| | Become Dead to the World and Alive to Heaven | - The 2002 Christmas Retreat in Florida, USA | | Beginning with Wordless Bliss | A True Master | Love Must be Combined with Wisdom | Divine Love Is Engraved in the Heart Forever | | Why Can't Sentient Beings be Delivered? | | The One-dollar Offering | One Who Worshipped Wooden Buddha Statues | Correct Concepts in Spiritual Practice | | Like Father, Like Son | Such a Good Boy! | Emergency Room Surprise | Become Cured of Saintly Sickness! | A Multitude of Angels: | Guardian Gods and Goddesses | The Nature of Negative Forces | Music of the Spheres or Music of the Spears? | Master's Recommendation | Notes on the Path | ?Master's Gift of Love for 2003 | Supreme Master Ching Hai's latest publication | | Master Tells Stories ?Chinese pocket edition | The Key of Immediate Enlightenment, Volume One, Finnish edition | |
Master has said that if we carry the Kingdom of God within us, every place we go will become Heaven. The 2002 "Merry Christmas" International Five-day Retreat, held from December 24 - 28 at the Florida Center, was a blissful reminder of the Heaven that is possible when we focus wholeheartedly on God and strive diligently for spiritual progress.
Unlike other retreats in the past, strict rules were imposed at the 2002 Christmas retreat, as Master lived up to the ancient martial arts adage "expect the unexpected" and offered participants a series of enlightening surprises. For example, on the first day the initiates were informed that the retreat was silent - there was to be no talking except to carry out work projects, conduct necessary interactions with work teams and the like. Other changes from the norm were the relatively few interactions among Master and disciples (Master only spoke once or twice to the various ethnic groups present in separate sessions). In addition, Master instituted an age restriction for the retreat so as to control distractions due to illness and discomfort among older and very young practitioners; and no performance or Christmas party was held. All of these innovations taught the participants valuable lessons in spontaneity, in overcoming established modes of thinking, and in completely putting down worldly matters to focus on God, thus setting new patterns for future retreats.
The blissful atmosphere of the event was typical of former holiday retreats, but was more reserved in tone due to the increased emphasis on silence and inward-directedness. The Florida Center's bright, colorful decorations made the retreat look like a traditional Christmas festival, with tiny white lights festooning the trees, multi-colored tinsel sculptures arrayed on the lawns and trees, and vibrant displays of Master's books, tapes, artwork and Celestial Clothes and Jewelry arrayed in neat, colorful booths. Approximately 1,400 initiates traveled from Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, Central and South America, and various parts of North America to participate.
On the first day of the retreat, Master came to the afternoon and evening sessions and meditated with disciples, but left as soon as each of the sessions was over. She did not talk to the initiates on this day, and everyone could thus feel that it was indeed a silent retreat meant to help us focus intensely on the inner God Power.
The next day was Christmas, and Master allowed the Aulacese initiates to see Her in the afternoon and explained why She had not allowed children and older initiates to attend the retreat, saying that children must play, so it was not appropriate for them to attend the retreat. With the weather being unpleasant and many hours of meditation being required, it was not suitable for the older initiates either. Master then asked if we wanted Her to become a nice teacher or a good teacher, adding that She must be a good teacher and obey God's will to change the retreat rules to become stricter because meditation is very important. She reminded us of the purpose of our spiritual practice and the goal of this retreat: to find our Real Self. So we need to meditate seriously. Only those who were sincere and could sit for long hours were allowed to come this time. We need to pull ourselves up. If we cannot pull ourselves up first, how can we uplift our loved ones? We must meditate diligently, be serious about our practice and pay attention to ourselves alone, not so as to be selfish, but to find our real Self and gain back our Divine Right.
Master also described how She helped the needy and hungry in the streets. When She felt they were really in need, She gave them food or money, and was very happy just to see how they ate Her food or to witness the joy on their faces when they received Her charity. This was sufficient reward in itself, and even if She had to buy hamburgers for someone who was hungry, She was willing to accept the karma.
In addition, Master revealed that not every spiritual master reaches 100% enlightenment, that there is only one young Master currently living in India who has reached 70% of complete enlightenment (the highest among famous masters!) through practice of the Quan Yin Method, that rarely is there even one 100% enlightened Master in the world, and that our Quan Yin family is very enlightened as well. Master was also happy to inform us that a number of our Quan Yin practitioners have reached a 60% level of enlightenment. One resident first came to Master after already having reached 40% enlightenment, and with Her help, about 10 years later, this person has reached 60%. Master added that gaining 20% is very good progress, and without Master and our precious method, we cannot elevate ourselves to even a 1% level of enlightenment.
