| | Ask, and It Shall be Given to You | An Ideal Way of Life | The Best Antidote for an Epidemic –The Quan Yin Method | Make Use of Your Innate Defense System | The Quan Yin Method Transcends Time and Space | | Spiritual Practice Repairs the Mind | Developing Protective Power by Continually Remembering Master | | Omnipresence | Be Vegetarian to Avoid Disasters and Lighten the Body and Mind | Cleanse Your Karma through Meditation | Illness Is Also a Warning | A Great Change Can be an Uplifting Experience | Activate Your Inner Power of Immunity | We Can Actually Live a Better Life | Vegetarianism Makes You Healthier | Being God or the Devil ?Thinking Makes it So | Life-giving Spring Breeze and Rain | -- A School Counselor Follows Master's Enlightened Example | | Cherishing Blessings in Pursuing Her Ideals | Enlightenment from a Spiritual Teacher | Potential Tapped by Spiritual Practice and Applications in Daily Work | The Expectations of Modern Youth | Spiritual Practice Benefits Family Life | Conclusion | | | Meditating on the Light and Sound is Our Only Support |
Due to the amazing benefits of modern telecommunications, fellow practitioners can write e-mails presenting their questions to the Spiritual Information Desk and receive quick responses, a process that is more efficient than using traditional mail. Even more remarkable is the way in which our almighty Master responds to Her disciples' inquiries. The following are two cases to share with readers.
Suhendra, a Quan Yin practitioner and overseas student in Sydney, Australia, recently wrote the e-mail below to the Spiritual Information Desk about a physical phenomenon he was experiencing. The events that followed his inquiry were quite surprising.
I am wondering why I have been experiencing a strong throbbing sensation in my lower eyelids for the past three or four months. At first I thought that I was too tired from work or study so I quit my job and tried to get more sleep. But, strangely, the throbbing in the skin of my eyelids is still strong for most of the day, every day. I just try my best to meditate despite having this feeling, even though recently I have not had enough time to meditate on both the Light and Sound. I also believe that my health is very good.
I wonder if this is a sign from Master that something bad or good will happen to me. This is a really unusual problem, and I am begging for Master's help. I only believe in You, Master.
Thanks very much for Your help, Master Ching Hai and brothers and sisters, and for your attention.
The Spiritual Information Desk gave the following e-mail reply to the initiate's inquiry.
Suhendra,
your problem is not directly related to the Quan Yin Method. If the condition persists and bothers you, you should see a doctor. As a student who also works, your body may be feeling some stress. The best way to remove stress is to do more Sound meditation (in proper proportion to Light meditation). You mention that you have stopped working for a while and have been sleeping more, but that will not remove the underlying stress you suffer from and possibly do not notice. Attend group meditations in Sydney as often as possible; this will help make up for the short time you meditate at home due to your situation.
Try your best to relax and pray to the inner Master for help. Remember that the most important thing in the world is our method. It's the only thing that we can take with us when we depart from physical existence. If you are determined to continue on the spiritual path, and if you surrender to God, you will not only feel better but your studies will improve. If you forget these things, God may occasionally remind you with physical symptoms so that you can better appreciate the difficult nature of living in this world.
With Masters love.
To this letter Suhendra replied:
This is Suhendra who asked about the problem of the skin throbbing around my eyes. Thank You for reminding me about meditation, and also thank You very much, Master, for everything that You have given me now and forever.
I would also like to tell You about something supernatural that happened to me. When I had typed my recent letter to You and then clicked to send my email message to Your address, at the same moment my problem disappeared completely. It was quite amazing!
And then another unusual thing occurred. Two weeks later I lost my portable computer in a classroom that is always busy from morning till evening; so I did not expect to get the computer back. But the following afternoon I was able to find it, still in the classroom.
I only can say thank You very much to Master and God for having blessed me so much. Once again, thank You very much, Master, God and brothers and sisters who have given me the answer to my question. May Master and God continue to bless us and this world, and everything on this earth.
Dearest Master Ching Hai,
Two days after I wrote my e-mail to You, I got the answer to my question in a dream. Within a week, I twice dreamed of Master, and She encouraged me to keep going. So since that night, whenever I have no lessons at the university I attend, I meditate six to twelve hours a day.
Deep in my heart, I know that I began doing Master's work when I was born. So actually, wherever I am, I am always in the presence of people who really need my help. And I do everything according to Master's will, which is my purpose for coming to this world.
