| | Beware of Maya's Traps | The Golden Deer -- One of the Buddha's Previous Lives | Animals Are Our Friends | Share the World with All Beings | All Living Creatures Are Equal | Love Your Pets as Yourself | Ahimsa -- Extending Love to Our Animal Fellows | The Wrong Kind of Doctor | Even A Dog Can Understand It | A Misplaced Guide |
We practitioners should be clear in our understanding, so that we are not deceived by anyone. But each time Maya tests you, a few of you will fail. Don't listen to anyone else's words but Master's! Otherwise you will be trapped by Maya. If you imprudently listen to others' words without discrimination, you are degrading your own level. You are acknowledging their superiority over yours. Then you become their subordinate.
There are too many false masters in the world. Adding one more is no big deal. However, it would be a pity if you people with wisdom were deceived. Why not be a master of your own self? If you believe everything others tell you, and do not use your own wisdom to discern, then others will laugh at your lack of wisdom and poor practice.
If you are helping with Master's work in any way you have to be even more vigilant, lest you show any arrogance. When we help others, it is like we are working for ourselves. We should not feel complacent about our work. If we do, we will fall into Maya's trap. Say you went to work every day, and the boss paid you ten or twenty thousand dollars a month. Would you think that this was something worth being complacent about? Would you feel yourself to be extremely competent just because you were helping the boss in his work? No! Instead you would be petrified that you might make mistakes, or that you were not worthy of the job. You would worry about getting fired if you did not perform well. Is it not true? (Audience answers: "Yes.")
We should also be ever so humble, so cautious, and so careful when we are helping with God's work. We are doing very little work anyway, so what's the big deal? We work to gain merits, to cleanse our karmic debts, and to learn to become a saint. It is a chance for us to learn some lessons. Therefore, we should be grateful for this learning opportunity. There is nothing to be complacent about! Any time we feel complacent about our work, we should know that Maya is coming to test us.
Or if we are impatient to become a Buddha, Maya will definitely come to test us. He will tell us that we have already become a Buddha. Maya may not always be this blurred image that appears to you in your meditation. He may make use of a person who comes to ring your doorbell telling you, "We are good friends. I know you have already become a Buddha. I know you have already reached the eighth realm." To me it is 'Zhu Ba-jie'! (Audience laughs. Note: This is the name of Piggy in Journey to the West, a Chinese literary classic, and Zhu Ba-jie sounds similar to 'the eighth realm of the pig' in Chinese.)
Our practice is not that difficult. It is not difficult to become a saint or to teach others. It is teaching ourselves that is difficult. We have to discipline ourselves first. We have to keep out our desire for fame and gain and clean up all our filthy thoughts. Only then can we help to clean up others. If we are very filthy ourselves, and we proceed to clean others, then we will contaminate them. Even worse , maybe they were not that filthy to begin with, but since our whole body is soiled, when we try to clean them, we soil them or dirty their clothes, making them even filthier.
Hence helping sentient beings is not difficult, but helping our own self is. There is a Chinese saying: "To have a victory over oneself is the most difficult thing." It is not difficult to defeat millions or billions of people. One can use violence, force, money, or even eloquence. But it is really difficult to defeat our own self because we cannot deceive ourselves. We will not be able to sleep at night. Your guardian angel will come and ask you about your level, saying, " How dare you claim to be a master or a teacher for both human and heavenly beings?"
And then after a while, the black and white messengers from the King of Death will also come to "greet you." (Master and audience laugh.) They will tell you, "Your time has come." At that time Master will not care for you because your time has come, and you have to go with the messengers of Death. You will have to take care of yourself because you have refused to acknowledge Master's protective power. Master will not force you to accept Her protection. If you want it, Master will give it to you. But if you do not want it, Master will take it back.
