Appreciate Life,
Spoken By The Supreme Master Ching Hai In Colorado, USA
April 10, 1993
(Originally in English)
The Real Homeland
Of The Soul
How is everyone? Still recognize me from last time? Is
there anyone from last time? Please raise your hand. (Some of
the audience rise their hands.) Oh! Fine! So, I don't have to
start from scratch. No?! Is this still very early for you?
(Audience: No!) No, ha? You don't work today? (Audience: No.)
Oh, fine. And I have to work.
I had a lot of inspiration about what God is, and how to
better our world, and how to better ourselves, and how to be in
samadhi, etc,.. but I lost them all when I came to Colorado. I
guess because Colorado people are very spiritual, and the
environment here, it looks like Himalayas. So, I thought all of
you are yogis, (laughter) yes. So, you don't need to prove that
to me by any funny gestures, okay, or mudras or anything.
(Master laughed.)
This is one of the places that I might consider to stay, and
make myself at home. Consider only! Ha, Consider (Master
and everyone laughed.), because I have many other people who
consider that I should stay at their hometown. And I can never
win because I am alone, and there are so many people.
But today maybe I would like to take some of your time to
introduce you to our real hometown , or maybe invite you to have
a look at it.
Many people believe that God creates only goodness. And then
other people believe that God creates also evil, because they say
everything comes from God. Ah, what do you agree? The first one
or the second? (The first one) Ah? The first one. Right? Then
where does evil come from? Ah? (Audience: Image.) Image?
(Humans) Ah, humans. Oh, so you're very enlightened indeed.
(Master laughs.)
You see this place which is called our world, it's not the
original plan of the universe. And it has become this and that and
others, with all kinds of suffering and all kinds of undesirable
situations, because of the by-products of humans and other beings'
inter-relationships. If evil has truly existed, then it couldn't
have changed from one place after another, or from one country to
the other, or from one period of time to the other.
Humans Can Stop Evil
As you see, in the old time, we did not have guns, and we did
not have atom bombs and all kinds of these things which could
destroy mankind in no time. So, actually the evils that exist in
this world are not God-made. It was not already there. Therefore,
it changes from time to time, and from different countries, yes.
Why were we talking about this? Because we must realize that
if evil is man-made, then man can also stop it or avoid it, instead
of blaming God all the time, or waiting in a corner of the church
for God to descend and do something about it.
For example, between I and Mr. Smith, whoever that might be,
we never met each other and nothing happened between us. And
suddenly someday Mr. Smith came to see me, or I came to see him.
Suppose we are both very ignorant and then, we both wanted to do
something. We both wanted to arrive at a position which is very
lucrative and profitable and famous and all that for ourselves.
Then both of us are in competition about that object. And then if
one of us wins, of course the other will feel very frustrated. And
if he is a bad tempered man, he might try to revenge in some kind,
or make trouble for me. And therefore, in this process we breed
another kind of atmosphere between us and apart from us.
Originally both of us had no hatred and then, now we have
hatred. And that hatred is the third energy which is born from
both of our energies. So, you see, this is not necessary. It
wasn't there in the first place. If we come to think about it like
that, we couldn't blame God for anything that is unfortunate in
this world. Most of the people think God has made everything
including evil. I used to think that way. But I think, as I am
getting older, and you know I have more sympathy for the Old Man.
You get more understanding, you know, for old people as you grow
older. (Master laughs.)
Yes, it's just like you and your wife or husband. Normally
both of you have no children. But then, you got together, and then
the third kind was born. Those are your children. And your
children may be exactly like you in character, in intelligence and
in ambition or virtues. But, they might not be. And they might
cause you a lot of trouble and headaches. So, these are not your
making, not entirely. Maybe some of it is your making. But, if
you are very virtuous parents, and very exemplary, and your
children are the opposite, then it is not your making.
Similarly, our world has become, sometimes, intolerable. It
is our own making. So now, in order to improve this or repair the
world, or the house, the big house that we live in, with so many
rooms which are the nations, then we should know that evil is
avoidable. Evil is avoided by doing good, by keeping the
commandments, by loving thy neighbors. But because our mind is so
used to an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, it is difficult to
do what we think we ought to do, or to treat others in a very
loving, kind way. Therefore, we need a stronger force to help us,
to pull us out of our habitual thinking and actions.
That is why enlightenment is necessary. It is just like a
woman who is already very beautiful, and if she dresses herself up,
and wears a little bit more jewelry, and learns to walk in a
graceful way, then her beauty is more enhanced.
Everything In This World Is Beneficial To Us
Everything in this world is actually also good for us, even
evil. Evil is our mistakes, fine. But, then we don't have to stay
in the mistakes forever. At least the mistakes are a kind of
shock. When we receive the effect of our mistakes, we will be
shocked into realizing that this is not a proper thing to do. And
they cause us misery and unhappiness, therefore, we turn around.
And even all things in this world which are beautiful, enjoyable,
are reminding us of our true happiness within, or in our true home.
Therefore, it's not a sin to enjoy the things that God created
for us. But if we always feel very attached to these things, and
God will remind us that this is not proper. And therefore, we will
sometimes experience unhappiness, or misery from the things that we
cherish most.
It is wrong to deny the world. But it is not right to sink
deep into the world all the time. Because we miss the better half
of life which is spirit, which is more enjoyable than anything in
this world could afford. Everything in this world is just a
reminder of the true happiness, the true glory and the true life
that we should have, and that we should know, because we have
forgotten.
Many people ask me about a kind of woman and man relationship
and sexual pleasure and that. Whether it is sinful. I say: It is
not. But you should know there are many more pleasures than that.
And for example, sexual pleasure is only a copy of the true
pleasure when you are in union with yourself, when both forces
within you, the feminine and the masculine aspects within yourself
are united. And the union between man and woman is just a
duplicate of that one.
So, actually God sends us into this world not without any
instruments to remind us of the Kingdom of God. It is just that we
have forgotten that these are the reminders only, and we just love
the copy and forget the original. And that's what makes our life
miserable. And even then, we could not enjoy the copy completely.
Therefore, many of the man and woman relationships even, are rocky, and the sexual relationship between you is not that holy, not that mutually respecting. But it's a kind of sometimes abusing, and just a frustration release; a kind of instrument. Therefore, if we truly want to enjoy this life even, we should enjoy the true life which is a hundred thousand times better than the life that we know on earth. And by knowing that life, we can also enjoy this life.
More Intense Feelings Toward
Things After Enlightenment
Just like one of our friends just expressed her opinion-that
after initiation or enlightenment she enjoyed life also. She would
feel whatever is there, in very intense awareness. And when you
are happy, you are truly happy. And you have no reservations for
your laughter. You are not constrained and not feeling ashamed for
laughing very loud, very heartedly with your friends, or even
alone. And when you feel sorrow, you truly can weep. You weep all
of your emotions out, and then you get relief. Not that after
enlightenment we become like wood or stone, and have no feelings
whatsoever.
