The Key of Immediate Enlightenment

Book 3

The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association Publishing Co., Ltd.

Contents

Walk the Way of Love

1. Moving Toward God-Realization

2. What Causes War?

3. The Perfect Example of a Great Saint

4. The Inner Sound Creates Boundless Love

5. The Importance of Finding an Enlightened Master

6. The Rescuer Exists Life after Life

7. To Love God Is to Keep Hiers Commandments

8. The One Who Realize God and the Messiah of God

9. (a) Jesus Was One of the Saviors

(b) Neither Man Nor Woman Exists Inside

10. Prepare Now for the End of Our Journey

11. To Disclose One’s Inner Power

12. How to Make Peace on Earth

13. One Can Attain Enlightenment Anywhere

14. Leading the World to a New Era

Initiation: The Quan Yin Method

Publications

How to Contact Us

Copyrights

A Little Message

In speaking of God, or the Supreme Spirit, Master instructs us to use original non-sexist terms to avoid the argument about whether God is a She or a He.

She + He = Hes (as in Bless)

Her + Him = Hirm (as in Firm)

Hers + His = Hiers (as in Dear)

Example: When God wants, Hes makes things happen according to Hiers will to suit Hirmself.

As a creator of artistic designs as well as a spiritual teacher, Supreme Master Ching Hai loves all expressions of inner beauty. It is for this reason that She refers to Vietnam as “Au Lac” and Taiwan as “Formosa”. “Au Lac” is the ancient name of Vietnam and means “happiness.” And the name Formosa, meaning “beautiful,” reflects more completely the beauty of the island and its people. Master feels that using these names bring spiritual elevation and luck to the land and its inhabitants.

Pearls of Wisdom

“I do not belong to Buddhism or Catholicism. I belong to the Truth and I preach the Truth. You may call it Buddhism, Catholicism, Taoism, or whatever you like. I welcome all!”

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

“By attaining inner peace we will attain everything else. All the satisfaction, all the fulfillment of worldly and heavenly desires come from the Kingdom of God - the inner realization of our eternal harmony, of our eternal wisdom, and of our almighty power. If we do not get these we never find satisfaction, no matter how much money or power, or how high a position we have.”

~The Supreme Master Ching Hai

“Our teaching is that whatever you have to do in this world, do it, do it wholeheartedly. Be responsible and also meditate every day. You will get more knowledge, more wisdom, more peace, in order to serve yourself and serve the world. Do not forget that you have your own goodness inside you. Do not forget that you have God dwelling within your body. Do not forget that you have Buddha within your heart.”

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

Walk the Way of Love  

Footsteps of a Living Enlightened Master

We will search high and low

For a little love,

For a little love,

To share with all beings

In all corners of the world.

Supreme Master Ching Hai is a world-renowned humanitarian, environmentalist, author, artist, designer, musician, film director and spiritual teacher, whose love and care for humanity extend beyond all racial and national boundaries. Since the early 1980s she has also been one of our planet's most dedicated ecological pioneers, promoting environmental protection, biodiversity preservation, reforestation, sustainable living and most importantly, the organic vegan diet, the quickest, most effective way to solve the climate crisis.

With unwavering determination, she devotes her time and resources to awakening the world to the disastrous impact of climate change and to the vegan solution. From 2006 to 2008 she launched the Alternative Living and SOS global-warming-awareness campaigns. She also publishes a news magazine, writes books, produced the 2005 vegetarian documentary The Real Heroes and the TV series The King & Co., broadcast on Supreme Master Television, a 24/7, global satellite channel offering news on climate change, the vegan diet and other uplifting topics. Since 2007 Master Ching Hai has also shared her knowledge with environmental experts, government leaders, VIPs and concerned citizens through over 27 climate-change conferences in 13 countries broadcast live on satellite TV and radio.

As a result of these efforts, her motto Be Veg, Go Green 2 Save the Planet and Be Vegan, Make Peace has spread around the globe, inspiring humankind to embrace the healthy, sustainable vegan lifestyle and thus evolve into a higher state of peace and harmony.

Through her kind example, Supreme Master Ching Hai also reminds us of our inner goodness and love for all of God's creations. The profound insights she gained through her spiritual attainment allowed her to identify the root cause of human suffering, social discord and environmental degradation: the violence we inflict on other beings, including our innocent animal friends. Out of compassion for the weak and voiceless, Supreme Master Ching Hai thus wrote the #1 international bestsellers The Birds in My Life, The Dogs in My Life, and The Noble Wilds. These literary gems, available in various languages, reveal the deep thoughts and feelings of our treasured animal co-inhabitants, highlighting their divine nature and unconditional love.

Her Early Years

Born in central Au Lac (Vietnam), Supreme Master Ching Hai studied in Europe and worked for the Red Cross. She soon realized that suffering exists in all corners of the globe, and her yearning to find a remedy became the foremost goal in her life. She then embarked on a journey to the Himalayas in search of spiritual enlightenment and eventually received divine transmission of the inner Light and Sound, which she later called the Quan Yin Method of meditation. After a period of diligent practice, Supreme Master Ching Hai attained the Great Enlightenment.

Soon after her return from the Himalayas, at the request of those around her, Supreme Master Ching Hai began sharing the Quan Yin Method, encouraging her students to look within to find their own divine greatness. Before long, she received invitations to give lectures in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. Supreme Master Ching Hai's compassionate heart is also reflected in her care for the less fortunate. Funds generated from the sale of her artistic creations have enabled her to support her mission of comforting God's children in need through worldwide disaster relief and charity work.

Beautify the World We Live In

Although she seeks no acknowledgement for her humanitarian work, Supreme Master Ching Hai has received numerous awards from governments and private organizations around the world, including the World Peace Award, the World Spiritual Leadership Award, the Award for Promotion of Human Rights, the World Citizen Humanitarian Award, the Award for Outstanding Public Service to Mankind, the 2006 Gusi Peace Prize, the Los Angeles Music Week Certificate of Commendation, First Place Silver for the 27th Annual Telly Awards 2006, the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award from former US President George W. Bush, and the 2010 President's Volunteer Service Award from US President Barack Obama.

In addition, October 25 and February 22 were proclaimed Supreme Master Ching Hai Day in the US by government officials in Hawaii and Illinois. Congratulatory messages were sent to her during the Illinois proclamation ceremony by former US Presidents Clinton, Bush and Reagan.

And to commend virtuous individuals and encourage others to be inspired by their examples, Supreme Master Ching Hai has also created the Shining World Awards series, recognizing deserving humans and animals for exceptional heroism, compassion, leadership, bravery or intelligence.

Master's Dream

Supreme Master Ching Hai thus selflessly dedicates her life to creating a beautiful future for our beloved planet and its precious co-inhabitants. Throughout history great visionaries have had dreams, and Supreme Master Ching Hai expresses hers as follows:

“I dream that the whole world will become peaceful.

I dream that all the killing will stop.

I dream that all the children will walk in peace and harmony.

I dream that all the nations will shake hands with each other,

protect each other and help each other.

I dream that our beautiful planet will not be destroyed.

It takes billion, billion and trillions of years to produce this planet

and it’s so beautiful, so wonderful.

I dream that it will continue, but in peace, beauty and love.”

Moving Toward God-Realization 

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

March 9, 1991 (Video#159) 
Boulder, Colorado, U. S. A.

(Originally in English)

Well, I’m glad to have seen such beautiful Americans today. Yeah! I’m also amazed. I was informed outside that “Oh! The room is packed and the people here are beautiful,” and I think he was right. I think I’ve heard a lot about Colorado, Boulder, as a very spiritual place, and has a very nice energy here. I heard it many years ago when I read some of the magazines, spiritual magazines from Boulder, from Colorado; and I was actually invited, off and on, for two years now to Colorado, first to Denver and then to Boulder. Yeah? Boulder you called it here, yeah? And I put it off many times, but this time because I’m going through the United States so I thought I might just drop in to say hallo.

How is everyone? (Audience: Great) Great. Yeah. I’m glad that you took time to come here, that we have a chance to see each other once in many, probably centuries, or many lifetimes. Never know when we’ll have this chance again. Or we might be in another different physical body. It might not look so beautiful like we are now. So, you should appreciate your beauty here.

I know that many of you have been on the spiritual path, probably so-called different paths or different approaches to God-consciousness or to Buddha Nature or to Zen or Tao. The microphone. It’s my voice. It’s my voice. Is it OK now? Everyone OK? Yeah! Thank you. My voice is very low except when I... when I roar you know, like every woman does. (Master and everyone laugh) Well I have to fulfill my duty sometimes, in a woman’s shape. Yeah! I have to be feminine. (Master & everyone laugh) You know. Otherwise people think only men can become Buddha (fully enlightened being)(Master & everyone laugh and applause) Well, the good news is women also can become Buddha. Well my disciples think that way. I don’t think, yeah! That woman can become Buddha. I am sorry, because we are neither man nor woman. Everyone is a Buddha, undeveloped Buddha. Just like every country is a country. There are undeveloped countries, there are civilized nations. Yeah!

So we can be also developed by following certain techniques, certain ways of life, certain ways of orienting our... yes, our daily life. Yes. The way that most of the people lead their life is not very well oriented. I don’t mean you. Maybe you are well oriented. Please just listen to the general guideline. See, there are many levels we can live our life, and everyone knows the highest level is to live our life in God-consciousness, or when we are truly in touch or are aware of our Buddha Nature (our true Nature). Yeah!

Many people try to approach this God-consciousness or Buddha Nature through different contemplating techniques. Mm. Contemplating on meditation is the best way that we can realize our true great Nature. But even in meditation there are many techniques. And even if you find the right technique or the fastest or the quickest technique there are, of course, many levels too. Now we are supposed to talk about the highest technique. Yeah.

If we meditate in the right way we will immediately…, or if we have found the right way to approach our inner Nature we will immediately find some kind of enlightening aspect, immediately some proof of our real great Self, so that we know immediately that we are not only the physical body, we are something else. We just feel so elevated and so... not really excited but… the language is very limited in it’s own power to express the divine ecstasy that we might feel when we happen to fall into a right path or the right environment of God-consciousness. So that’s why we could call that immediate enlightenment. Mm!

And now if we follow that path or that kind of approach to God daily then we improve each day. And we are more sure and sure of our liberation, more sure and sure of our own greatness. Then until one day we can say to ourselves, “Ah! I and my Father are one or “I am that” or “I am the Buddha.” But even then there is no sense of being proud, no pride involved. It’s just a simple fact that we just discovered a truly enlightened state of being, that we just know what we are that we haven’t known before. That is all. When we’ve found something that is ourself we can’t be proud. We can just be happy that we’ve found it. It’s very simple. Yes.

So many people sometimes mistake that it’s only in someone who might proclaim or be proclaimed Buddha. Normally the Buddha self wouldn’t say that I am a Buddha (a fully enlightened being) except in a very special case when the disciples ask or need affirmation. Mostly they are proclaimed by followers that they are the Christ or the Buddha or the Master. And then many people would misunderstand and would think, “That so-called Master or Buddha is very proud or wants to claim victory, claim honor for himself or herself.” Yes. But it is not true. It’s just like after you’ve graduated and you got a Ph.D. and you say, “I’ve just become a medical doctor or I’ve just passed the examinations… and got a Ph.D.” That’s all. Well we are happy that we have accomplished the goal that we’ve been working for after long, long years.

So after we’ve become Buddha (a fully enlightened being), we would not feel that there is anything great about being a Buddha. We just feel very happy, very happy, very contented; and we just feel that it’s natural, it’s the way it should be. Yes. And the one who has become Buddha doesn’t feel like immediately going out and proclaiming this news to people. Not that he has lost his sense of compassion or that he is selfish, but they look upon the Buddha, look upon all beings as Buddha. And so the Buddha would have probably felt very surprised that someone didn’t know about this. But gradually the Buddha regains the sense of reality... means of this world, and knows for sure that there are many who have not realized that they are the Buddha. And that is the truth.

Therefore when these so-called people, so-called unenlightened people, or “have not realized their own greatness people” come and request the so-called Buddha to explain to them and to show them the way how to become Buddha, then that Buddha would do it. But without any sense of false pride or superiority at all. It might have a little sense of surprise in it, but no pride – Probably, “Why doesn’t she know it?” You know. “Why doesn’t she know that she is the Buddha.” On and off, will be always a sense of surprise during the preaching time of any Buddha or any Master. Yeah.

When I say Buddha please understand also, and I think you understand, that I mean also Christ or any Messiahs or any Master living – true living high Master. I was very... much of the time in contact with Buddhist doctrines, before and even now. Also I read many other doctrines. But because when I was young I was always familiar with the Buddhist terminologies, therefore, sometimes I say Buddha or Buddhist doctrines. But please do not misunderstand that I stand for Buddhism alone and do not respect Christianity or any other great philosophy. Yeah? I am for all. I respect all and I know all point to the same Truth. But we must know the Truth. That’s important. Not only to know the way but we must know the Truth. Like once the Buddha said: I am the finger that points toward the moon, but the finger is not the moon. He meant that His doctrines, His philosophy is just to awaken in us a sense of longing for the moon, for the Truth. But we must not cling to that philosophy alone and forget to find the Truth.

So the Truth which we have inside us, that is God Nature or the Kingdom of God or Buddha Nature, we have it already. We must uncover it. There is a technique to do it immediately, and continue to do it daily until we recover the whole Kingdom of God for ourselves.

The way most of the people live their life now is not yet complete and is not very ideal for our happiness and for our wisdom. There are many levels to live our life. The first level is the physical level where most or many of the people... how to say... spend their life. In the physical level we mostly love sensual pleasures, love to sleep, love to eat, eat well, love to have all kinds of physical happiness, and we tend toward laziness too. We just work because we need to earn a living. But we do not put our ideal, our heart into our work. I’m just talking about different levels. Yeah. Please don’t be offended. Yes. So that is the physical level. And we find that it’s difficult to work. We don’t like working that much. As far as it doesn’t concern our welfare, it’s difficult for us to lift our finger to work for others or to do anything that is more beneficial to the mass of humankind. I’m just talking a general view, but if we go into details it’ll take a longer time.

So now the second level is what we call the emotional level. In the emotional level we are very strong in our opinion. We can say we are domineering or authoritative. What we think is right. What we do is correct. And we expect even others to do the same. There in this level are born many... how you say... dictators and great so-called leaders in the extremist movement. Yes. Because they are too emotional, they live their life in the emotional level. Mm. It is good if they follow the right way. But when it is the wrong way they also do not try to correct it and they will not admit their errors. And that is the danger, hah, because there is no flexibility.

Another level where we can live our life is that we live our life in the intellect, in the mind, the physical mind. Well the mind, I am sorry, it’s normally physical. It’s a kind of computer, very excellent computer. Records everything and puts out all the data, very faithfully without any intelligence and judgement. If we do not put the soul’s intelligence into it then the mind is an automatic machine. I’m talking about this automatic machine, the unenlightened mind. So when people live in this kind of automatic level of the mind they become even more engrossed in themselves. Is that right? And they would not care much about what’s going on in the world. They would not even dictate others what to do.

So many people reach this level and they probably hide themselves in a cave or bury themselves into any kind of ideal, and they stick in there. They get stuck. And they would not care what happens to the world. And they would not even want to change the world or to change themselves. They think they are perfect the way they are. And many mistake this for the highest enlightenment itself. They think there is nothing to do in the world. But the way of doing without doing is in a different level. It’s not that. It’s not that we don’t care for the world and we do nothing for the world. It is not so, the great enlightenment. It’s just one of the levels of the progress to enlightenment, to the great enlightenment. Yeah!

Enlightenment we have anyhow, different degrees each day. As we struggle towards the Truth we experience different enlightenments each day, and we broaden our wisdom until one day we reach the highest level. So that is one of the levels.

Now if we reach a little bit higher level we live in so-called the soul, the Self level, the Self-realization level. We know then that we are soul, that we live because of the soul, that we are intelligent because of the soul’s Light, that we have compassion and feeling, etc... because of the soul’s motivation behind it. And in this level we know many things and we try many ways to benefit the world, to help the world and to help ourselves to live in bliss, happiness and anything that we want to define as a noble goal of humankind. And we try hard. We still try with effort and all our might to achieve this, and to help others to achieve the same. This is the soul’s level, the Self-realized man.

Because at that time we identify ourselves with the soul, we know that we and the soul, the source of inspiration, are the same, we are not the body. But still that is not the highest level, because at that time we still have the ego that identifies, that knows it is great, that knows that, I and my Father are one. There are two, still too crowded, too crowded. (Master and everyone laugh) Even though you say, I and my Father are one, but because there are still “I” and “my Father,” therefore not yet one. Yeah, you see, that’s the paradox of things. So now, don’t say I criticize Jesus; it’s not true. He only said that in order to make people understand. But He was not that, you understand? He knew that He was different. Therefore in another place, He said, Not I but the Father does. You understand what I mean? He knows. He knows better than, I and my Father are one, but He must say something. Otherwise people would not get what He wanted to say. Yes.

When any Master comes to Earth they have to lower their level to the people’s level and then slowly bring them up. Yes?! Otherwise how can we do it. Just like you teach a child. Yes. You have to teach him how to write “A, B, C” and hold his hand to help him write also. Teach him many sentences which you don’t need to learn any longer, but you have to do it for the child’s sake.

So after this Self-realization level we have God’s level, God-consciousness or God-realization. God is none other than ourselves. But even then at the Self-realized level we do not know that. We think there is a God besides us. Well, it sounds funny, no? It sounds funny. Does it sound atheist? I hope not. It’s difficult to explain. Woo! It’s difficult to explain. OK. Try to understand. It’s not that you don’t understand. It’s just difficult for me to explain.

So the God realized level is, we are in it. We just do what has to be done without even thinking, without even knowing, without even feeling that we are doing it. We are just that. We just do it. We’re just the author of all things, the source of everything; of our actions, consequences, but without having the karma attached therewith. I hope I have made it clear enough but I still think it’s not. Even then, I don’t know what else to say. Maybe you ask me later and then I know how you understand it. And probably I’ll also be more enlightened in your enlightenment, and then we can explain further.

So now most of the people live in the physical or emotional or automatic intellectual level, or Self-realization at the most. God-realization level many of us do not experience. But we could, everyone of us could, because we have God within us. The Bible, in the Bible it is stated that: We are the temple of God and the holy spirit lives within us. Is that not so? Yes also: The Kingdom of God is within you. The Kingdom of God comes not through observation, not through reasoning, intellectualizing, not through talking, not through studying books or Scriptures, but the Kingdom of God is within you. Therefore the direct way is to know it, to experience it, means to snatch it back. That’s why many Zen masters say, don’t need the Scriptures. It sounds very atheist.

Also the Buddha sometimes in His probably tiring moments, He would say: “No such God.” Yeah. “There is no God.” He doesn’t mean there is no God, there is just no such God as we expect it. So He said that: Not that, not this, not others, no such God. Understand? So people are attached to that sentence and say the Buddha doesn’t believe in God. But it’s not true. It’s not true because in other places He says: I wouldn’t say there is no God or there is God, but I say there is one thing from which all things come and to which all things return.? So that also means what? You know. Yeah? Alright. Now we tend to just analyze one or two sentences of the prophets of any time and then categorize him. That he is that or he is this and he is other, and we make so many “isms” out of this, and sometimes fight with each other because of “isms.” And even within one “ism” there are split opinions, and there is sometimes fighting, sometimes even blood-shed. And that’s a very sad thing to see.

The prophets or the Masters of old never wanted to create this kind of division. After we have realized God, probably we will understand much more than we can express in words. But then there is the sense that even if we don’t say it, everyone would understand. For example if a Master has many, many disciples, it’s not possible that Master can always be individually taking care of each disciple – you know physically or verbally. But all the disciples get enlightenment. All the disciples understand by their own and slowly reach the level of the Master. Why? Because we are the Master. We have the inner Master. We are that. We are God-Self. We are Buddha. We have Buddha Nature in us. And once the Master has helped us awaken that Buddha inside us or the Master inside us, the Master himself, inside, will take care of all things – wake up to work after many lifetimes sleeping, have nothing to do.

Like staying in the physical level, then only body works, the body desires, and doing things. The body enjoys the sensual pleasures, but the Master has nothing to do with it. And, or in the emotional level the Master also doesn’t dictate. It is the habit forming of the mind that dictates. It’s the desire to be above everyone that dictates. And also in the intellectual level it’s the mind, the intellect that discriminates things, that tells the body what to do, to stick in the cave, to meditate, to do this and that and other, but not the soul, not God, not the Master.

But only after a meeting with a real Master then the real Master would recognize it. Yes. Because the president normally talks to the president. The king only negotiates with king. The king would not go and find any of the ministers and talk to him about the state affairs. The king would not go and visit any policeman and negotiate two nations’ great important issues. Understand? So long as the police department is involved or any minister’s affairs are involved, the president would not be there. Yeah? Or the king would not be there. So only when the king comes, then king will come and meet him and talk to him, negotiate with him, or plan things for the nations or for the world. That’s what it is. The importance of meeting the true Master in order to awaken the true Self within us. The king will only talk to the king.

Therefore we could follow many paths. We could do everything we want – stick in the cave for a hundred years. We’ll still not find the Master. It’s not Master’s affair, so he may not come out. He’ll only wait until the proper moment to see the king because he is the king. Therefore we meditate, we follow many different so-called Masters, we do every kind of austerity, even veganism. That doesn’t bring us to Buddhahood (God-realization) to God’s throne. Except when we are awakened, the Buddha within us, through seeing another Buddha or through the help of another Buddha, then we know ourselves. You understand the difference or not? Yes?

We follow many paths, we have different benefits. There is no path that offers no benefit. There must be benefit of some kind. Otherwise how would people follow it? Even prayers without any guidance have benefit. Even going to the church or going to the temples, doing worship, going on pilgrimages have their emotional upliftment, and we feel some kind of happiness through it. Sometimes, most often, the sense of pride that we have done pious things, and that we are vegan, that we go to the church every day, that we go to Mecca, etc. And that strengthens our ego only, our pride only. That’s the sad thing.

But the soul is always there luckily, and the soul knows that it’s OK. Let the children play until they are tired and then they will go to the mother. Understand? That’s why the true Masters are never in a hurry or never try to hoard, collect, disciples. They’re just very natural, very spontaneous in their way, and whoever is ready comes. Mm! They have no anxiety that whole world does not follow their message, that many people attack them, that people do not live the way they should do! Because children live the way children do. But it’s OK. Just that they have to grow up one day. And once they grow up they have to behave the way adult people should behave.

So the so-called Masters or Buddha, since ancient times, they would come and present to the people many different levels of life or the enlightened ideas. And then people would choose. Those who are ready for it would choose. But not that the Master is in a hurry and very anxious or worried about the world. But not that he doesn’t do anything. He does but without doing. Like Lao Tzu said: Do without doing. And that’s a different level from the intellectual level, who stick themselves in the jungle and mind no one’s business.

The Master is in the world to help those who need help, but he is not in the world, he is not attracted to the world and not attached to the world, nor is he attached to his failure or success in this world.

You see what Jesus did. At the peak of His glory He was ready to die if it should be so. You understand. And by dying He teaches many people the way of surrendering. By not clinging to glory and life He teaches God’s will, that we should always follow God’s will. But in order to follow God’s will we must know where God is, and what God wants. And in order to know that, we must reach God-realization like Jesus did or Buddha did. Then we can surrender, but not otherwise.

Before that, we’ll always struggle with our own will, with our own so-called intelligence in order to change the world or to make the world a better place, etc. We do that with a sense of ego. After great enlightening we do but not do. And we do thousands and one, billions, trillions of things without lifting a finger. Can you imagine that kind of business? Hah? Doing a trillion things without lifting one finger? Mm. It happens. It’s not a joke. Even though I made it like a joke but it isn’t. It is a true state of real being, and every one of us has this capacity, has this right to exercise this Power. But we don’t know it. That’s all. We’re too busy, developing ourselves in scientific aspects, in literature fields, in mechanical, how you say, success, and we do not try to develop the all, complete Power. That’s why we don’t know how to exercise this. And that is the only reason.

And now many people would tell me, “But we do, we do, we do. We try hard to develop this all-encompassing Power.” Is that right? Yes. People would tell me, “Yes, we do that. Yeah, we go to the church, we go to the temple, we repeat hundred and one beads every day. Yeah! We are vegan. We do this mantra thousand and one times. We repeat hundreds of mantras many years now. We even count it. We have a book for it. (Laughter) Yes. Yes. Yes. And worship such and such deities how many times a day, how many hundred prostrations a day. And we go to such and such pilgrimage centers. We do such and such worshipping acts and rituals and rites, and we meditate even. I feel I’m very virtuous. Yes.”

I did feel that way. But after a while I was tired. I thought it was not deep enough to satisfy my inner longing. So only after I practiced this so-called Quan Yin Method which is the method without method, is directly pointing into your own Nature then everything ceased to bother me. Everything else fell apart. Yes, and the Self stood revealed. And everyone knows that too. Yeah.

Some of the people who follow other paths would tell me, “Yes, we know that, directly points to the mind, knowing you are the Buddha. That’s it, and you are enlightened.” But that’s only talking, repeating what the patriarchs have said many hundreds or thousands of years ago. We don’t know what directly pointing to the Buddha Nature (your real Nature) means. We don’t even know what it is.

We thought that the Buddha Nature is what we can understand with the intellect or touch with the hands or reasoning it out, what we can imagine. It’s not so. It’s not anything that we can imagine or touch or feel or reason. We just have to know it by the experience. The Buddha Nature is something effulgent with Light, and within this Light we know everything. Just like we use language to teach humans, and the animals, they use the animals’ language to communicate to each other. Buddha used Light and different vibrating frequencies to teach the Buddha in us. You understand? The Buddha in us cannot understand, does not want to understand, and does not need this physical language of ours. It’s not for Him. Just like the animals must not teach human beings what to do by their own babbling, or however beautiful singing. You understand? We don’t need it. We have different language of our own. We do our thing. Even though we might love the animals, we might like their singing songs, or their sound, welcoming sound to us. But they don’t need to teach us through that. We don’t need to learn animal understanding any more. OK?

So the same, the Buddha (Supreme Power) inside needs Buddha’s direct teaching, which manifests through Light and Vibration. That’s why the method, the “non-method,” is the Quan Yin. Quan Yin means observation of the vibration. You understand? The inner Vibration, it’s not the outer. It’s not that we can hear with the ears or we can see with the eyes. No. No. No. We can perceive it only; and once we perceive that, we know that it’s our real Nature and everything else comes automatically. That’s why in the Bible it says: Seek you first the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you. The Kingdom of God manifests in all Light, all Music, all beautiful melodies. That is as far as we can reach inside in order to understand something, and slowly to reach the Absolute.

The Light which manifests from the Most High in order to communicate with the lost souls in this world or different worlds, has different levels. Not that the Light alters, it’s just the cloud of different levels made it become a different kind of quality. You understand? Just like sunlight when filtered through different eye glasses, looks different or descends into different places. We have to listen to the melodious teaching of God and then slowly we follow it and reach the top. And that is when we know the Buddha Nature, when we know what the Kingdom of God is. Otherwise we just speculate and think that we know.

We must know it. You must eat the cake before we say it is sweet or sour. And this kind of experience we can have immediately, because the Kingdom of God is within. Even it is within, but we do not know. Because the king would not come out if there is no other king to greet him or to talk to him. Understand? So the so-called Master is that one who has reached that level, and then can communicate with our highest level. Our highest Self would not come out otherwise. He knows he will waste his time.

Therefore we follow many paths and we do not feel satisfied. We know that there’s something missing. We know that the real Self has not revealed itself because of that. Because of the lack of the equal partner. Yeah? So whenever we see that our Self is revealed, then we know that we have met another Self. And that is the way to recognize a true Master or not. Otherwise we can not know. Everyone can teach us so many hundred and one things, and busy ourselves all the time, but this is only to pass time. It’s not to reach self-enlightenment, not to know the highest way of our life. So in case that you believe what I say, you may try, and in case you do not, you may follow your path and be friends with me, until next time. Maybe hundred years to come, thousand years to come, because you still like to “sleep.”

There are two ways to realize ourselves. First is immediately, right now and finish with all learning and finish with all the suffering; if we think the world is suffering and too ignorant for us. If we think the way we lead our life is not satisfactory enough for our ideal, then we have to do it now in this life. The second way is just to go on the way we are now and sleep, I mean sleep inside. The soul sleeps and maybe we’ll wake up another time. That could be many hundreds of years or many thousands of years, depends on how long we like to sleep. OK. I think I’ll leave time for you to have questions, and then I will know what you want to ask and know how you understand. Thank you very much for your loving attention. I do feel your supporting energies. Thank you very much. (Applause)

What Causes War?

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

March 6, 1991 (Video#157) 
United Nations, New York, USA

(Originally in English)

My friends, let us have a few minutes to pray for your noble work, that you will fulfill your mission, and to pray for the peace that we all work for; and then, we will start. Please pray in your own way with your eyes closed; contact your God inside.

Thank you. I am very honored to be here, the best place in the world, and to see the most selected and intelligent people of all nations.

Welcome to the United Nations. I have told our President here that the United Nations is probably the best thing since “sliced bread,” and she said that she had never heard anyone use that phrase before. I said I also don’t use it except in the right place because I am afraid people would not understand, and also because there are not many things that are better than “sliced bread.” But the United Nations truly is. I have read some of the work that you have done for the world, and I pray that God will bless you with full health, power and intelligence in order that you may carry out your work.

I do not feel like this is my first time here or the first time I have spoken to you. I feel very close and friendly, so please feel that way too, in case you don’t. Before I came here, while I was in the car, I just closed my eyes for a few minutes, and then I saw the entrance. Yes! Because I asked the lady who drove, “Do you know where the entrance is?” She said, “Yes, yes. We should be there soon. It is in such and such a place.” I thought it was her first time. I was thinking she might go to a wrong entrance. I just slept for a little while, and then I saw “Visitor’s Entrance.” Probably I have been here before or we have been in United Nations’ conferences in many other lives. Who knows? I saw the entrance while in the car before I actually came here, so it might not be the first time that we are together.

Someone in the United Nations had invited me to come here to address the assembly and it was, oh, a long time ago. It must have been eight months ago, and at that time I wasn’t thinking of coming here at all. When I was asked, I said, “Well, maybe. Let’s see.” Because then I was thinking, “Well, the people who work in the United Nations probably have different interests from mine. I am just a spiritual person, and the people in the United Nations are probably working in so-called politics.” That’s what I was thinking, in my “un-enlightened” manner, you know? Please forgive me. Then I thought, “The ones who work in politics would not be interested in what I have to say.” But then later I thought I could not think that way. Politics is not the sole issue of the United Nations. They have worked on humanitarian issues, as well as on peace and on many other kinds of relief for the world. They also practice meditation; this I heard afterwards.

Then came the war of the Middle East, many issues about the Au Lac refugees and the policies of Au Lac. Some of the Au Lac refugees who didn’t want to be repatriated committed suicide and things like that. So, I thought it would be a good time for me to come here, to understand more about your work and also to have a nice talk together.

It should not be that we let the United Nations shoulder every burden and responsibility, and put blame on them. Everyone should work together with the United Nations, because we are also citizens of the world. No one should just stand outside and watch the United Nations work, and then blame them or criticize them. We should come in and work together. That’s what I think, therefore I’ve come here today. Whether I can help or not, that is another question, that is God’s will; but my goodwill is with you.

Therefore, I’ve studied your books, your pamphlets and whatever I could get, so that I could be in the United Nations, be one of its members, an invisible member, a volunteer. You cannot fire me because I am a volunteer. I will be here forever. I am the permanent member. You cannot sack a volunteer, you know? You cannot fire a member who volunteers to work forever. So here I am, you have a new member anyway. Welcome or not? (Someone in the audience answered, “Yes.”) Thank you.

