun, he won't seek it because he doesn't like it. But we like the sun, because we are sick (Master
laughs). There are sick people, so the sun must be there to help them recover. Or we may be thirsty, then we should seek water. But they
may not be thirsty, so why should they bother! If they are not thirsty, yet we bring them water and say, "The water is good. I just drank
it. Why don't you try some?" (all laugh) this is not logical, so we should just let it be.
People benefit from our spiritual practice. When a person practices, he gradually becomes one with the world, and his property becomes that of the world. When an Enlightened Master passes away, He leaves His merits and the fruits of His practice to the world instead of taking them with Him. Therefore, our world becomes more and more civilized, because Enlightened Masters come during every era and time, and they leave some property for us and our descendents, thereby making our world more and more civilized, blessed, and bright. Previously, there were no lights, telephones, cars, airplanes, or television. But the situation has gradually improved. In ancient times, there was no medicine to cure diseases, but now medicine has become very advanced.
Therefore, practitioners are of the greatest help to the world. This is not superficially discernible, but we cannot deny the help we
render to this world. We work and practice. We cause no harm. Our renunciates also work hard. Everyone should know that spiritual practice
is very good. We share our spiritual merits with the world, instead of practicing for ourselves. We cannot just retain the merits if we
practice this Quan Yin Method-people will come and take them (all laugh and applaud). Take an electric lamp, for example. Is it possible
for the lamp to not radiate light? It shines naturally and people come near to read, eat, and chat in the light. It would be illogical to
say that the lamp does not want to give illumination. Illumination cannot be withheld. It is given away naturally.
In the same way, we practitioners bless every place we go, whether we want to or not, whether we do it consciously or unconsciously. It is
best if you are not aware of it. Your ego will grow if you are. It should be as Lao-Tzu said, "Do without doing" or "Know without knowing;
that's the real knowing." We feel something, but we don't know what it is. We just like "whatever it is." (All laugh and applaud.)
Therefore, don't worry about getting no benefits from spiritual practice. They are there for you! We don't care if we benefit personally or
not, as long as others do. It is a certainty that we get the benefit naturally. You will feel it clearly. At least your life will become
different. It will be purer and more carefree, and your mind will be more open rather than constrained.
In the past, you felt sad when you were scolded. But now you don't feel so sad except when I scold you (all laugh), because you have the
misconception that Masters should be sweet. Therefore, you feel hurt. You don't allow me to do my job naturally. Of course, I want to be
sweet, but I can't when your bitterness blends in with my sweetness. It takes a long time before the sweetness surfaces. This is like
adding a little milk to water. You cannot feel the change, but as you add more and more milk, the milky color shows and the mixture becomes
milk in the end.
The best news is that we can share our spiritual merits with others; we have no private property. We are individuals but we all get the same thing. The sun shines without losing its brilliance, and everyone gets its benefit. The same goes for Quan Yin practitioners: Others receive our blessings without us incurring any losses.
Yesterday, a fellow initiate told me that he repeated the Holy Names while he made noodles. Customers love his noodles and this preference has never faded. His business is expanding (all laugh). He can hardly make enough noodles. Yesterday, he had to ask for a leave to come for group meditation. His business is so good that he almost couldn't make the trip. He said: "I have to come and see Master. I have to set the work aside!" He was afraid that he would be drained of his blessings if others ate his noodles. That is so cute! You won't lose your blessings. You just benefit more when others benefit from you! Because we are all one. My feet, for instance, are no better looking than my face. They cannot talk, but they are mine, nonetheless. If they get hurt, I feel uncomfortable all over. If they are fine, I am fine too. If they are uncomfortable, I feel troubled, too.
We are all one in this world. We may be at different levels and engage in different work, but each one is still a part of us as a whole. We are the same inside. However, since you are at the superficial level and haven't delved deeply enough, you see differences; as you go deeper, you will know that you are the same as I am. My level is yours. There is no difference between you and me. Now you are wrong because you think you lose something when you benefit others. No! We are all one.
I have told you this story before. The mouth, feet, and hands are quarreling. The hands and feet complain to the mouth, "You do nothing all day long, while we work so hard to feed you. From now on, we will stop working. We won't feed you anymore. Then let's see what will happen to you!" So the mouth gets nothing to eat. But after a while, the feet and hands become so weak that they can no longer move. They become sick. We mistakenly think that our spiritual merits belong to us and we don't want to share them. It is impossible to keep them to yourselves! Others will take them automatically. For instance, we have to pay interest to banks for loans. The interest is automatically deducted from our income. The food we eat, the roads we walk on, and the clothes we wear, all come from this world. Everyone has to depend on others to exist. So why don't we share our merits with others if we have spiritual blessings? You have to share them even when you are aware of it, let alone when you are unaware of it! All the blessings come from the Master. How can you be so stingy! (Audience laughs and applauds.)
