| | The Purpose of Meditation | - Realizing Your Self and Attaining Inner Bliss | Peace on Earth Begins with Us | How to Form the Habit of Getting Up Early for Meditation | Morning Is the Best Time for Meditation | The Difference between Prayer and Meditation | Spiritual Practice Advances Our Planet | Living Up to the Precepts Is Living Up to Ourselves | How to Overcome Fear | Inner Worth Is the Real Treasure | Love Your Enemies | Reaching a New Era of Universal Consciousness | | Preparing to be a Member of the Galaxy Federation | God Is the Greatest Love Power | The Way to Accept God's Grace | | The Story of a Monk's Two Pieces of Cloth | Tips for Maintaining Balance in Daily Life | Life Views of the Enlightened | The Supra-worldly Therapy | | Amount in Table 1 and 2 totaled NT$329,129 (Approx. US$9,680.26) | The Case of the Phony Grandma | The Talking Clock | A Most Leisurely Ambition | | |
A grandmother, dearly beloved by her family, passed away. And her granddaughter missed her so much that she desperately wanted to contact the soul of the deceased. So she went to a psychic, the kind who can see in a dark room, and said that she wanted to contact the soul of her grandmother. Sure enough, after much wagging, winking, shaking and choking from the psychic, there came a very hoarse voice that said, "Hello. Hello, Jenny."
"Who's that?" said the granddaughter, and the voice said, "I'm
your Grandma." And then Jenny asked, "Is that really you, Grandma?"
and the voice replied, "Yes, it's me, Jenny. I'm your Grandma."
But Jenny still wasn't sure so she asked again, "Is that you, really
you, Grandma?" And the voice still said, "It is I, your grandmother.
Yes, it's me." So Jenny said, "Well, there's only one question
I want to ask you." And the grandmother replied, "Yes, go ahead."
So the granddaughter said, "Grandmother, since when did you learn
to speak English?"
There was a man who took a couple of friends to his apartment to show them around, and one of the friends asked, "What's that big metal basin for?" So the man replied, "Oh, that's a talking clock." And the other friend said, "Huh? How come? There's no clock there! It's just a basin. What do you mean by calling it a 'talking clock'?" Then the man said, "Watch." And he took out a big hammer, and banged on the basin: "BANG!" It was very, very loud. And suddenly a voice came through the wall of the next apartment, saying, "Cut it out! It's 2:00 in the morning!"
A friend came to visit another friend. And the friend he came to see had a boy who was about five years old. The visiting friend asked the boy, "What would you like to do when you grow up?" And the boy said he would like to be a garbage collector. So the visiting friend said to the boy's father, "That's a rather strange ambition. Why does he want to be a garbage collector?" And the father replied, "Well, that's because he thinks garbage men only work on Tuesdays." He thought they came only once a week to collect the garbage!
Please visit the following web sites to enjoy the original audio 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/139/jk1.htm (USA)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/news/139/jk1.htm (Formosa)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.net/eng/news/139/jk1.htm (USA)
Actually, when we're very happy, it's very difficult to meditate. And when we're very miserable, it's also very difficult to meditate! That's why we always try to strike a balance in between, so we don't feel such extremes that we forget that the real happiness is inside. Truly, it is!
It doesn't matter how much we love someone, or how much someone loves us. One day or another, he or she will disappoint us. And then it hurts. Maybe we misunderstand, or maybe it's true. But it hurts. Even with our children or husband, if we truly want them to love us, we have to be like a slave 24 hours a day to their every wish. Then they'll be happy, and then they might stick with us. But even then it's just maybe.
Sometimes children also make trouble for their parents because they misunderstand their parents, or they want their parents to be with them all the time and give them all of their time. But sometimes, if the parents can't satisfy them, they just don't care. So even children sometimes cause a lot of pain for their parents. And sometimes a husband and wife cause pain for each other because of too many expectations or even just normal expectations.
Still, they're not always easy to fulfill. Like today someone loves you and then you expect tomorrow he will be the same or maybe even better. But then something happens tomorrow. And then he's cranky and moody, and he doesn't want to talk to you. It may not be your fault. But then you say, "If you don't care about me, why should I care about you?" And then you both say it, and then you separate or at least feel bad about each other. And then it takes many days before you reconcile with each other again, or maybe never. Sometimes even just small things make people fall apart, and it hurts a lot. It's not that it doesn't hurt. If it didn't hurt, it would be OK. But it does hurt.
Actually, if we truly rely on the inner happiness, then everything will come. Then we'll never be disappointed or have to rely on anyone. If someone comes, it's OK, or if they don't come, it's OK. We don't feel so hurt or pained inside.
So all the pain, sorrow and misery come not from the outside, not from other people. They come from our inner ignorance. We expect too much from everyone and everything, and then we're disappointed. So the only source of happiness is inside. Whenever you meditate, try to get in touch with that source. For your sake, for your own happiness, contentment, satisfaction, you must always try to get in touch with that joyful center which is inside all of you. That is where the Master power is. That is where every miracle in the universe can manifest. That's all loving kindness, that's where all loving kindness is born. That's where all the Virtues, beauty and the Truth laying dormant there for you to discover.
Otherwise, sooner or later we all die and go where, who cares? At least when we're living, we must live a very worthwhile human life. We should be happy and be able to carry on our life in a joyful way. Because that befits our dignity as a human being, as the "Top Ten" of all the animals in this world. We're the top of physical creation. We don't know if we're the top of the universe yet. Maybe not, but at least here, we're the top of creation. So we must carry on our life as dignified as a human being should be, and not be fearful of everything and stupid and in misery, especially when we have the treasure inside that we can always use.
That's the only purpose of meditation: that you know yourself and know what true happiness is, not because the Master says so and you have to obey the Master. You obey the Master because it's good for you, but you must know why. You must know it's for you, not for the Master. The Master doesn't care. I don't care. If you don't meditate, you don't meditate. It's your life. I can't control you, and I don't want to. If you control someone else, you're bound to him or her. Just like the policeman with a criminal, they're both handcuffed. The policeman has to take care of the prisoner.