Someone has suggested that we talk about war and peace, since it is the current theme of the world. I would like to be brief about war and be long on peace. You see, everyone of us knows about war, but we do not truly know what is the cause of it, and how we should eliminate it. It sounds like a novel, a fairy tale, but we can do it. We can eliminate it, because after a while people will be tired of war, whether they are the winners or the losers. Even those historic warriors, like Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Arjuna of India, they all finally got tired too. So why wouldn’t we, the modern warriors, not be tired and want to learn how to avoid these things? But if you want to avoid it, it’s not only our will be done, it’s God’s will. We must act according to what God wants, and in order to know what God wants, we have to be prepared, prepared in our speech, in our body and mind, to listen to what God says and not to what we say. We always pray for peace, and we don’t know what God is trying to say to us about it, how to get peace. Therefore, we do not understand how to go about even though inside everyone knows, everyone likes to stop wars and to preserve peace in the world.

The United Nations is the first agency to worry a lot about war, and to put most of its efforts into regaining peace. It has always been doing this since its founding day. I doubt if the world would be as it is today without the United Nations. We still have war, some famines or refugee problems, but without the United Nations, I think it would be worse. You understand what I mean? You couldn’t do your perfect work without the cooperation of many nations. So it is not entirely the fault of the United Nations if we still have wars, other political issues and unsolved issues at the moment, because some members of the world just refuse to cooperate. I know it’s very difficult for an organization like the United Nations to move the whole world when some of them just stay there stamping their feet like children and just don’t listen, just do their own thing and want their own way. For that, I am very sorry. The work of the United Nations is very, very tough, very difficult and delicate, and needs a lot of patience, diplomacy and strength. May God bless you with all these any time you need them.

Before Alexander the Great died, he instructed his subordinates that they should put him in the coffin with both hands stretched out empty, to teach the later generations not to go into war, not to accumulate any possessions because when we die, we have nothing. But it is said that some members, some citizens of our world or some nations didn’t fully understand this lesson. Let us hope they will.

Most of the people who make wars are the ones who are too well protected, who speak from their own chambers, from their own sofas, and who don’t go out into the battlefields to fight in danger. Therefore they bring forth this kind of disaster to other people, including their own citizens, because they do not truly sense what danger in battle is and what suffering means when one is wounded or tormented by the casualties of war.

When Napoleon Bonaparte of France was standing in the battlefield between France and Austria, he was so shocked and so hurt because of the casualties. There were about fifteen thousand, of soldiers who died from both sides. He wrote a very desperate letter to the King of Austria at that time, saying: Please let us make peace. Let us stop the war." He wrote to the King that: You have not been in the battle like I have, so you don’t know what it is to stand here along with fifteen thousand corpses around you and to see the daily suffering of the soldiers. And that’s not all. How about those who stay behind? Yes, I think most of you have watched the film “Born on the Fourth of July,” and you know what it is like. There are the after effects also, not only the immediate effects.

I don’t know which radio station it was that interviewed me a few days ago in Texas. He asked me, “Is the war good or not? Should we, as spiritual people, resort to war, like they do now in the Middle East?” I said that we should stop the cause, not the consequence; it’s too late. If we don’t want oranges, we should never plant an orange seed in the ground, or at least we should never water it, we should take it or pluck it out of the ground when it is little. But some people like to nourish war for whatever reason you might know. You know probably better than I do.

Some of the people that I know said to me, “Well, we have to take care of the people of this country. Therefore we have to make wars in order to have the benefit thereof for our country.” That’s very good, very patriotic from this view point, but in the long run and from a spiritual standpoint, it is a loss, because later on the karma will come. Karma is the consequence of what we sow. Like it says in the Bible: As you sow, so shall you reap." When the cause is not good, the consequence cannot be good. If we try to make money, have fame, or nourish a group of people or a nation from the benefits of war, then later that cause will also feed back on us and we will become the victims. We cannot sow an orange seed and get an apple; that is the physical law of this world. As long as we are in the physical world, we must obey the physical law. No one can avoid that, even if he is a Buddha or a Jesus Christ, let alone we who are the ordinary beings! Therefore, the people who make wars have not studied the Bhagavad Gita, the Buddhist doctrine of the Law of Karma. And they might not have even glanced at the Bible which says: As you sow, so shall you reap.

A long time ago when the Buddha was alive, He told a very interesting story of how war started. Since ancient times, since people began to appear on this Earth, the cause of war, the seed of war had already been sown. So now what we are having every day is just a consequence of that, a continued consequence or an unavoidable chain reaction.

The story goes like this. In the beginning of time, after this world of ours had been destroyed, there was nothing here. Everyone had gone to different worlds according to the desires and the tendencies they had when they were still in this world. Some were sent to probably a more miserable condition, some would sleep for a long time, and some went to so-called Heaven. Most of the people who were virtuous went to a place called “Quang Yin” planet. Quang Yin has nothing to do with our method, OK? It is just a place called Quang Yin. Now, people stayed there in glory for long, long, unimaginable periods of time. After that, this planet came into being. At first it was just nebulous and uninhabitable. After a long, long period of time, you must imagine it was billions and billions of ages, and then this world come into being.

Slowly, the first group of people, those who stayed in this so-called Quang Yin planet appeared in this world. At that time this world had no leader, no beings, nothing. One of the beings from that higher planet saw that this world was empty, the throne was ready, so he came down. That was the first being, whom we called Brahma. Well, according to the story. Don’t say I said so; it’s what Buddha said. OK?

Then suddenly he saw that he was so alone; that wasn’t good, so he said, “I wish some more beings would come to me.” Then they came, all those beautiful people from the Quang Yin planet. They called it Quang (light) Yin (sound) because on that planet people were nourished by Light and Sound only. They were not in need of solid food like we are now.

So, slowly many of them came to this world and settled down. But when they came here, they lived in Light and glory. They could fly anywhere they wanted and be anywhere instantly. There was no need for vehicles or any physical transportation, no need for any language. They could still understand each other perfectly. They could still be very free in their own way, in their glory, and they lived in glory for long, long ages, trillions of years. Then slowly, this world became more solidified, more beautiful, more visible and more glorious. Some of these beings walked around the sea or flew around the seashore, and saw some kind of foam from the sea. This foam looked so beautiful, so shiny and smelt so nice. Many very strange fragrances emanated form this kind of foam, which floated on the sea. Some of them were curious, so they just landed and tasted some of it.

First they looked. It was so beautiful and it smelt so irresistible, so they tasted it. It was so nice. They never ate anything before and they didn’t think they would need it. They never thought there was such a thing, so nice and tasty, so they ate more and more and more. Eventually, everyone knew about this beautiful foam on the sea, which tasted good, smelt nice and looked beautiful, so they all came and ate. The more they ate, the more they became heavy. Their appearance changed. Their power changed and slowly they could not fly very long distances anymore. Slowly their Light, their aura became shorter, and more dull in color. But they didn’t notice that much. Anyway, it was too late to change. The foam was too good. The more they ate, the more they wanted it, so they could not stop eating. After everyone ate, the foam was gone because they ate too much.

Then something else appeared on Earth, a kind of weed that grew all over the place. Anyone could take it and eat it. It was a kind of crawling weed. People liked it also. Because there was no more foam, they tried the weed, and the weed was also tasty, nice, beautiful and fragrant. So they ate, and everyone ate. The more they ate this weed, the coarser their bodies and spirits became. They could hardly fly anymore. Their physical bodies began to change for the worse, not for the better. They were beautiful and glorious before. Now they looked more coarse, and some sounds began to emanate from their mouths. There was no need to speak before but now they had to make some sound in order for the neighbors to understand them. It was just some babbling, but it was sound. They could not stop eating now. They had become like addicts. Oh! It was so beautiful, so good, so they kept on eating.

After that something else came. The beautiful weed was not there any more, and they went searching around for something else to eat. The Earth offered something like rice or wheat. The Earth began to offer these kinds of things, and people ate them. But these things grew outside, in the fields. From where they lived, they had to walk some distance and take them home. These things did not grow all over the place like before. So they took them home and ate them, and everyone had enough every day. But slowly people began to be lazy and said, “Why should I go every day to the field and get what I need? I can take enough for two or three days, then I don’t need to go every day.” So they took for three days. Their neighbors saw this and did the same thing, and other neighbors also did the same thing. Some people who were more greedy and took for ten days, others took for twenty days.

Slowly the wheat supply disappeared because everyone took much more than they needed. After a while the trouble started, because the ones who had a lot feared that the ones who didn’t have would come to steal, and things like that. So now, a Council was formed by the people to settle all these disputes and to make the laws. That was why the first government of the world was formed, because of eating, nothing more noble. Then they divided the earth into different pieces. This part was for Mr. so-and-so, and that part was for Mrs. so-and-so, and no one was to violate this division.

The more they ate these things, the coarser they became and their bodies began to change. Some changed into a woman’s shape, some changed into a man’s shape, what we call men and women nowadays. Before that, there wasn’t any shape; everyone was exactly the same, living in glory and love together. There was no physical attraction between each other. But after they ate too much of all these things, there was fighting, stealing, and disputing and things began to change so tragically. People began to look at each other with wonder and attraction.

Those who ate less would still be more beautiful, and those who ate more became more ugly. The ugly chased after the beauty. The beauty would be the woman. Yes, probably because we ate less. Therefore, until now women are still being called the beauty. So then, the so-called man began to chase after the woman because they were more beautiful. Everyone loves beauty because of that, because we were born beautiful, we were from the beauty. That’s why up until now, everyone loves beauty, and all the women put on all that beautiful make-up just because they remember deep down in their memory that they had been beautiful, or their real Self is beautiful.

So, whatever their appearances on Earth are, they are not satisfied. The men too, no matter however beautiful his wife is, he still likes to look at another beauty, because he remembers in the old days everyone was beautiful, more beautiful than his wife even. So, he cannot be satisfied with looking at one beauty. That’s the cause of unfaithfulness. It’s not that he is really bad, it’s just that instinctive nature inside us.

Even greed, the hoarding of money and possessions, and the love of beauty came from the noble root that we have been in a more glorious world, where all things were in plenty. We had everything that we needed without even asking, and we were all beautiful and glorious. That’s why we still love all those shining jewels, make-up, beautiful men, beautiful women and like to have a luxurious life. It is because we had them before, and we miss them now. Therefore, we try to get them back as much as we can, as much as our ability here will allow us. Therefore, all those so-called bad habits and instincts in men stem from a very noble root. If we knew it, we would feel more sorry rather than blaming ourselves or accusing others for chasing after beauty or money.

So, once we understand this through spiritual practice, we will leave all these things. We will have them, but we will not crave them. Whatever we have, we are satisfied and use them. We will not be slaves to these things, and we will not crave or try all means to get them, or even maybe start a war because of these things.

Now, after these events, people began chasing each other, and physical attraction began to happen. They started to have couples. Other people who looked at this wondered why it had never happened like this before. They wondered why one being did such things to the other being. These people became ashamed of being attracted to each other physically and doing things physically. They were ashamed, so they had to go out of the city of the inhabitants and build their own huts or caves. Consequently, houses began to spring up and separate dormitories began to appear.

That’s how it happened and that’s how we started our history, according to Buddha, OK? If you want to blame, blame the Buddha. Don’t blame me. I don’t know if this story is true or not. I wasn’t there. I don’t know if I was there or not. It was a long time ago, and I’ve forgotten now. I might have been there, but it has been too long now, billions or trillions of years ago. Who would remember all these things? Who wants to remember, right? We have enough to do now, with the Middle East war, the Au Lac refugees and what-not.

After that, because people started building houses, hoarding things for themselves, and dividing the land, everything began to get worse. Some people who were diligent planted a lot of things and had good crops, and other people who were lazy just came to steal. That’s how wars began, and they continue until now because there are those who have a lot and there are those who have too little. Those who have a lot don’t want to share with those who have too little. Those who have a lot work diligently and look down upon those who don’t have much because of their laziness or, maybe, misfortune. So, the Buddha concluded that the cause of war is the lack of sharing between people; it is the greed within us. Those who take too much leave none for the others.

Nowadays in our modern times, the scientists have done a lot of research and they think that the cause of war may be starvation. Many countries are starving and many countries have too much, and things like that. But not really, we don’t really have too much. We are just using it incorrectly and waste it.

They also did other research. For example, someone in Toronto, who has a vegetarian restaurant and a vegetarian magazine, told me that according to the research, if in North America each person would eat a vegetarian meal once a week, then we would have enough food to feed sixteen million people a year. I was startled and said, “How could it be?” But it worked out that way. It is not because of the food, it’s the many things concerned with food. In order to produce this food the land has to be cultivated, but now it’s wasted for the feeding of the cows. All the water, medicine, transportation, etc. used for the cows, pigs and other animals, everything concerned with meat diet had reportedly wasted a lot of human resources, and that is the cause of starvation in many countries. It takes a lot of food protein, medicine, transportation and water to feed a cow and these things come from underdeveloped countries, too. This protein and food could have been distributed in a different way in order to feed the whole world instead of feeding a cow, and then we eat the cow, second-hand stuff anyhow.

So nowadays many people believe that a vegetarian/vegan diet can save the world and minimize a lot of war, and I think I do not oppose this idea. Maybe in the very near future we should try, at least to see how it works, and then we can comment. But I believe it will work provided each of us supports this idea and tries to cooperate. It is understood that not everyone will cooperate. Since the beginning of time, not all of us cooperate, because we all want to be the boss. Somehow, in our own way, in our own environment, we always like to be the boss. Why is it? It’s not bad either. This also stems from the noble root that we have been in power, we have been angels, we have been Saints. We have been in Heaven, where everything is under our command. And now, we have lost our way and stepped down to this physical world and have lost most of our power, so we crave for power. But the thing is, we crave and find power in the wrong way. As a result it harms us more than offers us any power. That’s all.

The way to get back our Power is to purify ourselves, to get in touch with God. I have done it myself and I can say that I have succeeded, to some extent. These are not empty words that I am telling you. They come from my experience. Should you like to try it, it is highly recommended. You may try to find your own way, do it yourself, or you may try to find someone who you think is intelligent enough and experienced enough, to guide you to get in touch with your own real Power. Once we have that real Power, we have everything else. Even if we don’t have everything else, we are satisfied. That’s what it is. It is not that we have the whole world in our hands, but we are satisfied with whatever we have, and we will not crave for our neighbours’ things. We will not be too attached to the things of this world, but we will have plenty. Truly it is like that.

The Bible says: Seek you first the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you. That I have found to be the truth. It is the whole truth. And in the Buddhist Sutras, for example in the Surangama Sutra, it also says that, Once you get in touch with this inner Buddha Nature through practicing the Quan Yin Method, the worldly things will go on smoothly too. We can also have other things. And this I have also found to be the truth. Therefore, every Bible says similar things. You can find many other examples in the Indian Scriptures, Jewish Scriptures and other Scriptures.

That’s why we hear that the rich people are blessed by God. It might be true in some sense, but the richness of this world has not always been the symbol of the blessing of God. It just denotes our virtuous way of life in the last period of our existence, before this existence, and that’s all. The blessings of God come directly, without virtues even, once we are connected with this God Power.

Now to sum it up, I have to tell you what God is. According to Christian Bible, God is the “Word.” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That is what we call the “Yin,” the Vibration, the Tao, the Buddha Nature in Buddhist terminology, or the Sound Current in the Hindu terminology. Once we get in touch with that so-called “Word,” we are in touch with God because the “Word” is God. God is not a figure with a long beard or with a stick, standing there telling you what to do. God is a Power, a loving current that we can use to mold our life and to make things come into being by this creative substance. Therefore for the ones who are in touch with God, everything they wish for will come true; and for the ones who are not in touch with God, it doesn’t matter how long they pray, things hardly come into their lives because they are not in touch with what they want to talk to.

If we want to talk to our friend and the telephone is disconnected, or we are too far away from the telephone, or if we don’t pick it up, then how can we talk to them, to the police or whoever? Therefore we must first make the connection and then wish. Well, does this seem too far fetched now or not?

I am on tour now all over the United States, and before I left for the United Nations’ Conference, my disciples told me a story about how their wish came true. For example, even when the airplane was already on the runway, and one of our disciples was left behind, he prayed, and the airplane came back to get him. Yes! I said I could not believe it, but they said, “Yes, yes, it’s true. We are here!” We always make jokes like that. I said I didn’t believe it, but I knew it was true. So then I said to them, “OK! Since you can pray so efficiently, then you should pray for others. You should not always pray for yourself. This is selfish.”

They said to me, “Whom should we pray for now?”

I said, “For example, for the peace in the Middle East or for the Au Lac refugees who want to be integrated as citizens into other countries.”

They answered, “Yes, we don’t mind praying, but they’re too far away, their karma is too heavy. We don’t know if we can pray for them or not.”

That’s what they said and it struck me that it’s really true, because the Au Lac refugees are not in touch with God yet. My so-called disciples – I would call them friends, but if I say “friends” you wouldn’t understand, so I say “disciples” – are in touch with God, so whatever they want comes true.

Therefore, it’s not that we don’t want to pray for ourselves or for other people, but we have to know where to talk, to whom to talk, and where to get that Power to realize our prayers. Because all the Power is within us, all things are already inside, we must know where to get them and to use them, but most of us don’t.

I have realized that it is truly: Seek you first the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you. The Kingdom of God doesn’t come by observation. The Kingdom of God is at hand, within you. That’s what’s said in the Bible.

How is it that it’s within us and we don’t know it? Because we don’t know where it is. We don’t know where within” is. Is it in the heart, in the lung, in the vein or in the liver? We don’t know where it is. So if someone knows, then we can be shown.

I have been taught where the Kingdom of God is, and I make use of that every day for my own and for other people’s benefit. I keep telling people that it is so easy to get in touch with your own Power, to fulfill all your wishes, to be in Heaven on Earth and to forget everything else. The war will cease itself. It has worked within our group. No one after initiation feels like fighting any more, arguing about nonsense, or desiring more things than what they necessarily need. It really works with thousands and thousands of people. It always works, so I know it is the truth.

But most people are not ready for this message. They cannot believe that they have this kind of Power. I am always amazed why people look down upon themselves so much. Aren’t we all children of God and made after Hiers image? Do we not all have Buddha Nature inside? Or even are we not all children of Allah? And if we are Hiers children, we have the same Power, at least similar, more or less the same, so why should we look down upon ourselves? We are God’s princes and princesses, and does that mean something or not? It may seem like an empty saying, but it’s true. It is just like that.

If you are the daughter or son of a king, you must know your power, you must know your position; but most people don’t know. Everyone just knows, “Ah! We are the children of God. God made us after Hiers image. We are the likeness of Hirm.” Yes, but that’s it. Then, we go out and struggle for every penny and pray for everything, and it never comes, because we never pray to the right source. We don’t go to where our wishes can be fulfilled. It is so easy, easier than eating bread. Because it is so easy, people tend to look over it. This is very sad, but I shall be patient. I shall be patient.

So, actually we talked about war and ended with peace. If everyone of us wants to have peace within ourselves, we must practice the Kingdom of God. We must get in touch with this God power, which is very easy to do. We can do it instantly because God is within us. Hes is not very far away. The Kingdom of God is within us. Why should we go to a distant church or temple to get it? And why should we take a long time to get it?

That’s why we call our method “instant enlightening” or “immediate enlightenment.” “Instant” is just what my disciples call it, but I don’t like the word “instant.” Actually, my original words were “immediate enlightenment and eternal liberation.” Once we are enlightened, we are forever enlightened and liberated. Liberated from what? From the cycle of birth and death, being reborn and reborn again, suffering and suffering again.

For example, your work in the United Nations is the best job, the noblest work one can find because here you serve the whole world, not only one company or two companies, one family or two families, but the whole world. Your work is the best. I advise everyone to stay and not to leave the United Nations for as long as you can. But even then you have your suffering, frustration and headaches. Do you see? Things are not as perfect as we want.

There is a better life, a more perfect life inside. Once we are perfect inside, our outside life will be perfect too. We can use our inside wisdom and Power to make our work more efficient, faster and more beneficial to the world. So actually if we want to be in any important position or be successful in any field, we must get the proper Power to work for us, not our minds.

There are two levels of power. The first level, the lower level, is the mind, the automatic reaction and action. Yes, that is the mind. The other higher level Power is all grace, love and miracles. By miracles I don’t mean changing the weather or…, but we can do that too.

For example, my disciple just prayed and the airplane had to run backwards to get him, the only one left behind. Formally they didn’t want to have anything to do with him, because they said that his ticket did not have the price on it, or something like that. There was something wrong, but we paid for the ticket. Something bureaucratically wrong, that’s all. And the airplane had to come back. This is also called a miracle. But, we don’t do it on purpose. We just pray, and the one who is in touch with God can pray for anything, provided we pray with our own Power. Do you understand? If we pray for someone else and that someone else is not in tune with God, then it’s difficult for the prayer to be answered. It is not that we don’t want to help them. Otherwise Jesus would have prayed for at least the Jews, or the Buddha would have prayed for at least the whole of India. Do you understand what I mean? Even though we are enlightened, we cannot change the world. We can only reason and bring them into changing themselves.

Therefore, we have to begin with ourselves. We cannot sit and wait for miracles. No one can change the world, not even thousands of Buddha or millions of Jesus. They would have done it if They could. Miracles do not happen in this way where karma is concerned. We have to clean ourselves. We have to bathe ourselves. Take our medicine in order to cure ourselves. The best doctor can only give us medicine but cannot take it for us. Therefore, it is a very sad and difficult thing to pray for other people when they are not in tune with the prayer fulfilling source.

The best way is to get in touch with God and then pray. We don’t even have to pray, things will happen. This I know for sure. This I have experienced. And many, many thousands of my disciples have also experienced this. All of them know it is true. I would like to present it to you today should you feel interested, and should you believe that there is a solution to war. By changing ourselves, by having peace within ourselves, we’ll have peace in the world. Each one must do it. Even if we could not influence the whole world, we “light some torches”; at least peace would be more and war would be less. This in itself would be a great achievement.

Our world is better now compared to the old times because many Masters have stepped down to Earth and taught us many great laws of civilization. We have improved. That’s why our world has become more civilized, more bright, more comfortable, compared to thousands of years ago. That’s due to many, many great enlightened Masters who have elevated our understanding. Even though they taught just a group of people, but the teachings that they left behind, the vibration and the seeds continue to grow and benefit the whole world on a large scale and have lifted up the whole consciousness of humankind to a higher level. Therefore, our world is getting better and better every day. Due to some great Masters and some of their disciples our world has become better and better.

You may join them. I am not saying that you must come and study with me. It is not so. Study with whomever you like, who you feel is the most enlightened, who will be the most beneficial to you, and who shows the way the most clearly to you; but do something. Get in touch with your own wisdom and Power, and use it to work for you. It is better than just using a brain-computer, fumbling with it every day and feeling headaches, frustration and difficulties. Nothing is so difficult if we use our great wisdom to do the work and not the small intelligence of the habitual computer-brain. Thank you very much.

The Perfect Example of a Great Saint

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

December 24, 1990 (Video#143) 
Costa Rica

(Originally in English)

This is a story that happened two thousand years ago, in the Bible. I just read a portion of it. “When Jesus was born, suddenly there was a blaze of light, so bright that people had to shield their eyes and out of the brightness came the voice of God’s messenger, an angel: “Don’t be afraid! I come with good news for you and for all the world. The saviour has come! God’s promised king was born today in Bethlehem. You will find the baby asleep in the manger!’

“Then the shepherds saw a great crowd of angels all praising God: “Glory to God in Heaven! And peace for those who love Hirm on Earth!’

“When the angels had gone, the sky was dark again. The shepherds began to talk among themselves: “We have to go to Bethlehem and see what has happened. The savior was born to save the people of the world. Glory to God! Glory to Jesus! Glory to all Hiers children!’ Amen.”

Now we remember two thousand years ago a great being was born among ourselves. He is so great that we have no words to praise Him. Only God knows His greatness. We mortals cannot understand. We can understand only when we become as great as He.

Now we often ask ourselves, “Why is it that Jesus had to die so quickly when He had just reached the peak of glory in His mission; that is, to spread the message of God?” If He had not left the Earth in such a short time and in such a tragic way, probably, His name would have been forgotten by now. God sacrificed Him in this way so that the whole world would remember, so that we would treasure a messenger of God, by whichever name He came.

Since the ancient times, our world has always been in trouble. People always err and forget God. So God always has to send some messengers to remind us. But Jesus was one of the most remembered because of His greatness, also because of His very short stay with us, and the way He left us and was resurrected. Now we say, “The great Son of God, He had such a great Power and did so many miracles. Why didn’t He change His own destiny? Why did He have to die in such a tragic way?” But He had to do it, otherwise we would not be shocked out of our sleep. We would think the world is forever or the Master is forever.

There were also some other Masters before Jesus, but now people do not remember Them as much as we remember Jesus. When we remember Jesus, we will remember God and we will derive some blessing because Jesus was the Son of God. In other words, Jesus was God personified on Earth. He had to leave us very early. He had His purpose. He wanted to shock us out of our slumber.

Many thousands of years later, we are still shocked, if we remember this story, because of the ephemeral nature of our existence on Earth. Even the Son of God had to die! Everyone must go eventually. If even a man as great as Jesus cannot preserve this ephemeral body and also cannot be protected from the violence and ignorance of the people of this world, how could we feel safe? That is why He submitted Himself to the punishment which He did not deserve. He suffered for the sake of everyone!

If we say Jesus used His blood to wash away our sins, it is not exaggerating. It is the truth. Because every time we think of Jesus, we learn something. At least we remember the ephemeral nature of our world and our body, or at least we learn humility because such a great one had to suffer in such a way. He was so humble that He surrendered Himself to God and said, Whatever God wills must be done. Otherwise He could have escaped. We know He had a lot of magical power, including the power to be invisible, but He chose to obey God’s arrangement. So when we think of Him, we would say, “Who are we to be proud, to forget God’s will and not to surrender?” But these lessons are hard to learn. If all people would learn these lessons well, then Jesus’ sacrifice was worthwhile and we are worthy to be His followers and worshippers.

Everything is arranged by God for some purpose. Our effort is necessary so that we will know we don’t need any effort. All the guidelines, all the meditation hours I have prescribed to you, and all the effort that you put into it are necessary, so that finally you will learn to use no effort, no human effort, as Jesus did. He died on the cross just to give us a perfect example of surrendering. If we know this and learn this well, we are good Christians. Because during His great but short mission He always preached this lesson. The Bible also always emphasizes this, Seek you first the Kingdom of God, and all other things shall be added unto you. Worry you not for tomorrow. Take care of today only. Do not worry about what you will eat or what will clothe you. Look at the lily of the valley. If the Father takes care of the lily of the valley, how would Hes not take care of us? Are we not better than them?

But many people in His time did not heed His messages. Many people nowadays still do not heed His messages, even if they call themselves Christians. So every year we should celebrate Jesus’ birthday and try our best to remember to remind others how to surrender to God, and try ourselves to surrender to God, or at least try to remember God.

God is within us, but if we are too busy thinking of all other things and wanting all other things, then God has no chance to contact us or to put Hiers message through, whether through silence in our heart or through a living messenger. I think Jesus sacrificed Himself just to let us know this lesson. Lay you not your treasure on Earth, where moths do corrupt and destroy but lay your treasure in Heaven, because it is eternal.

How do we lay our treasure in Heaven? Should we build a safe and put money inside? No, in Heaven we do not need money. Everything is provided in plenty before we ask. So why did Jesus say that we should lay our treasure in Heaven? He meant we should build up our merits and love God.

How to love God? Keep Hiers commandments, there are only ten. They are only a few and easy to keep especially when we compare them with so many temptations and difficulties in this world, or when we compare them with the amount of endurance we have to have in order to preserve a marriage, keep a job, or study.

We accept everything in this world for what purpose? Each one of us eats only about three meals and wears just a few clothes, but we work so hard to maintain everything. We keep all the rules of the factory if we want to keep the job or to please the boss. But what does the boss give us? Not much. God gives everything if we keep the commandments, but we just neglect them only because God is invisible to us.

God is so liberal. Hes will not come to us every day and say, “Hey, you didn’t keep the commandments, you...,” so we don’t fear Hirm as we fear our boss, our relatives, friends, wife, husband, etc. Sometimes, when we are married, we have a very difficult husband or wife and he or she gives us a lot of trouble, but we bear it because we love our spouse or we fear that person. But we do not fear God and do not keep Hiers commandments.

Many people asked me, “Why vegan?” Because the first commandment says, Thou shalt not kill. Everything is made by God. We have no right to destroy it if God has not given us permission, which God never did. If we remember, in the Old Testament God did not give us permission to kill animals. Hes only said, Rule over them. They will keep you company. And Hes said Hes made all kinds of food for each kind of animal. Hes also said, I made all the herbs in the field and the fruit on the trees, which are pleasant to look at and taste good. These are your food.

Never in the Bible have I found a sentence which says, Animals are your food. Neither the New Testament nor the Old Testament say anything like that. God never says things like that. Moses probably allowed someone to kill animals because at that time they killed each other. So at last He said, Stop, stop! Kill animals instead! Maybe it was like that. He could not tell them not to kill anything, so He minimized the killing. But all these are not God’s will but the people’s will. Therefore God destroyed the Earth, or at least some part of the Earth, many times, over and over again.

Now, if we look at the history of humankind, when God destroyed some part of the world or the whole world, we see that all the people in this part died. But not all people were killing other people. Some were even children. Some were sick or disabled persons. What had they done to incur God’s wrath? They didn’t kill anyone. If we assume that Thou shalt not kill means killing people only, then how did all those old, sick or disabled persons and the children kill anyone? So, what is the reason? It must be because of the killing of animals, it must be because of the eating of meat!

I remember in the Bible God said, Don’t kill the she-goat and he-buffalo to make an offering to me, because your hands are full of innocent blood. You must stop this and repent your sins, otherwise I will not forgive you. I will not listen to your prayers. So, it must be that we do not know God’s commandments completely. Therefore, God used these disasters to remind us and to try to shake us out of our ignorance. If we are very fond of these tastes, it will lead to other desires, we will commit more blunders and we will be more attached to this world. Therefore thou shalt not kill is the first commandment.

Jesus left our world very young, because He wanted to set a good example, to remind us not to cling to this world as there are more permanent worlds in God’s Kingdom. Jesus did not refuse to die. He did not reject or protest, because He was sure of Heaven. He always said, My kingdom is in Heaven. Therefore, He set a perfect example for us so that we should not fear death, if we have faith in God. He said, In my Father’s house there are many mansions. Why should we cling to this world, which is full of misery and ephemeral, when our Father in Heaven has so many mansions and we could live with Hirm for eternity? Jesus’ death on the cross has so many wonderful meanings and lessons for us. If we think about it, probably we could come to more conclusions and have more ideas.

Jesus was young, very young. He could have had a beautiful lover. He could have enjoyed the world, at least after He became famous. So many people loved Him. But when He had to go, He just went. He neither was attached to fame nor to the love of the people of the world. So why should we, when we don’t have that much, when we are older than He, not as good-looking as He, not as wise as He, not as much beloved as He, and not as respected and sought after as He!

He had traveled all over the world for over ten years. He learned so many things. He had so much magical power that He could achieve anything He wanted, even turning water into wine. So, why should we labor all day long just for a little bit of fruit juice and not want to let go of this world?

So Jesus had to set an example for us, through His silent sacrifice. That is why we remember Him. That is why until now people still shed tears for Him, including myself. Even recently, when I read how they treated Him. I was so hurt and suffered so much. Once I was alone in my room and I cried very loud. I kept calling His name and crying very loud. Of course I understand it is all God’s will, too. I understand Hiers purpose. But because we have a human body and a human heart, sometimes we cannot help having these human emotions.