Electricity running through cables comes from a power generating station, not from the cables. How can the cables retain the power, or lose it after it is conveyed? Of course, they cannot! It is the duty of the cables to supply electric power to every corner of the world. It is the same with each one of us. We should convey the highest blessing power to every corner of the world. That is our responsibility. I have told you already that everyone has his responsibilities. Farmers grow crops, builders pave roads, and we are the electric cables. We carry this blessing power to every part of the world. If we cannot do it, then we are not cables.
Therefore, if we don't practice spiritually and share our blessings with the world, we should not call ourselves spiritual practitioners or spiritual persons. We are at different levels and do different jobs, the way a professor has to teach students if he wants to be called a professor. If he doesn't, then he isn't a professor. The same is true for spiritual practitioners. Our aim is to bless this world. We must do our job clearly, not for the Master. We do it not for fear that we will violate the precepts. We do it not for fear that we will go to hell. We do it not for fear that we won't have merits. We do it because it is our obligation.
When you have practiced more, you will understand your mission. This mission is no mission (all laugh). We bless the world naturally. However, we need to practice well before we can have the power to bless. If the cables are disconnected, power won't be able to flow through them. Therefore, our mind, body and speech must be clean in order to protect the "cables." If they are not, they will be like torn cables. The power will leak out and the cables become useless. Again, a water conduit is not water; the two are not interconnected. They are of different qualities . But water cannot be transported to our house if the pipe is broken. Therefore, if others say that we don't need precepts for practice, they are wrong; that is just like water without the water pipe. Of course, water is clean and useful, but it won't reach our house if the pipe is broken. Do you understand? (Audience applauds.)
Most of you fail to do things well because you lack concentration, and just carry out one profession only. Suppose you grow up, study
medicine, and become a doctor. Whether you are a good doctor or not will depend on whether you possess concentration and are compassionate
at heart. You may not even do well in your professional career. Suppose you have learned to be a business person, an engineer, or a certain
type of professional, and you improve constantly as you gain experience and undergo more training. But even then, your performance may not
be very good. That is why some doctors perform better than others, and some architects have greater achievements than their peers. The
cause lies in their different levels of concentration and intelligence.
Why are Enlightened Masters able to do everything? It is because they are always in a state of concentration. They concentrate all their
actions, speech and thoughts on whatever they are doing. They can also concentrate simultaneously on other areas and have billions of
manifestation bodies. They can dance in one place and have billions of manifestation bodies at the same time. This is because their minds
are never defocused; they have reached the state of never lacking concentration.
The Sun shines on every corner of the Earth without having to consume anything; however, a candle can only illuminate one spot and yet its
radiance is short-lived. This is where a spiritual practitioner differs from an ordinary person. Why do we see things that others cannot
see? It is because we possess concentration. Why are we able to do everything so perfectly and better than others do, and even better than
the experts, if necessary? It is because we are always concentrating.
My heart and mind are forever concentrated on whatever I am doing, and they are never distracted and never drifting on to other things.
Even when I think about other things, only one part of me is doing the thinking, so I can still do a lot of work at the same time. Ordinary
people can never do that. If you are not trained or if you are not used to it, you cannot work with concentration. You can do your work
well, not because you are focused, but because you are a professional. Being a professional is different than being concentrated. Being a
professional, you are only good at one particular job, and even then, you may be good at it only because you have done it habitually.
When we spiritual practitioners practice and attain a superior level, we don't have to be professionals to do our jobs well. We can perform
even better than the professionals because we are focused on wisdom, which lets us accomplish everything perfectly. And because of this
difference, we are able to do anything. Once we attain wisdom, we can do anything, for wisdom can illuminate the whole universe and create
the whole universe. Is there anything that It cannot do? It does those things that are necessary and leaves the unnecessary things alone.
Scientists have concluded from experimental data that if the same action is performed daily for forty days at a stretch, it will become a habit. The same is true for meat eating, drinking, and smoking. Initially this happens for a day or two, or three, but a month later, it develops into a habit. Many other things take a similar course as well.
I recently read a newspaper report about a seventeen-year-old girl who is an expert snake trainer. The sight of snakes may fill us with
fear, but this girl sleeps and eats with them every day. She holds them close, embracing not just one, but dozens of them, all at once. And
some are deadly. But she is accustomed to them, for her father fed her some snake venom in lieu of milk when she was just born. (Master
laughs.) As she grew up, this became a habit. Now she has developed such a strong immunity to snake venom that snakebites will not take her
life.