I miss You, dearest Master Ching Hai, with tears, but please don't worry about me. I am learning how to first serve myself well, and I am tough enough to face everything.
Happy Birthday, Master Ching Hai!
Qi Xing
Melbourne, Australia
May 3, 2003
If we just keep a vegetarian diet and follow a virtuous way of life, we will fear no sickness.
You’re the best doctor for yourself if you think positively and live a healthy, simple life.
This world has entered the Golden Age! The Golden Age is for spiritually advanced people to live in; the unsuitable ones will be gradually eliminated. That's why you will see the occurrence of more and more diseases that had previously been unheard of.
It's clear that, in the world, if there's no plague, there will be war; if there's no war, there will be natural disasters or storms; it's all because of our immoral actions; the karma is too heavy and the collective karma is too great! Therefore, if such collective karma can't be erased by the death of one or two persons, it will become an infectious disease that can eliminate a great number of people. Life in this world is unreliable. We can't rely on medicine all the time and sometimes even medicine can’t save us in time.
God is very clever; Hes doesn't just let us have the diseases we already know about but creates new diseases so that we’ll be forever running behind Hirm. We think we’re very civilized, but the King of Karmic law is even smarter. He can catch us as he likes, and we’re unable to react very quickly! We may die as soon as we have a high fever, and it will be too late to call a doctor. The doctor is also helpless and may be infected by the same disease.
If those patients get this disease because their time is up, their karma is due, they may also go. But there's no guarantee going like this; those who don't practice the Quan Yin Method may not be saved in time if they go suddenly, and their souls will have nothing to rely on. We’ll die sooner or later, but it's safest to have the "All-powerful Insurance Company" to rely on when we die. (Audience laughs and applauds.) Truly, we feel very secure when we practice the Quan Yin Method. Even if we have a disease, we’re not anxious, as we know there will be no problem. Our soul seems to be very calm and peaceful and we don't know why we feel so peaceful and restful, but our wisdom, our soul knows, and we feel great!
Live a healthy, simple life ?simple living and high thinking. Always think positively. Even just thinking changes your pattern of living, changes your day, and changes your fortune. So always try to keep being positive. Then a lot of accidents, a lot of illnesses can be avoided. It's very difficult if you’re a kind of doctor or nurse, or sometimes a social worker, to be positive all the time; because people come to you with their sicknesses, their problems, their very low thinking and depressive energy. But for ordinary people, you can always maintain your positive energy. Always think that God is around you, the Masters from the ten directions are always protecting you because it's true.
So try to take care of your defense system and don't let it break down. Try to take care of your system by acting positively, thinking positively and speaking positively. It's very simple. Even just thinking positively is already a tremendous help to you.
Although after initiation you’re liberated from birth and death, you still have to practice spiritually. Because if your mind doesn't allow you to become an enlightened saint, it will be difficult for you. Your mind will tell you, "You, a saint? Don't be ridiculous!" Or others might also say the same thing. Without self-confidence, it will be useless being a saint of any kind. Even if you’ve become a saint, what purpose could it serve? We still need to have a deportment that befits the superior realms. Before we’ve become well-trained or practiced diligently, our mind won’t be convinced. It will assume that we’re cheating, and refuse to let us ascend. It's we who obstruct ourselves. So, we still have to diligently practice spirituality to thoroughly convince our mind and allow it to realize that we’re now different, that we really befit the status of an enlightened saint. Only then will it totally accept this status, and we’ll have no more problems.
Spiritual cultivation is thus a process of repairing the mind. Life after life, the mind records too many undesirable things and ensnares us with a guilty conscience. That's why we have to train and rectify it, illuminate it with Light every day, educate it and also brighten all our bodily cells. Every single bodily cell is imprinted with all the good and bad impressions, or karma, from many lifetimes. That's why sometimes people only need to take a look at you or your body to be able to tell what you did in previous lives or what you’ve done in this lifetime. It's because each of our cells, each vibration of our bodies, distinctively records all our actions, behaviors, thoughts and desires. We can't cheat anyone.
