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It doesn't matter if we're right or wrong in war; it always creates misery for both parties. We understand that even our enemies have souls, sentiments, intelligence, compassion and understanding. It's just that we don't sit together and talk. We don't make friends. We're not supposed to make friends with our enemies so we sometimes forget that they're also human like us. Therefore, it's easy to slay someone whom we do not think much of or whom we don't hold in high esteem.
~ Supreme Master Ching Hai
War has broken out again in the Middle East. The wartime casualties, desperation, hatred, homeless refugees and heart-wrenching scenes that appear constantly in the media strongly awaken our yearning for peace. At this moment, one cannot help wondering: "Why do human beings make war? What can we do to bring true peace to the world?" During the Kosovo War in 1999, people in troubled Europe asked the same questions to Supreme Master Ching Hai, Who compassionately offered answers in Her lectures. These words of wisdom have been included in the book God's Direct Contact - The Way to Reach Peace. The following are some wonderful excerpts from the book, in which a true Messenger of God expounds on the root cause of war and conveys to humanity God's message of Peace.
Q: Why is there war in the world? And what can we do to stop war?
M: War exists because we have created some kind of warlike energy on this planet. Every time we hate, every time we want to kill, every time we don't love one another like God loves us, we create a warlike energy. And when enough of this energy sticks together, it materializes into war.
Hatred, envy, and all these kinds of negative feelings have energy, just like love has energy. When someone loves you or when you're in love with one another, you feel very blissful and happy. Even though you can't touch this love and you can't explain it, you know it's there. You bathe in this love, and you feel exalted.
Similarly, when we hate one another, we feel very uncomfortable. We even feel sickened sometimes because of it. Hatred, jealousy, possessiveness and ignorance - all of these will make war at any time. That's why we have to take care of what we think, what we do, and what we want in our daily lives.
Enlightenment is the only solution to all kinds trouble of in this world. God's love is the only medicine for all kinds of disease on this planet.
Q: Could You tell us something from the spiritual point of view about the influences of war?
M: What can I say? What can I say about the ignorance of humankind that drives people to kill one another in cold blood? What can I say to those who have suffered tremendous agony in the war, who lost their parents, who lost their children, who lost everything that they had worked their whole life for? I can only pray that their sorrow will be eased somehow, that God will bless them inside so that they know that life is eternal, and God always loves them. It doesn't matter if they're bad or good, and it doesn't matter how much they lose in this world, Heaven is still theirs.
I can only tell you that if we, the spiritual aspirants, try our best to raise our consciousness to a higher level of understanding, then the world will be a better place. This comes only by knowing that we are God inside, that we can respect the God who sits in front of us or next to us. Only with God's love can we erase all the hatred and differences between brothers and sisters, and then the wars will stop.
Since ancient times we have been warring with each other, destroying the property and the nutrition of this planet. We have even destroyed the teachings of the spiritual Masters; we damage their bodies and their way of life. And what has it brought us? We gain nothing out of this war or any war. I feel sorry for the ones who caused the war, and I feel sorry for the victims. But I feel even sorrier for the ones who caused the war because they are so far from God; they are so desperate that they feel they have to resort to violence.
They feel so much lack of love within themselves that they break out with crimes of such a violent manner because they are so desperate. They are so deep in the illusion of life. For the one who does not know right from wrong anymore, we can only feel sorry. And we can pray that God will bless them with more wisdom and more love, so that they will be awakened to a better way of life. We can help shorten the war and ease the conflict into a better state or even stop it if we all put our positive energy and thinking together, and we meditate daily for the betterment of this planet. The victims of the war, even though they suffer so much in this physical life, will be welcomed by God in the life after.
So I am here to try to remind you that you have the power within yourself to bless the world, to stop the war, to ease the suffering. It is up to you to make use of it. The more awakened the people, the less trouble in this world. Our world is getting better. There are more spiritual practitioners and more vegetarians. In a few more hundred years to come, we will see almost Heaven on this planet. If we live that long!
Q: How can we help our brothers and sisters in war?
M: The best way to help is to get yourself enlightened, and once you're enlightened, if you have relatives and friends, you can even pray for them better. Because you can tell God what you want. God also knows what you want, but you don't know God. You don't know what God wants. That's the problem. That's why many prayers are not answered. God answers but we don't hear because God talks in a subtle language. We have to quiet down in order to receive it. We call this meditation, contemplation or quiet prayer. But we have to open our contact with God first. We have to plug back in, reconnect the telephone. Then we can talk to Hirm, and we can receive the answer. Now God tells us to do one thing, and we do another. Because we aren't connected, that's the problem in this world.
We can help by giving our loving thoughts and loving power, but our prayers must be powerful. At the moment, our prayers don't have power, because we aren't connected with the power inside. That's why Jesus didn't waste His time trying to go around stopping any wars. Buddha didn't go around trying to make peace between countries. They were busy teaching people to get enlightenment; because they knew that's the only solution to any problem on this planet, and on any other planet in the universe.
We can help through sincere prayer, but we must be enlightened. We must be connected with this God power first. Then whatever we think will come true, whatever we want will come true. At the moment, we want something but we don't have anything to back it up. Just like we want to buy a dress, or we want to buy shoes, but we don't have money in the bank. Have money in the bank first, then anything else you want, you can buy.
Q: How does enlightenment affect the future of a nation?
M: Of course, it's much better if everyone in your country is enlightened. It's like seeing God walking all over the country. This doesn't only affect your country; it will affect the whole world. There will be no more war. There will be more love, more peace, more abundant food and more necessities for everyone, not just for this nation. The blessings will be shared more equally. So even if this country is very prosperous and peaceful, we still should think more of the world. And we should also be enlightened so that we can bless the world more because there are still many more suffering beings in this world.
As long as people forget God, there will be war again. We have to truly know the God inside, contact Hirm in order to know the other person is also God, and then one God cannot kill another God. Then war will stop. When we don't know this, we just look at each other as another human being; we just look at personality, character, habits and national traditions. We forget that there is a God within that person, and that's the main thing.
God can't give us peace on Earth if we don't make peace ourselves. We have the power. We're the representatives of God here; we must do the things we should on this level because we exist here. Only if we have peace within ourselves can we make peace; only when we see God within ourselves can we see God in others.