I don't want to be in that position. So whatever I tell you is good for you, and if what you hear is logical and you know it, then carry on. Not because I force you or anything like that. It's an honor, it's a privilege, and it's the best fortune of our life to be able to know such a secret. It's not being forced, it's not a bargain, and it's not an obligation. It's the best of all privileges, the best of all luck, in thousands or millions of lifetimes, that we're being so easily shown such a door to liberate ourselves of all misery. So work on it. That's all there is to it. (Applause)
Sometimes, if I work until very late, sometimes until twelve o'clock or one, two o'clock, I still meditate before I sleep. I always long to meditate apart from all of my obligations and duties. I never feel like I shouldn't meditate, or that meditation is terrible. Never! It's a joy, a source of relaxation, a way of recharging, even physically.
That's not talking about becoming a Buddha or anything. If you don't meditate during one day, you can never recover from the whole day's exhaustion and all kinds of mental bombardment of society's negativity. So don't complain to me if you're tired, if you're all this and that and the other. If you don't meditate enough, that's it. That's the price you pay. In the beginning, maybe you're unsettled. But the more you meditate, the more you feel like that's it, that's the only method. Now even if someone gave you one million dollars to change the Master or change the method, you wouldn't do it. You never would. Because you just know it; you can't lie. You can't lie and say that this not the method for you. Even if your meditation is lousy, you know it's only your fault. (Master and everyone laugh.) You honestly know that.
And then when it comes to deep down in your introspection: The Quan Yin Method is the only way, right? That's it, full stop, finished, no argument, no "but," "however" or "nevertheless." That's it. That's the feeling we have in our heart, and that's what we know. And that's the only thing that's sure. So if you know that, then you know it. I don't have to tell you.
Q: From my understanding, the way to practice the Quan Yin Method is by
meditation. I'm wondering how meditation can help change the world to become
peaceful and in harmony - an ideal world.
M: That's the right question. Meditation doesn't change the world; it changes
you. And then if everyone changes himself, the world becomes peaceful.
We only make war because we're not peaceful ourselves, because we don't know that the person next to us is God. We don't realize that we are God, and we don't realize that the ones we kill, we shoot, we torture, are also God. And that's why the world is not peaceful.
Meditation doesn't mean you just sit there like a statue. You have to really reconnect with God first; then that's the true meditation. Once that's taken place, your being is changed forever. You become a peaceful example of a walking God on this planet.
And even if you don't do anything, people see you and they feel peace. They want to be around you. They want to take advice from you. They want to learn from your example. And that's how the world will become peaceful. It's very logical, nothing mysterious.
Q: What can I do to maintain a daily meditation schedule, when there aren't
enough waking hours in the day?
M: You can't wake up? Me, either. No one likes to wake up when we're snug
in bed, but we have to try. Suppose you have a job and you have to get
up to go to work, then you must. For something like two thousand dollars
per month, you wake up every morning at five o'clock. But for God, you
don't wake up! So what am I to do? You make your own priorities. We can
wake up a little earlier than usual and then get used to it.
For example, say it's too early to get up at three o'clock; then don't wake up three o'clock. If you normally wake up for work at five o'clock, then wake up at twenty to five the first day, or ten to five, or even five to five, and the next day or next week, at ten to five. Get yourself used to the idea and reward yourself abundantly. Tell yourself, "If you wake up early today, I'm going to give you a double bagel or one more cup of cafe latte." Whatever your mind loves to have, reward yourself with it.
You must also love yourself because let's face it, we have only this one physical body, and we're very tired sometimes. We work hard for eight or ten hours a day, just to keep this machine running. And then we sometimes have to attend to other work such as family: a wife, children, parents, friends, neighbors, relatives, and so on. We really make very hard demands on this physical body.
So of course, if you can't wake up in the morning for meditation, forgive yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself, but train yourself slowly. Watch less TV, go to sleep a little early so you can get up better. Whatever activities you used to do too much before to pass the time when you were bored, use that time for knowing God. It's a matter of organization. I'm also pretty busy. You don't believe it; I sit here and look pretty, but I'm very busy, too. And it's also hard for me to get up early sometimes. But you have to put on the alarm clock. Sometimes it's like that.
In the old Indian tradition, there was a saint who could wake up all night, but he slept sitting instead of lying down, so it was just the same. (Laughter) Our people are the same. When they go to our retreats, they sit there and look very good, but they sit in any fashion. (Master humorously drops Her head to one side to show someone "nodding off.") So never mind. Try your best; that's what counts. The saint in India had long hair like me, and he tied his hair to the ceiling. I'm not kidding! And then he became a Master, because he tried so hard. He tied his hair to the ceiling, so whenever he nodded off: "Oh! OK! Ow!" (Laughter)
I'm not saying that you should grow your hair long or do that. But find your own way. Like you can wake up early; for example, in the beginning I had to put a flask of ice water next to me. And then when the alarm rang, I would reach for the ice and throw it on my face: Oh! The ice comes through your clothes and everything, and you just have to jump out of bed.
You don't have to do that; you'll have your own way. But when you want to do something, you can. Believe that you can because you're God. There's nothing impossible with God. Just remember that you have God inside you and no one else there. Don't listen to the mind and the brain; it's just a computer. The mind tells us, "Oh, sleep. Sleep is good for you." But that's not God's voice. God's is behind that.
Q: Master, why is it important to meditate in the morning?
M: You can meditate at any time. It's just that in the morning, most people
have a night's rest. And in the morning it's still quiet. Like from three
to six, most people are still sleeping: no traffic, no noise, no children
and no telephone ringing. And your mind, after a night's rest, is calm.
And your body is also still not fully active. So you can sit better and
you can attain samadhi, meaning Heaven, more and more quickly. If you do
it at home, it's even better. Because you're calmer there; you feel more
secure and quiet.
