Supreme Master Cinema

God Is Very Willing To Bless Us

Did they show you a video today? Part one is about some aliens. They came from another planet to rescue their friends. Before their friends were rescued, they waited in cocoons, which were placed in a swimming pool. Each day, the aliens blessed them to replenish their energy so that they could recover quicker. When the time was right, they would be taken home together with them. Since the ocean is a different environment, each day the aliens kept replenishing them with their blessing power. Because they had stayed on Earth for too long, their energy levels had changed. So they needed those who just came down from heaven -- the other planet - "who were full of vitality, to replenish them. Then, a group of worldly people went there to swim and damaged the cocoons. The cocoons had nothing to do with the people, but they took a cocoon up, and killed the alien inside only to heal their ailments. By doing this, these people didn't benefit much. They would get sick again later anyhow because birth, age, illness and death are unavoidable in this world.

Today the movie that you watched is part two. It is about another group of aliens who were very compassionate and didn't blame those who had done the bad things, destroyed their work, and killed their friends. They even took these people to the other planet to enjoy a more civilized world where there was no birth, age, illness and death. The aliens were very good to them. However, when they came back here again, they were attached to this world. And eventually they died because their illnesses recurred. They swam in the pool for a long time and their illnesses were cured. When they went up to the other planet they gained tremendous blessings. However, when they came back here, they got the same illnesses again. Those who had swam in the pool had recovered and became stronger. But they then did some other bad things so their blessed rewards were decreased.

Sometimes God, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (enlightened beings) bless us. They are very willing to do it. They won't refuse to bless people even if they are hurt. They won't worry about getting hurt Themselves. The only thing that They worry about is that Their blessings will be in vain.

Similarly, it's not that you don't love your children; however, sometimes when they ask for money, you won't give them. It's not because you don't want to give them money to spend and buy more food, it's just that you know that they can't use money wisely. If they have too much money with them, it would be dangerous. You'd worry that your children may be kidnapped or robbed. When your children go out, you're worried already, not to mention that they are carrying so much money. Or, you won't let your children take gold, diamonds and jewelry along with them. At most, they'll wear fake ones only. (Master laughs) If they want, you'll only give them fake ones, but not the genuine ones. Even if you're rich, you wouldn't dare to let your children wear genuine jewelry or take big purses with them when they go out by themselves and run around on the streets. It's not because you don't love them, and not because you want to keep these things for yourselves and neglect your children. It is because little children don't know how to handle these precious things.

Similarly, it's not that God, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas don't love sentient beings, but that They know that sentient beings are too ignorant. Even if they're given precious things, it's useless. Later they'd throw these things away or step on them as garbage. It's better to use the blessing power in the higher realms. When you go to the higher realms, whatever blessings you get are yours and won't disappear at all. However, in this world, whatever you get will disappear. (Master laughs) You can use it only for a short while then it'll disappear later. Of course, it can be replenished. However, you should be diligent and work hard to keep the blessings. You should also develop your own ability each day; not only protect the blessings that you've obtained, but you should also develop your own blessing power.

It's just like when our children are young, we dare not give them too much money. We only give them one or two dollars to buy ice cream, biscuits or candies. We can't give them too much. It's the same even for a billionaire's children. However, when they grow up, we can give them a lot. They not only can keep the money, but can also earn more money by doing business.

The So-called Sense Of Responsibility That Binds Us To This World

It's similar with the blessing power of God, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. As we receive the blessings, we should also do spiritual practice ourselves. Only then can we preserve the blessings, become stronger, go through many tests, liberate others, and bless others. Not just go to a place for someone to bless you and then leave. It's meaningless! Even if you become well today, you'd get sick again tomorrow. Have you ever seen a person who is eternally healthy?