Loving thoughts and positive thinking always make the atmosphere brighter, more positive and more loving. The more people who have the same thoughts, the better will be the influence. And the more concentrated each person's thought is, the more the influence. So actually if we want to have a more energetic influence on some matter, we must ourselves gather this concentration force and concentrate on this God power within us first. But we must know how; then we can direct that God force to influence the world. And that's why I'm here, to share with you the secret of how to find this God power again so that you can give the world a more positive influence whenever you want.
We should conquer someone else's heart with goodness, love, beauty and virtue, not with weapons.
To be the master of ourselves, to have victory over our own weaknesses, our ego and our evil tendencies is the best victory of any war.
The more people know God, the more people contact God directly and become happier, the more peaceful the world will be, the less war there will be, and the more we can bring Heaven onto Earth.
If everyone on this planet could know God, or at least half of humankind could know God ... if one-third of humankind could know God, or even one-fourth could know God, there would be no more war, no more famine, and no more trouble of any kind. This planet would become Heaven. There would be no more battles between different religions or even within the same religion. Because everyone would understand that we have only one God.
Karma isn't always created by a sense of guilt; it also comes from our habits. Our brains deceive us by pressing a button to automatically replay the same reaction whenever similar situations arise. So we should think clearly. Whatever we don't feel good about, or whatever displeases us, it's just as bad as disasters, and we must break through instead of remaining attached to or bound by our habits. It's that simple.
D: I've found that if I'm too serious, for example, when I just started practicing and it was time to meditate, I used to say, "Oh, oh! It's time to meditate!" my mind felt kind of stressful. But if I think, "Ah! It's time to see God!" and recite the Holy Names and concentrate, then it goes smoothly.
M: That's right! Yes. Make it like a pleasure. It is a pleasure!
D: I even apply this to my work. For example, when I feel exhausted because of my work, I feel too tired, and have no more energy, but then I ask myself where the energy comes from, and remind myself that it comes from the universal source, not from my body, then I suddenly feel myself filled with an inexhaustible strength. I don't feel tired, and even if I do, I still recover quickly. Therefore, I think we have two choices; either we choose this humble "I" and are very limited, or simply think, "I'm nothing. I'm nobody. It's the universal power that does things." This way I feel very good. I see no problem.
M: Yes. That's right. When we sit, we should relax. That's right. We should thank God for giving us time to rest. The other yoga schools usually refer to meditation as "a time to relax." Nowadays, if you read newspapers or magazines, the regular ones, you'll find them mentioning meditation, or when they talk about how to live longer and healthier, they'll somehow mention that we must find time to "relax," rest or meditate. They do mention meditation.
Meditation is very popular now. They don't say "meditate to find God," but "meditate to relax, to become healthier, feel better, live longer and be successful." That is, to be successful in every aspect, we must choose a time during the day to rest, not to sleep, but to meditate, or breathe in, breathe out, or whatever. Everyone knows about it now because science has proven it. If we choose a time during the day to rest or meditate, our bodies become healthier. One of the best methods is meditation; that is, choosing a time to meditate every day. Now all the magazines, even the lousy ones, mention this. Meditation has been accepted by science and people worldwide. So don't make it sound so painful, like "Oh God! I have to meditate now; otherwise, I can't attend group meditation, or the contact person will say this and that." It's not like that. It's good for you.
It's a time for you to treasure. We've worked all day, busily taking care of the world and others. So whenever we meditate, that's a time for us. We must love ourselves first - love others but also love ourselves. Whenever we meditate, at that time we concentrate all the treasure onto ourselves alone in order to nourish our body and mind. It's not because I say this and that that you have to mediate enough otherwise this and that will happen. No. It's very good for you. The most precious time for you since the moment you were born and until you die is meditation time. It's the best thing you do for yourselves. No one can give it to you; only you can give it to yourselves. It's the best thing that you can do for yourselves - meditation. While you do it for yourselves, others will naturally benefit as well. Your family, relatives, dogs and cats will also benefit. Trees and flowers will benefit too. I've already told you this.
So when we meditate, the people and all the things around us benefit but we're the ones who benefit the most. It's the best thing that you can do for yourselves, the best medicine to nourish your bodies, the strongest energy to nurture your brain, the best book to develop your wisdom. No matter how beautiful a car you have, how big a pearl you get, and no matter how expensive they are, they're not as precious as the time you spend meditating for yourselves. That's the most precious gem in the whole universe that you can offer to yourselves. Like one initiate said, meditation is resting, nourishing ourselves, bringing in all the precious jewelry to beautify you. Who wouldn't want that? When our mind hears "precious gem" it says, "OK!" or "rest," it says, "OK. I like it. I don't like work. Relax, man! OK, I'm ready." It's just the brain.
Our brain only knows how to discriminate between "good" and "bad," "black" and "white." Work is a problem, or "job," "Oh, no!" It's been working all day already. "No. No. No." But if you say, "OK, let's take a break," then it's OK. Our mind knows what "good" or "bad," "resting" or "working hard" means. So whatever we say, it understands that way. We must teach it. Also, the cells in our body all listen to us. If you say it's good, then it's OK and if you say it's bad, it thinks so as well. Therefore, Buddha said, "All things are created by the mind." Our mind we must create; we must speak good things, think good things, and then we'll change the negative to the positive. We teach the cells in our own bodies to think positively. Whatever good you think or speak, your mind, your body, and the millions and billions of cells in your body all listen to it immediately. That's why I say you're your own master. You don't need me, but you've forgotten how to teach yourselves.
All day long you've been dragged down by the negative power, listening to bad stuff, and then repeating this trash in your head. Whatever your mind hears, you let it think that way. Therefore, I've told you, "Don't listen to bad things, don't think bad things and don't speak bad things." That's purifying your actions, speech and thoughts. If you hear anything bad, stop and toss it out. If you've already heard it, then tell your mind, "That's not true. She's wrong. Don't listen to her." We tell ourselves so our mind understands "Ah! These things are false information. Toss them out. Trash them." Because if we accept it, our mind will think this information is OK so it'll record it, and later it will spit it out. All the good and bad things in our lives are created by us. We say good things and our mind takes them and thinks, "OK! It's good." We speak bad things, and our mind hears them and thinks, "OK! It's bad." So, who else is our master but we ourselves?