And the morning has the best hours. But that doesn't mean you have to do it in the morning. I do it at any time: on the bus, in the car. Our people do it anywhere except when driving, please. (Laughter)
Q: Is praying meditation?
M: Yes, it's a kind of meditation. But praying is only one-way meditation.
We talk to God, "Oh God, please do this!" But we don't hear what
Hes says. That's why it's one-way. Meditation is two-way communication.
We offer our pain, our sorrow, our happiness and our gratitude to God.
And Hes in turn lets us know what we should do next. We have communication
and we have a connection with God. Praying is just the talk of one person;
we don't hear what God says at all. But in meditation, we hear; we know.
Hes guides us. Hes brightens our life with thousands of suns inside. Hes
makes us shining, loving, wise, humorous and beautiful, inside and out.
That's the difference.
Q: I sometimes sense the guidance and presence of the ascended Masters.
Can they really help humanity from afar?
M: Sure! We're all one. So if you're enlightened, they're affected. Can
you imagine if after the Golden Age our planet were all destroyed and not
too many people survived. Can you imagine the state of human beings at
that time? Everyone was kind of groveling in darkness, and they all affected
each other. We do all affect each other. And that's why we became the way
we were, and now that we've been practicing and practicing, year after
year, our planet's become better. Don't you feel it? Don't you feel we've
progressed? (Yes.) Yes.
I'm not saying you should come and practice the Quan Yin Method or have the experience of Heaven. Even if you don't have it, you can feel that our planet now has a different energy. It's different; happier, more open and very relaxed. And human beings are really different from before, even a few decades ago. Our technologies such as science and everything are just blossoming so fast. It's very amazing what we've discovered lately. Can you imagine? e-mail, and the Internet: Wow, this is incredible! There are so many other things you don't know about that they've already developed as well.
Q: What happens if I break the Precepts after my initiation?
M: That's just like asking me what happens if I have an "extra"
affair after I've married my wife. How shall I answer you? Make up your
mind. No one is here to force you. It's only you, yourself, and God; you
make a covenant with God. You say, "I make You my priority. I'll do
anything to know You. I don't need all these stupid things in order to
survive; I can live without them. I can live without killing my neighbors.
I can live without telling lies. I can live without drugs and alcohol.
I'm strong; I don't need these substitute intoxicants. I can have Divine
intoxication. I can live without having to have sex with every man or girl
who walks by."
Make up your mind. Present yourself as the being you want to present. If you're one who likes to present yourself to everyone else as "I'm one who tells lies; I'm one who's always drunk, takes drugs and all that; I'm one who covets my neighbor's wife; I'm one who likes to kill and murder people," if that's how you want to present yourself, then go ahead. It's your choice. But if you want to present yourself as an enlightened being, as a wise person, as a happy being, as a helpful, compassionate, loving, truthful person, then there's also that choice. You see, there are two choices, but it's your choice. They're not my Precepts; they're a way of life. It's a choice you make, to present yourself to the world, to God and to your own Self when you look in the mirror at the kind of person you want to see. No Precepts; we don't need Precepts. You know what you want to be.
Q: When we feel intense fear, what's the reason for it? What's life trying
to tell us?
M: It depends. If you're in a fearful situation, it's all right to feel
fear. But we don't have to let the fear overcome us so that we'll be paralyzed
and don't know how to react in a better way. Fear is a natural emotion.
Fear and love are natural emotions. You don't have to suppress it; you
just have to understand it and handle it.
For example, do you think I don't have fear? I do. I feared coming here and not knowing what to talk to you about. I feared that I wouldn't know how to make you understand what I understand. I really did fear. Today, I arrived earlier and went to have tea in a shop because I didn't have anything to eat since yesterday. I couldn't eat on the airplane; I was very tired physically because I had to rush with a lot of things in order to pack and then go. I hadn't slept for a long time, so when I got on the airplane, I didn't eat anything. I just tried to sleep or quiet down. Then this morning, I worried that I might sleep in the lecture hall! So I went and had some tea. And then I saw a lot of people sitting there; they were having tea and talking about all kinds of things. And I was wondering: How am I going to tell all these people about God! Do they really care about God? They're so happy with their physical life: Who am I going to talk to and about what?
So I was also scared. Not truly scared but really not very encouraged or enthusiastic and not so confident. But then I still did it. You see? I had fear, but I went through with it. It's not that I don't have it. We have fear, but we have to go through it. If it's a fearful situation, we have to think about what we can do to make it better. If it's a fearful person, we have to try to use love to overcome our own fear. The person who's sometimes bad to us makes us fearful, because he or she is an insecure person. So it depends on the situation.
Anyway, even if we have fear, we must calm down and think, "OK, I have fear, but now what must I do in this kind of situation to get myself out of this fear?" You have to take control of yourself to get rid of the fear. Taking control of ourselves means dealing with the situation so that we become more secure, and then the fear will disappear. We can't suppress the fear. We have to deal with it and make it better.
Q: Why is it that although we're all equal in God's creation, some of us
suffer so much misery while certain others, though they live a life of
evil misdeeds, prosper materially ?
M: That's because of the different paths that we've chosen. When we gain
material wealth or comfort, it doesn't mean that we're blessed or we're
anything good because as soon as we die, we leave everything behind. If
we gain spiritual knowledge and wealth, that's everlasting .
So don't envy those who only acquire material possessions, but have nothing for their soul; because soon they'll be empty. But you, even though you don't have many material acquisitions, are rich in your heart. You have great love, great compassion, great knowledge and wisdom. Like the Buddha or Jesus, they were walking in bare feet. They didn't have any money; they didn't have cars. They didn't have anything, and yet people fell at their feet to worship them. People still listen to everything they said and worship them, two or three thousand years later. So who's richer, the millionaires out there or Jesus and Buddha? You already know the answer. There's no need to compare ourselves with others. We have to know what we're worth inside. That's what's important.
Q: Should we love our enemies?
M: Well, what else can you do with him? (Laughter) That's a practical question.
