| | Spiritual and Intellectual Interchange | | Master (middle) attends a seminar at the Academia Sinica, Taipei. | I Live in Order to Remind People of Their Own Greatness | The Difference Between Perceptions of Religion's Significance | The True Definition of the "Transmission Beyond Teachings" | Humankind Has Only One Religion | The Door of Enlightenment Is Open to All Sentient Beings | Professor Ruaan: This dream has to rely on the Supreme Master to realize it. | | Miraculous Powers Performed Without the Ego | Supreme Master Ching Hai -- Ocean of Love Tour Experience the Divine | | Auckland, New Zealand | Remembering Our Noble Inner Quality | Experiencing the Divine | Sharing Experiences | Sri Lanka | Lighting Our God Nature Within | From God Nature to God Nature in Silence | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Open the Eye of the Soul | Kathmandu, Nepal | Hong Kong | With words of humor and wisdom, Master points us directly to our inner Self and Wisdom. | Manila, the Philippines | Filipino people open their hearts to the Truth. | Formosa | Tens of thousands of people flock to Supreme Master Ching Hai's lecture at the Taoyuan County Stadium. | Tokyo, Japan | Master emphasizes the power of inner concentration. | Seoul, Korea | Master elevates everyone to the True World, which is forever in perfection. | | Believe That You Are Really Great! | | International Six-day Retreat, Youngdong Center, Korea | Sweet Bliss at the Retreat | Master and Disciples Share the Same Ideals | Day Four of the Retreat: Master's Birthday | Heaven and Earth Celebrate An Enlightened Master's Birthday | | Supreme Master Ching Hai, teacher of the Quan Yin Method, visits Korea and delivers an open Lecture, "Experience the Divine" | | About the Quan Yin Method | |
Supreme Master Ching Hai, the Quan Yin Method, and the Chinese in Southeast Asia
(Originally in Chinese)
Caption:
(Left) Mr. Chu Hong-yuan from the Department of Modern History, the Academia Sinica
(Right) Professor Ruaan Jy-sheng of the National Taiwan University
On May 6, 2000 at the fourth seminar in a series of eight panel discussions, "Religions and the Chinese People Worldwide," Supreme Master Ching Hai was invited to speak about the Quan Yin Method and its development in Southeast Asia. The seminar was held at the Academia Sinica, a prestigious national academic research institute in Formosa. The conveners of the seminar were the Southeast Asia Research Project from the Academia Sinica, the Taiwan Religious Institute, the Central Broadcasting Corporation, the Overseas Chinese Research Group of the Contemporary History Research Faculty from the Academia Sinica, and the Chinese Interdisciplinary Association. Numerous professors, research fellows, media professionals, and elite personnel from many fields participated in the discussion.
This seminar on the Quan Yin Method (presented below) was also broadcast locally to the public on May 20 by the Central Broadcasting Corporation. In addition, the discussion was available worldwide simultaneously on the Central Broadcasting Corporation's web site at www.cbs.org.tw.
Chairman (Mr. Chu Hong-yuan from the Department of Modern History, the Academia Sinica): Good day to you, Supreme Master Ching Hai, Professor Ruaan Jy-sheng of National Taiwan University, and friends from the academic and public sectors. It is not often that the Academia Sinica has an opportunity, as it does today, to comprehensively explore a topic from both the religious and academic perspectives.
I am the convener of the Overseas Chinese Research Group of the Institute of Modern History of the Academia Sinica. Our group has been sponsoring a series of lectures over the past few years. Beginning this year, we have, at the recommendation and with the support of Director Lin Mei-rong of the Taiwan Religious Institute, incorporated religious perspectives into our research on the Chinese in Southeast Asia. Thus, we have invited an important religious leader to this seminar at the Academia Sinica today. This is the fourth in a series of eight lectures. The first three lectures were on Islam, Christianity, and I-kuan Tao. The topic today is a very special one, namely, the Quan Yin Method, a new path led and taught by Supreme Master Ching Hai. Let us learn more about this new spiritual dimension and its tremendous impact on Chinese people around the world.
We are coordinating the Chinese project with the Southeast Asian research project, also conducted by the Academia Sinica. This combined effort is proceeding under the guidance of Professor Hsiao Hsing-huang. Professor Hsiao has demonstrated his support for this activity by contributing an honorarium for each lecture. It is not much; nonetheless, it indicates his moral support for this academic study. We will be presenting this honorarium to Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her lecture. (Note: Master immediately contributed the honorarium back to the convener.) In addition, our overseas Chinese research group, which is now conducting studies on the Chinese in Southeast Asia, has prepared a token fee for Professor Ruaan, who will be serving as commentator today. But this is not important. More important is the cooperation evidenced in this event between the different institutes of the Academia Sinica working together on comprehensive research topics.
We are especially delighted to have representatives from two organizations with us today. We have the Central Broadcasting Corporation, represented by Mr. Wen. Mr. Wen is the producer of the radio program "The Overseas Chinese Community on the Air," which is broadcast to listeners worldwide. Today's lecture will be simulcast on his program to overseas audiences, and so he will record the entire lecture today.
We would also like to thank the Chinese Interdisciplinary Association for being with us today. Since its establishment 19 years ago, the association has launched a series of interdisciplinary activities with the support of university professors around Formosa. Nearly two hundred individuals with doctoral degrees are currently working with the Association to promote various interdisciplinary events. Research on religions, as well as Southeast Asian Chinese activities, is a highly interdisciplinary subject. Thus, we are delighted that the Chinese Interdisciplinary Association is participating in this seminar. We also have several other important leaders in our audience today. Of course, our greatest appreciation goes to the Academia Sinica for its attention to the lecture series, especially this fourth seminar featuring Supreme Master Ching Hai. Certain newspaper reports have raised concerns, and perhaps some tiny misunderstandings. Professor Yang Kuo-shu, Vice President of the Academia Sinica, as well as several other important administrative officials of the Sinica, have called me several times to discuss this matter. I would like to express my immense gratitude to them for surmounting all obstacles and accepting an activity of this nature.
Since this is basically an academic activity, we must first request that we remain in academic discourse. Supreme Master Ching Hai has traveled to many places, and I have asked that She begin Her lecture by discussing the Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Then, She can elaborate on the development of Her organization, as well as related developments of both past and present. Of course, it is inevitable that Her spiritual teachings will be mentioned, but we hope that the Master will focus Her talk on the Chinese in Southeast Asia. In other words, we hope that She will refrain from discussing any doctrines or activities involved in sharing the Truth, related difficulties, and future prospects in regions outside Southeast Asia, and save these topics for a future time.
Today's seminar will be conducted in two sessions, each lasting approximately one hour. I think that this is a precious opportunity, one that none of you has ever had anywhere in the world, even at the Taoyuan County Stadium (Master's lecture venue the previous day). So, please try to be concise and keep your discussion within the scope of Southeast Asian Chinese academic research. We hope to gather relevant information on this topic with you serving as our witnesses. Time is precious.
Now that I have completed my basic introduction, let us respectfully invite Supreme Master Ching Hai (referred to hereafter as SMCH ) to speak on the Quan Yin Method and the Chinese people in Southeast Asia.
SMCH: Thank you! Thank you very much! Since I am here at your invitation, let me proceed immediately without being too courteous, so we won't waste any time. Thank you for your trust and for giving me this honor. I have always felt that Formosa is my home, so my return this time does not seem like anything special. I haven't visited Formosa for a long time because I've been very busy abroad.
I delivered a lecture yesterday and you probably were there, and so have some reference. However, since I have promised to deliver this special talk today, I will abide by the guidelines set by our chairman and confine my talk to today's topic. Should I make a slip, please help me make amends.
Perhaps most of you are aware of our presence here, because we have created quite a sensation in Formosa. I mean that the government and the media have helped us become very famous. [Laughter] Although there are misunderstandings, these are nonetheless part of God's arrangement. Hes does things in Hiers own way. Sometimes, Hes lets people praise you a lot to make you famous; at other times, Hes lets people misunderstand you, and that too makes you famous. The second way is not so enjoyable and we don't like it that much. However, Jesus Christ, for example, was misunderstood by many people and subjected to immense suffering, yet He is worshipped throughout the world today. Shakyamuni Buddha was framed and misunderstood by many people during His lifetime; however, the whole world worships Him today. If these two great Masters had to endure suffering and wrongful accusations, this little bit of suffering should not matter to ordinary people like us. It cleanses our karma. In our group, we are grateful to those who insult or rebuke us, because they cleanse our karma for us. It is inevitable that we will, at some time in our lives, do something that does not appeal to everyone, and that causes misunderstanding among people. When people speak ill of us, it means that our karma is cleansed; we become more prosperous, and will be rewarded after our death.
The Beginning
Now I will talk about our development activities. Although we have contact Centers in many countries and places, we have more brothers and sisters in Southeast Asia than anywhere else in the world. By "brothers and sisters," I am referring to our fellow practitioners. That's what we call each other because we practice a common Method.
Initially, I didn't know anyone in Formosa, but now everyone treats me like a Formosan. I am really honored. Yesterday, I felt as if I had come home. When I'm overseas, people introduce me as someone from Formosa. When we render relief aid to other places, they refer to us as a Formosan group. Therefore, I am just going to stay on here as a Formosan. Even when I am not here physically, my heart and soul will be here. This is something that we cannot change; perhaps I was born here in a previous life. Some people have, during meditation, seen me eating sweet potato leaves in Formosa in a previous life. We share a deep affinity with each other.
Although I didn't know a single soul when I first arrived here many years ago, I was greatly impressed by the warm hospitality that the Formosan people immediately extended toward me. I was ordained here, so I followed the traditional customs. I abided by the rules and disciplined myself. It was just like taking driving lessons and following the words of the instructor. There is a supervisor by our side while we drive strictly and very rigidly according to his instructions. Once we know how to drive, we don't need an instructor anymore; we have become so familiar with the rules that we can drive smoothly and naturally.
The people here took very good care of me when I first came. The temples welcomed me and treated me well. They gave me money when I was in need. I was penniless at the time, but now I am earning some money. Once, I was on a retreat in a temple when, at midnight, about a dozen people came knocking at my door. I was bewildered to see them at that hour. They came in and revealed that the Quan Yin Bodhisattva had asked them to seek me out and learn something from me. I knew few people then, and was on a retreat. I was surprised that those people knew about me, but they said it was the Quan Yin Bodhisattva who had tipped them off. I wasn't ready to teach people, but started to do so because of their intense sincerity.
I am not a Formosan citizen, so I then went to the United States, where I stayed for more than a year. There again, people came to me, claiming that God had told them to come to me at a particular temple. As a result, I established bonds of affinity with the Americans as well. Initially, I shared ties of affinity with the Chinese only, but had to leave Formosa when my visa expired, whereupon I went to the United States. I couldn't, and still can't, stay permanently in Formosa.
After I had developed bonds of affinity with the Americans, the Formosan people asked me to return because they really loved me. I agreed and stayed here for quite some time, which was why our group was able to grow and expand in Formosa. This is a natural affinity. I began to shuttle between Formosa and the United States, and also traveled to other countries later.
I have affinity with the Chinese people. In Southeast Asia, where there are Chinese populations, the news spread by word of mouth. We had not issued any printed or audiovisual publications back then. I was invited to Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. Before we extended our reach overseas to America, our group was concentrated mainly in Southeast Asia, especially in areas sharing relations with Formosa and the Chinese people. In Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, which we have just mentioned, our group members were mainly confined to the Chinese people living there. The people there are mostly of Chinese descent and can speak Mandarin or Chinese dialects like Fukienese or Hakka. Also, one dialect in Thailand is identical to a Chinese dialect. People have discovered that the northern Thai language is exactly the same as a dialect spoken in one area in China's Yunan Province. These two peoples can communicate with each other. This proves that we Chinese once lived in Thailand. Singaporeans also speak Chinese.
When I first came to Formosa, the only Chinese words I could speak were "Is your mother well?" [This is a mistake that foreigners often make when they say the Chinese characters for "How are you?" in an incorrect sequence.] [Laughter] I didn't really understand the language. When senior practitioners in temples chanted the name "Amitabha," it sounded like "Ami-tofu" to me. I was astounded to hear them repeat the word "tofu" all day long.
However, I quickly mastered the language because I like the Chinese people very much. They treated me very well, just like a sister. Perhaps it was due to affinities made in previous lives. We could communicate perfectly despite the language barrier. But I was forced to learn some Chinese as I stayed on in Formosa, and I still remember some of it. I haven't forgotten it completely during my stay overseas. However, sometimes my tongue is tied because I have not spoken Chinese for a long time. I am most fluent in English; I even have difficulty speaking my own mother tongue, the Aulacese language. It's been so long since I last spoke in Aulacese that I have almost forgotten it.
Development in Southeast Asia
As our group continued to grow, later on Centers were established throughout Formosa, and people volunteered to be contact persons. In this way, we set up many bases, and expanded to other countries, especially in Southeast Asia. Since the chairman has asked me to talk only about Southeast Asia, I will do just that and ignore the other areas. We have numerous liaison points in Southeast Asian and other Asian countries.
As more and more people learned about us, and as our contact Centers grew in number, an increasingly large number of people asked to see me in person. Since I could not be physically present everywhere, we began to produce video and audio tapes so we could reach more people. Then, we printed sample booklets for people who could not come to us. Later, we also issued News magazines. That was how our group developed in a natural way.
Caption:
Master used to live in a tent.
Our contact Centers are not fancy or grand by any means. They are mostly located in ordinary buildings; some are makeshift structures built with thin metal sheets. They do not look in the least bit majestic. We haven't built, and give little thought to building big, grand temples. However, when our fellow practitioners find the contact Centers too shabby, they try to do what they can to make them look better. We used to live in tents; I still have a tent up on Mount Yangming. When I am back in Formosa and if I can afford the time, I go and stay there for a while. We have no plans to build anything for ourselves. Sometimes, however, it is set up naturally.
Chairman: Supreme Master, let me ask You a question. All of us have a complete set of information prepared by Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association. As we listen to Master, let us turn to page 20 on "Activities in Malaysia". Please tell us something about Malaysia, where most of the people are Islamic. How did You succeed in promoting Your activities, in sharing Your Method there, when so many other people couldn't? Can You please elaborate on that?
Caption:
Lecture in Malaysia, 1993.
SMCH: Most of the Chinese are rather traditional by nature. The Quan Yin Method makes no distinction between religions, nor does it mandate that people should remove their veils or worship at temples. We have already explained that the Quan Yin Method is a path that will lead us to our God Nature and heavenly Kingdom within. It does not matter what religion you follow.
Our fellow practitioners from different religions meditate together while dressed in different attire. The Muslims wear their Islamic clothes; the Buddhist monks sometimes wear their monastic robes. Even monks from different countries are dressed differently. Some of them are from the Hinayana school, while some are from the Mahayana school; some are from China and some are from Korea. They dress differently and are accustomed to a wide variety of fashions. They gather together and meditate without discussing any religious issues.
When they attain self-realization, they become better Muslims, Buddhists, or Christians. They are so full of love and joy that their traditional appearance does not affect us. Of course, as the chairman knows, Malaysia and certain other Muslim countries, being stricter than Formosa, impose some restrictions on the people, but their governments do not interfere with us. They are quite liberal. It is all right if the Muslims join us on their own initiative. We have never gone knocking on their doors or taken other actions. They come by themselves. At that time, we had a note on our lecture flyers, "Muslims are not encouraged to come." [Laughter]
Chairman: We all know that there were anti-Chinese sentiments in Indonesia.
SMCH: That was in the past.
Chairman: Right! Yet You were allowed to deliver a lecture there in 1992. This is on page 21 of the information sheets provided by the SMCH International Association. In March 1992, the Indonesian government permitted Supreme Master Ching Hai to give a lecture, conducted in a question and answer format, in its country. Can You tell us about it? In 1992, since anti-Chinese sentiments were running high, Chinese literature was not allowed.
Caption:
In 1993, Master delivers a lecture in Indonesia. The local media report prominently on Master.
SMCH: That is true.
Chairman: I visited Indonesia around that time, too, but Chinese books were banned then. How did You manage to deliver a discourse there?
SMCH: I spoke in English. However, thank you for reminding me. I had completely forgotten about the things that you just mentioned. It seems like a remote story to me. [Master laughs]
Chairman: Right! But we research associates of the Institute of Modern History love to listen to stories. Could You please elaborate for us?
SMCH: All right, but it was too long ago. When I finish a lecture, I forget about it. Ask me what I talked about yesterday, and I can't remember a thing. Let me take a look. Maybe it will bring back some memories.
Chairman: Let us listen to Supreme Master.
SMCH: The Chinese expatriates in Indonesia were miserable at the time. I cried when I heard their tragic stories. However, good will be rewarded with good. As time goes by, the arrangements will be revealed. You can see that the Chinese people there are much better off today. God has Hiers arrangements. When people misunderstand or abuse us, we should learn from the example of endurance and toleration of humiliation set by the Chinese, and we will realize that God does take good care of us. Sooner or later, Hes will fix it for us.
Back then, the Chinese people could not study Chinese. They could not even speak their own mother tongue in public; they had to speak in English or Indonesian. However, they could speak Chinese at home. When one of our well-to-do fellow practitioners invited me to his home, all of us just squeezed into his house. It was huge and had many rooms; we were in a room that was as big as this one. There, we could speak in Chinese. I gave my public lectures in English, though. I could not violate the law. Since I was allowed into Indonesia, I had to cooperate, and everything proceeded smoothly.
Chairman: Let me ask You about Your trip to Thailand. Please refer to page 21 again. In 1994, You met Princess Sirindhorn at the Thai Imperial Palace. Can You tell us about that?
SMCH: That was after our lecture. The royal family knew and apparently had approached our fellow practitioners about it. I don't know too much about the background story. I was there on their invitation. In most cases, our fellow practitioners make the arrangements for me. When they inform me about the invitations they have received on my behalf, I accept them when time permits. It seemed that Thailand had just suffered some kind of disaster at the time, and we had contributed some relief aid and provisions.
Caption:
Lecture in Thailand, 1993.
Chairman: Quilts and woolen coats.
SMCH: That is right. We did that on a number of occasions, not only that one time. Perhaps the royal family had learned about our contributions and wanted to meet us. It was quite an honor. We presented some gifts to the Princess. But when they arranged for a second visit, I said "Sorry" to them because I did not have time. I was busy with other matters. Members of the Thai royal family are very humble and cordial. The Princess is very pure; you will surely like her when you see her. She does not act pretentiously. She does whatever has to be done, and wears no makeup. The people love her dearly, and so do I. But I didn't have time later.
Caption:
In 1996, upon learning that the cold in northern Thailand freezes some
people to death each year, Master personally leads volunteers in distributing
daily necessities to the needy in the area.
Chairman: Please turn to page 22, about the activities in Thailand in 1999.
SMCH: That was in Thailand. We have many activities there.
Chairman: You have many activities in Thailand. The information here covers a World Vegetarian Congress held in Chiang Mai. Can You tell us about Your Centers in Thailand?
SMCH: Well, we have many.
Chairman: Do You have Centers in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Bangkok, and other places?
SMCH: Yes, we have Centers in Hatyai, Khon Kaen, and Bangkok, but I can't remember the names very well. Our fellow practitioners know better than I do. I only travel around; I don't remember much. Sometimes I work so fast that I forget the time. I have to call my fellow practitioners to ask them the date, what time to do what, and if we are leaving for Japan or staying in Formosa today. Sometimes, I am very busy, having to pack my own luggage. It can be exhausting traveling alone, but I would draw too much attention if I were to travel with a crowd. I prefer to travel silently, but I have so many matters to attend to, that I sometimes become forgetful. However, I know that we have Centers in Khon Kaen, Hatyai, Chiang Mai and Bangkok; I don't remember the others. We have a large number of fellow practitioners in Thailand. Some of them speak Thai and some speak Chinese. Their translation is not bad. When I first went to Thailand, some of the Chinese people could not speak their own language, but they soon learned after listening to my audio tapes. I joked about charging them a tuition fee! The people there are very nice and benevolent; they have great respect for spiritual practitioners. Once they notice that you are a spiritual practitioner, they kneel before you and offer you flowers. They are a very humble people.
Caption:
Singapore lecture, 1993.
Chairman: Now, let us go on to Singapore. You were there as early as 1991. It seems that there were some Aulacese refugees in Singapore at the time.
SMCH: Several hundred of them.
Chairman: What was the situation back in April 1991?
SMCH: I visited the refugees and bought something for them while I was there, but the main purpose of my visit was to deliver a lecture. There were lots of people and the lecture venue was packed until there was no space to walk. Many people sat in the passageways or on the staircase. It was the same yesterday. We had even more people and it was really crowded. (Master is referring here to Her lecture at Formosa's Taoyuan County Stadium on May 5.) Things in Singapore went pretty smoothly. The Singaporean government is very open-minded and the local people, being spiritually advanced, accepted us immediately. Their country is very clean and the people are law-abiding. If you spit chewing gum on the street, you will be fined US$500. The people are able to maintain a steady spiritual practice; once they start, they continue. You just tell them and they understand immediately. The people of Singapore develop their wisdom really well. And I am very delighted about that!
Chairman: What is the most important method that they understand? What is the vital point?
SMCH: I just talk to them casually. [Laughter]
Chairman: But it doesn't work when I talk casually!
SMCH: They are rather intelligent! [Laughter]
Chairman: All right, let us talk about the Philippines. In April 1991, You were in the Philippines to help the Aulacese asylum-seekers. Why do You use the word "Au Lac" instead of "Vietnam"? This is the first question. The second question is, why did Manila present You with the City Key and confer upon You honorary citizenship?
Caption:
Master being interviewed by various members of the media in the Philippines,
1994
SMCH: I have no idea. They did it as soon as I arrived because someone had told them who I was and why I was there. The mayor of Manila invited us and gave us the key. I thought that the key was beautiful, so I kept it as a souvenir, but it cannot open any doors. [Laughter] I felt great receiving a key for the first time in my life. I didn't have a home then; I was living in a tent, yet I had a key. I wrapped it nicely in a pouch. Later, I lost the thrill as I received many more keys. I put them side-by-side, just for looks. I received several keys in the United States. I can give you one if you want. [Laugher]
Chairman: It is only good if the local government gives it to me. From You, maybe it's also okay!
SMCH: We can share it.
Chairman: Now, let's go on to that part about the Aulacese refugees. Please talk more about it, since You are from Au Lac. We will discuss Au Lac in greater detail later.
SMCH: At that time, I was negotiating for the Aulacese refugees with the Philippine government to help and offer asylum to them. The country eventually offered asylum to the 5,000 refugees who were still in the Philippines. The local people are very kindhearted and generous, even though their country is poor. Therefore, I paid them a visit a couple of days ago to express our gratitude.
Caption:
In 1992, Master meets with Mrs. Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines, to discuss the Aulacese refugees' stay.
In 1992, Master meets with Ms. Imelda Marcos of the Philippines.
"Au Lac" is the ancient name of Vietnam. It means "happiness." I use this name because I feel that it brings good luck to the people. I love names that sound good. Being a designer, I love beautiful things, including beautiful names. That is why I prefer to use the name "Formosa" instead of "Taiwan". You can see that we have used this name in the information sheets in your hands. We call this island Formosa, not Taiwan, though we sometimes forget.
Chairman: Au Lac was hit by floods, and two million people were affected. How much did You contribute to their aid? Where did this money come from? This issue of basic necessities is very important, so I have to be blunt.
SMCH: I don't quite remember because it was so long ago. It isn't that I don't want to talk about it, but I have lost count of how many countries we have provided aid to, and the amount of relief provisions we have given. Does anyone remember the amount? I don't.