For example, when you want to drink, is it you who tells your hands to get the water, or do you ask your neighbor to tell your hands to get it for you? And when you're hungry, is it your mind that tells you to look for food? Isn't it you who gives the order? And when you want to go to work, you must either look for a bus or drive a car yourselves to the office. We're our own boss in everything. Thus, we should direct ourselves with a positive perspective, in virtue and goodness, so that our lives will become better each day. The bad things that happen in our lives are all created by ourselves - if they weren't now then they were in the past. We put them in here, but we forget to cleanse them out, and thus they come back to harm us later. Therefore, don't blame anyone. From now on, whatever bad things you hear, you must tell yourselves immediately that this information is not true, is negative, is not good and not beneficial to anyone or ourselves. Stop it. You must get rid of it immediately. When you go home, at night, recite the Holy Names to cleanse it out. And in the morning, pocket a big reserve before you go out. Therefore, you should meditate in the morning, and at night, when you come home, if there's some leftover garbage in your pocket from outside, meditate to cleanse it out. The more you cleanse yourselves the better; the more surplus in your pocket the better; so that when you run into some garbage, you can cleanse yourselves right then so there's no need to carry it home with you.
A bunch of women who lived in the same apartment went to court to file suit against each other for making trouble, and they all began talking at the same time. So the judge said, "I can't hear all of you at once. I want to hear from one person only. Whoever is the oldest one among you, please speak first." And there was absolute silence in the courtroom. So the case was dismissed because of a lack of testimony.
In court a judge asked the witness, "How old are you? I mean, really, how old are you? And remember, you're under oath so tell the truth." The woman replied, "I'm twenty one and some months." The judge said, "Be specific: how many months?" So she said, "One hundred and eighteen months."
A doctor came into the hospital ward and said to Mr. Johnson, "I have some good news and some bad news for you." Then Mr. Johnson said, "Please, give me the good news first." So the doctor said, "The doctors here are going to name an incurable disease after you."
Please visit the following websites 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/143/jk1.htm (USA)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/news/143/jk1.htm (Formosa)
http://www.godsdirectcontact.net/eng/news/143/jk1.htm (USA)
Where does the ego come from? We can say the ego is a kind of personality, a personal mental attitude. Where does the personality come from? The personality is nothing great; it's not our original Self; nor is it our enlightened God Nature. It's just our personality, born from habits that are continuously accumulated. Every time we're born, whether as a human, a wild animal, a Heavenly being, a hell being, a domestic animal or a demon, we possess certain habits. Each kind of being has its own particular habits and they are all learned.
For example, if we were tigers, of course, we'd be fierce. Every day we'd hunt for food and kill animals. This is how we'd live in that lifetime. Then if we were immediately reborn as a human after dying as a tiger, traces of our vicious animal nature would remain. We'd have a violent temper, love to devour meat and be very vicious. We wouldn't be easily compatible with others or forgiving, and we'd enjoy squabbling and always overdoing in trivial matters.
If after our life as a tiger was over we were reborn as another kind of animal, perhaps a more benign one like a lamb, of course, we'd "baah" our way through life and be very benign. Even if the tiger's qualities were still in the animal that we had become, it would have little chance to manifest. We'd gradually forget them and then this vicious nature would diminish. We'd stop killing and eating meat. Our animal qualities and killing instinct would diminish. If, after we left the body of the lamb we were reborn as another lamb, we'd become even more benign and "baah" our way sweetly through another life.
If we were reborn as a human being after our life as a lamb had ended, of course we'd look rather sheepish. We'd be very benign, and we wouldn't look very awful. We'd be docile and easily controlled and we would get along with others! Our palate would be easily satisfied. We might prefer to eat weeds, and go looking for leafy or wild vegetables. Thus we can see that each person has his own distinct personality since each collects different habits.
During our incarnations as animals, should we die as a tiger and be reborn repeatedly as another tiger or as some other fierce beast such as a wolf or snake before we were finally reborn as a human, our qualities would not be much different than that of a demon. That's why we find that some people are very fierce for no reason, and communication with them is almost impossible. It's because they've just transitioned from the life of an animal and taken on a new body. They've been reborn repeatedly as an animal, and very often, as a fierce beast. This isn't coincidental. Otherwise, why isn't everyone reborn as an animal, while continuing to be reborn as a fierce beast? It's probably because before they took the animal form, they had incurred lots of bad karma, having taken too many lives or been forced into the situation by destiny and letting violence overtake them.
For instance, we know that some criminals are imprisoned. The government's original intention in doing so was to teach them a lesson and give them a chance to repent, rectify their lives and become benevolent. However, they get worse in prison. Out of wrath, some try to escape and seek revenge when they succeed. They commit more crimes and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to pull themselves out of the situation. They may encounter unpleasant situations in prison and may misinterpret other people's good intentions. Sometimes their inferiority complex may mislead them into believing that they've been ill-treated though the police treat everyone equally. This feeling may intensify in their heart and they may seek vengeance when they get out by commit more serious crimes, thus end up receiving a harsher punishment. This harsh punishment in turn evokes greater hatred in them, which causes them to fall further until they finally become truly difficult or impossible to reform.
When we're fierce beasts, we're steeped in karma. Should we fall into such a situation, if we fail to reform or repent and continue to commit more vicious acts, we'll remain permanently at the animal level and have much difficulty rising to the human level again. Even if we wanted to become humans, it would take many, many lifetimes before we could succeed.
When we're tigers, we collect a tiger's qualities, vicious actions and habits. Our magnetic field becomes a vicious aura. And when we become human, this magnetic field is registered in our so-called Alaya consciousness, where the good and bad thoughts and deeds of our past lives are recorded. With its massive recordings, it reacts spontaneously to similar situations. This means that if a person or situation stimulates us, that quality immediately emerges because we forget that we're now humans, not tigers.
If we humans want to avoid such situations, we should check for the animal-like qualities that we possess. And then we'll know that we have very heavy karma. But what is karma? In the past we collected many habits. As we transmigrate, we collect and record far too many vicious actions, just as on a recording tape. When the button is pressed, it plays back. And what's this button? It's the opportunities or occasions we encounter that turn the recordings on automatically.