There are more than a few so-called spiritual practitioners in the world, and many have magical powers. But we have to discriminate between that kind of coarse power and God's power. God does not force people. Hes uses logic and great wisdom to help open our wisdom, and then we understand and accept Herm by our own will. But Maya uses tricks, magic power, oppression, sweet talk, and deception to force us to believe him. Even though we will wake up eventually, what a waste it is if we fall into his trap! We will have wasted our time for nothing, and will have descended to a lower level. Furthermore, our heart will be injured, and it will be very hard to recover. It is a difficult task to clean up our doubtful mind to begin with. Now our doubts deepen. Once we have fallen to a lower level, it is not easy to climb back up again.
We practitioners should possess a pure and simple mind, but simplicity does not mean stupidity. A pure and simple mind means that we don't think bad about others, nor do we curse others. We do good deeds, and we help and comfort others. Whatever we can do, we try our best to do it. We don't suspect others without discrimination. On the other hand, a stupid mind follows whatever other people say, and then the mind becomes greedy for magic power, spiritual status, and flattery. Once we drink the poison of flattery, we will become poisoned, and then we will lose the power of judgment. We will not be able to judge whether others' words are logical or reasonable, or whether that type of person is worthy of our praise, or whether we should look into those people's eyes.
Why are you in such a hurry? You have to take some time to make your judgments. If you cannot judge by yourself, you have a Master to ask since She is still here. There are still many things that you do not understand, so you need to ask Her. But you do not even ask Master because you think nothing of Her! A few of you are very confused. You band together secretly trying to revolt against me. What a joke! You think Master does not know what you are up to! I watch you through my "telescope," and laugh. It's like watching children making a mess and feeling pleased with themselves. Then you get possessed by demons, and you are even happy, thinking that your parents are not aware of what you are doing.
In order to take up the responsibility of a Master, I have to give you warnings. I do not want to interfere in your childish games. It doesn't mean anything to me if I lose any number of you. However, you have to consider carefully and understand clearly what others are doing. Master is still in the world, so you can always ask Her in case you have any questions. If She is not able to clear things up or to give you explanations, then go ahead and make decisions by yourselves.
You have already been initiated by Master, so at least you should respect Master's responsibility for you. I am not asking you to respect Master personally, but I have to remind you of certain things. I am responsible for you; I have to take you beyond the three realms before my duty is finished. If you left me midway on the path, I would feel that I had not done a good job, and then both of us would be very miserable.
The universe has its own laws. We cannot do everything at will. The world of spiritual practice is full of danger. We cannot fool around at will; otherwise, we may hurt ourselves as well as others. And then hell will await us. Here is an example: Devadatta was a cousin of Shakyamuni Buddha, and when Shakyamuni was still living, he revolted against Buddha and took with him many disciples to set up another sect. He also became a so-called master, just like Shakyamuni. However, after Shakyamuni passed away, He entered Nirvana and rose up to a very high level, with great glory and honor. The whole universe has faith in Him. And then He attained a higher and higher level up there. But do you know where Devadatta went when he died? (Audience answers: "The Hell of Flames.") Yes!
Therefore, we have to be careful in our deeds. Don't crave to be a master. Mastership is not a position or a title. Mastership is not only a Master's spoken words. Mastership is another type of power, recognized by the whole universe. It is not that simple. You see a Master talk, and you think that you can do the same, and that you can be a Master, too. No, No! Everyone can make an advertisement about biscuits, but whether the advertiser has any biscuits to offer you is an entirely different matter. We cannot deceive others with mud biscuits and tell them, "They are just like real ones." When people eat these fake biscuits, they will have stomach problems, or they will die.
This is a story called "The Golden Deer." There are a lot of "golden" stories inside (Master refers to the book She is reading from) but I just picked this one. I don't know why; maybe I like deer. This is the story of one of the Buddha's previous births. When you hear of anything being "golden," it refers to the Buddha. So I have no need to try and introduce it.
A long time ago, there was a very wealthy businessman who lived in Benares. He had only one son whose name was Mahadanaka Ananda. This means a person who knows only money. This is a very bad name. Because "Ananda" means bliss. So perhaps he derived bliss only from money, or perhaps it was a nickname.