We’ve heard that after we die, when we go to see the Yama King (the King of Hell), we’ll see a mirror that shows the details of our entire life as clearly as we watch television, except that it runs very quickly and in a relaxed way. This is absolutely true. This is our personal "video recording" function. Therefore, spiritual practitioners can perceive and identify who is who, what they’ve done in previous lives, what they’re doing now, and what they’ll do in the future. Our personal record is encrypted in our bodies and in our mind, or in the atmosphere around us. Each of us ?whether we practice spiritually or not ?has such an aura. But the more we practice spiritually, the lesser this aura will be.
Now when we mingle with people in society, we definitely run into such an atmosphere. The more we practice spiritually, the more sensitive we become. Don't ever think that longer practice will strengthen your protective power. It will, but your sensitivity will also increase many hundreds and thousands of times. Do you think that Jesus Christ didn't suffer when He was nailed to the Cross? He was in extreme agony! He felt greater pain than others because His body was different than those of ordinary people. He was highly sensitive, as all His bodily cells had changed completely. In this world, such individuals are in great danger, are very pitiful, very miserable and very helpless.
Whatever we do ?good, bad, evil or charitable ?will become attached to our bodies and be distinctly recorded. Whether we’re spiritual practitioners or not, we can detect this if we know the secret method. So if we mingle with people in society, inevitably we’re sometimes contaminated by their auras. Our blessed rewards fly onto their bodies, even if they don't want them. When you have two pipes or barrels full of water, one at a higher level than the other, the water will definitely flow from the higher to the lower one. So if you want to protect yourselves, to close off the water pipe, you should constantly recite the Holy Names. This is the only way.
Sometimes there's still some leakage because you forget that the Master is always by your side. However, as soon as you seek help, you’ll receive an immediate response. If it's a matter of carelessness on your part, of course Master's power will rescue you. But if you willingly do something bad, you do it despite knowing that it's wrong, and you refuse to let me intervene, then of course I can't help you! Don't blame me then. You’ll continue to sink lower. It doesn't matter if you forget about me, but don’t refuse me. Don't think that you’re great and can solve all your problems by yourself. No! No! No! This world isn't a place for fun. The positive and negative forces are almost equally powerful. They’re both aspects of the power of the Universe, which anyone can use. It only depends on where it's being applied. The negative force is also very powerful. It's not something that we can play or have fun with. This is one aspect of nature with which we should not casually meddle.
When we suddenly encounter a catastrophe or karmic hindrance, we’re shocked and can't think straight. So sometimes you may hear monastic disciples say that I always ask them to do things suddenly. Being sudden is also good; karmic hindrances also come very suddenly, don't they? Thus we ought to train ourselves to respond quickly at all times so that we can protect ourselves and get used to that vibrational energy. Then, when we later become an enlightened Master, we’ll be able to ascend to Heaven or descend to hell in no time at all. If, at such times, you still ponder whether it's the right time to go to hell or Heaven, it’ll never work.
The faster we are, the easier it’ll be for us to be omnipresent later. We won't have to come and go; it will seem as if we had never come or gone because we’re so extremely fast that we transcend the worldly concepts of time and space. We simply connect different areas of space together, transforming them into the same point. It's like an ant trying to crawl from one end of a piece of paper to the other; if we fold the paper, the ant can cross over in one leap. That's the logic in transforming space; though there's a different way to do it.
There are secret tips to learning martial arts or any other thing; not only diligence is required. Under the same theory, the enlightened Saints have their own ways of doing things. They act extremely quickly without moving at all. That's why they’re venerated as being "omnipresent," that is, motionless. They’re motionless, but they can accomplish anything and go anywhere. They’re present in every place without having to go there. Only this is true magical power; only this is the true supreme level in spiritual practice. It requires no effort! So sometimes you say that Master’s transformation body has been here and there, doing this and that, or saving you in this or that place, but actually I never went anywhere or took any action. Also, I never performed any mudras (ritual hand gestures). You can see that I haven't moved at all! Have you, monastic practitioners by my side, ever seen me recite any incantations or perform any mudras? Never! Most probably at such times I’m sleeping, playing a musical instrument, playing chess, reciting poems, singing songs, planting grass or correcting someone. I could be doing anything. It requires no effort.
Take the example of a tai chi expert, a brother initiate. He doesn't have to lift his finger, yet anyone who touches him falls down. This is only when people touch him; he doesn't touch them! Anyone who touches him accidentally falls down by himself. Some people have practiced martial arts to such a superior level that they don't have to move their hands. They’re different than those who use a lot of force, kick fiercely and look rather brutal. When such people encounter someone more powerful, they’re brought down. For martial arts experts who use very little force, an opponent cannot bring them down. This is the theory of "softness subduing sheer strength." In the universe, softness always subdues sheer strength. Anything that has lesser strength but is more intangible, more formless and more pliable is more powerful.
