Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai,
Hsihu Ashram, September 28, 1990 (Originally In Chinese)

This is an Indian story. In a city in India, there was a very honest and benevolent Hindu. The Hindus worship God, and any of Hiers symbols, including stones or so-called God's shadows -- past enlightened Masters. They worship all of them and chant their names the way we chant the names of Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Sakyamuni Buddha. That is how they pray for blessings. Some Hindus are very pious and pure at heart. Although they do not have the power of being omnipresent or omnipotent, any magical powers, anything spectacular, or many disciples, they are pure at heart and live a very comfortable life. They are poor but they live a life of ease are full of faith, and free of worries. Indian people are always laughing; they may be very poor or even have nothing to eat the next day, but still they laugh. Of course, the dying people are too ill to laugh, but we really can't blame them.

One day, two great masters, perhaps Hindu monks or Brahmans, arrived at the city where this Hindu lived. Being a pious believer, he would pay respect to any great master, spiritual practitioner or monk that he knew. When he went out that day, he met one of the masters who lived near his house. Forgetting that he had not brought any gifts, milk or fruit for offering, he prostrated and said, "Oh, great master! Please have mercy and protect my family. You have immense blessing, so please bestow a little on us, and your humble servant would be extremely happy! Allow me to prostrate before you!"

The next day, he bought some fruit as an offering to the master, and took the opportunity to ask, "Master, I heard that another great soul has come and he is staying on the west side." The title they use is Mahatma, which means a great soul, great wisdom, great sage or great master, as in Mahatma Gandhi whom they revere. It simply means a very great person. The Hindu asked, "Master, do you know about that great master living on the west side, the other side of town?" The monk accepted his offerings and said, "Hmm! I know him; he is a bull!" (Master laughs) "Really?" The man was amazed. "So he is a bull! How grateful I am for your guidance. I am such an ignorant person that I am not able to tell a bull from a human. I am really sorry! Thank you very much, master. Now I understand."

He went home and quickly bought some fresh grass (laughter) as an offering to the master on the west side. He laid the grass before the master and prostrated. "Please accept the prostration and modest gift from this humble servant and ignorant being. Will you kindly give protection to my family, and bestow a little wisdom and blessing to your humble servant? I will be extremely grateful to you, master."

As he bowed down, do you know how the face of this master change? (Laughter) It was not a bull's face; it became a horse's face because it was stretched very long. He asked, "What do you mean by making this offering of grass to me? I don't understand!" The Hindu said, "Oh! It is because the master on the east side told me that you are a bull, so I thought you will definitely love fresh grass." (Laughter) The monk exclaimed, "That man is an ass! You go and tell him that he is an ass." (Laughter)

Hearing his words, the man said, "Oh! I see, so he is an ass! Thank you very much for your guidance, and I am sorry for having offended you just now. Being an ignorant being, your humble servant knows nothing, has no knowledge, no aspiration, nothing.... Owing to my ignorance, I didn't realize that you were a great soul. Instead, I thought you were a bull as that master had told me. If you hadn't denied it, an ignorant being like me would never have known the truth." He kept apologizing and then left.

He went to buy some cotton seeds to make an offering to the first master. "Master, will you please accept my humble gift and bestow some protection and blessing on me in return? Your modest servant is truly ignorant and has no blessings at all. I will be grateful if you would give me some blessings and accept my sincere offering." The face of the monk turned green and he didn't looked like an ass, but like gr-ass. (Master plays with the words.) "What do you mean? How can I eat this? I am a human being. Why did you buy this instead of other things?"

The man replied, "How do I know that you are a human? As an ignorant being, I know nothing. Your humble servant has never studied any Vedas or practiced with any enlightened master. I am just an ordinary person, so how can I discern what a great soul like you truly is? Thanks to the guidance of another master, I know that you are an ass. (Master laughs) That was why I quickly went to buy this to make an offering to you. Please pardon my ignorance." The monk was furious. "Take me to see that man; I'll teach him a lesson and show him the way to treat his elder."

When the two monks eventually met, they had a fierce quarrel. Watching on one side, the farmer (the Hindu) was extremely amused to see a bull quarreling with an ass. (Master and everyone laugh)

Because of their ignorance, they didn't realize that they were in fact alike! They behaved that way because they were not enlightened. If they had been enlightened, they would have known that speaking ill of others is speaking ill of ourselves. Instead of talking face to face, they talked behind each other's back, not knowing who the bull was and who the ass was.

The world is really funny! Everyone indulges in these games; no one is serious. They really have nothing to do! You don't have to feel frustrated either. Nothing truly happens in the world; all troubles are self-created. If we could recognize our original nature, we would feel very peaceful and happy within, knowing that nothing is happening. We create everything, just for fun. It is true, and it is real fun!

Transform into a butterfly and see how it feels. For the same reason, some take the form of an ant, a bird, a lion or a tiger. Oh! Everyone is having great fun with the game. Actually it is the same electric current flowing through, only the connecting cables are different. Some are very thick, some are very thin, some very beautiful, some very dark. The color and thickness may vary, but it is the same electricity inside, coming from the same powerhouse. (Applause)

Who Is Who? A Pure Heart Sees Maya As God