So sometimes we're very fierce to people, but we don't know why. It's because the button has been pressed. A particular person happens to say something that we'd heard in the past when those words upset us. Now when we hear something similar, we immediately get upset. Or perhaps in previous lives when we were humans or animals, someone set traps for us. Now, whenever we see something that resembles such traps, just in appearance, we become afraid. We have no idea why a particular kind of box terrifies us. Some boxes look similar to the traps that we encountered in our past lives so we dread and abhor them. That's why some people prefer round furniture, or hate square furniture or like triangular furniture. This is all related to past life impressions.
The conditions that we like, dislike, abhor or love constitute what's called the ego. "I" only like it this way; this suits "my" taste- this is called "ego." The "ego" means the personality. Such and such is "my" habit; this is what "I" think; "I" can't change; "I" don't want to change, or this is what "I" am and "I" can't change! This is called the ego, but in fact, the ego is the personality; it's nothing mysterious or incomprehensible.
To stop ourselves from getting more steeped in karma, we have to avoid our habits and prevent them from emerging. If a habit emerges, it will grow stronger, and we'll become even more irascible. For instance, in past lives, we may have been wrongly accused of committing crimes that we didn't commit. And we may have been beaten and painfully hurt, or persecuted by those in power. Then in our current life, we might meet someone who persecutes or hurts us for justifiable reasons. In fact, we're in the wrong, and it's right for him or her to persecute us. However, someone had wrongly accused and persecuted us in our past lives and we hated it. And when we encounter a similar situation again, we can't tolerate it and attempt to take revenge or counteractions. Thus, we deepen the animosity in our heart and let the malicious atmosphere grow denser and stronger. In the end, it forms our spiteful personality. So if we want to avoid this situation, whenever we want to take revenge on people, we should immediately tell ourselves: "Will tit for tat ever end?"
Each time we perform an action or learn a new idea, a new channel is created in our brains for storing the new material. This is for storing animosity, that's for love, this is for jealousy, and that's for fame and profit. Each spot is taken up by a different quality. The more habits we have, the more boxes or channels fill our brains.
Originally, these boxes or channels can disintegrate by themselves. It's very simple. If there's nothing inside, they'll fuse together and be reduced to nothing. However, there's a substance called "gray matter" in our brains that fills these channels or boxes. All new ideas and actions are registered in the gray matter, which fills up the empty channels in the brain, much like a computer that maintains records exclusively.
We can never erase the things or qualities that we've newly learned. So we have to practice the Quan Yin Method to flush away the bad habits inside. There's no other way to cleanse them! You've often heard about brainwashing a person, but brainwashing with words is not thorough enough. Our brains are very small, yet they can record everything, in infinite volumes. That's the trouble. Having recorded too much, it can't be erased quickly enough. We have distracting thoughts every day, all because we record too many things.
Therefore, if I'm now brainwashing you with words, I'm merely adding more channels and boxes. It's futile! You're already filled with old preconceptions and ideas. If I add more new ones, they'll simply mingle with the old, and it will be useless. The old ones will continue to function while new ones develop, and it only becomes more complicated.
That's why I say, "Truly, spiritual cultivation requires no language!" So during transmission of the Quan Yin Method, I don't speak and make no new additions. I'm chatting with you now only because there are knots and problems within you so I have to explain a little to solve your inner conflicts. Otherwise, I don't speak. Why do I have to talk so much? You already know more than enough. For instance, if you're not Buddhists and know nothing about the Nirvana Sutra or Diamond Sutra, you will not ask me questions about the scriptures, and I too will not need to speak so much to explain things to you. I speak a lot because you speak a lot. You've gathered too much garbage so I have to use many ways to remove and incinerate it.
So the Quan Yin Method isn't words; it's the vibrations, the electric current, the God-power that cleanses our distracting thoughts and wrong ideas. It doesn't add any channels or boxes inside us. That's because, if we want to use a certain thought to eliminate another thought, there will be resistance. It doesn't mean the old thought is cleansed! No, we're simply adding another one. Consequently, it becomes more crowded and we become more agitated. Therefore, all great spiritual Masters say, "The more learned and knowledgeable one is, the more difficult it is for one to attain the Truth." We simply heap things within us, squeezing them together until nothing can develop. Good and bad things mingle together. The good things cannot develop, and the bad things cannot be cleansed; it becomes heavily congested. Now you understand why the more learned one is, the more difficult it is to become enlightened!
So only the Quan Yin Method is logical for it's not Zen riddles or some kind of chant, which will only add more to our brains. Instead, we cleanse it. That's why I tell you that, although I've instructed you to recite the Holy Names and meditate on the Light, it's not effective if you don't practice "Sound meditation." This is so because chanting the Holy Names and meditating on the Light also add extra things; although these additives can control other things and make us forget worldly vexations. Suppose we're angry with someone and want to get even or scold him. Now when we recite the Holy Names, we forget the hostility. It means that we can use these benevolent Holy Names to control our distracting thoughts and stop them from troubling us. It doesn't mean that they've vanished, or been cleansed by chanting the Holy Names or Amitabha Buddha. No! We add tens of thousands of repetitions of the Holy Names every day, to control the distracting thoughts. After that, we should use the "Sound meditation" to erase them, including the Holy Names! (Applause) I'm very glad that you understand.
That's why I say, if someone doesn't practice Sound meditation every day and yet claims that he's been completely enlightened or become a Buddha, he's lying. Some people also say that when one becomes a Buddha, meditation becomes unnecessary. It means not doing the ordinary kind of meditation, where we tax our brains chanting the Holy Names, just reciting two names and forgetting the rest, or reciting one and forgetting the other four, or reciting the first and forgetting the fifth, or struggling with distracting thoughts. "Good grief! I have so many distracting thoughts. My God! I hate that person. My God! Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha. Good grief! That person is really disgusting. Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha.... Oh! I'll surely get even with him tomorrow. Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha...." Oh! What a painful struggle it is. This is called meditation because we're training our minds and suppressing our distracting thoughts, hatred and habits.