So the best thing we can do to show our gratitude to Jesus is to try to live according to Jesus’ teachings and to try to keep God’s commandments, because Hes said, If you love me, keep my commandments, and that is all Hes wanted. To keep the commandments is not good for God or for Jesus, but is good for us alone. God needs nothing from us. Jesus needs nothing from us. But God and Jesus know that if we keep the commandments, our world will become better and we will have more benefit, more peace and more happiness. Even during our short stay on Earth, Hes wanted us to enjoy bliss and comfort and to glorify ourselves, instead of suffering and being miserable most of our lives. But sometimes we cannot keep them because we feel God is so far away. We neglect God’s commandments, therefore we encounter disasters, we suffer, we cry, and then we pray to God.

So now God has to send a messenger down again, maybe with a different name, to remind us and to teach us the way to eternal happiness. Jesus also said, God will send comforters to us. That means the same spirit will descend in different bodies whenever humanity needs comfort and correction in the way of life.

If there is anyone who teaches the same ideas or gives us the same comfort as Jesus did, as stated in the Bible, then we should know that he is the comforter that God has sent to us. We may search for or choose anyone of them. There should not be many. One is enough. If you do not think there is such a messenger or comforter, then we must at least keep God’s commandments, think of God, and pray to God all the time. Otherwise the grace of Jesus will not descend on us, His sacrifice would have been a waste to us, and we have no gratitude to Him.

Now we say, “Jesus has come here and washed our sins, so what is the need to repent, to think of God, or to pray any more?” But we must still do it. Knock, and it shall be opened. Ask, and it shall be given. We must knock. We must ask. Otherwise God would say, “Don’t bother to knock. Don’t bother to ask. I will give it to you anyway.”

But Hes did give us everything freely. Hes did in the Garden of Eden. But we humans did not appreciate it, so Hes sent us down here to learn through hardship. Now we have to learn fast and go back to the Garden of Eden. Now we must ask. We must knock. It is not given freely any more.

If we believe that Jesus had already washed everyone’s sins, then why are there so many Christians still suffering? There must be something lacking. Maybe we are not sincere enough, maybe we do not understand properly, or maybe we are not connected inside because we have not found the Kingdom of God within.

Jesus said, The Kingdom of God is within you. If we don’t find the way to find out where it is, then we cannot receive the grace of Jesus. It is just as if our father left a great treasure for us, but we don’t know where the key is. Then no matter how many times we say, “I have the treasure, I have the treasure, I have the treasure,” it is of no use.

So if we can find it by ourselves, it is good; but if we cannot, we should ask. We should ask anyone who knows. Ask, until we find out the one who knows. We should knock on every door. Knock, until we find the right door, the door which opens the way to Heaven. Otherwise our life is so short, so ephemeral and always in danger. We have nothing to lean on.

OK. I will not speak too much. I will let you rest, go home or enjoy further. Merry Christmas!

The Inner Sound Creates Boundless Love

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

June 15, 1989 (Video#82A) 
Brazil

(Originally in English)

I am very glad to see people from so many countries gathering here, at least four or five countries. A very rare international congregation.

Welcome to this international congregation today. I hope that we will have a very good time together and that we will keep the happiness for many days after going home. Yes, this is for sure. We obtain great blessings by attending a Truth preaching because God’s blessing pervades the assembly.

Now, you may ask why am I here. First, I come to see my disciples. Some of them are very sincere and long to see me, their “Shih Fui,” meaning Master. In Chinese, Shih Fui only means a monk teacher, nothing big. So it’s not that I mean to be a big “Master.” Second, I come to share with you a method, which will enable you to come in contact with your inner greatest, highest and everlasting Power.

Why should we have contact with this greatest Power? Well, we all have this so-called Heaven inside ourselves. The Chinese talk about Heaven as Buddha Nature, the Tao or the Creator’s Power; and the Catholic or Western countries mention Heaven as the Kingdom of God within or God. Everyone of us has this Heaven or inner Power. If we find it and use it, we can do everything. We will not suffer so much every day, and we will not feel that our power is too weak, our work is too much, and the pressure is too heavy. So I want to offer you this method to benefit yourselves. Because this Power is granted to us by our so-called God, we should take it out and use it, free of charge. We don’t have to change our social lives, our jobs or our family relationships.

We’ve often heard that if someone wants to practice meditation to find God, meaning to become a Buddha, then that person should renounce the world, should become a monk, shaving his head, and hide himself in the mountains. Isn’t that so? Or we have heard that many yogis hide themselves in very quiet places to do spiritual practice, like in the Himalayas, where scarcely anyone comes and goes.

But most of us are bound by business and by family responsibilities, so how can we go to the Himalayas? How can we retreat into the high mountains? Then, does that mean we can’t become a Buddha, a Christ or a Guru? Does that mean we can’t communicate with God, with Heaven? Isn’t there another way by which we can get in touch with our real Nature?

In Catholicism we say, The Kingdom of God is within you. In Buddhism we say, Buddha is in your heart. Therefore, why should we go up high mountains to look for it? Yes, we can find it at home, which is the most economical, convenient and simplest way. As we still have to carry out our social duties, if everyone shaved his head, wore monk’s robes, and went to the Himalayas, there would be no one left behind, and no more children. This would be illogical, and neither acceptable to the Chinese tradition of inheritance, nor allowed by your Brazilian government, because Brazil has plenty of land but a thin population and therefore needs a lot more children.

I have a method which can benefit your nation’s plan, Chinese tradition of inheritance, your work and your social situations as well. This method is called “Quan Yin” in Chinese, which means we listen to our inner Nature. How can we hear this inner Nature? It is a kind of Vibration, which is the “Buddha Nature" in Buddhism, or the “Word" in the Catholic Bible. It is referred to the “Word" or the “Voice" in the Bible. When we hear the inner Vibration, or God’s Voice, it means that we are communicating with God, with Christ or with Buddha, and it means we have found our own Buddha Nature, or the Kingdom of God within. Then we will have more and more wisdom, yet less and less suffering, as our inner God or inner Master will take care of our lives and will handle all our problems.

Most of us can’t handle our problems easily because we only use our limited minds and forget our inner infinite Power. Once we discover it, we will never use it up. Shakyamuni Buddha found His own, and Jesus also found His own inner highest Power, therefore They became so great and so wise, that after thousands of years the whole world are still worshipping Them. We may worship Jesus and Shakyamuni Buddha, but we must not forget that we ourselves can also become as great as They have been. Shakyamuni Buddha said, I’ve become a Buddha, and you will also become the Buddhas. Jesus Christ also said: Any great thing I can do today, you can do it also. It means that we can be Their equals.

If we want to be Their equals, we should learn the same method that They practiced. The method is the Quan Yin Method – listening inward to our own real Nature, which is the Kingdom of God, God’s Power or Buddha Nature. The more we communicate with this inner Power, the greater we will be. Yes, it’s just as at schools, where the more we learn, the more knowledge we obtain. We can learn inwardly, and the more we learn, the greater wisdom we obtain. The Chinese saying, Constantly studying with the Buddha, means learning inwardly.

I’ve told the Chinese audience that if they can understand neither Portuguese nor English, they may just look at my eyes. No need to translate, the eyes will understand. Translation is only for the mind. The eyes transmit directly the message to the soul. Even if you don’t speak my language, if you look at my eyes for a while, you will feel something. You will get enlightenment, peace, happiness and love. This is the language of the universe, love and happiness.

Yes, no need of Chinese, no need of Portuguese, no need of Spanish, no need of English, etc.; no need of such a complicated system.

When a baby is born, the mother just holds the baby in her arms and then both understand each other perfectly well. Your dog understands you, your cat understands you; neither of you needs to speak, no? This is the best language.

So, I’ve come to this country also to remind you of the language of love, the language of the heart. We could speak together in any nation with this kind of language. Yes. We already do so, but we can develop more, from the mother’s love to the baby, from the love between the husband and wife, and from the love between friends to the love for the nation, to the love for the people at large and then to the love for all kinds of beings in the universe, including animals, flowers, insects and all the invisible ghosts that we fear so much. We need not fear ghosts if we have love, because ghosts will also love us. We use this great force of love inside to dispel darkness, to unite all people, all beings together.

We all have this force of love. This is the God within us, which the Oriental people call “the Buddha within us.” In fact, Buddha and God are the same. In the Orient, Buddha means love, compassion, and the Occidental God means love. They are the same thing. Yes, if Buddha and God both mean love, then They are the same thing.

Now, the problem for us is how to find this love within us. We all think we know what love is. Yes, we do, but only a small part of it. So Jesus came and taught us that you must love your neighbors, and greater still, love your enemies. Buddha, Mohammed, Socrates, Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu all taught people the same thing. So I’ve come to this country also to remind you of the same ancient message: How to develop this great love within us, so that we can love our neighbors.

This love is invisible, but it is so great that we can feel it and we can use it at will. Why is the great force within called love? Because it forgives all our sins and cleanses all our sins. It doesn’t matter what kind of wrong things we did before; if we make contact with this love, and know this love, we are clean like a baby. That is why it’s called love; love knows no sin, no boundary, no past, but only the present. Jesus used this love to clean the sins of His disciples, and Buddha used this love to take people back to the Buddha’s Land; and Krisna of India, because of having this love, until now is still loved by the people of India and praised by them.

They were the great Masters of the past, and there are many more. If we want to list all the Masters from the ancient times, we cannot finish in one day, two days or three days. It is good that we know them and worship them; they remind us to become the Master of ourselves. Yes. So I come here also to remind you that you can also become as great as Jesus, Krisna, Buddha, Mohammed, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, etc.

The way to become great is very simple; just find your own wisdom, which is already within you and it is not something that I will give you, Jesus will give you, or Buddha will give you. No one can give us wisdom except ourselves. But They can remind us, They can show us the way to find our own wisdom. They can hold our hands, stand-by, and encourage us to go on and find it. But we must know we should find it, we must know how to find it, and we must try to treasure the wisdom after we find it.

So the way back to the Kingdom of God is to find our own wisdom. This is the real meaning of the Kingdom of God: the state of blessings, of happiness and of sainthood. So if we become a Saint, we are saintly, we are happy, and we are blissful, and that means we have found the Kingdom of God. But at the same time as we are blissful and happy, there is also truly a Kingdom of God according to our level of understanding. That’s why we’ve often heard that there is the beautiful Buddha’s Land, the serene land, the Kingdom of God or Heaven, etc. They really exist and we can travel there at will. Whenever we are there, we are very happy and blissful; and the more we go there, the wiser we will become, the happier we will be.

That is why we say that we should find the Kingdom of God, or the Buddha’s Land. After we see the Buddha’s Land many times, we will become as wise as Buddha, and then we will become the Buddha. Similarly in the Occidental way, “After we have been to the Kingdom of God so often, we become one with God.” Therefore, after Jesus Christ had visited the Kingdom of God many times, He declared, I and my Father are one. But at His time not all people believed what He said, because they themselves had not reached His level and therefore they could not understand Him; consequently they could not believe Him.

It’s the same with us now. If someone says to us, “I have become one with God. I and my Father are one,” or “I have become Buddha,” it is also difficult for us to understand and to believe. But we don’t need to believe, we can experience it by ourselves. Then we still have time to believe. My purpose is to offer you the chance to experience it yourselves, and then you can believe. Is there a Buddha Land? Is there any Kingdom of God? Is there any Heaven? We can see it for ourselves at the time of initiation.

For example, we see all the Saints in the past have Light around their heads. It is because they had already developed the Light within themselves, because they were charged with the “electricity” of God. If we are also charged with this electricity, we will also become Light. We have heard that when Jesus was baptized by water, He saw white Light coming down from Heaven. So now when we are baptized, if we can also see that or at least something similar, then we know we are really baptized; otherwise it is only a kind of ritual and is nothing to speak about. At initiation, you may have an experience like that of Jesus.

It is also stated in the Bible that when someone saw God, God was like a great flame, like the sound of thunder, like the sound of many waters When we are initiated, we will have these same experiences, or even higher. Then we know and can believe that we are as enlightened as the past Saints, and we know that we are in the presence of God.

In the Buddhist Scriptures, it is also mentioned that a Bodhisattva (enlightened being) heard different Sounds and saw Light. You may also see this Light and hear these Sounds at the time of initiation. Then you know that you are on the right path, you are really enlightened, and you have become a Bodhisattva like the disciples of Buddha when He was alive.

The Importance of Finding an Enlightened Master

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

June 16, 1989 (Video#83) 
Brazil

(Originally in English)

Thank you for your blessing. My friends, I am happy to be here again. You were very busy and working hard in the daytime, but in the evening you still rushed to come here. I do appreciate your sincerity.

Today I would like to share with you a nice story about how difficult it is to surrender to one’s Guru, to one’s Master. It is difficult to be a Master. It’s more difficult to find a Master. Then it’s even more difficult to believe, trust, and surrender to this Master. The story goes like this.

There was a Master who was very perfect, the greatest one, but was not what we’d imagine a “Master” to be. Sometimes he’d scold his students. (Laughter) Yes, he might even beat one or two – just like Milarepa, the great Tibetan yogi and his Master. This Master did all kinds of things that we’d imagine a Master should never do. For example, if we came and said, “The Master would never get angry,” he would get very angry.

We have to be crazy to be a Master. (Laughter) If you are normal, you cannot be a Master, because in this world everything is opposite, is upside down. What is good, we think is bad. What is bad, we praise and think is good. Only when you are completely enlightened can you see the funny side of all things in this world. Then you can be crazy, very happily crazy – a very balanced craziness.

One day, this “crazy” Master told one of his disciples to take two potatoes and go and eat them. He emphasized again and again that the disciple must eat two potatoes – both of them together. Then he called him again and said, “You must eat two potatoes.”

The disciple took two potatoes from the Master’s hand, went to the street, sat down, and began to eat. Now, it’s very easy to eat two potatoes, no? You would think it’s not a hard test. Anyone can eat two potatoes. So he was eating and asking himself, “What’s the Master up to?”

He was thinking like that. But since he had been following his Master for a very long time, he knew that whatever the Master said, there was a reason and he must obey. So he sat there and ate. Having finished one already, he began to peel the other. Then came a beggar, very hungry, nearly dying, saying, “Please, please give me that potato, because you have eaten one and I’ve had nothing for many days. I’ll die if you don’t give it to me!”

Now, what would you do? Should you surrender to your Master or to compassion? The Master emphasized that he must eat the two potatoes together and the rule is that you never disobey. And the hungry, not to give food to such a hungry person would be very cruel. He sat there, wavering back and forth in his mind between his Master and the beggar. But then the beggar was crying, fell down on the ground, and was nearly dying, so the disciple immediately gave the remaining potato to him. Then he went home and the beggar disappeared also.

He went home and reported to his Master what had happened. The Master scolded and screamed at the disciple. He was screaming out of sorrow because he was feeling sorry for the disciple, not because the disciple had disobeyed him. The second potato was blessed with the highest spiritual enlightenment, complete enlightenment, while the first potato was blessed with worldly wealth, success and fame. He said, “How stupid you are!” Then he sighed, “Maybe it is your destiny. So poor you couldn’t get it!”

After that, the disciple was always successful in the world, gaining a lot of money and fame, but he did not become a Master, meaning he never reached the ultimate goal, the highest position in the universe.

This is the problem with most of us. We think we can handle everything and know everything. We think we don’t have any ego. We think it is very easy to follow and surrender to a Master. No, it isn’t easy. Even to eat two potatoes you have a problem. (Laughter)

So, it’s hard to dream of doing any other difficult task because we have so many preconceived ideas, we have so many prejudices, social customs and the background education... which have been solidified for many thousands of years. We have been brainwashed with them and it’s difficult to wash it out in a short time.

We always think we know all that is right and wrong. What do these prejudices have to do with our enlightenment? They obstruct our way. Whenever the Master tells us to do one thing, we do the other thing because we think, “No, no, I know it. My mother told me so, my teacher in school told me this, and my priest in the church has told me that.”

We do exactly the opposite of what the Master desires us to do, and the Master always has to struggle with our prejudice. Most of us are blind, deaf and dumb. Only the Master can see clearly. The rest of the people see only in a hazy way or half way, or do not see at all. We think we see, but we don’t. We think we understand, but we do not. It is truly great, the illusion of this world. It is truly amazing, the great work of Maya.

It cheats us into believing in anything that we should not believe. We follow it very faithfully, very nicely and obediently until the one who is awakened, enlightened comes along to shake us out of this illusion. But even then, we don’t wake up so quickly. Just as in the morning, the alarm clock rings but you say, “Ah... oh...,” and it keeps on ringing. Then you turn it off and go back to sleep.

That is why we have so many religions and we have so many so-called paths to liberation. But what do we see? Our world is more and more populated every day. That means, from our world, no one has been liberated – or very few. Otherwise, why hasn’t the population decreased? If many had been liberated and gone Home – become angels, become God’s assistants, God’s sons and daughters and lived in paradise forever – then the world would be less populated.

So, it is difficult to gain liberation unless you find a perfect, enlightened Master who knows the way back to the Kingdom of God; someone as great as Jesus, someone as great as Buddha, or other great Masters in the past like Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Krishna, Socrates, etc. Otherwise we are also doing something, but we won’t get there. We just walk around on the different roads. We walk all right, but not on the right road. Sometimes we think we are walking, but then we end up going back to where we started. Therefore it is difficult to know the way on our own, unless by God’s grace we can find a completely enlightened Master.

When Jesus was alive He said, I am the Way. I am the Light of the world but He added, as long as I am in the world. And Buddha also said, If you do not believe in Buddha, you are “echantika.” Meaning you are at hazard and you could not be liberated. But They said so when They were alive. What They said was true and is true with any real Master who still walks the Earth.

Now I will tell you how to become a Master. Since it’s so difficult to find a Master, we might just as well become the Master ourselves; it’s safer. So whenever we see a Master, we must ask to become a Master, and not for any other things. When Buddha came to this world, He said He had come to make everyone understand the way of a Master, which means how to become a Master. Jesus also said, Whoever believes me shall not walk in darkness, and then He said, Whatever miracle I do today, you can do also. Buddha also said, I have become Buddha, and you will become Buddha. “Buddha" means an enlightened Master. It comes from the Sanskrit root word “Bodhi,” which means wisdom. Someone who has Bodhi is “Buddha,” meaning someone who is enlightened, is an enlightened Master.

Why is it called “enlightened”? Because when you are enlightened you have Light; you have Light inside you, outside you and in the whole universe all is your Light. Your Light is even so great that it shines outside, that even some people can see the Light around you. Therefore you see Jesus, Buddha and the great Saints all had the Light around Them, a halo around Them. So this is what it means by being “enlightened.”

So if you want to become a Master, you must have Light, you must be “enlightened,” that’s the first condition. Then you must know two kinds of “samadhi,” meaning deep rooted bliss within yourself. When you are in the real samadhi it offers you wisdom and bliss, and when you are out of samadhi you’ll give this bliss and wisdom to the world, to whoever needs you or comes near to you. Some Masters are deep in samadhi, and they don’t go out to teach the world; and some good disciples of good Masters can also be in samadhi when they are near the Master or when they meditate.

Now, when you are in this kind of samadhi, which is very deep and profound, you don’t even know that you have a body, nor do you know how to function in this world. For example, in the middle of cooking you might just drop into samadhi, leaving your pan burning without being aware of it at all. (Laughter) Or some people might beat you and you don’t feel any pain, or they might scold you but you still embrace them and kiss them. (Laughter) Yes, because you are oblivious to any differentiations in this world; bad or good, ugly or beautiful, you have no discrimination. You don’t even need to eat for many days, many months or many years; you don’t feel any desire and any necessity, and you don’t even feel that you need to help anyone. You feel everyone is happy and contented because you yourself are happy and contented, and you feel the whole world is in bliss.

Some of my disciples have had many experiences of this kind of samadhi, and it’s bad for me because it’s hard to work with them when they are like this. (Master demonstrates) When I called them they would answer, “Yes, Master.” And then when I told them to do something, they would also answer, “Yes.” But then they just sat there without moving one inch. What would you do? So I would scold them out of that samadhi, or beat them out of it. Otherwise they would get attached to it and forget their families, forget that their wives and their kids were hungry, and forget every suffering being who needs their help. Because, truly, even if we are in a blissful state, there are many others who suffer.

So, this kind of samadhi seems good, but is not as good as the other one. There’s another kind of samadhi. Actually there are many kinds of, but I will just mention the two typical ones which you will know when you become a Master or near mastership. I mean the real Master, the powerful one, the one who is one with God, not just the so-called “Master” that we have so many of nowadays. The real Masters are like Jesus and Buddha.

When Buddha sat under the tree before He went out to teach the world, He experienced the first kind of samadhi. He sat forty-nine days without moving. Before Jesus went out to preach the Truth He also had this kind of samadhi. He sat in the desert for 40 days without eating, moving, or drinking. Before Mohammed went out to help the public, He sat in the cave and also experienced this kind of smadhi. But then They had to leave it, because when They began to enjoy it and felt attached to it, God sent someone down and said, “No, no, no. You wake up and go and save the world!”

After that, They also had to meditate every day. But They had another kind of samadhi, the normal state of samadhi: you are in samadhi twenty-four hours but you are out of samadhi twenty-four hours; you are in bliss but you are in the world at the same time. Otherwise you cannot help the world. This is the highest samadhi, and hard to obtain. It’s already hard to obtain the first samadhi, how much harder to attain the second!

With the first samadhi you are in bliss, but you couldn’t function, and you couldn’t teach people because you don’t care about teaching. You just enjoy yourself. Even if you want to, you just feel you cannot function, you can’t cope with the worldly ways of working and thinking. But to be a Master and save other beings, to help them liberate themselves, you need both samadhi and the function of the mind. Samadhi gives you inner Power so that you can bestow blessings on whomever you wish to, or whomever needs you. Without samadhi you cannot bless anyone, you cannot help or assist them, you cannot be omnipresent, meaning to be in many places at the same time. However, without the normal function of the mind you can’t understand, you can’t communicate with normal, suffering sentient beings. So you need both and at the same time. This is the most difficult part.

Therefore in the world there are not many Masters, because of this difficulty, to be in the world but not to be in the world, to be in samadhi but not to be in samadhi. This also makes it difficult for us to find the real Masters because they are not those who are in the first type of samadhi, they are not those who we can tell immediately from the outlook are in samadhi. These Masters may not even look saintly. They may not be surrounded by people throwing flowers around them and worshipping them so that they’ll open the eyes and say, “Oh, blessed are you!”

Those of the first type samadhi are Saints, holy beings, who also deserve our worship. It’s very difficult to become such a Saint, because when we ordinary people meditate, we can’t even go into samadhi, we can’t forget the world. Even if we run into the jungle our minds are still tumbling with all kinds of thinking, all kinds of struggles and difficulties. So when we see someone always in deep samadhi, looking so sweet and always smiling, and blessing us, we think he is fantastic. It’s difficult to experience such deep samadhi even just for one or five minutes.

Therefore those who have achieved this kind of samadhi, this state of tranquility, are great Saints who have great power, control, over their minds. But it’s even more difficult to be in samadhi and to be in the world at the same time, to have this inner tranquility but also have the outer functioning to deal with all types of people in order to pull them out of their illusion. This is the state of a perfect enlightened Master like Jesus, Buddha, etc.

Therefore it’s difficult to become a Master, and it is also difficult to judge a Master. Because if a Master exists in the world, then he has to deal with all kinds of people, all kinds of temperaments, all kinds of mental obstructions and then accordingly gives different remedies. He looks like an ordinary person then. If some disciple needs scolding, then the Master gives scolding; if another disciple needs love, then the Master gives love. They both receive love, but in different boxes, in different covers. Hugging is love in one kind of “wrapping paper,” and scolding is also love in another kind of “wrapping paper.” And then because we are not so enlightened, we don’t see anything special about that type of Master. We don’t see the Master sitting for hours, deep in samadhi; we don’t see the Master as we imagine, always sweet and smiling and saying soothing words. We see the Master acting just like an ordinary person and then we think the Master is still ordinary, from his ordinary reactions. But a real Master’s reactions are never, never ordinary.

Do you remember the story about the two potatoes? If we are not somewhat enlightened and it’s the first time we see a Master or we have only followed a Master for a short time, and the Master gives us two potatoes, telling us to eat them all, and even repeats that order three or four times, then what would we think? We would think that it’s strange, “At home, I myself have so many potatoes. I’ve come to Master for great blessing and spiritual wealth, but here he gives me two potatoes!”

Then we would probably turn around and say, “Potatoes! I don’t even like potatoes. How can he be an enlightened Master if he doesn’t know I don’t like potatoes? He can’t even read my mind, and what a fuss about two potatoes! Why does he keep telling me three or four times to eat them together? I know how to eat potatoes.” Yes, we would argue back and forth like that. But we don’t know the meaning of these two potatoes.

When the Master gives us something with love and blessing, we have everything in that gift. It is not a potato any more; it’s a world of wealth, a world of spiritual power. In Formosa and other places my disciples who know this always grasp whatever I give them; they always receive whatever I give them with great happiness. So sometimes when we go out together, they also expect me to give them something, maybe a peanut, maybe a candy. Whatever is there we share it together and they are so happy about that.

But sometimes when we are outside, there are also other people who will gather around us; because they see so many people gathering, and taking something, so they also come and ask for whatever it is. Although these people are not initiates, when they ask, I also give them. For me, there’s no difference between initiates and non-initiates; they are all Gods. But then it’s interesting to watch their reactions, which are always the same. They will take my candies or peanuts, and then look puzzled, maybe thinking. “Why? A peanut? I’ve plenty of them at home!” or something like that. Or they might throw them back. (Laughter)

Therefore sometimes I am reluctant to give things in public, or sometimes when the disciples asked for a blessing in public I also refused, to avoid the situation that other people might have any ungrateful or critical thought in their mind, which is not good for them. This is nothing to me, but it might give them some obstructions for the future, which we call “Yei Tsang” in Chinese or “karmic hindrance” in Sanskrit and it means that any bad or good deed you do will obstruct you.

Since it’s so difficult to become a Master, what shall we do? In my posters and leaflets we always say “Immediate Enlightenment” and “Get Eternal Liberation in This Lifetime.”

We don’t say “Become a Master in One Lifetime.” We can also become a Master, no doubt, but it’s more difficult. So, at least we can be liberated and enlightened; we can reach near mastership, Master’s state, sainthood, Bodhisattva-hood, and that is also OK. No? Otherwise we have no hope.

In India people often say that if a Master could have a successor in his lifetime, then he is already very, very lucky. In America there was a Master, Yogananda, from India, who was very famous when alive and is still famous now, but he had no successor. Understand that? It means none of his disciples or followers were equal to his status. No one was equal to his state of enlightenment. Yes.

So, it is not difficult to be liberated, but it is difficult to become perfectly enlightened. It is difficult to become a Buddha, a Master, a Christ. But we have hope. Yes. I only say it’s difficult; it doesn’t mean impossible. Whether it’s difficult or not is all up to us. If only we could believe in a Master, follow and completely surrender to that perfect Master, we would become that Master. The most difficult part is to surrender, because we all have this ego “I can do this thing and I understand that thing.” This ego is the worst enemy of our wisdom, of our mastership. It’s difficult to kill this ego. It is very easy to control others but not easy to control ourselves. That’s why it’s said that: “The man who can conquer his mind has the best victory.”

But we can do this through meditation with the Quan Yin Method which I will teach you. Then slowly this Quan Yin Method of liberation, the inner Energy of God will cleanse our obstructions, will cleanse our preconceived ideas, and set us free. We will become “no one.” We will have no thirst for fame, wealth and power. The pains, sorrows and happiness of the world will still be there, but they will not affect us. We have everything, but then we have nothing, we are attached to nothing. We become like an empty vessel, only full of God’s wisdom and God’s love. Only when we are empty can God fill us with wisdom and love. If we are still someone, if we still have something, then we cannot be completely empty, then we cannot completely have all of God’s power, which Hes wants to fill us with. Understand?

So, that’s how we can become a Master: “by first becoming no one, nobody, nothing.” As Jesus said: Except you become a child, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God; and as Lao Tzu said: We have to become children again They both said the same thing.

The Rescuer Exists Life after Life

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai 

June 17, 1989 (Video#83A) 
Brazil

(Originally in English)

We welcome you to this international meeting, in the name of God. I will tell you some stories to remember God and to know what God is.

God is no one; God is nothing. But when Hes wants to become someone, Hes can be; when Hes wants to become something to let you know Hiers existence, Hes can be. So sometimes Hes manifests Hirmself as a human being in order to help us discover the mystery of life, in order to free us from our own bondage and suffering.

Two thousand years ago Hes manifested Hirmself in the body of a man, whose name was Jesus of Nazareth; two thousand and five hundred years ago Hes manifested Hirmself in the body of a man in India, whose name was Gautama Buddha. Gautama was His name and Buddha was His title, just as Jesus was the name and Christ was Jesus’ title, just as Paul was the name and “Santa,” “San,” “Sao,” was his title. We have Sao Paulo, Sao Jose. Sao is the title of some person who has already attained sainthood. Similarly when you attain the degree of a medical doctor, people call you “Dr. so-and-so.”

So, hundreds and thousands of years ago, God manifested Hirmself in the bodies of many other men and women, under the names of Lao Tzu in China, Socrates, Plato, Krishna, etc. in Greece, in India, and in other countries. Because God manifested Hirmself in these men, these beings, They were great, They were not average human beings. They were super beings, and because we know They were super human beings, hundreds and thousands of years later we still worship Them.

Throughout the years, God has continued to manifest Hirmself, again and again, in different bodies in order to teach, guide, and liberate humankind, who are Hiers children. In many Scriptures we are told of the second coming of such and such a person, like the second coming of Christ, or the second coming of Buddha in the name of Maitreya, etc. Because we believe that They have not come yet, we suffer and we think no one cares for us. This is wrong. God always cares for us. God always sends someone to comfort, to teach, and to liberate us. Only when we are sincere and yearn for the Kingdom of God, will this great being appear.

Therefore in India or in other places people say, “When the disciple is ready, the Master will appear.” I have found mine. I don’t know if you have found yours. Have you? Have you found your second Christ, Maitreya Buddha or Jehovah? No? Still waiting?

The Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet come and they are still waiting for him. The Christians believe that the second coming of Christ has not yet happened, so they are still waiting. The Buddhists believe that Maitreya Buddha has not come, so they are also waiting. The Sikhs also believe that since Guru Nanak and the nine successors, there hasn’t been anyone else, so they worship the book that Guru Nanak left behind, put some money on it, and that is all they believe. But for what?

I know, and many people know that things aren’t as depressing as that. God is not as merciless as that, so stingy as to send only one person in five thousand years and two persons in millions of years.

Worst of all, we are made to believe that Jesus Christ was the only one, before Him there had been no one and after Him there may be no one. But how about the people before Jesus and before Buddha’s time? Did they all go to hell, because God did not give them a chance to see Christ or Buddha? And do we, the so-called in-between human beings, also have no chance to see Maitreya Buddha or the second coming of Christ?

This is too depressing. If we have a little intellect and use a little logic, we couldn’t accept this. Well, I myself can’t accept it. I am a terribly logical person. I believe in the mercy of God, which is endless, boundless and limitless. I believe that however sinful we are, Hes loves us; and if we cry, Hes always hears. I believe that God always sends someone to Earth to help us. Yes. It’s only logical that God is so merciful. I also believe that Buddhas always come when we need Them.

Now, when we meet these kinds of Saints such as Buddha or Christ, what should we do in order to benefit? We have many choices. If we believe in such a being as a living God, we will derive a lot of benefit from that person, from that great being.