If you kill him, his wife might kill you, or his daughter or son. It will
continue forever. So we'd better love our enemy. It's the best way to kill
him! (Laughter) If you love your enemy, he or she becomes your friend.
Then the enemy's gone for good. And you have more friends: from his family:
his wife, his kids, his relatives and his friends as well. Make one friend
and you have many friends. Make one enemy and you make many enemies. So
we 'lose business' if we hate the enemy.
As a Chinese saying goes, "We need to cultivate ourselves, harmonize our families, before we can govern the country and bring peace to the world." When this Enlightened Master spoke on "bringing peace to the world," most probably he was referring only to China, and not the whole world in a broader sense. Nevertheless, we can now extend its definition further, for all the countries on Earth can now communicate and engage in exchanges. I believe that one day this communication and exchange will no longer be limited to countries, but will be extended to other planets as well. We ought to expand our thinking and we must start preparing now. Otherwise, when the time comes, we, or our children, will be caught unprepared.
When I was little, I had a great dream, a great aspiration. I wished that when I grew up, some immortals or Heavenly beings would descend to teach me and open up my wisdom, and that they would teach me how to fly to Heaven and then fly back. I don't know why I had such an aspiration when I was little, but my dream eventually came true! Therefore, it's also good that we sometimes have dreams and aspirations. If we're truly sincere and focus our thoughts on that wish, one day it will come true. The Americans also have a proverb that goes: "If you don't have a dream, how will you have a dream come true?"
Therefore, we should be mentally prepared now. Perhaps one day we will have a kind of inter-planetary hierarchy. This isn't just a dream; I have faith that it will come true one day. As to when that will be, it depends on how well we Earthlings prepare ourselves, and when the other planets want to communicate with us. In fact, they started to communicate with us long ago. For example, UFOs and beings from several stellar systems have been appearing for a very long time, but they're still very cautious. If we were capable of communicating with them, they would teach us some superior knowledge.
Some people are capable of communicating with other planets. Sometimes they write books or make movies about it. Extra-Terrestrials from other planets may sometimes want to come and communicate with us, but they're afraid of us, because we Earthlings are rather unfriendly and barbarous. If we were to give a thought to what happened to Jesus before, we would acknowledge this comment as being true. However, instead of blaming ourselves, we should try to find out what we need to rectify.
First of all, we need to broaden our thinking until it encompasses the whole universe, instead of just thinking about our family and country. We're humans, "the masters of all beings in Creation." As such, our thinking ought to be very broad and vast, to deserve our status as the masters of all beings in Creation. Perhaps we still don't understand why we're so great, and why we're the masters of all beings in Creation. However, we still need to start changing our thinking, broaden our thinking. There's no harm in having some sensational or incredible dreams; perhaps one day they'll come true.
How are we going to change our thinking? We can read some good scriptures, and learn broadminded thinking and the spirit of pursuing spiritual practice from them. Besides, we can listen to people's lectures. Some people are very good spiritual practitioners; they're capable of communicating with sentient beings in numerous worlds. For instance, when Shakyamuni Buddha was alive, He knew of many different realms, different planets. That's why we have the relevant scriptures with us today. For example, the Amitabha Sutra describes the Amitabha Buddha's World. Others like the Universal Door Chapter in the Lotus Sutra also depict many other realms. In our time, there are also many people who do the same as Shakyamuni Buddha did; they're capable of travelling the universe instead of just round the world.
Can you imagine that two or three hundred years ago, people were not even aware that the American continent existed? Today America has become one of the superpowers in the world, having influence over the whole world. However, she did not even exist several hundred years ago! Unlike modern people, people of that time did not have so many convenient machines like the airplane, fax machine, telephone, video recorder, camera, and so on. However, in a short span of time, the Americans have founded their own nation, built and developed it, and educated their citizens. In no time at all, they have transformed into the number one or number two super power in the world. In only a few hundred years, the Americans have achieved so much. Can you imagine what more stunning things will happen on our Earth in the next few decades or next few centuries? Therefore, the Inter-Planetary Hierarchy that I talked about just now may not be merely a dream.
Columbus was the hero who discovered America. Some time before that, he had seen America in inner visions; he knew it in advance. However, he couldn't reveal to others that he had seen the land where he was heading; therefore, some people thought he was crazy at the time. In their small ship, and without sufficient food, they just sailed across the ocean on a seemingly uncertain course. In fact, Columbus had already seen everything in a dream. However, at that time, if he had told people that he had seen it in a dream, and that they would definitely find it, surely most people wouldn't have believed him.
In fact, many people then were sceptical. When they were about to reach America, there was no more food on the ship. They had to eat the leather soles of their shoes. The crew members sailing with Columbus were very angry, blaming him for leading them on a course to death. They didn't believe in the existence of the new continent of America, and almost killed Columbus. Facing such a predicament, Columbus remained patient and confident. It's precisely because of his great patience and confidence that America, a strong country of today, came into being.
The same thing happens to an Enlightened Master who is beginning to disseminate the Truth. Many hindrances, difficulties and humiliations confront him. All of these he has to endure alone. People around him, including his disciples, may not be able to understand his tolerant spirit and painstaking intent. "Everything is most difficult in the beginning." However, the Truth will eventually shine forth. Therefore, although Jesus Christ was crucified, His teachings and name continue to be passed on. Today, two thousand years later, we still know about His stories.
One day in the future, extra-terrestrials from other planets will appear to us and communicate with us openly. Then we can learn from them and exchange experiences with each other. Therefore, we should now get ourselves ready in body and mind. How do we prepare? We ought to rectify our undesirable lifestyles. Also, if we don't have enough understanding about the world and the universe, we should begin to research gradually. When we observe the many unfair happenings in the world, we should manage to help and change them.
However, the changes must first begin from ourselves, and the best way to change is for us to connect with the power of God, and let God's power change us. In this way, we don't have to worry about doing things the wrong way, or being deceived by our ego. Otherwise, we might think that we've changed, when in fact we haven't. We have to practice introspection. If we find that we still have heavy desires for fame and profit, and heavy greed, anger and infatuation, then we must improve. However, this isn't easy. Without the power from the enlightened Saints, from God, it's not easy to change ourselves.