It's not true that a person doesn't meditate after becoming a Buddha, but he meditates without struggling. He still meditates without having to sit in meditation so we say he doesn't meditate. Now, when we meditate, we know that we're meditating. A Buddha doesn't know that he's meditating; he meditates effortlessly. This is what Lao Tze meant by "doing without doing." He didn't mean that we should sit the whole day long, remaining oblivious to the world, not managing the country, not taking care of the family, not bathing our body or doing the laundry and not even eating. This isn't "doing without doing"; it's being insane. (Laughter) Thus, when some people say that once we become a Buddha we don't need to meditate anymore and instead we just enjoy gambling and singing karaoke all day long, this is becoming the devil. This is becoming a negative Buddha instead of a Buddha like the Amitabha Buddha.
So when you notice that someone isn't meditating or reciting the Holy Names, you know he's ignorant. This is only befitting for the lowest Astral realm; he's been deceived! A Buddha (Enlightened Master) doesn't meditate, yet he does meditate. Why? He has to bless the world; he has to bless his disciples. If even we ordinary humans can derive such great merit from meditation, imagine what happens when a Buddha meditates. He can't shirk his responsibility. If a Buddha comes here and doesn't meditate, then what does he want to do? Besides, he also needs to replenish his inner spirit and vitality. Don't we feel physically comfortable and mentally happy when we meditate? Though we don't have a desire for inner levels, we attain them all the same!
We cannot remain physically healthy just by eating. Many people eat, yet their bodies are weak. For us, we only have to meditate for an hour or two, and we're happy in spirit, and can work tirelessly throughout the day. Therefore, even a Buddha needs to meditate to restore his power. Eating food alone cannot sustain his body. If he were only an ordinary person, then even if he ate a lot, he still wouldn't be able to take on the numerous responsibilities of a Buddha. Since a Buddha eats very little and has to shoulder so many responsibilities, how can he not meditate?
He does meditate, except that he doesn't struggle hard like we do or meditate with so much effort. A Buddha meditates in a very relaxed way. He enters samadhi soon after he begins to meditate and he's in samadhi even when he's not meditating! He's in samadhi twenty-four hours a day and he can meditate at any time. This is called meditating without meditating. Spiritual cultivation is not all about meditation. Even then, he still meditates to set an example for his disciples. Otherwise, everyone would think that he had become a Buddha and didn't need to meditate anymore, but just enjoyed worldly pleasures. In that case, everyone would be the same, and everyone could do it. Since there would be no need to meditate, lazy people could also claim that they had become Buddhas. What a wonderful excuse! No way!
Remember that after Shakyamuni Buddha became a Buddha, He meditated every day. That's why the scriptures mention that every time Shakyamuni Buddha came out of samadhi, He would begin to give a discourse to His disciples. They never mention Him giving a discourse after coming out of the washroom, or after enjoying karaoke, singing, dancing or gambling. Never! Therefore, reading the scriptures without really understanding them will bring us harm. Our spiritual practice will be impaired. We'll boast and thirst for fame and gain, and thus hurt ourselves.
So humility is the most important element in spiritual practice. Anyone who tests our patience is our teacher; people who beat and scold us are our teachers, training our tolerance and giving us a chance to reflect. This is also good. It's not bad unless such actions hurt the public, then we must try to stop them. If he's only testing us, then let him test us to the end; the harder it is, the better it is for us. Gold shines more radiantly when tempered in fire. Genuine gold fears no fire!
I'm not just telling you this; I practice what I say. I have to do it because I'm your example. So, don't ask me why I'm totally unmoved when people slander me. If I can't even tolerate that, then what can I tolerate? How can I teach people to be tolerant? Unless it causes harm to the public or other people, then I'll think of a way to stop it. If it hurts only me, it's all right!
Now you know what the ego is and how to eliminate it. Don't allow your ego to grow stronger and confine you like a wall. As such, you'll believe that you're this person and this is what you are. That's the ego. You'll just carry on and do the same wrong things, and subsequently, you'll become even worse. If no one stops it for you, you'll become worse. You'll think that it's fine and feel happy about it. Finally, it will become a habit, just like smoking and drinking. Though you know that it's bad for your body, you'll still become heavily addicted to the habit as you drink more and smoke more.
This is why we must learn to be humble. We shouldn't add more to the habits that we've accumulated through many lifetimes, and we shouldn't let them grow stronger until they become irreparable later. We already have a great many bad habits. If we don't minimize them but add more, how can we handle them? There's no way to minimize them even if we want to. When can we finish reducing them? We've collected so much. It's already difficult enough for us to avoid getting more, not to mention that we need to erase those firm habits, and even traditions, that we've gathered through many lifetimes! That's why we have to use this supra-worldly power, the vibrations of the Sound meditation, to cleanse them quickly. Ordinary brainwashing is useless. Only practicing the Sound meditation is the true "brainwashing."
You ask me how to avoid the ego. I advise you to do more Sound meditation. If you're aware, endeavor to check and control yourself. Don't add more to or repeat the habit. If you can avoid it, then stop. If we're not aware of our ego, then there's nothing we can do. That's even worse. We must do more Sound meditation! Do more Sound meditation! Do more Sound meditation! It cleanses us automatically; there's no other way. (Applause) Now you realize that the Quan Yin Method is truly great! Without it, we can never cleanse our myriad habits!
Only through the QuanYin can we get through all kinds of levels of consciousness. That's why we see many people who meditate on the Light but haven't yet gotten to the level at which to contact the Sound, and their lives don't change much.
With many kinds of meditation that are on the intellectual level, like asking the meaning of koans (Zen Buddhist riddles), or that focus on a lamp, people see Light also, but their lives don't change much. Because some Light levels are below the elevating Sound level. Some people meditate on the Light, and in Samadhi, or in moments of extreme concentration, they will also contact the Sound automatically. And at that time, they are also doing the QuanYin. So, they have the Sound and Light together. But they don't know how to get to the Sound without effort because they haven't been connected with the Sound by a competent friend, a competent guide. So, it's easier for us because we know how. In the modern day, "know-how" is the key to success. So, know-how also applies in the practice of meditation. Therefore, even if we haven't been in true Samadhi, and we still get some taste of the benefit of the Sound Current, it helps to revive our body and spirit.