Master next spoke of ways to help oneself meditate regularly. If the mind resists meditating, we can give it a message it likes to hear. For example, instead of saying "meditation time" we can say "rest time" or "relaxation time." She also said that nowadays, meditation is very popular as it helps us to become more successful in many areas of life - the physical body becomes healthier, and the mind more developed. When we meditate, all aspects of our surroundings benefit, as in the case of a little dying plant that Master meditated next to. It came back to life and became very healthy and grew very quickly as a result of Master's meditation. But we ourselves benefit the most. Thus, we should view meditation time as the most precious gem in the universe, which no human being can give us. So when the mind hears the words "precious gem" or "relaxation time," it will respond "OK" immediately. When the mind says something, our bodily cells listen because everything is created by the mind. We are our own Masters so we can turn the negative into the positive. For this reason, we should not make the mind feel stressed about going to group meditation because of difficulties with a contact person or some other excuse.
On the night of December 25 Master allowed Chinese initiates to see Her after She had seen the Aulacese, and reminded them that during this precious retreat they should only remember God instead of trying to fulfill mundane desires or resolve family troubles, thus affecting others around them. She said that from now on only those who are sincere about God deserve to attend retreats, adding that She does not simply want to be a nice person, but more importantly, She must be a true Master and Her duty is to convey the Truth from God to us, and not please and entertain everyone as a nice person does.
In addition, Master illustrated how to show love naturally through an event from Her own life that recently occurred in a furniture store during Christmastime, and concluded that when we help others and make them happy, we double our happiness - one source of happiness is the joy of helping others and the other is the joy of the receiver.
On December 26, Master allowed Westerners and initiates from other countries to see Her and apologized for Her strictness, but reiterated that God had instructed Her to be a good Master, not just a nice person. Master then went on to emphasize the importance of pursuing enlightenment in spiritual practice and of being at retreats only with God and not with family or other reasons in mind. She stressed putting down everything to serve God, citing the example of Her own choice of hair color and style based on God's will. She concluded this point by saying, "Life is simpler when you listen to God."
Next Master said that love without wisdom is disaster, and gave the example of some residents who had built a house for Her birds. In the process of construction, they installed windows at the north and south ends instead of only on the west, as She had instructed. So instead of receiving warm breezes through the west window, the birds would feel a chilly wind blowing in from the north that would go directly through to the window on the opposite wall. For this reason and because of many other minor mistakes, such as poisonous fumes from the glue used, incorrect walls, etc., Her birds could not stay in the new house but had to remain in cramped quarters until these problems were resolved. Using this case, Master showed that we must strive for 100% enlightenment at all costs so that our actions are guided by wisdom as well as love.
On the retreat's last day, the initiates meditated in a long final session, from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and 30 minutes before the end of this session Master came to say good-bye and reminded us that She loved us so much that She felt She had to disobey God to come to see everyone at that time, and would pay God back later.
Master also prompted us that in order to make progress during retreats, we must put down everything in the mundane world, leaving our jobs and families behind and writing the word "Dead" on our foreheads. She said that we must decide to make God our number one priority during these times. Then, reminding us of the ephemeral nature of the physical world, Master said that our earthly spouses can leave us at any time, but our Heavenly spouse (God) will stay with us forever. Thus, we must honor the God within us by making Hirm number one during the time of a retreat.
Hearing Master's comments, everyone was touched, and then Master cried, noting that She loves us very much and that She had to be strict only to help us progress. Everyone then cried together due to the power of God's love, in a touching moment of parting.
At retreat's end, the rewards of Master's promotion of a more single-pointed focus on God were evident in the glowing faces of the participants. During the last few moments, Master also said that She knew of our struggles, that She did not blame us for our problems, and that She loves us all very much. Through Master's meticulous care, many felt a re-awakening of devotion to God and spiritual practice. What a blessing for us all to carry into the New Year!
There was a very stingy person who never practiced spiritually. Since he also never gave charity, he was very much afraid of monks coming to beg for alms. His wife had strong faith in Buddha, however, and liked chanting the Buddha's name and practicing spiritually, which the man abhorred. One day the man's mother passed away and his wife suggested, "Let's make a pilgrimage to the Ganges, where we can perform a ritual to ask for the Buddha's blessing so that our mother will be elevated." The man replied, "OK! But let's not take such a long trip for it will be very expensive! We can go somewhere nearby."