God truly has great compassion; Hes will give us everything. However, we have to know how to receive it, and we have to wait patiently and believe in God sincerely. And belief alone isn't enough; we also need to communicate with God. Only when we are in communion with God will we understand what good situations Hes has arranged for us, in what aspects Hes has taken care of us, and what beneficial things Hes has bestowed upon us. Otherwise, even if we've prayed sincerely and God has already responded to us, we aren't aware. Sometimes, Hes might have given us some good stuff, but we're ignorant and think that it's not good because it's not what we expected. And then we blame God for not giving us what we've prayed for, which in fact will be bad for us. However, we're ignorant and don't understand, so we think God isn't compassionate and isn't helping us. I'm saying this from personal experience.
Having practiced the Quan Yin Method, anything that we pray for, as long as it's good for us, we'll get sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. Why does it require time? It's because God needs to make arrangements. When a person prays for a certain thing, sometimes it's not purely that thing alone, and also it doesn't concern him alone, but could involve a lot of people. Therefore, when God wants to arrange something for a certain person, sometimes Hes must first take care of many people related to him. Or the time is not yet right. Should God give it to him too early, it could be bad for him. So, God has to first give it to other people, and give it to him later when the time is right and the situation is ideal. Only then is it good for him.
God truly represents love. If we say God isn't good, or think that God has created many difficulties and let the world suffer greatly, then we're doing Hirm a great injustice, and truly misunderstand Hirm. Ever since I've known God, Hes has always been very good to me. Hes is my best friend, the best lover, the best husband, the best father, the best mother, and Hes is everything. However, I can't show you my realization and feelings toward God, and the so-called kinship and love between us. Nevertheless, I know very clearly that Hes is the greatest love power, and the greatest rich man. There's nothing that's beneficial to me and other sentient beings that Hes wouldn't do.
Perhaps someone may ask, if God is the greatest love power, why are there still suffering, difficulties and catastrophes in our world? It's because we don't know how to accept God's grace or communicate with Hirm. We walk in the wrong direction and ask for the wrong thing. I can guarantee that if everyone practiced the Quan Yin Method, the world would have been in peace long ago. It would be just like our group, very peaceful. Even when thousands or tens of thousands of people get together, we're still quiet. Each of us is doing our own thing, and everyone is very happy and contented; every face is glowing. All of us fulfil our obligations in society. When we play, we play wholeheartedly and joyously. When we work, we also work wholeheartedly and happily.
Most of our fellow practitioners work very fast. Whatever they pray for will definitely be realized. As long as they pray for the right thing, God will definitely give it to them. The same applies to me. But because I seldom pray for anything, I have very little to share with you. However, as for my disciples, almost each of them can write a thick book about their experiences after they practiced the Quan Yin Method and purified themselves throughout their actions, speech and thoughts. Such experiences include how well God treats them and pampers them, how God bestows much grace on them, and so on. On my part, I can only talk about how God helps me in my preaching mission, takes care of my disciples, and helps me bring joy and happiness to many people. Furthermore, Hes also helps me a lot with respect to finances, wisdom and organization. If there were no God, I would be a useless person, and my achievements would be "zero."
Therefore, I would like to introduce to you this gentleman called "God." Or you may address Hirm as "God Nature" or "Godhead." Hes is a very nice gentleman, a very nice rich man. If we truly know how to reach Hirm within and ask for Hiers help, Hes will help us in every aspect. Hes will try all kinds of methods to help us, through many people and various situations. Most people only look for God from the outside, so they have not found the real God. Therefore, their prayers aren't answered. All the teachings and stories that I tell you are the personal experiences of me and my disciples. I don't get them by reading books or the scriptures. I have already experienced the greatness of God; I have found out where Hes is; I can see Hirm every day. Therefore, I can guarantee that all these things are genuine.
I used to be a Catholic, and had heard of the existence of a God. However, at that time I didn't admire Hirm because I virtually did not know where Hes had taken care of me. The world that I saw at that time was full of pain and injustice, which made me feel very resentful. I wondered why God didn't take care of Hiers children, but let them suffer so much instead. Now I understand, but I can't tell you all that I have comprehended, because language can't possibly express God's love. I can only tell you frankly, clearly and definitely that God is absolute love and absolute generosity! Only if we know how to find Hirm and communicate with Hirm, will we have everything. Hes will help us in every way. This is absolutely true!
Suppose, if by standing on one leg or kneeling here all night worshipping God, I could let you realize how I adore God, I would do it. Sometimes I really don't know how to express my gratitude and joy; I don't know whom to talk with. Our fellow practitioners can understand, but it also depends on their level. The more advanced fellow practitioners are more able to realize God's love, because they've received God's infinite blessing. The more they meditate and purify their actions, speech and thoughts and keep a vegetarian diet, and the more strictly they observe the precepts, the more they will be able to perceive God's love.
It's not because we're vegetarians, or because we meditate or think of God that Hes takes care of us. This looks as if we're bribing God or doing business with Hirm. This isn't the case! It's because only after we've become vegetarians, observed the precepts and purified our actions, speech and thoughts, will we be able to realize how God has been taking care of us. Previously, we were hoodwinked by all kinds of distracting thoughts. God takes care of us and tells us what to do, but we don't listen. We head in the opposite direction, toward troubles and complexities. God has been giving us things, but we discard them or let them drain away. When a cup is placed upright, it can hold water inside. But if it's turned upside down, all the water inside will drain away. Or suppose we were wearing a raincoat, even if we walked outside in the rain for a whole day, we wouldn't get wet.
God's love exists forever. It's always by our side, within and without us; it's everywhere. However, we cover ourselves up with our preconceived ideas and habits acquired from many lifetimes, and then we say God's unfair and Hes never blesses us. The truth is that we've failed to place the cup upwards. In practicing the Quan Yin Method, it's as simple as turning an upside-down cup back in the right position! Therefore, from that day onward, we're always filled with nectar, filled with God's grace. The method is very simple really, if we only know how to do it.