Snakes are her constant companions. They stay very close to her, and the girl sometimes holds their heads in her mouth. The snakes slither
onto her face, kissing and licking her, and sometimes, at her deliberate provocation, bite her until she bleeds. If the venom is too much,
she sucks it out and spits it away. She cannot sleep unless she has enjoyed some snakebites. Can you believe anyone having such a habit?
But this is a true story.
It is common among snake breeders, who are also called artists. It may be weird, but it is an art anyhow. There are many weird arts in the
world; the weirder they are, the more popular they become. In contrast, normal people like myself are not very well-known. (Master laughs.)
The way she is dressed tells you that this woman is only seventeen or eighteen, but she is already an expert snake trainer in her
neighborhood. She performs the art as a living. She has grown so accustomed to snakebites since infancy that she loses sleep if she has not
been bitten. However, people are afraid of her because she has become as venomous as these creatures. This is a fact. She leads a lonely
life. She reckons that perhaps no man would have the courage to marry her.
When she touches or plays with the dogs, cats or birds that occasionally approach her, they drop dead as soon as she accidentally scratches
them. Just as we get poisoned when we are scratched or wounded by animals, this girl causes death to animals when she scratches them,
because she is filled with venom. Even her nails are poisonous. This is very frightening! It is not her blood or the venomous discharge
from her body that infects the animals. Nor does she bite them until they bleed. No! The animals die from mere scratches. This has occurred
several times. So people are very afraid of her. Fortunately, however, she says that she has never hurt a human being.
It is good for her that her immunity has increased during the many years she has spent in the company of snakes. But her body has to have
sufficient toxin to develop that type of immunity. It is like injecting a toxin in the form of germs (a vaccine) into our blood so that we
become immune to a disease, that is, fighting poison with poison. The same is true for this girl, who has absorbed snake venom-either
through oral feeding or injection-since she was a baby. Her father trained her to be an expert snake tamer from the time she was a child,
keeping her in close company with snakes, the way we are with dogs and cats.
Snakes are harmless and non-aggressive, she says. Although they attack when disturbed, they are usually harmless. She often lets snakes
bite her and goes to bed only after enjoying a few snakebites. How horrifying! Even though she sucks out the venom if it is too much for
her, a small amount is still left inside her body. Such daily intake, and the snake venom she has absorbed since childhood, has turned her
into a poisonous snake. A scratch from her, however unintentional, is enough to kill an animal. This is the result of developing an
immunity to snakes, just as we survive by becoming similar to the person we want to be with. The only difference between this girl and a
snake is that she knows she would never intentionally bite or wound other humans, whereas snakes do not.
The same is true for spiritual practitioners. This relationship with snakes goes no higher than the physical level, yet it can be very
poisonous. In the same way, our thoughts can be trained to become either venomous, or very virtuous or powerful. You may think that wizards
and witches derive their magical powers from mantras. No, it is they who give magic to the mantra, but not by reciting it once a day. This
is not possible. They recite it day after day, again and again until the mantra is charged with their willpower. They continuously develop
their willpower with thoughts of either killing or helping people. Therefore, when they recite the mantra, it works. When they perform
miracles by reciting the mantra, they can impart this ability to another person and it will also work.
This girl, for instance, is not a snake, but constant contact with snake venom has made her poisonous. Originally, people die from
snakebites. But now the snakes have imparted the poisonous power to the girl and she has become a tool, just like a snake. Whomever she
bites or scratches, dies. To the man who has the courage to marry and kiss her, I wish good luck. (Master and audience laugh.) Her whole
body is poisonous. So are her nails, even though she cleans them every day. I wonder what would happen if she were to have a baby. It might
become poisonous while still inside the mother's womb.
By contrast, we practitioners have to rely on our own nature, long for liberation, and become a force of goodness and virtue, a loving
force that can save sentient beings. We have to develop our willpower in that direction if we are to cultivate such strengths. But this
takes time. When we have fully acquired this power, anyone who receives it from us will have it as well. Slowly, he will become more and
more powerful, and eventually become like us.
We depend on our willpower to do everything. Martial arts athletes should be gripped by an inner pugnacity; boxers should punch as they
would at an enemy. Only at that moment will they be overwhelmingly powerful. If you are too kind, make no aggressive moves, or cannot
stretch out your arms, you cannot become a good martial arts athlete. However, this is confined to the more violent types of martial arts.
A good martial arts athlete does not fight. In cock-fights, the well-trained combat rooster just stands in the ring while its opponents run
away upon seeing it, or kneel down and cry. They cry not because they have lost (Master laughs); they may hide behind a tree and cry out of
fear.