Chairman: What I mean is, did You raise funds for the contribution?
SMCH: You are asking where the money came from?
Chairman: Exactly!
SMCH: Well, we got it from the bank. [Laughter] We had to; it would be very dangerous to keep such a large sum of money at home. [Laughter] We work to earn most of our money. I design clothes and other things. I designed a variety of clothes then. Now I design more expensive clothes. I also designed some minor things at that time, or we wove hats and other things for sale. Being spiritual practitioners, we ate only one or two vegetarian meals a day. Life was simple. We lived in tents and didn't have many clothes, just two or three sets. Therefore, we saved most of the money we earned and then used it to help the refugees. We also had fellow practitioners who volunteered to deliver the funds. We do not directly accept contributions from fellow practitioners. If they want to contribute, they send it directly to the affected countries. Our Formosan fellow practitioners have provided financial contributions to the Philippines, and many other countries and places. And Formosa is now well-known for its disaster relief. We are regarded as a Formosan group worldwide.
Chairman: Perhaps the SMCH International Association can tell us more about how the funds were raised and how they were used. This is a very important question. However, we can raise this matter when we open the floor to discussion, since some important leaders of the Association might be present. Let us continue, as time is precious. We still have Cambodia to cover. Can You tell us about Cambodia?
Caption:
In 1996, Master meets with H.M. King Sihanouk of Cambodia.
SMCH: The whole country knows about it. Contributions came from the whole country, not just our group. Everyone contributed a little, and we sent whatever we collected to Cambodia. How much we sent, I have forgotten. Really, I forget very quickly; however, I think it was a lot, about 6,000 tons of rice. You can find that information in the newspapers. We sent the relief provisions to Cambodia because it had been in bad shape for a long time. People were starving, and crops were not growing. Now they have no problem. They saved some of the rice that we contributed to plant. Later, their Prime Minister reported to me: "Master, we planted many rice paddies from the rice that You contributed, and the yield is increasing all the time." The assistance we provided serves not only at that moment, but future generations as well. The children and the elderly are now sufficiently clothed and fed. They are very grateful to the Formosans-- fellow practitioners and otherwise, for their aid.
Chairman: The last two questions are about Cambodia. Under item six is the 1996 retreat. Could You please explain this retreat and give us a brief introduction?
SMCH: Each year, we reserve some time to sit down quietly to introspect on ourselves, since God dwells within us, and to strengthen our inner realization. This is the purpose of a retreat. We put down everything for a few days -- three, five, or seven days, depending on the situation. During that time, we concentrate entirely on our God Nature, or the God within us. This is called a retreat. We have retreats every year in different countries. The last one was in Thailand; next week, we will have another one in Korea. We do this for ourselves and for world peace. When we get together, the power is stronger and it is more convenient to pray. This is what a retreat is for.
Chairman: I think approximately thirty-five minutes have passed. In this first session, I asked Supreme Master Ching Hai some simple questions regarding the activities of the Chinese people in Southeast Asia. Professor Ruaan Jy-sheng of National Taiwan University will now give us his comments. [Applause]
Comments from a Scholar
Professor Ruaan: I am as excited as every one of you to have Supreme Master Ching Hai with us. I don't think many people, including the conveners, expected Supreme Master Ching Hai to grace us with Her presence today. I, myself, feel especially honored. The comments that I am about to make will be directly related to the theme of our seminar -- Supreme Master Ching Hai, the Quan Yin Method, and the Chinese in Southeast Asia. The theme has two parts, one being about Southeast Asia. We have a number of experts and scholars sitting among us. Our chairman, Professor Chu, is an expert in the study of the overseas Chinese, especially the Chinese communities and religions in Indonesia. He has published several articles in this area. We also have with us scholars from the Taiwan Religion Institute and the Southeast Asia Research Project, who are more competent speakers than I am on the subject of the Chinese in Southeast Asia. Therefore, I will comment mainly on Supreme Master Ching Hai and the Quan Yin Method. I read the material provided by the SMCH International Association before the seminar and have just listened to a speech by Supreme Master. I get the impression that the Quan Yin Method and its leader are very special; maybe we could say that they are of a "different variety". They are really unique. My general observations tell me that the actions and speech of this leader often shatter boundaries and rules, as they do not conform to the social codes we are familiar with. She is very uncommon and above normal etiquette. For this reason, it is very difficult for people to understand and categorize Her according to existing concepts and habitual rules. In the eyes of worldly people, Supreme Master Ching Hai is very different than other religious leaders. Supreme Master Ching Hai is an Asian lady of Aulacese origin. She has given lectures in Chinese, English, Aulacese, and even German and French on the Earth's five continents. She is well-versed in all the major religious scriptures and can easily expound profound doctrines in simple words of common usage.
The Supreme Master gives initiation to Truth-aspirants of any ethnic group or religious background, without demanding that they give up their original faith. She imparts a supra-worldly method of liberation, but is also very concerned about worldly suffering, conducting disaster relief and charitable activities when the need arises. She teaches the Quan Yin Method, a simple and apparently novel method, which She claims is the most ancient and a magnificient one. Her disciples are required to strictly observe the Five Precepts and a lifelong vegetarian diet, and to meditate for two and a half hours each day. They are also encouraged to practice the middle way, to refrain from going to extremes, and to pursue a life of Truth, virtue, and beauty. However, while She gives lectures on the Truth, She also writes poems, composes songs, plays musical instruments, recites poems, sings songs, paints, cooks vegetarian cuisine, and has compiled vegetarian cookbooks.
SMCH: This is very important to the Chinese!
Professor Ruaan: She is also a fashion and jewelry designer. She has held art exhibitions, fashion shows, and musical events in several of the world's major cities. People have difficulty detecting Her spiritual traits, and are even skeptical about Her being a spiritual practitioner. [Laughter] She offers financial assistance and dedicates Her endeavors to helping the world's most needy people, in both material and spiritual aspects. She does not build temples or churches, nor does She accept offerings. Disciples everywhere would love Her to stay with them as long as possible, but She prefers to wander around the globe without a fixed abode, not willing to settle down in any one place. With Her intense compassion for humankind, She helps people with all Her heart and effort, but occasionally reprimands them out of Her profound love for them. She has been called "the Master who reprimands people." At a time when people are pessimistic about the last stage of the Dharma, or trembling with fear about a coming doomsday, She speaks with high spirits of stepping into a new, golden age. Although it is said that She attained ultimate enlightenment deep in the Himalayas, She convinces people that it is not necessary to practice asceticism in the mountains after receiving initiation, because it is possible to attain enlightenment by practicing at home. She has the power to attract thousands of disciples and have them fly around the globe to attend international retreats. [Laughter]
SMCH: It sounds like we have supernatural power!
Professor Ruaan: This is even more impressive than those who travel island-wide on Formosa. [Laughter]
SMCH: Professor, we do practice supernatural powers!
Professor Ruaan: Their gatherings are attended by thousands of people. Very often She has to meet political leaders in different countries while conducting charitable or relief work. However, She claims that She is naturally shy, and loves to live a free, easy, and simple life. Depending on the occasion and the country She is in, She wears imaginative self-designed clothes or the traditional attire of the different countries She visits. She appears in different styles and forms, like a woman with a thousand looks. It is for this very reason that She often causes misunderstanding among people and is a target of criticism. Nevertheless, She continues to act in Her own way, enduring it all in silence and playing Her role. She claims that the Method She teaches is the most ancient one, while She gives people a very modern impression. She even expects Her disciples to become modern spiritual practitioners. All these unique, transcendental and uncommon things that She does broaden the views of the people and puzzle them as well. We can understand the puzzlement and doubts of worldly people, but we cannot deny that She teaches people to perform good deeds and elevate themselves in both material and spiritual aspects. We cannot find a negative trait in Her. We might say that for the general public, religious researchers, and spiritual practitioners, Supreme Master Ching Hai and the Quan Yin Method offer a new message and a new choice. This is a profitable matter, no matter what.
SMCH: Thank you.
Professor Ruaan: An open and pluralistic society welcomes all kinds of harmless new things. I think Supreme Master Ching Hai has brought to us a brand new sensation! And Her many unique contributions have provided more free choices for society, making our social culture richer and more colorful. Finally, I would like to thank Supreme Master Ching Hai. May God be with You! Let us ask Supreme Master to say a few good words to God for Formosa, for the people on Formosa and the Chinese mainland, and for humankind. [Applause] To continue, I would like to ask a few questions. The first one relates to the religious nature and definition. This question has three parts. Part one: Both the general public and religious researchers regard the Quan Yin Method as a new religion. The Convener also referred to Your group as the Ching Hai religious group. Is the Quan Yin Method a religion? This is the first part of the question.
All Religions Originated from the Quan Yin Method
SMCH: The Quan Yin Method is not a religion. However, all religions originated from the Quan Yin Method. There are already too many religions in the world; I don't want to add another one to the list. I had no such intention in the first place; otherwise I would have done it long ago. It would be nice to hear people call you the "founder of a religion", [Laughter] but by practicing the Quan Yin Method, we are restoring our Original Self. Religions usually discuss the experiences of ancient people. Take Jesus Christ, for instance. The focus is on the abilities or supernatural powers He attained through spiritual practice, how He reunified Himself with God, what His disciples achieved through spiritual practice, and how they finally reunified themselves with God. In the case of Shakyamuni Buddha, the focus is on what He achieved through spiritual practice, how He became a Buddha (Enlightened Master), and how His disciples practiced and became Buddhas in the same way. Today, our Quan Yin Method teaches us to walk the same path. Therefore, all religions originated from the Quan Yin Method. People call it "Christianity" because Jesus Christ came; people call it "Buddhism" because the Buddha came. This is how so many religions came into existence. I beg you not to call us the Ching Hai religion after I die! [Laughter]
Professor Ruaan: The general public and religious scholars refer to Your group as the Quan Yin Method or the Ching Hai religious group. Would You accept the name "Ching Hai religious group"?
SMCH: Of course, you have the right to call us any name you like. However, since we feel that we are simply a group devoted only to knowing our Real Self, we don't want to create another religion. We worry that it might have an impact or create more religious controversies. We only want to know our God Nature, our best quality within, so we don't think there is any need to give ourselves a label. However, it is all right for you to call us the Ching Hai religion. We won't print it on our name cards, though!
Professor Ruaan: The second part of my question is related to the fact that You have said You don't belong to any religion.
SMCH: That's right.
Professor Ruaan: Then what is the relationship between the Quan Yin Method and other religions? I am not sure whether You have already answered this in the first part of the question, or would You like to elaborate further?
SMCH: Let me elaborate. I have explained that there was no religion to begin with. Before the Buddha came, there was no Buddhism; before Jesus Christ came, there was no Christianity; before Mohammed came, there was no Islam. All enlightened persons are here to act through God's will and impart this method of liberation to those people who are ready to go Home. After the Masters and their disciples died, people in later generations knew very little of the Masters' teachings, and so the lineages were broken. People worshipped statues and oral teachings without the power of heart-to-heart transmission. Then, slowly, religions were formed. However, the Quan Yin Method is the most ancient and the only path back Home. You have only one path that leads you Home. That is how it is.
Professor Ruaan: Now comes the third part of the question. We have heard of the transmission of the Quan Yin Method in Formosa and abroad. Is there a difference between these other Quan Yin methods and the Quan Yin Method imparted by You? I raise this point because the theme of the seminar is "Supreme Master Ching Hai, the Quan Yin Method..."
The Quan Yin Method is a path that will lead us to our God Nature and heavenly Kingdom within.
SMCH: It was other people who named it that way. When we practice the Quan Yin Method, we listen inwardly to our Self Nature; that is, we contemplate the inner Sound current, our original Nature and our God Nature. If another group is teaching the same thing, then they are also teaching the Quan Yin Method, except that they may call it by another name, like the "Sound Stream," "The Inner Voice of God," or "The Word." If they can let us hear our God Nature within, our heavenly Kingdom within, and see the inner Light, then their methods are the same as ours.
Professor Ruaan: The next question is related to Your organization. According to our knowledge, whether it is ancient Catholicism or the newly established I-kuan Tao, each religion has a huge church and organization, a tight hierarchy, and titles for each rank. For instance, in Catholicism, we have cardinals, archbishops, bishops and pastors between the Pope and the priests. In I-kuan Tao, we have the patriarch, matriarch, chief priests, initiate masters, altar masters, and introduction masters. With their massive organization and well-organized hierarchy, these religions can mobilize their members quickly and efficiently. However, this can also easily give rise to a bureaucracy. That is what usually happens. The Quan Yin Method is presently practiced by disciples on the world's five continents. I am not sure of the exact figure, but there must be at least several hundred thousand of them, and I believe the number will continue to grow in the future. From our observations and the information I have gathered from the written material, there is only one formal title -- the Quan Yin messenger -- between You, the Master, and the disciples in Your group. The Quan Yin Method group does not seem to be highly organized. However, is it possible for an organization like Yours that is not tightly organized to mobilize its members when engaging in Truth-sharing on a large scale? And can this last long? At present, the answer seems to be positive, because You hold huge congregations. I think this is due to the personal charisma of the leader, but can this continue for a long time? Can You share with us Your views and thoughts?
SMCH: Thank you very much. Your question is very clear. You have missed nothing. Perhaps you are very enlightened. The point is that we don't believe in hierarchical organization and bureaucratic positions. Quan Yin messenger is a casual title to let people understand that this person is authorized to give them verbal instructions regarding the Quan Yin Method. However, the real transmission within is conducted in total silence, from God, from within, from heart to heart. It is not conducted by the Quan Yin messenger, who is there only to relate the verbal instructions. That is why he or she is called a "messenger."
We don't like pompous titles very much. I alone have already endured the title of "Supreme Master" too much. I don't want others to be targets of criticism as well. We emphasize humility and self-practice, without any desire for positions. Although we have many members working in our group, you seldom see them publicly given credit. The working groups, such as the video team, have done much work, but specific names are never mentioned. Many people are engaged in printing sample booklets and scriptures, but no acknowledgement is given to them. Sometimes the names are listed, but only when required by the law of a particular country. It is better to keep a low profile. However, the names have to be disclosed if it is really necessary for others to know. They are disclosed when we have no other choice, but the people involved are not interested in gaining a titled position. They are aware of their own greatness within without having to announce it.
Professor Ruaan: So, if there is any pressure, Supreme Master will shoulder it alone.
SMCH: It is better that way, so that everyone else can be free and easy.
Professor Ruaan: My questions end here. Professor Chu.
Chairman: That was excellent. Let us thank Professor Ruaan for his brilliant commentary and questions, and also Supreme Master for Her incisive answers. Let us perhaps change the agenda a little bit. I am sure that all those present are very interested in expressing their views, asking Supreme Master some questions, or consulting our commentator. Shall we now open the floor to questions? All right, this lady!
Q: This is a follow-up to the question that our chairman asked earlier. Supreme Master Ching Hai has emphasized that She does not accept offerings. However, She has performed many charitable deeds around the world, which could not have been accomplished with a small amount of money. She just mentioned that She wove hats and designed clothes. Are these items sold only to disciples or to the public? Are the proceeds from these sales enough to help so many asylum-seekers, or victims of floods in America, and natural calamities in Southeast Asia? Can You further explain Your financial source?
SMCH: I don't accept any offerings. However, if a disaster occurs and our disciples want to send contributions or relief provisions to the victims, they can pool theirs with ours in a package or in bulk quantities. That way, all of us, including the disciples, contribute together.
Relief Work for the 9/21/99 Earthquake in Formosa
Reporter: Excuse me, but I would like to follow up on this question. We are aware that in the past, You have provided aid to many places and demonstrated compassion to many people. However, we didn't see You in areas hit by the September 21, 1999, earthquake. Could You please tell us whether You participated in the disaster relief work or provided assistance in any way?
SMCH: As soon as I saw the news on TV in the United States, I tried to call but couldn't contact the liaison practitioners, as their lines were busy. It was very difficult to get through on the phone at that time. Finally, I managed to get through to a Brother Lin, who is not a liaison practitioner. I asked him to quickly mobilize everyone and provide all the financial and material assistance they could afford. Our group was in every place that needed help and was already in the disaster-stricken areas on the very first day. Brother Lin, would you like to tell us about that?
Chairman: Will you please introduce yourself before going into the details?
Brother Lin: My name is Lin Shu-lin and I live in Tainan. On the morning of the September 21 earthquake, I received a call from Supreme Master Ching Hai from abroad. She said that She had been trying to call for nearly two hours but couldn't get through, so She finally called me, and said, "Please help me set up a disaster relief team immediately, and promptly render aid to every area that needs help. Pool together all your strength and offer as much help, as quickly as possible."
This is the first point I'd like to make clear -- that Supreme Master was very concerned about the disaster in Formosa. Then, as I transmitted Her message of concern to fellow practitioners around Formosa, I needed to let them know that She was very worried about the post-quake situation. Even though She could not give Her regards and consolation to everyone in person, She wanted to convey Her deep concern about the situation. Therefore, I asked the local Centers to contact their members and set up a mobile car team. On the evening of the earthquake, we reached Chungliao. There, we left a message on the bulletin board of the local police station, saying, "If your area needs help or support, please call us at such-and-such number." We left the telephone number of our Nantou and Taichung contact Centers, which were closest to the earthquake's epicenter.
Caption:
After 9/21/1999 earthquake in Formosa, fellow initiates rendered help to the affected areas in every way possible.
We also delivered relief provisions contributed by our Formosan members to the sports field in front of the Nantou County Government office. I personally visited the affected areas and found that these provisions alone would not resolve the situation. It was clear that we had to coordinate with the government and let the authorities handle it. Therefore, our fellow practitioners, who share the same ideals and will, together raised a fund for the quake-stricken areas. We raised precisely NT$10 million and contributed it all at that time.
Chairman: Now let us ask the director of the SMCH International Association to elaborate on this, and then we will take comments from the gentleman in the back.
Brother Ke: Let me introduce myself. I am the former Director of the Association. My last name is Ke. I personally participated in the relief work in the quake-stricken areas. Upon receiving a call from Mr. Lin, we went to the affected areas, and were the first group to arrive. At the time, the Nantou command center did not have any phone, so we provided ours for them.(1) We also organized a team of excavators(2), as we didn't see any excavators when we first arrived.
In general, we took care of the most urgent and top-priority matters. We immediately asked our members to purchase all of the tents available from nearby wholesale stores and factories. You might have seen on TV that all the tents in Formosa were sold out. That was because we had bought them all, at a cost of between NT$900 and NT$6,000 each. We purchased a total of four to five thousand tents. Since we have attended many retreats held by Master over the years, we knew about the need for tents.(3) We also bought canvas sheets. If you went to the disaster-stricken areas, you might have noticed some canvas sheets there in addition to the tents; they were contributed by us. When tents became unavailable in Formosa, we learned that many charity groups had ordered tents from places overseas, such as Hong Kong and the United States, and were flying in more tents by air.
For disaster-stricken areas inaccessible by car, we mobilized fellow practitioners to climb mountains and get there on foot. We organized a medical team to provide service in the affected areas before any TV news teams or other groups arrived. We were the first group to reach those places, before other charitable groups.(4)
The NT$10 million mentioned earlier refers only to the first cash contribution by our group. If we were to include all the relief supplies we provided, the amount would be closer to NT$20 million. Since we are a spiritual group, we do this kind of thing naturally, without feeling that we are going out of our way to do it. People may find this very strange, because it seems to be a huge amount and we seem to be a very tight organization. Let me share with you some more information. Master always teaches us to act like Jesus Christ -- when we give with our left hand, we should not even let our right hand know. Therefore, we do not regard such acts as very serious matters. This is the first point I'd like to stress.
The second point relates to how we mobilize our group in relief operations. Most organizations have an individual leader or a group of leaders, so how was it possible for Master's disciples, when participating in this disaster relief operation, to arrive in the affected areas before other large organizations? In my personal opinion, it is because we are all connected to God, so our only organization is Hiers organization. That is to say, Hes is connected with every one of us, with each of Master's disciples. Master's loving concern for and anxiety about the quake-stricken areas led us to act on our own initiative. Just one telephone call from Her, and everyone was there. It was incredible, though, that we went without knowing who else would be there, whether doctors would be present, or if transportation would be available.
Before any other automobiles arrived, we had already formed a team of jeeps. Later, we saw several jeep teams in about a dozen affected townships. I would like to inform you that our jeep team supported the Relief Center. We also set up a HAM radio communication system. The communication systems used by some of the relief associations were actually ours. Why do we have these systems? It is because we often have retreats in the mountains with Master, so we have to handle communication problems in remote locations. Many people attend these retreats, where we need food, supplies, accommodation facilities, and communication with the outside, so we have had to develop communications systems to equip ourselves. Many of our members have received training at Formosa's Directorate General of Telecommunications, so we knew how to set up the radio equipment. We sent all our electric generators and radio equipment to the disaster areas after the earthquake.
Our members were already there when everything was still in chaos, before any other charitable groups had showed up, tables or chairs had been set up, or relief provisions had arrived at the Nantou Relief Command Center. Later, when we saw other charitable groups moving in, our members quickly dispersed to help in places that the other groups could not reach. I must emphasize again that we perform these acts without feeling we are going out of our way to do so. It was more important for us to reach the places in most urgent need instead of appearing where the media were.
Endnotes for Brother Ke's comments:
(1). The "telephone" we provided was not an ordinary telephone; it was a cordless phone that routed its calls through an outside line. Most of the telephone lines in Nantou were down at the time. The Taichung and Taoyuan Relief Associations, which were engaged in a joint relief operation in Chungliao, Chichi, and Puli in Nantou County, used the telecommunication base station set up and the telephone connections provided by us.
(2). Our excavation team consisted of twelve vehicles, including three excavators, a bulldozer, three tractors, two 35-ton trucks, one eight-ton truck, and two jeeps. These vehicles were deployed in the severely hit areas of Chungliao and Chichi to open roads and clear debris from collapsed buildings and streets. They also helped to clean up the site selected for the temporary police station and to open roads between villages. During the earlier stage, when lose rocks were still falling, the excavation work was very dangerous. Work teams braved the rain and aftershocks of the earthquake to open roads between villages in Chungliao, so that the Taiwan Power Company could access these areas to repair damaged power cables. The blocked roads were finally cleared at about 3:00 AM, at the cost of two broken mounting tracks on the excavators.
When the team members left the mountain, the villagers wanted to express their gratitude to them for risking their lives to open up the roads, and they pooled some money to prepare a banquet. The villagers had just experienced a disaster and desperately needed money at the time, so the work team did not want them to spend their money on the banquet, and immediately offered to pay for the meal. But the villagers refused to accept the money. So, the work team decided to buy their dogs as an excuse, but the local residents still refused to accept the money. They were human victims and these were "dog" victims, they said, while thanking us for keeping their dogs for them. One of the dogs was named "Ah Chung" and the other "Ah Liao" after their township "Chung-liao." The story of Ah Chung and Ah Liao deepened our respect for and reflections on life, and completely reveals the splendor of warm humanitarianism, which makes us understand that we all live in God's blessing.
Our excavation team worked for seven days. After the roads were opened, much of the later work involved legal and human rights issues, such as determining the state of the affected houses -- whether they should be considered half or fully collapsed, and the compensation the occupants should receive; therefore, the government then took over the relief work completely. We had accomplished our task at the most urgent stage. We also left 95 barrels of diesel fuel, each containing 50 gallons, for the army, the civilian groups, and the Chungliao rural township office, which were carrying out relief work in Puli.