Those who practice the Quan Yin Method never know what "fatigue" means, except when they're burdened by the karma of sentient beings. We work a lot but spend very little, because we don't eat much and don't sleep much. Every day, we only eat vegetarian food, observe the five precepts and live a simple life. This afternoon, a disciple said to me, "Master, if everyone in our world practices the Quan Yin Method, there will definitely be no war or famine. We'll work very quickly; we'll help and trust each other. The world will surely become Heaven!" I agree with him.
Although Quan Yin Method practitioners will get whatever they pray for, we actually seldom pray for anything except in an emergency. We have fewer and fewer desires. We work to earn enough money to spend, and vegetarian food is cheap. Furthermore, in observing the five precepts, we don't steal or drink alcohol, we don't snatch other people's husband or wife, and we don't abuse drugs. We consume less food than before, our life is simple, and naturally our expenditures shrink. Therefore, we don't have any financial problems. After finishing our work for the day, we meditate whenever we have time, so we don't fool around indulging in pleasures or doing bad things. Going home after work, we meditate or join group meditation. Every day we listen to Master's teachings. We virtually have neither the time nor the intention to do any bad things at all.
However, this is only my dream. Whether it will come true or not still depends on God's will. If the whole world or at least half the population practices the Quan Yin Method, it can really help the world a lot. Then we can offer support to some outstanding scientists and doctors. Some of them have invented very good tools that can cure people; some tools can even cure all illnesses. However, due to lack of financial support, these tools haven't been developed. Some scientists have invented very good machines capable of benefitting lots of people in a short time, but they lack support. Conversely, some people are jealous and sabotage their projects, so as to deter their development.
If all people practice the Quan Yin Method and are mutually supportive, contributing to society selflessly, and serving God and humankind wholeheartedly, then everyone will be able to develop his/her talents. The scientists will then invent all kinds of machines to benefit people. The doctors will also come up with many prescriptions and tools to heal all illnesses. In this way, our world will not only be spiritually elevated, but also have many advanced means to cure diseases and make our life comfortable. At that time, we won't want to go into nirvana at all. This may only be my dream, but it can come true. If I have your blessing, the blessing of all of you, it will definitely be realized!
There was a monk in India who devoted himself to God, like all monks are supposed to do. So he had only one piece of cloth with which to cover his body. And he had only one pot, in which he would put water and also cook and put milk and so on.
And it so happened that the lid of the pot broke. But the monk didn't buy a new one; he just used one corner of his cloth to cover the pot. Anytime he sat, he would sit near the pot. So a man came along and said, "Why don't you buy a new lid for your pot?" And he said, "I've already sworn that whatever I have here, I'll never get more, and just use what I have."
And then the man said, "But why are you so stubborn? One lid is no problem; how about buying a new pot?" The monk said, "No, no. You increase this, and tomorrow it's that and the other. Just like one monk..." He then told the story of another monk. It was a true story, and went like this:
There was a monk in India. who used to go out begging for things. He had a loincloth that covered where he thought he was supposed to cover. (Laughter) But it was no problem; he was content. Every day he went out and got alms from people; he would beg and get enough to eat, and then he would go and meditate. It was very beautiful. And he had a small hut.
The problem was that he had only two cloths: one that he washed and one that he wore. So, sometimes when he went out, he put his cloth on the roof to dry. And then came a mouse that always tore his cloth into ribbons. And then he would have to go out and beg for another piece of cloth. It happened many times like this.
So the monk was at a loss as to what to do. Then the neighbors advised him, saying, "You can't go on forever begging for cloth. Why don't you just keep a cat, and the cat will take care of the mouse. Then you'll have no problem. Otherwise, who's going to keep donating cloth to you all the time like this?"
So the monk, after many times begging, said, "OK, that's not bad." So he kept a cat. Someone came along and gave him a cat. And then now the cat was there. But he had more trouble. He had to go out and beg for milk for the cat. And then some good-hearted person came along and told him, "You can't go on forever, going out begging for milk and food for the cat. Just keep a cow. (Master and everyone laugh.) Because we don't mind giving you milk, but if we have to give milk for the cat as well, it's a little bit too much. It's OK that we give, but everyone else is not the same. They won't give it to you every day. Then you'll even have to sacrifice your own milk for the cat. So keep a cow. We have a cow; we can donate it to you. It can be very convenient for you to have milk for yourself. And the cow will also give you some whey that you can use for cooking; everything will be convenient."
So they also had a cow ready for him. But in India, you can get a cow at any cost. They just walk around, and maybe you can just take one; some of them are ownerless, homeless cows.
Anyhow, after much consideration, the monk accepted the cow. But now he had to milk the cow and all that. And now he had to go out and beg for straw for the cow. Because he was a monk, he didn't know what else to do. And he lived in the part of the Himalayas with not much grass. He had to beg for straw and build a shelter for the cow.
Now, so far, so good. But then someone else came along and advised him by saying, "You can't go on begging forever for straw. Who's going to give you straw all the time for the cow? We'll feed you, but we're not obliged to feed your cow and your cat and all that. So, keep a housemate. Or marry a wife; get married."
So now the monk was having serious problems. Because he didn't know how to cultivate land. Therefore, a good adviser said to him, "You can keep a housemate, like a male farmer. Or, marry a farmer so that you can cultivate the land. There's so much land around here, all over; you can cultivate it, and have enough straw for your cow. And also you will have enough corn, wheat and so on for you to eat."
Now the monk was getting more and more serious. So he married. And afterwards, he and his wife cultivated a farm. Then they had children and they had to take care of the children, and then they had to get a teacher for the children and so on. And it was getting to be a bigger and bigger business.
So one day, his Master came back. And he kept asking for the so-and-so monk that was supposed to have been living in a thatched hut next to the river three years ago. But no one knew if there was such a monk at all. So he kept asking his way up to the farm of the monk.