Halfway on their pilgrimage, they decided to visit a certain temple. However, they were worried that there might be some monks around when they arrived and they would have to make the customary offering to the monks. So, they went there when all the monks were asleep. Indeed, when they entered the temple, there was no one in sight, only a few statues of the Buddha and the Quan Yin Bodhisattva.
Detecting the man's stinginess, the Quan Yin Bodhisattva manifested as a monk and sat there. After paying respects to the Buddha statues, the man was astounded to see a monk! The monk, who was the manifestation of the Quan Yin Bodhisattva, said to him, "You've earned infinite merit by paying respect to the Buddha and offering incense. Would you like me to perform a ritual of elevation for you?" The man replied, "No! It's not necessary! I can do it myself." But the monk insisted, "It's all right. I can do it for you. You don't have to make an offering to me now; you can pay later. Just let me know how much of an offering you want to make." It's a common practice for worshippers to make offerings at temples.
Then the man thought, "It's all right for me to promise him now. Later, I'll just leave, and he won't be able to find me." So, the man said, "OK! I'll make an offering of one dollar." And the monk said, "Fine! One dollar is enough, as long as you're sincere." Then the monk went on to chant many scriptures for him. After the ritual of elevation was over, the man told his wife, "Now that the ritual has been done, we've made the pilgrimage and paid respect to the Buddha, and a monk has chanted the scriptures for us, we can go home tomorrow."
A few days after they got home, the monk suddenly appeared at their house. The wife went inside and told her husband, "The monk from the temple is waiting outside. You promised to offer him one dollar. Now he's come to collect it." The man was terrified and said, "Good grief! I don't want to give him a dollar. Go and tell him that I'm seriously ill, and can't entertain any guests now. Ask him to leave." Of course, the wife knew very well how stingy her husband was. She could only go out and tell the monk, "I'm very sorry, but my husband is very ill and can't entertain you. Will you please return to your temple?"
The monk said, "So he's sick! Then it's even more proper that I should fulfill my obligation. (Laughter) I'll chant the Buddha's name for him, hoping he'll recover soon." The wife went inside again to report to her husband and the man said, "No! No! Tell him that I'm dead (laughter) and ask him to leave." The wife had no other alternative but to go out and tell the monk, "I'm sorry. My husband has just passed away. I think you had better leave." But the monk was eager to offer his services. Not only did he refuse to leave, but he also insisted, "If this is true, then I definitely must go in to chant the scriptures for his elevation."
Now that the man was "dead" he couldn't object any more (laughter) and his wife couldn't stop the monk from entering the house to chant the scriptures, recite the Buddha's name, and perform a lot of rituals. Finally, the man was placed in a coffin and sent to a crematory. But just as he was about to be cremated, he jumped out of the coffin, shouting, "Hey! Don't burn me! I'm still alive."
At that time, the monk resumed his original form of the Quan Yin Bodhisattva and said to the man, "I'm delighted to see you make so much effort and express so much sincerity in making the pilgrimage. Now I'll grant you a wish, which I'll realize for you." Then the man knelt down and cried, and do you know what his wish was? He said, "Please forgive me, Quan Yin Bodhisattva, and please waive the one dollar that I promised to offer!" (Laughter) Hearing his words, the Quan Yin Bodhisattva shook Her head and left. This is how sentient beings behave. It's useless even when Buddhas descend to save them.
A person practiced austerely under a spiritual master, who gave him a statue of the Earth Store Bodhisattva and taught him to recite the Incarnation Mantra. He also instructed him to bow to the statue of the Earth Store Bodhisattva several thousand times each day, and repeat the mantra tens of thousands of times. His master told him that he definitely would progress by following these instructions.
The disciple practiced diligently for a year, but did not feel anything. So, he complained to his master, saying, "Master, I beg you please! Will you teach me another mantra and give me another Buddha statue that's more powerful and merciful. I'm giving up the Earth Store Bodhisattva. I've worshipped Him for a year and chanted the mantra until my throat was dry, yet He never gave me any blessing or response. I don't want to worship Him anymore. Will you please give me a better Buddha statue?" So his master said, "OK! Now I'll teach you the Amitabha Buddha mantra, and you may worship the Amitabha Buddha. The Amitabha Buddha is very compassionate. He made grand vows, and has great affinity with sentient beings. You'll definitely progress by worshipping Him."