Some people keep asking me whether I fall in love sometimes.
Are you interested, by the way? No, ha! If not, I don't talk
about that. It is private. Are you interested? (Audience: Yes.)
Okay, okay. I thought it was too personal. You come here to talk
about Buddhahood and God and all that. And here I bring things
which sound very mundane, yeah. Never mind.
You see, and I say yes, yeah, off and on, now and again. Or
maybe I don't know if that is falling in love or not. Well, when
I see a person probably I like him, and then after he is gone,
good-bye. Is that in love or not? Steve, you have more
experience. (Laughter.) Is that falling in love, Steve? (Yes.)
Yes? Really! Okay! But not in Colorado though. I haven't...
okay.
But before that, before enlightenment, I didn't know this kind
of feeling. You understand? I never missed anyone. I didn't love
anyone. I didn't care about anyone. I did not enjoy the
friendship with the people. I was a very lonely child, very quiet.
I did not feel lonely though. I was just a very alone person,
until now, until I was forced into this job. (Laughter.) I was a
very quiet person. I could not talk. I mean I didn't speak. I
didn't make friends. I enjoyed myself. I felt I needed nothing.
And you know what it's like in our society. You work and then one
month a year, you have a vacation, right?! Even if you don't want
to, you have to. It's the law.
So, when I was alone there, I wasn't married then. And then,
this forced one-month vacation was the time I had trouble. I
didn't know what to do, because I had no friends and there was no
where I wished to go. But you had to go because if you didn't come
back with a tan, people would not respect you that much. So, you
come, you spend all your money and go to Costa Bravo or whatever.
And laying there, bake yourself to death, spend all your time in
the sun, and get burnt, get peeled, get scorched, and do whatever
you can with the cream and all that to comfort yourself.
And then go home, to show people, Here I am . Yeah, from
Costa Bravo, cost a bomb , cost a lot of money . [Laughter]
Yes, so that was the kind of life that I had. Probably some of you
experienced the same up to now.
And then, after I became, you know, the "Main Bro" in this
'office', I became more talkative. I changed, I became an entirely
different person than if you knew me before. Might have been five,
six, seven years ago, you wouldn't recognize me now.
When I was married, and my husband had a lot of friends from
his medical doctors' circle. And they talked a lot to him about
many things, yes. And also they talked on phone a lot. But I
hardly could speak anything to him. And sometimes I stood around
and felt very envious with these friends. I said, Jeez, if I
could just talk half of the time like them, I would feel already
very good. I felt a little bit inadequate because I couldn't
speak. I mean, I am not a talkative person. I'm always quiet, do
my job, and have feelings, but nothing more.
And even the love for my husband, I don't know it was a love
or not. Well, I missed him when he was away. And I was happy when
he was around. But that was it, that was just about it. It was
not very kind of passionate thing that you read about in a novel
romance or watch movies, things like that. I thought, oh, looks
like I am not the person of this world, don't belong here.
The Fabulous Network Leading To God
But after enlightenment, you feel that your feelings and your emotions and your affections, and your... everything are very sharp. You know, you realize more that you are truly living beings. Many people fear that maybe after enlightenment they would shave their head, and yeah, cast off their beautiful clothes, and go into the Himalayas, or find a cave in Colorado somewhere. But it is not true, it is not true. Maybe you do that in the beginning because you are too fanatic, too eager, too eager to know God, and forgetting all the while that He is always here. Because you are God, you are the representatives of this God power, and we are all connected together in this marvelous network. And should we forget that, we will be very lonely. Deep in our heart we will never be satisfied. Doesn't matter how many friends we have, and how much money we earn, or how busy we are. Many of the moments of our lives will be in loneliness, dissatisfaction. We just don't know what is it that is lacking in our lives. So we do feel something missing. That is because we have forgotten to tune in with this network which connects us as the whole, with the whole universe. And therefore, whatever we do, we do alone. We work alone and we feel great burden on our shoulders. That's why Emerson says: A great burden falls from our shoulders when we let God run the universe. To let God run the universe doesn't mean we sit there and wait for bread to fall from the sky. It means that we work together with the whole universe. And whatever we do, it will be blessed, watched over, and helped by the whole power. Therefore, we will be the great beings. And everything within us including so-called human emotions will be very alert. We feel for the first time in our lives that we are truly alive, that we truly enjoy everything that God gives us in this life. Not the denial of the world. Not truly. Not like that. I don't think an enlightened person is so negative in his attitude. Because I feel, and I see, and I know that my fellow initiates, people - you can call them disciple, that's your word, yeah - they are very alive, they are very alert, and they are happy. They know that life is alright. Eh, not that all of them are. Very seldom that they want to run away from life. Maybe in the beginning because before I used to wear nun's clothes, and looked very serious. So people thought to be serious and become a monk is the end to all means of Buddhahood.
Enlightenment Solves All Problems
After I realized that, I changed because that was a wrong
conception. It's okay I wear the clothes if I want to. But that
is not the leading motive of enlightenment. That is not the
condition for enlightenment.
Enlightened people are very happy. And they accept the
situation whatever it is. And I have a very positive knowledge
that if all people are enlightened, then we don't need to change
the world at all. We don't need to make India become rich, we
don't need to change communism into capitalism, because everyone
will be contented under whichever circumstances they are in.
And we don't have to change anything. We don't need to even
vote for a new president every four years. And Mr. Clinton can
stay there forever, (laughter) whether he is good or not, because
we are good. That is important. You see, one president however
good can not do much. But the whole nation is strong when people
in that nation are altogether, at oneness, because of the
connecting network. And the whole world is altogether in unison
because they're all connected with that network. And then, the
president cannot help himself but to be good. He has to behave,
right. I don't mean Mr. Clinton, please don't tell him. He might
not give me visa next time. (Master and everyone laughed.)
So the problems in this world are not to be blamed on
politicians, not to be blamed on the economic system of any country
or any ism of any nation, but to be blamed on the ignorance of
our self-nature. That we do not know how great we are, that we do
not know that we are the contentment incarnate, that we do not know
that we are love personified. Therefore, enlightenment is a cure
for all illnesses, for all worldly problems, for all wars, and is
once and for all finished! And as long as all of us are
enlightened, the world will never come to an end.
Everybody predicts about the end of the world. I mean not
everybody, everybody worries about it, just some people predict,
and make many people worry. But even if the world comes to an end,
the enlightened people will never feel bothered, because they know
this world comes and then it will go one day. But the life eternal
always goes on, and that nothing can affect it.
Life eternal is what we are. Wisdom is what we possess. Love
is what our nature is. And that cannot be destroyed with any bomb
at all. It cannot be limited by space and time.
Therefore, the masters initiate disciples without the
limitation of the space and time. The master doesn't have to
always be where the disciples are, but can help the disciples and
bless them. And the disciples will grow into mastership, and also
can do the same, yeah. So whatever I do you can do also. That was
what Jesus said to us.