When Jesus was alive, He initiated (or baptized) many people. He cleansed their sins, He took the burden of their sins in order that they would be free. He taught those close disciples such as Peter, Simon, etc., the twelve disciples that followed Him everywhere, the way to become a Master. These disciples were able to keep the strict disciplines and the virtuous life, which were requirements for becoming a Master, for mastership. There were others who could not keep these disciplines, but Jesus also liberated them; He even accepted a prostitute as His follower. Followers and disciples are two different things. Disciples were those who were closer, who received a more intensive training, and who may be chosen to spread the Truth as Jesus did; devotees or followers were those who believed in Jesus and relied on His mercy in order to get liberation after they left this world.

So we see, even when Jesus was nailed on the cross, He could save the last person who was next to him, who was also nailed on another cross. Jesus did not give him initiation, any ceremony or any touch. He only said, “OK, I will bless you, I will save you,” because that person requested Him to and had faith in Him.

Therefore we have two ways to benefit from a great Master: we can be a close disciple and get training for mastership, or we can be a follower and get liberation due to his grace. So one way is self-discipline and self-mastery, and the other way is devotion.

In India there are more followers of the devotional type than disciples of self-discipline and self-training. If we go to India we can see many such devotional devotees. Whenever they know a great Master is somewhere they will rush over there and offer flowers, fruit, massage the Master, and ask for some boon. They are very clever; they know it is hard to become a Master, so they just rely on the Master’s Power to get liberation and blessing. If the Saints accept these offerings of fruit, flowers and massages, etc., then they are saved. Even though they don’t keep very good discipline, the Saints will save them, out of their own compassion and Power. Similarly once when Jesus went around He was thirsty and asked a woman to give Him some water, and then later He said: I will give you the water of life, that you will never be thirsty again.

Actually we have three ways to become liberated and I’ve talked about the devotional way, which is the easiest: you just believe in a Saint and pray to him or her for blessing and deliverance, then when you leave this world you will be liberated. The second is, you get initiation from a Master and become a Master yourself. This is of course more ideal, because then you can also save your family and other beings, not only yourself. It is more noble, and is what God wants or the Master wants from us. When one person becomes a Master he can save numerous beings, from Heaven to hell; any beings he can save, any kind of places he can walk. Therefore it is a more lucrative “business,” no?

Another way, the third way to be saved is that you are a relative or friend of an initiated person, even if you are already dead. If we were dead, already in hell, and suppose our grand, grand, grand... daughter is initiated by a great Master, then we would immediately be free and go to Heaven. If we are a friend of an initiated person, then we will also get help from the Master.

These are the three ways to liberation. Of course I emphasize the way of self-discipline; because once we are initiated and start on the path of self-discipline toward Self-realization, then our many, many generations (past, present and future) will also get liberation. It is because these generations and relatives have been connected to us by the Law of Karma, which means “give and take,” “cause and effect,” which carries on for many, many lives and many generations.

For example, suppose we owed someone a great deal of money and we couldn’t pay it while we were alive, then we would have to come back one or two more lives, to be a wife, a son or a daughter and work very hard to serve that person. Now, if that person is liberated, then we will have no one to pay and then we could go also.

Another example is, suppose you are a convict in prison and so many of your co-workers and subordinates have worked with you in the plan to rob a bank. So when the police catch you, the whole gang also has to go to prison because you are all connected together in the bank robbery. But suppose one day the president or the king gives amnesty and sets the head robber free, then the other members of the gang would also be free to go home. So in this way if you are free, all your relatives and many generations who are connected with you will also be free. Even your friends, your husband or your wife at present, will also get benefit.

So now that I have disclosed to you the three possibilities of freeing yourself and others, I also want to inform you that I may help you to fulfill these three ways; that is, to guarantee to you the Kingdom of God in this lifetime and after. God has granted me the privilege to serve Hiers children in this way. This is why one of my disciples invited me to come to Brazil. As she herself has already benefited, she knew others would also be benefited if only they had the chance. So now the chance will be given to you, if you accept it!

Now I’ve finished my lecture and welcome your questions. Today I answered your questions left over from yesterday, but when we went to make copies the copy shop was closed. So it was not up to me. I worked very hard on your behalf, but the shop didn’t care about you. It’s closed. I myself could work all night and not sleep if necessary, but sometimes I need other equipment and it’s not available. As we are “on the road” we do not have everything we needed. Sometimes the disciples have all the equipment, but sometimes not everyone has it. I am sorry, and you may ask the questions again today if you think it’s necessary. But I think most of those questions have already been answered for you, from inside. Is that not so?

To Love God Is to Keep Hiers Commandments

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

November 29, 1989 (Video#106) 
Panama

(Originally in English)

Good evening, my brothers and sisters. Buenas noches! (Spanish: Good evening!) I thank God for the honor of meeting my brothers and sisters tonight, and I thank all of you for your valuable time and loving attention.

Before coming to this holy congregation, I was reading the book about the true life of Jesus of Nazareth. Even though I hadn’t finished the book, His life, His wisdom and His sacrifice had filled my heart with the noblest sentiment. As I came to this noble congregation, my eyes were still moist with tears, the tears which came from the most overwhelming love and reverence for Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

In the history of humankind it is very seldom we can encounter such a noble and precious being as Jesus. What makes Jesus immortal in the hearts of millions of people, from generation to generation, isn’t the miracles that He performed; it was His wisdom and His doctrine of compassion, benevolence and righteousness. The miracles He performed were short-lived, and even though they were great, they couldn’t make much of an impression on our intelligence. So, what made Him beloved and revered by people was His logic, wisdom and compassion.

There are many people who can cure people of their sickness. Some people are endowed with such healing power, just as some people are endowed with more talent for music, for painting or for writing, etc. Even some of the ordinary doctors are more talented than the other doctors. When Jesus cured the sick or healed the blind, people were greatly astonished. But if we consider everything, these things are not impossible. Even Jesus Himself declared that whatever miracle He did, some people before Him also had done, and other people in the future, after Him, would also do.

Now, let us examine the doctrine of Jesus, and let us aspire to follow His principles in order to free ourselves from all kinds of suffering and misunderstanding, and to become nearer to God.

Jesus said to us that there is one great God and this God is ever merciful, ever wise and ever loving, whom He called “my Father” or “our Father.” Well, that God is also my Father and also yours. On this principle that we have the same Father, we are brothers and sisters; it doesn’t matter what your faith, your belief, your understanding or your social status is. People have different faiths and different understanding because of their sometimes limited wisdom or the influence of their surroundings. So by elevating our wisdom and understanding, we will be free; free from our own prejudices, from our own preconceived ideas and from our own ignorance. It is not miracles that can liberate us; it is the principle, which we should understand and follow.

We should try to remember the story of the Samaritan woman and Jesus, in order to examine a part of the doctrine that Jesus taught people. When Jesus wanted some water from this woman, she said to Him, “But You are a Jew. I am not allowed to give You any water or to mingle with You.” Jesus told her that even though there were differences in appearances, they were of the same Father, God, and it was the duty of brothers and sisters to look after each other’s need and help each other, and God would be very displeased if Hes saw a sister refuse to give water to a brother who was thirsty.

Well, His philosophy looks very simple, but it is very deep because it exterminated all the differentiation among the races, the castes, the people of different nations and different faiths. If we always act according to this principle, then we will never go wrong in our lives.

What does this principle offer? The principle of brotherhood of humankind. If we treat everyone as brothers and sisters, then soon every differentiation, every hatred, every misunderstanding will be erased. Then whenever we take any action, we will reflect on how God will think of our action. If what we are doing pleases God, then it is righteous.

What actions will please God? Any action that helps our brothers and sisters to eliminate their suffering, to enlighten their body, speech and mind, and every action that doesn’t harm our brothers and sisters will please God. Well, all of you know this, but sometimes, for the majority of people, it’s difficult to bring their knowledge into practical actions. Therefore we have wars, we have hatred, and we have lots of bloodshed, or many adverse happenings in this world.

I was so inspired when reading the life of Jesus, inspired by His vision of the purity of humankind. Then, of course, I was so sad that His noble idea was terminated so soon. Nevertheless, He has left us some immortal principles which we can follow. The highest and the foremost of these principles is: Seek you first the Kingdom of God, and then all other things shall be added unto you.

I think this is the best morality and the best of the principles. Just as in Buddhism the Buddha also said: Be enlightened first, become Buddha, and then you can serve other people. One of the Chinese philosophers, Confucius, also said, First we should know ourselves, cultivate ourselves, then we can take care of our household management, then we can govern the nation and we can pacify the world. These are similar ideas expressed in different countries and in different languages. So we can see that in the majority of religions the highest principle is: First know ourselves or seek the Kingdom of God within us.

The Bible states that the Kingdom of God is within you, that we are the temple of God, and that nothing else but “God” lives within us. The Buddhist doctrine states the same thing: Buddha resides in your heart, which means within you. If we forget this Buddha or this God within us, then of course we will encounter many miseries and sorrows due to our ignorance of the Law of Nature, due to the lack of wisdom which was bestowed upon us from God.

Why does the God within us allow our ignorance to take over, or why does the Buddha inside us sleep and let us do so many so-called misdeeds? It is because we forget our original glory and we forget God. We are too impressed by any worldly situation and lose ourselves in all these plays. So if we regain this wisdom, this glory, this Self-nature, we will be able to govern our lives again. Anything we gain by wisdom will affect us forever, as it comes from our own Self, our own Nature, our own understanding.

The Kingdom of God means this wisdom, means that we will know everything, we can control everything and express it in the noblest idea and sentiment; express itself. When we know the Kingdom of God, we also know the Law. Without knowing the Law, we will commit some wrong actions and make trouble for ourselves. It’s the same as when we live in a nation, we should know the law of that nation. If we break this law, then we are in trouble. Our lives will be obstructed, will be put into difficulty.

When we examine the Law of God, for example, those laid down by Moses or by Jesus in the Bible, we find that they are according to our expectations and understanding. It is also the same with the Law of Buddhism or the other laws of other great religions. Any law that strives to protect people, to enlighten people, and to preserve the purity of humankind is God’s Law, and God’s Law would not be against human.

When God established the order within the universe, there was a certain regularity that had to be observed. Just as when we build highways or roads to make our traffic or transportation more convenient, there must be certain traffic laws enforced in society in order to protect people, to protect the drivers, the walkers and regulate the traffic flow. If we drive according to this law, then we have no accidents; if we don’t, we have problems. Our lives might be injured or lost, and then we incur suffering upon ourselves, our relatives, and friends.

So all the suffering in this world is not caused by God. God doesn’t test us. Misery and suffering are not sent by God to test our faith and devotion. No. It is our own making. So we say, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” Everywhere I hear people blame God for all kinds of things, but it’s just as if you blamed the traffic law maker for your accident when you drank too much and drove into the left lane instead of the right. It is not the fault of the government; it is your own fault. The law says you should not drive when you drink, and the law says you should drive on the right instead of the left.

So if we do not abide by the Law of God, then we have trouble. The Law says: Thou shalt not kill. But look at what our ancestors have been doing for many centuries and some of our brothers are still doing it now. Even in the name of God, even in the name of Jesus, they dare make war against each other, which is extremely regrettable, for it is not God’s will and neither was it the intention of Jesus Christ. One kills the other, and the other kills the one, then the children kill the other’s children, and the other’s children take revenge, and so we never stop!

War brings many disasters along with itself. It weakens the economic structure of a nation, it weakens the strength of the people, and it also weakens their morality and their faith; hence many people will blame God again. They will say, “If there is a God, why would Hes let war go on? Why would Hes let people kill each other, and such and such?”

Now there are some current happenings such as the change of the weather, famines and all kinds of diseases, which inflict suffering on our world. So some people with little faith blame God again. Wherever I gave lectures, people would ask me, “If there is a God, why has such and such disaster happened?” But these people should remember that it’s not God who does all these things; it’s we who make all these troubles.

For example, a few nations always test atom bombs and hydrogen bombs, which disturbs the construction of the atmosphere and then shake the stability of the Earth. They think that just shooting the bombs into the air or into the ocean won’t make any problems. But this still creates problems because the universe is constructed with many kinds of materials; some with solid substances and some with invisible substances. So by disturbing the invisible substances they also disturb the stability of the universe and interfere with the revolution of nature.

For example, you build a house with windows, doors and some empty rooms. If one of the corners is broken, then the temperature in the room will change. Even though it is the summer, at night, it will be very cold if the broken hole is not mended, because sometimes in the night, cold wind and rain will come.

God didn’t tell us to make atom bombs. I haven’t found in any Scripture that God tells human to do these kinds of things or that God tells human to make any weapons to slash each other. You might tell me that in some part of the Scriptures there were wars which were made by the Lord with the intention of destroying the enemies of Hiers children. But God is not of such a nature, as the enemies of Hiers children are also Hiers children. We are all the children of God. If God introduced Hirmself to us as a jealous, angry God, this is not the true God. Even ordinary humans are more compassionate than this “God.” Even some humans never get angry and some people never know what jealousy is. So if anyone pictures God as even worse than human, how can we worship this God? Even we, the ordinary mortals, understand that anger and jealousy are no good, and sometimes when we make a mistake and become angry or jealous, we feel ashamed and repent.

So God, the Father, the Supreme, the most compassionate, the most loving, the Almighty, could not possibly have such a defying nature and would never make war against Hiers children or sometimes kill Hiers children in thousands just for some small mistakes. That cannot be the true God. These are only the imagination, the characteristics of human. We should go back to the true God. The true God is all loving, all wise and all forgiving. This is the God that Jesus wanted to present to His people, and this is the God that I also want to remind you of. The true God resides within us and there is no other God besides Hirm.

How to find this God? By reverting to the principles – that is, all loving, all forgiving, all compassion, and all wisdom – by repenting our previous misdeeds committed through ignorance, and by resolving not to commit them again. With such a true repentance the Light of God will sprout forth again, and all our past sins will be forgiven. That is the true baptism; not by water but by the Holy Spirit, by the Light of wisdom and logic. That’s why nowadays when we are baptized by water, we don’t see any Light from God and we do not feel free of our sins and suffering; because the principle is not imposed upon us, wisdom is not opened for us, and deep repentance is not evoked within our souls.

At the time of the true baptism, or what we call initiation, you will see the Light of God, you will hear the Word which was God, which is mentioned in the Bible: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So the true baptism should bring us in contact with this Word or with God. That’s the difference between the true baptism and ordinary baptism. We may use water or we may not use water; it makes no difference. What is important is the impression that the baptism evokes within ourselves.

Therefore when John the Baptist baptized people and when Jesus preached, people derived more benefit than when all other priests did the same. It is because John the Baptist had inspiration, sincerity and devotion to God. And when Jesus preached His doctrine, it was inspired by His own deep conviction, His own enlightenment and His own love for God – a very pure love and pure wisdom, which was different from the ordinary priests of His time.

Jesus’ love and wisdom will not be contaminated by any worldly gain or any desire for worldly fame and power. His life was simple and true, true to every word that He preached. He did not preach because He wanted to be famous or He wanted people to respect Him, but He preached because of His love for God, His true love for humankind and the true desire that He wanted to bring the true Light to people in order to eliminate their suffering.

Once we understand why we suffer, we can change it. It is only when we do not understand, then we continue. Similarly when the doctor diagnoses the condition and knows where the sickness is, he can cure it; but the most important thing is that the patient himself should know how to live his life in order to stay healthy for a long time. In order to stay healthy in body, we should know some hygienic rules, we should know what food to eat and what exercises to do so that we can prevent most diseases. In order to stay healthy in spirit, we should know what the Law of God, the Law of Nature is, so that we can stay healthy in wisdom and become “God-like,” because God made human in Hiers own image. The Bible tells us: Be you perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

If most people had followed this advice from the Bible, the world would have become Heaven long ago. But most people do not follow and do not respect the Law of God. Therefore we incur much suffering for ourselves within many nations. The most important and the first law of God is: Thou shalt not kill, and that we even misunderstand. We couldn’t even keep the first commandment. In the Bible it is written that the priests at Thanksgiving killed many lambs, sheep, goats and good ducks to make an offering to God, and that this was even done at the site of the holy temple, making God’s abode become a slaughterhouse! So God protested. Hes said: Who told you to kill all the sheep and goats to make an offering to me? You should wash yourself of this innocent blood, and don’t commit this sin again. You should repent of your sin!

Can you imagine a beautiful temple with great and magnificent pillars, with shining roof, with large rooms, spaces, coral yards and splendid structure? It should be a place for gathering for wisdom, and for worshipping the Most High; but at that time, the temple became a slaughterhouse and all the priests smelt blood and smoke from roasted meat. I don’t think intelligent people would say that it’s very holy. Moses laid down the law, Thou shalt not kill that which is from God. But even then they broke it.

So, we cannot blame God for the miseries that the world has to suffer from time to time. If God, who is worthy of our reverence and love, has to depend on roast beef, roast lamb and roast sheep for survival, if Hes has to live from our sweat, labor and earnings, from some people who are too poor to even afford meat themselves, then we can imagine what kind of grace, what kind of blessing that Hes, as such a dependent God, could give us? Even ordinary people wouldn’t do that, so how would a God do that?

Many good-hearted people often help others from very pure, unconditional love and don’t expect anything in return. How can we imagine a God who always demands gold, silver and roast beef, and doesn’t even give anything in return? If Hes demanded beef before Hes gave any favor, this must be the trickery which came from the priesthood, not from God.

Even if God truly wanted it so, after we gave Hirm all the beef, chickens and whatever, Hes should have, but still didn’t return the favor. Hes could have said, “OK, it’s fair enough.” But Hes didn’t. Hes didn’t even return anything at all. Oh, that God! The proof that Hes didn’t return anything is that, those people who made offerings are still suffering from sickness, from misery, from sorrow and from everything else, like any other mortals. Even the priests in the temple also have to suffer like anyone else.

Therefore, some people made a fool of God. That’s unfair to Hirm. The question lays in our own misunderstanding; not that God has an unmerciful and greedy nature. God has laid down the Law that we have to obey, not for God’s sake, but for our own sake. In English we always say, “For God’s sake you have to do this, for God’s sake you have to do that.” But now I say, “For our sake we should do that, for your sake you should do this.” We should correct that saying. I don’t know if in your country you also say “for God’s sake.” You do this, too?! Oh, I am sorry, but I have to speak the truth.

God needs nothing from us. It’s we who need to survive, it’s we who need a very orderly society in order to feel peaceful and happy. So, it’s for our sake we should respect the Law and try to learn what’s proper in order to protect our lives and to improve our well-being physically and mentally.

For example, if we are ill and we go to the doctor, the doctor will prescribe some medicine and tell us, “You should smoke less; you can’t drink too much coffee; you should sleep more; and you should take more walks and fresh air.” That’s not for the doctor’s sake. It is for our sake.

Similarly, the Law of God is for the order of the universe, for the harmony of the universe, and to ensure peace and happiness for every living being within this order. If we are ignorant of these Laws or if we break them, whether intentionally or not, we will suffer the consequences. This is what the Buddhists call karma, the Law of Cause and Retribution. This is what the Bible means when it says: As you sow, so shall you reap. They are the same thing.

So the Laws of God are to protect us. For our sake we should remember them. Should we have committed many mistakes against any Law of God, there is still a remedy. We should repent, and try again. That’s all there is. Then we are welcomed again into the Kingdom of God.

Everything I have spoken to you is the truth. If you want to test the truth of my speech, whether it is true or not that real repentance is effective, I can offer you the proof. That is, at the time of initiation, or we may call it baptism, the true baptism, if we truly repent our past ignorance and truly want to return to God, we will be in the presence of God, and that’s very fast. That’s why we call it “immediate enlightenment” or the immediate contact with God. We will see God’s Light and we will hear God’s melodious Voice. This is the proof of what I have said to you about the power of repentance and the power of sincerely longing for virtues and for God, which will cleanse all misery, all sins in the past.

It’s similar to when we are willing to stand under a waterfall, knowing that we are dust-laden and full of all kinds of filth. The water will cleanse us of everything no matter how many days, how many months or how many years it took to accumulate all this dirt and filth. Just a short moment under the waterfall and we will be completely cleansed, because we are willing to let it happen, because we are willing to give up dirt and filth.

So, doubt not the grace and mercy of God Almighty. We should sincerely repent and we should sincerely seek wisdom and the Kingdom of God. Then truly everything will come to you.

I do not say so because I read it in the Bible or in the Buddhist Scriptures, or because I am a Buddhist monk and always preach what everyone else preaches. No, I say these things because I have experienced them, because they are the Truth and because I have tested and verified them. So I joyously declare them to you. I bring this hope and this glorious idea and experience to your notice. In case you are tired of this world and want to open yourself to the grace of God, then you may do so, without any doubt, without any reservation.

What made Jesus’ speech more impressive than other priests of His time was the inner conviction and the inner vision He had. Therefore when He said to the people, Pray to God in my name, people did, and they got the result. It wasn’t that Jesus was so conceited, so proud or so arrogant; it was that He Himself understood profoundly that His name would remind people of His conviction, His inner strength and His highest wisdom. When people were reminded of this highest and noblest ideal, their own highest ideal, conviction and wisdom would also be evoked and awakened, then they would have success. It’s not that Jesus thought that His name was the greatest on Earth. No, no. It’s not that Jesus wanted people to respect and worship His name and His person. We have seen, through and through, that Jesus was so humble, so selfless. He always declared: It’s all my Father that does through me. It’s always God, always the Father. But people must pray in His name. It’s not paradoxical. It’s just that He understood that the personal effect of a human is very great and that the inner strength of a person is very influential.

Therefore, we see through our history that many wise persons have led people to glorious vocations and wisdom, while many wicked and ignorant persons have led others into the pit of destruction and darkness. It is because of the personal character and influences. Do you know that? No? Yes.

So, our duty is to be humans of noble character; then we can influence other people and lead them in the path of righteousness. That’s why it’s said: Seek you first the Kingdom of God, and all other things shall be added unto you; that’s why the Buddha said, First you become Buddha, then sentient beings shall be saved by themselves; and that’s why Confucius said, “First cultivate yourself” which means we have to purify ourselves and discipline ourselves so that we are worthy of being called a human, a human of dignity and noble wisdom. That’s why we call it Self-cultivation. So Confucius said: First cultivate yourself, then we can take care of our household management, then we can govern the nation, and we can pacify the world.

Along with many kinds of activities which are noble and praise-worthy, such as enlightening others, preaching good morality to people, building temples for people to worship God or the Saints, giving charity to the poor and sick, and calling for peace from all nations, we should cultivate ourselves. Then everything we do will definitely have an effect and influence upon the minds of other people, and everything will become successful.

In this modern world of ours, we are very fortunate. Whatever faith we choose, whatever name of God we worship, and whatever doctrines we follow are respected and supported by the laws of many nations. It’s not like at the time of Jesus. He was alone and helpless against the multitude of ignorant people, the very cunning, very cruel priesthood, and no law was there to protect Him.

So if we choose to become Godly or Christ-like now, it is very appropriate. I think we should not lose our opportunity. Who knows what the world will be like next year, or next century, and what kind of fate awaits our children then? So we should build up a good foundation for our later generations, for our children, grand children, and grand, grand, grand children. I think all good parents desire a good future for their children. Therefore they work very hard and sacrifice all their strength, youth and wisdom in order to provide a comfortable life for their children. But apart from leaving them education and money, I think we should also leave them a peaceful and harmonious world to live in.

Therefore, do not think that I preach the Buddhist doctrine or Christianity, or I try to convert you into my order of religion. No, no, no. I just try to contribute a peaceful atmosphere for the future generations and the present generation alike. I never preach the exclusiveness of Buddhism, of Christianity, of Hinduism or any “ism,” as I see the goodness in all of them. Since I also see that most people do not follow their religious faith in detail, and as one of the citizens of this world I have the duty to remind people of the adherence to their doctrines and of being good to their neighbors and loving their enemies.

I must remind people of the Law of God and the eternal principle to lessen the suffering of the present generation and bring a harmonious atmosphere to the future.

The eternal principle is that we are from God, the only One Loving and Almighty God, and that we are all brothers and sisters. It doesn’t matter what faith we believe in, we should love each other, respect each other, and help each other in whatever capacity we can, and do not forget to remember God every day because the more we remember Hirm, the more our lives will become peaceful and smooth. To remember Hirm also means to keep the commandments: If you love me, keep my commandments.

That’s why I also emphasize that people should follow a vegan diet; it’s the most peaceful, the most loving way of sustaining our lives without sacrificing the lives of others. I know it sounds very new to you, but it isn’t new, because it is said in the Bible. The Old Testament states that God made all the herbs and the fruit trees in the fields and those shall be our food. It says, God makes the animals to be human’s helpers and friends. That means we should rule over them, but should not kill them because the first commandment is: Thou shalt not kill. Everything has life, and when we take it away, it means killing. If we subsist on the meat diet, then other people will continue to kill for our appetite. It means that indirectly we support killing.

I know it may be difficult for you to accept this, and you might oppose my opinion, but it is not my opinion, it is not my law. It is the Law of God and Hes has stated it very clearly in the Bible as well as in the Buddhist doctrine, in the Hindu doctrine and even in the Moslem doctrine. But most Buddhist people do not care about this Law, and neither do most Christian people or Moslem people. We read the Bible every day, but we do not notice where we should read. The people in authority, like the priests or the monks, do not make a lot of effort to enlighten us in this manner.

Sometimes it’s difficult for me to say such things. I am aware of arousing some displeasure from people. But someone has to say the truth, someone has to be courageous and not always bowing to authority and ignorance. Didn’t God command us to be perfect, as Hes in Heaven is perfect? God in Heaven is perfect in the sense that Hes is wise, compassionate, ever-loving and ever-creative. So, if we want to be nearly as perfect as Hes is, we should seek wisdom and forsake ignorance; we should seek it from the wise, from the holy, and we should be loving, compassionate and creative, not destructive.

That’s why God gives us the right to create things and the right to create children. We create children and so many beautiful things on this planet. God gives us the right to the creative plan in Hiers design. We are the co-workers of God. But we have not yet achieved the wisdom of God, so we should respect Hiers plan and Hiers design because Hes is the Supreme Boss. Hes knows what to retain, what to take away, what to repair, and what to destroy. Even if Hes destroys something, Hes makes it again; but when we destroy anything, we cannot make it again. That is the problem, because we are not wise enough and not powerful enough. Should we one day reach God-realization, then maybe we can talk about destroying and creating at our own hands.

Therefore, we respect all lives in the creative plan of God. We can see by ourselves that all lives resist suffering and resist death. Therefore, when we kill or see animals being killed, they are suffering and they try to run away. That means God empowered them with the instinct of wanting to live. If we interfere and force their lives away, we interfere with God’s will. We should treat every being in the same way, as we ourselves like to be treated, then our lives will be blessed with grace, with longevity and with wisdom. As you sow, so shall you reap. Then we will never blame God for any misfortune, because we have less misfortune. The more we cultivate, the better we become, in speech, in body and in mind.

This I know from my self-experiences and from the experiences of my so-called students or fellow practitioners, because we are in contact with God daily. After the process of initiation, we have connection with God again and we remember God every day. Every day we are aware that God remembers us. God and we have the same instinct, the same goal and the same direction. That’s how we solve our problems, that’s how we contribute to peace on Earth, and that’s how we abide by the Law of God.

Thank you for your attention.

The One Who Realize God and the Messiah of God

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

May 29, 1991 (Video#171) 
Costa Rica

(Originally in English)

In obedience to God’s command and to the request of the disciples in Costa Rica, I am here today with the honor to greet you, the citizens of a great nation. Let’s pray that God will open our hearts so that we may think the same way and understand the same way tonight.

We all know that God is in our heart, but why is it so difficult to know Hirm? Why must Jesus come down to suffer in order to show people the way to God? Couldn’t God do it Hirmself without having to sacrifice Hiers son? Do you know?

If God is in our heart, why couldn’t Hes make us recognize Hirm? It is because we are too complicated, too complicated even for God to handle. We imagine that God is like this, like that, and we have dictated God to do this and that for us, without truly wanting to know what God is. We pray many times but we do not know what true sincerity is. Yes, we are very sincere, but we pray for different things, not for God-realization; and even if we do pray for God-realization, we do not put our whole attention and sincerity into our prayers.

It’s not that we do not want to offer God our utmost sincerity. It’s that we could not do it in this physical world because there are so many temptations, so many prejudices, so many preconceived ideas, and so many wrong teachings. God in Hiers almighty, highest level could not reach us directly because between our thinking, our way of life, our perception and God there is a great distance. In order to bridge this distance, Jesus, for example, had to come.

When Jesus appeared on the Earth, most of the people didn’t recognize Him even though there were many prophesies at that time predicting that the Messiah, the Savior, was coming. When He finally came, they could not believe it. It was also because of the fantasy of our minds; the fantasy that if the Son of the God came, He must be glorious, He must be different from everyone else, probably His nose should grow on top of His head.

I just remembered how the Buddha was depicted in the Buddhist Scriptures and I couldn’t help laughing. I’m sorry. It’s good that you don’t know Buddhism, otherwise you would probably laugh to death. Do you want to hear what the Buddha looked like? Yes? OK. Don’t blame me, and don’t think I am preaching Buddhism to you.

Buddha was supposed to have eighty superior marks and thirty-two beautiful, significant, holy signs. Now I will just tell you a few, OK? Because I can’t list them all. I’ve forgotten most of them. Also I don’t want to remember all these because it would confuse my mind about how the Buddha should look.

According to these so-called Scriptures, the Buddha’s tongue was so long, His ears were so big, and His hair curled all over His body like a sheep. Also He was supposed to have a big lump of flesh sticking out of His head like a horn, like a unicorn perhaps. Can you imagine, when the Buddha talked, His tongue would stick out so long like this? (Master demonstrates) Would it not frighten anyone? And, He was supposed to walk like a goose. You know how a goose walks? Those were supposed to be the holy signs. His face was supposed to be like a lion and His shoulders like a bear. There were many more animal signs, but I don’t want to talk any more. In conclusion, Buddha looked like a very strange creature. If I were to see Him, I probably would say, “No, thanks!”

So now, if any Buddha were to come to this world and people would look for these kinds of signs, then we would be at an end, because I don’t think we could find anyone who would be suitable. So Jesus was lucky because He lived only three and a half years after His public appearance. Had He lived any longer, probably people would have made more out of His appearance, like Buddha. Then we would have to wait long, long ages for Him to appear again as promised, because we would be looking for someone like that.

What we should know is that it’s not Jesus in person or Buddha in body that would appear to us again on this Earth to teach us anything; it is the spirit. When a spirit from God descends upon the Earth, it can be housed in any kind of body. Because Jesus was a very realized Saint, He understood this and He never claimed that He was the only one who was capable of doing anything He did. He was the only one, but at that time only. When He finished His earth life, someone else would come. No, not really someone else; it is another kind of body which clothes the same power, the same spirit. Do you understand?

Anyone that houses this power from God we call him or her the chosen one or the Son of God. God chooses whomever Hes likes to be Hiers Messiah. It’s not even our choice. We can aspire to be one, we can make ourselves ready, purified and available, but God chooses. In each era there may be one or two chosen ones. That’s why it is a little rare.

We could be Saints, we could be holy, and we could be realized persons, but we do not need to be a Messiah, a Prophet. Even then, we could profit the whole world, the whole universe, a great deal without having to be an openly chosen one from God. That is the only difference between a Messiah or a chosen one and a realized person. In a God-realized person there is God’s power, there is God-realization, but in a chosen one there is totally everything in order to help humankind, in order to suffer, and in order to glorify God personally.

Therefore, contemporarily with Jesus and Buddha were many other Saints, but they didn’t have to suffer the way Jesus did because they were not the chosen ones. Therefore Jesus said, No one goes to the Father except through me; but then He also said, After I leave, I will send “Comforters” to you, so grieve not. He promised that whatever He could do, His disciples could do better. So that means everyone could realize God and be as great as Jesus was. Whether we will be the chosen one or not is up to the Almighty’s will.