Since the time he was young, his parents spoiled him very much, because he was the only son. So he grew up with no knowledge except that of singing, dancing, feasting and making merry with his friends with money from his parents. And when he came of age, his parents found a wife for him. Then shortly afterwards, they died. And after their death, the youth spent all his time with his idle good-for-nothing companions, passing whole days drinking and gambling.
As a result, his father's money quickly vanished, and the young man was forced to borrow money from other people, but he had no means of repaying his debts. He never knew how to work to earn money, and he never knew how to keep it. Perhaps he wasn't taught how to be economical. Perhaps his parents were at fault too, because they should have taught him how to be a human being, and not just how to be the son of a wealthy person.
So because he owed a lot of money to different people, they constantly came to his house and pressed him. He became very desperate with fear and worry and did not know what to do. Finally, he decided upon a plan of action. He was very, very depressed and desperate, so he called all his creditors and told them that he had a treasure buried near the bank of the Ganges. And if the next day they would come with him, they could all go and look together for the treasure. And then he would repay all his debts to them.
So all the creditors were very happy and followed him to the river's bank. He tried searching here and there, and everyone followed him, even though he seemed perplexed as to what he was doing. But this guy intended to commit suicide; all this was just for show. So when he came to a place in the river with a very fast current, he just jumped in. All the creditors were very horrified and helplessly stood by. No one dared rescue him because the water was very swift.
When they saw that he was completely gone, all the creditors sadly returned home. They thought he was dead and drowned. Because he had been swept away very, very far in a very swift current. And they didn't see him anymore downstream; therefore they left. But when his unconscious body flowed down the river, he passed by a flowering grove and mango tree forest. And a deer that was very beautiful and fleet footed lived there, away from the rest of the deer herd. His skin shone like burnished gold, and his feet looked as if they were polished with lacquer. His horns were like spirals of silver, and his eyes glittered like precious gems.
He was nibbling some tender grass roots when he heard wild cries echoing through the forest. Running down to the river's edge, he saw the unfortunate merchant's son struggling in the water. At once he called out, "Wait! Do not be afraid! I am coming to save you." So he plunged into the river, and swimming strongly against the current, reached the man. Then the deer put the man on his back and brought him safely back to shore.
But the merchant's son was very exhausted, and collapsed. For three days and nights, he was unconscious, and the deer nursed and fed him with wild fruit. When the man recovered, the deer said to him, "Now I will lead you out of the woods and show you the road to Benares. But I ask you one favor. Please don't tell the king or any of his nobles that a golden deer lives in this forest. Because they will come here and try to catch me if they know." So the merchant's son readily promised, and the deer put him on the road to Benares.
That morning, Queen Kama, wife of the king of Benares at that time, had a dream. In the dream, she saw a golden deer speaking in a human voice. She thought to herself, "Surely there must be such an animal. Otherwise I would not have dreamt about it." So she went to the king, Brahmadatta. She told him about her dream and that she desired to possess such an animal. Otherwise, she would die.
This is a trick of the woman. She would die sooner or later anyhow, so what's the big deal? But the king, like most men on this planet, was also very stupid. (Laughter) He was very afraid of his wife, that maybe she would really die. If she died for the king it would be very understandable. But if she died for a deer, however golden it was, it just sounded funny. (Laughter) But the king bought it. Anyhow, that's just to let you know that you are not the only ones who are so stupid, and who the real boss n the house is. Even in Buddha's time it was the same. So I don't know why the women of today are wasting their time, demonstrating and giving speeches for all kinds of women's rights and women's equality. Women have never been equal to men. They are superior to men! I don't know who should be fighting for equality. So tell all these stupid women to stop it. Don't degrade us. We are superior; what are they fighting about equality for? (Laughter)
So now, the king immediately sent for his sages and asked about this golden, precious and very rare deer. And his wise men replied in the affirmative: "Yes, there is such an animal." But they didn't know where the deer lived. So the king ordered a richly decorated elephant and told the herald, "Take the elephant and a thousand pieces of money and go to all parts of the city. Proclaim that whoever can bring me news of a golden deer shall get both the elephant and the money as a reward." Now you know who the boss is, right? He immediately spent all this money for his wife. At that time, maybe she was already old. But maybe her power as she got older was even stronger.