Caption:
Formosan earthquake victims using the tents provided by Supreme Master
Ching Hai International Association
(3).When the stores ran out of tents, we collected those used by our initiates and sent them to the disaster-stricken areas. We also thought of another method, which was to provide sleep screens, canvas cloth, sleeping bags, and mattresses. Together, these served as good a purpose as tents. Most of the sleep screens in the disaster-stricken area were provided by us. To solve the problem of getting these items for the victims, we purchased all the sleep screens available in Taichung, and then turned to Kaohsiung and Tainan for more.
(4).On the day of the earthquake, we set up two disaster relief centers, one in our Taichung Center, and the other in our Nantou Center. The Taichung Center facilitated the collection of relief supplies and the deployment of fellow practitioners throughout Formosa. From Taichung, we drew up relief routes and sent automobile teams to each rural and urban township, including Tali, Taiping, Wufeng, Fengyuan, Shihkang, Hsinshe, and Tongshih. The Nantou Center was responsible for relief operations in thirteen towns and villages in Nantou, including Chungliao, Chichi, Chushan, Hsinyi, Luku, Shuangwen, Kuohsing, Yuchih, Puli, Jenai, Wushe, and Tsaotun.
Power and water supplies were cut off in Nantou, and it was difficult to purchase any provisions at the time. Although Taichung was also hit by the earthquake, it was a big city, so provisions were still available, and transportation was convenient. Therefore, the Taichung Center cooperated with the Nantou Center in the relief operations, and the relief work was carried out extensively and smoothly.
Since the roads in Nantou were literally destroyed, many victims could not reach the government relief centers to obtain relief materials. In addition, sometimes they needed identity verification from their village or neighborhood warden before they could receive anything. In order to provide urgent help to these victims, our fellow practitioners gathered at our Nantou Center and divided into dozens of teams, each guided by a local Nantou fellow practitioner. These teams set out for many townships, using vans and jeeps to deliver tents, sleeping bags, canvases, powdered milk, mineral water, noodles, and other provisions to each affected household. For places inaccessible by car, teams traveled in groups of two or three by foot over mountains and rivers to deliver relief provisions to the affected areas. It was often after midnight when they returned to the Nantou Center.
In the days following the September 21 earthquake, a series of aftershocks occurred, and falling rocks often missed us only by inches. We needed God's blessings to go deep into the mountains and under Hiers protection, our fellow practitioners, thinking little of themselves, ventured into remote mountainous areas where no one else went. These included small tribal villages in Yuchih and Tongkuang townships, Chiufen's twin mountains in Kuohsing rural township, Pingting in Shuangwen, the dam on Shuili Mountain, Jenai rural township, and the hills in Wushe. Our medical team even scaled mountains to reach Wushe, and left by helicopter because of landslides. Our fellow practitioners visited all thirteen villages and towns in the affected area, including the most remote corners, to comfort the victims. Besides providing general relief provisions, we also supplied necessities for special needs. These included sanitary napkins and different brands of powdered milk for infants. From this operation, we learned to provide prompt assistance and fulfill the people's most urgent requirements.
In addition to distributing relief provisions to the victims, we also mobilized more than 50 light trucks and four-wheel-drive vans that had been provided by Formosan fellow practitioners. Meeting at the Nantou County Government Relief Command Center, practitioners helped to transport provisions to relief centers in the various townships throughout Formosa. In effect, we worked quietly to speed up the government's relief work. Even before the media had called for the government to supply mobile toilets three days after the earthquake, practitioners had silently purchased more than 20 mobile toilets from Kaohsiung a day earlier, and had already delivered them to Chungliao, Chichi, and Puli. This consideration for the victims' most pressing needs was truly touching. It was God's love in action.
Chairman: Now let us continue. The speech by former Director Mr. Ke was very interesting. Of course, we are more concerned about Formosa than Southeast Asia, but since our topic today is the Chinese in Southeast Asia, let us first get on with that. Some of you here may still have questions related to the Master's activities in Formosa. We can discuss them later. Perhaps this lady still has something to say about Formosa, but please raise your questions later. Now, let us get on to our topic of Southeast Asia.
Reporter: I am a reporter for the United Daily News. Supreme Master Ching Hai, You mentioned earlier that Your group is a not tightly organized, but I am curious about its operational structure. For instance, there are so many countries in Southeast Asia. How do You get Your fellow practitioners to voluntarily contribute so much money in such a group not tightly organized? The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Association, for example, has a fixed operational fund. If You were to ask Your members to contribute only when the need arises, and then send the money over and buy the things there, the process would be very complicated. Therefore, I am very curious about how You manage to accomplish this in Southeast Asia.
SMCH: It is just the same. We really have no organization. If you wish, you may come and investigate. We just contribute what we can afford. I give what I have, and you give what you can. We collect it all and send it over. We do it voluntarily. This is the work of God. Once the God within us awakens, Hes will know how to save our relatives and friends. There is no need to organize anything. The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association was established at the government's instructions.
The authorities said that we had to form an organization so they could have a membership list, and so we had a few hundred people sign up as members. Otherwise, we really have no members in the true sense of the word. We have an identity card to prove that we are really fellow practitioners when we go to retreats. It shows that we go there to meditate, and not to create trouble. We have no organization; all are volunteers. Spiritual practitioners should be easy and carefree. We cannot ask them to do anything permanently or pay annual fees. The idea has never occurred to us. We only want to remind them of their God Nature, and then it is up to them to do what they want. They are free to contribute or not to contribute. When they come to our centers, they don't have to pay for their food, drinks, or accommodations. It is completely up to them to decide if they should do anything or contribute any money. When there is a disaster, everyone has the obligation to contribute and do his share. It is not the responsibility of any single person. Is this clear enough to the United Daily News reporter?
Chairman: Let us continue with this discussion. I think we should devote more time to discussion because the Supreme Master tells us more in this kind of an exchange. You should be able to understand Her intent and the hidden meaning behind Her words. It is absolutely impossible to carry out activities so efficiently without an organization, so this is actually an organizing method of the "supreme" level. Perhaps you have other questions for the Supreme Master.
Wen Chin-ko, producer of the Central Broadcasting Corporation: Supreme Master Ching Hai, it is my great honor to be able to meet with You! I have heard about You and admired You for a long time. Since I am studying Buddhism, I'd like to ask You a minor question concerning Buddhism. We know that You had already accomplished some spiritual attainments before You came to Formosa. But we also know that You first appeared in Formosa in the form of a bhiksuni (Buddhist nun). From the standpoint of the Buddhist community, we wonder why You decided to approach the Formosan society as a Buddhist.
SMCH: It was my destiny that I should be a monk for some time. You may ask God if you want. [Laughter] For instance, some of us serve in the army for a couple of years, but some make it their lifelong career. Everyone has a different destiny. I have no say over my destiny. Everything is arranged by fate.
Mr. Wen: Are You saying that it was not Your decision?
SMCH: Of course it was, but we just do what God tells us to do.
Mr. Wen: If it was Your own decision, then what factors did You consider at the time?
SMCH: I didn't consider anything. I just do what God tells me to do, which is simpler.
Mr. Wen: My question is why You didn't come in Your original status or why You didn't choose to come, for example, as a Christian, Catholic, or Muslim. Why did You choose to come as a Buddhist? I think that there must have been a reason for Your decision. Can You tell us about it?
SMCH: I just did. If God wants us to do something, then we just do it; this is the simplest way. It is more complicated to resist Hiers will. Once we are enlightened, our lives become simpler because God makes all the arrangements for us. If Hes tells us to do something, we just obey Hirm. We don't use our minds to argue with Hirm like we used to, or pray to Hirm for something that we think is more beneficial or suitable for worldly people. Take myself for instance; if I really had a choice, I wouldn't be wearing these clothes and heavy ornaments. When I get home, I take them off as fast as I can. Usually, if I am not going to a lecture or to see people, I don't wear these ceremonious outfits that make me feel uncomfortable. I prefer to be dressed casually and move around like a "nobody". Therefore, I just do what God tells me to do. Perhaps you will run into such a situation one day and then you will understand. I have protested to Hirm many times, but to no avail. So, I just gave in. Hes has taught me to surrender. Are you satisfied with my answer? If you still have doubts, please ask.
Mr. Wen: Sorry, I still have something to say. I have a reason for asking this question. Personally, I respect You very much, but I don't think that Formosa's Buddhist community is very friendly toward You and there is some misunderstanding between You and this community. This is perhaps partly because You once appeared as a member of this community but the Buddhists feel that Your teachings are different. Therefore, from the secular standpoint, I think that Your strategy is, I don't know, maybe You might say that this is God's will. But I feel that it's a pity. I think that You are sharing a Method that is so free and full of life, and yet solemn in nature within. This is an excellent or very good way of teaching. If for some reason, there were a misunderstanding or an unhappy experience between You and an existing religious group, I'd say that it must be a great pity. Therefore, I'd like very much to know the reason.
SMCH: I was a monk in my past life, but my career was not accomplished, so I had to come back to finish the last part. Once I have finished my job, I don't have to do it anymore; that is all. You are right about what you said. However, even if I had never been a monk who changed later, people would still have misunderstood me. Jesus Christ had never been a monk, but He was crucified. Shakyamuni Buddha was a monk His whole life, yet someone deliberately injured His leg. He suffered lifelong humiliation by others and remains a target of criticism till this day. He didn't die in peace; there are still people who speak offensively about Him. Today, there are still people who misunderstand Jesus Christ, so what would you expect for an insignificant woman like myself who says things that people don't understand? Of course, if the whole world could understand what I say, we would not be living in this dimension. We wouldn't call it "Earth", but " Heaven" instead.
I came to this world and I live here not to please tradition, nor to win people's praise or approval. I live in order to remind people of their own greatness. I try my best to do as much as I can and remind as many people as possible. When the time comes, we must leave, whether we are good or bad, whether we wear beautiful or ugly clothes. I don't have much time. I am getting on in years.
Mr. Wen: Thank You Supreme Master. I like Your answer very much. Thank You.
SMCH: Thank you! It is great that you like it. I love to hear that. [Applause]
Chairman: Ladies and gentlemen, we have allowed more time for this first session so we could touch on more solid issues. According to our agenda, the second session should focus first on the Supreme Master's success in teaching the Quan Yin Method in Southeast Asia; second, on the main difficulties She has encountered; and third, on the prospects She holds for the future. Could You please discuss Your major achievements in teaching the Chinese in Southeast Asia, the major obstacles You have encountered, how You managed to solve these difficulties, and what plans and expectations You have for future development?
SMCH: We pursue spiritual practice in silence in order to help ourselves. We become more cheerful, and our old habits and bad concepts gradually fade away. That was why Shakyamuni Buddha had to practice for a long time before he attained Buddhahood; He didn't achieve it in one day. Things would be worse if people did not practice. According to my decade-long observations, our fellow practitioners have made much progress after practicing spiritually, and this is splendid! As you might have observed, we do not just benefit ourselves; we also serve society. Of course, we cannot prove our inner spiritual achievements. Perhaps after long observation, we can say that someone who used to scold, quarrel with, or even hurt others, has become more benevolent, and that he has improved through spiritual practice. But we cannot say that easily. However, we are of help to society, too. Take your last question, for instance, about how we manage to mobilize so many people so quickly to help others. This is because our God Nature has awakened; we have become more loving and know exactly what to do. We see the suffering of others as our own, so we do not hesitate to help society. We do what is beneficial to society.
Sometimes, when our fellow practitioners encounter difficulties or experience much suffering during their work overseas, they meditate together; then, they cheer up and become happy. Sometimes, when they are not very advanced in their spiritual practice, they may have difficulties; then it helps to talk to others and offer mutual help.
Of course, you will encounter difficulties in any work you do. They are not the monopoly of religious groups, or groups like ours that share the Truth. For instance, those of you who are professors sometimes run into students who are difficult to teach. Sometimes your busy work may impair your health; you may have to sacrifice your sleep at night, and still have to take care of your family. Besides facing the difficulties in education, you also have to take care of your family and perhaps fulfill other obligations. Parenting also has its difficult side. Being a professor is not an easy career free of difficulties. Of course, we spiritual practitioners ought to help others. And in our pursuit of spiritual practice, we will encounter obstacles and misunderstandings. However, we have accepted the fact that this is what society is like. We do our work without expecting praise or approval from others, so we are not disappointed.
How we will develop in the future depends on God's will. I will live if Hes wants me to live, and if Hes doesn't, I will say "Bye-bye" - it's very simple. Some of you asked how we have organized and developed so well. It all happens naturally. I don't really take any action. I just say, "Yes, no, okay, I will come," or "I cannot come." That's all. I don't do anything, nor do I tell them anything or dominate anyone. I seldom call them on the phone; I do only occasionally when there is a disaster. Take this brother Lin, for example. I don't call him or the liaison practitioners every day. Ask our fellows and liaison practitioners and see how many of them ever receive a call from me. None -- except when there is a disaster or when there is work to do.
Then I ask them to promptly get help from fellow practitioners. If they don't have enough money, we contribute whatever we can afford from our headquarters. Only then do I make a call; otherwise, I don't. They didn't even know when I arrived here [in Formosa]. Only when I appeared on the lecture stage did they realize, "Oh! Master is here." Before that moment, they had no idea where I was or what I was doing. I don't trouble or dominate people, nor do I exercise remote control over them. I don't do it! They do things automatically. Since they have had a taste of happiness, they want to share it with others, out of love. Things happen like that naturally. I don't have any plans.
Chairman: I think that the members of Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association have a deeper understanding of the Supreme Master than we ordinary people do. Let us quickly scan pages 29 and 30 of the notes, which mention Her major accomplishments. They mention, "Awakening humankind and elevating the human's level in body, mind, and spirit." The first achievement is that the disciples, after leading a spiritual life of over a decade, have begun to coagulate into a mighty force that is advancing toward the new era. The second achievement is their efforts in international humanitarianism and disaster relief. We have just heard the testimony of their former director, Mr. Ke. The third achievement is the promotion of vegetarianism, and the fourth, of course, is the furtherance of a concept of life built on Truth, virtue, and beauty. Let us go on to discuss the difficulties that Her Association has encountered in two areas -- perceptions of religion's significance and the aspects of life. Perceptions of religion's significance means, "understanding the true essence of religions." The notes here mention some differences, on which we hope Supreme Master Ching Hai will elaborate. Here is mentioned the experience of being one with God. How can this be achieved? This is one question.
SMCH: Suppose you are eating out in a restaurant, and you know very well whether it serves delicious food or not. If you tell someone who is reading the menu outside just how delicious the soup is, how tasty the mixed vegetables are, and that you will definitely come back to the restaurant again, will he understand what you are saying? Most likely, he won't. This is the trouble. Everyone talks about God and praises Hirm, but very few can actually communicate and chat with Hirm, or ask Hirm questions. We are able to do that because we now remember our Original Self. We are not this ordinary human body. We existed before this physical body came into being and we will continue to exist after we leave this body. That is our Original Self. We have established contact and a relationship with this Original Self, which we call the "God within" or the "Buddha Nature within." Therefore, we are aware of how God loves and protects us, teaches us every day, helps us to solve problems, and develops our compassion. We can consult Hirm when we have a problem. The person reading the menu outside praises God all the time, but he has never spoken to Hirm, so, of course, it is difficult for him to understand our explanation. Before he has tasted the food, it is hard for us to prove to him how delicious the dishes are. I might not be as knowledgeable as the professor; I am only capable of speaking simple words.
As for how "we become one with God," that cannot be explained in words. During the time of the transmission, the two of us just sit in silence, while the transmission is done from heart to heart. God talks to the God within us, and there is no place for words. We do speak before that, but only to tell you how you should sit, that it doesn't matter if you sit cross-legged or not while in meditation, and how to relax and where to put your concentration, so you can see God and communicate with Hirm. These are merely verbal instructions. Later, when the true initiation takes place, no one says a word. Such is the initiation, the heart-to-heart transmission, and the "transmission beyond teachings." It is so called because it cannot be found in the teachings. We have had God and the Buddha within us from the very beginning, so who is entitled to teach a Buddha or God what to do? It is possible only after our Original Self wakes up. This is like taking two candles, one of them already lit . When we touch the other candle with this one, it too lights up. The quality of light is originally latent in the candles; they just need someone to light them. This process needs no words or teachings; all it needs is a lamp to light it. Without a lamp, no matter how you talk about it or beg it for hundreds of years, it still won't light up.
Chairman: Thank You! Another difficulty mentioned here concerns daily life, because Supreme Master Ching Hai demands a full vegetarian diet. (Master: Yes) If you ask people to follow a strict vegetarian diet, they may hesitate to come to You because they may have difficulty putting it into practice. This is a difficulty. Suppose You say, "Never mind, just do your best to be a vegetarian," and then lots of people will join Your group. How will You overcome this difficulty in Your future development?
SMCH: We don't really want to overcome it! [Laughter] He is a Buddha and he is God. If he wants to wake up, then we give him a hand. He is a candle that is supposed to shine. If he wants to shine, then he should come closer so we can light him. If he doesn't, he can stay there in the darkness for a few thousand years; we won't disturb him. It is the obligation of a Buddha to be a vegetarian. To be a Buddha, one should act like Shakyamuni Buddha: Be compassionate, love all beings, and eat only vegetarian food. We eat some vegetables only because we have no other option. Therefore, we don't eat much, just enough, about 80 percent full, not filled to the neck. I take only one, or at the most, two meals, a day. I eat more only when I am really exhausted. Therefore, it is the people's own decision whether they become vegetarian or not; I just said that we don't want to exercise control over anyone. We stand by the side ready to help. If they want to come, we tell them what they should do; if they don't, it is all right for them to come next time, and to spend more time thinking over it. They are God; they are the ones who decide when they want to wake up.
Chairman: This part is shorter, as our main objective is to further clarify some points from the academic and religious viewpoints. We are grateful to the Supreme Master for Her answers. We will proceed to the second session, and let us again ask Professor Ruaan to give us his comments or responses to Supreme Master's earlier discussions.
Professor Ruaan: From this question and answer session, I seem to find a gap here, between one who is talking about Her personal experience as a spiritual practitioner and another who is trying to obtain an objective understanding and knowledge of an issue. The problem seems to be that there is a gap between the insiders and the outsiders. [Laughter]
In this second session, I am personally more interested in this part on "Looking back and looking ahead." Here, we have some literature about ideas and concepts. Being a scholar of history, I think that there have been wars among humans down the ages in recorded history. Despite the fact that war brings massive disasters and suffering to humankind, we still have not been able to eliminate it, even today. Superficially, war is a military conflict; from a more profound angle, the conflict concerns economic benefits and political power. At an even deeper level, we find that it is a conflict of civilizations. And religious factors, differences and antagonism, have, at least at times, been the cause of such conflicts among civilizations.
We notice that Supreme Master Ching Hai has, for many years, been promoting religious reconciliation and the concept of universal harmony. Some of you here today may have been long-time observers of the Supreme Master, but some may have just read about this in the information sheet. I have noticed that She has been promoting religious reconciliation and the concept of universal harmony. She has raised the concept that there is only one religion for humankind. A few days ago, in the China Times, we read a transcript of Her interview with a South African radio station. She mentioned that humankind has only one religion and the various religions are actually worshipping the same God, except that Hes is known by different names in different cultures, and the names are different because of the different languages. I think that this is a superb and excellent concept. If all religions could accept this concept, they would respect each other, and slowly learn to love and become united with one another. That will be a blessing for humankind. Supreme Master has advocated and expressed Her support for the convening of a world religious congress that will bring together the leaders of the world's major religions, as well as other spiritual leaders, to pray for world peace and raise suggestions for the welfare of the international community. This would be very helpful to advancing religious reconciliation and world peace.
I have read from recent world news reports that Pope John Paul II, during a mass at the Vatican Basilica on the Day of Pardon (March 12) this year, openly confessed to the world the sins committed by the Roman Catholic Church over the past two millennia and asked for God's forgiveness. Such an open confession and plea for pardon by the leader of the world's largest religion on behalf of his church was unprecedented in two thousand years. It required great sincerity, courage, and wisdom! When we heard this news, we did not feel the slightest condemnation or contempt in our hearts. Instead, we felt touched and encouraged. This good news in the first spring of the first year of the 21st century gives us a reason to embrace an optimistic view toward the future of humankind and the world. Our Supreme Master often talks about the coming of a new era and the golden age. Perhaps it is not just a dream, after all.
I'd like to raise another point after reading the chronology of the Supreme Master's major lecture events in Southeast Asia. Even though this is only a summary, it covered several pages. After reading it, I find it difficult to believe that an apparently fragile and petite lady could, within such a short time, lead, initiate, and bring together such a massive driving force; and this covers Her activities in Southeast Asia only. It does not include similar activities conducted in other parts of the world. If this is true, then it requires immense love and perseverance to accomplish. I have mentioned in the first session that there are many scholars, experts, and religious people here who specialize in the study of Chinese and religious beliefs in Southeast Asia. We also have scholars of "comparative religion" who can ask better questions than I. Here, on behalf of the many people who may share similar thoughts, I'd like to ask Supreme Master two questions that are related more to the Quan Yin Method.
Question number one: We notice that in Your address to the World Religion Congress in Cape Town, South Africa in December 1999, You did not emphasize the teachings. Instead, You stressed the method of experiencing oneness with God every day. Recorded history shows that very few Enlightened Masters have been able to impart this method of immediate enlightenment. My question is, if You have this method, would You, as They did, transmit it only to a handful of disciples? Apparently, before the Sixth Patriarch, Hui Neng, the Master would transmit the method to only one disciple. Even the Sixth Patriarch imparted it to only about ten disciples -- I am not quite sure about the exact figure. Masters of the past transmitted the method to very few disciples, and their disciples had to go through tremendous hardships before they could learn this precious method. However, the Quan Yin Method today, if it is such a method as You have described, is available to all Truth aspirants. As long as they are sincere, You will teach them generously free of charge. You let them get it very easily. We'd like to know why You are doing this. Why is there such a big difference?
SMCH: In ancient times, they also taught many disciples. Shakyamuni Buddha, for example, had tens of thousands of disciples. However, several principal ones, like Ananda and Rahula, were responsible for passing down the lineage. These principal disciples, just like the Quan Yin messengers, were specially trained and had memorized the verbal instructions that they could impart to people outside. However, most of the other disciples were laypersons, and they too had no problem. For instance, there was a lay practitioner named Vimalakirti; he didn't go out preaching, but everyone was afraid of him. He didn't have to go out preaching, because it was powerful enough for him to do it at home. Actually, Jesus Christ also had a lot of disciples, but twelve of them always followed Him and received training that enabled them to help Him accomplish His preaching mission later.
In fact, if what you said is true, we are now in a less favorable time. We ought to share the Truth quickly; otherwise, it will be too late. I am not a stingy person; I contribute money and everything that I know. Perhaps it is my character.
Professor Ruaan: Perhaps we should broaden our view further. We cannot just be concerned about the situation in China; we should hold the whole world in perspective.
SMCH: When there is good news, we ought to spread it; but this is a laborious task, of course. I'd rather behave as you suggested, hiding in a corner and waiting for people to seek me out. It would make me feel more valuable. When you share the Truth in society in this way, people rebuke and misunderstand you. You lose face. However, it doesn't matter; this is not our "Original Face." We lose this face, but we will have a better Face inside.
Professor Ruaan: I have a second question, which is also my last question. From this information sheet, I learned that apart from working as a spiritual leader guiding sentient beings to find God and become one with Hirm, You have a dream for this world; You aspire for world peace. This is a common aspiration of all human beings. However, although ordinary people love peace, wars are often initiated and provoked by the politicians in power. Therefore, logically speaking, if politicians in power can become enlightened sooner [Laughter], it should be a faster and more effective way to achieve world peace. Supreme Master, do You think this is a reasonable idea? (Master: Very reasonable.) Do You have a special way to achieve this goal?