The physical body is like a car. Regardless of how skillful the driver may be or how talented the mechanics are, the car will breakdown tomorrow, or some other parts will breakdown next year because it's not an eternal thing. It's similar with our bodies. Our physical bodies aren't everlasting. It's because our bodies on this planet are made of materials of inferior quality. For instance, houses are different in quality. Some houses are made of wood, some are made of cement, and some are made of bricks. Each kind of material has different durability qualities. Our bodies are similar. In some planets, the bodies of the beings are similar to ours, but with more endurance. They look the same, but the materials inside are different.

Our physical body is made of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, so it can't be used forever. If you want to use your body forever in this world, you have to transform yourself to a different level. You should change your body and alter the internal atomic substances and structure. You can't eat worldly food. Even having said this, please don't go back and fast tomorrow, or you'll die! (Master and everyone laugh) Don't do it in such a hurry! If we can live in this world for such a long time but can't eat anything, why do we want to live on? (Master laughs) Wouldn't this be too miserable for the Chinese? (Master laughs) Since we do spiritual practice now, we can't have any affairs or inappropriate relationships, neither can we indulge in drinking and pleasure seeking. If we can't even eat vegetarian food, what's the point for us to live on? (Master and everyone laugh) While we're in this world, if we ask God to bless us with immortality and never suffer from illnesses and hardships, it would be impossible; because sometimes even though we don't suffer but when we see others suffering, we'll be affected.

It's just like what happened in the movie. Six of them came down, but only two went up again. As soon as they came back here, they were pulled -- they felt differently. Whoever they saw, they felt attachment and affection towards that person. They felt that they had a responsibility to that person and that the person couldn't live on without them.

That old man was planning to go up again. However, when he met the two children and saw one of them fall down, he used his magical power to protect the child. Then he felt a sense of responsibility for the child. Later he saved the child again when the child almost had a car accident. And then the old man felt that he had an affinity with the child; felt obliged to stay and protect the child and other children as well. Such feelings cheat us in most cases so that we stay here. Another couple couldn't bear to part with their grandchild. It's this kind of emotion and the so-called sense of responsibility that binds us to this world.

Of course, when we're in the world, we should be responsible and do things well. Now when we're human beings, God, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or our retribution, has arranged the circumstances for us and this gives us many responsibilities, so we should fulfill them and not run away. However, we should know that after our job is done, we have to leave. We shouldn't take on more of the so-called responsibility and feel more emotion, and we shouldn't incur more affinities. If we do, we can't blame God for not allowing us to go up. It's we who don't want to go up.

I ask you seriously: how many of you truly want to go back to the Pure Land? You should ask yourselves. You practice mistily each day. When your time comes, you may not want to go up.

Yesterday, an Au Lac person told me an interesting story. There was a girl who was disappointed in a love affair -- her boyfriend ran away. So she went to a river to commit suicide. She slowly walked into the deep part of the river. Before she reached the very deep area a policeman saw her, but didn't know how to rescue her. So he pulled out his gun and said: " You had better come up to the river bank, or I'll shoot you! " (Laughter)

When the girl saw the gun, she said: "Okay! Okay! I'll come up! " (Master and everyone laugh)

Wasn't she not afraid of dying? But she still found an excuse to get out of the river.

Quan Yin Practitioners Are Those Who Want To Go Home

Very few people truly want to leave this world. Why? I don't blame you because you belong to here. You feel very comfortable here. You feel fine as long as you have something to eat and drink, and have friends and children. I don't mean that all of you are like this. I believe that most Quan Yin practitioners want to go Home because we feel that we don't belong here; and we feel more and more like that over time. Even if we have relationships with our friends and relatives, since we've had them already, we just let them be. It's not that we feel any attachment to them. Later we'll just go on separate paths. Even best friends are like that. We may not even be able to stay together with our fellow practitioners. In fact, this is possible.

As spiritual practitioners, if we like someone, we can take him up with us if that person is willing to go up. We can't force anyone, of course. Compared to the world population, we, the spiritual practitioners, are very few in number. That's why I've said that most people don't want to leave this world because they feel like they have deep roots and branches here. They're just like a deep-rooted tree and can't move at all. They have many so-called feelings of affection, relationships and responsibilities that make them feel very comfortable. If they go to other places, they wouldn't feel at home.