The disciple believed his master, carried a small statue of the Amitabha Buddha home and started reciting the mantra. He persisted in chanting the mantra and the holy name of Amitabha Buddha very sincerely. However, a year passed and he received no response. Again, he complained to his master, "Master, the Amitabha Buddha is not efficacious. He didn't make any response. Please don't test me any more! Please give me initiation and teach me a better method of spiritual practice. Otherwise, I can never make it on the spiritual path!"
Knowing that this disciple was very sincere, the master told him with a smile that he would definitely be enlightened this time. However, the disciple still had to practice and become enlightened himself. "I now give you this statue of the Quan Yin Bodhisattva to worship at home," said the master. "The Quan Yin Bodhisattva is very merciful. All of Her worshippers find Her very efficacious. You'll surely get a response through worshipping Her." This disciple had great faith in his master's words and was much delighted. He decided to worship the Quan Yin Bodhisattva piously at home and chant Her holy name day and night.
That day, upon reaching home, he immediately lit the best sandalwood incense before the statue of the Quan Yin Bodhisattva and worshipped piously. He placed the statues of the Earth Store Bodhisattva and Amitabha Buddha on the bookshelf and paid no more attention to them even when they were covered by dust. He thought that these two were not efficacious, so he didn't worship them any more, but let them rest on the bookshelf. He now worshipped only the Quan Yin Bodhisattva statue.
While worshipping, he noticed that the fumes of the sandalwood incense drifted towards the nose of the Amitabha Buddha statue and thought, "This isn't right! I'm only worshipping the Quan Yin Bodhisattva. This Buddha statue isn't efficacious at all, and so isn't worthy of enjoying my incense." (Laughter) Then he took the Amitabha Buddha statue and sealed its nose with plastic tape, so that it couldn't smell the fragrance. Suddenly, the wooden statue of the Amitabha Buddha vanished, and the original form of the Amitabha Buddha appeared right before his eyes. The disciple was frightened to death, and quickly fell on his knees to beg for forgiveness. So Amitabha Buddha said to him, "I'm impressed by your faith and sincerity in seeking the Truth. Now, whatever you ask for, I will realize for you." The man said, "I'm overjoyed to see You, and meanwhile I don't know what to ask for. However, will You please explain why You only appeared after I sealed Your nose? What does that mean?"
Amitabha Buddha said, "It's because previously you only regarded me as a Buddha statue, just a wooden statue. When you thought of worshipping me, you bowed to me. When you didn't feel like worshipping me, you pushed me aside. When you were fond of me, you bowed to me. When you didn't like me, you stopped offering any incense. Also, you didn't pay attention to me when you were busy. This is a wrong concept. Now your thinking has changed and you regard me as a real Buddha, which was why you wanted to seal my nose. Being worried that my nose would really be sealed by you, I had to appear quickly." (Master laughs)
In spiritual practice, if we're sincere and our concepts are correct, even a wooden Buddha statue will turn into a real Buddha. If our spiritual cultivation is poor and our concepts are incorrect, however, even a living Buddha will become like a wooden statue. Therefore, how we see things is very important. If we don't have a correct concept about an Enlightened Master, it will be futile even if a real Enlightened Master descends here.
In the first story, the man knew that the real Buddha had come, but he didn't ask for liberation, Buddhahood, or great wisdom. All he asked for was the Buddha's pardon and waiving of a one-dollar offering. Can you imagine that? This is why Enlightened Masters can't deliver sentient beings. Sentient beings don't pray for great things. Instead, they're trapped by worldly habits, bound by secular habits and concepts every day. Every word they utter is about worldly things; every thought they have is about worldly things; every wish they make is about worldly things. Therefore, it's useless for Enlightened Masters to come down here!
In the second story, though the disciple treated the wooden Buddha statue rudely, his concept was more correct, which meant that he was relatively enlightened. He no longer treated the Buddha statue as a piece of wood. At that moment, he saw that everything was Buddha so he even regarded the wooden Buddha statue as a real Buddha. What I mean is that only the concept underlying the wooden statue is important. It's important that we worship the real Buddha, and not the wooden statue. When we have right concepts and are enlightened, whatever we do to the Buddha, He won't mind. When our concepts are wrong, even if the real Buddha appears before us, it's useless. When our concepts are correct, even a wooden Buddha statue will turn into a real Buddha, but when they're not right, even if we're in the company of a living Buddha, it will be as though we were with an ordinary human.