You see, air is vital to us, and dripping water can penetrate rocks. The longer the water drips, the deeper it penetrates. "Chi" ?the vital life force ?can sustain the body and even the whole universe. This invisible vital force ?the vibration of Sound meditation ?is even more inconceivable. Nothing is better because It's the Mother of the universe and gives birth to all forms of creation. When we get hold of It, we’ll have all the secrets of the universe in our hands. Getting hold of the mother means getting hold of the children, and we’ll know where the whole family is. This is simple logic. It's just like in the ancient battles, if the general was killed, the whole army would become like a headless snake, fall into complete disarray and be easily defeated.
Similarly, all the scriptures that we study mention the vibration of the universe, the Sound, that is, the Tao, the original power. Getting hold of It means getting hold of everything. If we get hold of other things, for example, magical powers or intelligence, we’ve grabbed only one small part, one corner, but not the head. For humans or other creatures, once their head is caught, they’re doomed. Isn't that right? That's why we say that the Quan Yin Method is the best, the most original, the fastest and the highest. There's nothing better. This is really true. No matter how much you research, this will be the ultimate conclusion. I’m very happy to have found this Method and that you too have gotten hold of It. We’re indeed very fortunate!
Q: Please explain more about mass suffering. Are people guilty from before,
and that's why they suffer?
M: No one is innocent. I’m not condemning anyone at all. It's all a process
of learning lessons. Learning is very painful. Once you’re awakened, however,
you see things in a different light, and you know it's all lessons.
Look at the mass killing that we do every day in order to keep this body for a hundred years. How many lives have to be sacrificed ?all the fish, all the shrimp, all the chickens, all the pigs, all the buffaloes? Do you think all this energy will be dissolved without war, without suffering, without physical ailments? Everything we do is recorded in the air. Nothing is lost; it's only diluted with a different energy. It's only equalized by different actions, not lost. For example, if air has already become ice after being water, and if you want it to disappear, you have to put sun rays, a lamp, light or heat on it, in order to get it back into the form of air again. So if we’ve been killing, conducting mass massacres all the time, all these animals are suffering, and they also have consciousness, thoughts and hateful energy, all this hatred and fear condenses itself into a powerful energy and hangs around in the air. Too much of that will result in mass suffering.
We have to pay for everything we use in this physical universe. Therefore, all the Masters emphasize following a vegetarian diet, which has the least cost to the various forms of existence. Animals have life, plants also have life, but they incur the least cost. Just like if you earn only a hundred dollars and you want to spend two hundred, of course you go into debt, and you’re in trouble. If you try to buy cheap things and satisfy yourself with the minimum cost to live, then you have no worries about debt. That's why we choose the vegetarian diet ?fruit, nuts, milk or cheese. All these things have less crime, less consciousness within themselves. Now if you take milk from a cow, will the cow die? If you take a few nuts from the trees, the trees still have plenty of nuts to grow thousands more nut trees. They won't be lost. If you cut a flower, or a branch of a vegetable, it will grow even more from that cut stem, even more vegetables will come out of it. So in this way, we know that the vegetarian diet is less harmful and incurs less cost.
Q: Are pain and illness always the result of present karma? If so, how do
we clean them out?
M: We can clean them out by enduring them because it's already too late
to reverse the wheel of karma. But we can minimize them, lubricate them
by being enlightened, by meditating on the perfection of the Father every
day through the guidance of a teacher, through initiation. Then, we can
minimize a lot of things.
Q: What's the purpose of epidemic diseases such as malaria, AIDS, etc. Are
humans interfering with the natural process by trying to find cures for
these diseases?
M: Even you find some cures for these diseases, another disease will breed
itself out. Only when human beings realize that they should surrender to
God, to the Almighty Power which is within us, only when humans realize
that in them there's a great power to heal all diseases and that they should
rely on this power alone will all diseases cease. All these things are
warnings to tell that we should return to God.
Q: Do You think that there's a change occurring in our time, specifically
1985 to the year 2010, that allows for a more global, larger change?