Actually, not many people have the very high hope of attaining the position of Jesus or Buddha. Therefore people always say Jesus was the only one or Buddha was the only one. In a way it is true, but it is not. Otherwise Jesus would not have told us, Whatever I can do, you can do better. We don’t need to wish to become world-famous like Buddha or Jesus, but we could aspire to be God-realized and to be of help to ourselves and to whomever we are in touch with.

So the purpose of practicing any method or walking on any path at all is to realize ourselves, to realize God; not that we want to be like Jesus or Buddha. When God wants us to be one, we could not even refuse, whether we want to or not. I’m not frightening you. It is the truth I have known by my own experience. Also I may tell you that to be in a position of Jesus or Buddha is no fun either. So it is OK not wanting to become one.

Why is it that the only Son of God, like Jesus, had to suffer, had to bear the cross? Or someone like Buddha, who had all the power, must bear all the misunderstandings, insults and attacks from the people at that time? It is partly because of the ignorance of the mass of people. It is also partly because the body of the Master must bear some of the karma of his disciples. But the Master can do that only when he or she is still in the physical body. Therefore it was necessary that Jesus came to the Earth to suffer for the people at that time, to bear the cross. I have one on my neck now. (Someone in the audience just presented Master a necklace with a cross on it) I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, a warning, or it’s just a recognition. Anyhow, I bear it every day.

When people come to a Master who has kept this power, no doubt they come to worship the Master. They bring fruit, flowers and their love, but they also deposit their debts at the feet of the Master. Even though the ocean of mercy from the Almighty will wash away most of the debris people bring, some of the residue still lingers where it was deposited and the Master’s body must bear this burden.

Jesus was not the only one who suffered such a terrible punishment from people. If you study the lives of many of the Saints in the ancient times or in India, you will know they had similar fates. Some Masters were even burned alive or made to sit on a hot iron pan under the hot sun. Some Masters were even flaked alive, you know, cut to pieces, one piece by one piece, like vivisection. This was even in India, in a holy land, in the land where most people were vegetarians, saintly and know about the Scriptures. So, I have told you that to be in the position of Jesus or Buddha is no fun.

But these are only the physical sufferings that we can see with our eyes. There are mental sufferings that the Masters silently bear, which we don’t know. Therefore, thank God that Hes hasn’t chosen many; otherwise I don’t think anyone would like to become a Master.

You may ask me, “Then, why should we practice? Why should we meditate on God?” We must, because otherwise we will suffer too much, and the whole race of humankind will suffer. Since the ancient times, our world has undergone a great evolution and it has become more civilized today because of the many people who have followed the teachings of the Masters.

When a Master comes to the Earth, not only the disciples are uplifted and shown the wisdom, but the whole of humankind will also be purified and uplifted to a certain higher level of consciousness. Therefore, after many Masters have graced our Earth, the world has become better, as it is today. But even then, it has not reached the level of the heavenly understanding. It has not reached the same consciousness like many other worlds in the universe. We are, to the other worlds, very, very young, and very backward in spiritual understanding.

In the heavenly worlds, where we can visit sometimes with our meditative merit, we can see that the people who live over there do not need to communicate with language. Even though they still have to learn spiritual lessons, they are very advanced, very intelligent, and the Masters over there do not need to speak. When they want to study with the Master, the Master’s presence is enough for them to understand everything; there are no doubts, no questions, no answers and no complicated thinking. Everything will be absolutely clear in the presence of the Master.

When I see in our world, that even with so many lectures and back and forth arguments, with the fulfillment of so many desires and wishes of people, and with answering so many questions, still we do not understand very well. Therefore, God continues to send different Masters to this world, and any Master who comes to this world must suffer the language problem and the mental retarding ability of its people. Not all Masters are willing to come to this world to teach, even very briefly, like Jesus. Therefore, when any Master comes to this world, the whole universe praise, cheer, and applaud.

But then, someone must come, no? Because the whole universe is linked together in a kind of fraternity, in a brotherhood, just like the members in a family. If one world or one planet is backward in spiritual advancement, the other planets will also suffer in some ways. Just as if one member in a family did something wrong, the whole family will also be affected. Sometimes even the whole nation has to bear the consequences of one person. Therefore it would be a great help to our world and to the universe if we catch up with the spiritual lessons and try to improve our understanding in any way we can.

If we have already found a path that we think is suitable to our spiritual development, then it is fine, it is good, and we should continue. We should try all our best to follow that chosen path. How do we know if that is the right path for us?

How do we know if we have chosen a good Master, or a good method? There has to be two conditions. First, we must be good disciples; second, the Master must be good. It cannot be one way. So, if we are very good disciples, if we have been very faithful, if we have done everything that a disciple is requested to do, and if that path or the Master’s teaching gives us satisfaction, gives us more love, wisdom and peace, that is the right path. Understand? But we must do our best. We cannot get something for nothing. Otherwise no need for a Master even.

If after you have tried so hard and have tried your best on many paths and you could not find complete satisfaction, we invite you to come to this path, because we know this path is very fast, quick and simple. In our times we don’t have so much energy and time to follow a very complicated, long and difficult path. Also, there is another reason why, our life is very unpredictable. We do not know if we will live until tomorrow. So whatever we can get today is the best.

Before I left home to find God-realization, I had only one prayer: “God, if You exist, please help me or through me open the eyes of people, because people cannot open them themselves. How can You demand them to keep Your commandments, to love You, and to worship You when they don’t know You? You must open their eyes for them to see You first.” That was my prayer. Probably the sincerity touched God’s compassion, so I was granted what I wished.

After studying many people’s character and human psychology by my daily contact with different people, I have come to realize that sincerity is difficult to have. This is the only reason why we cannot realize God, who is very close and very near to us in our hearts. It is because most of us are so attached to the physical appearance of this world. On one hand we say we want to know God, but on the other hand we cannot forsake what we have, even if God wants us to do it. That is the only reason why we cannot reach God. Otherwise we could do it just like this.

That is what I have come to understand and I would like to share it with you, because God is not so difficult to reach; it is difficult for us to forsake the material world. It is our deep attachment that prevents us from going near God. This sounds very simple, but it is the very original reason. That is why in the Bible it is stated that you cannot worship both God and mammon.

Therefore God has thought of some special method to help us, the attached souls, the encaged spirits. This method is not known to a lot of people, just to some groups. Only in this modern time has the message been spread all over the world. But because of that, whoever brings the message has to suffer a great deal, more than at the time of Buddha and Jesus. In order to bring the message to humankind, there must be someone who will do it. I think you understand what I mean.

Even when the message is spread all over the world, not all people will take it. Therefore you can imagine how difficult it was when Jesus or Buddha were alive, when means of communications were much more restricted. Then even fewer people followed them. In the ancient times, people complained that the freedom of religion was restricted; and the people who believed in Jesus or different Masters in those times were very frightened of being persecuted, chased, questioned, jailed, and punished. Even then, people’s faith under such circumstances was very strong, and they appreciated what they received perhaps more than in modern times.

In modern times when we get the message so easily, we probably do not believe the value of the message. When it is more open and more easily available, it is more open to criticism and therefore also has disadvantages. So we cannot do anything. No solution! If it is difficult, then it is difficult to get, to practice, to meet the Master. It is difficult to get together and understand, difficult to get the information from the Master, and difficult to progress and to improve the spiritual movement of the Master. But when it is easy to access, we will think, “Oh, how can it be so easy? I think it is no good. I have to think about it, or maybe next time.” So, there’s no solution.

Still, God always loves humankind, so God always tries and the Masters always try their best to bring the holy message, the best solution, the best method to offer to the brothers and sisters of this Earth.

We always have our fantasy. We imagine the Master must be like this, like that and the God-realization method must be like this, like that, must be very difficult to attain, or must be so-and-so. So many of these preconceived ideas and the outside circumstances sometimes prevent us from knowing the Truth. It is not entirely our fault. It is because the material existence is too difficult for us; it has brainwashed each one of us into such a condition, into a way of thinking in which we could hardly escape. That is what makes the job of the Masters difficult and that is what makes our God-realization difficult.

But even then, it is worthwhile to try. If something is so easy to realize, I guess it is also not very interesting. So we should struggle in our own way to understand what God is or at least to know who we are, why we are here, and where we will go after a few years in this world. Where will we go? Why are we here for only a few years or a few decades? We have fed ourselves with so much beef, pork and vegetables of this world to grow that big, so at least we must know why. If we do not have answers to these questions, we will never be happy. This is the only simple reason why we must realize ourselves, we must realize God for our own satisfaction. We can never be happy, no matter in which position we are placed or how many material possessions we are given, until we realize this very basic fundamental question.

Therefore you will never find a truly happy person in this world, even if he is a king. But Jesus’ disciples were happy and the disciples of our path are happy. They truly have the inner happiness. Not that I give them money, praise them, or do anything to make them happy externally. Why is that? It’s because they have found the answer. They are doing what they are supposed to do as a human duty. They are fulfilling the purpose of human life.

Each one of us is given human life only for the purpose of realizing God. If we forsake this duty, we will never be happy in this life or in any other lives. To tell you the truth, this is the only reason for human suffering, and nothing else. If we realized how we struggled in our mothers’ wombs, how we repented our past lives’ mistakes, and how we promised God to utilize this present life in a very meaningful manner to serve Hirm, before we were born, then we would never waste one second to think of anything else but to try our best in all our leisure time to realize God!

But as soon as we are born into this world we forget everything, because it is the law of the material world to let people forget. Therefore it is necessary that a Master come and remind us again and again and again, until we remember what we had promised to God inside the wombs of our mothers. We might not remember with our physical brains, but our souls, the ability of our wisdom will remember. Then it could happen that we’ll follow the Master’s teaching, that we’ll go back to the path of God. Then that will be our luckiest day. I wish all of you this lucky day.

Thank you for your attentive, loving attention. Amen!

Jesus Was One of the Saviors part (A)

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

June 9, 1989 (Video#82) 
Costa Rica

(Originally in English)

Why is it that we need a Master to learn meditation, to be reunited with God? If you read the books of my lectures that my disciples have collected, you will see that the Master is referred to as just a water pipe. A water pipe takes water to your home. Without the protection of the pipe, the water will get dirty or lost on the road before reaching your home. Understand?

Our world is a world of illusion, a world of matter. If God Hirmself would descend into our world and be invisible, it would be unsubstantial, we would never be able to grasp Hirm. Therefore, if Hes wants to come to the world or send Hiers spirit, Hiers love into the world, Hes must wrap it inside a body. It’s like a perfume bottle holding the perfume inside. We don’t care whether the shape of the bottle is round or square, long or large. We care for the perfume inside.

If, however, the bottle gets damaged, we may transfer the perfume into another bottle. Jesus was a bottle. (Laughter) I do not mean to make fun of Him, but just to make the message clear to you, OK? Buddha was a bottle, too. So you see, it’s equal now; I also mention Buddha as a bottle. I am also a bottle, a very small one. (Laughter) But the perfume contained inside is God. No human can make this.

It is by the grace of God that we are enlightened or unenlightened. When we love God above everything else, when we desire enlightenment above any other things in this world, we will get it. We cannot blackmail God, we cannot lament to Hirm, we cannot complain to Hirm, we cannot push Hirm or press Hirm, but we could charm Hirm by our devotion and longing, sincere longing.

This longing sometimes is like a pain, like a suffering. It’s worse than all the pains in the world. Once you are enlightened, then the pain settles down. But then it grows and grows into wanting more; it becomes a comfortable pain. I don’t know why I say a “comfortable pain.” It’s just like an addiction. I am sorry, because it is terrible to use our worldly language to describe something in connection with God. The more I say, the worse it sounds.

It’s like this. For example, you have heard that in the neighborhood there is a beautiful girl and you long to see her. You haven’t seen her before, but you feel a longing, you’re so curious. You’ve heard so much about her, so you want to see her. That’s only a curious desire, but sometimes the desire becomes very urgent, “Why is she there and I can not see her?” Once you see her you say, “Wow!” Then you want to see more. It becomes worse than before, because you have seen how beautiful the girl is, how talented she is, how virtuous she is, and how very suitable to your taste she is.

Similarly, before we see God we have heard so much about God. The Scriptures describe that God is love, glory, eternal bliss and that you’ll get intoxicated if you see God. But you are not yet intoxicated because you have not seen God or been in touch with God. Once you are intoxicated, just once, then you’ll always long for more. Then you are satisfied with everything in the world, because just the love, just the intoxication of God takes away all your worldly desires. It makes you detached from the pleasures and sorrows of this world. Then you’ll lust more and more for the presence of God until you eventually become one with God, just like what Jesus said, I and my Father are one.

Jesus reached that state. But He was not the only one who has reached that state in the whole history of humankind. If it were so, if it were true that Jesus was the only one who has reached the state of God-realization, then I think it would be very, very depressing for us. Just think of the millions, billions, even trillions of people before Jesus’ time. Did they all go to hell? Do you understand what I mean? Can you believe that? Tell me yes or no. No? Yes? OK. I accept both of your answers and will explain later.

Why “Yes”? Please explain to me. Who said “Yes”? Please stand up and explain why God would let all the billions and trillions of people before Jesus’ time go to hell? How unmerciful God was! The “Yes” person please explain to me why God was so terrible. (The person cannot explain.) Then, do not speak so quickly next time. (Laughter) We must think first before we speak; or else we will make great mistakes sometimes, leading ourselves and others to the same mistaken direction.

Now, does the one who said “No” have any reason? Yes, please tell me. (The person answers, “I believe that God is within everyone of us. It is just a matter of knowing. God is within everyone of us. We have to develop the capacity that is inside us and use spiritual means to get in touch with God. Not our eyes, which are made to get in touch with matter, not our ears that are made to listen to the sounds; we have to use the inner Man to open the inner eyes and inner ears to see and hear.”) Yes, the inner Man. Right, right, I got it. Yes, that’s good. Open the inner eyes and the inner ears, and see God, hear God. That’s right. I think we mean the same thing. Right.

God is within us. This everyone knows. So Master Ching Hai came to tell us how to get in touch with Hirm. But the question is: why do most of us believe that Jesus was the only savior of the world and why do these who do not believe in Jesus go to hell. This is the question.

So I say, “No.” I agree with the “No” group. God is ever-merciful; since the beginning of time God has always looked after humankind. Before Jesus, people sinned, people suffered, and people needed God, so God also sent someone, like Moses, like John the Baptist and many others before Them. Moses was also a messenger of God.

Before Moses, before many, many eons of time God always sent one, two, three or four of Hiers messengers to the world in order to save us from our wrongful thinking and actions, and bring us back to the Kingdom of God. Otherwise, if only Jesus could save people, then what about the people who were before Jesus, the so many people who were trillions of years before Him? Didn’t God love them? It is not logical. I think if we really worship God and understand God, we couldn’t believe that Jesus was the one and only. The Buddhist people also believe that Buddha was the only one, and some of them don’t even believe in Jesus. So the people of these two religions have been arguing with each other. If we think carefully, or if we get enlightenment, we will know Jesus and Buddha were both sent by God to save humankind in different periods of time.

It is so interesting after you get enlightenment and go deep into communion with God. When you read any kind of religious Bible in the world, you will see exactly the same teaching inside. Some of you will agree with me about this, but some of you will not, because some have read and some have not, some are a little enlightened and some are not. However, just talking about Jesus is enough to prove it, that He was not the only one and He didn’t mean to be the only one.

He sacrificed His life for the sins of people at that period of time, and His blessing continued for a few hundred years afterward. But it has been about two thousand years since then and we have forgotten most of His teachings. The Bible has been cut in half, censored, changed, and misinterpreted in many places. If we do not get enlightenment, it’s difficult for us to differentiate, to perceive which are the true words of Jesus and which have been misinterpreted.

I just mention that Jesus said and proved that He was not the only one. He said, Whatever miracle I can do today you can do also, and you may do it even better. Is it not so? Yes. So we must believe in His words. He meant that we can become like Him. Furthermore, He said that we all are children of God, not that He was the only Son of God.

It seemed paradoxical when He said, No one can go to the Father except through me, and then on the other hand He said, All of you are children of God. Whatever I can do today, you may do even greater in the future. But this is not paradoxical. What He meant is that He already knew God. He realized that He was the Son of God, and although the people at that time, the humanity at large, were also children of God, they did not realize it.

Buddha also said the same, I have become a Buddha, and you will too become a Buddha. He also said, All beings have the Buddha Nature, meaning all beings are equal with Him, just the same like Him. The Buddha Nature is the same as the Spirit of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God and the Son is Hiers creation.

Whatever Hes makes is the son of God. The Father makes the son, the children and embeds in them the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the essence of God. All of us have the Holy Ghost within us. So we are all called “the children of God.”

Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed realized this Holy Ghost within Themselves, and there were also others, like St. Peter, St. Paul, San Francisco and San Jose, etc. Whoever realizes the Holy Spirit within becomes one with God; he realizes he is the Son of God.

Neither Man Nor Woman Exists Inside (B)

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

November 29,1989 
Panama

(Originally in English)

Now, one more topic I would like to mention. Yesterday, someone asked me a question which I just read this afternoon. The person said he would like to follow my teaching, but because I am a woman, he hesitated. (Laughter)

If we had had no women in this world, how would he have existed? How did Jesus ever come into the world? Or Buddha? Or any other great beings there may have been? This is a paradox.

You see, this is human nature. We very readily forget our origin, our benefactor. If we can so easily forget women’s benefit, loving care and devotion to this world, including our mothers’ and sisters’, then how would we even remember God? It would be so difficult. Women and mothers are visible “objects” and very, very close to us; every day we know about them, still we forget this and always despise woman. So how could we know anything about God, who is so far away, so abstract, so metaphysical and whom we have never seen before?

I do not complain about this fact. I know my worth. I do not need your praise or your blame. Yes. The merit of women to this world is undeniable. Women are mothers of all the Buddhas and of all the Saints in the past, present and future. Why do we worship St. Maria? Why? She was an ordinary woman; she was also a woman. It is because of the respect we pay to Jesus. St. Maria has not performed any miracles, nor has she helped anyone as far as we know. Why do we respect her? Because she had the worth, the merit of bearing Jesus, of bringing Jesus into our world.

So, if you can respect a woman just because she bore a Saint, then why don’t you respect a saintly woman? Do you see me any different than St. Theresa? Am I worse than St. Maria? Have I done anything terrible to you? Do I teach you anything bad or anything wrong? OK. Man and woman – it is just a matter of perception because inside we are all the same. It’s only our wrong perception.

When I said a “saintly” woman, I didn’t mean to boast about myself. I was talking in a way of categorizing, as your Western terminology describes what a Saint is. But actually I don’t think I like any category. Understand? A Saint is a virtuous person, is the one who helps others and loves others, who is devoted to God, and above all, who is enlightened. So, if a person is enlightened, loving and devoted to God, he or she is a Saint. So, according to your Western Catholic terminology, I think I am a Saint, no? Is that all right with you? Is that acceptable to you? (Applause) Thank you.

While I am saying all this, I am not proud of it. It’s not a matter of being proud. I’m just trying to explain things clearly and objectively to you so that I might “drive home” the Truth. Just like a girl who has graduated from Cambridge College and becomes a physician, or a man who has graduated from Princeton University and becomes a physician. Both of them are on an equal footing. Understand? They both can say, “I am a physician.” Nothing to be proud of. It’s just a graduation. If Jesus didn’t say that He was a Saint or that He had graduated from the “metaphysical school,” how would we know Him? How would people know Him? If a doctor doesn’t say that he is a physician, how would patients come to him? It’s just a job.

Being a Saint is also a job, a metaphysical job, a job without money, without any position in this world, without safety, without praise and sometimes even without thanks. You can see the life of Jesus. How He had sacrificed Himself for the sins of the people, and how they paid Him.

Every time I read the Bible and come to His story, I cry again and again. I cry because of His love; I cry because of people’s ignorance and cruelty. Even now some people still criticize Him and don’t believe that He was a great Saint. This is the saddest thing.

That’s why I had trouble with my Buddhist believers. I often mention Jesus and praise Him, and they think it is a taboo. They think that I am a Buddhist monk, so I should only praise Buddha and talk about Buddhism. Many monks in Formosa don’t like me. (Laughter) But I still love them. It’s not their fault. It’s the brainwashing over long period of time, just as we are brainwashed into believing that Jesus was the only one, and that God was so merciless as to have let all the people before Jesus, all the trillions and trillions of people, go to hell because they had never heard of Jesus’ name and had never had the chance to believe in Him. The Buddhist believers are also like that. They are brainwashed into believing that a woman can’t become a Buddha, meaning she cannot become an enlightened Master.

I invite you to reject all these ideas. It is too depressing. Every religion should bring hope, faith and self-confidence to humankind. We should reject any wrong interpretations in any religion. We believe in religion, but we don’t believe in wrong interpretation and brainwashing. Understand? (Loud applause) Thank you.

Now, I think the best way to find God ourselves and to understand the real religious essence is to get enlightened, to get directly in touch with God. If you believe what I have said, I may offer you the opportunity to try, without any financial donation, without any condition and without any binding whatsoever. You don’t need to bow to me; you don’t need to call me “Master” even. You can call me a friend or Ching Hai, whatever you like. You don’t have to change your religion.

You can go to the church, you can read the Bible all the same. Just be in touch with God every day through the technique I will show you at initiation. OK?

Prepare Now for the End of Our Journey

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

May 28, 1989 (DVD 78A) 
San Jose, CA, U. S. A.

(Originally in English)

Today I have seen that all of you seem to have just come back from holidays. Is that so? Have you come back from your vacation? Have you already had a nice vacation?

The best vacation we will have is when we leave this world to go back to the kingdom of Heaven. But for this we must prepare today. It’s just like before we go on a big or small vacation, we must prepare our luggage, checkbooks, gasoline, clothing and all the comforts we will need for both on the road and at the vacation site. So we must prepare today for the final day of our journey.

How to prepare for this day? Most of us do not know. We only know how to prepare for old age, for sickness and for life insurance, but no one prepares for “death insurance” which is the most necessary insurance that we should remember.

When a woman is giving birth to a baby, so many people rush to assist her; when we get married, a lot of people come to congratulate us and help us prepare for the joyful event. So, in any circumstances we have assistance and helpers, except when we depart from this life. No one ever can assist us but the angel of death.

Now, people will tell me, “No, no, no. When I die, Buddha will come to me, to bless me and take me to the Buddha Land because I am a Buddhist”; and the Christians will say, “No. When I die, Jesus will come as my savior to take me back to the Kingdom of God.” But we forget what Buddha said about liberation, about going back to the Buddha Land; and we forget what Jesus said about how we can go back to the Kingdom of God. What I am saying to you now is nothing new; it is all stated in the Bible and the Buddhist Scriptures. I only refer to them in order to emphasize that we must follow their advice so as to truly enter the Buddha Land or the Kingdom of God.

Buddha said, If someone doesn’t meet a Buddha, then he has to run around in the circle of birth and death again and again. He may be born as a deva (a heavenly being) or as a human being; he may be born in hell or in the animal kingdom; but he can not enter Buddha’s Land. What does it mean by the Buddha Land? It means the land of ultimate bliss, of highest happiness or of “Nirvana” as we call it in Buddhism.

What is a Buddha? Everyone knows about Buddha, but most people do not take care to consider the real meaning of the word. Buddha, as I have said again and again, is the Sanskrit term for an enlightened Master, and that’s all there is to it. Whenever you meet an enlightened Master, you have met a Buddha. The same with the word “Christ” in the Hebrew language. It means an enlightened Saint, a Messiah or a Savior, the one who can lead us to liberation and bring us back to the Kingdom of God.

So, Buddha said that if you have not met such a Master or such a Buddha, then your chances of becoming totally liberated, to totally know the invisible true world, the highest world, are very, very thin – almost nothing, no chance. You will run from Heaven to hell, to this world and that. Run around in the world of 84,000 kinds of beings but never become a Buddha, meaning never become a completely enlightened perfect Saint. That’s what Buddha meant.

Now we come to Jesus Christ. You’ve forgotten what Jesus said about if you want to go back to the Kingdom of God: No one can come to the Father except through me. What did He mean by “me”? It means the Son of God, the one who knows God completely, the one who recognizes God within himself, and the one who has discovered the Kingdom within his heart. Lo and behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. No one ever said, “The Kingdom of God is outside,” but everyone says, “Buddha is in your heart”; everyone says, “The Kingdom is at hand, within you.”

Not only the Buddhist and Christian Bibles say so, but all other Scriptures also say the same. I even took some time to study the Sikh Scriptures, and I can tell you that the Sikh Scriptures are so complete that I am ashamed I never had got enough time to do a complete study of them but I just studied them a little. The book is so great. I would like to buy one when I go back to India. The book is called “Adi Granth,” inside of which are all kinds of sayings of the great ancient Masters from all over the world. They all praised the inner Power of God, the inner Light, the inner Vibration, the Sounds of the universe and the “Unstruck Music.” Guru Nanak, who was the founder of the Sikh religion, said many things similar to Jesus and Buddha in praising this inner Vibration which is the “Word” in the Bible and the Quan Yin of the Sound Stream in Buddhism. In all other religious Scriptures I have found that they also mention this inner Sound which liberates and nourishes all beings and brings all beings back to God when the time comes.

When Jesus said, No one can come to my Father except through “me”, He didn’t mean this ego “I,” this proud, ignorant “I.” The “me” He meant was the real One, the One who knows everything, who owns everything, who can make everything and accomplish everything without ruling anything, just like what Lao Tzu said: Doing, but not doing.

What is it when we come to the state of Doing, but not doing? It is that we lose the ego; it is the egoless state of attainment when: I and my Father are one. It’s the same as what Buddha said: Giving charity without knowing that you are giving charity is the real charity, or like what Jesus said: When you give someone by the left hand, don’t let your right hand know about it. They all mean the egoless state of enlightenment.

So when Jesus said: No one comes to the Father except through me, He meant the enlightened “me” because at that time He was already enlightened. If we followed Him, the enlightened Jesus, then we would go back to the Father. That’s exactly what He meant. But since Jesus has left this world, we must follow another enlightened Master, whether he or she is from India, from America or from whatever country.

I think in America there was a great enlightened Master in recent times, Emerson, who had a striking saying similar to the egoless state: A great burden falls away from our shoulders, if we let God rule the universe. And now what happens to us? We are ruling the whole universe! We take care of everything with our little, limited intelligence and very, very weak physical power. So we are exhausted, tired, and burdened in our heads because we don’t let God rule the universe but we “rule” it. We “rule” God as well, by telling Hirm what to do, by telling Hirm every day, “Please, God, help me. You must make my son pass the exam, and take good care of my daughter that she will have a good marriage. And my business is not running well, so please run it faster.” Every day we dictate to God what to do and when we get nothing from our wishes, we get angry and frustrated. Sometimes we move away from our religions thinking because we feel God doesn’t hear us. We may think we are just a kind of superstitious person, or that religion is not good. It is because we see no proof from religious devotion. But those who are faithful in any religion find some solutions, some existing power from God, however little it might be.

So we have heard a lot about the Saints, such as Saint Francisco, Saint Jose, Santa Clara. All these are Spanish names of the past great Masters. Saint Francis in Spanish is Saint Francisco. Is that right? They are the same one, the famous Saint Francis. Now, what made him become a Saint? Maybe he had a very good enlightened Master to guide him, so he became a very great Saint. If he practiced by himself, really devotedly, maybe he became a Saint of a lesser degree, being very compassionate, very humble and very devoted to God. But a real Saint of the highest order is like Buddha, like Guru Nanak, like Jesus Christ.

How do we know this? We know from the examples of their lives. We know how they saved sentient beings, how they liberated others from the bondage of birth and death, of suffering and misery. Buddha could be anywhere at the same time, and so was Jesus. They had the power of hearing the suffering of others in an instant, so did Guru Nanak of the Sikh religion, Krishna of the Hindu religion, and other Saints in the past.

I can’t tell you all, because the Saints of the past have been numerous, like the sands of the Ganges River. Some Saints are higher and some are of a lesser degree. By thy fruits shalt thou be known, so we can judge the Saints from their power and from their deeds.

It doesn’t mean that a Saint has to be famous to become a greater Saint. No, it is not necessary. Mostly when a Saint was alive, he was not that famous and was persecuted by many jealous people. Like Jesus, like Guru Nanak or the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobin Singh, who were all chased from one place to another for what they had done to help people. They preached the Truth to people who worshipped them because those people had inner visions. They knew what these Saints said were true, what they said were the real thing, and that they did not cheat people. People had proof of enlightenment from them, therefore they believed them. They believed Jesus because Jesus gave them proof; they believed Buddha because He gave them proof of enlightenment immediately. So the people and the disciples worshipped them, and other people were jealous so they gave them trouble.

Therefore, when a Master was alive, it was not necessarily true that his life was very smooth and easy, and not everyone came to his feet to worship. Maybe the lives of some Masters were like that, but the lives of some others were not. In the ancient times it was very difficult to be a Master openly.

Now we go back to the “me” of Jesus. Why did He say that everyone had to follow Him, otherwise they would go to the lower spheres of creation, like hell? It’s because if we don’t have an enlightened Master, it will be difficult for us to swim alone across the sea of existence to the other shore of liberation. It’s just like we can also learn to swim by ourselves, but it’s dangerous. It’s better to learn with an expert who can swim, who has swum across the river many times and knows where the whirlpool is, where the dangerous water is, where it is deep, and where the rocks are, etc. So he can take you very easily like a captain of the ship who has sailed across the big water many times.

Most Christian people believe that Jesus was the only one. The same with most Buddhist people; for thousands of years, they have believed that Shakyamuni Buddha was the one and only Buddha in the world that ever was born, or will ever come. As I mentioned yesterday, we have forgotten what Buddha said: I’ve already become Buddha, and you will become Buddha. Everyone can become Buddha in one lifetime. Jesus also said, Every being is the child of God. What I can do you can do also, even greater and better than I. He didn’t say, “I can do better than you and you can never do it.” So we forget that and look down upon ourselves; we forget that we have the Kingdom within.

If the Kingdom is within us as the Bible states, why don’t we look within and find where it is, or ask someone who has found it within? It’s as simple as that. Now, if Buddha said, The Buddha Nature is within you, and everyone possesses this Buddha Nature, why don’t we also look within and see where our Buddha is, instead of going to the temple and bowing to the wooden image? Only after we know where our Buddha Nature is can we worship Shakyamuni Buddha even more reverently. Only after we have seen Jesus, the Christ or the Kingdom within us, do we truly know how to love Jesus, how to appreciate Him, and can we then truly worship God.

At the moment, if we, the majority of people, have not yet known God, which is only an abstract conception of nothing, we will think God is love. But what is this love? If Hes loves us, why are we still so miserable every day? Why didn’t Hes give us money when we had none? Why didn’t Hes heal us while we were sick? Why didn’t Hes come to our aid when we were in trouble and called Hirm? We can’t know God’s love if we are not in contact with Hirm.

Therefore, the purpose of my talk is that I have the way with which you can contact this love power, the Kingdom within or the Buddha Nature within yourself. Then every day you will know that love, you will know God is love, not a person with a big beard like this or that, but the true love: L-O-V-E.

So, what does it mean that “If we get in touch with God, we are melted”? It means we are taken care of from then on, twenty-four hours every day, every minute of the day, knowing Hes is there, love is there surrounding us, emitting from us, enveloping us, and then also radiating to all directions to benefit others. That is the true love, and not just to embrace others and say, “I love you.” It’s the sense of universal love which you carry, you sleep with, you eat with, and you know of but don’t ever want to talk about because you are so sure that words will be useless.