There is an ancient story that goes back to the times of Sakyamuni Buddha, when Sariputra built a huge ashram for Him. At that time, Sariputra found a giant ant beneath a tree. Pointing to the ant, he told the people around him, "This ant has been here for many lifetimes and has listened to the lectures of several Buddhas. However, it's still not enlightened because it continues to cling to the level of an ant."
Of course an Enlightened Master is capable of helping us to transcend the level of an ordinary human, but we ourselves must be willing. If we're unwilling, but love to stay at the childish level, the Enlightened Master can't force us. This is similar to a doctor treating a patient. He can prescribe medication for us, but if we refuse to take the medicine, and cling on to our illness instead, the doctor too can't force us to do otherwise.
A son came home with the worst marks and the worst certificate in his class. When his father saw the grades, he became very, very angry and said, "You always fail in class! Look at the neighbor; he's always the first one. You're always the last! Tell me, what's wrong with you? Doesn't your teacher ever teach you anything?" And the son said, "Yes, yes, just this morning, she taught us, 'Like father, like son.'"
Two women were sitting on a train. It was a long ride so they started talking about family business and their family members. And the older of the two women said, "Oh! My God, it's so terrible to have children. There's so much to worry about; they always make trouble for you. My son, he's only 20 years old, but he already smokes and drinks, and he always changes girlfriends. It's really terrible. I wish he could be better, but no such luck. I've been praying every day." She then asked the other woman, "And how about you? Do you have any children? How about your son?" So the younger woman said, "Oh, my son is no problem! He never smokes, he never drinks and he doesn't have a girlfriend. He doesn't even utter one word about bad things." So the older woman said, "Really? Fantastic! You're so blessed. How old is he?" And the younger woman said, "Five months."
A man went into a dangerous place, where there were nails and stones everywhere. So he took his shoes off, hung them up and walked all over the area. Then he got injured and began to bleed from his ankles and feet. So he had to go to the hospital for treatment, and the doctor said, "My God! Didn't you wear any shoes?" And the man said, "Yes, but I took them off." So the doctor said, "Are you crazy? Why didn't you wear your shoes?" And the patient said, "Are you crazy? Look at my feet! If I had had my shoes on, what would have become of them?"
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:
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org/eng/news/141/jk1.htm (USA)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/news/141/jk1.htm (Formosa)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.net/eng/news/141/jk1.htm (USA)
You are mature and very intelligent. Your IQ is very high. (Everyone laughs.) And you know many things that I don't know so why should I tell you everything? I can only tell you one thing: You have to become livelier. And whatever you want to do, do it! Whatever is fun for you, do it, as long as you don't hurt other people. So if you want to get to know a movie star, then chase him! If you want to see the President, write to him.
If what you want has anything to do with political or social change in the world, it's a little bit difficult. But concerning your own ambition or your own fun, it's not that difficult, really. Just do it with all your sincerity and all your wish to succeed, and then you'll get it. Most of the time, we're miserable because we can't succeed in what we want to do and because we have fear. Sometimes you love a person but you say, "Oh, he's too handsome for me." Who knows? Maybe you're too beautiful for him! You never know. I don't encourage you to chase around with boys. But, you see, that's what makes our lives miserable: We don't believe in ourselves, and we don't try.
It's very easy. For example, when I was very young, I looked up to those who worked in television or who owned television or radio stations, like they were God or second to God. But now I know it's nothing; I could do it. I could make one; I could even buy one. It's very easy and no big deal. Because if you don't find out how people run or operate a station, you think they're God. But it's no big deal.
When I was in high school, I lived next to the Saigon Radio Station. It was a big one. I was next to it every day. And I didn't know anything about it so I worshipped all the singers who came up and down, in and out, and all the personalities who passed around or next to my house, going inside that big massive God-like station. And I just sat around and dreamt that maybe one day I would sing or recite a poem in there; I just dreamt about it. And I never thought it would happen.
But sometimes the people in the radio station would have some kind of competition, like you would write a poem or answer some question and then they gave you a prize. So I tried and I won! Just once, but I never thought I could win. I thought it was too far-fetched for me. But actually, I only tried it once, and I won.
Afterwards, I changed to another district and didn't have anything to do with the radio station anymore. I stayed there maybe only one or two years, but that was long enough. I could have gone inside and talked to the people and told them that I wanted to sing or recite a poem. I recited very well, so why didn't I do it? Because no one told me the way I'm telling you to do it. (Applause) Of course, it's no big deal that I didn't become a singer. I would eventually, anyhow. But I lived all those years there, standing around the station not doing anything that I wanted to do. I could have, and I'd have had fun meanwhile. But maybe God didn't want me to so it's also fine.