SMCH: It is only too reasonable; the problem is that they won't cooperate. Look at me: a petite woman. Would it be easy for me to see them? You bring them here and I will enlighten them. The two of us can work in cooperation. [Laughter] This world has greater respect for men than for women. A person elected to power would not care to see us. We should be grateful already that he doesn't kill us! Some governments are afraid of people who are well-known and have popular support, and whom they regard as competitors. Politicians think that we are also in the political business, trying to gain fame and profit. Therefore, spiritual practitioners like us, who are more open and famous, face the danger of losing our lives. If any government can tolerate and understand us, and let us teach freely, we are already extremely grateful. We never dream that they will come to us. So, this dream of yours is a very beautiful one. [Laughter]
SMCH: It is not easy to deal with this world. As you know, it is difficult to establish contact with those in power. They are so well protected that it is difficult for them to contact us even if they want to. The people around a person in power shield him from contacting whom they think he should not; they give him inappropriate information and different views. He, himself, cannot break through this barrier to contact people; therefore, he, too, is confined. It is rather difficult, but we will try to think of a way, although I am not inclined to. We should just let things develop naturally.
Chairman: Thank you very much for your exchange. I think we should come back to this agenda. Does anyone want to ask any impromptu questions? Actually, we have a distinguished guest here. He is very humble, and declined our invitation to sit up here. He is Mr. Ko Wen-Fu, former magistrate of Pingtung County and former vice minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. He is sitting in the last row behind you. He is now chairman of a telecommunications company. Shall we invite Director Ko to say a few words?
SMCH: A great person ought to be so humble. He is very humble; that's why he is a great person.
Director Ko: Mr. Chairman, Supreme Master, and Mr. Professor, ladies and gentlemen. I am so honored to be here. The Supreme Master may have been to my hometown in Pingtung, where She has a Center in Chaochou. I was born and raised in Chaochou township. (Master: I like Pingtung; it is very warm in winter.) I have been to Your Center, which is located at a site contributed by former Chaochou Mayor Hung. When I was magistrate of Pingtung County, he was mayor of Chaochou, so he was like a brother to me. Regretfully, he has passed away. When I went to his grave to pay my respects, I saw the Center. It is still there and it's well maintained. In my opinion, it was a pity to see Supreme Master leave Formosa, because it is such a nice Center. When You were around, the Center was like a sacred spiritual place, a sacred place of Buddhism. This Method purifies people's minds and guides them toward goodness. It is a force that our society needs most today. My question is, since You began Your mission in Formosa, is there a chance that You will come back and resume this most meaningful activity? [Warm applause from audience.]
Chairman: Will You come back to Formosa again?
SMCH: It depends on God's arrangement. People in every country ask me to stay, and that makes it difficult for me to decide. I have to be on the move all the time so I can share my time with everyone. Perhaps I will leave the matter until I am older; when I have nowhere to go, then I will come back, begging you for a place to live. Thank you very much for your loving concern and suggestion. I miss my homeland very much, but sometimes our destiny is not the same. We have to do what we can. I do miss Formosa very much. Here, I feel I am a native, and everyone loves me very much. Therefore, if there is a chance in the future, of course, I will come back.
Director Ko: Let me add a few words. I like the way You look now. You didn't give me as good an impression before as You do today. Perhaps I will follow You, too. [Laughter and applause.]
SMCH: Welcome! Of course, I look more amicable this way. I didn't used to dress this way, nor did I wear makeup. I used to feel much more comfortable. When I dress up, I feel as though I have something on my face, but I have gotten used to it. It's good that everyone likes it; it is easier to communicate with you then. Thank you! I can feel your loving kindness. If there is a chance in the future, we will come again. I've been here for three days already; about 30,000 people saw me yesterday. The whole of Formosa saw me, thanks to the live television broadcast. In this sense, I have been back to Formosa. I have been spending a little time in each country. Anyway, thank you very much. I will find a way. I like Formosa the most; I lived here for more than ten years, and it's just like my home. I've never stayed in a place for that long, except in Au Lac. In this world, I've stayed the longest period in Formosa.
Chairman: Thank You very much, Supreme Master Ching Hai. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no gathering that will last forever. We are delighted to have had Supreme Master here with us today. In this seminar that has lasted almost two hours, you have witnessed a dialogue between religion and academics, belief and knowledge. Of course, there is a gap between them, but we are researchers of the Academia Sinica, so we are seeking answers in the academic and intellectual domains through this seminar. In the exchange, the Supreme Master provided us with some words of great wisdom, which will be very valuable for our future research.
Through today's interchange, you will have realized that the Quan Yin Method, as Professor Ruaan noted, is heading toward educating modern spiritual practitioners. Supreme Master emphasized, in one concise sentence, the return to our original God Nature, which is the goal of spiritual practice. Regarding Her organization, we have found that it is very unique and extraordinary. What power makes people in different places reach out simultaneously and spontaneously to help each other? Apart from studying the issue from the religious and academic viewpoints, there is still much for us to reflect deeply upon. Their method of spreading the message is also very special. The leaders of the Association present have already explained that they accomplish their work mainly by doing things in silence, and this really deserves our admiration!
We had hoped to conduct a more in-depth study of the Chinese in Southeast Asia, but we have discovered that religion knows no boundaries. We cannot restrict Supreme Master to discussions on Southeast Asia only. Perhaps this is a special feature rather than a flaw. In the future, the Chinese world will become one connected by all the seas of the Earth. The concept of the "Overseas Chinese" is an important one that our Chinese research group will address in the future. From this perspective and that of religious activities, we can further prove that the Chinese people transcend national boundaries. When they do, especially when they go beyond Chinese and western cultures, we find that we can rise above politics. From the deeds and words of the Supreme Master, we can see that the cultural power is guiding the economic power, and is beyond political restrictions. This is a beautiful phenomenon in a pluralistic society. Therefore, politics no longer control everything. In this pluralistic society, different community groups have opened up their own worlds.
Today, we are very happy to have received the assistance of our colleagues from the Academia Sinica, who have helped make this seminar a great success. Of course, we are also grateful to our research groups and our special thanks go to our assistant secretary. Her efficient arrangements and the enthusiastic participation and organized cooperation of Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association have made the seminar a great success. We would like to thank all our guests from the academic field, the press, and the social sector for their earnest participation. We would also like to thank the commentator for his very profound and wise narration, observations, and questions. Finally, our greatest thanks go to Supreme Master Ching Hai for coming to the Academia Sinica despite Her extremely busy schedule. Her profound and inspirational speech today has left much room for contemplation. Thank you all very much!
SMCH: Thank you very much! Thank you, everyone! [Applause]
Q: May I ask one final question?
Chairman: Oh! Still another question?
Q: Are the majority of Your Southeast Asian disciples of Chinese descent? Are there any local people, for example, Indonesians or Malaysians?
SMCH: Both Chinese and local people.
Q: But, are they mainly Chinese?
SMCH: No, no! We will continue to introduce our Method to everyone who comes. There are a lot of local people, and many of us need to listen to the translation through earphones. Wherever we go, we often need many people to translate our discourses into different languages.
Q: My question is regarding the Celestial Clothes. You have mentioned that the Celestial Clothes designed by You are becoming more expensive. We are curious as to where all these Celestial Clothes have gone after the fashion shows. (Master: Sold.) All sold? Or are they kept for exhibition or other purposes?
SMCH: We sell them!
Q: To whom?
SMCH: To anyone who wants to buy. This is freedom. We also have a boutique in Taipei. Anyone can go in and buy what they want.
Chairman: Then what about the measurements? [Laughter]
SMCH: We have to take the measurements and then you will have to wait for some time. Since we emphasize quality instead of quantity, we must take the precise measurements of each individual customer. Besides, we have at the most two or three sets of clothes for each design. We cannot produce too many.
Chairman: Good. (Master: Thank you.) We now declare that the seminar has officially concluded. Thanks everyone who is present here today. Thank you. [Applause]
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Tainan, Formosa August 31, 1989 (Originally in Chinese)
Our own inner Master has great wisdom. Hes knows what we should use and what we should do to avoid causing harm to ourselves, intervening in other people's affairs, and messing with the law of this world. This is different than the very limited miraculous power registered in our minds. If we know certain miraculous powers, then that is all we have. If we derive miraculous powers by practicing the Quan Yin Method, then these are inconceivable and we can use different powers under different circumstances.
Without this great wisdom, we become easily confused in spiritual practice.
Without a good teacher, we are easily misled. As a result, we learn only
a certain part and follow that part alone instead of the whole and perfect
one. Many religions emphasize the learning of this and that, and lots of
techniques and magic; they do not stress the discovery of our Original
Nature.
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Hsihu, Formosa September 3, 1989 (Originally in Chinese)
Why do we practice the Quan Yin Method? It is because we want to understand
everything in the universe. Beyond the physical light of this sun, there
is a greater, brighter, and more beautiful Light. Beyond our worldly languages,
there is a greater and more beautiful Language. When we have learned this
Language, this Sound, we will understand all languages, including human
languages, as well as those spoken by all sentient beings.
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Hsihu, Formosa October 11, 1989 (Originally in Chinese)
Our power is strongest during group meditation. A couple of people meditating together can also generate a lot of power, but of course, the power is stronger when there are more people. It is because of these serious spiritual practitioners that the world is beginning to have peace. Sometimes, disasters suddenly fade away when they are supposed to befall a country. And sometimes, a country is suddenly saved when it is supposed to sink or be destroyed. If we have the heavenly eye, we can see this; but if we don't, we can't.
We should pursue spiritual practice for ourselves and our compatriots as
well as for world and universal peace. When more people practice spiritually,
the world will be more peaceful. There will be no need to talk about peace,
and the world will have peace.
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai Brazil November 13, 1989 (Originally in Chinese)
It is not good for us to offer too much help to people when we meditate very little, because we are not balanced. We will lose our patience and love. If we have no love, everything we do is useless. No matter what we do, it must be done with love. Only love can touch God, the Buddha, and the people's hearts. Only then can we edify people through our work and convey God's love to them. Then, through our loving contribution, the people of the world will elevate their level step by step.
Special Report on Master's First Stop on Her 2000 Lecture Tour:
Foreword
On April 27, 2000, responding to the intense longing of many sincere souls, our beloved Master finally graced the Land of Long White Clouds -- New Zealand. (Note: the Maoris, the native people of New Zealand, call their country Aotearoa, which means 'Land of Long White Clouds').
The venue for the lecture was the Aotea Center in Auckland, a popular site in New Zealand for international conferences and performances. Fellow practitioners exquisitely decorated the huge stage using a beautiful background that consisted of a blue sky and white clouds. The edge of the stage looked like waves moving in a blue sea. The green mountains and trees on stage created a warm and natural feeling, while the brilliant sunrise in the middle perfectly matched the infinite radiance of our loving Master.
Maori Ceremony to Welcome Master
The Auckland lecture program began at 7:00 PM, and the several thousand seats were soon occupied by an earnest audience waiting for Supreme Master Ching Hai to talk about how to experience the divine realm of heaven. That night, Master wore a striking short-sleeved dress suit with a long, close fitting skirt in light pink, decorated with tiny blue and purple flowers. She wore Her hair with two short plaits hanging down from Her temples, which added to Her gorgeous and dignified appearance.
While fellow initiates were sharing their personal experiences with the audience, a group of Maori people outside the venue performed a traditional Powhiri ceremony to welcome Master to New Zealand. A Powhiri is more than just a welcome; it is an acknowledgement of the dimensions of spiritual, physical and mental wellness. This introduced Master for the first time to Maori customs, which are an important part of New Zealand's heritage and Maori life.
A Powhiri is a way of life to the Maori people. On a physical level, the physical presence of the person being welcomed is acknowledged. In that acknowledgement, reference is made to the essence of the spiritual dimension of those who have died in the year, the month, the week and the day belonging to the person whom you are welcoming, and in particular, Manuhiri Tuarangi (those who have traveled across the seas). Reference is also made to the essence of the rivers and mountains, which joins with the essence of those Tangatawhenua (native peoples of New Zealand) who have passed over. The physical presence of the person being welcomed is a visual representation of the physical and mental dimensions.
A "Kaumatua", the Maori Leader, welcomed Master to our shores, thanking the Creator for the safety of Her journey, while verbally connecting all the different aspects of the "Powhiri". On this occasion, the "Kaumatua" was also a spiritual leader of the Maori. He then thanked Her for the tremendous work that She is doing for the higher good of all people. He said that as Tangatawhenua we have a responsibility and accountability to our people to Manaaki (embrace and host the Master with the reverence She deserves), and finished his speech by calling on the Creator and the holy angels to bless Her and Her stay in New Zealand, and to continue to support Her in Her journey.
Next, a "waiata" (song) about the gentleness and beauty of the
female energy was sung by the Hato Petera (St. Peter's) Culture Group.
The second waiata was a welcome to the shores of Aotearoa (New Zealand).
Master was then given a "hongi" (a pressing of the nostrils and
forehead or third eye area together, thus sharing the breath of the spiritual
life force on all levels). This is a sacred greeting of the Maori given
to those considered to be friends. Master then proceeded to give a hongi
to everyone in the Culture Group.
Master was very moved by the ritual and remarked, "The welcoming ceremony and songs touch a person's heart." She also said that She could feel the strong spiritual tradition of the Maori people. Affirming Master's words, a newly initiated Maori sister later said to us, "The Maoris traditionally live a life emphasizing spirituality more than material aspects. The Maori race is like a sleeping giant in a half-awakened state waiting for someone to wake him up." She deeply believed that Supreme Master Ching Hai was the Saint who had come to awaken the giant to the Light.
In the words of the interpreter, Naida Glavish, "Master is absolutely dynamic and non-assuming, and has and portrays the Truth, something that is missing in this world. She has no fear, is extremely sensitive and picked up on the spiritual aura of the Powhiri. She is a powerful female energy that does not undermine male energy to sustain Her power." Later, the Kamatua who greeted Master, stated that he felt very honored to be in Her presence.
Following the Powhiri, Master entered the hall to the surprise of the New Zealand audience, and quietly walked down the aisle, and with a gentle touch and a beautiful, loving smile, acknowledged the outstretched hands that welcomed Her.
After She sat down at the front of stage, the St. Peter's Culture Group began a performance in honor of Master, which She watched with great interest, smiling lovingly as three Maori action dances were performed:
The first was about the unity of male and female. The second was youth acknowledging the wisdom of their elders, while the third dance signified the young generation's acceptance of the Maori language as being a "taonga" (heirloom or treasure) that is handed down verbally from generation to generation from their ancestors and is worthy of nurturing. Master was then invited onto the stage, where She greeted the New Zealand audience with a traditional Maori greeting, "Tena Koutou", (Greetings to you all) and then thanked everyone for welcoming Her to New Zealand.
In Her speech, Master said: "I think you know why you are here. Everyone wants to know what God is and where we are from, and that's the reason why we came to this physical planet. Even though at the same time we are connected with heaven and spiritual planets, but because we have forgotten the connection, most of us just recognize this physical life. In fact, we are not just humans; we are highly developed beings. Like the Maori traditional songs we have just heard -- these songs are spiritually developed, highly elevated, because ancestors of the Maoris have known a different world of the spiritual. We can remember it again, because what we once had we never lose."
Master continued by giving an example. We are the whole being, not just a toe, a finger, or a forehead. Similarly, if we just remember that we are a physical being, then we are not complete. She said that She was there with the honor of God's permission to remind everyone that they should remember their whole being. It is just like because we like this ring so much (Master shows Her ring) and we keep looking at the ring, we will just remember this finger all the time and forget ourselves. Actually, the spiritual wealth is always there, but it is just that we are too busy looking outside and remember only our physical being, so we forget the other 99% of our being which is higher, greater, more powerful, more miraculous, more wondrous, more holy, more divine, more beautiful, happy, blessed and blissful.
Master went on to say that we are temples of God, but we have forgotten our God quality. That's why we say enlightenment is "immediate", because it is already there. "It's very simple," Master pointed out, "you are already divine. I am here just to remind you to remember. God lives within you. So, you are God. Otherwise, who is God? Therefore, no matter what people choose to do, do not judge them. They chose a different way to know God. One day they will know they are God in their own way."
Finally, Master said that She could help us only when we are ready. Otherwise, no one can do anything much. Master asked the audience members whether they wanted to have a glimpse of heaven, and everyone earnestly answered, "Yes!" Master then taught them how to practice the Convenient Method and many people had visions of inner Light, or the sun, and thus experienced an initial taste of communicating with God.
Afterwards, Master answered a great variety of questions, advising one person who still hesitated about following the Five Precepts that God is the first priority. We should make up our mind to do anything to know God, to live a life of not killing sentient beings, live a life of not stealing, live a life with no sexual misconduct, and live a life of not telling lies, live a life without drugs and alcohol. We present ourselves as the being we want to represent. Whether we want to present ourselves as enlightened beings is our choice. With respect to the vegetarian diet, Master explained that animal energy is very heavy because they love life and fear death. She also said that all lives are actually one. When we hurt other sentient beings, we are truly hurting ourselves. Suppose we have our finger incised; although our nerves are not hurt, it is still true that we have hurt ourselves.
After the lecture, Master personally distributed the fruits and flowers
on the stage to the audience. Everyone was extremely happy and reluctant
to leave. Except those who had to go register for initiation, most people
loitered around the exhibition area where Master's artwork, Celestial Clothes,
Celestial Jewelry, paintings and Longevity Lamps were displayed. The crowd
did not disperse until very late.
A fellow sister from Auckland shared her story of getting initiation and embarking on spiritual practice. Since she was a young girl, she had asked herself, "Why do people come into this world?" and "Why do people have to suffer so much?" Although she believed in God, she could not find God within her, nor did she know where to find God. Gradually, her only way out was to become intoxicated through the use of drugs and alcohol, with only the illusion of happiness.
At this fateful crossroads in her life, she was led to participate in social work. Incidentally, she read the news of a local spiritual exhibition in the newspaper, and subsequently encountered Master's teachings. "Sneaking by, I took a sample booklet, and something came over me instantly". So she rushed home and read the book carefully. Although she promptly learned the Convenient Method, she knew that it was not enough. She just could not let this once-in-a-lifetime, or maybe once-in-a-million-eons opportunity pass her by.
Her life since her initiation has been full of happiness, yet as a human being she still has had to face many challenges. However, she has found that they can be easily overcome through the power of the inner Light and Sound that she experiences in meditation. The Quan Yin Method has brought great happiness, joy and inspiration into her life and she usually has a great deal of energy. This helps her social work career as well. Her sleeping soul has been awakened, and she now looks through very different and clearer eyes. She was happy to share with everyone her wonderful experiences, telling us how honored we should feel to be in the presence of a true living Master, Supreme Master Ching Hai, Who has the key to help them find the Truth within, which is their birthright.
A Maori sister, who had been initiated for just a month, told us that she once regarded Master's sample booklet as worthless. But later, because her older sister practiced the Quan Yin Method and had changed incredibly, she was inspired to explore Master's teachings again, and so didn't miss this treasure. Now, her parents, both of whom are over eighty, are practicing the Convenient Method.
In studying Master's teachings, what struck her most was Master's statement,
"We are the Light, but life ties us up with money problems, work,
and information, so that we become engulfed by these problems." Master
teaches us that we have to look within to know who the boss is -- and what
we need to do. Master's teachings have encouraged her to understand that
enlightenment is our true Nature, and that we always have it. Master has
also said that if we have a way to recognize it, it will always be there.
The thing this sister really loves most is that Master will always be there
for us, and that once connected with Her we will always be connected, no
matter where She is in the world.
Postscript: The Work of Preparing for the Lecture
Fellow initiates were overcome with excitement when they learned that Master had accepted their invitation to give a lecture in New Zealand, and immediately launched a program of preparatory work. All New Zealand practitioners benefited immensely from this process, which was both enjoyable and fulfilling.
The majority of New Zealand fellow practitioners live in Auckland, on the North Island, with only a few scattered through other parts of the country. However, to spread the good news of Master's lecture to every corner of the land, each did his or her best. For example, one fellow sister living on the South Island drove all the way from Dunedin at the southernmost end of the Island to Christchurch at the northern end. While driving, her only thought was: "When the Lord comes again, the gospel shall be spread to far off lands." In some remote small towns on the South Island, she left just a few flyers. But when she saw the local shopkeepers taking up the flyers and reading them attentively, she was very moved. Several other fellow initiates living in Taranaki, in the southern part of the North Island, also drove north sowing Quan Yin seeds along the way, which they hoped would sprout and help people lean toward Master's divine Light. Their destination was Auckland, where they joined the preparatory work for the lecture.
Hamilton City is just one and a half hour's drive from the venue where the lecture was to be held. Apart from holding video seminars and sharing the news in the local downtown area and university, fellow initiates also put up posters and distributed flyers in the adjacent smaller towns. Many people were immediately overwhelmed by heavenly bliss upon first encountering Master's teachings. Consequently, a woman from Indonesia learned the Convenient Method and requested that the Center send sample booklets to her old friends in Indonesia. Another lady had received a copy of the sample booklet years earlier. This time, she was really delighted and determined to grasp the opportunity to get initiation. She even encouraged other people who had not followed Master to break through and overcome their worries about keeping a vegetarian diet and the daily meditation practice schedule. She informed them that they definitely could make it if they had enough determination.
Before fellow initiates poured into Auckland from around the country and abroad, local initiates had already done much preliminary work. Without exception, everyone who participated learned a great deal from the process. Since it is illegal to put up posters randomly in New Zealand, fellow initiates had to approach the manager of each shop they visited to obtain permission. On the first day, many initiates were embarrassed and not used to doing this kind of work, so the results were not very good. However, after attending a group meditation session, they realized that their thinking and willpower had not been firm and positive enough. The more they feared being refused, the worse the results would be. Beginning with the second day, their work attitude and thinking became more positive, and thus their results were more impressive. Finally, the posters were all put up before the scheduled time!
All the fellow practitioners involved in working on Master's New Zealand lecture contributed their utmost effort to the project, thus helping to convey the good news of Master's visit to all the longing souls in the area. Several thousand seats in Auckland's Aotea Center were filled for the lecture, and many people stayed afterwards to receive initiation and join the Quan Yin family. But even more important is the deep and lasting influence of the loving blessing energy from Master's presence in New Zealand!
Following Master's lecture in Auckland, fellow practitioners went to Hato Petera (St. Peter's) College to visit the students who had performed the Maori welcome on the evening of the lecture. The students were extremely impressed by their short encounter with Master. "I love this lady! When will She come back?" was the response of many. Others asked if they could write to Master or visit Her again some time.
We brought with us a loving gift from Master: a contribution of $800NZ
(about US$ 400) to Hato Petera College, as well as an additional $500NZ
for each of the 15 students who had performed the Maori welcome (a total
of $7500NZ, or about US$3750). The students were very surprised, and then
ecstatic after receiving such an unexpected and generous gift. Many of
them cried, showing their sincere appreciation to Master for Her visit
and gift. Both the elder who gave the welcome, the Kaumatua Takutai, and
Naida Glavish, the lady who had "called" Master into the land
of New Zealand, so-to-speak, were also offered a loving gift, as a token
of love from Master Ching Hai.
Caption:
A group of Maori people performs a traditional Powhiri ceremony to welcome Master to New Zealand.
The Powhiri was led by the Kaumatua (first right) with Naida Glavish (first left) as interpreter.