So the herald mounted a white horse and rode through the city proclaiming aloud the king's order. The merchant's son, who had just entered Benares, heard the news and went up to the herald, saying, "I can bring the king news of the golden deer that he seeks. Take me to him." And the herald took the merchant's son to the palace and requested an audience, saying, "Sir, this man says he knows where a golden deer can be found." So the king was very delighted and asked the merchant's son to bring him there.
Then the king took a very large troop of soldiers and the informer, and set out for the forest where the golden deer dwelled. When they arrived, the merchant's son said, "Sir, within that clump of flowering mango trees dwells the golden deer that you seek." So the king told his men, "Surround the grove and keep your bows and arrows ready. On no account should you let the deer escape." And the king rode a horse himself to go and capture the deer just for his beloved wife. Now can you see what it's like to be a king, and what for? (Master and everyone laugh.)
The deer, who had been resting under the shade of a tree, heard the noise and was instantly alerted. He rose to his feet and saw the king standing at a distance with the merchant's son and a group of courtiers. He thought to himself, "I shall be safe where the king is, so I shall go to him." That's what the golden deer thought, so he ran to where the king was. Swift as the wind, he ran toward the king. But the king immediately raised his arrow and prepared to shoot. Because he thought that if the deer was wounded in the leg or something, it would be easier to capture him. But the deer called out very loudly, saying, "Great King, stand still. Please do not let your arrow fly."
The king was very astounded by the clear ringing tones of the deer's voice, and he dropped his arrow and bow. The soldiers and other people also crowded around in amazement, for none had ever heard a deer talk in human language before. So the deer went up to the king and asked him in a voice that was as sweet as honey: "Who brought the news to you, oh King, that I was to be found here?"
So the king pointed to the merchant's son and said, "He did." The deer then turned his head to the traitor and said very sadly, "It would have been better to pull a wooden log out of the river than to rescue such a person as you." So he scolded the betrayer. The king was very surprised and asked the deer, "What wrong has he done to you?" And the deer replied, "Your Majesty, I saved this man's life when he was drowning and brought him to safety and nursed him for three days and three nights back to life. And I told him not to tell anyone where I was to be found, and he promised me thus. Now, because of his ungrateful act, I am in danger." It was because he loved gold and money that the merchant's son sold out his rescuer.
On hearing this, the king became extremely angry. He turned to the merchant's son and said, "You have repaid a merciful deed with base treachery. For this, you shall die." So he raised his bow and arrow and held it ready to shoot the traitor. But the merchant's son was very afraid and trembling in every limb. He fell on his knees and begged for mercy.
Seeing his plight, the deer was moved with pity and said to the king, "Please let him go. Do not have the blood of this wretched being on your conscience. Give him the money that you promised him, and send him away." The king hesitated for a while but finally listened to the deer's plea for mercy. And he said to the merchant's son, "You owe your life twice over to this noble deer." Then he said to him, "Depart from here at once, and never return to my kingdom again or you shall be executed." The merchant's son straight away took to his heels and vanished into the depths of the forest, never to be seen again.
Turning to the king, the deer, who was not only noble but wise said, "Great King, the cry of jackals and birds is easily understood. But the words from man are often full of guile. You may think that a man is your friend but you will find that he has betrayed you." The king marveled at the wisdom and intelligence of the deer and decided to grant him a boon. "Tell me what you wish, Golden Deer. And it shall be yours. Whatever you wish, even if I lose my kingdom for it, I will grant to you."
The deer thought carefully and said, "The boon I ask, great King, is that all the animals in your kingdom will be forever free from danger." The king was moved by the compassion of this golden deer and consented. And he made a proclamation that whoever harmed any animal in his kingdom would be punished severely, from that day forward. So the king and the golden deer returned to Benares, and Queen Kama was overjoyed to behold the handsome deer with the coat of gold that she had seen in her dream. She listened with delight while the deer spoke to her in a human voice that sounded like the tinkling of a silver bell.