So we can train ourselves every day, allowing our talents to develop in different directions. If we want to develop in this way, it is best
to be together with those who share the same ideal. This is true for everything, as in the case of this girl. She would not have developed
that poisonous power if she had not always been around snakes. She could not have become so poisonous by herself. Just as material aspects
can be transmitted in the material way, spiritual aspects can also be transmitted in the spiritual way. Our practice is spiritual in
nature, so we should follow those people on the same spiritual path. We can transmit that power to each other, supporting and helping one
another along the way, and becoming spiritual practitioners. This is a certainty. If a vicious person can train himself to kill by sheer
willpower, then compassionate people like us can also cultivate the willpower to save people. This is very logical; it is not some
indefinable theory or superstitious philosophy. We who practice the Quan Yin Method are clear about everything, and should not be
superstitious.
However, some of you do not have enough faith. You rush to see spirit mediums and worship the earth deity. You have an "Earth Goddess"
here, yet you still worship the earth deity! (Master laughs, and audience applauds.) That is very silly of you! If you owe Maya a favor, it
will be Maya's favor, not a human favor. If you become indebted to Maya, after a while it will want your soul, and then you will have to
take care of yourself. I will not kowtow to Maya and plead for your soul. Sometimes you indiscriminately beseech other humans, or spirits
or ghosts for material benefits or for this ephemeral body. These sentient beings from not very high levels then ask you to pay up.
Sometimes their fees are very high. They may want your soul, permanent possession of you, or subordination from you. You become a lonely
spirit, a wandering ghost, and their lowly slave. Being such a spiritual slave is far more miserable than being a slave in physical form. I
am warning you clearly!
Any wealth or property that comes from your parents is free. But if it comes from outside people, it has to be returned. Sometimes people
may trap us and charge us dearly. Similarly, in the world of spiritual practice, there are many such traps. Low-level sentient beings,
spirits, and ghosts all have their set prices. If you want their help, sometimes they will do so very quickly, but the price is high, and
very soon you will regret it. I myself will not go pleading for you. If you make deals with ghosts and spirits, you have to take care of
the matter. I have not asked you to deal with them. For a few million or billion US dollars, you sell your soul to others. And after some
time, the money becomes useless. When you leave this world, you cannot take it with you, and your soul is detained by others. It is not
like this world, where you can take care of matters by paying money. Ghosts and spirits do not want money!
Suppose you are a girl from a good family, and out of ignorance, perhaps, you get involved with hoodlums and gangsters. They make you do
bad things or demand money from you. If you give them money, perhaps they will release you. But you cannot play with ghosts and spirits in
that way. They do not want money. They want your soul, and they want it for a very long time. I do not know for how long; it depends on how
much you owe them and what you have promised them. Sometimes a promise is not needed. Once you receive their help, automatically you belong
to them. In the realm of ghosts and spirits, that is how things work. That is their law. So don't make a mess and then come to me only when
there is a problem. I do not want to intervene in such matters. I won't go to ghosts and spirits for these kinds of silly matters. Since
you yourselves want to walk the evil path, you can go your own evil way. Would I, a dignified Master, go pleading with them? Should I?
(Audience: "No!") Do you want me to kneel before them and implore them to set your soul free? Do you want that? (Audience: "No.") I don't!
I have no time to do that kind of silly thing. If, for your own wealth and ephemeral life, you kowtow to ghosts and spirits, begging those
who are at a lower level than yourselves, then that is your own business. I warn you. I will not intervene in that kind of matter.
In this world, I can make any sacrifice for you if you request my help with regard to any problem. But if you do not have faith in me and
seek those lowly sentient beings instead, that is your business. I cannot be responsible for the outcome. Every world has its own law. I
have already brought you out. If you want to jump back in, then what more can I do for you?
The story about snake breeding that I have just told you is a true one. It has even been reported in the newspapers. You can learn about
it if you read the papers. Or you can ask those snake breeders. Their bodies must have a little snake venom in them, so they can have
enough immunity against snakes. Certain snake species are very dangerous. They only have to touch you, and not bite you, for you to die.
But nothing happens to those people even if they are bitten. That girl even said that she could not sleep unless she was bitten. This shows
that we quickly become assimilated with sentient beings we spend a lot of time with. Years of contact with snakes, for instance, have made
this girl almost one of their kind. Although externally she looks like a human, inside her body she is like a snake carrying venom. When
snakes bite her, she does not die, because she is with them every day. She is fully pervaded.
We are also like that. If we spend much time with fellow practitioners and virtuous friends, we will develop the same spiritual qualities.