As a token of love from Master, a contribution of NZ$9,900 (about US$4,950) was given to the Maori people, including the 15 students who performed the Maori welcome at Her lecture. The students show their sincere appreciation to Master for Her loving visit and gift.
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Special Report on Master's Second Stop on Her 2000 Lecture Tour:
April 29, 2000
Sri Lanka, rich in spirituality and famous for its Ceylon tea, is a small island country in the Indian Ocean, south of India. Gorgeous Buddha statues, illuminated at night, stand nobly at the corners of many streets in capital city of Colombo.
On the warm and sunny afternoon of April 29, people began entering the spacious Grand Ballroom of the Trans Asian Hotel. This beautiful facility in Colombo has a five-star rating and is located in a harbor on the country's west coast, facing the Indian Ocean.
It didn't take long for the lecture hall to fill with people. One Dutch man who attended the lecture said that he had flown all the way from the Netherlands to meet Master. He added that he had searched for many years, even going to India to seek the Truth, and was waiting now for an inner "signal" to tell him that the Quan Yin Method was the right path for him. Another person, a man from England, came to see Master because he was still not at peace with himself, even after becoming a monk in a monastery.
To introduce Master's work, the new videotape entitled "Looking at the Past... Stepping into a Bright Future" was shown, which described Master's European Lecture Tour from May to June 1999. Then, a local Kandian drum dance team led Master to the front of the hall, passing a respectfully standing crowd. (Kandy is a Sri Lankan city located in the middle of the country.) Wearing a light violet blouse and long, dark purple skirt, Master looked youthful as Her long, brown hair flowed down to Her shoulders. To pay Her respects, Master humbly bowed to the Sri Lankan monks sitting in the front row of the audience. Then, following a local tradition, Master lit a string in an oil lamp with a candle and passed the candle to other local people so they could light the remainder of the strings. To the delight of Master and the audience, the colorful dancers and drummers then performed a Kandian dance accompanied by chanting and drumming on tablas (traditional drums used in India and Sri Lanka).
The lecture began with a prayer for peace in Sri Lanka. Master said that although many of the people in Sri Lanka already have peace and happiness in their hearts, She asked everyone in the hall to pray for the people who have not yet found this happiness, and thus are suffering.
Master pointed out that peace and happiness are our true Nature. We might try using such means as violence or force, thinking that these are ways to get what we want in life, but ultimately we have no better choice than to find peace and happiness within. This is returning to our Self and our own God Nature. She went on to explain that the way of the Buddha and of all saints since time immemorial is the way of peace and love. That is also the way of our True Self. Some have attained this peace and love through deep meditation or prayer.
The Buddha came to this world to show us that we are also God. In one of the Buddhist sutras, it is mentioned that enlightenment is like a light that is passed from one to another. Hence, we still have candle-lighting ceremonies in the Buddhist tradition. Some people who have heard the name of the Buddha and may have even studied the scriptures of the enlightened ones still have not found peace and happiness, perhaps because their light has not been lit. Enlightenment is like lighting one candle with another already-lit candle. A person must have a lit candle before he or she can light those of others.
By remembering our own God Nature, we can remind others of their God Nature, because we are all born from God. The Buddha said, "I am the Buddha; you are the future ones." The God Nature inside the Buddha and inside of us is exactly the same. That is why we can also become God. The reason we do not see our God Nature is because we have not tried. If we sincerely want to try, we will be shown the way. It is written in the Diamond Sutra that no matter how long a room has been dark, it takes just one second for a light to make the darkness disappear.
The light passed from the Buddha has never gone out. All we have to do is find where the candle was last lit and then our candle will also be lit. The light is the essence of our being; it's our own God Nature. Everything that is noble, holy and powerful is the God Nature. That's why we call it "enlightenment". Different religions identify the God Nature with different names. Sri Lankans call an enlightened person "Buddha"; in Hebrew, this person is called "Christ". Sri Lankans also call a teacher "Guru", while English speakers call him or her "Teacher". Sometimes because of the limitations of human language, we misunderstand each other and have religious disputes.
No matter where a Master is born, he or she is a "lit" candle, the light keeper for the next to come. Whoever comes to that person can be lit with this already-lit candle. The Universal Light never dies but must be upheld in different places: India, Sri Lanka, Germany, Jerusalem, and so on. It has to circulate so that the whole world will be awakened; it cannot be kept in one country or temple because the whole world has to know the light. Like water or rain, the light has to be in different places at different times to bless all the beings on this planet. So it doesn't matter where it is kept, if we want our own light to be lit, we should go to the Light-keeper.
All of us want to know what the God Nature is; everyone wants to know where God is. God is within us. Buddha and God reside in this temple (Master points to Her body). We have nothing inside but Buddha and God, and we are nothing but the children of God.
The one thing that separates us from our God Nature is the ego, also known as the mind. The mind is like a machine or computer, which records and then broadcasts the same thing out again. But the mind can only record and understand worldly information. It cannot comprehend the God Nature. In order to find our Selves, we have to bypass the mind -- go through it but not dwell in it. If we try to use the mind to find our Selves, we will only end up with worldly knowledge, customs, and habits. Even if we read the Buddhist Sutras and the Bible, we will not always understand what is written in these books. What is written by an Enlightened Master can only be understood by another Enlightened Master, by truly understanding, not guessing. Therefore, in order to understand the Master's teachings, we must try to become a Master.
Master said that all of Her talk is actually boring theory, and that She prefers not to speak so much and would like, instead, to show the audience how to find their own God Nature. She said that it is simple because we already have God Nature. The problem is that we keep listening to the mind and forget to look for it. The moment we forget the mind, our worldly burdens and preconceived ideas, then we can find our God Nature.
Master further explained, "When I show you how, it is not by talking to you that you know; it is by showing in silence, from God Nature to God Nature. At that instant, if you really concentrate well, you will see the God Nature right away, which is the Light, which is the heavenly teaching, the Buddha's teaching -- without language. And you will be enlightened immediately."
"Not only do we see the Light, which is our own Nature, we also hear the teachings, our own Nature, which the Buddha mentioned in the Surangama Sutra. All the Enlightened Masters rely on this Sound stream, this inside knowledge, this inside teaching, to come down to teach sentient beings. And all sentient beings have to rely on this holy Sound, holy Vibration, holy teaching -- the inside teaching -- to go back to the kingdom of God. We will all become Quan Yin bodhisattvas, because we will all listen to the Sound that the Quan Yin bodhisattvas have listened to. We hear it inside without the ears and see it without the eyes. That is true knowledge."
Master said that at the time of enlightenment, we can see the kingdom of God; we can learn with the saints, with Jesus Christ, and with all of the past Masters who have left our physical planet. We can see Buddha on a lotus, Jesus with light all around, and we can listen to direct teachings from Them. You can see light that is equal to thousands of the suns of this planet, but it will never blind your eyes. This is the light mentioned in the Buddhist sutras that tell us when we die, we should follow the bright light which leads us to heaven, to the Buddha's Land, not the dim light which can take us to the 'Asura' (astral) world.
Each of us can see different kinds of light, due to our different karma, different concentration, or different sincerity. So each one sees differently when going inside, but everyone experiences a glimpse of his or her God Nature, a glimpse of heaven. That's just the beginning, and then we experience more as we practice each day. Master said, "I hope I have explained a little bit of this unexplainable thing. The only thing left is that you have to experience this thing yourself. You have to experience your own greatness, your own God Nature, because these things cannot be talked about, cannot be explained in any language at all."
"It is just like when I am drinking water, and I talk about water: It is cool and refreshing and quenches your thirst. But you also must drink it in order to understand. You drink more, or you drink less; it depends on your thirst. But you have to drink. If you are not thirsty, of course you don't drink. Then you don't know what I am talking about. But I think you do. You remember, because everything I said today is nothing new. Our souls understand; our God Nature understands. Even if we don't drink, we remember the taste of water because all of us have drunk water at one time or another. It's just that we have forgotten, since we did not drink for a long time. Similarly, with the God Nature, we have ignored and neglected It for so long that we do not even dream of becoming God. We think we are just very lowly human beings, when in fact the one who lives in this temple [Master points to Her body] is God! Only God lives in here, no one else."
Master continued: "That's why the Buddha said that you have to love and respect everyone, because everyone is truly God whether he knows it or not. But only an Enlightened Master can see this. In order to truly love everyone, you must also become a Master, or partially a Master. Actually, it's not 'becoming' a Master, but 'remembering' that we are a Master."
Master then taught the audience a brief form of meditation, the Convenient Method. "If you want to know more, to study more deeply about how to remember yourself as God again, how to open your love to all humankind again, we have to go through a process called initiation so that we can explain things in more detail. And you have to do more meditation, every day, to contemplate your own God Nature."
Referring to the process of attaining enlightenment, Master joked, "It took the Buddha six years; maybe it will take us ten years! No, the Buddha took six years because people taught Him the wrong way until the last method He found, then he became enlightened immediately. Only the direct recognition of the God Nature can make us enlightened. Every other method is like cooking sand; it will never become rice."
After the lecture, Master patiently responded to numerous questions from the audience. Asked by one woman how she could be free of anger toward her husband and children, Master responded that the only way is to gain enlightenment. She said that these things happen because we don't know we are God. We react as human beings because we think we are ordinary humans who are bad. Once we remember that we are God, we will become calmer, more secure, more peaceful, more loving, more tolerant and more compassionate. Then we can see that our husbands and children are also God. Even though they may not know their true Nature, we will love them and respect them like God.
One Muslim person in the audience praised Master, saying that She is the only One who can save us. Master thanked him, saying that Mohammed was a great Master also. She said that She already had caught up with the past Masters, but how about us? Master said we must hurry and catch up with them so that we can go to heaven together. Otherwise, She will be alone and that will be very lonely.
Another person asked if the Buddha would be born again. Master said that the Buddha is born all the time. "Look at you, look at your neighbors; they are all Buddhas!" She said that the Buddha once told His disciples that since His God Nature and everyone else's God Nature were the same, He wondered why people didn't see this. Master said that She wonders the same thing. It is so easy to know that you are God, yet we forsake the biggest Treasure because we are too worried and busy making a living. But when we become enlightened, we are more intelligent, more loving, and our worldly life gets better, too. Then we can use our money and possessions to give to the poor and to help everyone.
To overcome fear, Master said that we should become masters of our minds, and not let the mind tell us what to do. The mind thinks a lot of nonsensical things and makes us fear. Being enlightened, we don't lose anything and therefore have nothing to fear. Instead, we gain more inside and outside, so it is a good business!
Asked if She can end the war in Sri Lanka, Master answered "No,"
saying that the war is created by sentient beings and must be solved and
finished by them. You don't force your knowledge on your children, but
teach them to learn by themselves. She said that if She used (miracle)
power to force the war to end, then later another war would start and it
could be worse. It is better to let the war resolve itself naturally. But
if more Sri Lankan people remember their God Nature and meditate more,
then it will minimize the war. The people who make war are also God, so
they have to realize themselves that war is really unnecessary; they have
to come to peace together.
Responding to a question about whether people from all religions could become enlightened, Master said that everyone has the light of God inside; it doesn't matter what religion he or she follows. She further assured the audience of Her utmost respect for all of the past, present and future Masters. They taught the same thing; it's just that we have forgotten to look for the sameness between Their teachings.
When asked about how one keeps from coming back as an animal, Master said that we have to live like human beings. The Buddha taught the Five Precepts so that we could maintain our human standards. Follow the Five Precepts, and you won't come back as an animal; follow the God Nature to become God, and you won't come back at all.
After the lecture, many people learned the Convenient Method. Hundreds of Sri Lankans and others, such as the man mentioned earlier who had waited for an inner signal, received initiation. Finally, hundreds of "candles" were lit that night in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to shine in this little Buddha island!
Caption:
A local Kandian drum dance team welcomes Master to Sri Lanka.
Master humbly bows at the feet of Sri Lankan monks attending Her lecture.
Candle-lighting ceremonies in the Buddhist tradition remind us to light our inner True Nature.
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Special Report on Master's Third Stop on Her 2000 Lecture Tour:
April 30, 2000
On the day of the lecture, there was a heavy rainstorm, yet according to the local people, heavy rainfall is very unusual at this time of the year....
The lecture hall was conveniently located in a building called Menara PGRM. By 6:30 PM, thousands of people, Malays, Chinese, Indians, and others, had filled the hall. Malaysia is truly a democratic country with multiracial and multicultural citizens. The friendliness of the local people was clearly demonstrated when they heartily clapped their hands before and after the video "Walk the Way of Love" that was shown on two large TV screens. They also applauded loudly when a local initiate talked about her own experiences of following the Quan Yin Method.
When Master arrived wearing a light green dress, the crowd gave Her a very
warm welcome. Feeling the positive vibrations from the audience, She said,
"God blesses you for coming in the rain. May God bless you and your
country, which is very beautiful, clean and prosperous. We have to be grateful
to God, Buddha, Allah, Who have blessed our country and blessed the people
here so much. The people here are very disciplined and very highly elevated."
Master emphasized, "All of you are God already! The essence of life is love. The essence of God, of Buddha, of Allah, is love. There is nothing else but love. When we make the choice of love, which is the highest choice, the noblest choice, which is our True Self, we will feel that we are very near to God, very near to Buddha. There are many choices that we can make in life, and depending on the choice we make, we will become the being that represents that choice. Over time, again and again, we keep making different choices -- to be a human being, an angel, a deva, to be one with God, or yet again to come back to human life in order to remember or relearn again the whole process. And when we remember or relearn again that we are from God, that we have God Nature, that the Holy Spirit lives within us, at that time, we say we are 'enlightened'."
"To know God, to know your Self, is as if you just turn your palm. Look at the front of the palm, we see God, we see our Self; looking at the back, we just see a mundane, human, mortal being. If you just turn around, then you know immediately that you are God. There is nothing else inside ourselves but God. It is up to us to try to remember or not. I am here to help you remember."
"God is the Light that is brighter than thousands of suns put together; God is the melody that fills our soul with all happiness and contentment no matter where we are, what race or personality, what kind of background, or what kind of religion we have. If we want to touch God, Hes even will manifest as one of us, for example, as Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, the Sikh Gurus, Krishna, a Master, etc. These are all the personal, individual manifestations of God for us to love, to see, to touch, and to believe. We still can contact these Masters when we raise our consciousness to their dimension, which is higher than the physical consciousness of this planet. If I can, you can; if our initiated brothers and sisters can, you can. It happens now; it's not thousands years before.
The good news is that we are one of these "Systems;" we are one with this godliness, we are one with everything that we see, dream of, or can imagine, we are that. Just like we are one of the members of the audience in this hall, but we are also the whole with the whole gathering. To see God, to know God, to talk to God even, is a very normal thing for us. Some of us have made many choices already. Sometimes we have chosen to be an ignorant person; sometimes we have chosen to forget that we are one with God and that God dwells within us. Sometimes we have chosen to do things that are even un-Godly, so-called 'un-Godly' or the opposite of love. We have chosen to do so many things, but maybe this is the time we have chosen to make the higher realization, higher remembrance of our Selves because we have done all of the lower part already.
Master then gave the audience a gift. She asked that whoever wanted to
experience God close their eyes, concentrate on the wisdom eye, and taught
them the Convenient Method. She also promised that She would be available
24 hours if they called Her name for help. When Master added that it is
a local call, everyone laughed happily.
During the question and answer session, Master pointed out:
* The wisdom eye is also called 'Eye of the Soul'. Before we reach the level of seeing God with both the physical and wisdom eyes, we should close our physical eyes during meditation to minimize the distractions of the world.
* When Jesus said: "In the house of my Father, there are many mansions", the term "mansions" depicts the different levels of consciousness. Using the "soul road", we can ascend to heaven and see different levels of living beings or descend to hell to help people who suffer there and bring them up. These are choices we have when we attain enlightenment.
* "We cannot cheat ourselves at the time of death. Whatever we did during our lifetime, our subconscious records everything; even if no one in the world knows, our subconscious knows. So when we die, we shed the cover of the body and everything is transparent. We know absolutely everything, and everyone knows -- the whole universe knows absolutely everything about what we did; therefore, we must take care that our deeds, thoughts, and actions are pure and noble."
* "The wisdom eye is always open; it's just that we don't look with it. We usually use the physical eyes and physical ears of the physical body, and we forget our heavenly faculties. That's why we don't know ourselves."
* "If you meditate on the Quan Yin Method, for example, and your wisdom eye is clear. You will naturally solve problems without having to make any effort; you will be wiser. The actions you do in your everyday life will naturally bring a better result and you will lead a better way of life. You will feel better about everything."
* "We cause war because we do not recognize God; we do not recognize that we are part of God; we do not recognize the brothers who we kill are also part of God, also Buddha. That's why everyone should be enlightened, and we'll see that we are all one, we are all sisters and brothers, and there will be no more war."
* "We don't take meat because we want to develop or to remember our compassionate Nature. Because the Buddha and God are merciful, if we want to become God again, become one with God again, or near to God again, we have to exercise our Godly quality which is all compassion, all love."
* "I am not here to prove anything. I'm here to tell you that you are great. If you want to remember your greatness again, I can help you. That's the only proof, only for you to prove it to yourself."
With hundreds of people receiving initiation and many more having learned
the Convenient Method and tasting the experience of communicating with
God, Malaysia became richer in spirituality on the last day of April '00.
These fortunate Malaysians will experience the true meaning of "Seek
God first and everything else will be added unto you!"
Caption:
Malaysian people demonstrate their love for Master.
Thousands of people, including Malays, Chinese, Indians, and others, fill the lecture hall.
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Special Report on Master's Fourth Stop on Her 2000 Lecture Tour:
May 1, 2000
Caption: Master touches the hearts of people in the Buddha's Land - Nepal.
Monday, May 1, was a beautiful, hot day with the sun's rays warmly welcoming
Master to Kathmandu, Nepal. Hours before the lecture, crowded buses and
people jammed together in front of the city's Birendra International Convention
Center. Many people also passing by on bicycles and cars slowed to a stop
just to behold the billboards bearing Master's beautiful portraits.
About 30 minutes before the Convention Center's doors opened to the many anxious Truth seekers waiting outside, the dark clouds that had been looming overhead suddenly opened up and released a torrential downpour. Jagged flashes of lightning appeared and thunder crashed, as the temperature dropped a refreshing 10 degrees Celsius and Master's blessing power became evident!
Five large rooms in the Center had been prepared for the thousands of people expected to attend the Nepal lecture. Large-screen TVs and loudspeakers were also set up for guests who might be standing outside. The enormous crowd entering the hall filled the rooms to overflowing. Even at the end of the lecture, there were still at least a thousand people waiting outside the hall, longing to see Master.
When Master arrived, people rose to their feet applauding heartily, and the atmosphere teemed with excitement. Master, dressed in a simple yet elegant, ivory, traditional Nepalese sari-type dress with loose fitting sleeves, was radiant. Flowers and tall evergreen trees adorned the stage, while Master's sofa was covered in a multi-patterned Nepalese fabric. Local children wearing traditional Nepalese costumes and several adults made a flower offering to begin the program.
Addressing the large audience, Master said that She felt a great deal of love, as well as the purity of the people of Nepal -- Buddha's land, (Note: Buddha was born in Lumbini, in southwestern Nepal, approximately 2,500 years ago.), and that it was Her honor to be in this beautiful country. She expressed surprise at the hot temperatures of Kathmandu, explaining that She was once in the Himalayas of India and thought that Nepal would have a similar climate. Instead, She found Nepal to be warm, like the hearts of its people.
During Her lecture, Master reminded the audience that we are already love, warmth, and wisdom, but some of us have just forgotten. The people, who remember their own Self, their God Nature, or Buddha Nature, are called "enlightened beings". Those who don't remember their own Original Nature are called "not-yet-enlightened Buddhas", but Master pointed out that both are Buddhas. When we lack the knowledge that we are God, we feel that our lives are not fulfilled, not happy, not contented. Master said that all the misery and unhappiness on the planet are caused not by war, not by poverty, not by the conditions that we live in, but by lack of wisdom, lack of knowing that we are more than just a human body.
For example, many kings, many leaders, many rich and famous people are not happy and keep wanting more power, more money, more position, more everything, and they are still not happy. But the Buddha, even as a future king, forsook everything and had nothing with Him, and was happy; because the Buddha remembered who He truly was and the other people did not remember. The Buddha also said, "I have already remembered that I am a Buddha, and you will be the future Buddhas." In the Zen Buddhist tradition, the difference between enlightenment and ignorance is just one hair's breadth. Master asked, "How can we traverse this difference, even though it is so subtle? How can we? Can we?" and replied, "The answer is 'Yes', because the Light that is within us never dies out. The Light of Buddha that was imparted to the circle of His disciples, the Light of Krishna and the Light of Shiva has never died. It has been continuously transmitted from one being to another, from one country to the next, and is always shining. If we find this Light, it is transmitted to our unlit candle so that our candle will be lit right away. The only difference between enlightenment and non-enlightenment is where we place our attention. If we pay attention to the body, the physical surroundings, and everything that is in this material world, then we are material beings; we are in the material world. If we pay attention to the inward Nature of our Self and our God Nature, which is always within us, is inborn and never dies, then we become an enlightened Master. That's the only difference, and it's very simple to traverse this difference."
"When we turn our attention inward to our Original Self, we will see the Light, kingdom of God, heaven, and whatever will make us elevated, happy and wise. When we turn inward to hear our own Nature, we will hear the true teachings directly from God, from heaven, and from the past, future, and present Masters, which are nonverbal, which are direct, which are uncontaminated, which are everlasting. These teachings make us remember that we are God, that we are from God. This can happen immediately. We just have to turn inward."
"Only the actual Divine experience, only actual enlightenment, actual realization of our own True Self, can make us contented persons, and happier, wiser beings. After Buddha attained enlightenment, He still remained a monk. He had no need to be a king or to go back to His original life. Of course, Lord Buddha could also have become a king but He still would have been enlightened. After being enlightened, whatever you do, you are enlightened. Shri Rama was so enlightened that it didn't matter to him whether he was a king or in exile thousands of miles from home, he was happy. Afterwards, people demanded that he become king again, and he said, 'Fine!'
This is an enlightened person. There is no attachment of any kind, either to poverty, to renunciation or to kingdoms. Enlightened beings will do whatever the situation requires, whatever is beneficial to sentient beings, because within them are happiness, peace, and love. They have no need for material or nonmaterial assistance in order to be contented. To enlightened beings, everything they do is just for the benefit of others; they do it or don't do it; they take something or don't take something. Even if they eat food or drink milk, everything is for the sake of other beings. In order to be contented, to be peaceful, happy, loving and truly happy inside, we must remember who we truly are inside, like the Lord Buddha and so many other great Masters.
One of the great Masters of India was very poor. Someone, maybe a princess, gave him a diamond, a gem. It was worth a fortune, but he didn't bother to take it. She had placed it in the roof, and when she came back, it was still there. To an enlightened being, being poor is nothing. He could also become rich if he wanted. He doesn't have to stay in poverty, yet for him being rich or poor is equal. These Masters have no more attachment to what they have or don't have, because they already know everything in this world is not their true Nature. They already know the kingdom of God. To attain this kind of contentment and peacefulness, we also should search inside and find our true greatness.
It's easy to remember our Self -- easier than breathing, eating or talking. Advertisements don't fulfill our needs, they don't satisfy our desires. We need the real thing. Enlightenment is the real thing, not talking about it, introducing it, or advertising about it. An advertisement might say, 'Coca-Cola is great'. Another might say that apples are sweet. But we never feel anything from advertisements alone. We don't see any Light. We don't feel God's blessing when it's only an advertisement."