The World Is The Shadow
Of The Kingdom Of God
But can we do it? Can we do what Jesus did? No, not yet,
because we did not learn what He learned. We have not tuned into
the Kingdom of God. We have forgotten our Father who is perfect.
Therefore we live in imperfection.
Now to correct this is very easy. Yes, if we want to go
northward, then we have to face north, and continue, begin and
continue to walk or to go northward. But if we want to go south,
then, of course we have to turn back and face south and begin to go
there. It's very simple.
Therefore, everyday we face the world. We walk toward the
world, we think toward the world, we merge ourselves in the world.
All our attention, energy, emotions, best talents face the world.
We don't face God. Now, it's very simple. Turn around. I will
show you how at the initiation and there you are. Very simple.
But you will ask me the question is that, If you face God,
then you have to turn your back to the world? It is not so in the
Kingdom of God. Because actually if there is no Kingdom of God
then there is not this world. This world is only a copy of the
real thing, of the real life. Therefore, you do not have to
forsake the world in order to know the real. But you have to know
that the world came from the real by realizing the real.
Just like you get to know a beautiful lady instead of chasing
after her shadow. Then you have both. If you want the shadow that
much, you can include, because the shadow comes from this
beautiful lady. It's no good always clinging to the shadow and not
knowing the real. But soon as we know the real, the shadow also
belongs to us.
Since ancient times we have always heard many stories about
how fantastic a master is. Just like Jesus, yeah, Jesus, He is
great, fantastic. He can do many things, and we admire Him. But
He should not be the only one in this position, because it is said
in the Bible that Know you not that you are the temple of God, and
the Holy Spirit dwells within you.
We house God. You understand that? We house the almighty
within ourselves. And here we are having nothing of this almighty
glory. It is because we face the other way. We face the shadow,
we chase after the shadow, and try to correct the shadow to suit
our taste-that the legs were too long, the head is too flat, or the
ear is too pointed. It was because of the light which projected
the real and made it become the shadow. And if we chase that all
the time, and trying to make it different, of course we make
trouble for ourselves. We exhaust all our energy and we achieve
nothing. We might be able to adjust a little bit here, a little
bit there, but this is only a shadow. Right? Tomorrow it will
become ah, ear, the ear will be pointed again. Therefore in order
to truly enjoy we have to correct the real... we have to know the
real one and adjust accordingly.
If you know the beautiful girl, where she stands, then you can
even make the shadow become more beautiful if you wish. See, you
can make the light behind her go a little bit above or under, and
then her shadow will become very much like the real person; or do
some technique to adjust the shadow. But if we do not know the
real and try to adjust the shadow from the shadow itself, then we
always have problems. That is the problem with the world. That's
why our world is always in trouble, because we try to correct the
shadow and not the real object.
A Peaceful World Comes
If Everybody Is Enlightened
And so many heros have come and gone. So many great kings
have reigned the world, but the world is still the way it is. If
you have fixed some problems here, other problems will breed
themselves elsewhere. If you have enough medical care for the
people, now you have incurable diseases like AIDS for example,
troublesome. And so we never come to an end without problems, if
we always try to fix the world.
I have known one person, he is very much interested in our
teaching and wants initiation and that. But he told me that he
would like to stay in the world, to remain in the world as worldly
people, in order to understand their problems and in order to help
them. Many of the heros of our history have thought the same
thing, and the world has not become a paradise. Even though we
have a lot of better equipment, more civilized society, but then
we have other more troublesome problems.
So you see, our brothers and sisters, what the conclusion
should be. It's not that after enlightenment we forsake our
political career. Or leave the President alone in white house and
all the aids will go out, because they're all enlightened. But we
stay there, and we do better job because we know how to adjust the
shadow now. Or we don't bother at all to adjust the shadow
anymore. Whatever the shadow may be, fine, because we know it's
not important. We may feel amazed at the shadow, of its changing
shape and size and color, of different time of the day. We might
watch it with amazement, but we no longer chase after that, and we
no longer put great importance upon this shadow.
That's why everyone should be enlightened. And the world will
be at peace. No other thing needs to be done. I don't know if you
agree, yes or no? (Applause.) I tell you from example, not sheer
talk. See, for example. Now you look at me, I'm wearing beautiful
clothes. Actually we designed ourselves, I designed myself and I
have seamstresses who are monks and nuns, together yeah. I mean we
are those who live together and do not have family ties and that.
So we work everything together without wanting any wages or any
position anyhow. So, now it's very inexpensive anyhow. But it
looks beautiful, right?! So now I am happy because I am beautiful,
fine.
But when I am alone and I have not to see you in such a great
event and important greeting like this, then I just wear whatever
it is, right - very old clothes but very comfortable and old shoes
flat. And I don't even care to wash them very carefully because I
would just pitch my tent next to the river and put my clothes in
the bucket and some soap in it, river water and I use my feet to
stamp on them and while I clean my teeth at the same time, yeah.
I use my feet to just, you know, walking on the bucket, walking on
the clothes after a while and then let it be in the sun for a
while. And then after I clean my teeth or I bathe, and I swim, and
then I just shake them loose, yeah and get the river water to clean
them. Then I throw them on the rocks and after some time they are
dry. And that's a life of beautiful enjoyment that I most cherish.
But nevertheless when I go out I stay in, sometimes, hotels, sometimes stay in a very beautiful mansion which some of the disciple lend us for few days, and I also enjoy that. You see, I also enjoy the freshly cut lawn and the beauty of the flowers that you plant around in your gardens and every so-called luxurious thing that you have. I enjoy. Yes.
An Enlightened Person Conforms
To Circumstances Whatever They Might Be
Therefore enlightenment affords us the enjoyment, not the
situation. So I enjoy in both cases. I do not deny luxury, and I
do not cling to asceticism, because both have its beauty. Whatever
it is there, you accept it and that is the simple life. Some
people ask me, Simple life means going to the forests and living
in caves and eating weeds, and all that? I say no no no. Simple
life means you stay where you are enjoy whatever you have. If you
are rich, you enjoy your rich life and share whatever leftover, too
much, with other people. If you are poor, enjoy your simple life
and be happy that you don't have to worry about thieves.
[Laughter] And that is simple living. You see, simple living,
yeah - stay where you are, enjoy what you have, that is in my
thinking a simple living. Do you think that's alright?
(Applause.)
Because if we try to change our life it makes us not simple.
Right? You are so used to with clean bath rooms and all that. And
now you have to punish yourself and adjust yourself to kind of
outside open toilet and it freezes in the winter and maybe you are
not used to with the cold. You'd get cold and you'd get sick. And
then is that simple? No, then you have to be administered to in a
hospital and get all the needles in your tongue, in your knees and
wherever necessary. (Master laughs.) And that looks very
complicated indeed. At least from the outside. Therefore simple
living means you are comfortable where you are.