Material qualities are infused in the material way. Spiritual qualities are infused in the spiritual way. This is very logical. When we
come here or go to group meditation, we do not learn anything that is not good. Everything is virtuous, very good for the self, the family,
and society. This is the philosophical aspect only. In terms of wisdom and our spiritual nature, the benefits acquired through
enlightenment are invisible but receivable. If one can change into a snake through frequent contact with snakes, can't one become a saint
in the same way? Following a saint turns one into a saint; following a snake turns one into a snake. This is natural. Sometimes we see how
people look differently when they raise animals, or often slaughter pigs and cows. Sometimes people who kill too many pigs begin to look
like a pig, too. Don't they? (Audience answers, "Yes.") For instance, I have seen two faces that look the same in the newspapers. (Master
laughs.)
Do not be skeptical about the benefits of group meditation. Do not doubt the benefits of meditating together. Do not have reservations
about the benefits of communicating with fellow practitioners. Like attracts like. There is mutual encouragement and nurturing, and we grow
closer in oneness. This is certain. I have to be diligent and make an effort to purify my thoughts, words, and deeds. You, too, should be
diligent and make an effort to purify your thoughts, words, and deeds. In this way, we will have mutual benefits. We will certainly benefit
from meeting with each other. (Audience applauds.)
Q: When Christ says, "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit," I don't think anyone, even myself, really understands completely what it would
actually take to commit an unforgivable sin, if there were such a thing.
M: 'Unforgivable' is in the sense of the world, but there's nothing eternal. Suppose if Christ had come, and the people preached falsehoods
against Him, or blackened His name, or accused Him falsely or wrongly, things like that, that's against the Holy Spirit, because He
represented the Holy Spirit. So these sins are, of course, unforgivable, but not eternal. As soon as the soul turns around and repents,
it's forgiven.
That's why Jesus did not hate those who condemned Him. Also, He knew that they had to do their duty. They had to do what they did to
complete His mission, so that He would be glorified and honored in Heaven, as well as on Earth, up till now. If He hadn't died like that,
He would be in oblivion; He wouldn't be as famous as He is now. Other masters have come and gone, but no one is as famous as He is.
So, those who persecuted Him had to do what they had to do. And He knows that, and they are forgiven. They had a role they had to play. Of
course that's not the highest choice that they made, but someone has to make a choice like that. You know, just like in a film: Someone has
to be a murderer, someone has to be a detective, someone has to be a victim and someone has to be a hero.
So, it's a choice we made before we came. Nothing is unforgivable, even though it seems unforgivable. Of course, we should never make a
choice like that. But in eternity, in the game of the universe, everyone chooses a different way to walk back home. Sometimes they like to
take a long way; some people take a short cut, like we do.
God knows everything; God forgives everything. It's just that we can not forgive ourselves. So we should never make lowly choices that we
regret afterwards. Therefore the Master and the brothers stand by all the time, to assist us in re-choosing. We can always make a new
choice. And depending on your choice, a new event will happen, a new direction will open up. Then you go into a different dimension. That's
why every sinner has the chance to become a saint-any of them, no problem. There's always hope. There's always love, plenty of love for
everyone, even for the worst criminal, plenty of love.
If we do not practice spiritually, we will not know when God wants us to be Hiers tool, and our actions may incur bad karma. It is said
that "Karma does not exist originally." Suppose God wants more people to know about me and wants me to do more in sharing the Truth, let
more virtuous people know about my teachings, and let more people come to my lectures. Since I am not responsible for publicity matters,
God helps me through other people, particularly those who have money and authority, because they own many religious magazines and
newspapers. When God works through them, they use expressions of recommendation and praise, if they are aware of it. But if they do not
practice spiritually, the God-power may become poison for them; what should have been praise turns into words of defamation.
Therefore, God's Grace is of little use to those who do not practice spiritually. An average spiritual practitioner who shares my teachings
with millions of people is blessed with infinite and inexhaustible merits, and attains sainthood very soon. However, for those who do not
practice spiritually, even a big mission or assignment from God turns into bad karma. People pray for God's grace, but if they do not
practice spiritually, God's blessings will be of little use to them. When we have indigestion, even gourmet dishes become toxic when eaten,
and we cannot digest tonics even if we take them. You all know this theory. Suppose we have a stomach problem; drinking milk will only
produce more toxins in us. However, milk is good for children and makes healthy people even healthier. If we have a gastrointestinal
problem, we cannot digest even the best food, which only turns into toxins.
Therefore, we should try to purify our actions, speech, and thoughts to be able to digest the superior blessings from God. Otherwise, the
more God blesses us, the more trouble we will have. Take the mission group we just mentioned, for instance. If they had accomplished this
work for me, they would have earned considerable merits. They would have flourished, benefited, and attained sainthood. Unfortunately,
because they are not enlightened, they failed to accomplish this task and incurred bad karma with their actions. Sometimes, they perform
their jobs with negative thoughts, not realizing that the work is an honor from God. The same assignment, the same mission, and the same
result may bring them only bad karma instead of blessed reward.