M: Yes. This is a kind of uplifting. Because when a great quantity of spiritual
energy gathers together or condenses in one period of time, there is more
urging than usual. Especially when the planet may be in more turmoil, with
more troubles, more turbulence, more war and more disasters, the grace
of God is more urgent. Because more people pray for the grace of God in
these times of need. The more that people sincerely pray, the more the
grace of God will descend upon this planet.
As we all know, most sickness comes from eating meat because of the antibiotics fed to animals, because of the anxiety that produces toxins in an animal’s meat. Because we eat all these antibiotics, our body loses its self-resistance to disease. Our body normally can fight disease, but because we’re fed so much antibiotic-filled meat, our body becomes weakened, and the resistance system goes out of order. Therefore, any kind of disease affects us and ends our lives. It's a pity.
Now, most people think that if we pray to Jesus or Buddha, that's enough. But I think we should add to it meditation and a virtuous, wholesome way of life. Then we speed up our wisdom and liberation. For example, if we practice together in our method, which we call the Quan Yin Method, just listen to the instructions of God within, see the wisdom of God with a Heavenly eye and keep a vegetarian diet and a virtuous way of life then we fear no sickness. Many of our initiates overcome sicknesses overnight. I mean dangerous ones normally needing operations or resulting in death. Some people just come back from the death bed, out of the power of their virtuous life and the power of the Godhead that protects them. If we open this power within through a correct technique, then that power which we call the Buddha Nature or Buddha within us or God within us will protect us twenty-four hours a day, and will protect us even after we leave this body.
Nowadays many sicknesses, different diseases, kill people, about eighteen million a year. Because some of us also don't take precautions to guard our precious body which has been given to us by God to do some mission on earth for some purpose, and also to realize our almighty power. We do something like smoking too much, drinking too much, eating too much flesh, inviting all these bacteria from the flesh into our systems, etc. All these killing factors make our lives a miserable time.
Actually we could live a better life if we organized more, if we appreciated our body more. If we ate just nutritious food for our body, and ate not just because of the taste, and ate just a reasonable amount, then of course, our health wouldn't be so greatly endangered. You see, most vegetarian people become healthier. Is that not so? [Audience: Yes.] Many of you became healthier after receiving initiation and switching to a vegetarian diet. Is that not so? [Audience: Yes.] Actually, the hospitals are full of meat-eating people (laughter). No problem; we can see the proof there.
It's not only because the vegetarian diet is healthy in itself, but because the vibration is very harmonious to our body whereas the vibrations of animals are not that harmonious, not so peaceful. Actually, it's very easy to live a simple, healthy life. There's not so much need for medicine, no need for so many injections. Many of us harm ourselves because we put poisonous substances into our bodies. Otherwise, if we know how to live a simple, nutritious, healthy life, we really don't need doctors so much. And the doctor can have more holidays and both of us can stay healthy.
Nowadays, some so-called doctors are still very inclined to the old theory that people need meat to survive. But you can find plenty of books using research from other scientific work, and many other doctors who say that meat protein is harmful, toxic and bad for the body. And they have proven a thousand and one percent of it. So don't listen to one theory alone and be convinced about it. We don't need a meat diet, not at all. No one needs it. Actually, many people are cured of sickness after beginning a vegetarian diet. Is that courageous enough instead of listening to the other theory? We can be hypnotized into believing in one type of theory and convince ourselves of that theory, and then believe that meat is essential to us. But it's not true.
There's a story about the spirit of Cholera. One day he passed by a meditation practitioner and said, "Hallo, I’m going to China." And the Spiritual practitioner said, "Oh! You’re going to make trouble again!" And Cholera just smiled and flew away to China.
So, about a month later, when Cholera came back from China, he just passed by again and said, "Hallo! I’m back." And the practitioner, perhaps a Quan Yin Method practitioner, said, "Oh, so you killed 50,000 people in one month?" And the Cholera ghost said, "No, no, only 25,000." He added, "The other 25,000 died from fear. I didn't even have to touch them."
So sometimes the actual situation is not as terrible as we imagine. And if we face it, it won't be so bad. It's just that if we’re very afraid and fearful and run away, we make a lot more trouble than if we just face it.
We’ve heard it said by the Buddha: "I am the Buddha; you will be the Buddha; everyone is equal." So what's the difference? Why are we not the Buddha? It's just because we don't think in the way of the Buddha; we don't do things in the way of the Buddha. We don't act in the way of the Buddha; we don't live the life of a Buddha.