But of course there are somethings we adjust to life. For
example if we meditate a lot, then we cannot afford to eat meat too
much because that excites our energy, stimulates the passion, and
we would like to sit still in order to know our own treasure and
wisdom. Therefore if we do not follow a simple diet then it will
have some side-effects. Therefore, some people meditate at random
and do not adhere to the vegetarian diet they come into a kind of
disturbance, you see? Many people have mental derangements. It is
because of violating the law of nature. The law of nature teaches
us to be vegetarian.
You know all of this. And I think in the sample booklet that
you were given it has already been proven scientifically that we
humans are vegetarian species. Because our teeth and our
intestines... is that right? yeah? okay - are made for vegetarian
beings, yes. And the meat-eaters beings are different in the body
construction and the inner organs and the digestive system are all
different. Anyhow I'll be long about enlightenment and short about
diet, okay? Because in case you are allergic to vegetarian diet I
won't mention anymore.
The Quan Yin Method Is
The Ultimate Method
But be enlightened anyhow, by all means and by whatever you
can afford in your environment and in your mental state of
preparation. There are many ways to enlightenment. But there is
best way, quickest way, or longest way, yeah, safer way or a
little bit risky way. Just like you climb the mountain there are
many roads, but some roads are even and some roads are more rocky
and some roads are dangerous.
So I have found that the Quan Yin Method, the method of
observing the inner Word, the inner sound and the inner heavenly
light is the best, and is the ultimate because ultimately we have
to arrive to the light of God and to the Word of God in order to
get the wisdom. All other roads are leading you to that state -
that you could hear the sound of God and could see the light.
Or other methods are having this same goal, but we are right
here, - the teaching directly and you immediately experience the
enlightenment taste, you see immediately. So you get this light
and sound right away at the time of initiation. Whereby other
methods, you have to take a long time or many years or many ascetic
kinds of sacrifice in order to arrive there.
Therefore, actually this is not a method. It's just a fruit
and the meal is already prepared for you hungry guests. The
others, maybe they are not hungry so they try to mess around with
their food or cook all the time and not eat it. Many of our
people who stay permanently in many of our centers around the
world, their life is very simple, but they are very happy. Our
life is so simple that when compared to the most simple life styles
in other countries, theirs seems pale!
The other day we were speaking with some of the people who
work with the government in Au Lac. They are not the governmental
officials, they are just working in a businesswise and so we had
a chance to talk about this. And then, I said, Actually the Au
Lac people in Au Lac if they were enlightened they wouldn't feel so
troubled about communism even.
I say because, actually I am a true communist. Because
whatever I earn I share it all with people. Communist means you
have everything not for yourself, but for the community, you see.
You live in a community. Therefore, actually I don't talk
communism, but the communists should give me the best medal for it,
yeah, because I live what they preach. (Laughter.)
I live in tent. I live simple life. I don't earn money for
myself. All the money runs around the world for the sake of my
disciples, for the enlightenment of others, and for the poor and
needy. And even my clothes I design for myself so it's cheaper.
[Applause.]
Changing Ourselves Is Changing The World
Therefore, it's not what we should have in life but to what
degree we are contented with life. To tell you honestly I have no
better life than any of the people who live in the communist
system. For example, from thirty-six or forty hours up till now I
have only had one meal and that wasn't much. There was only maybe
half a bowl or one bowl of rice, just a few tofu and a few
vegetables. That's all there was. And I am working so, very...
you can not say it's not hard. It's hard work because we run from
one place after another and we are always packing and unpacking and
talking to hundreds of, thousands of people all the time. I
seldom rest with my voice, very seldom.
I'll tell you my schedule. For example yesterday, the night
before, I was in Seattle, yeah, talking to thousands and after that
talking to the disciples and non-disciples, etc. And then, I did
not go to bed until about five o'clock in the morning. And before
that, I meditated for a while and then slept a little bit. And got
up again at nine or something, got ready to go for the airplane.
And then, at the airport I had to speak to hundreds of people
and make them happy, right. And then, went to the air...
(Laughter.) What, you're laughing at? It's not true? It's true,
yes. Because, if not, then they are not happy. And then, in the
airplane, I have to talk again to the neighbors because they will
ask me where I come from and what I do and all that. Fine, I enjoy
also. And then I had a little rest, maybe ten minutes.
And then, again, came down to the airport. And hundreds of
people were already there awaiting for me to talk again. Okay, I
talked, until nine or something, huh? And then we went home. And
then I had a little rest. And then came the telephone, and I
talked again for about one or two hours, one hour at least. And
then came out, and then all my disciples, their immediate friends,
the Americans, they wanted to be exclusively treated. So only
Americans were around, and I talked only in American language. Ah,
that was about, yeah, just for a while, yeah?
And then, I came and took that meal that I told you. Yes, and
that was it. Up till... I had nothing from that meal until now.
And before that I didn't have meal. Before that meal I nibbled two
mouthfuls of bread and two mouthfuls of milk. That was before I
left Seattle. And I came to last night and had that meal. The
only meal up till now. So, therefore, I had in forty hours or
fifty hours, actually only one meal. Nothing more.
And if the communists are proud of their teaching, they should
be more proud of the action, and they should give me a best medal.
(Laughter & applause.) Actually I am too proud of myself. It's my
ego at work, you see. (Master laughs.) Don't worry, I'll put it
aside later. (Laughter.)
So, the problem is not to change anything of this world but to
change ourselves you see. I would have complained before. Without
enlightenment I would have complained. I would have loved to have
my beautiful house, my lovely husband and my, whatever is mine.
You understand? And I can't just sacrifice like that. But by the
way doing this, I do not even feel sacrifice. You understand what
I mean? Just very natural, very happy to do it.
Of course I am tired and I complain sometimes. Because of
some of the unnecessary tiresome questions or demands from people
and disciples. And sometimes it agonizes you. You understand what
I mean? Having to accompany kindergarten children while you are
teaching in college, yes. It is very difficult also, but I get
through, I get through. That's a reasonable complaint, no? Is it
not? (Laughter & applause.)
Enjoy The World Within And Without
Thus, if the people in any poor country or in whatever
situation if they get enlightenment, they would not feel suffering.
Some of our disciples are relieved from even the most dangerous
sicknesses after initiation or after they practice for a while.
Yes, it depends on also their sincerity and karma. And some of
them have to undergo sometimes this retribution, but they go with
smiles on their faces.
Yesterday while I was in Seattle, even one of the women told
me she had to undergo operation, but then she had prepared herself
already to go to play in heaven while the body was undergoing
operation. She told me: Ah, fine. I know already. I will go and
let the doctor inject me and then meanwhile I will go to Buddha's
land and have a look around. (Laughter.) Yes, that's what she
did. And she had no fear of whatsoever.
Yeah, yesterday some of you had heard it. Any of you from
Seattle yesterday? Yes, you heard this, yeah. That was an Au Lac
lady. She is about my age, maybe younger. But don't make me feel
very old. (Master laughs.) Yes, that's what they do.