And then he realized what had happened all because of a piece of loincloth, one extra piece more. If he had had only one, and wore it, there would have been no problem. But he had two - one to wear and one to wash - and that's why there was a problem. So that's what happened, and that's a true story.
The monk had much regret after his Master came back. But the Master didn't want to stay. He said, "I told you to practice spirituality. I didn't tell you to keep cows, dogs, cats, a wife and children." And then he had a whole farm. He had to hire many farmers, because so many things grew, and they kept expanding. It had become a farm. He left everything in the world to become a monk, to be detached from the world and to have the minimum necessities for his life. And then he ended up wealthy: a big farmer, with many cattle and a wife and children and many workers. It was getting bigger and bigger all the time. And he was so busy counting money and checking the harvest that he had no time for meditation anymore. It was all finished. The monk's job was finished; he had gotten another job.
For those highly enlightened Saints who thoroughly understand the game of creation, a reclusive life in the remote mountains, far from the mundane world, is one of happiness and freedom from care and worry. However, these Saints often choose to remain in the dreary world to help and set real-life examples for sentient beings. Thus, we are sometimes blessed to gain a glimpse of Their lives, of Their elevated words and deeds. By observing their actions, we can learn how an advanced spiritual practitioner applies the great wisdom of the universe in the secular world.
Truly, we have to devote more time to spiritual practice while in this world, but we should also try to make our lives more comfortable and fun. Recently, I converted a cave that had served as a cow pen into a cozy living room. I cleaned it up, and then covered the ground with a few straw mats and a carpet -- all very inexpensive materials. An ordinary carpet costs little, and it makes you feel snug and warm. Then, with a few cushions, you can meditate there. This is not a luxury. We can make any place beautiful as long as we know how to decorate it. That cave was dark, dry and dirty, and had originally been used for rearing cattle. But it was converted into a beautiful place; that is a way to balance your life.
If we act as a teacher instructing people about the Truth from morning till night, and do not find balance in life, our brains will complain. For me, this kind of work is an excellent hobby. (Master and audience laugh.) An attendant once said to me, "Master, You've overworked Yourself and gone without sleep the last few days. You must be exhausted. Why are You spending the whole night on building that fireplace?" So I told her, "You don't understand. If I didn't do this, I might go mad!" (Master and audience laugh.) This is a way to find equilibrium in life.
The attendant had thought that Master would be physically exhausted after working day in and day out, and should spend the next seventy-two hours in bed to make up for lost sleep. But I said, "Doing these things gives me a respite. I can't stay in bed the whole day and night. This is a break for me for it brings a change into my life." When I do the work that I like, it means I'm resting. Otherwise, I'd be devoting all my time to making others happy, and leaving none to pursue my own interests. The two are different.
Although I work to make you, others, refugees and needy people happy, and I too am very happy, it's in response to requests and circumstances. I have no control over the work, nor do I have any say in the matter. For example, when someone asks for two kilos of rice, I have to bring them to him. In this kind of situation, I can't act as I wish for it's done to meet the requests of sentient beings. This is different from being your own master and making your own plans and designs to suit yourself.
So I still have to find a balance in my life. Otherwise, my mind will be unhappy. It's not I or the soul that's unhappy, but the mind. It will not be accustomed to it. So I told the attendant, "This is the way I rest. You don't have to worry." She thought that I had already worked quite a few days and nights at a stretch. Besides traveling overseas to deliver lectures, I had rushed to help the refugees in the Philippines. So why did I stay up the whole night building a fireplace in a cave when I was so tired? She felt pity for me. (Master and audience laugh.) I said, "No, that's the way I rest. Otherwise, I can't go on." Then I asked her, "If you were required to sit the whole day without doing anything, not even your laundry, and food were brought before you, would you be able to stand it?" She said, "No, I wouldn't." Of course not; she would still want to wash her own clothes and handle some of her own personal matters.
I'm no different. I can't devote all of my time to others, without having some interests of my own. When it's something that interests me, I can go without sleep at night and use my time as I like. In this way, you won't be affected because I save the day for you. I am here whenever you need me. Should any emergency arise, or any urgent papers arrive, I can deal with them immediately. I only make use of the intervals between events, or do my own work while waiting or by sacrificing my sleep. At those times when I do not have specific public-interest work to do or documents to read, I do my own personal work in order to maintain mental balance.
Don't ask me why I'm attached to these material things. No, it's not attachment! I have built things at centers in a number of countries. But I do not live in any of those places. These designs and creative works are all left there and not reserved for me. Of course, things like the paintings that I have drawn, I can take with me. But I don't really take them with me; rather, I send them to the Miaoli Center for the residents to keep in a special room so they won't be damaged, and copies can be made for everyone to appreciate. If I carry those paintings around with me, I can't take good care of them because I'm always tied down by other things. I'm only responsible for painting them. After taking a few looks at them, I leave them in the care of the residents. I can't look at my own paintings for long so sometimes I miss them. When I was abroad previously, sometimes I would think of returning to Formosa to take a look at those paintings. (Master laughs.) But those were just passing thoughts; getting to look at them or not doesn't really matter. So even though painting is my hobby, it's you who get the benefits. You can collect my paintings; whereas I myself can't collect anything.
But unlike the paintings, the artwork in the cave cannot be moved to Formosa for the residents to preserve. (Master and audience laugh.) Some things can be moved, and others can't. Those that are stationary are left in their original place for everyone to appreciate. I create these things not for the sake of possession or preservation, but to fulfill my desire to create. Sometimes it's a form of relaxation. It's the same with all my hobbies; they're only for maintaining balance in my life so I am able to continue to serve all people. Thus I converted the cave not because I liked it, and I won't be staying here long. Besides, I can't transport it anywhere I go.
While practicing diligently in this world, if you do not also try to find balance in life or enjoy a little of the colorful world, then once you go up to Heaven, you might think, "Why is it that after following Master in spiritual practice, I have no idea what the mortal world is like?" Then, you may blame me, and quietly and secretly run back down here. You can't hold me responsible then. (Master and audience laugh.)