The Buddha, He meditated, and then He was not attached to any possessions. People might have given Him a golden bowl for food or some beautiful silk for His dress, but even though he would take it or wear it, He was never attached to it. He always sacrificed His life and His time to teach other people. He used His time to remind people to set an example of the noble ideal of humankind, of a Buddha. And all the time, His mind and His thinking were always set on the Buddha, on the highest ideal, on the noblest goal of humankind and of the universe. He never thought of anything else, and He never feared anything. So Maya, the so-called negative force, came and bowed to Him. But here we sit and bow to the negative Maya. That's the difference. Fear makes a lot of trouble for us; it pushes us below our dignity. So we have to choose a different way of life.
If you don't think of these negative things, they won't exist. That's why I tell you not to watch all those bad movies. Don't watch ghost movies, and don't go to see all those mediums. Then you believe, "Oh! There’s a ghost coming inside of him." And then you come home and think, "Oh! Maybe that ghost followed me home. Maybe the ghost thinks I’m handsome." Things like this affect us, too.
But this is just our feeling; it's not real. Sometimes fear and attachment stop us from doing many things that we originally could have done or would have been able to do if we hadn't felt so afraid or weren't so attached to more comfort and an easier way of life. So try to concentrate all the time on the Buddha, not on ghosts.
Sister Yang Shih-Jui, Dean of Studies at the renowned Taipei Municipal First Girls?Senior High School, and an educator with twenty-one years of counseling experience, has come to realize the true meaning of her career and family life through her spiritual pursuits and practice. On Teachers? Day 2002, sister Yang received the Taipei Excellent Teacher Award in Guidance and Special Education. One might ask: How does this exemplary educator of the country's finest educational institute find the source of power to balance spiritual practice and mundane life? To answer this question, Supreme Master Ching Hai News conducted an exclusive interview with sister Yang, who is more than happy to share her experiences with readers.
"There are several ways to teach people: Some seize the best opportunity to educate like a timely rain; some transform students according to their individual personalities so as to perfect their moral integrity." These famous teaching ideals espoused by sister Yang are contained in The Mencius (a foundational text of Confucianism). Her untiring and persistent teaching, counseling and guidance, which are based on her students?needs and aptitudes, won her the Excellent Teacher Award and high praise from Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (see photo). About this special honor, Dean Yang said humbly, "For me, being a teacher is the greatest honor and pleasure. I consider receiving an award based on my work to be an ‘extra prize.?It is my greatest happiness to be able to help teenagers and excel along with them!"
The teacher-student rapport and trust that Dean Yang has developed over the years arise from her profound understanding and consideration of the needs of others. "Dean Yang was the instructor for our career guidance course and we learned a lot from her! She always wears an amiable smile," said a second-year student at the High School. "Whenever we see her, we want to run over and greet her loudly: ‘Hi, Dean Yang!?I think it’s probably because she always puts herself in our shoes and makes us feel she really understands us!" Such sincerity and closeness between teacher and students are further fruits of Dean Yang's spiritual cultivation as she applies her spiritual insights to make her counseling work more successful.
Since childhood, Dean Young has longed for the Truth. "I often wondered if God heard my prayers," she said. "Were the stories in the Bible true? Why did I still feel empty deep in my heart? I had always hoped someone could give me the answer to these questions." She also recalled, "Being raised in a Christian environment, I enjoyed going to Sunday school and singing hymns. I had a very happy childhood there. When I grew up, however, I found that it didn't satisfy me. Deep in my heart I was still filled with emptiness and perplexity. In senior high school, as I studied history, I became interested in Buddhist and Zen stories. But then another query perplexed me: Why can't Buddhism be compatible with Christianity? Once, when I had already been a student advisor for a few years, I listened to one of Supreme Master Ching Hai's lectures, during which I was greatly enlightened and realized that many different religions share the same origins! Besides, at the same time I was deeply touched by Supreme Master Ching Hai's infinite love. I started my spiritual practice from that time, and now, fourteen years has past."