For many days, the golden deer remained in Benares with the king and queen. The city was decorated, and festivities were held in honor of the animal. Then he returned to the woodland grove where he had dwelt for so long. There he spent the rest of his days in peace. (Applause)
It's a good story. If we human beings can imitate even a small part of the noble qualities of this golden deer, then our world will become paradise. But sadly, many of us always try to grasp everything for ourselves, in every circumstance. Even in spiritual practice, we still cannot stop being greedy and selfish, trying to snatch spiritual blessing at the expense of others. This is even graver than trying to snatch property or possessions from other beings in the mundane world, because we are already on the spiritual path. So whatever we take, we must earn ourselves. We can ask for blessings, guidance and help whenever we need it. This is OK when the need arises or when it's necessary, but never at the cost of other people's happiness and convenience. Try to remember this.
In every situation in life, we must always be considerate and fair-minded. It's not that I ask you to always sacrifice yourselves, even if it's for other people's happiness or gain. But at least play fair. Because if we as practitioners cannot play fair, how can we expect the world outside to be fair to us or to be a fairer place for everyone to live in? So if it is not fair here, I cannot believe that you will be fair outside to other people. And I cannot accept this kind of disciple, especially after you have been studying a long time with me already. Even if you are a newcomer, I still don't have an excuse for you. Because you have available to you videotapes, audio cassettes, books and everything. You cannot tell me that you are new so you don't know anything. Your soul knows what is right and what is wrong. That's why you came.
If you want to turn yourself into a fox, that's your problem, but not at the expense of the assembly. You don't come here to steal the blessings of the whole group. You don't come here to compete with each other for the best seat in the theater, like outside people. Even outside people, if they want the best seat in the theater, they pay for it! They are fairer out there. So you pay for the best seat with your spiritual practice and with your earning efforts. Don't try to steal anything here, because I know. I know what belongs to whom. If you try to steal here, you might just as well throw the Five Precepts away and not bother to come any more. Because this is the place where you should be the most exemplary of your spiritual status. If you can't show me here, where else will you show it?
We should never forget our dignity and our noble purpose everywhere, for whatever price. If we practice well, if we love the Master and love God, God knows. The Master knows, for sure. You can see from the deer story that even the deer is better than many human beings. So we should learn from all these golden animals. We don't care whether they were Buddha's previous reincarnations or not; their actions bespeak their inner spiritual achievement. So don't be too proud that we are human beings, if we are not up to it.
Actually, I don't know why we should be proud that we are human beings. For example, I read in the newspaper, I hear on the radio, and I see on TV about so many noble animals that rescue people. They rescue their own kids, even at the expense of their own lives. There was one picture of a cat. She was totally burned, blind and scarred all over because she came back four times into the fire of a burning house to rescue four of her kittens. She was burned and blind and beyond recognition. But she brought them all out to safety, this cat.
A cat is very independent. After she is pregnant, I think she doesn't get help from any male or father cat. She raises her children alone. And I have seen many cats in our surroundings sometimes who do all these beautiful things for their children. I saw one bringing beautiful food - I'm sorry, this is not a very beautiful thing to say - but I saw her bring the best food, like a mouse or some other big food for her children. And she just caught flies, insects or any small thing to eat for herself. I don't approve of a non-vegetarian diet, but I cannot reason with a cat. And I am touched by her devotion. Because a cat can only eat this, and she did her best to provide nourishment for her children while eating garbage for herself. I saw it with my own eyes. I would not scold her for eating non-vegetarian food or killing mice. I am only very moved by her love.
This picture is still vivid in my mind every time I think about cats. So I don't know why we human beings treat animals so cruelly, most of us, and think of them as low-level beings. I think many animals are very noble. They are so noble and so loving to their own kind, as well as to others. And sometimes you see a cat or a dog swimming in a very dangerous river to rescue his friends. Be it a human friend or a dog friend, or a cat's friend, they do that - at the risk of their own lives. But not many of us human beings dare to do this. When we see a situation that's dangerous, we don't risk our life. But when animals see danger, they still risk their lives, out of love.