Once we are enlightened, we see things from a higher standpoint, from a higher intelligence, and we see that nothing happens by accident, or nothing occurs by our own doing.
We practice spiritually in order to apply it to make our lives more comfortable. We practice inside, but should apply it to the outside. Then, seeing the results of our practice, we will feel very comfortable, knowing that spiritual practice is very useful and we are progressing well.
We renounce the desire for the world, but not the world itself.
Whatever we do with the ego saps our inner strength because we do it with a limited source of power. And when we study the Quan Yin Method, we have to start learning to rely instead on the greatest power.
So called "pain" comes entirely from our fear. This mind of ours fears suffering and likes pleasure only. That's why we feel pain. If when we're painful we say, "Ah! Here comes pain!" and when we're happy we say, "Ah! Here comes happiness! I recognize you two. Good pal! Good pal! It's been a long time!" then we will not feel that miserable. Although you know something is painful, don't react that strongly. Don't listen to the ideas of the mind all the time. Then it'll be all right.
Vexation is created only by us, no one else! There is nothing happening in the world. This is how most of you create trouble for yourselves, by hindering yourselves from developing, and depriving yourselves of relaxation. When you are not relaxed, your mind is blocked, and you cannot act rightly. It is our destiny that we ought to do such and such things, but the happiness or pain we experience in doing them is generated by us. When we are too uptight, our mind is blocked and we act in an unhappy way. There should perhaps be just a little pain, but we multiply it several hundred times, just because we're too uptight.
I would like to tell you something about the other worlds. We have many bodies; there are different names for them; let's just say the physical body and another kind of body, the psychic body. The people who drink wine, and who smoke and take drugs, or something like that, are doing damage to their spiritual bodies, the material body and also the spiritual body. And after they die, the people in Heaven have to heal them, cure them and help them like a medical doctor does here. After a long course of this kind of treatment, these people recover and then reincarnate as human beings again. They undergo many experiences like that until they learn their lessons, then they want to practice spiritually, and then they can become higher.
On another planet we call "Venus," they have many small "hospitals" like that for different kinds of people. And the people who live in that Pure Land are very highly intelligent people, very spiritual, very high level. They are mostly nearly Masters, most of them can become Masters. And they don't use medicine or equipment to heal these kinds of people. They use different kinds of energy, rays or light to heal this kind of patient.
Just like here in this world sometimes we use different laser rays to heal people, to treat cancer. These people are only like higher scientists, better scientists. Masters are just more highly developed scientists. They know how to change the energy in the atmosphere, and make you become different. Just like if you're a good scientist in this world, you can change sunlight into energy, into electricity.
"Venus" is just one of these Heavens. Don't be attached to the name. Because there's not only one Heaven; there are many Heavens curing people like that. Many sentient beings of other pure lands also help us all the time. They use the energy of light to help the patients there, the people on Earth, and the beings in hell. They help a lot of poor people and desperate people, praying people and suffering people.
You often hear of people who kill themselves for certain reasons. But that's not the only way to commit suicide. There're two kinds of suicide. To kill this material body is very bad but it's not the worst. When you kill your spiritual body it's even worse. You can kill it by taking alcohol, by taking drugs, by taking care of just the material life, and never going to church, never going to temple, never going to any spiritual discourses, never meditating, never practicing spirituality, never reciting any holy names, never getting in touch with the virtuous teachings of any religions, and every day you're just sociable, have liquor and meat, go dancing and listen to music, watch TV, read newspapers, and do all kinds of things except taking care of your soul. This is destroying the spiritual body. This is terrible.
If you have relatives who practice spirituality, who have faith in the Truth, then at least you can go to Heaven after you die. It doesn't mean that you go with them, but you can ascend to Heaven because of their merits. But after going to Heaven, you lie there like a dead body.
Normally after you die, you have a light body, but these kinds of people have no light. Their appearance looks like this body, but with no feelings. Because your mind is so much attached to material things, in your mind, you bring this body with you to Heaven.
It's not the same body, but they create another body that looks like this body in their minds. That body looks like stone, or like wood, with no feelings, no thinking, no intelligence. Because their relatives practice or have faith in the Truth, they have a little of this merit so they can go with them to Heaven because of the blood linkage. But they don't have a clear consciousness up there, they don't know their relatives. The angels take them, and put them into the hospital. And they lie there for a long, long time like a piece of stone.
And then all the good people, the people there have to heal them with their light, their own power, and use their power and their love to pour into that body, to pour their love and energy of light into that body. For a long time it's like that, and then they can begin to live again. Then they can recognize their families, their loved ones who live there. Then they are happy together.
But that's so if these people are not too heavy, with heavy karma, otherwise even if many people help them, they can't receive their help. Some are so heavily bound in their own bad thinking, in their own bad way of life, that they can't receive this loving help. So they become forever lost in the darkness. This kind of case is very sad, of course, but there are some cases like that.
And therefore the people who meditate, or at least who go and listen to the words of the Bible, or the Buddhists, at least they are in contact with the higher power and there are some protective things. The higher power protects them a little. The more you practice, the better.
Of course, if you're in direct contact with the Light of God, you can see the Light in this life already. And you'll definitely go to the higher region. Like in our Method, you see the Light on the first day you get initiation. Otherwise, all the people who do it slowly see the Light after they die, or slowly see the Light later after practicing for many years. Because in the higher world they only use Light for everything, to make babies, to make clothes, to make houses, to make trees, to make every comfortable thing for themselves; everything is made of Light. And even in Heaven, there are also different levels, like in our country there're some rich, poor and middle class. But in the high Heaven, they don't fight with each other.
Table 1: Expenditures for charitable activities in Formosa, July and August 2002
(Currency: NT$)
Table 2: Relief Funds for Needy Households in Formosa, July and August 2002
(Currency: NT$)
News No. 139
Published: November 20, 2002