If we go around screaming, “Love, love, love. God is love. I love you, and everyone loves one another,” then a minute later we might have a fight. (Laughter) We talk a lot but we have nothing, just like someone who has nothing screams, “Money, money.” A millionaire does not go around screaming, “I have money!” He just has it and he knows it for sure; he is so secure of it that he walks around laughing. When everyone talks about money and argues over a few pennies on the street, he will laugh and say, “Is it worth it? For a few pennies, arguing like that!” Understand? He has so much that he can’t believe that people argue over a penny.

It’s the same when an enlightened Saint walks around. He doesn’t talk about God or about Buddha because he doesn’t argue any more. He knows what God is; he is with God, in God and we may say, “He and God are one,” as Jesus said. But then, that person doesn’t go around sticking his nose in the air saying, “I and God are one,” (Laughter) or letting people sense it from him. No, no. That person will be so humble, lovable and just normal.

So in Taoism they say, The ordinary mind is the Tao, the Way or the Buddha. But it doesn’t mean that we can say, “OK, then I am an ordinary person, I have an ordinary mind, so I don’t have to meditate, I don’t need to pray to God to do anything or to get enlightenment, because The ordinary mind is the Tao.” No. The true sense of The ordinary mind is the Tao is when you have gotten the Tao. Then you are really ordinary, meaning very, very sensible, ordinary and normal. But ordinary people are not normal. Why?

It is because our minds are disturbed by all kinds of thinking, all kinds of vexations, which are not “the ordinary mind.” An ordinary mind is that he sleeps when he is tired, he eats when he is hungry. He has no vexation in his mind. He is enlightened without thinking that he is enlightened, he is a Buddha without worrying that he is a Buddha, without being proud of his status. He just eats and sleeps like everyone, but he is a Buddha; he is so ordinary in his heart, so peaceful, so harmonious with all beings, without any hatred, any worry, any anxiety or any vexation. This is the real ordinary mind, a mind of an enlightened person.

Even when they are eating, they can manifest their bodies in all countries in the universe to save all kinds of sentient beings. Even when they are sleeping, their transcendental bodies fly all over the universe, be it in hells or Heavens, rescuing all beings and teaching all kinds of beings. For them, it is very ordinary. That’s why it is called: The ordinary mind is the Tao.

Not that we, the ordinary people, don’t have this Tao; we have it, but we are not still enough to recognize it. Those who are still enough, quiet enough within, will recognize the Tao. They have known it, so they have become enlightened, they have become the Buddha, the Saint, the Christ or the One with God. That is the difference between an ordinary mind and an ordinary being.

But why did Jesus say, No one comes to the Father except through me? Did He still have the ego? No. He only spoke the Truth for the purpose of enlightening others; otherwise He could care less. He could just eat and sleep instead of sacrificing His body and wearying His health to speak to ignorant people. Lord Krishna also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita: When you worship me, you attain true liberation. You have to be devoted to me, worship me, listen to my instructions, obey my commandments, and love me alone, then you get true liberation. It sounds like a big “ego,” but no. It’s like the case of Jesus; the “me” is not the “I” ego but the “real Man” within us what we call in Chinese “Ben Lai Mien Mu” (the real face before yesterday) as talked about in Zen Buddhism. The “me” is the inner Man, the real One who will be awakened at the time of initiation by a competent Master.

Do you remember the story of “The Sleeping Beauty”? When the prince came and gave her a kiss of life, she was awakened. In the old days, people dared not speak about enlightenment and practice openly, so they used parables, stories, to cover up, to talk to other people. But their disciples understood, while ordinary people might not easily understand except after they practiced with these enlightened Masters.

We have many nationalities here in this assembly, so I feel actually honored, proud and happy that God or the Most High, or the Buddha, has granted us this honor to be together at least for a few hours in our very, very busy time. In modern times we could not even find time to sit together with many nationalities, from different countries! I came from Formosa, and it’s the first time to meet you. But I feel I am at home and don’t feel any separation whatsoever. Do you? No? Yes? OK, maybe some of you don’t feel, don’t know what it is. I feel nothing, no separation, as if I have known you for a long, long, long time, and this makes me so joyful that no words can explain it.

Now, we see in the religious Scriptures, including the Christian, the Buddhist, the Hindu, the Sikh or others like the Taoist, they all mention that you have to worship, to believe in a living Master and follow his or her instruction in order to get liberation. They didn’t say so in order that people might come and worship at their feet; they just tell the truth. Actually these Masters did not accept people’s offering or worship, and they only meant it in a true sense that you have to worship the instructions of the Master. Therefore Jesus didn’t say, “You must worship me in person,” but He said, If you love me, keep my commandments. That’s what it means by worshipping “me,” the Master.

Why is it that the true Masters don’t accept people’s offering and worship? Because they are so humble, they know each and every one has a true Master within themselves. So this true Master, or our “real face before yesterday,” or the Kingdom within, or the real Man, has to be awakened. That’s all there is to it. Then you will find your true Master. If you could do it yourself, then find it; it’s good. If you could not, ask someone who has already awakened his or her own inner Self. It’s as simple as that. It’s the meaning of a real Master that can help us to awaken our real Self

Some people have asked me the same question again and again: “If we have the Heaven within, if we have the Buddha Nature within our heart, why can’t we find it alone? Why do we have to go to a Master, anyway?” And I said, “If you can find it alone, then welcome.” It is very tough and difficult. The road to Heaven is like “a razor’s edge” as the Bible says, and it is difficult to walk alone without the help of someone who knows the road, because Narrow is the road that leads to liberation, broad and wide is the road to destruction, and many will walk therein.

Why is it so difficult to walk on the road to liberation? It’s because it is a counter stream. We call it “Ni Liu” in Chinese. People are swimming in pleasures, in sensual enjoyments and in the opposite direction. It’s difficult to swim in the counter current, so we need the help of someone who is a little bit stronger, who knows the road, and who has developed a little bit more power before we do, so that later we will grow strong and we will become the same.

If we want to become a Buddha, we have to follow Buddha’s road, Buddha’s method of enlightening. In the Buddhist Scripture, the Surangama Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha said that we have to practice the method of turning the hearing inward and hearing the inner Nature, the Self Nature. How can we “hear” the inner Nature? The name must have implied some “Sound.” So exactly, we come to that point, we can hear the inner Sound Vibration; however, without the ears.

To open the inner “ear” is the job of someone who knows how to open it. It’s just the same as driving the airplane is the job of a pilot who knows how to drive as he has learned it, is capable, and has obtained the permission to drive. Not only can he himself drive back home, but he can take along so many others with him. The same with the so-called Master or enlightened Saints. They can go home and can take a lot of others who want to follow them.

To go on an airplane we must buy a ticket or have some money; while to follow a Master you don’t need any actual ticket or money but some virtues which are the “money,” the property of Heaven, which you must use as the ticket if you want to go to Heaven. Therefore, an ethical life is emphasized in all kinds of Scriptures by all kinds of past, present, and even it will be so by future Masters. No Master who is worth his salt will teach people to lead a life indulging in sensual pleasures because if you worship the flesh, then you cannot worship the spirit. You cannot worship God and Mammon at the same time, says the Bible.

In the Bible it also says, Forsake the flesh for the spirit. Those who abandon life will find it. This means we must control our lives to a certain extent to measure up to the Buddha’s, or Heaven’s standard. For example, when the Oriental people want to immigrate into America, they must be up to the American standard. Is it not so? Their houses have to be built exactly according to the American standard. They can’t build houses messily like in their countries, and they can’t live the way they did in their countries because the American citizens are different. The American way of life is clean, orderly and tidy. It is like that. Understand? It’s better if you can speak English, and then you must have a Green Card. All these conditions demand some discipline from our part, some self-sacrifice. We must sell our property in our country, we must learn to be disciplined like the American way of life, and we must adjust ourselves to this kind of life.

For instance, in Formosa people drive cars in a flying style and taxis go like this, “Geee!” (Master gestures) on the highway and go out of sight in a minute. Everyone is in a hurry earning money. Here in America the cabs can’t go like that, no? (Someone says: In New York city, yes!) New York? Oh, don’t mention that city. I know; it’s different. I think New York doesn’t belong to America. (Laughter) I think California is typical of the American standard and New York is out of control because it has been mixed up with all kinds of people; too crowded to be easily controlled. Yeah? So we can’t say New York symbolizes America, as it’s an international city and has a taste of its own. I’ve seen that the cars, trains and walls were all written with all kinds of slogans, slangs and everything was a mess.

When I first came to America and landed in New York I was shocked and I thought, “This is America? Oh no, it’s even worse than my country!” But afterward I learned more and then I thought, “No, no. It’s only due to the mixture and density of population that it’s out of control.” Never mind. Let’s not talk about that.

For example, when a New Yorker comes to California, he has to obey California’s rules and can’t just be so messy like that. Isn’t it so? When I came to California I felt so comfortable; everywhere I was surrounded with “Saints” – Santa Clara, San Jose, San Francisco. It truly has a “saintly” atmosphere, and I felt so welcomed, so relaxed. All the cars had no gas, no black smoke behind. I love this and I think it’s so good for my health that has been very fragile since my childhood.

I wonder why I have gone to traffic? Yes, the rules. If you want to become a Buddha or enter the Buddha Land or the Kingdom of Heaven, you must be born again. Except you are born again, you can not enter the Kingdom of God. What does it mean to be “born again”? It means to die daily and be born again, and yet living. Learn to die, so that you may begin to live. How to die? Does anyone know? To kill yourself? To kill the ego? Yes, that’s right; but how? We don’t only kill the ego, but we truly die, we truly die in a physical way. We die for a moment or two, for a few hours, then we go back to work. That’s what is meant by dying.

What happens when we die? We die in this way: we don’t die in an actual sense and we are still connected with our physical body by the so-called “silver cord.” Only when we truly die, then is the silver cord broken and our connection with the physical body is severed, then we are gone for good. But only those who are enlightened, who are saved by enlightening themselves by the God Power within them can go forever. Others, they just go for some time, maybe to Heaven, maybe to hell or to the “animal clothing shop.” Some “shops” are selling animal “clothes” and we can wear it for few decades, and then change into human “clothes.” Understand?

If we stray into those “animal clothing shops,” we will wear “animals clothes” for some time. If we go to Heaven, then we wear “heavenly clothes”; or if we go to hell, then we wear very “hot clothes” with hot fire, “barbecue clothes.” (Laughter) So we can “barbecue” for some time and then go back to human life again. This is what happens to people who are unenlightened. The virtuous ones will go to Heaven, and the so-called unvirtuous will go to hell or to the animal kingdom. This is according to the Buddhist explanation.

We don’t have to believe it, actually, if you don’t want to. We can prove it ourselves by opening our wisdom-eye, which is only one actually and that’s why it’s also called the third eye, or the Buddha eye. Therefore, in the past it was the Hindu custom to make devotion every morning and then put an “eye” on their foreheads to remind themselves, to remember that “eye.” Now we only have the custom, but no essence. Everyone has heard about the third eye, the wisdom-eye, but no one knows where it is. It is here. (Master points to Her forehead) Only few know how to open it.

We can open it. I know how to open it and I can help you open it yourselves. If I can open mine, you can do yours. We don’t have any physical difference except that I am a little bit weak; so my “eye” may be weaker than yours. No, the wisdom-eyes are all the same from the newborn infant to the eighty or ninety-year old man. Once it is opened, it is the same, and when it’s not, it’s also the same. It’s just that you can’t use it now, and that’s all. It is like a magnifying glass – if you don’t pick it up, you cannot see the small world. If you forget where it is, then you are helpless. Even though you have eyes you cannot see.

Our wisdom-eye at the moment is crowded with some obstructions made by our own ignorance and our previous deeds of unvirtuous actions. To clean it we need the hand of someone who knows, we need a great power from God, which we all have within us if would only we open the “tap” and then it would run out. It’s like the water tank full of water but with the tap obstructed. If the plumber comes and clears it, or changes it for a new one, then the tap is in order again and you just have to open it and the water will come rushing out. Water is already there, so the plumber won’t give you water, which is already in the pipe. The tap just needs adjusting and repairing.

So, if you wish, I can repair the tap for you, free of charge and free of any condition except: you should purify yourself and you should lead a virtuous life, keeping a virtuous diet. From today you must vow never to take flesh again, never to take any lives, never to tell a lie, to steal, etc. It’s exactly the same as the Ten Commandments of the Bible, or the five Buddhist lay precepts which say: Don’t kill, don’t tell lies, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, and don’t drink alcohol, gamble or take drugs. Smoking should also be abstained from. We ought to be intoxicated by God Power and not by these cheap substitutes.

Formerly we were allowed to do that or we might do that in ignorance because we are unhappy and we are craving for something, but we don’t know what it is. We feel so empty inside and we are unhappy despite of all the money and civilized comforts. We feel somewhat unsatisfied, so we look for cigarettes, for drugs, for gambling, for sex or whatever in order to satisfy ourselves. We think that will satisfy ourselves, but the more we use them, the more we feel exhausted, empty and meaningless. So no one is truly happy after taking those things. The more you take, the more you crave for, and the more you feel abused in body and mind.

The real “intoxication” will substitute all these and make you satisfied, and you won’t even want to do all these things. So many of my disciples had been smoking and drinking for many years in their lives but they came to get initiation, and nothing more. It just stopped automatically. God knows why, and I know why. Because they are happy within, they enjoy it, they have found “it” – the joy, the true satisfaction that they have always been longing for life after life. When the time came, they must get “it” in order to feel good, to be happy, to be one with God, and then go Home. For other people the time has not come, so they still have to go around in this life doing some of their missions, fulfilling whatever is necessary to be done for their part, for their evolution. And when the time comes, they will also look for an enlightened Master, they will also look for a true path, and they will also go Home, quitting all worldly attachments and desires.

To “die” means true dying; when we meditate we die. We may see Heaven, and this means you die, because only the dead ones can go to Heaven. Understand that? So when we meditate we may go to Heaven or to the Buddha Land to visit for a while. To say “Heaven” is using the word a little bit loosely. “Heaven” actually is lower than the Kingdom of God. People use “Heaven” and “the Kingdom of God” loosely, as one and the same. When Jesus went around the world, people were used to the word “Heaven,” so if you used other words like “Nirvana” as they call it in Buddhism then no one would understand. So to Buddhists I say it is Nirvana, to Christians the Kingdom of God, then people will understand. They both mean the same thing.

When we visit this Heaven, or the most high Kingdom of God, that means we die for awhile, we leave our bodies and go to the blissful spheres. That is what it means by “dying daily.” We can die like that anytime we want and come back to life at will. We can control it. We can even control our heartbeat and our breathing. Everything is done by us. So we can also go to Heaven, or go to the Buddha Land at will if we know how, if we practice every day. It is just as we learn how to drive an airplane, and one day we will drive to America because we have done it, we have practiced it, and we are used to it. OK?

To Disclose One’s Inner Power 

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

June 8, 1989 (Video#81) 
Costa Rica

(Originally in English)

May I ask you to close your eyes for a few moments to remember God’s love and blessing on us. We thank God for everything Hes has bestowed upon us, be it happiness or sorrow. Happiness is to encourage us, sorrow is to clean us. Amen! Thank you.

My dear friends, I feel like I have come home, because of the love you have showered upon me in these days since I arrived in Costa Rica, by so-called strangers on the streets, by children in the schools, by the passengers on the bus and by the clients in the restaurants. I feel I know everyone in Costa Rica because they all know me. I feel that God has loved us so much these days, that Hes has united us in a very invisible and loving way. I’m filled with such a rare sentiment that I am also surprised at myself.

I could let my tears roll down, but I saved it; because if the tears come out, they will lessen the intensity. I like to enjoy it – the blessings that I cannot speak of. I think you also feel the same way. I hope you do. Do you? So I think we are one and the same, at least for this moment.

Now I want to break the sentiment and tell you some nice stories; otherwise I’ll just keep silent and may cry here for two hours. Then after you go home you would wonder, “What kind of Master is that, coming all this way and only crying without saying anything!” Maybe that is the best way, too. But I think I will react in a normal way which is more familiar to our human standard; that is, to speak something in response to the audience’s expectation. I will try my best to explain something that is inexplicable. I will try to tell you something that is not easy to convey in human language, by stories, by examples and through my own inner realization.

Today a very nice journalist came for an interview. He asked questions, but was also trying to clarify something. He said, “Through the ages God has sent many messengers to the Earth to convey Hiers love, message, Truth and commandments to humankind, but not many people understand and follow.” So he was kind of questioning me on how would I do my job. Then I said to him that whether the people listen or not, they are doing some part of God’s will on Earth.

There are some who are not ready to go Home. Their jobs are not yet finished, so they might not listen to me. That doesn’t mean they are bad. It is that they have not finished their work here, so by God’s will they feel attached, loved and bound by entertainment, wealth, pleasures, jobs, duties or affection in this world. Those who have completed their duties on Earth will want to go Home, they will yearn to go Home, they will long to go back to God, to the Kingdom of God, and they will understand and follow my message. These people feel tired of this world. They feel they don’t need to do any more things here, and the only thing they want is to go back to God, to the origin of all things. So I will help these people to realize their goal. This is my sole purpose, my only duty: to bring people back to the Kingdom of God.

Other people have other duties. My only duty is just to bring the ready souls back Home to the Father, from where they have come. So I do not mind if others don’t follow. I will not feel disturbed. I will not feel angry, disturbed, or disillusioned even if people scold, disrespect, or disbelieve my words, because these people have not yet anything to do with me and my mission. It’s just that they don’t understand. In the future, in many lifetimes to come, hundreds or thousands of years later, they will understand.

For example, when Buddha and Jesus were alive, Their messages were not welcomed by everyone, in those periods of time. But look at how many followers They have now, how much reverence and respect has been paid to Them over thousands of years. It’s just like when the children grow up and understand something that they did not understand when they were young.

To go back to God, we say we have already many methods. We love our neighbors, we love our enemies, and we do charity work. We go to church on Sundays, we say our prayers every morning and every night or we meditate. We call the name of Jesus, of the Saints and we count the prayer beads, etc. We fast and we do pilgrimages. So we say, “What is it that Master Ching Hai wants to tell us? We know everything already.” No? Yes? Do you know everything already? Some say yes, some say no. “Yes, we know” and “No, we don’t.”

“Yes,” we know, because we know there is God. There must be a God, or a Great Force, greater than our own mortal understanding could ever imagine. We know there is one. And “Yes,” because we try now and again, sometimes sincerely and sometimes mechanically, to reach that Power, that top Almighty Force. But “No,” we don’t know everything because most of our sincerity is lost in the busy schedule of working and in the vexations of daily pressures.

So, despite our effort, time-consuming prayers, meditations and reciting names and Scriptures, we do not reach God or very, very seldom do we reach God. Sometimes our efforts are gone to waste. Still we sometimes long to see and to know what God really is, what God really looks like, what Hes is like; and we long to know why is that such a “loving God” sends us so many miseries and troubles.

I also have no answer for you. But I have one way to show you how to find Hirm. Then you might grab Hiers beard and ask Hirm yourself. You can ask Hirm why; you can stamp your feet like an angry child with his father and say, “Why? Everyone told me that You are love: God is love, God is merciful and so forth. But why is the Earth so full of miseries?” Would you like to do so? You can ask Hirm directly, because if I use my own interpretation, you may not believe it.

I have asked Hirm and Hes has answered me. Hes told me many secrets. Some of them I can share with you, but for the others I have no words. Because some of them are understandable and can be grasped by our human understanding and can be expressed by our human languages, while the others are impossible. We don’t have human language for such a level of consciousness, for such experiences, for such inner realizations. So the only thing is to invite you to explore them yourselves, because if I keep telling you about this impossible level of consciousness and realization, I would spoil the real and powerful meaning of it.

Now there are many kinds of methods to reach God, which we have heard people say or we have read from books. All of them are useful to some extent. When we use any of these methods, we may reach many different levels of consciousness and we may be near to God in different degrees. So why is it that we say the Quan Yin Method or the Method of contacting God’s Light and God’s Word, the “Word” in the Bible is the Sound, is supposed to be the best Method? Because it frees us immediately from our sufferings, from our mental struggle; it releases us immediately from the pressure of the so-called burden of sins, of the original sins, and lets us feel immediate relief in the presence of God. All because this Method is the most powerful.

(Suddenly a car’s horn starts blowing outside.) It is not God’s calling, it is your car calling. I am talking about the inner Sound of God and here the car is calling outside. Perfect match, no? This is what we call “Yin Yang Ping Herng” in Chinese which means the balance of positivity and negativity.

Why is it that the Quan Yin Method can offer us such a forceful, powerful, immediate and enlightened result? Because it is our own Power, the inborn Nature of God, or what we call the Buddha Nature. We awake the inborn Nature, the inborn Power, our real Power, our Self-Power, not relying on any outside source. This is what the Buddha said. Rely on the Self, and not anyone else. The Self means the Buddha Nature. The great Self is not this mortal self but the real Self. This is what we call in Christian terminology: The Kingdom of God within us, or the essence of God which is inborn within us.

In the Bible it is said that God made human in Hiers own image, and that means we have the essence of God, we are equal to God, in a way of speaking. If we are equal to God or if we are born of Hirm, at least we are the children of God. If we dare not say we are equal to God, then we may say we are the children of God.

Why is God so glorious and so aloof, so loving, so beautiful and so adored by everyone? Why are we groveling in this world with all kinds of unavoidable pains and sorrows? It is because we are too busy outwardly grabbing something, doing something, thinking something, planning something, and we forget to rest, to surrender, and to let the inner essence of

God, the inner real soul, the inner real “we” or “Man,” the real Self, work for us. We forget to let it help us, forget to use our own most powerful Power source, the Force inside that is the Kingdom of God, the essence of God, the image of God or the Buddha Nature, etc., which God has placed within us. Hes did not forget to give us this life-saving Power when Hes made us. It is just that we have forgotten that it exists. We only use the outer shell of the Self and we don’t use the real Self.

It’s just like the case of a car that is not moving and stays on the side of the road. The driver is sleeping or drunk inside. What we have to do is to wake up the driver, give him some waking medicine or some cold water to shake him out of his drowsiness, and then he will drive the car away. But what we actually are doing now is just pushing the car. The driver is sleeping, the car is all closed up, and the engine not started. We push and push and push. Then we lament that the car is so heavy, that it is impossible to handle, that the car is lousy, and that the car maker is also lousy. Then we say we would never buy that kind of car again because we are tired after pushing so much.

If anyone of a normal sense or an adult sees children doing this, of course he would think these children are unwise – not having any logic. He would come and say, “Hey, children! Hey, you! Don’t do that! Stop! Be quiet!" Just wake up the driver and he’ll do everything.

The same happens with the Saints. The Saints or the people who have practiced very diligently and have reached God-realization see things very clearly and in a logical way, and they will help other people know the right way to do things, using the shortest time and the least effort in order to get the highest result. They just help us to wake up the “driver” within us, and then we don’t need to push the “car.” We could even sit in it and enjoy it.

Miseries and troubles in the world arise because we have not wakened up our real Self, even though we work hard, we think a lot, and we use so many ways to do the work in this world with our own limited power, our limited physical strength and our limited intelligence. But even though we have graduated from the best university in the world, we are not completely wise, because wisdom and intelligence are two different things. Intelligence is like intellectual wrestling. We may debate for hours and days on God, but we may not know God. That is intellectual. We know how to speak, we know how to form a sentence in order to debate, but we do not know the essence of what we are really talking about.

Wisdom is that we know. We don’t talk. We don’t even need to talk about it, except when we have the mission to convey some part of it to benefit the human beings at large. But then it is not done through language alone. When we use language, we can only impart about twenty or thirty percent of the Truth that we ourselves have realized within. But we can also use the eyes, we can also use invisible love, and we can also use our healing energies to touch the hearts of the listeners so as to make them feel relaxed and have faith in God again.

We can heal some of their sorrows that are inflicted by the pressures of the world, heal some of their doubts about the existence of God, heal some of the doubts they have about their own Self and about the real Power that exists within their own inner kingdoms. Some of them could even get healed physically just by our look, by our speech and by our loving energy. These are a small part of the benefits that we can get from God-realization, not only for ourselves but for anyone that comes near us.

So then we will not have so much sorrow and we will know every secret of the universe: Why did such and such a thing happen? Why is it that so-and-so is poor, so-and-so is rich, so-and-so is happy, and so-and-so is miserable? Then accordingly we will heal them. We answer them in silence by the inner Force of God, because we and God have become one, just as Jesus said, I and my Father are one. When you are one with God, there is nothing you can’t do, there is nothing you do not understand, and there is nothing you can’t accomplish. You know everything and you are everywhere, but then you don’t know anything and you are not anywhere.

These things are to be understood inwardly and not even to be spoken of. When I speak like that, probably you’ll wonder, “What is it ‘to know and not to know, to be and not to be’?”But Jesus has said the same thing. He said, I work, then He said, No, not I, but God works through me. Saint Paul also said, I live. No, not I, but Christ lives in me. It’s because these people, these Saints, have lost the sense of ego, the sense of the individual “I.” They just became God Hirmself.

When Jesus said, I and my Father are one, it didn’t mean He was very arrogant. When He declared that I am the Son of God, He was not proud. He only stated the Truth. It’s just like when you graduate from the medical college, become a doctor, and you say, “I am a physician.” Yet we are surprised. Now and again these great beings are also surprised by the reactions of their own brothers and sisters in this world. If someone graduates and becomes a physician, and he says so, then no one blames him. Or if a man gets married and says, “Now I am a husband,” no one says anything about that and everyone would come to say, “Congratulations!” No?

But when people like Jesus or Buddha declare that They have become one with God, that They have married themselves to God, that They and God are one, I and my Father are one, people throw stones at them. Aren’t we surprised?

We should know that there are many kinds of studies in this world. Some study medicine, some study engineering, some study law, some study architecture or agriculture, etc., whatever the college offers. After they graduate from college, they become engineers, for example. So they say, “OK. I am an engineer. I can fix such and such a machine, I can make such and such a thing.”

But there are some metaphysical studies which we also ought to know about, such as how to know the invisible power of the Self, of God, and how to travel from one planet to another without using any aircraft. This is also a kind of science, and since the beginning of time there have always been schools to instruct people in this science. But because these are metaphysical things, there is no Ph.D., no doctor degree, and no graduation certificate. Therefore it is hard for us to know who has graduated and who has not.

But we can know it by people’s power of speech, their vibration of love and the forceful energies that they emit from their own personalities. We can also know it by checking their own life styles, by feeling their sincerity, and by praying to God to answer our question, “Is this the real one that is sent by You?” If we are pure in our hearts and sincere enough in our request, God will answer. We will feel certain who is the one, the real messenger from God.

If the people who lived in the era of Jesus and Buddha had taken time and patience to do so, they would not have rejected the Buddha’s or Christ’s mission. But being ignorant and accustomed to a violent and unvirtuous way of life, they did not take the time and patience required to verify the God-realized person.

In our modern times we may even have less time to do so. So the best way is to pray to God, and to ask that person if she or he can give us any proof of God’s existence. If they are the real one, they should be able to give us proof immediately, without making us wait for many years testing our devotion of discipleship. In olden times it was very difficult to get, to locate the Masters, the so-called Masters or the messengers of God, and very difficult to extract something from them. So we’ve often heard the stories of many people who went to a Master or a Saint and served many years before they even disclosed some inner secrets.

But today we have no time for that. We can’t go to the ashrams in the mountains, climbing the hills, crossing the rivers in order to find the Masters and then stay there, get scolded, beaten, and abused for many years in order to get some enlightenment. That’s too expensive! Our children and wives will have no one to look after them.

In olden times if the wives were left by their husbands, they and the children could survive by themselves by working for some rich families, by begging on the streets, by farming or by doing some simple work like handiwork, etc. But in these modern times, if you leave your wife and children behind, I am sure they would die. They have to rent a house. You can’t just live anywhere like before. In olden times, even if you didn’t have a house, you could just build a hut under a tree, in the field or anywhere, and no one would bother you. But today all the land is owned by someone. You can’t just walk around everywhere, go anywhere you like, and lead a primitive life.

Today not everyone can afford to have servants at home. It is difficult to find a job. Now we are very civilized, we have so many things, and we have so many material comforts, but then we have to work hard for them. We have to work harder than in the ancient times in order to obtain these comforts, and the more we are comfortable, the more we have to work. Sometimes because of our position, we couldn’t just have a Nissan (a car make); we must have a Mercedes Benz. (Laughter) We couldn’t just live in a rural area; we have to live in a very posh area. According to our prestige in the society, we must afford these luxuries.

We have prestige, but then we have to pay for the expensive car, maybe on a monthly basis. And the house we rent, in a very expensive area, also costs a lot. Because of these expenses we could never leave our position; we have to cling to that position in order to afford these luxuries. We are afraid to lose our job; we are slaves to our position. Then if we don’t have these luxuries, we could not have the position. So the money we earn is mostly gone, in order to keep the position and pay for the luxuries. So we are double locked.

Because of that, nowadays it is difficult for us to feel free of burdens and pressures. If we would just live in a smaller house, also beautiful looking, and have a cheaper car, maybe we wouldn’t need to work so hard. In ten or twenty years, we could retire and then enjoy some leisure time and hobbies. But because we want to have representations equal to our job and fame, we have to run along with it and work longer years in order to keep up the appearances. We cannot run away from it because we are already in it.

We are just like the one who is on the back of a tiger. We have to keep holding on to its neck and run with it. Sometimes we know it’s terrible and we want to stop, but we can not. That is how our civilization has bound us so tightly with the comforts it offers us.

Now you may think, “We know all of this already. Why does Master Ching Hai have to tell us? She has talked so much about troubles.” I want to offer the solution to this, and therefore I talk about it. Along with this game we must have an exit, meaning a way out. We don’t have to give up our position, we don’t have to give up the luxuries; but we could give up the pressures that get hold of our neck and makes us uneasy and uncomfortable. That is, we find the release in the presence of God.

We are in the presence of God already. It is just that we do not recognize it, so we feel the burden of being separated, of being alone with all the pressures in this world. My intention is that we can get a glimpse or some glimpses of this presence of God, and then we will be sure, ourselves, of Hiers help, love and advice.

Therefore you are offered this method to get in direct contact with God again. Then every day in every minute of your life, you’ll never be out of the presence of God again; and you’ll never forget again the most powerful sustaining Force in the universe, which also sustains every minute of your life after that realization, after that enlightenment, and after the direct contact with God’s Power. Because of this overwhelming love, we will not have any more of the pressures that we presently feel. We still enjoy our position, we still enjoy our luxuries, but without the burden. Then we really know God is truly love.

God truly only gives comfort. If at this moment Hes gives us some sorrow, it is to remind us of the ephemeral nature of this world, and to remind us that we have to get back into the safety of the fortress, of the Kingdom of God. Anytime we forget God again, Hes will remind us. Hes will remind us in a gentle way first, and then if we do not listen to this gentle advice, Hes may push a little harder until Hes pushes very hard.

So if you are now not pushed so hard by God, please don’t wait until Hes pushes so hard. And if Hes has already pushed you so hard, please come back quickly to the Kingdom of God and enjoy all the comforts Hes offers inside. If you already know how to do it, then I congratulate you. If you do not know, then I may offer my help. Everything is free of charge, free of any condition. You don’t need to change your work, your position, your faith, your religion, your wife or your kids. You don’t need to change your hair style to be like me. (Laughter) Your long hair is good. It gives jobs to the beauty salon, otherwise they would always blame me.

Thank you for your loving attention. I have enjoyed every minute of our reunion.

How to Make Peace on Earth

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

November 16, 1989 (Video#104B) 
Argentina

(Originally in English)

I would like to offer some good things to your country, and I would like that my stay will be of benefit to your hearts, your souls and your bodies, at least from human to human. Also that we may understand something about the cultures between the East and the West, which sometimes we have very little chance to do, to understand. Because I will stay here for only four days and if I have not brought some good to your country, I will feel very sad to leave.