Whenever we're tired of the world's abuses, we're tired of the endless struggle for survival, we're tired of mental fatigue, and we sit down and do the Quan Yin for a while, we feel every bit of the happiness that shuttles back and forth in our inner soul.
An Indian farmer and his child were toiling in the fields. It was almost dark by the time they had finished their work and the farmer said to the child, "Wow! It's getting dark! Quickly pack up the tools and run. Let's run quickly!"
"Relax. We're not far from home and we know the way home. Why are you in such a panic?" asked the child.
"There's something you don't know. I'm generally fearless. I'm not afraid of tigers or lions. I'm only afraid of the night. When the night comes, I'm completely powerless. The night is most terrifying to me. I'm really frightened of it. I can't stand it," answered the farmer.
It so happened that a lion was hiding nearby and overheard their conversation. "What's this thing called 'the night'? How could it be more fearful than I am? I must find out about it," the lion mused as it moved closer to the farmer, hoping to learn more about this "night" that was even more frightening than itself.
Then darkness fell and the farsighted farmer couldn't see nearby objects clearly. He only saw the vague outline of an animal approaching, thought it was the donkey he had recently lost, and beat the lion several times, saying, "I've been looking for you all day. Where have you been? How dare you come back so late?"
"This is the end of me," the lion thought with regret. "How could I have been so stupid as to come so close to this thing called 'the night' that beat me just now? It's really horrifying. What should I do now?" As these thoughts flashed through the lion's mind, the farmer again slapped it several times, urging it to go home with him. The petrified lion then obediently followed the farmer back to his house.
It was even darker when they reached home. Since the farmer continued to mistake the lion for his donkey, he tied it in a corner outside his house before he went to bed. That night, the lion stayed out in the cold, starving, petrified and not knowing what to expect of "the night" when morning dawned. It believed that the farmer was "the night."
Early the next morning, before dawn broke, the farmer got up and took his "donkey" to the fields. On the way, another lion passed by and found it hilarious to see a lion obediently following a farmer. It then approached the captive lion and asked, "What are you doing? Why are you walking behind this man?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down and leave quickly. Don't you know that this being walking in front is something called 'the night.' He's very terrible. Last night, he beat me and shackled me, leaving me cold and starving the entire night. I have no idea where he's taking me now. Run along or your life will be in danger!"
After hearing this story, the other lion said, "You're incredible. You idiot! You're a lion, the king of animals! You've been deceived! Just roar at him now and you'll know who is more terrifying." The lion accepted his advice and roared loudly, so the farmer took a closer look. Now that the sky had become brighter, he saw that it was a lion. Wow! He bolted like lightning, and the lion was free again.
The moral of this story is that we humans have wisdom, immense power and status. However, if we're stupid, ignorantly follow the Prince of the Devils, and are thus controlled by karma, we can't possibly be liberated. However, if another soul who knows who he is and is not afraid comes to teach us what to do, we can be liberated. This is what an Enlightened Master does.
There's a similar Aulacese story that I may as well tell you.
A farmer and his buffalo had a hard day plowing the fields. Both were exhausted, but since the work wasn't finished, the farmer beat the buffalo repeatedly, urging it to work faster. The buffalo was panting, with saliva dripping from its mouth and its tongue hanging out, and it was almost breathless, yet it still had to work ceaselessly.
A tiger was hunting for food nearby and saw the man and the buffalo, but couldn't decide which one to eat first. As it looked on, its curiosity was aroused. "This is strange! How could it happen?" It decided to postpone its meal and continue its observation. The buffalo was so huge and strong, yet it was subservient to a little farmer and obeyed its instructions. It dared not resist even when beaten. The tiger was baffled and dared not take a chance for fear of a hidden mystery.
After some time, the farmer stopped for a rest and found a place to take his meal and nap. The tiger then quietly approached the buffalo, which could only take a break and eat some hay during that time. The tiger came closer and shook its head, saying to itself, "How pitiful! It works so hard and yet eats so little. I really don't have the heart to eat it!" It came up to the buffalo and asked, "Excuse me! I don't mean to offend you, but I really must ask. You're so huge and strong and you have two sharp horns. You can kill the farmer with one kick. So why do you obey him? You've toiled for half a day. He beats you and you still continue to work. Only now has he given you a break but he only feeds you hay. What kind of animal are you? Why are you afraid of him? He's many times smaller than you!"
"You have no idea. I'm stronger and bigger than he is, but this little man has a very terrific weapon," said the buffalo. "I have no choice but to obey him because his weapon is truly powerful! Don't ask any more questions because you're filling me with shame. We don't have this weapon and that's why we're inferior to him!"
Then the tiger became even more curious and said, "Oh! Please! Please tell me. I've never heard about this. I've never been here before and have never seen such things!"
The buffalo took its time chewing the grass, and then closed its eyes and said, "Aah! Why must you ask about this?"
"I want to learn. This is a rare opportunity!" The tiger implored the buffalo. "I may not run into the same situation again. I usually stay in the mountains and have never seen this. I have the chance to see it only because I ventured down here today!"
"Since you're so sincere, I'll tell you!" said the buffalo. "The weapon is wisdom. Since humans have this thing called wisdom as their weapon, we animals are all dominated by them, no matter how big, fierce or strong we are. Do you understand?"
"No! I've never heard of it!"
"All right! Enough!" the buffalo continued. "Please stop annoying me and let me take a nap!"
The tiger then pondered for a long time, thinking, "What exactly is this weapon that's so powerful? I must see it. My mother never told me about it. If I can learn about it, I'll be more powerful than anyone, including my grandma, grandpa, dad and mom because they don't know about such a thing. We were never taught about this weapon in school."
Next the tiger waited patiently for the farmer to return. Though it remained skeptical, never having been conquered by any other animal before, fear stirred its heart and generated in it some respect for human beings. When the farmer arrived, the tiger held its forepaws together and respectfully asked him, "I heard that you have a 'weapon of wisdom' that gives you control over everything, including huge, strong animals like me. I beg you to let me take a look at it. I've never seen such a thing. Besides, I'm still skeptical about what I've heard. Your body is very small so how can you carry such a big weapon that allows you to control enormous animals like us?"