What I mean is that you should just do it. I don't think all of you will become Masters anyhow so why not have fun! (Laughter) Maybe God wanted me to become a Master so Hes "prevented" me, prevented the world's most talented singer and artist at the time. (Applause) But nothing prevents you from doing what you want and fulfilling your dreams. Have fun "the last time!" Actually, I also have to try to have fun. I try all kinds of things to keep myself here. Otherwise, there's nothing to keep me here so what can I do?
People keep asking me all the time, "Why do you put make-up on? Why do you wear beautiful dresses?" and things like that. Before I became the Supreme Master, the Master Ching Hai, I was just like this. (Master points to Her 'ordinary' clothing.) And then for a long time I wasn't like this. And now I've become like this again. So it's kind of puzzling for me also, but it's nothing puzzling. Just like when an old person becomes old, he becomes like a child again. So maybe that's happening with me.
It's very simple. It's just like the story I told you about with the king who would go out and play the fool in the dirt, in the commons and sometimes in a dirty restaurant or dirty street. He would walk alone with only a few attendants, just because he wanted to be free: free from glory, free from security, free from the fear of walking on the street as a king. You know what I mean: just to be free. So I wanted to be free from sainthood. And now I'm liberated! (Applause) I was sick; I had meditational sickness or Master sickness. Well, it let people know that I was a Master. But I'm free now; the sickness is probably gone.
So sometimes we practice for some time and become sick. That's what we call "saintly sickness." But you have to cure yourself. Whatever trace of Sainthood you wear around your face or your nose or your ankles, or that you hide in your heart - you should cure it, one by one, slowly or quickly, it's up to you. Just now I remembered a story to explain this to you once and for all. Because everyone loves to know why I wear clothes like this instead of asking me how I became an Enlightened Master. They keep asking me many questions and finally they have to say, "Wow, I have just one question, but I dare not ask you; can I ..." And finally, the cat is out of the bag: "Why do you wear this?" So it's like that.
In Tibet, there are many people who practice flying. How do they do it? It's just like in China where they practice Chin Kung (a kind of Chinese martial art, that trains practitioners to become very light). You can fly, you can jump onto the roof, very high or very far. People still do this form of practice in China. Sometimes you see Kung-Fu that's not real. But it represents the truth from the olden times when people could still fly.
Nowadays, some people in Tibet can still fly; due to the difficult situation in Tibet they have no cars. They have only mountains with freezing snow all year round sometimes. So they have to go a very long way without much food or many restaurants or anything in between. They have to take very small packets of things. Sometimes they don't even have horses, or they just have what they call a yak (a large, long-haired, dark brown Himalayan ox). And then they have to go with what there is. They can't be too long; sometimes they have to go quickly for some urgent matter. So they have to practice this kind of flying. And some people practice so hard that they can never land on the ground again. They always remain flying in the air. You can read the books of Madame Alexandra David-Neel about this. It's all the truth, but I have to refer to her so that you know I'm not speaking nonsense. You'll know that people write about it and you'll have proof.
So what happens to these people when they fly all the time in the air is that they have to come down sometimes, I mean at least for the toilet or to take a bath. (Laughter) After flying too long, they smell, too! So they have to come down sometimes. They have to put a lot of heavy metal iron chains around their bodies so that they can control and balance their take-offs and landings. That's what they do.
So some time if you go to Tibet and look up into the sky, you'll see something like that. And you'll think they're torturing themselves by chaining their bodies and so on. But that's what they have to do. If they fly too high and they're too light, they have to make themselves heavier so they can land on the ground and stay on the ground as long as they want. Otherwise, they'll just fly in the air all the time.