So if we human beings cannot return to this natural instinct of basic compassion and love, which the animals still possess, then we should feel more sorry for ourselves than proud of ourselves. And that is the reason we must be vegetarian, because the animals are truly noble. They truly possess the human quality and a soul within them, just like we do. So I think it's also good when we learn from the animals. It's not that we learn to become an animal, but their good qualities we should remember so that we don't feel ashamed of being lower than animal standards.
We should rise to the noble position of a saint. To do that, we must possess compassion and love and understanding and unselfish sacrifice at all times, be it in retreat, at home, in a supermarket or anywhere else, even in the forest where no one else can see us and no one else is there to record our good deeds or to praise our noble efforts. We must always be noble alone, because we alone know what we are. And God knows.
If we want to truly lead a life of "Love thy neighbor," our neighbors should include our animal friends, especially since they harm us in no way. They only beautify our lives; they are loving, and they make our lives more lively, colorful and interesting. We should preserve them, watch them, love them and enjoy their presence. God has made it clear; Hes says, "I made all the animals to befriend you and help you."
Actually, this world belongs to everyone, including the animals. That's why we follow a vegetarian policy. Because this world has come into existence due to the force of the thinking power of all the beings that exist on this planet. We wanted this place, so it exists, including the animals. But when we came into this world, we thought it belonged to us. Everyone thought it belonged to themselves. Therefore we started to get rid of the other 'aliens' - the red, the black, the yellow and so on.
The red wanted to get rid of the white. And the white got rid of the black. And then the black and the white and the yellow got rid of the animals, and so on. And so we have forgotten that we are the co-owners, not the sole owners of this world. That is why we should not kill animals, should not eat them and of course especially should not kill any other beings. But in the name of politics, national love or religion, sometimes we kill. And we justify our killing with many glorious excuses.
Actually, this is not the right thing to do. Because we kill today and in the next life we're killed. Therefore wars always continue in our world, and then we always wonder why. But there is nothing to wonder about. When we sow something, we reap the fruit thereof. Even the Bible says so - "As you sow, so shall you reap." And for those of us who have not suffered the effects of war or any other conflicts, that means we have not sown the seeds of violence. So if we continue to keep it that way, even if we do not practice meditation, even if we do not worship God officially or registered-wise, then we will be born again as a safe, secure, healthy human being. Because we have not planted the seeds of damage, of war or of violence.
From ancient times until now, the Asian people, especially the Chinese and Aulacese, think turtles are very sacred animals because they live very long. And sometimes they understand things, so the people dare not kill these animals.
Of course, there is some truth in this. Just like before, Aulacese fishermen worshipped dolphins and friendly whales. Because sometimes during storms and dangerous situations like typhoons, a whale or a dolphin would help them guide their boat and even push the boat back to safety. Sometimes they pushed the human beings who were drowning in the water back out of the water. Therefore, animals such as this were never killed. And if one happened to die accidentally or if its death was known, the fishermen or those people who swam in the sea for that reason would make a tomb for the whale or the dolphin and worship it day and night.
So there are some animals that are extremely intelligent. There is no doubt, and we know it, too. Even pigs or house pets are known for their qualities of faithfulness, loyalty, friendliness and helpfulness in times of trouble. Many of your newspapers print articles about miracles done by animals. For example, a dog rescues children from a burning house or a pig runs many miles to get aid for his owner, even though a moment later the owner might cut his throat. Or a horse stays with the tomb of his master until the horse's death, and never eats anything. Or a dog will never leave the tomb of his master, etc. There are a great many things like this.
So it is not odd that humans sometimes think that animals are better than themselves. It could be true, in some aspects. After all, all beings are created by God anyhow, so why couldn't they have the God spark inside them as we do? Just because they're in a different form and use a different language doesn't mean they are in any way less worthy than we are. African people may be black and speak an African language, but that by no means says they are less worthy than the white Americans or yellow Asians.