And sometimes some of our fellow practitioners, their lives
are not rich like you perhaps in Formosa. They drive taxi. Okay,
they are taxi driver but while driving the taxi they can see
Buddha's land or heaven, Kingdom of God at the same time.
Therefore their lives pass very quickly. And whatever they
do, they do it in joy. They enjoy the real life and the shadow of
the real life, because both will blend together-there is no
separation, no rejection of any kind.
The Beauty Of Enlightenment
When I was in Indonesia or some other country, some people
said, Oh, you look beautiful. Would you consider to re-marry?
Yeah. What do you think? Do I have time for that? (Master and
everyone laugh.) Yes, but I said to him, Why do you ask this
question? He said, because he thinks that enlightened people
would not care so much about these things and no love and very dry
and all that. I said, No, if you consider you should propose
first. Yeah, you propose and I will put you on the marry list.
(Laughter.)
But then, that's the last I heard of him. (Laughter &
applause.) Probably after a close examination of my face and
figure and whatever, and my life style and he thought he had
better not take adventure. (Master and everyone laugh.) So, my
disciples everywhere are enough to scare the biggest hero on earth.
(Master laughs.) They would run away you know.
When you are at home, and you have only one husband and wife
and if the third person comes, you already feel very scared, right,
very frightened that your love would be shared. How much more if
they see my disciples! They hang around twenty four hours, they
eat everything with me, and they interfere with all kinds of
privacy, except when I am in the bathroom. (Laughter.) My door is
never be able to lock. Always coming up and down and my room is
just like a restaurant. So whoever dare to be my husband should
prepare for war. (Master and everyone laugh.)
So, that's the life it is. You see whether you have or you
don't have it's fine. It's very fine with you because you are
contented within yourself. You do not reject life. But you do not
sink into life deeply so that you know nothing else except the
material existence of life. And that's the beauty of enlightenment.
(Applause.)
Alright, I am ready for your questions, because there will be
more talk by the way. You can ask anything, yeah. And I am free
to answer or not, so don't worry.
It is a very good atmosphere today, huh! Right? Yes, for the
first time and then you can laugh so much. I think we don't charge
the lecture with money but we charge the laughter because this is
very rare. (Laughter.)
Q: In the Bible Jesus Christ said: I and my father are one . (M: Yeah.) But, how can I reach this state? M:Get enlightenment, yeah. Get initiation. That's what we are here for, to help you.
Q:Dear Master, I have never eaten vegetarian. However, after I listened to your videos and read your magazines, I started to eat vegetarian once or twice a month (M: Wa, big deal, big deal!) Can I meditate? If yes, is there any danger? M:Fine, it's already a big improvement, yeah. From thirty days to twenty-eight days.
Q:Dear Master, how to live a happy life? M:Didn't I tell you? (Master and everyone laugh.) To get enlightenment is a sure way of a happy life. Okay, I am very patient.
Is Abortion An Offense To The Precepts?
Q:Could you please explain your precepts against killing.
Specifically against abortion.
M:Wa! You get me into trouble. Ah, Thou shalt not kill is the
precept of all religious scriptures, not only Christians. It's
even in Jainism, Hinduism and other religions also. If they truly
take this thou shalt not kill in a true sense of the precept,
abortion, of course, should be avoided. And the doctor should be
very precise in determining what is the special situation that
people should undertake this. Because maybe sometimes it's
dangerous for the mother, yeah, or dangerous for both. So, the
doctor should be fair in determining that situation. Otherwise I
think we should save life in any way we can. Whatever special
circumstance with you, that you have to answer, your selfconscience,
and the doctor has to determine that. Okay? I am not
here to condemn anyone, because I know life is very hard, and very
difficult to say which is right and which is wrong. Because we are
also all under the sway of karma, of the law of cause and
retribution, and sometimes it is very difficult for a person to go
above that, to be saintly, and to be decisive about anything in
life. But, bear in mind that if you have faith in God, and in all
our wisdom and if we are enlightened, no circumstance is difficult,
no situation is hard to handle. So, I just propose enlightenment,
and no condemnation for anything. (Applause.)
Q: Is it okay to receive initiation from more than one master? M:Yeah, it's okay. But why is it necessary? For example, if your master has already taught you the light and sound within you, and you are satisfied and you're making progress with that path, then you don't have to be initiated by another master who will teach the same method. But nevertheless, if you are not completely satisfied and you would like to have more, I mean you are more convinced in some other master, of course you may do so.
Respect The Talent And
Q:Jesus ate fish, why do you not?
M:You always put fish in Jesus' mouth. (Laughter.) Alright,
suppose he ate fish, he is Christ, he can do many other things that
you cannot do. Why you look at the piece of fish only and not at
his qualities and his holiness? As soon as you become holy as he
is, and powerful as he is, you can eat human beings, okay?!
(Laughter & applause.) If you are that desperate for meat... Oh
God! We always compare the things that other people do to suit our
taste. But we do not respect their qualities and their talents,
yeah. We have to know what we have and other people have, hm, and
then we can say what we can do or not. The president he can stay
in the white house, he has a lot of bodyguards, he has power over
the whole nation. So, somethings he can do, we can not. Okay,
right?!
Q: Are pain and illness always the result of present karma? If so,
how do we clean them out?
M:We clean it out by enduring it. Alright? Because it's already
too late now to reverse the wheel of karma. But we could minimize
it, we could lubricate it by being enlightened, by meditation on
the perfection of the Father every day through the guidance of a
teacher, through initiation. Then, we minimize a lot of things.
Yeah, um.
Q:Do you feel this initiation is important? Why can it not be done
on our own?
M:The question answers itself, um. If you have done it yourself,
then it's not necessary to get an initiation. But if you couldn't
do it, if you haven't seen the light of God and the sound of
heaven, then, initiation is necessary. Besides there are many
steps to heaven that you must know, verbally, the instruction, and
so many pitfalls that you should avoid. And if you do not know
that, you'd waste a lot of time, and sometimes it's dangerous, um.
Q:Who was your Himalaya master and what lineage? M:I think I talked about that already in some of the tapes. You go and have a look, okay? Now I'm here and you keep asking about my master all the time. I am jealous. (Laugher.) I am so beautiful, and you don't care about me. (Master and everyone laugh.) You care about an old man with wrinkled eyes and cranky mood and doesn't talk to any one, doesn't accept disciples. (Laughter.)
Q:Master, specifically what is the difference between enlightenment
and the power to initiate, and which one does the patriarch of the
Bible have?
M:The power to initiate came first. You will have the power of
initiation also if you are pointed by the master, because a master
will initiate through you. And also you have the power, the true
power, the perfect power, not the borrowed one, when you become a
master. When you reach the fifth plane of consciousness, then you
become Christ or Buddha, yeah. At that time you can initiate. But
enlightenment is a part of it, part of the power. And you will
expand this, and get to know more of your greatness, more and more
until you realize your complete self. And that is the time you'll
know God. That's the time you'll be able to initiate people.