For a teacher who views education as her lifelong aspiration, Dean Yang has an unusually deep understanding of and admiration for Supreme Master Ching Hai's selfless devotion and supreme benevolence. On this topic, Dean Yang says, "I remember Master once saying that She has had no Saturdays or Sundays since She became a Master. Because Her disciples are more diverse and numerous than those of ordinary teachers, She has to totally sacrifice Herself in order to satisfy their needs. So She not only gives public lectures, offering tangible teachings for us to understand and absorb intellectually, but also instructs by example and practice, giving Her care and love according to each disciple's demands. And this is something that other teachers cannot do. She offers us words of wisdom and meticulous concern that no other teacher is capable of! She treats all disciples with the greatest love. Her teachings, either in terms of verbal inspiration or spiritual revelation, are all the best. Master's spirit of altruistic sacrifice and devotion is truly amazing!"
"I still remember once after finishing a lecture, Master sincerely said to the audience, "I’m leaving. If you’re a Buddhist, continue to be a happy Buddhist. If you’re a Christian, be a happy Christian." I was moved to tears by these words! Master's broad-mindedness was extraordinary. I could feel deeply that She was sincerely blessing each of us, and was profoundly touched by Her love!"
Dean Yang has broadened her vision of education through spiritual practice, and has also applied her spiritual contentment and love to her work. When mentioning the changes she has experienced since starting to meditate, Dean Yang insisted, "Before beginning my spiritual practice, I was just an ordinary teacher making use of my professional knowledge and psychological training in my counseling work. But after starting to practice with Master Ching Hai, I gained a more profound realization of psychology, and since then I’ve been more able to apply this knowledge and utilize it appropriately in my job. Only with the greater love and patience that I gained through practice was I able to bring my academic training into full play!"
How has Dean Yang relied on her experiences in spiritual cultivation to overcome challenges in her work after being initiated by Supreme Master Ching Hai? In response to this question she said, "Master once told us that from the day of our initiation we’re connected with God. I thus put each day in the hands of Master, go to work with the attitude of learning from my job, and see what I’ll experience that day. I majored in psychology and counseling so my work is usually associated with people who are troubled, and their moods often affect me. However, since being initiated and beginning to practice the Quan Yin Method, I’ve been able to face the unpredictable nature of my work and meet daily challenges with a happy mood. My attitude has become increasingly positive, and I look at life in a more natural way. As for my counseling work, which is contingent on my clients?frame of mind, the most common situation is to see an unhappy student come to ask for help, which often requires putting down a project or interrupting a meal or break to give assistance. Of course, at such times I might struggle a bit in my heart, but I then remember Master, compare my work with Her sacrifices for us, and realize that the slight inconveniences I experience on my job are nothing."
"Everyone has times of fatigue and low spirits. So we can't always be sure that we’re doing the best teaching for our students through our speech and actions." Dean Yang, who meditates daily, sincerely faces the challenges of her career and realizes that endless love and wisdom from within are the best guidance for both her students and herself.
On this topic she says, "It's very dangerous to live without spiritual practice! We don't know what kinds of people, events or challenges we may encounter each day. As an advisor, I feel strongly about this as we are unlike other teachers who have routine courses and face the same students day after day. Although our students are required to make appointments before they come to talk with us, we have no idea which part of their psychic experience they will reveal. With some students, you never know why they suddenly appear on a given day. Under the circumstances, if you don't maintain enough love and wisdom, how can you have good interactions with others? Looking back over the ages of twenty to thirty in my life, it was really a great risk! But now I feel very safe as I clearly experience my inner power by each day contacting God, contacting nature, which gives me the feeling that I’m continuously walking in the Tao. No matter what you do, you’ll feel this great power ?‘Hes?is supporting you, accompanying you, ‘Hes?is giving you the best guidance."
The confusion of values in contemporary society has a deep impact on our youth as many wonder what course in life to follow. However Dean Yang points out a specific direction: "During adolescence, a student basically doesn't have much confidence in himself and is still searching for self-identity. Particularly in modern society, people are confused about social values so it's not easy for a student to find his or her own self or be certain about a direction in life! But we do hope our students or adolescents will gain self-confidence and easily discover their self-identity. I often encourage them to read positive books and see good films so as not to let their hearts become filled with too much sorrow, worry and violent or negative thoughts during this period of their lives; for these influences can affect their entire way of thinking. If students have their own religious beliefs due to family background or other circumstances, and understand that in nature there is a better and higher power to guide them and let them feel they are in the Tao at all times, I believe it will be easier for them to be more positive about themselves."