This is why we have to practice spiritually. Only when we do will we realize that karma does not exist originally, and there was no karma
in the first place. It is our toxic mind which turns God's arrangements into bad karma. Therefore, we must practice the Quan Yin Method to
cleanse our mind of any preconceptions and garbage, then everything that goes in will reside in a pure abode and become nectar water.
Otherwise, no matter how much we do and how diligently we work, it is all for our ego, for fame and profit, and will not yield any blessed
reward. We do not know that it is the arrangement of God, our highest almighty power, to perform work through our physical body and mind.
This is beyond the understanding of our mind.
Once we have purified our actions, speech, and thoughts, everything we do is correct and any action is appropriate. Therefore, we must
practice spiritually. Now you have a clear picture of how the blessing power descends from above. It is our negative thinking that finally
turns it into a toxin within us. That is why the Sixth Patriarch Sutra says, "When your thinking is neither good nor bad, then you are in
the Tao." The Tao does not incline in any direction, but this does not suggest that the Tao means doing bad things. Only when it is done
through the mind does it become bad.
Therefore, it is most important for us to pursue spiritual practice. This is mentioned in all scriptures, but strangely, few people
understand it. We must first cultivate ourselves and foster family harmony before we can govern the country and contribute to world peace.
However, people rush to maintain world peace, thinking that this is the most important phase and the other three are trivial matters not
worthy of concern. How on earth can they ensure world peace? Suppose we want to build a house; we must first lay the foundation. Without a
foundation, the higher a building is, the more troublesome it will be and the sooner it will collapse. Therefore, pay no heed to advice
that you can practice without observing the precepts. I have made myself very clear on this point.
Dogs are man's loyal friends. Countless stories about their heroic deeds have been told around the world, but you may not know that dogs are highly spiritual. They not only can feel the high vibrations and positive magnetic field of an Enlightened Master, but can even prophesy His coming. This issue's "Story World" presents a selection of funny and heartwarming stories about interactions between Master and dogs, which we hope you will enjoy.
In the past few days since our retreat began, a dog has been walking around my quarters every day. He walks in circles, making seven
rounds each time. After the seventh round, he sticks out his tongue to cool off, and then repeats the circling again. This has become his
daily routine and I have no idea how many rounds he has made. If he does not see me, he barks a few times. The sound is unbearable. (Master
imitates the dog barking.) (Master and audience laugh.) If he does not see me after the seventh round, he barks, and each time the pitch is
different. When he is tired, it goes "ou" (lower note); and when he is not, it goes "oh, oh" (higher note). (Initiate: "He must be an
Indian dog.") The Indian dog goes circling around the Buddha (an enlightened Being). At first, I thought he was hungry and gave him some
food. But he was not hungry. How could a hungry dog move around like that the whole day!
He only circles my house. He is very disciplined and does not run around wildly. He follows a definite path. (Master demonstrates with Her
hands.) If he is tired by the fifth round, he takes a two-minute break before resuming. At the end of the seventh round, he takes a longer
rest.
Sometimes, I talk to him and say, "Okay, stop circling around!" But he thinks I want him to go on, and continues doing so. If I am quiet,
he stands guard in a very dignified manner. Strangely, he only circles my house and moves down after finishing his rounds. The female
initiates thought he was a stray dog and tried to chase him away. But he refused to leave. He ran up to my house instead. Every time he is
chased, he just runs back up and starts circling again, thinking that he hasn't done enough rounds. When residents try to chase him away,
he just stares at them.
Resident disciple: "The other day when I was on guard and tried to chase him away, he even tried to bite me. How ferocious!"
Bite you! Really? He had not finished his rounds yet, so how could you chase him away? You do not know his habit. He was trying to tell
you, "You are only one of the guards, nothing more! You are a first-rank guard. I am a third-rank guard. We are not much different."
(Laughter!)
He makes seven rounds each time and walks the same path on every round. You people on guard duty know that. It seems to have drawn a line
on the ground, and walks the same course every day. He only moves around my house, and nowhere else. He may be a Tibetan dog. Tibetan
people also walk in circles around the Buddha. How strange that he has been making daily rounds over the past few days, not going anywhere
else or doing any other thing! Also, he is not noisy. He barks only when he does not see me, (Master imitates the barking), as if to tell
me, "Here I come!" (Initiate: "It is reporting for duty to Master.") It has reported for duty clearly enough. However, I say, "Don't report
anymore. I do not like noise." He only barks if he cannot see me; he does not dare bark loudly, but in an unpleasant kind of tone. If he
can see me, he does not bark. It is fine seeing me once a day.
In the beginning, when he passed by my door, he would come inside a bit to see if I was there. Now, he does not come to the door to take a
look. He just moves around the house, round and round like this, stopping to rest after every seven rounds.