Master added that it was not like She was going to "give people" anything, because we have always had our true Nature. It's just that we have forgotten where it is. She will show us how to become enlightened, and then we will have our true Nature again forever.
At the conclusion of the lecture, Master walked into the crowd to personally greet as many as She could. Speaking through a microphone to the people outside, She said that although they did not have seats in the lecture hall, they had a seat in Her heart.
After the lecture, more than 600 people were initiated. And since the lecture, many people call each day to request initiation! The "waves" from the Ocean of Love Lecture Tour continue to roll ashore in Nepal, as Master's loving presence awakens the hearts and souls of Truth seekers, even after Her physical departure from their country.
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Special Report on Master's Fifth Stop on Her 2000 Lecture Tour:
May 2, 2000
The fifth stop on Supreme Master Ching Hai's 2000 Lecture Tour of Oceania and Asia was Hong Kong on May 2. That day, a torrential rain turned the initially hot, dull Hong Kong weather into a cool and refreshing climate. Although it was still raining that evening, several thousand earnest Truth aspirants were not deterred from visiting the lecture venue, Queen Elizabeth Stadium in the city's Wan Chai district.
Soon after midday, many people were already lining up outside the Stadium. Around six in the evening, the Stadium was brightly lit inside and out, as anxious guests began to pour into the entrance hall and flood the exhibition lobby on the second floor, where Master's publications, Celestial Jewelry and Clothes were displayed. The faces of all the visitors reflected great admiration and praise for Master, and the seats inside the stadium were fully occupied before 7:00 PM. On a big screen high in the middle of the hall, a short video introducing Master, "Walk the Way of Love," was shown, after which a Hong Kong initiate shared his experiences on the spiritual path with the audience. At that time, Master entered the lecture hall in a graceful and elegant manner, and the room was immediately drowned in thunderous applause, while the excited audience members rose to their feet to greet Her.
Despite the fatigue caused by Her arduous journey, Master maintained a relaxed and humorous demeanor, while infinite mercy and love naturally flowed from Her. With words of humor and wisdom, She caused the whole audience to laugh delightedly and applaud continuously. Master's talk was lively and simple, yet easily understood, pointing directly to our inner Self and wisdom. Citing ancient sages and familiar experiences of daily life, She pointed out that even the greatest happiness on Earth cannot match the real happiness we discover when we silently find our Original Self within. Spiritual practitioners easily feel contented because they are free. They are not attached to poverty or wealth, since they have already found their True Self. She gave the example of Shakyamuni Buddha,who had a great kingdom and all the glory and wealth in the world, yet it was only after attaining full enlightenment that He possessed everything and became truly rich.
Caption:
The truth is, only when one really possesses fortune and happiness can one give real fortune and happiness to others. Only when we have truly found our inner wisdom can we point out to others where wisdom lies. All the holy scriptures tell us that God dwells within us. Master posed the question, "Then why can't we find Hirm?" And responded, "It is because we regard ourselves as humans, spending all of our time doing human work, thinking in the human way, and struggling for the survival of this human body. We forget that we are God. If there were someone who could tell us the Truth, help us remember our Original Self and that we are God, then it would be very easy; there is nothing mysterious about it."
Master stretched out Her hand to show that getting enlightenment is really as easy as turning over one's palm. Through enlightenment we come to realize that the God Nature is within us, being an innate quality that we possess from birth. Only through rediscovering it can we realize that we all have the same God Nature and that we are originally one, without any discrimination between friend and foe, or me and you. Then we truly become peaceful and harmonious, and can bring real peace into the world.
Suppose we have carelessly injured our finger or another part of our body. This injured part will annoy us all day and not allow us to eat or sleep in peace. However, this is no reason to chop off the part; instead, we should try to heal it. After finding our God Nature, it is easy to love our enemies. Everything is easy. We are happy living in a palace or in a tent; we are comfortable with wealth or poverty; we feel great wearing fancy clothes or simple clothes. Nothing can make our heart waver. That is why Shakyamuni Buddha told us that all things on Earth are illusions; only finding our True Self is eternal. Jesus Christ also taught us that our treasure is not in this world, but in the everlasting heavenly kingdom. We always direct our attention outwardly. That's why we forget our True Self. As long as we look inwardly, we will know that we are God. There is a statement in the Buddhist scriptures: "Lay down your slaughtering knife and become a Buddha instantly." In fact, just by laying down this world, we immediately enter the kingdom of God. Heaven is within us; we can find it as soon as we reach inside.
Although Master's lecture was not lengthy, Her simple, yet profound, explanations were exceptionally powerful, and hundreds of people received initiation immediately afterwards. There was even a reporter from the press who asked to learn the Convenient Method after listening to the lecture. Apart from local Hong Kong residents and visitors from abroad, many Truth aspirants also came from every corner of Mainland China, including elderly people and young children.
After the initiation, all the new Quan Yin practitioners beamed with infinite bliss and satisfaction. A young fellow from Guangdong Province in China looked exactly like a youthful Maitreya Buddha, with his plump and laughing face. A little girl who had very good experiences during the initiation told us that she loved the initiation; she felt really blessed for being able to see our beautiful Master in person. There were also some people who were accompanied by their initiated relatives, who had traveled great distances to get initiation, and their faces clearly showed their joy. Having received initiation and enjoyed wonderful experiences, they said that they had forgotten all the hardships of their journeys, and only gratitude remained in their hearts.
Master's blessings encompass all sentient beings; She wakes us up so that we can escape from the illusory world and find our True Self and God Nature. She enablesus truly to realize that all parts of Creation are one, and further, recognize the true Love that has existed within us since the beginning of time.
Caption:
Master's art designs silently convey the beauty of Truth.
People eagerly desiring more information about Master's teachings.
Special Report on Master's Sixth Stop on Her 2000 Lecture Tour:
May 3, 2000
Without witnessing Master's lectures firsthand, any news describing Her amazing ability to attract huge crowds would seem like a gross exaggeration. But after seeing the unprecedented river of people drawn to the Ocean of Love Tour, describing Her as a crowd pleaser seems like an understatement. Such an impressively large group from all walks of life streamed into the Manila Midtown Hotel on May 3, 2000, to attend Master's Ocean of Love Tour lecture. The hotel's 3,000-seat Grand Ballroom was packed, with people in every corner. Many could not find a place, even in front of the several television monitors installed in the hotel corridors and lobby. A radio reporter announced that between 6,000 and 7,000 people gathered to hear Supreme Master Ching Hai, and an expert in Manila rallies said that, by his accounting, the number of people at the lecture might have reached 10,000.
As early as 10:00 AM, hundreds of enthusiasts had braved the burning mid-summer heat to ensure a free but prized seat for the 7:00 PM lecture. And as late as 9:00 PM, thousands were still gathered outside, waiting for the chance to see and hear Master. "This is phenomenal," said Midtown Hotel's manager. A banquet officer for the hotel also observed, "This is the first time we have experienced a crowd as big as this."
"This is unexpected, especially considering that the Philippines is a Catholic-dominated country, and meditation and vegetarianism are not very popular here," stated Dr. Rene Santos. Catholics, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and members of other religions were represented at the lecture. Many dignitaries also attended, including Mr. Manuel L. Morato, former Chairman of the Philippines Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO); Ms. Eva Estrada Kalaw, former Philippines Senator; Ms. Lourdes A. Genato, Secretary of the Philippines National Red Cross; Mr. Dante Le Jimenez, Chairman of the Crusade Against Crime and Corruption; Mr. and Ms. Joe Lad Santos, publishers of LEADER Magazine, and Mr. Nargarito T. Agnino, Chairman of the Board of LEADER Magazine.
Caption:
Master arrived at the lecture hall looking very fresh and beautiful in a simple but elegant white outfit. To greet Her, a group of students performed a Philippine folk dance that depicted the country's culture and the Filipino way of welcoming guests.
Before beginning the lecture, Master asked audience members to close their eyes and pray for the Philippines and its people. She then apologized for the insufficient size of the lecture hall. Addressing those who were unable to obtain a seat inside, Master said, "You have a seat in my heart, always."
She further complimented the Filipino people for their warmth and sincere spiritual nature, particularly in the area of giving. "If we give and are kind only when we are in fortunate situations or when we are rich and wealthy and comfortable, then it is not so much of a surprise. Only when we give from a very humble situation or even in a trying situation, does the Lord know that we truly are Hiers beloved children, and we bring the love of God to this planet. Blessed are you. You are so great, so loving, so kind, so warm, and so generous. All your trials and tribulations just magnify these great qualities of the Filipino people." (The government and people of the Philippines accepted more than 5,000 Au Lac refugees and granted them Philippines national status.)
Going on to describe God as an almighty power -- all-loving, all kind and all-forgiving -- Master said that we have to go within to remember and return to the kingdom of God. Speaking with great compassion, She said, "We are from heaven, all of us. Even those who think they are the worst sinners are also from heaven. The reason they sin is just because they are frustrated here. In their deepest subconscious memories, they remember what heaven was like. They remember the freedom, the abundance, the richness and the mighty power they had when they were with the Father."
She said that newborn infants also remember their place in heaven, sometimes very acutely! "When we come to this planet and are encased in this physical body, we feel very restricted. That's why babies cry the first moment they come here. If this were such a happy place, they would smile when they were born. It is because when babies are first born, they are still very much in contact with the God power and the Father in heaven. When they contact this very coarse and suffering world, they feel immediate pain and cannot bear it, so they cry."
The older we get, the more our memory of heaven fades. There is a reason for this: so that we can continue in this physical life without feeling too homesick. We have to do whatever we have to do here, so God has arranged that we forget our origin, but only for a while. "We have come here so that we can know God. Even if our purpose in life is different, our reason for coming here is different, our way of living is different, the one and only goal we have in coming here is to recognize God. It sounds paradoxical, but it is like that."
Master explained that the reason we need this contrast between the physical and heavenly realms is because we have already been in heaven with the Father for all of eternity. We were one with the Creator for all of time. So we need a reflection of all this glory; we need to experience what is not real in order to know what is real. Just like we need a mirror to see our face. The mirror provides only an image or reflection. What we see there is not real, but because of the mirror, we know what we look like on the outside.
Similarly, this world is just an illusion, a mirror image, a reflection of the true world of Godhood. But we need it so that we know what God is like. That's why the Bible says to judge not because you will be judged. We should not judge our brothers and sisters because they are God's children also. They are of the same essence as God. We are all children of God, and no matter what a person does, he or she is God inside.
We all choose different ways to know God. Some choose a very moral way so that they get to know God more quickly. Some choose a longer and harder way by being less moral, less noble, less good, so that they can learn to know God in a more intense way. Of course, by our human standards, we value good and bad, moral and immoral. Therefore, we have judgment. But in the eyes of our Father, we are all equal, because everything here is an illusion, anyway. Bad or good is not real. It is just a reflection so that we know God in Hiers totality. We have been in heaven for so long where everything so good, so pure, and so perfect that we cannot really know perfection unless we see imperfection -- just as we cannot realize the nature of a man unless we have a woman to compare with. We cannot know goodness unless we contrast it with something bad. That's why we came into this world, so that we can know the worst of the suffering.
However, we don't have to continue to suffer or be forever homesick for our heavenly origins. Master told the audience, "I am going to show you the 'within' kingdom. That way, you can see for yourself that we are not human beings; we are not this mortal body. God lives within us. And when God lives within us we are part of God, we are one with God. We are not normal, mortal sentient beings. If we see this for ourselves, then we truly will understand the Bible when Jesus mentions that the kingdom of God is within us. We can see it for ourselves."
When describing the kingdom of God within us, Master said, "We will see some of the experiences that the past saints have had while they were in communion with God. For example, St. John heard the trumpet of heaven, and Moses saw God appear in a great column of light. He also heard God speaking to him with a sound like thunder and the sound of many waters. These experiences recorded in the Bible are real, but are not mysterious things that only happened to the saints in the past. They are real and can happen to any of us here today, because we are all children of God. Therefore, any time we want to go within to see the kingdom, we can do it. It's just that we don't. We normally see candy, flowers, people, work, money, cars, traffic, and the sun and moon outside. But we don't ever try to go inside, which is a completely different world and is the true world. The kingdom of God within is full of glory and full of Light that is brighter than 10,000 suns of this planet. But it doesn't burn your eyes; it doesn't make you feel uncomfortable. It makes you feel more elated, lighter, wiser, more loving, kinder, and nearer to our original abode, which we call 'heaven'."
Master continued, "The reason we are unhappy is that no matter how much money we have and how high a position we have in society, we have forgotten this true kingdom of God. Jesus said not to lay up our treasure in this world, that our true treasure is in heaven. What He meant is that we must see this treasure from the inside, and then our life becomes better all the time. Even in our outer life, the inside treasure will manifest and make us a different person. Our look will be different, our thinking will be difference, our work efficiency will be different, and our intelligence will be different. Our whole outlook will become different from the inside out."
"I look different today than 15 years ago. Everything I have today is because of what the kingdom of God has given me. As a human being, I could never accomplish anything. I was nobody until God graced my soul with Hiers own love and knowledge, until God was awakened within myself and showed me that Hes was there. Hes showed me that I could always love Hirm, rely on Hirm, and call on Hirm. Hes told me that Hes is the Supreme Master. 'Ching Hai' means Ocean of Love. It's not my physical name. It is the name of our Father. We can also call Hirm many different names; it doesn't matter. Just like we call our mother, 'mom', 'mommy', or anything, but she knows and we know."
"If we don't recognize our True Self, we can never truly be happy. But if we know God, we are already happy when we are in the physical body, so that when we die, we continue that happiness and only angels and saints will come to greet us. Being originally from heaven, we just 'borrow' our body for the time we are here. This is similar to living in a hotel or driving a car. Both are convenient for different purposes. But our Real Self is the driver; it's not the car. As the driver, we can step into or out of the car at any time, and enjoy different things. Similarly, since our True Self is within us, we can go within to the kingdom of God and then come back out. That is true liberation, true freedom while living."
"Having found the kingdom of God inside, we can take care of our family and other responsibilities while still enjoying heaven whenever we have free time. And when we become very adept at going within and coming back out, we even can do both at the same time. We can clean our teeth and talk to God. We can wash our dishes while seeing heaven, but this requires practice. We need practice because we have forgotten not only that the kingdom is within, but also that we can be free of the body at any time."
To illustrate the powerful hold of this habitual thinking, Master told the story of an airplane pilot who often had overnight duty. At work, the pilot became accustomed to sleeping in a chair that reclined rather than sleeping in a normal bed. He used this recliner chair often at work, which added up to a lot of time in his life. After a while, he found he couldn't sleep in his bed at home. He had gotten so used to sleeping in a chair that his ordinary flat and comfortable bed became uncomfortable to him. The pilot finally bought a chair exactly like the chair at work so that he could sleep at home.
Master asked, "Can you imagine? Habits can be so binding, so powerful, that they can make us forget everything else. Similarly, we have sat inside this body for so long that we have forgotten to leave it until the time of death comes, and even then we are reluctant to leave it. We cry and struggle. We don't want to leave the body that causes us so much pain and suffering and work. For this body alone we work ten hours a day. We have to do so many things to keep this body alive, and yet when we die we don't even want to leave it. But heaven is supremely beautiful! Once we know that, we want to leave the body and this world immediately. We don't want to stay here one more second. That's why the saints of the past and present have never cared about dying or not dying. They have never cared much about material comfort because they know a better life inside."
Master said that learning to return to our heavenly Home is actually easier than many of the things we have to learn in the physical world. "To learn to drive is difficult. Even learning to eat as a child is difficult. But to learn to go back to heaven is not because that is where we are from. We already know everything about heaven from the time before we came here. Otherwise, where do you think we came from? If we didn't come from heaven, where do you think we came from? Who is the 'we' that comes into this physical body, and who is the 'we' that leaves this physical body? It is the Real Self, the oneness with God, the essence of our Being."
"This essence of our being can always leave this body and come back again, anytime. This is the art, the real art of living, the true thing that we have forgotten. And that's why we suffer. We have so much pain, frustration, and sorrow. Sometimes we do things against our good judgment because we forget our great Self. We are just thinking about food, about our job, about problems. We forget that we are so great that all of these problems, all of this poverty and all of this struggling, are nothing at all to us. Once we regain our glory and power again, nothing matters to us anymore on this physical planet. Even though we still continue to work, it's just child's play to us because we know we are great."
Master's closing words for the lecture would inspire hope and inspiration in anyone seeking true liberation: "After you become one with God again, you remember your Self again, you will love without loving, give without knowing. You will become compassionate without thinking that you are even compassionate because we remember God, and God will do everything. The ego will go; the mind will die, and God will take charge of everything in our daily life. Every activity, every thought and every word that we speak will be from Heaven. That's how we become one with Heaven again."
During the question and answer session that followed the lecture, one person asked why God doesn't manifest Hiers power by performing as many miracles today as Hes did in the time of the saints. Master answered by saying that God is still performing miracles every day. However, since we are accustomed to seeing the world with only our physical eyes, we fail to behold these miracles with our heavenly eye. We can only see what God is doing if we go within and contact Hirm.
Elaborating on the vegetarian diet, Master said that it is a compassionate way of life, and that we do it because we respect and love all beings equally. By eating meat, we harm animals and cause them suffering because of their fear of death, whereas eating plants does not have the same effect because they can grow again.
In response to a question about whether She believes in the second coming of Christ, Master said, "Yes, I do. He comes every day!" She went on to say that Christ is not dead; he just lives in a different dimension now. If we want to see Jesus or any of the great past Masters, we have to leave this physical body and ascend to the higher places where all the Masters stay, and then we can learn from them. Master said that She is here to show us how to go to this "greater school" and learn with the great Teachers.
Humbly, Master said that God gave Her this job because all the other jobs had been taken. "Hes said, 'There is a vacancy. Every other job is already occupied. This job is vacant.'" She went on to assure us that we could all do this job. "We are all the same. It's just that you have forgotten how to step in and step out of the kingdom within yourself." She promised to tell people all that She knows, unreservedly. "What I know, you will know." She invited everyone to practice this Method, and to do the job of being Enlightened Masters together.
When asked, "What is the greatest happiness in this world?" Master replied, "To know God." In answering many questions, Master pointed out that we suffer because we don't know God. When one questioner asked, "Where does God's kingdom come from?" Master said She would guide people to see God, after which they can ask God directly. A person from the audience asked Master why She was wearing fancy clothes and jewelry, and Master said that She liked it. She added, "Just like you put flowers here (on the stage) for me, I try to make myself beautiful for you."
Master also mentioned that with the money She earns from fashion and jewelry designing, She could buy air tickets for activities such as the lecture tour. In this way, not only has She no need to accept offerings from others, but She is even able to contribute to the needy in many countries, including the Philippines. She then consulted the audience for their opinion: "Can I continue with my designing and dressing?" The audience replied loudly, "Yes!"
After the question and answer session, everyone rose and sang "Happy Birthday," to celebrate Master's birthday in advance. Some guests, including a clergyman and two nuns, went up onto the stage to embrace Master and bid Her farewell. After the lecture, several hundred people received initiation or learned the Convenient Method. Days after the lecture, with Supreme Master Ching Hai already gone, requests for information and initiation were still flooding into the lecture office in Manila.
Caption:
Master's biographical sketch and Ocean of Love Lecture Tour are prominently reported in local media.
Special Report on Master's Seventh Stop on Her 2000 Lecture Tour:
May 5, 2000
From newspaper ads, TV broadcasts, and numerous posters at MRT train stations, on buses and along highways, the people of Formosa got the news that Supreme Master Ching Hai, who had been absent from the island for quite some time, would be returning soon to deliver a lecture. The native Formosan people also spread the word: "Master Ching Hai is coming back!" Phone calls flooded our contact offices. The lecture was scheduled to start at 7:00 PM, but eager visitors from all around Formosa began to pour in from early in the morning, and the Taoyuan County Stadium was soon brimming with fervor.
Before the lecture, Formosa's major media reported the news of Master's upcoming lecture, and affirmed that the Miaoli Hsihu Center's legal problems had been formally resolved. Eastern Television, or better known as ETTV, covered the entire lecture, broadcasting it live to Formosa and North America.
Caption:
ETTV making a live broadcast of the whole lecture.
Reporters and vehicles from the major media covering the lecture event.
The zealous attitude of fellow practitioners from all parts of Formosa who volunteered to prepare for the lecture touched the hearts of observers. A fellow practitioner from the United States said, "Words cannot fully describe the loving attention that Formosan disciples paid to the countless details of this lecture. 'Divine' is truly the best choice of words." The Taoyuan County Stadium is a huge indoor stadium with a seating capacity of 20,000, and fellow practitioners took meticulous care of each elaborate detail in its decoration. After the lecture preparations were completed, the stadium's stage was transformed into a fairyland like those found in Chinese myths, with a waterfall in the background, ethereal clouds above the stage, and surrounded by orchids, green grass and trees. In addition, two gigantic TV walls were set up in the lecture hall, so that the audience could see Master clearly.
Caption:
A crowd, consisting of people of all ages, began pouring into the hall at 4:00 PM. The visitors moved around the lobby, enjoying the beautiful display of Celestial Clothes and Jewelry and Master's paintings and publications, or sat in the stadium to listen to Chinese music performances and choral singing. By seven, not only were the seats and several thousand additional ones fully occupied; even the stadium passageways were fully packed with guests. In the corridors outside, many people sat watching a live broadcast of the lecture on TV or huge projection screens. Another crowded place was the registration counter for those who wished to receive initiation or learn the Convenient Method. The intense longing of these Truth aspirants was very obvious.
Beginning at seven o'clock, several fellow initiates recounted personal spiritual experiences, and Chinese music and choral singing performances were presented. Then, everyone waited eagerly as Master appeared, wearing a white outfit with colorful floral patterns. She looked like a gorgeous summer flower amid the zealous crowd. Since She had not visited Formosa for a long time, She immediately felt the intense emotions of people who had missed Her, and so, upon entering the stadium, She walked around the venue, greeting everyone in every corner. All the audience members rose to their feet and waved to Master, and of course, tried their best to get a handshake from Her.
Before Her lecture, Master, with eyes closed, led the audience in a sincere prayer for peace in Formosa, mainland China, and the rest of the world. She thanked the large numbers of Buddhas who came to see Her. Although not everyone knew that they were Buddhas, She saw the Buddha in everyone. She said. "We are all one. We are the same. Each one of us is like a drop of water in the ocean. Although every drop is individual and special in its own way, it is still the ocean. If we want to know rather than just hear others say that we are all one, it is not so difficult. We only have to approach it from the other side. If we listen inward to our Self-Nature, we will immediately see our God Nature. We have all read about "listening inwardly to our Self- Nature" in the Buddhist scriptures, but we don't know how to do it. Why do we need to 'listen inwardly', and not 'look inwardly,' 'touch inwardly,' or 'feel inwardly'? This is because it is really possible to listen to our True Self. We do not listen to It with our hearing faculty; we listen with our inner heart. We can really listen. Why do we say listen? It is because there will be heavenly music, Buddhist sutras, heavenly teachings, and the inner Sound current that is as beautiful as music, but no musical instruments are needed to produce It."
"No musical instruments are needed to produce this sound that is so beautiful and mystical that it makes our souls soar in bliss and happiness back to our original Home, like the Buddha Land or heaven. This is why the Buddha said that we should 'listen inwardly to our Self Nature.' Our Self Nature is not our 'heart' nor a 'quality.' It is free and easy, very, very wise, noble, great, and encompassing the whole universe. This is our Self-Nature."