"Of course, this weapon is so big that I can't carry it with me all the time, so I left it at home," said the farmer.
"Will you please go home and bring it here so I can have a look?" asked the tiger.
"Of course, but I think this is a hoax. You don't really want to see my weapon. You only want me to go home so you can eat or abduct my buffalo," said the farmer. "What if I don't find you or the buffalo when I return carrying the huge 'weapon of wisdom' with such great effort? I won't do it."
"That's not true. I sincerely want to see your 'weapon of wisdom.' I've never seen it before. Oh, please! Go home and bring it here so I can take a look," the tiger begged. "Really, I'm not deceiving you. I won't eat your buffalo. I'll wait for you here."
"All right, if you want me to believe you, then you have to let me bind you to a tree before I go home to fetch it. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll do something evil after I leave," said the farmer.
"Of course, that's no problem! Tie me up quickly," said the tiger, extending its legs and allowing the farmer to tie them to a tree trunk with rattan. And before the farmer walked away, the tiger even urged him, "Please come back soon!"
The farmer did return very quickly with a huge stick. "This is my wisdom," he said, as he killed the tiger with the stick.
The on-looking buffalo laughed until it was breathless! It laughed so hard that its head rolled back and forth, hitting a rock and knocking out its teeth. Since that day, old buffaloes have been without teeth. This is one of our Aulacese stories, very similar to the previous one about the lion, though the moral is not very similar.
Therefore, we humans are truly the masters of all animals. We're honored to be the king of animals. Originally, God told us to take care of the animals, but in the end we dominate them instead. Good grief! We're truly "honored!" So these are our stories. The story about "the night" is lovelier, isn't it?
On October 2, 1985 my life changed forever. That day, Supreme Master Ching Hai was invited by Reverend Hui Yin, abbot of Formosa's Long Shan Temple, to deliver a talk to temple devotees. When I went to the Temple that evening, I was not aware that a true Master was going to give a discourse. I only saw a petite female monastic, wearing a brown Buddhist robe, paying respects to the Quan Yin Bodhisattva. The moment my eyes fell on Her graceful appearance, however, my heart and my soul trembled; I simply could not take my eyes off of Her for a second. The way in which She worshipped the Buddha was so graceful and pious that I could feel the Buddha was right there before me. But while other people worshipped, the Buddha seemed to be as far away as the horizon. Then, after Reverend Hui Yin's introduction, I knew that the monastic was Master Ching Hai, Who had been invited to give a discourse at the Temple for the first time.
That day, Master spoke in both English and Chinese. I can only remember that the whole audience was laughing and very happy during the lecture. However, I was pondering whether this Master would accept me as Her disciple. Only a day earlier, I had fervently requested of the Quan Yin Bodhisattva, "I want a living Master who can teach me!" Unexpectedly, the Master appeared the next day.
Later, I found out about Master's address in Neihu and immediately inquired about how to get there. I took a bus, changed buses halfway, asked for guidance on the road, and found myself lost several times. Finally, I reached the district where Master lived. It was a new district that was large but where few houses had numbers on them. Each time when I felt lost and frustrated someone would appear "coincidentally" to show me the way. Of course, later I realized that it was Master manifesting in physical forms coming to help me. Someone told me that when I finally reached Her abode, Master told Her disciples, "I knew she was coming."
There happened to be a three-day retreat in progress, and non-initiates were not supposed to enter. However, Master considered that I had travelled a long way, and would very likely not be able to attend the initiation in time if I went back home and returned the next day; since the initiation was to be held early on the morning after the retreat. Thus, She kindly allowed me to stay overnight. During the initiation the following day, while enjoying various inner visions, I thought, "Wow! Really! Whatever Master mentioned during the instructions has actually appeared!"
Master's quarters were situated on a mountainside, and regional rain showers were frequent in the area. So I often went out in sunny weather, only to run into such torrential downpours when I arrived that even an umbrella did not help much, and I had to bring along another set of clothes to change into. When we initiates knew that a typhoon was coming, we felt a greater urge than usual to see Master in order to ease our worry about Her. Once, when Master saw us all wet and like a flock of "vegetarian chickens in soup," She felt very sorry for us and said, "There's a typhoon raging outside. You're out of your minds!"
Our compassionate Master never forgot to share with us anything that She had. Sometimes, when we bade farewell and left in a hurry because we had to catch the last bus home, Master would call us from the balcony, and then rain down blessed food fully charged with love. In the dark, we did our best to grab the food, while our hearts were warmed by Master's love. Looking back after reaching the end of the lane in front of Her home, we could still see the silhouette of Master waving to us.
Due to the remote location of her residence, few people could go to the group meditations held there each day. I myself had to spend four hours on the road to and from the place, and sometimes could only meditate half an hour with Master; yet those were the most precious moments of my life. After meditation, Master would sit on the floor with us and give enlightening and highly enjoyable talks.
These happy times passed very quickly, and Master soon had to leave Formosa because Her visa was about to expire. The duration of Her absence was six months. During this period, we fellow practitioners could only try our best to have group meditations and encourage each other, while hoping to hear news about Master. We all missed Master very much, and wished that we could have had wings to fly to Her. Then one day, I went alone to clean up the place where Master had stayed. Upon opening the door, the first thing I saw was Master's robe on the altar, and I seemed to see Master appear before me. Suddenly, all my emotions exploded into tears. I cried and fell on the floor. In my heart, I kept asking, "Master! When are You going to come back?" When Master eventually returned from India, She asked, "Who was the one who cried so fiercely that I had to come back even though I didn't want to?"
When Master was abroad, we missed Her so much that we even looked in the telephone directory and found the address of the Jisiang Temple where She had held Her retreats in earlier years. We then went to visit the Temple, which was a truly serene place. When we mentioned Master's name to an elderly lay practitioner there, she immediately revealed that the local people also missed Her very much. In addition, she told us about Master's diligent practice and humble attitude while She was there. The practitioner then led us to a place some distance behind the main premises. There we saw a small house built of very crude bricks. Even the wash basin was simply constructed with only a few bricks. This was the small meditation room where the living Master had held Her solitary retreats. Our merciful Master travelled such a burdensome spiritual path in order to bring peace and happiness to sentient beings!