In The State Of Samadhi
Q:Dear Master, is it right that we have to be at or beyond the second level of spiritual practice to have a samadhi experience? M:No, no. It's not true. It's just that deeper or shallower samadhi. If you see the light or hear the sound, that means you're already in samadhi. It's just a little bit not very deep. And sometimes you're in very deep samadhi, and you sit there and only aware of the inside, and sometimes aware of both, inside and outside.
Q: If initiated, can one practice meditation an hour in the morning, half hour in the middle of the day and an hour at night? Does one have to meditate two and a half hours continuously a day? M:No, no. You can separate it. You can do it on the bus, in the park, on airplane and the train, etc. to make up for the hours that you need.
Q:Please explain the reason for not eating or using eggs, and how
do eggs represent life and death?
M:Because egg is a symbol of life and death. In it contains life,
yeah. And many of the black magicians or white magicians they use
eggs to withdraw some of the negative possessive spirit within some
people, yeah. Therefore, if we eat eggs too much we tend to
attract this negative force toward ourselves. Yeah, that's one of
the reasons why we should not eat eggs, hm.
Q:Do you have homosexual disciples?
M:Yes. Do I have to report to you their private business?
You see, homosexuality is just a misconception about their
awareness. They misunderstand their body's function. And when
they become enlightened, this will be less and less, because they
will identify themselves less with the body, but more with the
spirit. Therefore there's nothing wrong with that.
Yeah, when the children are very young, they play with plastic
models and they cling to their teddy bears, but when they grow up,
they will leave them. So do not worry about your misidentification
with your body or with your birth appearance. It's alright, just
get enlightenment, and everything will fix itself in due course.
Q: Master, I often see that in meditation it is my mind watching my
mind, I lose faith that I can't go beyond this technique. Any
advice? Thank you!
M:Oh, of course, it's not the very suitable technique for you
perhaps. Because if we use the mind to watch the mind, we are
still inside the mind and inside the creation's destroying and
nourishing process. We should go beyond the mind. Therefore in
our meditation, we don't use the mind at all. Yeah, and that is
the most advanced technique. So, maybe try ours, Okay?! Um.
Q:What happened to your husband?
M:Oh, thanks for your concern. We've lost contact for, I think,
several years now. Well he waited for me six years, alright? And
then, he remarried after six years. And during the time we wrote
off and on, half a year a letter, or one year a letter. And after
six years, he got married again, with a vegetarian doctor wife.
And then he got a son and he reported that to me. That was the
last I heard of him. If you are interested to know, maybe I'll go
into the second level and have a look at his future. (Master and
everyone laugh.)
Q:Master, how important is it to see the light eighteen inches in front of me. I only see it close to my forehead. Thank you. M:It's fine, It's a good beginning. Don't worry. It will grow further.
Why Budhi Dharma Sat Facing
The Wall For Nine Years
Q: I don't know if it's my business to understand, but I would like
to find out about Buddha's message when he came from India and sat
facing the wall for nine years.
M: Oh! The patriarch, the Budhi Dharma? Facing the wall for nine
years? Because He had nothing else to do. (Laughter.) If it
weren't for you, I would probably sit and face the ceiling for
nineteen years. (Laughter.)
You see. If they have things to do, they would do them
whole-heartedly. If they have nothing to do, they just do what
they want to do. Yeah, that's it. And if He loved the wall so
much, why not? (Laughter & applause.)
You see actually, of course I make a joke about it. But you
see, to elaborate it further, you should understand that an
enlightened person is very contented within him or herself, and
does not desire to do anything when it's not necessary.
For example, if I don't come to you or if I don't lecture or
if nobody requires me to come out to see them or talk to them, I am
always in my room. Yeah. Of course sometimes I like to take a
walk in the garden or in the forest whenever it's there. If not,
I stay in my room. I do nothing, I am just happy. Yeah, I may
read books, or not read books. I might meditate, or not meditate.
I may sleep, or I may feel awake. I may eat something or not eat
something. I'm fine within the walls. You see!
That's the problem with the prisoners. Because they are not
enlightened, therefore they feel walls separate them. If they were
enlightened they would sit pretty well in there and they'd never
probably want to leave prison at all. Yes, it is because we are
very contented within ourselves. You see.
That's why the patriarch, He sat there and felt good. At that
time, probably there was no lecture hall for Him, and not many
people understood Him. So, He just sat there and enjoyed Himself.
He could have done other things, but it wasn't necessary at that
time.
There was a story about a Zen master and his disciple. I am
afraid to lose your time. Is it okay to tell? (Audience: Yes.)
Okay. One Zen disciple, yeah, very enlightened perhaps, came to
see his master after some time, and then his master asked him, Ah,
well, well, what did you do all these months? Yeah, you had a
summer vacation, now what did you do? He said, Oh, in my
backyard, there is a big piece of land. I cultivated it and
planted some vegetables, and they tasted so good, they looked good.
Yeah, and I feel very good about it. So, the master praised him
and said, Oh, well, well, you did not waste your time, huh! You
know how to use your time, it's very good, yes.
And so the disciple asked the master: Then what did you do
during this time that I was not here? What did you do? And the
master said, Oh, in the daytime I ate and read books, in the
nighttime I slept, hm. So, the disciple also nodded his head and
said, Oh, well, well, master, you also know how to use your time,
you didn't waste your time, you are very useful!
You understand? Yes, it's very comfortable, huh! It takes an
enlightened mind to understand an enlightened mind. So, that's
what it is, with the enlightened people. If they have work to do,
they do it. If they don't they don't miss anything.
So, whenever we are on tour, we are sometimes in a kind of
very famous place. You know? Like when we were in Mexico, we were
next to the pyramid, yeah and of course people would like to go
there. It was about one hour from our place actually, and my room
was in the middle of the city, with all the noises and all the
narrowness, everything. But still I didn't long to go to the
pyramid. So, we never did go.
Even though I stayed there six days, and lectured only one
day. But I saw people every day of course. But I had no longing
to go to see pyramid, or anything else. I stayed always every day,
every minute of the day in my room.
And so, I told you again and again, enlightenment is the only
way for the cure of everything in this world. Otherwise, if anyone
else, you put them in the room like that, yeah, and don't let them
go to see pyramid, something, they will be unhappy. But we are
not. I and my disciples, the immediate crew, you know, nobody
wanted to go to the pyramid. I asked them, If you want to go, you
are free to go. Don't have to wait for me or ask my permission.
But nobody wanted to go. They are just happy to serve.
They sleep when they have time. And when they wake up, they
go and prepare for the lecture-equipment and all that. No one
longs to go sightseeing, nothing. It's because we are very
contented within ourselves.
Therefore, the first patriarch, Bodhi Dharma, the Budhist who
came to China and faced the wall nine years, it was the same
situation, um.