Everyone thinks that to propagate peace is the work of the United Nations, or to preach the Kingdom of God is the duty of priests or monks. But it is not so; we all have this duty. If the priests preach about God and we do not listen, then what is the use? If I talk about enlightenment, and you do not come to listen, then to whom shall I talk? So, your presence is very much appreciated. I thank you for giving me a chance to fulfill my duty towards God and towards humankind, because I am also a citizen of this world. We cannot think that one person or a group of persons is responsible for peace or anything in this world, because we are all part of the system.

Yesterday, someone asked me if we were living next to a holocaust, and I answered, “Yes, every minute, every day.” Why? Because we are always in danger, we are always in constant war. If not in an atomic war, then in a hydrogen bomb war; or worse, any other kinds of bombs! If not with these bombs and other weapons, then we are at war with anxiety, with jealousy, with hatred and with ignorance. Anyway our hearts are constantly at war. So, to propagate peace is not only my duty. I am happy that you have come so that we may join together and do something about it.

Everyone’s heart, thinking and actions always affect everyone else. For example, if you go to the office and you see your boss or secretary, and that boss or secretary is very angry, not at you, maybe at someone else, at his wife or her husband at home, and you walk in, how will you feel? Very comfortable? No, not comfortable. Maybe you would like to hide somewhere first.

Sometimes, we go on the street and we meet a friend or an acquaintance, who is smiling, and their heart is happy. We also feel affected by his or her happiness and then we also feel happy. So, from these small examples, we can think a little deeper and know that everyone affects everyone else.

Therefore, my work is your work also. I am concerned about peace in the whole world, so this is also your concern. Therefore, if you have come to support me by your attentiveness, your love and open-mindedness, then you support yourself. Some people do not understand this simple logic. If they see someone doing something good, but that person will be threatening their own personal business or their reputation, then they try to break, try to destroy that person. But this is only an illusion, because a good person, a selfless person, would never affect anyone else’s business or reputation.

For example, when Jesus was preaching the Truth, the high priest at that time was very worried. The kings and the political leaders at the time were very anxious. They worried that Jesus might affect their fame and business, that everyone would follow Jesus and give Him all their money and their properties, that no one would give them anything, that no one would join their churches or organizations, and that no one would give them any donations or listen to them. These were the worries of the priests. The kings and political leaders were worried. They worried that Jesus would become too famous, that people would love Him too much, and that they might select Him to be their king. So they worried! That was the political worry.

But Jesus had never cared for the church nor for the kingdom of this Earth. He said, My Kingdom is in Heaven. Indeed, it is so because for real enlightened Masters or persons, they do not care for anything in this world. They have looked through the illusionary play of material existence. They have been through and through it. They understand everything. They have all Heavens and Earth. They have everything they want. Seek you first the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you. They do not care for material wealth and fame.

People are automatically attracted to these enlightened persons. It is because of their Light, their invisible wisdom, their compassion and boundless love. Love is something we cannot see but we can feel very clearly. Therefore, a man is attracted to a woman by her love, children cling to their parents because of their love. An enlightened person has much greater love than these. Therefore, people are attracted to their love. People feel welcomed, loved, secure and protected by that enlightened person. But the worldly people do not understand this. They look at Jesus or enlightened persons with their mundane, greedy and worldly eyes.

If Jesus was given the whole world to rule, He wouldn’t care a bit. When He was meditating in the desert for forty days, Satan appeared to Him and offered Him the Three Worlds. If someone refuses the kingdom of one nation, he is already very great. If someone refuses the whole world, he is very great indeed!

Now, I will explain to you what the Three Worlds are. The Three Worlds are very well known in Buddhism but in the Bible, it is hardly mentioned. Have you heard of the Third Heaven? In the Bible, someone was brought up to the Third Heaven when the Holy Spirit had lifted him. The Third Heaven is the highest of the Three Worlds. It is the end of the so-called spiritual world. Our world is called the Earth world or material world. Besides our world there are another Three Worlds which are invisible, but visible to the heavenly eye. If we practice some kinds of meditation, sometimes our heavenly eye will be opened and we may be able to see higher invisible worlds. These worlds are sometimes similar to ours.

For example, in the Astral world, which is the nearest to our world, the scenery, the structure of the houses and the wishes of the people there are very much similar to ours. Most people after they die will stay in the Astral world. The Astral world also has Heavens and hells. Heavens are the places for the virtuous people, hells are so-called “hospitals” for the sick. If our bodies have cancer in some places, then the doctor will operate on those places and remove the cancer to make our bodies well. If the whole body is sick due to hatred, greed, lust, etc., then all the cells are sick. Therefore, they have to be put in a so-called hell, and there they use a kind of laser beam to operate on all the cells and remove all these traits. This is why we say that hell burn people with fire. It is actually a kind of treatment to remove all our mental sickness. If we are unloving to ourselves and unloving to other people, that means we are in some kind of mental sickness. If we continue to do so during our life or for many lives, then every cell in our bodies will be afflicted by these unloving actions, thoughts or habits.

Therefore, the Astral so-called doctors have to cure our astral bodies, putting all the cells back in order by using very high-frequency beams of Light, and it is very painful. They keep doing so until we are cleansed of all traits of greed, hatred, lust, etc. This is a kind of treatment actually, but we call that hell because it is very painful and full of suffering. It is just like when we are in a hospital; there is also a lot of suffering due to the treatment given by the doctor.

Now, the Astral world is one of the Three Worlds. Above the Astral world there is another world, which is the so-called Mental world. Above the Mental world, there is another world called the Third Heaven, or the world of Brahma. The higher the world, the more beautiful, the more Light and the more power there is. Therefore, if someone is the king of the Three Worlds, he is so-called on top of the creation. Therefore, to be the king of the Three Worlds is a very great position.

The king of the Three Worlds is what we call the king of Maya. However great his position is, he is a king of illusion, and he has not enough wisdom and love. Everything in this physical world is made and created by this king, therefore it is not perfect. So we see roses with thorns, and people sometimes with ugly-looking faces; sometimes there are human beings who look like beasts or act like animals, with no discrimination and dignity as human beings. This is the result of the Maya king’s work. Anyone who descends to one of the Three Worlds, including ours, has to wear this kind of imperfect apparel, although originally we are perfect. When we are above the Three Worlds, when we are back at our Home, then we are different.

Now, I’ll give you a very clear example. When you go swimming and diving into the sea, you have to wear very big eye-glasses, an oxygen mask, a big oxygen tank and a kind of frogman’s clothing. You look neither like a fish nor like a frog... even not like a human! But these are the things you need when you dive into the world of the sea. If you stay in the sea and wear these kinds of things long enough, you will become used to it and you can never take them off, as you need them in the deep of the sea. Every day if you look in the mirror, you will see yourself like that and you will think you are like that. Once you go back on land, you no longer need these, and you are beautiful again. So, that is the problem with us when we are in this world. We need many instruments.

For example, our mind is also an instrument, but the instrument sometimes becomes an obstacle, it is not natural. Just like when you wear the frogman’s clothes, your feet become so large like this (Master shows everyone) that they are hard to control, and your nose is bundled with the oxygen mask, which is very troublesome. Your movement is not really very natural due to the equipment on your back, on your face, on your hands and on your feet, etc.

Now we are in this world and the brain is a kind of computer which our souls need in order to gather information. But when we use it too long, we are kind of dependent on it; so dependent that sometimes even when the computer goes wrong, we still do not know that we are getting the wrong information. You know computers sometimes go wrong. For example, I heard of a computer which can translate many languages. A German person brought it to China to translate from German into Chinese, and there was one idiom in German which meant golden but was translated to blond. That is how we get stuck in this world, because of wrong information.

Yesterday someone asked me, “If God decides everything, how come there are wars, disasters and miseries?” It is because of the “computers” with the wrong information. It is very simple. Sometimes what I say, you can realize it yourself. For example, sometimes you wanted to do something. Inside, you have an intuition that you should do it this way, and then suddenly you say “No. My mama never did it like this, my teacher would not approve, or my girlfriend, my boyfriend, my whatever....” So, you start to do it the way you learnt from the people in society, and then it went wrong. You knew you should have done it the other way, your original intuitive way, so you tried again, and you succeeded. Is that not so? You know many times that it is so.

That is the difference between wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom is intuitive, that is what we call the original Self and God wisdom. Knowledge is what we have from other people, from books, from tradition, from national customs; it is not necessarily correct. Sometimes it helps but mostly it doesn’t. Therefore, we have many conflicts and incorrect incidents in this world, because most people do not use the direct wisdom; we only use second-hand, third-hand or fourth-hand knowledge.

If we want to use the direct wisdom, then we must be in contact with that original wisdom. In order to do so, we must open some of our inner compartments, we must put some of the apparatus in use. We all know that our brain contains 95% unused capacity. These are places we must open if we want to have peace on Earth, if we want to know how to make peace on Earth. Everyone wants it but does not know how to go about to making it. Instead of using scientific research and inventions to serve humanity, we use it for destruction. A holocaust can happen easily.

At the moment, we are abusing the natural resources. For example, hydrogen is for us to breathe, also to make the universe stable. If we draw hydrogen into a block and make a bomb out of it, which we call a hydrogen bomb, then our air will become thinner, there will be less hydrogen in it, and the whole universe might be disturbed. Just like when we use bricks and visible materials to build houses, the universe has invisible materials to build the universe. If we disturb this structure in any place, then the universe might not be stable. Similarly when we destroy part of this house, or break one wall, the whole house is affected.

Therefore recently we have seen many UFO’s, or space ships. Someone asked me about extra-terrestrials yesterday, “If they exist why didn’t they come before?” They didn’t have to. “Why do they come now?” Because we are too threatening to them and to ourselves. We are too ignorant, too stupid, playing with dangerous things.

You know the UFO’s mostly land in America or in Russia. Why not in other countries? You know!? Is it not clear enough? If, for example, Russia destroys America and America also in turn destroys Russia, we Argentinians would also have problem. Therefore, peace is not a duty of one or two groups, two persons or two nations, but the duty of all people.

Do not think I come to preach Buddhism or want your sympathy or any of your properties. I want nothing. I only want the world to have peace so everyone can have time and a chance to develop their own talent, or their own capabilities. Humans should live together as humans, not as beasts. Up to now, most of the things we do are just similar to what animals do, nothing for humans to be proud of. Animals eat, make children, and love each other. We do the same. If we do not know God or the Buddha Nature within us, we are not much different. Is that not so? Please don’t be angry with me, someone must tell the Truth sometimes. Otherwise, we all sleep, dream our dream, and feel proud of ourselves. Proud of what? What can we be proud of? All these atomic bombs? All these hydrogen bombs? All the poverty in this world? All these miseries? Hatred? Violence? Over-population? Hungry kids? What have we made out of this Heaven?

You were told that this world was Heaven before. What have we done to make it become like this? A handful of people are worrying about this beautiful planet. Other people sleep, eat, make love, and make money. Even when they go to church, I don’t know if they pray. Even if they go to the temples, I don’t know what they pray to the Buddha. Yes, they do pray! They pray for their own welfare, for their own business and for their own sons and daughters. How about the neighbors? Should we pray for them also? Praying is not a very active thing. We should also do something, but it is very difficult for most people to realize it.

Therefore, you see, when someone goes to a lecture like this, a few hundred, a few thousand people come to listen. But, when you go to the football game, theater or to hear pop singers, you see many tens of thousands watching a ball, watching people fighting over a ball. Isn’t that amazing?! It isn’t even the people on the outside who play, it is the people on the inside who play. If all the people would play, then I can say, “OK. They are exercising; it is good. Everyone is excited, because they are competing in a game.” But no, only a group of people are playing and forty thousand or fifty thousand people outside are excited. I am always amazed to watch the illusion games of this world. I cannot understand it either.

But I do understand why we do not have peace. It’s because everyone just does not care. We can watch football, it is no sin. We can go to the theater; it is good sometimes, to pass time, and to make a change in our life. But, we should also remember who we are and where we will go after this life. We must also give time to prepare for this departure. We prepare for everything – for birth, for death, for old age, but we don’t prepare for the next life. And even if we don’t care for the next life, we should care for this life. We should work together to make our world more beautiful, more peaceful.

My purpose is not to preach Buddhism or Christianity. All these things you can read in books, you can inquire from churches, temples or from many other monks or nuns. All of them can tell you what Buddhism is, what Christianity is, etc. I have no intention to preach about these things, but I have the intention to build some peace in this world because we are all brothers and sisters.

Peace can only be obtained through wisdom and enlightenment, not through any illusionary imagination and money wasting talks at any table or in any nation. Everyone thinks if he becomes a politician, a priest or a monk, he can bring some peace to this Earth, or at least to their nation. But without wisdom, what can we do? The more we do, the more we go wrong. Also, if one person has wisdom and most of the people in the country have no wisdom, what shall we do? Only if we can get in contact with the original wisdom can we ever do things in the right way. Otherwise, even if we want peace and sincerely want to build peace in this world, we make war. That is because some people believe in making peace with force “If you don’t listen to me, if you don’t listen to my country, I will force you to listen.” Only when we have God’s wisdom and enlightenment, can we then do things in the correct way. Therefore, we see many kings and queens come and go and the world is still at war. Maybe we have not had enough enlightened kings and queens!

In Au Lac and in China also, we call a good king an enlightened king. This is very clear that even if we want to govern a nation, we should also be enlightened. What is meant by enlightened? It means that our wisdom is opened. We are more intelligent, super intelligent, so we see things differently than we did in the ordinary state. Just like when we were babies or children, even though we could speak, eat, and understand, we were not wise enough to take care of our parents’ business, and not wise enough to take care of the household. Understand?

So, if our brains only use 5%, how can we talk about governing the nation and the world? In China, they say, “First, be enlightened, then you can take care of your household, then you can govern the nation, and then you can bring peace into the world.” “First be enlightened.” Practice, and your virtues and Light will develop. Only then can you take care of your household. Can you imagine? To have a good household, we have to be enlightened? Only when you can take care of your household then you can talk about peace in the world.

Therefore, men like Jesus and Buddha were truly messengers of peace, truly kings of the world. Therefore, in India, they call such a person “the great king,” or “the king of kings.” We must not have any ambition to be “the king of kings”; but we should have ambition to contribute to the peace in this world, to construct a beautiful structure for this world, where our children and grand children will live in prosperity and happiness. So, that is what we call “First be enlightened, then we can take care of the household, then we can govern the nation, and then we can bring peace to the Earth.”

If we only talk about peace and want to bring peace to the Earth, and we ourselves are not peaceful, then it is a joke. If we only build churches and temples, but we do not care for the living temples, then it is a wrong attitude, because in the Bible it says, We are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives here. (Master points to Her heart) God lives here, God lives in you. Make the temple pure. If we begin with ourselves and let peace begin from here, (Master points to Her forehead) and from every person, then we don’t need any church, we don’t even need the Bible or the Buddhist Sutras. We don’t even need any Master, we don’t need any organization or the United Nations.

So, I hope that whatever I do, I would bring some inspiration to you so that you might also be inspired to find peace, to find wisdom and God within yourselves. That is why I am here; not for Buddhism, not for Catholicism. I just want to offer you enlightenment so that you might take care of your household better, so that you might take care of your nation better, and so that we might together bring peace on this Earth. Amen!

One Can Attain Enlightenment Anywhere

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

March 22, 1992 (Video#231) 
Korea

(Originally in English)

To the good and intelligent people of great Korea, I have long admired your country. One of the cars that was recommended to me is the Sien-tai (Hyundai). Correct? It is from Korea? And it is a very good car. (Applause) It is not the car that makes me admire your country. It is the spirit of your people that impresses me and impresses the world.

When I was in America and some other different countries, before I took over this “business,” I have often met many Korean monks and lay people and gone to their temples. And whenever I pass by Korea, I always remember to buy some ginseng and kim chi. Therefore I think I have a lot of affinity with the Korean people even before we have an official meeting like today.

I am very, very honored to have this occasion, this opportunity to address the great people of this country. (Applause) I have felt much affection, good spirit and good will from this place, the moment I stepped down from the airplane in Seoul airport. The overwhelming love of your people makes me feel somehow a little bit shy. But I guess it is because your people have so much love inside, that they have to express it to the world outside.

Since I arrived in this town, numerous people have been coming to welcome me, and to see me in my small room. The warm feeling is still kind of overwhelming in my heart. I wish I could serve your country in whatever way I can. But since I am originally a Buddhist renunciate, I can only serve you in the teaching of the Buddha; especially now that your country is well developed and there is not much need of material support.

Your country has risen up rapidly and the people have risen in consciousness, as well as in a responsible attitude; this creates much respect and admiration from the whole world. And since I have been in close contact with some of your people yesterday and today, I understand why it has happened so.

I understand that God or who you call “Buddha" has blessed your country abundantly. I have seen so many temples, so many monks around the city and in the city. I have seen so many different religious temples in the city and in the capital also. I have seen so many Christian churches also growing together with other religious centers. Then I understand that your country, your people are very highly elevated spiritually.

It is only when people are highly elevated spiritually that their hearts can be so open and their mind so tolerant, so large. This enables us to understand that all good religions, all main basic religions are good and are meant for the well-being of humankind. This is what I call civilization. Civilization is not measured in wealth or in mechanical development only, but it is measured in the way people are developed spiritually.

We have often heard people say that spiritual practice does not go with the worldly achievement. We have often heard that in order to reach Buddhahood or the Kingdom of God, we have to forsake the whole world, be in a secluded place, and just practice alone or with a group of people. There is some truth in that. But it would be better if we develop spiritually and also look after the material world, so that we can live our lives in this world productively, feeling well and comfortable, and at the same time develop our wisdom.

The great people of Korea somehow manage to do both. This is a balance rarely seen in this world. I humbly congratulate you. (Applause) And in this strength, your country will continue to develop spiritually and materially to bring peace, happiness and prosperity to your great nation.

I think we humans have frail bodies, and our minds are also sometimes weak. If we have a very uncomfortable life, lacking in material comfort, then this will affect our health and our mental equilibrium. Then it is difficult for us to concentrate, to be calmed internally. It does not matter whether we are in the Himalayas or in the market, we can not achieve the highest meditational experiences that we wish to obtain. Most of us have family, have national affairs, have international trades and businesses to attend to, so we can not run away into the mountains or hide away in the caves and just take care of our spiritual practice. Therefore it is very practical to take care of our family, our national affairs and to find a way to practice wherever we are.

It is very comfortable to stay in the Himalayas or to stay in some remote, quiet place to enjoy the bliss of the meditational fruit. But it is a greater joy to share this bliss and practice, the fruit of our practice, with the multitude of the people, and practice. It took me a long time to realize this. It was also difficult to forsake Nirvana. It is difficult to realize, after you have attained peace and happiness inside, to remember that in the world there are many people still suffering. It is not very difficult, but it just happens to be not so easy to convince yourself to go out into the world again. Because, when we are in a blissful state of mind, we think differently. We feel differently. We feel everyone is a Buddha. We see the world is in perfect order. It is because of the different state of mind. That is why Lao Tzu in Tao Te Ching said, There is nothing to do under the Heaven.

But in fact, there is something to do, because when we remember our previous ignorance before enlightenment, we were also in a kind of spiritual suffering. Then someone came and asked me to come out and teach them, to help them, and it is difficult to say no. But it is good for someone to come and ask for enlightenment or for help spiritually. Otherwise, I think no Master ever thinks of going out into the world to share the knowledge and the bliss, that person or Master has attained.

As I have stated earlier, it is not the selfishness of the Master. It is just that the realized person thinks differently and feels differently. That is why someone had to force Lao Tzu to write the great book, Tao Te Ching. He was forced to write it. He was forced to reveal along with the book, the invisible written secret, which was revealed only to a few. It is not the book that is important. It is the mystery, the unwritten words that Lao Tzu has revealed to those chosen few, which was important.

Buddha, when He was enlightened, did not want to go out into the world to teach anyone, because He thought He should enjoy Nirvana. In case some of you do not understand “Nirvana,” it is a word in Sanskrit to indicate a very high state of consciousness, a blissful, tranquil, desireless state of mind. But then the God Brahma appeared to Him and appealed to Him to go out to teach the eager people. Probably at that time, He was hiding somewhere and no one was near Him to come to appeal to Him for enlightenment. So the God Brahma had to do it.

Now we would wonder why Brahma had to make this request like this. It was because many people prayed to Brahma for blessings, enlightenment and deliverance. Brahma is the god of the Third Heaven. According to Hinduism, Brahma is the creator of our world, of this universe. There were many gods, but since I did not give them invitations, we will not mention them here. Today, we want to invite the Korean people and not the assembly of so many gods. Anyhow, this is only a joke. The gods will be here anyhow. Each one of you is God and we have three, four thousand Gods here.

So we answered the question why Brahma requested Buddha to spread enlightenment doctrine to the world at that time. It is because Brahma, being one of the gods, not of the highest rank in the hierarchy of the Universal Government, could see and hear the suffering of the world, whereby the Buddha at that time, in His highest realization could not. So someone like Brahma had to remind Him.

We often think that the Buddha, the Almighty God will listen to our prayers. But according to my knowledge, it is not so, because according to the highest Power, the world is already in order, and all the sufferings in the world are lessons for us to go through in order to grow and mature. God, the Almighty God, the highest Buddha, does not worry much. It is some other kind of god or lower Bodhisattva who understands and symphathizes with our suffering.

Just like the highest authority of the educational system gives orders for a team to think up the questions in the examination. He does not worry about whether the students can answer them or not and the sufferings of the students who cannot answer. So some of the teachers have to take care and help the students to overcome all these obstacles.

I think I am getting into trouble now – talking about something so abstract. Are you all right? Can you still follow? (Applause) All right. Then I shall continue.

When Buddha reached the highest realization, He reached back to His original Self again, and this original great Self is always in bliss and eternally peaceful. Therefore, He could not understand much of the suffering of the ignorant people, who have not reached the state of enlightenment like He did.

Brahma was the one who looked after the welfare of this world, seeing who is doing good, who is doing bad, so he knows better. Just like the president or the king of a nation has to rely on his ministers, his subordinates of lower ranks like congressmen, the ministers, etc... to report to him the wishes of his people.

So now, when we the people suffer enough from the cloud, the prison of our ignorance, we will pray to the Almighty or the greatest Buddha to help to deliver us. And then when it is reported to the Almighty, someone will be sent here to lead these people out of their mind of suffering. The Buddha was one of those who was sent down; so was Jesus.

There were many other Saints, who were sent down from time to time to help to enlighten the people of this world. But then the Buddha had forgotten for thirty years, almost thirty years, until He saw with His own eyes the suffering of the people of India at that time.

Therefore we do not know whether we are also Buddha, until we get enlightened, by chance or by the grace of any enlightened Master. Of course, you are invited to know yourself, to know whether you are a Buddha or not a Buddha. Then you will know what the Buddha said is true Everyone is a Buddha. Everyone has the Buddha Nature inside waiting to be discovered.

But of course the ability to discover ourselves varies from one person to another. Therefore the levels of enlightenment are different. But if two persons have the same level of consciousness their experiences are much the same. That is why the way of practice is called the “Tao,” which means the Path, the Road. Since it is a “road,” each one who travels this “road” will see practically the same things. The things which they see, differ only by the length of the road that they have covered. But if two persons have covered the same distance, they should have experienced the same scenery.

If the Tao is different, how come all the Buddhas reached the same Buddhahood and did not reach anything else. If there are many roads, then the experiences of the people must be different from each other. But according to the Buddhist Sutras and other Holy books of different religions, the experiences of different people, who practice the Holy way are the same, or more or less the same.

There are of course, many, many wonderful experiences, when you become realized inside. But I’ll just cite some practical examples. Such as, in all kinds of religions, it mentioned the great Light of God, the great Light of the Buddha or scenes from the Buddha Land. I have studied various Scriptures of different religions, and whatever is mentioned is very similar to other Scriptures. It is difficult to discern this matter before enlightenment, but after enlightenment, or even with a small degree of enlightenment, we will be able to see this very clearly. That is why I have mentioned earlier that the great people of Korea are very elevated, are of a very high level of consciousness.

It is the same with the people of India, because they have understood the basic similarities of many religions. Some people think that the people of India worship many gods. It is not that a multitude of hierarchies of gods exists in India. It is just that they symbolically respect all the leaders, all the Masters of different religions past and present.

In Korea, we have many temples, so many churches and so many other practicing centers. It is much similar in spirit. But I think the Korean people are blessed with the more practical aspect of life. Therefore they understand both, the spirit and they take care of their material comfort. I have stated that it is very rare.

Now let us come back to what I just have said before. We do not have to lose all this attainment in the material world in order to gain enlightenment. We can sit in our house, enjoy all the comforts, fulfill our duties, and become great enlightened Saints at the same time. Provided that, we sincerely want enlightenment in order to understand more about life, death and the universe, about any other matters that we could not understand previously in order to serve the world in a better way, in a wiser way and to be of use to ourselves and the whole universe.

We have to think like the Buddha. We have to live the way of the Buddha. We do not just worship the Buddha. The Buddha said that we are the future Buddhas. He said this two thousand six hundred odd years ago. We are in that future now, so there is no more time to wait. We could become a Buddha now; at least we learn the way of the Buddha or how to become a Buddha.

The way of the Buddha is laid out in all the Scriptures, but how to become a Buddha is not explained. Therefore, we have worshipped the Buddha for many thousands of years but we have not dream of becoming a Buddha. Because how to become a Buddha is not to be done by spoken languages. It is the Power that is inherent inside us, and we have to do it, to discover it ourselves. If you could do it alone, it is fine and good. If we could not reveal our own greatness, then we have to seek someone to show us how to do it.

Similarly, if we could not speak English and we could not learn it ourselves, then we must find a very good English teacher. It is very simple and similar to any kind of science. As I have said the way is the same. There may be many side ways before the highway, but ultimately there is only one way.

The ultimate way to reach the Buddhahood is mentioned in the Surangama Sutra, and in many other Scriptures of the world religions. After practicing the Quan Yin Method you will understand exactly what I said, without anyone having to teach you so. In the Surangama Sutra, it is said that the ultimate way, the last road is the Quan Yin Method. Quan Yin Method is to listen to your own inner Nature.

There is a kind of Energy, a kind of Vibration that can be heard without the ears. These silent Words of God, of Buddha are the source of all wisdom. If whatever I said appeals to you and seems a little wise to you, it is due to the Quan Yin Method that I have practiced, that I have learned directly from the Source of all creation. Of course, these are the things that I can express by words. There are many more things that only I can understand and cannot be explained in human languages. But there are some things that you could know without explanation.

For example, at the time of initiation, at the time that you want to learn the method which is called Quan Yin in Surangama Sutra, you will immediately attain what we call enlightenment and have many kinds, or some kinds, or one kind of experience, which is stated in the above mentioned Scriptures of the world religions. And you will continue to have this enlightenment, you will develop the enlightenment, and the enlightenment will even get greater, because we are in direct contact with our Buddha Nature or the Kingdom of God. My disciples can testify to my words.

You are always welcomed to write and ask any of them. You can write to American disciples. You can write to English disciples. You can write to European disciples. You can write to Chinese disciples, Aulacese disciples, disciples in Philippines, disciples in Singapore, disciples in Thailand. Just pick any name and ask them whether what I have said is true. That is how we know whether the Quan Yin Method is truly in accordance with the great religions of the world. At least I mean the five great religions.

Now religion is not merely recitation of the words of the past Masters, like Buddha, Jesus Christ... but it is the incorporation of their wisdom into our daily lives. It is the sincere upkeep of their precepts, their commandments. And it is the polishing of wisdom daily within a very wise method. If all of this is combined together, we can call it a religion.

A true Buddhist must be able to contact the Buddha inside, knowing what the Buddha is. A true Christian should be able to contact Christ or God, otherwise how do we know if God exists. If Buddha is real, a true Buddhist should be able, at least to have a glimpse of something from the Buddha Land, or some glimpse of the great Light of the Buddha, or be able to hear the Buddha’s teaching directly. This is what Quan Yin Method enables you to do.

The Buddha does not teach with an ordinary English or with an ordinary Korean language. But the Buddha’s teaching is with a quiet voice, in the universal language, which is very much like a beautiful melody. That is why in the Buddhist Scriptures, it is stated that the Buddha speaks only in one kind of language, but all beings are able to understand in their own languages. It is the true Scripture, the true teaching of the Buddha. That is why the more we listen to this inner Sound the wiser we become. The more we see the inner Light of God, of Buddha, the wiser we will be. This is how we become the true followers of Buddha or of Christ.

This is not expressed in the Bible or in the Buddhist Scriptures. It only mentions the Quan Yin Method. It only mentions the experiences of the practitioners of the Quan Yin Method. It does not mention how to practice it. Even if it does mention, but without the Power of a realized Master, it is not real. Because the way of the Buddha cannot be taught by language or by action. It can only be transmitted from inner wisdom to our own wisdom. It is our wisdom that receives the initiation, the awakening, not our brain or our mind. Therefore, there is a necessity of a so-called “initiation," to bring down the Buddha’s Power from Nirvana to awaken our own Buddha’s Power.

When I say Nirvana you should also understand it means the Kingdom of God in Christianity. I am also like the Korean people, I do not discriminate amongst any religion. I think we have the same kind of understanding. That is why I feel so good in Korea, even at the first meeting with the Korean people.

So it is not explained in the Scriptures how to do it, because it has to be transmitted internally. But because there were so many experiences, the results of the practice have been written in the Scriptures. Therefore, if we now have the same kinds of experiences, we know that we are practicing the right method. Actually, the method is not as important as the transmission of the Power of the wisdom. It is just because in our society we have to offer some kind of a concrete project, otherwise people do not accept. Therefore, we have to say I have a method for you. Therefore, you will understand, yes there is something to learn, something to know, something to develop. Otherwise, even if there is such a method, or even if it is written down in black and white, you have no benefit when reading it, because the Master’s power, the transmission lineage is missing.

Therefore, from ancient times you do not find such a method was written down. That is why most people understood the practicing of the Buddhahood to be a kind of mystery, very difficult to understand, very difficult to obtain. Yes, it is, but no, it is not. Yes, if we do not find someone who knows it, but if we find someone who has already known it, it’s very easy. And we can get immediate enlightenment, provided that we are sincere and the Master accepts us.

That is how I learned. So that is how you can learn also. Even though there is nothing material to obtain, but there is something that we will know very well, when we are enlightened.

Are you tired already? (Applause) Should I continue? (Loud applause) Thank you. I appreciate your sincerity. That is what makes Korea become a great country, because of the spirituality that Korean people are after. Even though they are very capable of building a nation.

Now, when we practice this so-called Quan Yin Method, we will understand many things of the universe, many things of this world that we never dream of understanding before. There are things we can express to our neighbors, but there are many things, numerous things, that we can never talk about, because the world of the Buddha is extraordinary and exceptional. There is nothing in this world we can compare it to or make an example of.

Much of our wisdom remains unused. But after we become enlightened and become more and more enlightened, a portion of it will be incorporated into our daily life to make us more loving, more intelligent, more selfless and more able to serve the world. And whatever we do, will be better quality. Of course, we have a long way to go to become a Buddha, but compared to before enlightenment, we have much, much greater intelligence and capability. Therefore enlightenment is not only for monks, not only for the renunciate in the Himalayas or the people in the mountain caves, it is for everyone of this world.

Why do I say much of our wisdom remains unused? It is because some of our knowledge is for preparation for the Buddha Land, and only some of it can be used in this world. The limitations of this world – lack of material, lack of different information – make us unable to use most of the wisdom. For example, when we achieve a little bit higher level of practice, we are able to see the land of the Buddha. That is not the highest level, OK? To be able to see the Buddha Land, to see the Buddha is not the highest level. It is not! It is high but not the highest. Now, I just cited an example, you are able to see inside of the Buddha Land, or the Buddha. I think you can say, it is at the middle level of practice.