In Her usual, humorous way, Master elaborated in simple language on the nature of the Divine Realm, and Her speech was greeted frequently by loud applause. "The Bible states, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and then everything shall be added unto you,' Shakyamuni Buddha also said that when we have found our God Nature, even our life as a human being is happier, more successful, and more abundant in material terms. The purpose for finding the God Nature is not to get a more comfortable life, but after finding our God Nature, we become happier and more comfortable because, upon finding our Buddha Nature, everything is illuminated. All of our previously forgotten talents, our dormant wisdom, and our overlooked abilities develop with our God Nature. We become a different person, because from that moment on, we are no longer humans; in fact, we are not human in the first place. It is only after entering this body that we call ourselves humans. So, who are we before we enter this body? Also, who will we be after we have departed from this body?"
"Shakyamuni Buddha said that He and we are equal, that He attained Buddhahood and so will we in the future. He also said that all sentient beings have God Nature like He did; then why are we not aware of It? He asked Himself this also. It is because the illusions of this world are really alluring; therefore, we absolutely cannot remember who we are, we forget about our homeland in heaven, and we forget about the Buddha Land. However, it is also very simple if we choose to remember. It is as easy as turning over one's palm. It is simple, but also not simple. It is not simple because we are used to looking outside, so it is difficult for us to believe that we are God. We might have heard about heaven, the Buddha Land, and that the Buddha is in the heart or that God is within us. However, hearing it is one thing, but the next day we are still busy living the life of an ordinary human. When we die without a guide to lead us, we won't know where to go, and our soul will be in agony."
"If all of us would have found the heavenly Kingdom within, this world would have become nirvana long ago. The Zen doctrines say that only a strand of hair separates heaven and Earth. It's truly like that. We originally came from heaven, so we only have to revert our attention and listen inwardly to our Self Nature to find heaven."
In the middle of Her lecture, Master said that those who wanted to learn the Quan Yin Method could go outside to register. Then, there was a lot of movement in the venue, and many people went to the registration counters. More than a thousand people received initiation or learned the Convenient Method. For several days after Master's lecture, the "Ocean of Love Tour" hot line continuously received calls from every part of Formosa. Callers expressed their interest in learning more about Master's teachings and the Quan Yin Method. Some earnestly requested initiation or to learn the Convenient Method since they had missed the chance on the day of the lecture due to other engagements.
May 6, 2000
From 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Master attended a seminar entitled "Supreme Master Ching Hai, the Quan Yin Method, and the Chinese in Southeast Asia," held at Academia Sinica in Taipei. Although Master's itinerary was very tight for Her lecture tour in Asia and Oceania, She still attended the seminar, which was one of a series discussing the relationship between various religions and Chinese people around the world.
Caption;
Supreme Master Ching Hai participating in a Seminar hosted by Academia Sinica
All the major newspapers in Formosa prominently reported the news about Master's lecture at the Taoyuan County Stadium, as well as Her seminar at Academia Sinica.
Academia Sinica is a world-renowned organization involved in academic research. The organizers of the seminar were members of the Southeast Asia Research Project from Academia Sinica, the Taiwan Religious Institute, Formosa's Central Broadcasting Corporation, the Overseas Chinese Research Group of the Contemporary History Research Faculty from Academia Sinica, and the Chinese Interdisciplinary Association. Participants in the seminar included professors from Formosan universities, research fellows and associates from Academia Sinica, media professionals, and other elite personnel from many fields.
At the seminar, Master's charitable and teaching activities in Asian countries including Formosa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Au Lac, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Mainland China were introduced. A printed copy of relevant material was also provided for reference. The various questions raised by the attending scholars, journalists, and guests, in counterpoint to Master's wise and humorous answers, created a lively and brilliant discussion. (The complete content of the seminar can be found in a special column, "Spiritual and Intellectual Interchange," included in this issue.)
After the seminar, the hosts followed their usual practice and presented a lecture honorarium to Master, Who was very touched by their sincerity. This was the first time in over a decade that She had been awarded compensation for a discourse. Master returned the money to them immediately, as a gift to help with the expenses of the seminar. Lasting two hours, the seminar was warm and interesting, and especially meaningful in regard to Asian academic research.
All the major newspapers in Formosa prominently reported the news about Master's lecture at the Taoyuan County Stadium, as well as Her seminar at Academia Sinica.
Special Report on Master's Eighth Stop on Her 2000 Lecture Tour:
May 7, 2000
Caption:
It was indeed the greatest blessing for the Japanese people that Master included our country in Her recent lecture tour. It has been seven years since She gave Her last lecture in Japan.
Once Master's tour schedule was confirmed, fellow practitioners threw themselves enthusiastically into the preparation work. Noticing that there were too few publications in Japanese to provide sufficient information about Master to the public, the Translation Group began working wholeheartedly to prepare News magazines, books and video subtitles in Japanese, finishing the task much more quickly than usual. Everyone knew that this work had been accomplished so speedily through Master's blessing.
With people in Japan becoming generally inclined toward material values in recent decades, very few were interested in spiritual practice, or had much idea about God or the Buddha. However, recently, and especially this year, the Japanese have shown a discernible change in their willingness to pursue spirituality. Therefore, we believed that Master's lecture would represent a new turning point in Japan's spiritual growth.
Using their inner wisdom, fellow practitioners contributed many suggestions
on how to let people know more about Master, and how to make Her lecture
a success. For example, realizing that Japanese people are generally reluctant
to receive pamphlets, we came up with the idea of wrapping the flyers like
gifts, with tissue paper inside transparent plastic sheets. Our hope was
that this approach would make the flyers more appealing to the recipients.
The result was fantastic! When we distributed these "gifts" to passers-by in Tokyo and other cities, many were immediately absorbed in reading the flyers, which were adorned with beautiful photos of Master. Others were impressed by the devoted work of the fellow practitioners, and thanked them sincerely. In no time at all, many boxes of flyers were emptied, and the distribution project ended successfully. At the same time, we also dispatched the news about Master's lecture to the Web sites of various groups and individuals.
As the date of Master's lecture approached, we began advertising and also inserting leaflets in local newspapers. After the newspapers were distributed, inquiry phone calls and emails began coming in incessantly. This warm response greatly exceeded our expectations.
The week preceding the lecture was the "Golden Week" holiday in Japan, and many people were abroad for vacation. As we were distributing flyers, some people told us that they had attended Master's lecture in New Zealand; others said that they had seen many advertisements for Master's lecture in the MTR (underground train) stations in Hong Kong. Instantly, we felt as though all of Asia and Oceania was bathing in Master's divine light.
Not all went easily, however, in preparing for the Japan lecture. While it appeared that Master's activities in other countries were always accomplished smoothly, in Japan we felt crippled by many limitations and conceptual obstacles. For instance, we contacted several newspapers and radio stations very early on, hoping that they would report on the "Ocean of Love" lecture. But after reading our materials, they told us that they could not do any prominent promotion of spiritual groups.
Just as we were beginning to feel upset and frustrated by this setback,
we received an important phone call. The sister answering the call was
precisely the one who had approached the media and failed, while the person
calling was a 74-year-old former journalist, who had previously worked
as a reporter for a major Japanese newspaper, knew key people in many civic
organizations, was familiar with a facilitator of the largest women's organization
in Japan, and expressed a wish to know more about Master's lecture. So,
our sister immediately went to meet him. After she discussed Master and
the lecture with him, he was very touched, and promised to spread the news
to representatives of major groups, as well as to the women's organization
he worked with. As a result of his sincere interest in Master and Her teachings,
he also brought several guests with him to the lecture.
It is often through continuous setbacks that we can empty ourselves completely. If in the face of these obstacles we can still maintain our faith to work for God, then God will naturally open up new paths for us. And without noticing it, we will accomplish all of our tasks smoothly.
Finally May 7 arrived, and the lecture was held at the U-Port Kan-I Hoken Hall in Tokyo. Wearing a silver-gray blouse, long blue skirt and blue jacket, and with Her hair tied at the back, Master looked very beautiful and graceful. The background of the stage was decorated in the pattern of a huge kimono, featuring a golden sun, silver moon and many stars, which symbolized peace in the universe and the oneness of all Creation. The stage itself was decorated with colorful flowers, fruits, and green plants, making it very pleasing to the eye. Before Her lecture, Master asked the audience members to silently pray for peace and prosperity in Japan and the world. We also prayed that worldly people would become enlightened and enjoy happiness forever.
In Her lecture, Master pointed out that there is something within human being that makes us know that we are great, and when we find it we will know that we are from God, that we are Buddha. Some of us find a portion of this something, and some of us find the totality of it. The Buddha and Jesus found it completely, as did many other Masters, such as Mohammed and Krishna. When they found it completely, they became Buddha, they became completely enlightened, they became one with God, and they knew where they came from and where they would go after leaving the physical body. And then they told us that we also have God Nature within us, that we have God dwelling within this physical temple. If we find even a portion of this magnificent quality, this magnificent Original Nature within us, we will become wiser, more intelligent, happier, more peaceful and more loving.
Some people in this world have found a part of this greatness, and therefore they have become greater than other ordinary beings who have not found it. But all of us have this greatness within us, and any time we choose to know this greatness or want to make use of this greatness, we can always do so. In order to find this greatness, this Original Self or God Nature of all beings, we simply need to concentrate in the right place and in the right way.
Even in this physical world, if we want to be successful at anything, we need concentration. And I think the Japanese people know that best. Most companies in Japan send their employees to Buddhist temples to learn the Zen method of concentration so that the company will have more efficient workers. Japan is one of the very few nations (if not the first or the only nation) that is aware of the power of inner concentration), and perhaps that is why Japan is very successful in many aspects.
But in order to be happy, to be more peaceful, and to gain lasting happiness, we also need to use our concentration to go to a higher dimension to learn the nobler purpose of life, the nobler wisdom of the universe. Then we can become complete beings, not just successful executives in this world, but also saints, Buddhas, in order to bless the world and the universe.
With just a little concentration, people can be very successful in this life already, so if we apply more concentration, deeper concentration, and in the right way, we will be successful even in heaven, and can leave this physical life any time we want, visit heaven, visit the kingdom of the Buddha, and come back again to discharge our duty on the planet and vice versa.
We always envy people who are more intelligent or more successful than we are. It is perhaps because these people know how to make use of their inner wisdom more than some of us that they become very intelligent, very sharp, and they know how to solve problems more quickly than many of us who do not make use of our inner wisdom. That's why the Buddha encouraged all of us to find our own God Nature, our own wisdom inside. That's why the Bible tells us "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all other things shall be added unto you." At any time, we can find this kingdom of God, this God Nature, which has made all the Masters great, and which makes every one of us great, because we are originally great.
During the question and answer session, the audience raised many spiritual points. One person spoke about feeling a very strong energy radiating from Master toward him during the lecture. Master said that everyone is not ordinary, everyone can develop this kind of power that makes you feel elevated, and then everyone around you feels elevated in just the same way. Not only can She, but also we, can have the same energy that radiates all over our surroundings and around the whole planet. Everyone who is near us, who is sensitive and a little spiritually elevated, can feel it. This energy is the God Nature, the God within us; once we have awakened this Power, we are powerful like that, and at that time, we can bless many people; we can bless the whole world with our energy.
Caption:
The younger generation in Japan is bathed in the infinite Light of God.
When the lecture ended, several children and teenagers offered flowers to Master, who graciously accepted them, and then shared all the flowers and fruits on the stage with the audience.
After the lecture, making use of the time while preparing for the initiation, we held a press conference to address the questions of news reporters and other media representatives. Among them was the chief editor of the periodical Religious News, who commented: "In our magazine, we published a series of stories about the Buddha, and I personally have tried to learn more about what a Buddha is through the study of news reports and books. My conclusion is that, once we have realized our Buddha Nature, we are the Buddha. In Master's lecture today, I noticed that Master was saying precisely the same thing. As a religious news specialist, I have visited with many Japanese religious leaders. Having listened to Master's discourse today, I realize that She is a truly Enlightened Master. Master has truly come from Nirvana, and Her wisdom is extraordinary." The chief editor also expressed a hope to remain in contact with us.
From these bits and pieces of information, we can see how Master's divine messages float in all directions like the flying petals of wind flowers: Once they come to rest in people's hearts, they will surely grow into beautiful flowers. We feel that Her lecture has been a great blessing for Japan. May more and more Japanese people awaken to the God Nature within them, and walk in the way of the heavenly light.
Special Report on Master's Ninth Stop on Her 2000 Lecture Tour:
May 8, 2000
Supreme Master Ching Hai's "Ocean of Love Tour" flowed like a global current from New Zealand, in the Southern Hemisphere, gradually upward into the Northern Hemisphere. The Tour was warmly welcomed along the way by tens of thousands of people, and ultimately reached Seoul, capital of the highly spiritual country of South Korea. Master's final lecture on the Tour was held at the COEX (Convention and Exhibition) Center, a brand-new facility in downtown Seoul. As Master's lecture was the first event to take place there, it seemed that God had especially arranged it to be the grand opening ceremony for the new COEX Center.
The new hall is large and spacious, and easily accommodates 10,000 audience members. Long, colorful banners, decorated with galaxies, the moon, and stars in sparkling silver and gold colors set a brilliant background for the raised stage where Master spoke. An elegant white lotus was gracefully wrapped around Her seat, with two smaller white lotuses at either side. Surrounding the stage were images of floating white clouds.
On the day of the lecture, people began entering the Convention Center early in the afternoon, and the lecture hall was soon filled. A welcoming team in traditional Korean dress could be seen lining the way from the first floor entrance to the third floor where the lecture hall is located. Thousands of Korean-language copies of Supreme Master Ching Hai News magazine had also been prepared for distribution, and every copy was taken before the lecture began.
In the evening, Master arrived wearing a beautiful blue, yellow, and red "hanbok", the traditional woman's dress of Korea. Before Master spoke, a group of lovely female dancers performed a traditional Korean dance. After a fruit and flower offering, Master led the audience in a silent, sincere prayer for Korea (North and South) and for world peace.
Caption:
A traditional Korean dance brings memories of Heaven.
In Her speech, Master said, "We have all heard from the Buddha that Buddha's Land is right here, and you can find it within yourself. We have all read in the Bible that the Kingdom of God is at hand: 'Lo and behold, the Kingdom of God is at hand. The Kingdom of God is within you.' But we just read it, and do not even have time to think about how to find it. If it exists, we must be able to find it. Yes, we can!"
Caption:
Master continued by saying, "There are only two worlds: one outside and one inside, one real and the other a reflection of the real. We already know the reflection of the real, which is the physical world in which we live; so, there is only one more world to find out about, that is, the real one, or the one inside -- the opposite of this world. The two worlds exist simultaneously together. If we look on this side, we will see the reflection, and if we look on that side, we'll see the real world. It's very simple; we just have to know where to look. Just like I have a mirror here. (Master holds a mirror in Her hand.) When I look into this mirror, I see the reflection of myself, and it's beautiful. [Applause] God makes some beautiful things, including myself." [Master laughs]
"Suppose I'm beautiful, and when I look into the mirror, I think that I'm beautiful, but even then, this beautiful image is just a reflection of myself. If I continue looking in the mirror all the time, and feeling 'Oh, my God! Who's that in the mirror? She is so beautiful.' I will never remember this real world. That's what it is."
"I can enjoy the image in the mirror, but I should also know that I, myself, outside, am real, even more beautiful, more real, and everything is more useful than in the mirror. Similarly, there are two worlds: the one outside that we see here, and the one inside. And once we close our eyes and know where to look, we'll see the other world, which is the same simultaneously, which is the real one, which is more beautiful, more splendid, happier, more everlasting, and will make us so satisfied, so contented that it doesn't matter what the influence of the outside world is. Afterwards, we will not feel the effects, but we'll always feel happy because we know the Real Thing."
"Suppose this mirror is fine now, but sometimes something happens, and it gets broken; and when I look in the broken mirror, I see my face all broken, and I feel like crying, 'Oh my God, do I look so ugly?' because I concentrate on the mirror; but once I forget the mirror and look at myself, I say, 'Oh, I'm still okay. My face is not broken; I'm not wounded anywhere. I look beautiful.' That is what we should do with this world and with ourselves. We should look back into the reality and find everything in perfection, as always. Since time immemorial, we continue forever in perfection. Then it doesn't matter how broken this world outside is, it's just like the mirror, and we won't worry."
"That's how the enlightened saints are -- forever happy and content in any situation, in any circumstances. Whether they have a lot of possessions or have no possessions, they are always happy because they know their True Selves, they know the true world, which is all glory, all splendor, all blessing, all happiness. The brightness of the inside world is ten thousand times brighter than our sun, in some of the worlds, and the diamonds, stones, and precious gems here, when compared to the diamonds, stones and gems in the inside world, look like dirt, like sand. They are useless and have no power, no vibration, and no loving response. The things in the real world have souls -- they can correspond with you. Even a table can talk to you; the trees will sing for you; the birds understand your language, and you understand them; and all the things, the gems, everything, the clouds even, understand you; and the clouds transport you everywhere without you even saying anything."
"That's why, when we have found our true world within ourselves, which we call the Kingdom of God, the Buddha Land, or the God Nature, we are contented, we are consoled, we feel no longer lonely, we feel no longer insecure, we feel no longer afraid of death or any disaster of any kind, because we know that we will never die. We know that there is a world which is billions of times more magnificent than this world of ours, so we are not afraid to lose anything, we are not even afraid to lose the whole world, any possession, or anything that was so-called 'very dear to us' before enlightenment."
"But we don't have to forsake anything in the world, we don't have to throw away everything in this world, and we don't have to become a careless person or a very sloppy person in order to show our enlightenment, or think that an enlightened person would like to make himself anything different than worldly people just to show that he doesn't care. He continues to live his very ordinary way of life. He continues to integrate himself with all his brothers and sisters. He does so even more, because now he knows he is one with all beings."
Master continued, "I've gone to many different countries, and some countries are very, very developed in technology and science, but are not too developed in the inherited wisdom within us, in spiritual understanding. And those countries seem very, very dry; so dry that even if you brought the Buddha and placed Him in front of their faces, they would not want to know about Him. Our world has developed very speedily in the last century, in technology and science and many aspects. It behooves us to also develop spiritual wisdom alongside of scientific discoveries. Otherwise, we will be in danger of imbalance. Our way of life will be too one-sided; we will be too attracted to, too dependent on technology and machinery, instead of relying on our True Self and the true world, which are more everlasting. And we are in danger of destroying ourselves if we do not have enough spiritual wisdom to handle our technological advancements."
Master also said that She was very happy that the Korean people show a very great interest in spiritual issues, and came in such great numbers to the lecture -- 10,000 people that day. [Applause] Master added: "That's a lot, because you don't even know me. But I think your soul knows. Your purity tells you, therefore, you came because you are very near to God, very near to your God Nature, and you sense that you are something more than just this human physical body. So you came." The entire audience signaled their agreement with resounding applause.
During the question and answer session that followed, the audience seemed sincerely curious about exploring the Truth that Master had begun to present in Her lecture. When Master announced that those interested in initiation should go to the booth outside the lecture hall, many people immediately took up Her suggestion. Also, the audience responded with loud applause when Master told them that Buddha and Jesus have tea together in Heaven, and have a loving relationship with no quarreling.
Many people joined the Quan Yin family by receiving initiation immediately after the lecture. Many longing souls from various corners of the world had gathered in Seoul to catch a glimpse of their beloved Master and to receive initiation from Her on this special occasion.
On May 8, as Supreme Master Ching Hai's Ocean of Love Lecture Tour drew to a successful close in Seoul, South Korea, thousands of fellow practitioners from more than thirty countries arrived at Youngdong Center in Kwangju to attend a six-day retreat and celebrate Master's birthday.
The Youngdong Center is situated in a lush valley in a spiritually uplifting environment surrounded by green mountains, where many happily chirping birds make their home. The retreat was held in the beautifully named "Sound Valley," as fine weather prevailed despite occasional drizzles. The fresh air and cool weather were refreshing and comfortable, and the Center was made even more pleasing to the eye with lawns and flower patches carefully planted along the roadsides and among the trees. In the evening, lotus-shaped streetlights dotted the tranquil, emerald-green valley like glittering gems.
This was the second international retreat to be held at the Youngdong Center, which had taken on a new look. The Center's roads were paved and its steep, mountainous slopes had been transformed into tiers of leveled land, where fellow initiates could pitch their tents. In addition, the slope on which the meditation hall was built had been leveled to form tiers of flat, even ground, so that fellow initiates could meditate in greater comfort. Styrofoam boards were prepared for initiates as protective shields against the humid soil beneath their tents. In order to protect the environment against pollution, the Center provided fellow practitioners with soap and shampoo made from natural ingredients.
Throughout the retreat, Master graced the meditation hall during almost every meditation session, and Her ocean-like love flowed deeply into the initiates' souls. Glowing with blissful contentment, the faces of the fellow practitioners grew brighter with each passing day. Blessed by the divine love of a living, Enlightened Master and the power derived from sincere group meditation, fellow initiates meditated especially well at this retreat, and Master was very happy with their practice. "This time I didn't answer many of your questions because I wanted to let you find the answers from within," Master said. She emphasized repeatedly that we should have faith in our own greatness, and rely more on our inner power. When we have a problem, we should meditate to seek the answer from within.
First Day of the Retreat
On May 9, the chiming of the Quan Yin bell at 1:00 PM marked the beginning of the Youngdong six-day retreat. The ethereal sound of the bell reverberated through the valley and forests, greeting and welcoming the blessings of a living, Enlightened Master and the Saints from all realms. Not long after the first meditation session had begun, Master entered the meditation hall dressed in a white outfit, with Her normally long, black hair magically transformed into a stylishly short coiffure with gold highlights. Her wisdom eye, marked with a red dot, reminded us to concentrate on our own wisdom eye at all times. She meditated with us for a while. Later, at the end of the afternoon session, Master spoke softly to the initiates to arouse them from meditation, and said that She would see them later.
In the evening, Master came to meditate with us again, wearing a loose Korean casual outfit. Then She answered questions from Western initiates. Responding to a question from a practitioner about whether the karma between her and her husband remained after she was initiated, Master asked other initiates to answer. After listening to the opinions of several practitioners, Master pointed out that this is a basic teaching with which everyone should be familiar. There are two kinds of karma. One is "store karma" that is accumulated lifetime after lifetime and makes us reincarnate, but it is erased by the Master when we are initiated. The other is the fixed karma for this lifetime; the Master leaves it with us after initiation in so that we can continue with this life. Master emphasized that fixed karma can be lubricated, made smoother or lighter, or minimized, although it cannot be completely erased, because the karma of this life is the reason we continue to live. Encouraging us, She said that after enlightenment we don't care very much about karma and that we don't feel so bad. Also, the Master can erase it in different ways, for example, in dreams, or make it smaller, make it more bearable. Also, when we are enlightened, everything seems smaller, or less significant.
In answering another question, Master gave an excellent talk in which She reminded us to listen to our wisdom instead of the brain. "We are all God; it's just the mind that troubles us. The brain is what causes trouble for us, makes us do this, do that, do all the things that we don't want to do, drink coffee or smoke when we want to quit, or do any other thing. It is only the brain. The brain sometimes cannot get the full message from the soul, because it's like a filter. Sometimes the filter is not very effective, and all the orders from the soul become 'distorted,' and so we do things wrong. We do things not in the right way. That's why we are frustrated with each other, because we cannot be like one. Without the body, without the mind, we understand each other perfectly; we don't need to speak at all.