Why Ego Exists?
Q: During meditation do we need to keep ourselves awake so that we
know that we are meditating? If I fall into a state of not fully
being awake or I fall asleep, is there any good in my meditation at
all?
M:Yes, it's a good sleep. (Laughter.)
Q: I have been on a vegetarian diet for three months, but I can't
cross my legs because there is a problem with my legs. So, am I
qualified for initiation? And can you comment on posture in
meditating?
M:Then don't cross your leg for God's sake. Do what you want with
your legs. I don't want your legs. I just want your
enlightenment, okay.
Q: After initiation and if Master is not with us, if I have any problems with my meditation, what should I do? M: The Master is always with you, hm. Master is not the body. We are wisdom. We are connected with the whole universe. And the master who is worth his name is omnipresent. So, whenever you are in trouble, the Master knows. And the Master is always helping you to progress. Whether you see the Master or not, it depends on your power of samadhi. Otherwise, Master is twenty-four hours awake and taking care of you. So don't worry, okay?
Q: Master, You are very beautiful and have much to offer. I am glad to be here. My question has to do with the ego. What are we to do with it, if anything, and why does it exist? M: I see. The ego doesn't exist actually. The ego comes from the information that we collect during our time, and during our inter-relationships with others or with all things around us, yes.
For example, when you were born, you had no ego. But when you grow up and then you know yourself to be beautiful or handsome, yes, then, the ego begins to grow yeah. And everybody praises you. Wa! you're beautiful! And then, You have a Ph.D.! You grow more in pride, and that is the ego, yeah. But, don't worry about it. It's just a good accessory sometimes. And you can throw it away anytime you don't need. But, you have to have enlightenment first in order to know when to wear it, and when to put it down. Okay?
Initiation Is The Only Way
To Reach The Fifth World
Q:What kind of light and sound can I hear when I reach the fifth
level? I mean what symbol will let me know if I come to the fifth
level of meditation?
M: That I tell you at the time of initiation. Because I cannot
just tell you like that at random. I don't know what kind of
meditation you do. If you want to elaborate further, maybe it's
better, um. The fifth level is meant for the initiated people
only, not for other disciples. They couldn't even reach the first.
Q:Dear Master, I'm married, but I sometimes have dreams of being with other beautiful girls. How do I prevent these dreams? Am I creating heavy karma? Please tell me. M:It's alright! Just enjoy your dreams okay?! (Laughter.) Just don't do it in the reality. Otherwise, your wife will not let you enjoy it. And keep it a secret. What can we do with dreams? Right? Forgive yourself. It's okay!
Q:When does the soul enter the body? Is it before our birth or after our birth? How can it happen if we are born as a twin? M: No, because you like to stick together, I guess, huh! You have affinity with each other, um. And you want to go out at the same time to have companion. No problem about twins, yeah. We are twins ourselves. We have both feminine and masculine aspects inside. And we, if we reunite that, we're happy, um. Forget about the physical aspect.
Experience Is Better Than Empty Talk
Q:Dear Master, please let us know more about energy, the relationship between energy, peace and love. The only thing we know from science is that energy can not be destroyed or created. Energy can be transformed from one kind to another kind. Some say God is energy, God is love. What do you think? M:I think these are only sayings. Before you experience that, all sayings are empty. I do not like to be a living dictionary but an example of the true knowledge. When you are enlightened, you understand this energy and all the metaphysical questions. Energy is many kinds, negative and positive. When we are enlightened, we balance both and make use of them for the purposes in life and in the right time, the right situation. I told you already. If we are enlightened, the world will be at peace. No need to change anything. Of course, that is peaceful energy that we radiate after enlightenment.
Q:How to affect our beloved, such as husband or wife, to be a more moral person. Is there a special method to help them? M:Yes, enlightenment. Enlightenment helps you to be sharper in all feelings, yeah. And you'll be a better wife, be better husband even. Many of our initiates claim that their married life became much better after both of them practiced God's presence, yeah, the light and sound. Before that they just had a kind of very lukewarm relationship, or cold to ice cube. And after enlightenment they know how to care for each other and then feel more toward each other, um.
Q:Dear Master, I had a lot of nightmares in childhood. Now the nightmares are gone, but, I still dream frequently every night. Please tell me are these dreams involved with my karma? M: Maybe you had a very rough life before, um. You lived in truly nightmarish life . Therefore, the influence still lingers up till now. Well I sounds like advertising manager, but enlightenment is also for everything. If you want to live a fearless life, and dreamless life, then, of course enlightenment is the answer.
Q:Master, were Hermes, Zoroaster, the Essences, the Gnostics
masters? And who were the first masters? And who is the great
white brotherhood?
M:All masters, all true masters are one. They come from one
source. And the highest master is the supreme master, the almighty
which is in all of you. When we first came here we were masters
before. And we came here, we blessed the world. And, we forgot
all about our power and our glory. And our energies were also
exhausted, because we paid attention to outer phenomenas. So, all
the masters who came here are the ones who are awakened in this
awareness and know their true glory, and they can travel the road
home frequently. And they can lead us back home. So, no need to
discriminate between any master. All the religions are founded
after the master has gone. Therefore we have Christian after
Christ, Buddhist after Buddha, etc., okay?!
Q:Enlightenment always seems so lofty. In what ways will I be
different after enlightenment ? How will I know? Is it in black
and white?
M:Oh, you'll know it, you'll know it definitely. You'll know it,
just like you walk inside the door and when you walk outside the
door. It's very definite and very beneficial to your daily life.
You will know it, very definitely. Just like an educated person
and an uneducated person, there is a great difference.
Q: Is it true that to become fully realized one must practice the
highest yoga-tantra and the secret mantra? And if Buddha performed
these before full realization?
M:I didn't see anything like that in the scriptures. I only saw
that He sat under the Bodhi tree for forty days or more. And He
saw the stars at the time of realization. So, if you want to have
this same realization as Buddha, you can have it, right now, um.
And about tantra and tantrum, I do not know. I did not see
anything in the Buddhist scripture referring to the Buddha's
practice before He was enlightened. I only know that He saw the
stars and He saw the light. So, if you want that kind, we have it.
Okay?!
Q:There is a vow to refrain from intoxicants. What about chemicals
on fruits and vegetables?
M:Oh, my God! You are fanatic. Wash them with the salty water,
yeah, and eat them. Otherwise, you die, hmm? (Laughter &
applause.)
Q: Since I started the vegetarian diet, my son who's seven years
old asks, Is it another no-meat day? I realize my son was born
with the great nature of not eating meat. But due to my
ill-concept I started his meat eating habit. How can I restore
his greatness and reduce my guilt?
M:Um, then take time. You have taken much time and efforts to
force your son into meat, and now you have to take the same amount
of effort and time to reverse.
How Dictators Emerge?