In 1993, when Master gave Her first lecture in Austria, Her humor and wit brought buoyant laughter to the whole audience. However, the way in which She made everyone so happy was really beyond our wildest imagination!
Master usually gave Her lectures in a spontaneous way through inner contact and interaction with the audience.
As Master walked into the hall and was seated before the lecture in Austria, there were two or three attendants including me standing close to the stage. While the emcee was speaking, Master looked at me and pointed to that small, flannel-covered box. She shook Her head to express dissatisfaction with it and instructed me to find a substitute immediately. Since this action was unexpected and sudden, I did not know where to find a replacement and felt very anxious. Having no other choice, I took the smallest paper box I could find, wrapped it with a piece of cloth, and gave it to another attendant to exchange for the flannel box. But that attendant was extremely nervous and asked, "Do I really have to do this in front of the audience?" Finally, she was brave enough to do so.
After the attendant put the paper box on the table in place of the flannel one, Master's body was totally blocked by the new box, with only Her face showing. She nonetheless conducted Her lecture like this while looking at the audience with great effort. Because of this sudden strange turn of events, the audience members nearly split their sides with laughter. Master made a wry smile and jokingly indicated having no other alternative. The laughter lasted for a long time. Initially the atmosphere in the venue had been very somber and all the guests were quite serious. But now, suddenly the ambience became harmonious and light. But standing offstage, I could not laugh at all. Making Master feel embarrassed in front of the public seemed like a really big mistake! I thought, "How stupid I was! By any casual measurement one can tell that the box is too big, and yet I put it on the table! No, I have to take it back by all means. It's adversely affecting Master's appearance and of course the brother from the video team will never forgive me for this blunder."
So, I begged the attendant to bring the box back. As she also felt the same way I did, she approached the lecture table stealthily and tried to take it back. However, Master pressed down on the box with Her hand, stopping the attendant from removing it, and I was astonished. Thus in this novel way Master continued to give the lecture, and the audience remained very cheerful after the incident.
In order to open everyone's heart so that they all became relaxed and carefree, Master played out this comedy! A pleasant, high level vibration lingered in the venue throughout the rest of the lecture. Besides imparting to us superior and elegant spiritual teachings, Master also brought us feelings of innocence, joy and happiness. That's how Master always tries to make people in this world joyful and carefree.
Master recently designed twelve new Longevity Lamps of supreme elegance, each constructed of flawless bamboo. Since each piece of bamboo in nature is different in size, shape and texture, each Lamp is handcrafted to best display the characteristics of the material. Master gave special instructions that the original look of the bamboo should be preserved in the production process. So each Lamp is a unique artistic masterpiece. All twelve designs are ingeniously fitted with energy-saving bulbs or LED lights so that they can shine in their own wondrous form. And of course, Master confers a special meaning and infinite love on each Lamp as it shines.
The Heavenly Bridge of extreme brightness transports sentient beings back to their Home on the other shore.
The tiny bamboo pieces on the Heavenly Rain lamp dance gracefully in the air like showers of light drops falling from Heaven to soothe longing souls.
The inexhaustible Light and love in the Elixir Vase never fail to quench the thirst of spiritual seekers.
Whose hand can protect sentient beings anytime and anywhere? The five rays of love radiating from the five fingers lead us to the Fifth Realm.
The Ba Gua (an octagonal diagram derived from the ancient Chinese book I-Ching) covers all aspects of our lives. Lighting the Lucky Ba Gua will ensure a happy existence in this world.
Arrayed in radiating form, the bamboo strips represent the Light of blessing that shines on every corner of earth. Follow the Light of blessing and find your way back to the Source.
The wisdom eye is best represented by a pristine lotus, with a Wisdom Pearl shining forever in the middle.
There is Yin inside Yang, and Yang inside Yin. Positivity and negativity interchange incessantly in this world of duality, but the Inner Light is above them all.
Nourished by the Inner Light, the Tree of Life grows and blossoms into a wonderful form.
Board this UFO for souls and embark on a journey to planets of great brightness.
Hidden in a seemingly sealed-off castle is the only Door of Heaven, to which only an Enlightened Master has the key.
Gentle Peace Beams radiate in all directions, bringing tranquillity and calm to the hearts of sentient beings.
680 Beyond the Emptiness of Existence
International Six-day Retreat, Bangkok, Thailand, December 27, 1999
Do you know about the realm of emptiness in Zen? Do any realms higher than this exist? In the question-and-answer session on this DVD, Master not only explains the realm of emptiness but also the levels beyond it, through which we need to pass in order to reach a state of perfection. On this topic, Master says: "After you awaken through initiation, you begin to be alive, to be reborn, and then you grow up and become a truly normal human being and a saint at the same time." "You function in both worlds. You have Heavenly and human existence simultaneously." Thus, She informs us that we can enjoy the noble life in both the human and Heavenly dimensions and transcend the imbalance and imperfection of both extremes. Possessing delicate human consciousness along with the carefree state of Heaven, and living in the world without being tied to the world, all souls can attain the realm of true perfection and richness.
Meditation Is Food for the Soul
Taipei, Formosa, September 27, 1985
The Power of the Sound Current
Taipei, Formosa, September 29, 1985
This CD is an invaluable first-time release covering Master's discourses in the early years before She began lecturing publicly in Formosa.
How should people remain alert to the ephemeral nature of worldly love and reach beyond it to attain true eternal love? Why did Alexander the Great - conqueror of Europe, Asia and Africa - order his subordinates before his death to allow his hands to extend from his coffin during his impending funeral procession? What did this once powerful historical figure face after his death? As the Scripture of the Earth Store Bodhisattva states, "Any thought of a sentient being incurs karma and sin." If so, what can human beings do to become liberated from the cycle of life and death? How does meditation help us to achieve a balance between Yin and Yang? Why is "the Sound Stream" the greatest benefit we can ever obtain in this world? For detailed information on these fascinating topics, we invite you to listen to Master's incisive discourse.
Seven-day Retreat in Hsihu, Formosa (IV) Part 2 of 2 May 5 - 12, 1991
1. Studying Master's Teachings
2. God: The World's Provider
3. Studying Master's Teachings
4. Stories of Shakyamuni Buddha
5. Monastic and Lay Practice