All of the problems in this world come from the body, the mind, and the brain. Your intuition knows what to do, but your brain interferes because of the habits, the experience you learned from the past -- like 'Okay, if I do that, I'll have trouble.' But this time is different; it just looks similar, but it's not. And your mind thinks, 'No, last time I did that and I had trouble; this time I'd better not to do it again,' -- things like that. So, a lot of interference from the brain makes us very frustrated. Now, after we are more intelligent, we should listen more to our wisdom than the brain, and we will have less problems."
Master went on to say that She travels a lot and has to live in many different places, but everywhere She goes, She has to adjust to a new system. To make things worse, fellow initiates often arrange very special or unusual things for Her. As a result, She has to find time in Her extremely busy schedule to adjust to new challenges. For instance, when She arrived at the Youngdong Center the evening before, all She wanted was to take a bath and then have a rest. But the bathroom was full of all kinds of buttons, and looked like a " Star Wars" ship, from which one could control the whole universe. In addition, all the instructions and labels were in Korean; Master theorized that perhaps they thought She knew everything and needed no translation. Since it was very late and She was already in the bathroom, She decided not to seek help from anyone, and eventually spent thirty minutes trying every switch and button as spray and foam flew all over the place. Saying that She is not used to such complicated equipment, Master suggested that it is better to make things as simple as possible for Her.
It rained on the morning of the second day, and the thirsty grass and trees at the Center joyfully drank the nectar from the sky, just as our initiates drink the nectar from heaven. The air suddenly became more refreshing and moist as clouds encircled the mountaintops, adding a poetic look to the scenery. In the afternoon, Master came to the meditation hall wearing a blue jacket, and Her hair was dyed completely blonde. Looking refreshed, She answered the questions of Asian disciples from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, and other countries.
In the evening, Master continued to answer questions from fellow initiates, one of which concerned genetic engineering (genetically modified vegetables) related to the implantation of animal DNA into plants. She then invited initiates who had some understanding of this subject to share their views from the standpoints of spirituality, influences on the environment, various species, soil and nutrition, organic crop cultivation, food issues, and famine. Following this exchange, Master cautioned us not to eat food modified with animal DNA. She called on governments around the world to demand that manufacturers clearly label products containing animal DNA, so that consumers can decide whether or not they want to purchase them. Master reiterated that the resources on this planet are sufficient for all humans, and the problem is the misuse of resources rather than the scarcity of food. A Japanese sister commented that she loved Master's new hairstyle, and that She smelled a very good fragrance during the lecture in Tokyo as well as during the Korean retreat. An Aulacese sister initiate then said that she smelled a sandalwood fragrance each time she went into the house at the Austin Center where Master had stayed three or four years previously. She said that she also had smelled the same fragrance during the Thailand retreat and could even smell it when she was under a blanket. A brother initiate added that he had a blanket that Master had used and that it still carried a nice fragrance after five years.
On the morning of May 11, Master came to see us wearing a white casual outfit, and cordially received the disciples from Mainland China, who had longed very much to see Her. Many of them were seeing Her for the first time, and the emotions and reverence they felt were beyond words.
Saying that She could understand their feelings, Master comforted them by pointing out that God had sent them to their present home because Hes knew that they were the toughest and the most capable of practicing diligently in difficult situations. Such spiritual practitioners are good saints and successfully undergo the tests of courage. The fellow practitioners in China are pioneers because they have to open up the road, face painful situations, undergo rigorous hardships, and find a way to overcome them. This is what pioneers do. As long as they practice diligently, they will feel free and easy, regardless of their living conditions. Master assured them that they could practice well whether they came to the retreat or not because Her power is omnipresent.
Observing that we were sitting on a dirt floor, She worried that we might catch colds during the morning and evening meditation sessions, so She instructed the working members to buy aluminum foil pads and place them on the floor of the meditation hall. The staff acted immediately. By that afternoon, we were already meditating on warm, clean polyurethane and aluminum foil pads. Everyone was deeply touched by Master's thoughtfulness.
That afternoon, Master came to the meditation hall wearing a pink traditional Korean "hanbok" dress, and continued to receive the Mainland Chinese initiates. She began by saying, "We have been cheated life after life, which has deprived us of our confidence. However, we are all God, otherwise what could we be? We truly are God; we just think that the mind is 'I.' Don't listen to it. Concentrate on your spiritual cultivation and be a benevolent person. If things come too easily, we cannot become aware of our strong faith."
When Master led everyone in meditation, the fellow initiates from Mainland China sitting by Her side had very good experiences. Some perceived a great light that was brilliant and hot. Several of them could not resist stealthily opening their eyes to see if it was the sunlight outside, and found that it was not the outside light, but the inner Light. After the meditation, Master praised the initiates from China for their steady meditation. As She prepared to leave, two Chinese brother initiates presented Her with a pristine white "hada" (a piece of silk for respected persons that is used as a traditional Tibetan greeting gift) to show their highest reverence for Her.
In the evening, Master again came to meditate with us, this time clad in a traditional gold Korean long skirt. After the meditation, She reminded the Chinese initiates and the other disciples present: "Do not fear that you cannot practice well; fear is bad. 'Fear' is our enemy, so do not fear. You are splendid; you are great. Don't look down upon yourself. You should admit and recognize your own greatness. You have rejected yourself life after life until it has become a habit. There is no one else; we are God and no one else. We are all one. Since you say that I am a Buddha (Enlightened Master), then you, too, are Buddhas."
Master further explained that, although there are innumerable people in the world, very few can understand Her words, much less observe a vegetarian diet and the Precepts, pursue spiritual practice, and travel such a great distance to be with Her. "You are really great," She said. "You have transcended that level, so you can practice in happy serenity while you are here. If you were not cheerful at heart and your wisdom was undeveloped, you could not understand what I say. I would be talking to rocks." Master noted that the fellow practitioners were practicing very well, very diligently, and their inner atmosphere was very comfortable; they were very good both within and without.
Later, She asked the contact persons from centers around the world to join Her on the stage. Since She shares the Truth at a tremendous pace, centers are sprouting and growing up throughout the world, so the stage was packed with contact persons. Master asked them to report their countries, and the centers they represented, to briefly report on their activities and development, and to bring up any matters or suggestions that they wanted to discuss with Her.
When talking about the development of new centers, Master said that the quickest way to become enlightened is to help someone else get enlightened, because we get what we give; that's what it is.
Later Master commented, "The title 'Supreme Master' gives me a lot of trouble. But still we have to stick to it, because we stick to the Truth. I am here not to please people or make people believe me or not believe me; I'm here just for the Truth, and I'll stick with it. It's very simple. My way -- only one road."
Then, a sister mentioned that her imprisoned son felt that Master was with him twenty-four hours a day when he was in prison. He sincerely repented for his misdeeds and also advised other prisoners to refrain from committing offenses. The sister was so touched by Master's love for her son that tears poured from her eyes as she related the story.
Next, an experience from Latin America was disclosed. Some time ago, the house of a contact person in Costa Rica was destroyed by a fire. She received a call from her neighbor, who said, "Your house is no more!" When she rushed home, the neighborhood children hummed some lines to comfort her, and she saw that her friendly neighbors had cleared the debris so that she would not be too upset by the devastated site. The disaster subsequently brought her loving concern and help from her neighbors, fellow practitioners, and Master, Who allowed her to stay in Her house at the local Center. Master jokingly commented that, since she had nowhere to live, she had no choice but to live in Her house! The sister then told Master that she used to learn how to give, but after the disaster, she is learning how to receive with humility. Everything in her house was reduced to ashes. Only Master's photo and her passport that was behind it were saved, which was why the sister was able to attend the retreat. Master pointed out that she knew her real "house" is up there (in heaven), not here in this world, and praised the sister's great faith. (Master promised to build her a new house if she still wants it.)
Master also asked the translators to come to the stage to sit by Her side, while She thanked them for being so focused in doing the translation work: "I'm very impressed by your talent; you have to really be professional, concentrated, and dedicated. That's a very good job you are doing. I'm very proud of you; you are so talented."
The fourth day of the Youngdong Retreat, May 12, was Master's birthday, and fellow initiates continued to meditate diligently.
When She came to the afternoon session, wearing a white traditional Korean Hanbok dress, the initiates sang "Happy Birthday" to Her. As the conversation turned to sites suitable for international retreats, Master commented that civilized and prosperous countries should issue landing visas, making it convenient for foreign visitors to enter. Master then related a story about a Jewish spiritual practitioner who had enjoyed constant contact with God, but at some point in his life, Hes stopped coming to his house. The practitioner begged God to return and asked what he could do to have Hirm come back again. So, God appeared to him for the last time and said, "You don't let anyone else into your house, so I thought you didn't want anyone, including Me. That's why I don't come in anymore." "Similarly, any country that is developed enough should understand that all humankind are God-incarnate," said Master, "and let them in easily."
She then went on to say that recently She has been debating with Herself about what to do -- whether or not She should teach us anything. She is aware that we have all we need and are exactly where we should be now. We have everything inside us, so it's difficult for Her to bring Herself to act like a teacher. Although we make Her believe sometimes that we need a teacher, we are very great inside, we know everything, and we don't need anything. We are perfect, happy, and strong enough to withstand any obstacles, so why do we keep looking outside for solutions? She said that She goes through inner conflicts, wondering whether to be a Buddha or not to be a Buddha with us. We should hang onto our all-knowing, all-sufficient, all-perfect, all-wise, and all-contented Self. She doesn't know why we sometimes choose to forget that we are great and self-sufficient, but commented that it's also fun to play dumb and forget for a while, the way She is playing a "dumb blond" for a change. (As mentioned above, Master had had Her hair dyed blond earlier during the retreat.)
In the evening, wearing a white Korean outfit, Master joined us in the meditation hall. She encouraged us to be our better "Self". She said, "Sometimes, if you follow everything to the extreme, there is no fun; you have to know freedom of expression, the freedom to grow, the freedom to be yourself. I want you to be yourself, a better Self, only, and not a copy of me. I do things that look good on me, but when you do it, it doesn't look good on you, because you are different. I cannot copy you, and I still look good; you cannot copy me, and you still look good."
"You have to be yourself, completely free of all kinds of prejudices and preconceived ideas, all kinds of traditions, and anything that is no good for you. Just because I tell you to do something at a certain time, doesn't mean you have to do it everywhere else. You have to always think, 'In this situation, what should I do or what would Master do?' It's different. We learn the Method and have the same wisdom, but we use it in different ways. It is just like electricity -- it's always the same, but you use it in different ways. God makes different personalities for different reasons. You are fine; you should just refine yourself, but do not change yourself to copy exactly like everyone else."
In answering a question about teaching the Quan Yin Method, Master reminded us of the qualifications of a Master. She said, "You have to be a Master before you can teach. It's not the outside; it's the inside. You have to have the ability to teach people from inside, on different levels, not just to transmit the instructions. The Quan Yin messengers can transmit the oral instructions only, and they can also answer a few basic questions. But, in order to teach people the inner teachings, you have to be a Master of the fifth level, at least."
"Even if I don't speak at all, if you are in my presence, you will get something inside. That is the teaching of the Master. It's not the talking; it's not how I look, even. And even further still, it's not the physical presence alone. The Master has to be omnipresent, but She has to also be physically present on this planet. These are the qualifications of a teacher. Unless we reach these qualifications, we had better just practice ourselves; that should be enough already -- five or six generations liberated, and the world will be blessed with your presence, also, to some degree."
"Some people can also reach the fifth level, but cannot be teachers. They are at the Master level, but they can't teach. People don't listen, or they don't follow. For example, even if you reach the fifth level and you are a Master inside, somehow, you also have to have an outside quality. Something need to be there so that people will feel at ease with you, will feel attracted to you, and will listen to you. You can convince them instantly that they know what you are talking about. Like you walk into a room full of strangers, and give them initiation an hour later, and then they follow your teachings forever. This is not something that is easily done, I think. You have to have the commission from God, or mandate from heaven, or whatever. It must be done so."
Next, a brother initiate shared a story with us. A week before the retreat, he had found a growth becoming increasingly larger in his nose, and began to wonder whether or not he should come to the retreat. Finally, he decided to come and do what he had to. But the object in his nose had mysteriously disappeared during his flight to Korea. Master commented: "Sometimes we have to be determined to do what is good for us, and put God first and everything else second."
In answering a question about sickness, Master instructed us not to complain about our physical problems and pointed out that illnesses come mostly from the mind. She cautioned us not to pity ourselves and concentrate on our illnesses too much, but rather be grateful for what we have. Master then cited an example: That morning, She could not come to see us because She had become ill from eating improperly cleaned salad. She had continued to feel sick in the afternoon and no medicine She had could alleviate Her symptoms. However, She had come to see us anyway and did what She had to do. While in the meditation hall, She had suddenly felt better temporarily, but as soon as She left us and returned to Her living quarters, She again became ill. Then She remembered a home remedy for diarrhea: Heat soy sauce concentrate with black or white pepper until it thickens, and then eat it with burned toast. Master said that after consuming this mixture, Her sickness went away.
In this case, Master had not pitied Herself, but did what She had to do while also taking steps to treat Her sickness. She pointed out that we were blessed to have gotten flight reservations to Korea so that we could attend the retreat, and so we should not pity ourselves. We should not cling to our illnesses; instead, we should concentrate on the positive. We should not forget the blessings we have. What we think is what we become. We should take control of everything. With this mentality, we will get well easily.
Day Five
The fifth day of the retreat was cloudy and rainy. In the afternoon, Master came to see us wearing a dark blue casual outfit of Her own design. She walked around the hall, blessing initiates who were meditating, and also gave instructions to individual initiates to help them improve their meditation.
In the evening, Master arrived wearing a green outfit with a white collar and white pants. In response to a question from the Korean disciples, She said, "Koreans are very strong. I do not need to talk to them much. They understand here and here." (Pointing to the wisdom eye and heart.)
Day Six
On May 14, the last day of the retreat, it was the Formosan Initiates' turn to sit in the front of the meditation hall and on the stage during both the morning and afternoon sessions. After sitting in the back for many days, they were very excited, and cherished this rare opportunity. Master meditated with us during the early morning session, and again later in the morning. Afterwards, She commented happily, "Korea is getting better. The North and South have spoken to each other for the first time. This is good for you. I am happy for your country. It is an improvement." Master then continued, "I did not answer too many questions at this retreat, because I wanted to let you get the answers inside. The Korean people are very strong inside, and outside, too, because of ginseng (the 'national herb' of Korea)." [Laugher]
Master then praised the initiates for being very good during all the years that She has been teaching, adding that we need to study well because we have to teach others. She also noted that the Formosan disciples (who were sitting near Her) had made much progress, and that those She has known for a long time always look young and energetic. Master next had a casual chat with everyone. It was like a happy family reunion! Both Master and disciples treasured this short but meaningful gathering.
On the afternoon of May 14, everyone anxiously anticipated the celebration of Mother's Day and belatedly, Master's birthday. Filled with bliss, fellow practitioners put on their best clothes. Little fellow initiates, their parents, distinguished guests, and guests from the neighboring area, all dressed in elegant traditional attire, happily joined in the festive celebrations. As all varieties of traditional costumes suddenly dazzled our eyes, the trees and plants at the Center looked unusually green. Charming little birds chirped joyfully on the branches, as beautiful butterflies danced gracefully before our guests.
The weather was sunny and warm, matching the cheerful mood of the participants, most of whom had just enjoyed an uplifting and enjoyable retreat in the beautiful, lush, wooded mountains of the Youngdong Center. Before the performance, the audience members received a generous share of lovingly prepared snacks, which they happily savored while enjoying the program. Greeted by traditional Korean music and a divine welcoming ceremony, Master was ushered into the hall, dressed in gorgeous pink Korean Hanbok attire with a red, silk robe embroidered with gold flowers. A tape of traditional Korean music played in the background, but was soon replaced by the lively drumming of a traditional Korean professional group, which had been hired to open the performance. At the entrance to the stage area, Master was greeted by a large group of initiates dressed in colorful traditional costumes. She then held Her palms together and slowly and affectionately gazed at the guests in the front rows, blessing each one with a loving look.
As Master found Her seat, the percussionists continued to enthusiastically play their drums for several minutes, dancing happily onstage in white, black and red costumes and pointed hats with long white ribbons, which they swirled around their heads as they played.
The first two special programs were performed by a professional Korean dance troupe that won warm applause for their brilliant traditional dancing. These acts were followed by a series of fascinating programs presented by fellow practitioners from around the world. For example, Korean initiates presented "Arirang," (a traditional Korean folk music form), featuring many exotic styles of dancing, singing, and guitar playing. Some depicted firmness and vigor, while others were lively and fun. Collectively, they expressed the spirit of struggle for one's ideals. In addition, fellow practitioners from China presented a variety of programs, including original compositions and revised songs devoted to spiritual cultivation and the celebration of Master's birthday, and a dance by a group of Mongolian dancers performed with sincerity and inspiration.
When several Chinese martial arts performers demonstrated a dynamic style and amazing dexterity as they executed their moves, the crowd showed its appreciation with loud applause and expressions of awe.
Then, fellow practitioners from Formosa performed dances and songs dedicated to spiritual practice, and our new generation of Quan Yin practitioners from the United States expressed spiritual joy in following Master through singing, and impressed everyone with a lively and dynamic aerobic dance; these young saints, who are growing ever stronger, are the light and hope of the world. A Swiss sister next touched everyone with her enchanting voice as she sang a beautiful spiritual song with original lyrics.
After this performance, several creative musical dramas caused the amused audience to frequently burst into loud laughter. After the program ended, Master praised the performers for their tremendous improvement, and was then invited onto the stage, where She gave a brief talk and cut the birthday cake that had been prepared for the occasion, while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Her. She especially thanked the honored guests who had graced the Center that day, and invited the audience to enjoy the birthday cake.
When Master left the hall, a Korean brother wearing a traditional Korean costume led the way in a slow, solemn march, as four Korean disciples carried Her on a sedan chair around the hall. The magnificent appearance of our Master was very dignified and divinely radiant. As She mercifully looked at those lining Her path on both sides, the bliss they felt in their hearts was reflected by the smiles on their glowing faces.
A Fulfilling Ending
That evening, Master received some fellow initiates from China who had attended the retreat only during the last two days. She informed them, "When you encounter any problem in spiritual practice, remember that it is the mind that is cheating you, and it is temporary. Life is ephemeral, not to mention its problems. Even if the problems are not temporary, they will be gone when we die."
Some Chinese fellow initiates reported that others had wanted very much to come to see Master at the retreat, but could not make it. "Perhaps it is because their time is not yet ripe," Master said, adding, "No matter how your spiritual cultivation is, I will not forsake you." Some initiates also shared experiences about how they had bravely overcome personal difficulties. Some said they simply "would not die" even under "surely fatal" situations; and one initiate recounted the miraculous experience of how the manifestation form of Master had taken care of her dead son.
It was already midnight, but, disregarding Her exhaustion, Master next met with the retreat's work teams to extend Her special love and blessings to the many initiates who had not been able to see Her due to their work. She thanked the working members for their loving sacrifice and efforts in serving the multitude with such care.
Again wearing traditional Korean clothes, Master was very impressed by their loose fitting and comfortable design. She said that the ancient Korean people must have been very wise to have created such clothing; it is no wonder that the Korean ladies today look so free and healthy. She also felt very happy about the dialogue between North and South Korea and the mitigation of their mutual tension.
The Korean disciples invited Master to spend more time in Korea, and had good news for Her -- the Korean government had officially approved the registration of The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association as a corporate religious body. Once the registration is complete, the Center will be able to legally develop and launch construction projects. The Korean government will also give foreign members of our group a privileged status similar to that of local citizens. Master was very impressed by the open and cooperative attitude of the Korean government. She observed that the people of Seoul had been able to maintain a clean environment despite the city's dense population, which indicates that they are very advanced, civilized, and well educated. She also reminded fellow practitioners to do their best to preserve the trees when developing the Center.
Before leaving, Master not only gave each work team member a special piece of blessed food, but also blessed the snacks brought by an elderly initiate from China, and instructed that they be reserved exclusively for Formosan disciples, saying that this was a sign of peaceful exchange between Mainland China and Formosa.
Then, under the invisible blessing of almighty love from Master and the Saints of all realms, the six-day retreat in Korea drew to a successful close. Because Master would be staying on for several more days, some initiates postponed their departures in order to spend more time with Her, while others left for home filled with immense blessings and loving power.
From the periodical, "MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR MINDVISION"
(a publication reporting on the spiritual world of Korea.)
June Edition, 2000 (Originally in Korean)
Spot Report
Reporter: Park, Kwen-kyu
On May 8th 2000, an open lecture by Supreme Master Ching Hai, a spiritual Master from Au Lac, was held at the COEX Center Convention Hall in Samsung-dong. The lecture was the last by Master Ching Hai on Her "Ocean of Love" tour of nine countries in Oceania and Asia. The Korean lecture was held in great anticipation by approximately 9,000 audience members.
As Master Ching Hai entered the hall in a beautiful Korean traditional yellow coat and blue skirt, She was welcomed by a thunderous round of applause. With that, She paid careful attention to getting closer to Her Korean audience. While Master Ching Hia entered the Hall, many people on both sides of Her crowded close to touch or shake Her hand.
Before beginning the lecture, whose theme was "Experience the Divine," Master Ching Hai suggested that the audience pray for all the people of South and North Korea, so that the divided nation's people can live in love and peace. After the prayer, She said in a loving and elegant voice that we are all one. We all have the God Nature or Buddha Nature inside, which is our real Nature, but not everyone truly knows this. She continued by pointing out that humankind already has experienced many illusions, and that we now only have one thing to do; namely, to find our True Self.
Every religion says that God is inside us, and if God is inside us, it is very simple to see God. We have all forgotten the message taught by the great Masters over the ages, who said that God is within us, we are God, and we can see our True Self.
Master Ching Hai also said that it is very easy and simple to know the God Nature inside us. She said She would guide us in finding our true Nature, and expressed Her confidence in spiritual salvation by saying that whoever gets initiation can find his or her true Nature.
After speaking for about one hour, Master conducted a question and answer session. A loving atmosphere pervaded the Hall throughout the lecture. Afterwards, hundreds of people stayed behind to receive initiation or learn the Convenient Method.
Quan Yin Meditation, which is taught by Supreme Master Ching Hai and practiced by millions of people worldwide, is said to be the most ancient meditation method, involving "contemplating" the spiritual Light and Sound, which exist inside us. The Quan Yin Method, which is also said to be the easiest and fastest way to know one's Self, is transmitted without words, and enables us to find our inner omnipotent power again. This power is said to be manifested in the form of inner Light and Sound.
There are no conditions for learning the Quan Yin Method, except that one should keep a pure vegetarian diet; meditate two and a half hours daily; and keep the Five Precepts, namely, "do not kill, do not tell lies, do not steal, do not engage in sexual misconduct, and do not take intoxicants."
Those who are not prepared to practice the Quan Yin Method can learn the Convenient Method. Convenient Method practitioners do not have to be life-long vegetarians, but should maintain a pure vegetarian diet for at least ten days a month, and meditate for 30 minutes a day, but no more.
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Taipei, Formosa March 7, 1989 (Originally in Chinese)
The more we endure, the less we feel that we are enduring, and the more aware we become of our rising level.
Hualien, Formosa April 11, 1989 (Originally in Chinese)
If we become delighted and arrogant when people praise us and offer us
temptations, then that is very dangerous. On each one of these occasions,
we must promptly introspect, and ask: "Did I use the ego in performing
the act just now? Was I overjoyed or arrogant?" We must introspect
every day.
Tainan, Formosa May 21, 1989 (Originally in Chinese)
By observing the precept of not telling anything but the truth, whatever we say will benefit others, and whatever we say will come true.