Spiritual practitioners feel more comfortable when they meditate. When they go to a higher world, they feel more at home; however when they're in this world, they don't feel at home. That's why we want to go the higher world, because we don't seem to belong to here. The reason that we've come down here may be because we have some responsibilities and some mission to accomplish. Now when our time is up and our work is done, we just want to go Home.

I don't know how you feel. Sometimes I cry brokenheartedly because I can't stand this world. No matter how much good food you serve me, no matter what beautiful clothes or wonderful car you give me, I don't like any of them. Sometimes I cry for many days because I don't want to stay here. It's not that I dislike your world, but that I don't belong here.

It is just like a child who loves his parents and his hometown. If you keep him in a royal palace, no matter what food and beautiful clothes you give to him every day, and no matter how many soldiers and beautiful girls serve him, he wants to go home to see his mother. He likes only to be in his home. It's not a matter of like or dislike. It's not that I'm disgusted with this world. It's not like that. As for any person, the place that he likes is his home. I'm not saying that this world is no good. If it's good for you, it's good. However, it isn't good for me.

Just like the aliens or ETs, if you ask them to stay, take care of them, give them a lot of medicines and vitamins, let them stay in hotels and serve them delicious food, will they stay? No, they won't! For them, it's more comfortable up there, because they belong there. That's why many people in this world don't want to leave, because they like it here. We can't blame them for that.

Sometimes you do spiritual practice, while your relatives and friends don't. No matter how you talk to them, you can't convince them. So you feel bad. But what for? Let people do whatever they like! If you take them up, they may not be happy. Then why bother? What's the use? So don't ask me why I don't force people to pursue spiritual practice by using magical power or doing other things. What's the use? If you take a farmer's child to a royal palace and wait on him there, he won't like it! He would want to go back to be with the cows, goats and his parents. His happiness is there.

Everything Depends On What We Truly Want

I've told you the story about a person who did his spiritual practice quite well. He often went to the astral world. When he came back and saw some souls of the deceased, he was able to take them up, too. One day he went to the astral world and saw his friend gambling there. His friend gambled in a very dirty, gloomy place permeated with cigarette smoke and surrounded by stinking gutters. He was gambling there with his former gambler friends. For most people, whatever they do here, they'll do similar things after they die. (Master laughs) It's because they like to look for a place that fits their vibration and suits their hobbies and habits. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can't rescue him if he's unwilling to be rescued.

When that person went there, he saw his friend gambling in such a dirty place while he could run around in the beautiful realms. Because of their friendship, he said, "Hey! Don't gamble anymore! Come with me."

Since they were good friends, that person followed him. They went up to a high realm where there was lots of fun, beautiful music, wonderful scenery and flowers, etcetera. That spiritual practitioner kept telling his friend about all the good things there -- the blessing power, the beautiful people, the longevity.

His friend listened and listened, and finally became impatient. His friend said, "Have you finished with your talking?"

He was very surprised and asked, "Why?"

The gambler said, "I want to go back to gamble. I've been away for too long. All my friends are waiting for me there." (Master and all laugh) You can't help at all!

That's why when we teach a person we should start from the root, not just give him some "Hoola, hoola, hoop," some blessings and then take him up there. No! No! No! You've heard that if a person recites "Amitabha Buddha" once or recites "Supreme Master Ching Hai," he'll be liberated. How is it possible? It's because that person wants to be liberated! He knows that he'll be liberated by reciting it. He doesn't expect to get money or get a promotion, nor does he expect to have many children and grandchildren. Only those who really long for liberation will recite it. Since he has such a strong desire, he'll be liberated. (Applause)

When you have a car accident, it's also helpful to recite it, but the help is confined to the accident only. (Master and everyone laugh) Of course it would be helpful for anything. However, if a person recites it only because he wants to be liberated, he'll definitely be liberated, because that's the only thing he wants. It's not that God, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have no blessing power. They can do anything for you. It all depends on what you want.