A successful career woman often has a happy family life. In our visit with Dean Yang's family, we felt the support and respect between her and her husband, and the inspiration and educational rapport between them and their children. As Dean Yang said, "My husband and I have always loved each other; however, since we began our spiritual quest, our love has grown deeper. There's nothing that we can't share. We’re more than friends. I feel very lucky to have such a good spiritual partner and to know that we can encourage and help each other on the spiritual path. We’ve learned to respect and love each other more since our initiation; so I’m able to treat our children with more flexibility, unlike many parents who care too much about their children's school work and worry too much about their future, thus affecting the parent-child relationship."
How does this "teacher mom’s" teenage son, who has been a vegetarian and spiritual practitioner along with his parents since early childhood, feel about his mother? In response to this question, he said, "What I like best is that Mom treats me like a friend. We can open our hearts to reveal our innermost thoughts. Our relations are not only like those between mother and son, but like that between friends who always know what’s in the other's mind." When asked about the aspect of his family that makes him happiest, the young man said without hesitation, "I have a Mom who's more ‘fashionable?than anyone else’s!"
Sister Yang has gained much wisdom from the perfect example set by Supreme Master Ching Hai, and has applied it both in education and in her family life. For years, she has felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Master, whom she has not seen for a long time. As she states, "I miss Her very much and hope that we can have more chances to see Her and listen to Her words as we did before. But Master takes care of us down to the very last detail as She is with us at all times, and so I feel Her love constantly." Sister Yang's total faith in Master makes her feel stronger and more at ease than she was earlier in her life; the wisdom and love developed through her meditation practice are the sources of her motivation, enabling her to face the challenges of teaching and counseling in a more balanced way.
This interview was aired on Sun TV in serial # 34 and 35 of the A Journey through Aesthetic Realms TV program:
http://www.Godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/hichannel/index.htm (In Chinese, with English subtitles)
Only the inner Light and Sound can help us in any kind of situation in this world. So for us, in dealing with any kind of karma, any kind of burden from the past, present or future, there's nothing else in this world that we can rely on. The Light and Sound, are the only methods, the only equipment that God bestowed on us when we descended into this world so that we can protect ourselves, so that we can remember the Kingdom of God, so that we can resolve any difficulties and obstructions on our way to finding the Kingdom of God. Any troubles in this world ?be they in your business, in your family circle or in personal love relationships ?are there actually just to make trouble for you, just to sidetrack you from the journey back to the Kingdom of God. And God knows that beforehand so we’re given this equipment, the Light and Sound, so that we can slash them all asunder and then advance further. Without the Light and Sound, we can never make it back Home ... never, ever. Just like without an airplane, you can not make it here to Cambodia so fast and trouble-free.
So any time you have a problem, be it with yourself, with any of your loved ones, with any kind of employment or businesses, or with anything, just sit down and meditate. Then the problem will become clearer to you and you’ll know how to solve it, or the problem will just disappear by itself in time. Sometimes we panic, really because the world seems to press upon us for certain things, or at a certain time and certain demand. We panic and say, "Oh, my God! I can't make it. I have only one more day or half a day and I just don't want to do something else. I want to do this thing right now and other things just come making demands on me." But then after we meditate for a while, the world withdraws its demand on us, or the problem just goes somewhere else and then we find we panicked for nothing. So, just keep cool. C-O-O-L. (Laughter) Keep cool, baby (Master and audience laugh), and everything will be all right.
Listen to your intuition inside. Sometimes it's difficult. You have to see which is the strongest voice and remain steadfast on that strongest intuition because sometimes you feel like you should do this, continue to do this job, but some other people come and demand that you do another job, and the other people come to tell you that this is is better and it’s no use now ?"It's going to be no use. You’d better run fast in the other direction and do this, that and that." But then you feel inside that you should do this, but it makes you feel like you’re in a struggle and torn apart from different directions. Then you need to sit down and meditate and listen to your own Buddha voice, the intuitive voice inside, the silent voice that tells you what to do. Or at least stay calm and you can see clearly for yourself which direction is better for you.
I tell you all these things from experience. I’m not telling them to you from a book. Books don't teach us this kind of thing, not too many. And it always works because where else can we run and what else can we use to deal with the world as it is? There's so much overwhelming suffering, so much nonsense, so much pressure on us small creatures, and sometimes we really don't know what to do and it makes us feel very anxious, very restless. Meditating on the Light and on the Sound are the only things we can do in such times of necessity.