Q:Dear Maser, please explain what kind of karma it is when there
were dictators like Hitler, Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, who caused the wars
that killed millions of people, and made millions of others suffer.
M:That is a collective karma of mankind which, as I told you, are
by-products of the inter-relationships between humans and other
beings in this world or other worlds. And those kinds of
by-products became a kind of very forceful strong energy hanging
around our earth's atmosphere. And when it is too condensed, then
it has to manifest into some kind of visible, such as a very great
dictator who kills millions, etc.
As you have asked, so therefore, these people are not to be
blamed also, in a sense. But, ourselves are to be blamed. If each
one of us leads a life of virtues, keeps the commandments, and
refrain from killing of any kind - including the indirect killing,
so keeping the vegetarian diet - and the world would never have
bred these kinds of dictators in the first place.
These are there to remind us of the virtuous way, and if we
are not awakened yet, then these things will continue to remind us
until the whole mankind is awakened.
How To Eradicate Anger?
Q:What is anger? Why does it boil inside us? And how do we
release this anger?
M: Sometimes it helps to release it outwardly. Sometimes between
husband and wife or men or parents and children there exists some
kind of tension. And after you have cleared it together, you clear
the air, it's also helpful.
Whatever comes naturally, just let it be. If you cannot
control it or you cannot control it completely, just try not to
bear hatred in it. Just express what you feel, express it in as
best manner as you can okay?! Because sometimes anger, when
swallowed too much of the time will breed disease within the body.
So the best is that, first we have the virtues of God, and then other passions like anger, greed, attachment, will subside by and by.
Q:You say only human beings can become a Buddha. I want to know if
when a disciple passes away and he is on the 4th level, does he
need to come back to this world to be a human being and after that
to study until he becomes a Buddha?
M:Oh, no, he doesn't have to. He studies from there. The Master
will continue to teach the disciple and never leave the disciple
until the disciple completely realize himself, hm! (Applause.)
Q:You said You denounce immorality. What is meant by sexual
misconduct? Is that wrong?
M: I do not denounce anything. I just propagate correct way of
life. And you are free to follow it, okay?! I do not denounce
anything. If you feel that is a denouncement, it's not true. Just
that you go into the wrong direction. Now you should go back to
the right one, if you want to arrive at your destination which is
the Kingdom of God.
Too much sexual abuse and indulgence tires your body, exhausts
your mental power which should be conserved for the greatest
enlightenment, and to help yourself and to help mankind. It's more
noble that way. That's all, yeah.
Sexual misconduct means you have too many girl friends, too
many boy friends, too many husbands and wives. It exhausts your
storehouse of energy, okay?!
Q: How do You suggest that a person go about attaining
enlightenment when that person lives in extreme and almost constant
pain.
M:There are many drugs that help you with pain these days. You do
not have to endure that. Medicine, you can take in order to
prevent the pain. And then when you are calm and peaceful, then
you can meditate.
Q:Please let us know if God, the comforter that God sent, the spirit of truth, is only one comforter or a few comforters? If there are a few, please let us know how many? M:You want to shop, uh, shopping for enlightenment! (Laughter.) One is enough for you, right now, okay?! (Applause.) Because even if there are a few, who knows if they will come to you and when, and whether you are still alive when the other comforters come, understand? Okay?
Q:Oh, Master, I have a hard time meditating because my head hurts
when I start to meditate. Please tell me how to stop the
headaches?
M:Maybe you try too much. You should not have any effort, yeah.
But I don't know what kind of method you study, so it's difficult
to tell you. But whatever you do, relax, yeah. Just do it just
like you are mowing a lawn or eating the breakfast. No need to put
strain on your brain for concentration. In our method we do it
without effort. We just sit there and the light comes. Therefore,
it is better.
Q:What does it mean when some people are absent-minded when someone
talks to them, and they just don't react, or they instantly forget
what you've just said. Is it because they're too mental or they
use their mind too much?
M:How do I know? You ask them?!
Q:Dear Master, when You die where does your soul go and what
happens to your energy and karma?
M:Me or anyone? (Q: It says when You die.) I'll tell you after I
die, okay?! (Laughter & applause.) It's too early. I mean I am
still very young.
Heavy Karma Incurred In Meat Eating
Q: If after being initiated and I still make a mistake like eating
meat or having an evil thought, does it mean that I'll be
disconnected from God or suffer some bad punishment?
M:Evil thought, you might not be able to control it immediately
after enlightenment, because it's just like the car brake, you see.
When the car runs sixty miles an hour, and if you want to brake it,
do it slowly, yeah. So, it'll probably take some time to be able
to purify completely yourself.
But the meat you can avoid it, yeah, except when you don't
know it and you eat it by mistake, then that's fine. But you have
to meditate more on that day to clean that, because that is a very
heavy karma. That's what makes people ill, what makes our body
suffer, and what makes us go to hell afterward to repay for the
suffering of other beings. (Applause.)
Q:Dear Master, I sincerely thank You for the lecture today. I wish
that You take care of Your health, so that You can continue to give
lectures for the rest of the world, and save people who have the
sincerity to find the way back to God's home. Thank You again.
Please take care of Yourself.
M:Thank you, thank you. God takes care of me. You take care of
me. Because you have love for me, you have good thoughts for me,
you have loving wishes for me, therefore you take care of me.
I can't take care of myself. I just flow with the water.
Wherever there is demand, I just have to fulfill it. I have no
time or actually no very fixed schedule to say that I can take care
of myself. Never mind, I am okay. I work hard and I am alright.
Q:This question is about discipline. I find that I am very devoted to trying new techniques for a period of time. When I do not see results or when I get too busy or too tired, I just give up, I don't stay with the discipline. How can I push through my weakness and continue with daily routine and mastery? M: Ah, of course if you have a method and it doesn't work very well, and also maybe you do not follow the practice regularly and diligently and sincerely, then, you lose your faith, yeah. So, try to do what is instructed, and then your faith will grow more with the results. Of course if you don't have results, you don't have faith, and the less faith you have, the less results. So, you'll be in the circle.
Awaken The Primitive Force Of The Universe
Q:Master, sometimes during meditation with the Convenient Method, I feel a chill from my spine going up to my head, and then there seems to be a feeling of energy encircling in my head. What does this mean? Is this a bad or good sign? M:It's okay. It's your kundalini at work. Afterward you'll be used to it. It's only a Convenient Method, and still it works all so much, because of the master power blessing you. Other people they practice many years to try to awaken the kundalini, and they can't do it.
Q:Did Jacob receive bad karma for tricking Isaac into giving him
the blessing? Did Benjamin receive bad karma for tricking his
brothers into bringing his father to Egypt?
M:Oh, he talks about Bible? (Q: Ah, the Old Testament.) Oh, what
do we know about these people? Why do we care? They are all gone,
yes. (Laughter & applause.) I think we have enough work to do
with our own.
Okay. That's it? I am relieved? Ah, fine. Thank you for
your attention. (Applause.)