Sometimes we want only material things. Of course the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas may pity us at times and give what we ask for. Or if They see a person who deserves to be saved, They'll save him. If They are not supposed to save that person, then They won't. They will let him suffer a little and then he'll get rid of a lot of karma, which is good for him. What's the point of saving his physical body but letting him suffer for a long time later in the astral world? What's the good of doing that?¡¹

What if everyday we woke up to find that today is just the carbon copy of yesterday? What if time stopped running and repeated itself again and again like a malfunctioning record player? This is the theme of the movie "Groundhog Day".

Phil was a selfish, narrow-mined, unhappy middle-aged weatherman working for a television station. One day, towards the end of winter, he went to a little town in Pennsylvania to cover an annual event called Groundhog Day. All he wished was to get the job over with, but somehow he got stuck with it, not because an approaching blizzard prevented him from getting home but because the next day when he woke up in the hotel he discovered that it was still Groundhog Day and was exactly the same as the day before. Things took place at precisely the same time, even to the second. What is worse, he was the only one that knew about this; all the other people were totally unaware, living and reliving that day the way they had before.

After a short period of perplexity, he realized what was going on. He understood everything would start all over again tomorrow no matter what he did today. That was when he began to be nasty. He got himself acquainted with the local bank's schedule so that he could steal money and spent it all like crazy. He practiced, again and again, to seduce his female colleague who had never liked him. After all this mischief, however, he got bored, so he began killing himself, in one way after another. But no matter how he ended his life, the next morning when his alarm clock rang, it was still the same Groundhog Day.

Since nothing would be left over except the memory and the skills learnt the previous day, he began to change the way he lived life. He took piano lessons, learnt how to fix a car, and tried to know every resident in town to compensate for his imperfect life. After repeated experiences, he learnt when he should reach out his arms for a boy falling from a tree. He got to know when an old starving wanderer would die and let him have a very good meal before his very last breath. He opened his heart and assisted the whole town. In return, he received people's warmhearted welcome and gratitude. Finally, when he learnt to live the day as perfectly as he could, time started rolling again. Subsequently, a warm holiday, yet a long learning process eventually came to an end.

Although this film is a comedy it is quite thought provoking. It depicts an extreme situation as a way to reexamine an old issue - the human conscience. The writer does not take it for granted that man is born with a heart of gold. Instead, he emphasizes that a meaningful life is based on the choices we make. In a wild, fanciful way the film exposes the fallacy of time because time is indeed a strange thing. We never know how much longer we will live, but the "future" in our imagination always seems like eternity, driving us on and on in an endless circle like a mule working at a mill.

The blind actions of human beings are almost always based on this illusory concept of time. The fulfillment of desire, the procurement of fame, and the pursuit of wealth thus become unquestionable. All their glamour resides in our belief that we can still enjoy things tomorrow. As the film's character was faced with the ephemeral reality that he lived in, he had to admit that these were not what he really wanted.

By default or design, the recurring Groundhog Day existentially parallels the concepts of reincarnation and the Myth of Sisyphus. It suggests that boredom arouses detachment and offers the only chance for wisdom to grow. The concepts of ephemerality and diligence, incompatible as they may seem, are fused together in a most poignant way. Perhaps the issue the writer wanted to raise is whether there any difference between what we go through in our lives and what Phil goes through in Groundhog Day?¡¹

This story is not a fictitious tale. Why is this movie so famous? Because it touches the morality and compassion in people's hearts. Schindler saved more than one thousand Jews from execution. That is why he is still famous even today. Many people loved him. The remaining survivors call him their biggest benefactor whom they will never forget.

Only moral and righteous acts can last forever. Misdeeds are always wrong, no matter how you explain them. It is useless however you try to rationalize them. Within us is our conscience and wisdom that are the supreme judge. If our conscience does not forgive us, it would be useless even if the whole world defended us.¡¹