Animals are there for a reason. They are also inhabitants of the earth; we have no right to kill them. I've heard some people say that their research has found that animals sometimes heal people's sickness, probably because of their love. That's why many people like to keep dogs and cats, despite the inconvenience and the attachment that they bind people with. But because they are so loving and probably so soothing somehow, people feel good and keep them.
If you have a dog, you have to treat him at least like yourself -- with good hygiene, food and love. He's like a member of the family, only different looking. Every time we take the dog out to relieve himself on the grass, we must pick up the 'deposit.' Or we should have plastic ready to catch it, so it doesn't spread any dirt, disease or filth to other people or to other dogs. If your dog is sick and he relieves himself everywhere and other dogs step on it, those other dogs will get sick, too. And so every time we bring him out to relieve himself, when we bring him back in, we should clean his whole body. I will show you how.
For example, you can get a kitchen towel or any towel. This one (Master shows the towel She is holding) is too small, but it's just for demonstration. A kitchen towel is tougher. It doesn't tear. So on the dog, you have to clean everything, because it might smell or stink. Clean the whole body, up and down and so on. First, clean his leg. (Master cleans Her poodle) And then clean his paw, and then all four paws and the pee and the poo. And then he can come into the house. Because then, whatever disease or bacteria he accumulated has been de-sanitized. I use lemon water, but you may have other things.
Use lemon water or vinegar water to clean the house, so the house doesn't have chemicals in it. Because the dogs sleep on the floor, and they lick the floor when they eat and drop their food. If they eat off of something you cleaned with chemicals, they die or they get sick. And then you spend either the whole money or the whole time for the doctor bill, or you throw the dog out.
This is a problem with a lot of people. They punish the dog for their own stupidity, carelessness and lovelessness. So, many dogs end up in the animal shelter when it's not their fault at all. It's the human's fault and stupidity. Many humans don't deserve dogs. Sometimes I'm driving outside and I see pickup trucks in the summer heat of Florida; the people put a couple of dogs in this roofless bed behind the pickup truck. There is nothing to hang on to; it's just metal. And then they get too hot. They run all around and sometimes fall down behind the truck.
Maybe they get used to it. I don't know how long they have to be used to it. But they probably have headaches when they come home. And they cannot tell you if they have a headache. If you sat in that pickup truck all that long distance, you would have a headache, too. And you even have long, big hair to cover yourself. Those dogs are such poor dogs. Some dogs have short hair; some don't even have hair. When I see this, I think humans don't deserve dogs. Dogs are so loving, so kind, and so faithful. They would die for you. They lay down their life for you whenever danger comes. Their guarding instinct comes out, and they would die for you, any time, with no regrets!
But some humans don't deserve dogs, really. So it breaks my heart every time I see people treat animals this way. At the same time, if someone says you are an animal, it is a curse. It means you are very low, bad and stupid. But can you imagine anyone more stupid than we are sometimes?
Some of us are stupid. Of course, some dogs are raised to live outside. But still, you have to take care so they don't have fleas. There are preventive medicines; they don't even cost that much. Once a month, you can apply some worm medication and flea medication, and he will be free of suffering. Once a month, that's it. Or, there are shampoos to keep him flea-free and things like that. But it's better to prevent than to kill. We don't want killing. Even worms or fleas, we don't want to kill them.
So just prevent it by keeping the dog healthy and clean. Because outside, even though the grass looks good, sometimes it has bacteria or worms or eggs attached to it. So then, if we bring the animal into the house, our house is exactly as dirty as the outside. Many of you also walk with shoes in the house, and that's how the dog gets sick, too. It's not your shoes that are dirty. It's the things you pick up outside that make your shoes dirty. And then you bring them into the house. Sometimes the wheels of your car also pick up things like feces or urine from a sick dog outside. And then when you bring it into the house, your dog licks the floor or your shoes and gets sick.
So if you want to have animals, make sure that your house is so clean you could sleep on the floor, so clean you could lick the floor and feel comfortable. You can clean your house with half vinegar and half water. Fifty-fifty. Clean with it all over, for sanitizing and deodorizing. So if the dog happens to pee there, he will not smell it again. Because if he smells his pee, he will pee in that place again the next time.