When Master was telling us the story about the dog that circled Her seven times, brother Ke happened to be present.
Brother Ke said, "When Master once visited me in Hsinchu, three or four dogs that we had never seen before came to our door and just
squatted there. They sat at the door the whole day. We could recognize all the dogs in the neighborhood, but we had never seen those few
before. We had no idea where they had come from. They refused to leave even when we tried to chase them away. They sat there the whole day.
Even when Master was out, they sat by the door waiting for Her, as if they knew She would return."
After the May 2000 retreat in Youngdong Center, Korea, Master stayed briefly in Japan. The neighbor living next to Her quarters had a
big dog. The dog usually sat at the door or walked around there. Every time it saw Master come out of Her abode, it would immediately lie
down on its stomach, as though it were respectfully saluting and bowing to Her. But when it saw Her attendants, it did not act in the same
way.
The last owner of Master's house left us two dogs. When we were remodeling the house in the winter of 1997, they delivered three
puppies. We tried to take them from the kennel into the house as it was very cold outside. But they were afraid of us because we were
strangers to them. They barked constantly, not just at strangers, but also at us, even though we fed them food every day. We tried to catch
them many times, but failed each time. Finally, they ran into the mountains just behind the house and were rarely seen.
In May of 1998, on the eve of Master's arrival, they suddenly appeared and guarded the gate through the night like security guards. We
couldn't believe our eyes. The next morning, when Master arrived at the house, they came down to the garden and sat still looking at Her.
It was incredible that they did not bark at Her! It was as though they had been waiting for Master for a long time. They looked very happy
when She waved to them. We believe even dogs can recognize the Supreme Master.
This publication introduces Master
on pages 222-223 as follows:
Who is Supreme Master Ching Hai?
Born in Vietnam, and an honorary American citizen since 1993, Supreme Master Ching Hai is a symbol of spiritual wisdom and guidance for
hundreds of thousands of seekers of enlightenment around of the globe. She teaches, free of charge, a non-denominational form of meditation
called the Quan Yin Method in worldwide centers. Supreme Master Ching Hai has achieved international fame for her humanitarian and
disaster-relief efforts on four continents. In recognition of her contributions, she received the International Peace Commendation and the
World Spiritual Leadership Award in 1993 and 1994 respectively. Master Ching Hai has been the honored guest of world leaders and has
addressed the United Nations in New York and Geneva on numerous occasions.
According to Master Ching Hai's philosophy, all of the world's religions teach the same fundamental truth: universal brotherhood and
sisterhood, moral courage, and purity of mind. Master Ching Hai's Quan Yin Method of meditation is referred to in ancient scriptures as the
key to "Immediate Enlightenment." At the core of the Quan Yin Method is silent contemplation of the "Inner Sound stream," by which the
individual may experience higher levels of consciousness and uncover the path to enlightened understanding.
How attractive it is if someone says we can get enlightenment immediately! Throughout human history, numerous truth-seekers have been eager to gain enlightenment, but only a few have done so, even though they had to go through all kinds of suffering and hardship. So generally it is thought that getting enlightenment is very rare and difficult to attain, and it is only possible after we go through many hardships. We ordinary people usually think that getting enlightenment is an issue that is 'far apart' from our lives. But Supreme Master Ching Hai insists that we can meet our real Self simply by closing our eyes, and can get enlightenment immediately through a simple and universal meditation method.
Since 1992 Supreme Master Ching Hai has been well-known in Korea. Moreover, since 1993, through Her lectures in Seoul and Pusan, the number of Koreans who practice the Quan Yin Method and maintain a vegetarian diet has increased dramatically. The current number of practitioners in Korea is in the thousands. There are meditation centers in 11 major Korean cities and initiates and initiates-to-be gather each Sunday to meditate together. However, no one is forced to give money or change their religion to practice the Quan Yin Method. In order to help people begin a vegetarian diet, The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association's Seoul Center runs the 'SM Vegetarian Buffet Restaurant' and the 'VegeLove' bakery in Poi-Dong, Seoul.
caption:Written by Jeon, Chae-Yeon http://ccy@newhuman.org Photographs by Kim, Myung-Soon
Q: When did you get initiated?
A: Five years ago. From then on, I have been maintaining a strict vegetarian diet and practicing meditation for three hours a day. I
keep practicing in the middle of daily life because we don't believe that spiritual practice and worldly life are separate.
Q: What difference have you noticed in your life before and after initiation?
A: My personality and values about life have changed. Before, I used to be passive in interpersonal relationships, and sometimes
became depressed. But through meditation practice, I have begun to feel compassion towards everything and my understanding towards my
neighbors has widened. I've gained the power to look at the world brightly and to love universally.