Similarly, when we first practice spirituality, after some time we become a Saint or a Buddha and say, "Oh, I don't believe that; I don't look at that. I don't talk to that person; I don't wear those kinds of clothes." That's when your sickness is the most serious. (Laughter) Then, after some time, you're too saintly, and you have to cure yourself. You have to pull yourself down to the ground again, in order to integrate into the society and do something about your knowledge, your Sainthood or your Wisdom. Because many people need you; you can't just lie around in Nirvana all the time. It's also no good for you while you're here. If I were always in Nirvana, I wouldn't care about anything; I'd just stay in Nirvana all the time. I mean as a state of being, not that I'd have to fly to the sky. But then I'd have nothing to do with you, and I'd never understand how you suffer. I wouldn't know anything about your mentality. I wouldn't know anything. I wouldn't understand your suffering or your love, your hate, your failures or your virtues. I wouldn't understand anything because I'd be too saintly, too pure: P-U-R-E. (Laughter and applause)
So these are the chains. It doesn't matter what color. They're only dirt: yellow dirt, blue dirt, white dirt - so why bother? Those people who criticize me are saints; that's why. They're in the hospital of sainthood. So as soon as they come out, they'll recognize. They'll be normal again and we can talk to them. So don't worry; being too saintly is also no good. We're out of touch with reality, and then we can become imbalanced. Just like the people in Tibet who always fly in the sky and can never come down for the rest room. Just make sure that if they don't have chains on, don't pass under them. (Laughter) You might be in trouble. Changing your clothes is not always convenient in that kind of cold climate and altitude. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Q: Master, I have a question about angels. Today there are many books published
about angels: guardian angels and special beings who are supposed to be
here just for us so that when we have troubles and problems, we can look
for a guardian angel to help us. Do you believe, Master, that there are
guardian angels for this purpose? And how do we know if there is a guardian
angel for us?
M: You can order one: mail-delivered, with a money-back guarantee. (Laughter)
Well, I believe there are angels, what we call guardian gods, small gods
or goddesses. There are two types. One is ordered from Heaven to help those
who are righteous and weak and who have faith in God, with or without the
Master. Those who are righteous and very virtuous have angels helping them.
They do what they can do to help in different situations.
But the ones who have the Master power with them are the strongest, the fastest, and always have more power and can help in most situations. Other angels, their power is limited because they have to consider a person's karma, whether that person's worthy or not worthy. The Master power doesn't consider that. As soon as the person is a disciple, and sincerely wants to change his/her life, the Master will help anyway. And so the Master sometimes dispatches so-called angels to help people, as well as Her/His disciples. And the Master Himself/Herself helps the disciples personally, through the transformation body. That's the most powerful. Everyone has to give way when the Master is there. (Applause)
Now a second type of guardian angels are those deceased spirits who have already gone out of this world but are still in training or have a desire to help those who are still living, who have a connection with them, or maybe with their relatives or friends or pupils or those who are in the same profession they are, in order to help them further develop their talent and education from "behind the scenes." So there are two types of beings that help us: those angels who are from Heaven, and those who are deceased. There's kind of a range of angels. But those human beings who have become angels have more benefit from God.
The angels are also made with qualities that are different from human qualities. Angels can be destroyed without any problem, without any effect on the whole cosmos. Because angels don't have the eternal qualities that humans have. Therefore the angel's rank is not above that of the human being. Human beings are ranked above the angels. Angels can be made, (Master snaps Her fingers, indicating "instantly") can be destroyed, can be ordered, can be multiplied, can be minimized, but human beings never can because we're eternal. (Applause)
Q: A new book is out called "Embraced by the Light," and it's
about a near-death experience that a lady had some years ago. One of the
events she wrote about was that after her near-death experience, she was
pursued by demons or what appeared to be Satan. And I'm wondering whether
Satan as a personality exists, or is he more of a symbolic kind of evil
that may reside within each one of us?
M: Yes and no. Yes, we have both negative and positive power; that we all
know. But the devils are sometimes inside of us and also outside. They
come from other people as well. But if the positive side of us is very
strong, our negative power is subdued; that's first. Secondly, other people's
negative power that has surrounded us or has been aimed against us also
has to give way.
That's the point of practicing being in God's Presence and meditating every day: to develop the positive side of our qualities. So when that lady saw these kinds of so-called demons, she actually saw them because they're also all over the place. We just don't see them because our positive power is strong. If somehow we wade a little bit into the negative side or if we want to peep into the negative region, then we might see them.
As for the negative forces, I have to explain to you where they come from. I can use the Buddhist scriptures and explain it scientifically. Now, in one of the very famous Buddhist scriptures, the Lankavatara Sutra, the Buddha says that human beings can create all kinds of demons through their behavior or way of living. For example, eating meat or being aggressive or hateful becomes a kind of energy, and then slowly it will form this kind of dark force. And then it can even appear as any form, like energy that can appear as form sometimes.
For example, with electro-magnetic energy, sometimes you just push some buttons and forms appear on the screen. You can create a cartoon out of nothing, out of just electricity or electromagnetic energy. Sometimes we can create a force, with form or without form. Similarly, these kinds of evil forces can appear in a form because they're also energy. They can be charged and then they can be formed, and they appear like devils or demons, with very distorted figures because they're negative power, so they can't be very beautiful. And therefore people can sometimes see them.