These are just some examples. But if you want an animal, you'd better study first how to care for it. You have to study whether that particular animal is suitable to your personality and your lifestyle, also. That's one of the reasons people throw dogs or cats away, because they are not compatible. They have a hyperactive dog when they are weak and feeble, like an old lady who couldn't handle it. Or a very messy dog that they don't train and don't know how to handle. Or a very playful dog with people who don't like to play or don't have time to play. And then they throw away the dog, because they think the dog is bad, bad, bad.
So there are many different types of dogs or animals that could be suitable for you. But you have to study before, also to find out whether taking care of that dog or cat is too much for you or not. Then, if it is too much, you'd better not take it. You have to be honest, that's all. It's not that you don't love all animals equally. You just have to know how to love and which one to love, so the love doesn't turn into trouble and then pain for both of you. Because the last time, one of you gave my dog away and then you let that dog run away and get lost. And it broke my heart for a long time.
So if you get an animal, you have to commit, no matter what. And if you can't, you have to find him a good home. Wait to find him a good private home. Advertise in the pet shop. They will find a good home for your dog. And give him away; don't sell him. Give him away as a friend, as a gift. Someone will like your dog. You can describe his personality, what he likes and what he doesn't like. And there will be one person who is suitable for that kind of dog. They will pick him up in time.
Don't give your dog to the pound, because they will kill him in one day. Sometimes they do! It's not always one day, but from one day to one week. The maximum is two weeks. So he won't last long there. If that's what you want, it's okay. But make sure you know. I want to make sure you know that your animals can be put to death in as quick a time as one day in the pound. But some shelters are "no kill." You could also give your dog to that kind of shelter. Describe everything about the animal's personality so that later the shelter can match him with people who would love to have that kind of personality.
There is always a solution. Don't throw away your animals, because they are living beings, just like us. When you look into the eyes of an animal, sometimes you will realize, "We are equal. We are the same." And that feeling will send shivers all over your body, and will give you an enlightenment that you would never dream of having. I told you that animals can teach you -- also flowers, trees and everything. See how well he behaves. (Master gestures toward the poodle sleeping on Her lap) How can anyone throw away this kind of dog? He is so loving.
Q: Many people despise animals and just abuse them or utilize them, exploit them, consider them of less value and torture them. I love animals and I wish You would show in Your speech, if possible, the value of animals.
M: Yes, that's why I advise people to be vegetarian. We do this to extend our love to our lesser brothers and sisters who are more defenseless and weaker than we are. In the Bible, God said, I made all the animals to be your friends and your helpers. Hes did not tell us to eat them.
Q: Can I be happy with God, even if I am not a vegetarian?
M: You know the answer yourself. As you sow, so shall you reap. If we cause suffering to any being in any form, directly or indirectly, we can never feel completely guiltless, and therefore we cannot be completely happy. We can only be happy to some extent.
There was a lady who went to see a doctor, and the doctor said, "Sit down, Ma'am. What's the matter with you? Can you tell me what's wrong?" And then the lady snapped and said, "This is for you to find out, you know?" The doctor said, "All right! I'm going to call my friend who is a vet, he's the only doctor I know who can make a diagnosis without having to ask questions."
There was a Russian teacher who walked into a Russian class for the first time to see his students. He brought in his dog, and he told the dog to sit, stay, come, go, roll over, drop dead and so on. The dog did exactly as the teacher commanded, and so the teacher said, "See class, Russian is so easy that even a dog can understand it."
Once a hunting party was hopelessly getting lost all the time. And so the hunting party leader and the hunters became very angry. And one of them said to the guide, very angrily, "I thought you advertised that you were the best guide in New York State." And the guide was also confused and scratched his head and said, "Yes, yes, I know, I am, I am. But we're in Canada now!"
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/134/jk1.htm (USA)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/news/134/jk1.htm (Formosa)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.net/eng/news/134/jk1.htm (USA)