Q: Tell me about the Vegetarian bakery 'VegeLove'
A: There are only a few vegetarian bakeries like 'VegeLove' in Korea. We deal in almost all kinds of vegetarian products in Korea to
help people easily access the vegetarian diet. We sell vegetarian meats and ham, and eggs made of wheat gluten, and make vegetarian
hamburgers, sandwiches, pizza, and so on. We promote all kinds of products that do not include animal ingredients. We deliver the products
free of charge if the total cost of the order is over fifty thousand won.
Q: Share your thoughts about Supreme Master Ching Hai
A: I feel comfortable with Her, like breathing air.
Q: What do you want to do in the future?
A: I believe practice involves finding one's own way by oneself. I would like to try organic agricultural methods as a part of my
practice and as a way to benefit the public.
To provide worldwide and immediate access to the precious teachings of Supreme Master Ching Hai, along with Her life sketch, selections
from Her lectures, and a brief introduction to the Quan Yin Method, "The Key of Immediate Enlightenment" sample booklets are now available
on the following web sites in fifty languages. To read them on-line, please visit one of these sites:
http://www.Direkter-Kontakt-mit-Gott.org/booklet (Austria)
http://www.Godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/publication/sample/sample.htm ((Formosa)
http://www.Godsdirectcontact.org/sample ((USA)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.us/com/sb/index.html
These sites are designed to display the sample booklet in a format that may be read on-line. Or, the booklet may be downloaded as a PDF
file for convenient access and printing from your personal computer. (Detailed downloading instructions are available from the second web
site above.) The only software needed is Acrobat Reader. If Acrobat Reader is not already installed on your computer, you may follow the
instructions and obtain it, free of charge, from these sites.
English version of the "Letters Between Master and Spiritual Practitioners,Volume I" is a brand new collection of letters between
Supreme Master Ching Hai and Her disciples and other spiritual practitioners. Each letter is spiritually enlightening, and Master's
penetrating responses provide illuminating answers to the questions within your heart, pinpointing
oversights and clarifying confusion in your spiritual practice. Its rich and extensive
contents cover all the details of spiritual practice, from attaining serenity of mind to creating harmonious relationships. Master's wisdom
is an illuminating lighthouse leading us in the right direction on the spiritual path.
The meticulous care and Infinite Grace given by Supreme Master to Her disciples are clearly obvious in the exchange of correspondence
between them. The many true stories in this volume are moving testimonials to Master's unfathomable love and omnipresent power. The steady
stream of love between Master and disciples shines through in these letters, and will touch your heart, strengthen your faith, and increase
your courage in facing the challenges of daily life and spiritual practice.
Related web address:
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org/eng/news/121/es1.htm
Expenditures for El Salvador Earthquake Relief Activities (Unit: US$)
There was a newly wed couple, and the husband could not tolerate his wife. He quarreled with her every day until he came close to a nervous breakdown. He then rushed to see a doctor. "What's wrong?" asked the doctor. "Ah! I have been quarreling with my wife too much," the man responded. "Now I am weak in both body and mind. What shall I do?" "You need to do some exercises! I suggest you buy yourself a track suit and jog about ten kilometers each day, then call me in a week or two." The man said, "Okay!" and left. That day, he bought a track suit and started jogging. A week later, the man called the doctor and the doctor asked, "How are you doing physically? Are you feeling better?" "Better, much better!" said the man. Then the doctor inquired, "How is your wife treating you?" "How would I know?" the man replied, "I'm already seventy kilometers away from home!"
Three people died in a car accident and soon arrived at the screening center in Heaven, where they were to undergo a trial by an angel before being assigned to selected places and jobs. The angel asked them, "What did you like to hear the most when you were in the coffin, and your relatives and friends were crying noisily at your funeral?" The first person answered, "I liked it when they said that I used to be the best doctor and the best parent." The second person said, "I liked to hear people say that I was the best husband and the best professor, who was most conscientious about his children's future. The last one answered, "At that time, I would have liked most to hear them say, 'Oh! He is still alive!'"
A woman met a man. She looked at him and said, "Wow! You know, you look very much like my third husband." "So, you have been married three times?" the man asked. And the woman replied, "No, twice!"
Two men were playing golf, and when a funeral passed by, one of them made a great gesture. He immediately stood upright and took off his cap, and then watched and waited until the procession was some distance away before resuming his game. "You are such a fine gentleman, so considerate, friendly and polite," his competitor remarked. "But, of course, we were married for thirty years. This is our very last ceremony!"
Please come the following web sites to enjoy the original audio and video versions of the jokes and you may share the joy of Master's humor with those around you as well. http://www.Godsdirectcontact.org/video/joke/121 http://www.Godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/light_sound/jokes/121