So we humans also create them, but these things aren't real. In a way, they're illusionary, just like the angels. They appear to have form, but they're not real. They're not eternal; they can be destroyed; they can be chased away; they can be multiplied; they can be minimized. They're not real forms. They're not eternal. They don't have the God quality within them.
People sometimes can train themselves to see devils, just like we can train ourselves to see God. Therefore some of the voodoo people, or the so-called witchcraft people train themselves to deal with demons, to subdue them or use them for some purpose. That's possible. You can even make them; it's been proven that we can make things happen. They can be formed through the energies.
Now, if you read a book called Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Madame Alexandra David-Neel, it will tell you that in Tibet people can use their own power in the practice of concentration to make another being in whatever shape or whatever appearance they want. You can make a monk appear; you can make a common person, or you can make a beautiful girl. These are the methods that Heaven uses to create angels. And these are the methods we use, sometimes purposely or unintentionally through our deeds and thoughts, to create demons.
She herself, Madam Alexandra, made a monk, just to try it through that method. So she made one. But afterwards, he got out of control. He actually appeared in the form of a monk. And she said that at first she made a very jolly one, a happy, fat old monk, the easygoing type. But later, as he developed, he got out of her power and got out of hand. He became thinner and more mischievous and more aggressive. So she eventually had to destroy him, using all her might. Because once you create something, it's difficult to destroy it if you don't have that power. But these things aren't far-fetched fairy tales. People nowadays still can do it.
Q: Would you say that in some cases modern music encourages a certain mood
and atmosphere, the kind that can create more of a demonic environment
for young people today or perhaps even the world, just from the mood that
it tends to create?
M: Yes, part of it. Part of it has already existed through centuries from
the different moods of humankind. And if we deliberately add ingredients
to it, then of course it becomes stronger. Music is very influential. It's
been proven scientifically that if you give people soft, kind, gentle and
loving music, they feel calm and relaxed, very gentle and loving. But when
you give people discordant, very terrible music, they go crazy or fight
with each other.
Just like when they go out to fight in battle, do you know what kind of music they give to people? It's not "I love you!" or anything like that, but "Bong! Bong! Bong! ... Boom! Boom! Boom!" All kinds of deathly tunes and aggressive melodies are given to the soldiers. So they just march and march and then die blindly. Because that's the time when they want to kill, they're in the mood to kill. So music is very important, of course.
Master lovingly recommends that if we use a mobile phone we should use an earpiece. If we use a land-line phone we should use the type that has a cord connecting the earpiece to the main body of the phone. And if we use a cordless home phone or any type of portable phone we should use an earpiece with it.
In compliance with requests by fellow practitioners, the first issue of Master's Notes on the Path series will be published in the early spring of 2003.
We have often heard it said, "Inner experiences should not be revealed to others!" Do you thus feel that you are deprived of a chance to share your wealth of feelings and experience? Don't worry! Now Notes on the Path will give you the space you need to completely open yourself up! All of your inner realizations, spiritual bliss, miraculous incidents when Master answers your prayers with Her omnipresent and omniscient power, and fantastic supra-worldly journeys of the soul experienced in meditation can be recorded in writing or even through colorful graphics, especially those feelings and experiences that you have found indescribable in the past -- in your very own scripture!
Notes on the Path will have a cover constructed of superior Japanese flax paper, with elegant, nostalgic and colorful prints protected by a frosted lamination. All of these features ensure that the volume will remain your faithful "listener" for a long time. This spiritual diary comes with a calendar for the years 2003 and 2004, and its inner pages feature designs from Master's artistic creations. Printed exquisitely on each page is one of Master's aphorisms in both English and Chinese. Notes on the Path has a design suitable for both genders, providing both men and women with a free space to speak their minds! This is one of the most loving gifts you can find for your dearest friends and relatives, as Master's love, powerful yet quiet, greets your beloved every day through Her paintings, fans, painted stones and poems.
Supreme Master Ching Hai successfully blends spiritual cultivation into daily life, transcending rigid doctrines to tell spiritual stories carefully selected from diverse materials published in various languages from countries around the world. Readers can find delight in Master's inspired narratives and relaxed style, which enhance Her enlightening, heart-warming interpretations.
This pocket book contains thirty-seven meaningful stories enhanced by vivid illustrations. The stories and graphics captivate the hearts and minds of readers of all ages.