When you see the Buddha Land you are in the middle level. We can say approximately like that. There is much more to go, but when we can see the Buddha Land we are already much wiser. We would have learned a great deal during our meditation, during our daily practice, during our sleep.

After the initiation, even when we are asleep, we go to the higher land and learn many things. Otherwise two and half hours of practice every day is not enough. We use any rest period to learn also. Any activities become in-built with Buddha’s wisdom. Then when we see the Buddha Land, we learn many things and we know how to build houses in a different manner. We know how to build many things, for example, UFO’s. We know that houses in the Buddha Land are built in crystals, with diamonds, with gold instead of brick and cement, because we have been there and have seen that. We have seen many other extraordinary machines being built. This is just an example. It is a true example.

And then when you come back to this world, out of your meditation, out of the trip to the Buddha Land, and you, for example, want to construct such a house, such machinery in order to help human beings, you cannot find such beautiful crystals in this world. You cannot find such a wonderful method in this world to build this kind of house, to build this kind of machinery. Therefore, your wisdom, your knowledge remains unused. That is why I said much of our wisdom remains unused in this world, except when all human beings are enlightened.

We hope that day will come, then we will all enjoy Nirvana here. The atmosphere will change and all the disasters will disappear. All the sicknesses and sorrow will be no more. Then there is no need even for UFO. But until that day, we have to practice ourselves, and be satisfied with this world.

After leaving this world a practitioner of the Quan Yin Method will not have to be reborn again in this world, unless that person wants to come back as a Buddha, a Bodhisattva to help the suffering of humankind, because there are many more beautiful, extraordinary, magnificent worlds for the practitioners of the Quan Yin Method to go. He has no need of this suffering world. His wisdom, his vibration, after practicing the Quan Yin Method has risen to the level of sainthood and enables him to be fit to live in the glory of Kingdom of God or Nirvana. Otherwise to the ordinary person, the Light, the glory of Heaven is terrible, is unbearable for them. They will not be able to bear it. This is just like the beggar not used to the palace of the king. He will feel very uncomfortable and humiliated. In which case, even the servant, the lowest kind of servant will look better and more confident than him.

Therefore we have to be prepared for the Buddha Land or for Heaven. We have to change our internal wisdom, we have to change our vibration, the frequency of our internal being. I just wanted to give you an example to understand. Even in this world, we have people with different frequencies.

That is the reason when we see someone we feel very comfortable or when we see someone else we feel very disturbed and we do not understand why. That is the reason why many people like to come to see the monks, to see the religious leaders, to see the yogis, or to see the practitioners of some kind. That is the reason why people loved to see the Buddha or Jesus Christ when They were alive, which caused a lot of envy and jealousy amongst the contemporary so-called practitioners. It is because when people see such persons, their vibration, their holy frequency, their very enlightened, comfortable, healing energy will make people around feel so comfortable, so blissful and so enlightened. Therefore now you remember and understand that the different vibrations, the different frequencies truly do exist.

So after we practice Quan Yin Method for sometime, we will feel, ourselves, the different vibrations between different people, we will be able to sense it, and we will be able to know ourselves. We will be able to know what kind of level we are in. When we reach the level of “non-level,” the “non-discriminating level,” then we can say that is Buddhahood.

Of course, you are all welcome and are invited to join this circle, free of charge, no strings attached, free of any condition. Of course, you ask me where do I get all this money from. You can be sure that it is not forced from you, from your pocket. God gives me all the money I need, and much more than I ever needed so that I can donate to the poor and the needy of this world. God also gives me the spiritual wealth, more than I ever need, so that I can share it with all the people of the world.

The money does not rain from the Heaven. God gives me many talents so I am able to earn money through these. All my disciples also have many talents and together we try to share with the world whatever we have spiritually and materially. Of course, if you would also like to join, it is OK. It is your free will, but we never even hint or mention about it. So they are free to come or to go. Now if you have any questions and issues that are not clear to you, I am honored to answer.

Thank you for your attention.

Leading the World to a New Era 

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

April 10, 1992 (DVD#240) 
Hsihu Center, Formosa

(Originally in English)

The fifteenth is the deadline, anyone after that will be, how to say, exclusively accompanied to the airport. OK! It’s alright to come and see me sometimes, but you have to go home, take care of your work, and take care of our people, make the sacrifice.

Sometimes we go on holiday and we like it. We like to be free from all the obligations, but we have to go home sometimes, right? Even one-month holiday, you know, one month a year is enough, but you make more holiday than one month. You come every time for one week, two weeks, three weeks. It’s not necessary to make an extension for your holiday anymore. We have to go back to our obligations. Our life, our time here is very short. We have to make the best use of it. Don’t ask people to serve us. We have to ask how can we serve people, all the time. And you will never go wrong.

What do we need that people have to serve us? We don’t need anything. We have enough clothes, enough food and that’s all. And the rest of the time, we have to develop ourselves spiritually. And then we have to use our spare time to serve the world, both inside and outside.

Inside we use our wisdom, our good vibrations, our virtues to bless the people and the environment. Outside, we use our time, our physical fitness, our cleverness, our talent to help wherever and whenever we can. If we do this whole-heartedly, we always feel fulfilled, satisfied, and we will never ask for anything and we feel we always have enough. If we keep demanding people to serve us, we will be always in misery, always disappointed, always have trouble. We provide for the people and God will provide for us. That is the way of working in the universe. If everyone works like that, the system of the world will run very smoothly, no one is ever lack of anything. But because we do not work this way, therefore the world is in such a state of wanting.

Sooner and later, we will have to be the “torch-bearers”; I mean in the spiritual field as well as in worldly achievements. We will have to be the forerunners, the leaders of the world; not in political movement, not in revolutionary reaction, but in shining examples of sacrifice, of love. That’s how we rescue the world. That’s how we lead the world into a new age, into a new spirit of serving and loving each other.

Love thy neighbor must not be only an empty sentence, but it should be a very ordinary, day-to-day, basic, ordinary way of life. We have to love the neighbor until we do not know that we have even love. That we do things in love, just like we wash our hands, just like we feed ourselves. It’s very normal, very ordinary that no one even needs to praise us. And if people praise us, we would feel kind of strange. Why? Why should I be praised for washing my own hands or feeding my own mouth?

Yes, that is the true way of loving your neighbor. Until then, we just practice. We are just in apprentices of loving the neighbors; we do not truly have that love, we do not truly understand.

Soon, many of you, most of you, or all of you have to be the leaders of your environment, leading humankind into a new way of thinking, new way of living. We have to show a shinning example of sacrifice and true love. So regardless of all your small obstacles in your meditation practice, or your daily dealing with the world, regardless of your mood, of your frustration, of your personal emotion, anger, fear and sorrow, we have to move on with the greater ideal, with the better, nobler goal. We have to keep this noble goal in mind and forget about the small thorns and the small pebbles and stones along the road. We have to wear big shoes, big boots, and walk on all the thorns. These big boots of protection are our determination to be noble, to serve in face of difficulty and frustration, in face of test, of courage and faith. We must be greater than we imagine we could be. We must be better than what we expect our neighbors to be. We must sacrifice more than we can demand from our neighbors, or our close people or associates. Only in this way we can show others how to be noble, how to sacrifice, how to love.

We have to sacrifice in such a natural way, in such a repeated cycle, until we do it without knowing that we sacrifice, until we sacrifice without thinking that we sacrifice, until the word “sacrifice” doesn’t mean anything to us at all; because we do things in such a natural, automatic way. Only in such a vision of the world can we become one of the leading planets in this universe. Only in such a vision, do we not need to go to Nirvana. We should keep this vision in mind and make our world a paradise. With positive energy and agreement between hundreds or thousand of us, we can make it.

And it’s not that I am talking to you today in a dream or in such a leisurely vision, but we will do it. We will do it as much as our capacity allows, as much as our time on Earth allows. As long as we live, we must dedicate our whole to the goodness, to the progress of humankind, of the whole world, of the whole universe. Our vision must be so large, larger than life, must be so noble that we having nothing else to lose. We fear nothing in such greatness of a vision.

Every obstacle becomes so small, every personal inconvenience becomes so meaningless in such a vision. I do not feel that we are talking like a dream or just making a vision, but I feel that it will come true someday. It might have already begun to take root, but it will have to branch forth into all directions and make new buds, new flowers, new branches. It has to grow larger, greater, faster and envelope the whole world with the spirit of love and service, unconditional service.

What else do we need from this world except a few pairs of clothes and enough food to sustain our physical needs? Why do we need to worry about wealth, property, position, power and recognition in the world? If we know we cannot take more than two or three meals a day, if we know we need only a few pairs of clothes to warm our body, we have no fear if we understand our need is very little. Should we shed this “physical clothing?” It’s alright. It’s alright. We will be given another if we need it. If we don’t need it then it’s fine too. If we don’t come back, it’s fine.

As long as we live in this world, we must make our life meaningful. What else do we live for? We will die sooner or later. And if we look back from the other world, to the past, many decades of our life, and we see nothing meaningful, nothing glorious about our actions, speech and thoughts, then we will feel very burdened. That is how people have to come back to this world again.

There is no one to sit in judgement except our own conscience. That is the only one from whom we could never run away. God might forgive us, the whole world might not know about our actions, but we know. We are the only ones that we could not cheat, we could not tell lies to, and could not run away from. So whatever we do, make sure that it is beneficial to us. When we benefit other people, we benefit ourselves. We see clearly with our eyes what we do and how people benefit from it, how the world progresses through our effort. We know clearly.

Our goal must be noble, must be high, must be mighty. Otherwise, what is the use of living a life, kind of like an animal: feeding ourselves, working, raising children, nothing more. No higher ideal, no lofty motive. Understand? Why should we be just a very lowly, ordinary person when we possess such a mighty power, such a lofty spirit!

We have inherited so many noble doctrines from different Masters, who had graced our planet with their presence, with their wisdom, with their everlasting blessing. Why should we be just an ordinary animated being instead of being a broader, a larger, a greater soul to benefit many other people and benefit our own conscience – when we see, when we feel, when we know what we have done in life. As long as we breathe this air, we have learnt all, everything to benefit others. That is the way to benefit ourselves. That is the way to ennoble our soul and to grow, to become a Buddha. How else do you become a Buddha?

How else can you expect a Buddha to be? A useless one? Even if we become a Buddha, we are so useless, we do nothing good. Then what is the use? What is the use of the Buddha title? We don’t need a Buddha title, but we need to know ourselves with our own conscience, that we are worthy. It doesn’t matter if the whole world calls us a Buddha, but we know ourselves that we are not worthy. If we don’t try our best to help anyone, our conscience knows it. That’s the only way, that’s the only thing that we cannot hide, we cannot run away from.

In order to do great things, we have to perfect the small things. Do not feel that great persons only take care of great things and do not mind about the details. In my own opinion, in my own observation, I know that great people are very, very attentive to minute details. That’s how they became great. I am sorry if anyone else has the different illusion, another illusion, but it is not that way. I have met many so-called great people, truly great people – not those who thirst for name and fame and who snatch power by tricks and by political craftiness. I don’t mean these people, they are not great. They will be great, in hell; but not in truth, not in reality. So, I have met many so-called great people, truly great people, and I have seen how they take care of minute details with great attentiveness, and with such a natural spontaneity that is kind of the second nature. I think that is how they became great. Because they do not neglect anything. They know everything without having to pay much attention. Do you understand what I mean?

Even some ordinary people, when they want so much to pay attention to something, their so-called attention is so minimal, that even when they said they had paid their whole attention, it was not much. Therefore, they neglected every corner, and that is how things are spoiled and not completed.

I have seen many so-called great people. They are truly very humble in their way and they truly take care of things, in such a joyful way – very willingly to do things, to take care of other people, and to take care of the task entrusted to them at hand.

So in the name of enlightenment, we should not broadcast this kind of thinking: “that I’m the great person, I don’t take care of details, I don’t care for petty details.” This is wrong thinking. Very, very wrong. That’s why it is said that the ordinary way is the Way, the great Way, the ordinary mind is the Tao, it’s the Path. If you are not ordinary enough, you cannot take care of details. If you think you are too great for this job or that job, then you are not great, yet. You are too small still, too small to be mentioned.

Therefore, we should not pay too much attention to our mood, to our frustration and to our obstacles when we practice meditation or during our daily life. We have to overcome them or ignore them. Whatever we can take care or we can smooth out, do it immediately. Whatever we cannot, forget them. It doesn’t mean we ignore our faults and our shortcomings. No, we have to know and change them as much as we can. But we have to ignore all the obstacles that get in the way while we are taking care of our business, our meditation, our execution of some work, whether for the Master, whether spiritually or mundane. We just have to do it.

And whenever we do something, great or small, obstacles will arise that we have to expect, but we must have a positive thinking that I will overcome it. Whatever comes in my way, I will break it, I will kick it out of my way, then I will go forward. I might slow down for a few minutes or a few hours because of theses obstacles, but that doesn’t mean I will stop. I will just get rid of these obstacles and I will go forward. We have to be determined this way. Otherwise we will be blocked all the time, here and there, and with every block we stop, and we do not have anymore energy.

Before we have a highway, many people have to clear the road, move the mountains, move the rocks, and pave the way. It took many, many months, many years sometimes, and much, much labor, much sacrifice, patience, endurance and determination. If an engineer who built the road saw a big rock in front of him, which he should cut through in order to make the road, and he said, “Oh no! The rock, the rock should not be there. I am making the road. Why should the rock be there? The lousy rock.” If he sits there or cursing the rock all the time, or he gives up and goes home and sleeps. Is that the proper way? No.

Similarly, when we walk on the path of the great intelligence, of the great wisdom, we will have obstacles that we cannot avoid. And when we do anything to help people, we will have obstacles that cannot be avoided. But we do not feel negative about it or we do not feel over enthusiastic about it. We should be just practical, realistic and take care of whatever problem comes. Do not think in such a romantic way, “Wah! Whatever I do, I will do it smoothly. I won’t have any problems.” Problems we will have, but we cannot let the problems trouble us. That’s all. Do not say we will not have any problems or that we will give up if a problem comes. If we think, “I will not have problems,” then when the problems come, your frustrations will grow three times the original size. And if you don’t expect problems, you might even give up when problems come. So you had better know that problems might arises, but we are determined to break them down and continue on our road.

Should problems not arise, this is good. That doesn’t mean that we think negatively, but we are prepared. Should problems arise, we still continue. In that case, we have fewer obstructions, fewer problems. Understand? And even when a problem comes, the problem become less of a problem because we already expect it and we feel ready to fight for it. Therefore, do not let any obstacles stop you from doing your work, from doing the work for the Master, from doing the work of your ideal, from doing the work of helping people, helping people of the world, helping the refugees, helping our fellow practitioners, helping the world.

We have to overcome all of this. It is very difficult to do anything in this world because we do not have the perfect instrument, like in other worlds. That is why when people come to this world to practice and to help with the development of spirituality, their merits multiply many folds, more than in a better environment. Many souls keep coming back to this world again, in order to gain enough wisdom and to gain enough merits to live in a higher world later.

The more we develop this world, the more Heavens there will be. We create a new Heaven. It is just like when we go to a very deserted land with no water, no trees, and we begin to dig wells and plant trees and vegetable, etc. We make a useless wasteland become a fertile, green, beautiful place. Then we create a new park, new garden, new living quarters, that otherwise has not been there. It did not exist before we came. Understand?

For example, this place also was a wasteland. There was nothing here except grass growing – no electricity, no big trees. Only a few like the three mangos and a few of those trees next to the kitchen. These are just about the only trees that we had – mostly useless tree. When we came, there was no water here. That’s the reason why the place was cheaper than elsewhere in Formosa. No water, big wind, big rain. Everything is in excess and extreme. Then we had to dig for water and made wells. The first attempt failed, the second failed, and on the third, we succeeded.

Similar to everything else, when we start to do something, we might not have success immediately, but we should not give up. If we dug the first well and I said, “OK, no water, we move,” or maybe we have patience up to the second well, and then, still no water, what shall we do? We move. Move where? We can move to other land but it would be more expensive and then it would take a lot of time to locate the land and whether we like it or not. And so and so and so...

When we came here, the chicken farm was there. If I said, “No, a chicken farm. I don’t like chickens,” and then we move again, and keep running around all life long, looking for a location. If there are no chickens, there might be ducks; if no ducks, maybe pigs. Then if there is water, maybe no trees, and when there are trees, maybe no water, and etc. There maybe no end to the problems, so we stuck here. It is OK that we are here. It was introduced to us naturally so we took it, and whatever the condition we try to improve it.

So we put up the walls to stop some of the smells and dust. We planted a lot of trees after we dug the well for the third time. We dug a good well that is used by thousands of people.

You know that? Thousands of people have used it at once, for many days or many weeks, and it is OK. From a no water place we feed thousands of people with food and drink. And from a lousy wasteland, where all kinds of shrubs and thorny bushes grow all over the place, we made it become a living quarters, a living paradise, a small paradise; at least for the initiates. They feel this place is their paradise and I feel the same. If we go outside sometimes and we compare with other places, even parks and more beautiful environments. This is very beautiful place. It was not like this before. But we make it into a beautiful place. That’s how we better the world.

Similarly, we would do it in a greater scale, a larger scale. As we move along spiritually, we move along in helping the world, by beautifying the environment and by helping with the poor and the needy. We have to help the whole world, not only one nation. That is our vision of the future, and we must do it in our capacity.

So all of you have to be ready. Whenever I call, you must come and be prepared spiritually as well as physically. You must endure everything that everyone else cannot endure, do anything that everyone else does not want to do, and work in any field which brings benefit to humankind. You must go through insults and praise alike. Both should feel like feathers, everything like feathers, touching you and falling away – no trace, no mark on the body. That is the way of the great man. That is the way of the great woman. And we must be these great people.

If we want the world to be great, we must be great first. If we want the world’s people to be good, we must be good first. If we expect the world to be a paradise, we must live like paradise people, on Earth.

There is no one else to rely on except yourself. You have to have faith in yourself, have to train yourself, and have to be strict with yourselves. Should anyone else want to join us, then of course we also take the responsibility to train them, to be strict with them, as much as we are strict with ourselves. Otherwise we should not. To be strict with ourselves that is enough; that is already very hard work to do, because it is not easy to be strict with ourselves.

It is OK to relax now and again to give yourselves a break, but we must know where we are going and what we want to achieve. An extraordinary, strong, sufficient, self-reliance character, that is what we want to achieve. And moreover and above all, we have to be spiritually clear and enlightened. That’s how we can help the world, and help ourselves to develop by on sides: spiritually, physically and in all skills. We have to do everything. We can try everything, have confidence, and we can do it.

For example, just yesterday or a few days ago, we started to put the stones on the wall to make it look more graceful. At first, no one believed that anyone can do it, but, I did it. I said, “Yes, I can, I believe I can.” I never learnt it but I can do it.I did it exactly as good, if not better than the professionals. Then when other Aulacese and residents saw me do it, they also did it, and everyone did it. Everyone who joined could do it. They never learnt before, it was just because I gave them the inspiration that they had confidence.

There is nothing we cannot do provided we have the correct tools. Understand? Have faith in yourself. Have self-confidence, respect yourself, and make yourself become one of the noblest, the strongest, the best, the most worthy beings ever to grace this Earth. Otherwise, what else do you want yourself to be? a chicken? a dog? Yeah! Dog is good! Yeah! We say, “Oh! That person is very good. Why does Master scold him?” He is as good as a dog. You understand? Sleeping, eating, never bothering anyone, never rising his voice. But what for, that kind of good? Good like a dog, like a bull or like a chicken, running around making noise, never offending anyone. But what is the good of that person if he cannot do anything else except not to offend anyone? You understand the different degrees of goodness? It is not just telling people that he is a very good, he is a very quiet person, he is very brave, he behaves very well, and things like that. What is the use of that kind of person? You understand? However good he appears to be, what good is he really?

He is the one who can be called good when he serves humankind, when he make other people enlightened, more intelligence, more capable, more self-reliant and more self-respecting. Understand? That is the person I call good. It doesn’t matter which means he uses to enlighten, to lift up this person who comes to him. Understand?

The person who is good is not the person who always looks so sweet and quiet, never rises his voice, never rises his eyebrows, never talks, and never scolds anyone. That is not the true meaning of good character. Do you understand what I mean? Good for nothing. That is, the English words say, “He is good for nothing.” Yes, he is good, you cannot say he is bad or a lousy person, but he is good for nothing. Understand this kind of good for nothing person?

Yes, so do not label yourself as good when you do nothing to benefit others, when you have no intelligence, or you do use not your intelligence to make the world more lively, more beautiful, more loving, more liveable. Do not dare call yourself a good person, if you are good for nothing, like if you are good like a dog. Yeah, always waving the tail and... but the dog is better even, in that case, he makes other people happy. He shows his love, and he is always ready for his owner. Whenever the master calls him, he immediately jumps up, even in his sleep. He is always ready for his master. In that case, the dog is even better than the person who is good for nothing – just idling away his life. Surely that person has to come back again. Since we have been in this world already, we owe much to this world for the food we eat and the clothes we wear.

Now, of course everything comes from God and God is the only person we should be grateful to. Nevertheless, God has used many instruments, and should these instruments become somehow damaged or out of order, we also have the obligation to repair them; if not for ourselves to use, then for the next person who uses them. Because through our use, it doesn’t matter intentionally or unintentionally, these instruments are worn out. Our neighbors, our fellow beings are these instruments. They are worn out spiritually and physically through serving the whole. Whether they served it in the right intention or in the wrong intention, they served. And we are also one of those who receives benefit from these instruments.

So when these instruments go wrong or are in a suffering condition, we have to repair them. That’s the only logical way.

So no need to say everything comes from God. I don’t need to worry about anything, and I have no obligation. We do have. We do have.

So when we help other people, like the poor or the refugees, we actually repay, we actually just do our duty. There’s nothing to talk about or no excuse not to do it.

When the world is in trouble, we can help. That is just like when we repair the useful tools in order to use them again in the future or for the next person to use. So in the name of meditational practice, in the name of wisdom of seeking Buddhahood, please do not mislabel enlightenment for idleness, for laziness, for an excuse to run away from your own lousy character, to cover-up your shortcomings, and to idle away your precious human time.

OK. I hope you have gained some understanding during these few days that you have stayed with me or with the Center. I have tried intentionally or unintentionally to show you by examples more than by talking. I am not a very talkative person ordinarily. So sometimes I tell things in a very short way and if you do not understand, it’s troublesome for me. I have to keep repeating and that’s what I do not like most. I do not pretend to tell you that I like everything. I have dislikes and likes, but I endure both alike.

There’s no such thing as a practitioner who reaches a high level and for him everything is equal. No nonsense like that. How can it be equal? How can it? If everything is equal, then you have no need to even practice. Practice and no practice are the same. Enlightenment and ignorance are the same. Man and woman are the same. Eating vegetables or eating grass are the same. Being a human or a cow are the same. If that is so, then you go out and plow the field. Understand? It’s not true that everything is the same, but we endure everything, we tolerate everything with the same patience. That’s all.

So anyhow, that’s why when I tell you something, try to understand quickly, and don’t force me to repeat, again and again, or to raise my voice. I do not like it. But sometimes, some of you pretend not to hear it in order to have me repeat it again without feeling pity for my health condition. I have to speak a lot to many different people every day, not only to you. You are not the only ones in the universe. Some of you never consider this fact, you just think that I have all the time for you alone, and that you can talk nonsense, you can idle the time away, and waste all my energy. Then you expect me to become a stone Buddha, not to raise my voice even. Understand this illogical stupidity or not? I hope you do. If you do not, I really am very amazed at your stupidity. Oh sorry, at your cleverness.

Anyhow, it’s not a complaint. It is just to state a fact for you so that you can consider it again and think about it for the next time, when you want to talk about nonsense, speak long-winded sentences, or pretend not to understand what I have told you.

Before you help the world, please help me. Help me to take care of my body for you. Help me to do your work fast, to serve people in a short, efficient and less running around manner, not wasting time and energy.

So I am the person on whom you should practice your charity. Yes. Charity begins at home. If you call me your best friend, your Master, then you protect me first, help me first, and do not put a lot of nonsense demands on my small physical frame. This is for all of you and not only for the people here. It is not that you cannot make demands on me when necessary. Just to save nonsense, save the wasting time, save the pretention, and all that garbage, that’s all. Understand? Do things in a short, precise, efficient and necessary manner. Don’t do all nonsense thing. As if trying to pass time. There are many other hobbies to pass time. Do not waste other people’s energy in order to pass your time. If you have nothing else to do, go to meditate, go to sleep. Don’t waste people’s time and energy. That’s also creating karma.

Even though I have not spoken to you personally today, but I have spoken personally to some other people, take turns. You understand? I have some business to do. I have to talk personally with other people, at different times, all the time. I cannot always be around you or talk to each of you individually. Therefore even though this is the first time you saw me talking to you today, I am already exhausted. I cannot tell you how exhausted I am. I can only know how I feel. My voice even now is having difficulty coming out. I am using all my might to talk. I might feel better in a while, but not now. Understand?

I feel a kind of pressure on the chest and the voice comes out in such a very effortful manner. It’s not that I am complaining, I just want to let you know the reality of things. The facts of my life are not the way you imagine. I don’t live in glory. I don’t live in luxury. I live for you, for all the people, for the most needed person, and this costs my energy, time and strength. Since you are not very close to me, you might not be able to realize this. I don’t say this to you so that you pity me or that you take it as a complaint, but so that you will understand when I am not around so much or when I excuse myself for some reasons. Understand?

Right now, I don’t even want to talk. I feel I could not even talk, but you do not feel it. Only me, I feel the pressure. Most of the time, I do not show it.

So, when you yourself have pressure, have problems, please remember I also have my share with you, and do not have such illusions about being a Master just because I always laugh with you and have fun with you whenever I can. So do not have such an illusion about the life of a glorious mastership. It’s not true at all. A Master is truly a slave to every being. That is what a true Master means – nothing else.

OK. I wish you a good night and see you tomorrow. It is because I still have more work to do, not because of my voice. I still have work to do.

Pearls of Wisdom

“Initiation is not really initiation... you just come here and let me help you help yourself. I have not come here to make you disciples... I have come to help you become Masters.”  

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

“Everyone already knows how to meditate, but you meditate on the wrong things. Some people meditate on pretty girls, some on money, some on business. Every time you pay full attention, whole-heartedly, to one thing, that is meditation. I pay attention only to the inner Power, to the Compassion, the Love and Mercy qualities of God.”  

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

“Initiation means the beginning of a new life into a new order. It means that the Master has accepted you to become one of the beings in the circle of Saints. Then you are no longer an ordinary being, you are elevated. In the old times they called it “Baptism” or “Taking Refuge in the Master.”  

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

Initiation: 
The Quan Yin Method

Master Ching Hai initiates sincere people longing to know the Truth, into the Quan Yin Method of meditation. The Chinese characters “Quan Yin” mean contemplation of the Sound Vibration. The Method includes meditation on both the inner Light and the inner Sound. These inner visions have been repeatedly described in the spiritual literature of all the world’s religions since ancient times.

For example, the Christian Bible states, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) This Word is the inner Sound. It has also been called the Logos, Shabd, Tao, Soundstream, Naam, or the Celestial Music. Master Ching Hai says, It vibrates within all life and sustains the whole universe. This inner Melody can heal all wounds, fulfill all desires, and quench all worldly thirst. It is all powerful and all Love. It is because we are made of this Sound, that contact with it brings peace and contentment to our hearts. After listening to this Sound, our whole being changes, our entire outlook on life is greatly altered for the better.

The inner Light, the Light of God, is the same Light referred to in the word “enlightenment.” Its intensity can range from a subtle glow to the brilliance of many millions of suns. It is through the inner Light and Sound that we come to know God.

The initiation into the Quan Yin Method is not an esoteric ritual or a ceremony for entering a new religion. During the initiation, specific instruction in meditation on the inner Light and inner Sound is given, and Master Ching Hai provides the “Spiritual Transmission.” This first taste of Divine Presence is given in silence. Master Ching Hai need not be physically present in order to open this “door” for you. The Transmission is an essential part of the Method. The technique themselves will bring little benefit without the Grace of the Master.

Because you may hear the inner Sound and see the inner Light immediately upon initiation, this event is sometimes referred to as “sudden” or “immediate enlightenment.”

Master Ching Hai accepts people from all backgrounds and religious affiliations for initiation. You do not have to change your present religion or system of beliefs. You will not be asked to join any organization, or participate in any way that does not suit your current life-style.

However, you will be asked to become a vegan. A lifetime commitment to the vegan diet is a necessary prerequisite for receiving initiation.

The initiation is offered free of charge.

Daily practice of the Quan Yin Method of meditation and the keeping of the Five Guidelines are your only requirements after initiation. Keeping the guidelines prevents you from harming either yourself or any other living being. These practices will deepen and strengthen your initial enlightenment experience, and allow you to eventually attain the highest levels of awakening or Godhood for yourself. Without daily practice, you will almost certainly forget your enlightenment and return to a normal level of consciousness.

Master Ching Hai’s goal is to teach us to be self sufficient. Therefore, She teaches a method that can be practiced by everyone, by themselves, without props or paraphernalia of any kind. She is not looking for followers, worshippers, or disciples, or to establishing an organization with a dues paying membership. She will not accept money, prostrations, or gifts from you, so you do not need to offer these to Her.

She will accept your sincerity in daily life and meditational practice to progress yourself towards Sainthood.

The Five Guidelines

1. Refrain from harming any living being*.

2. Refrain from speaking what is not true.

3. Refrain from taking what is not belonging to oneself.

4. Refrain from sexual misconduct.

5. Refrain from using intoxicants**.

* This guideline requires strict adherence to a vegan diet. No meat, dairy, fish, poultry or eggs (fertilized or non-fertilized).

** This includes avoiding all poisons of any kind, such as alcohol, drugs, tobacco, gambling, pornography and excessively violent films or literature or video games.

Pearls of Wisdom

But still, despite all this obstruction and ungratefulness of humankind, we continue to do good. We still continue to improve ourselves to do what is right, because it is right, because it is the challenge of this world that we always keep the way of God, we always keep the commandments of conscience. That’s how we rise above all differences, all the praise and the blame to be a noble being.

(Extracted from A Saintly Mind Expects Nothing in Return. )

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

After you get complete enlightenment, you know everything, even many lifetimes in one flash; because with enlightenment, we cross the border of time and space limitations. When there’s no time involved, then we know many things without having to spend a lot of time. So, sometimes we sit in meditation for many hours, but we feel like it’s only one minute. We know many things that take many centuries to understand. That’s why we must search for this inner wisdom. All the answers lay within.

(Extracted from The Way to Find the Treasure Within. )

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

We are stepping into the Golden Age, so we have to change. We have to leave behind all these old useless conceptions of how a saint should be; or we should leave behind the dark thinking, the negative expectations of the world and ourselves. Do something!

( Extracted from We Are Stepping into the Golden Age. )

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

Publications

To elevate our spirits and provide inspiration for our daily lives, a rich collection of The Supreme Master Ching Hai’s teachings are available in the form of books, DVD & MP4s, MP3, MP4 and CDs.

In addition to the published books and tapes, a diverse array of Master’s teachings can also be accessed quickly and free of charge from the Internet. For example, several web sites feature the most frequently published The Supreme Mater Ching Hai News magazine (see the “Quan Yin Web Sites” section below). Other featured online publications include Master's poetry and inspirational aphorisms, as well as lectures in the form of video and audio files.

Books

Picking up one of Master’s books in the middle of a busy day can be a lifesaver. Her words are a clear reminder of our own true Nature. Whether reading Her spiritually informative lectures in The Key of Immediate Enlightenment series or the deeply compassionate poetry contained in Silent Tears, gems of wisdom are always revealed.

In the list of books that follow, available volume numbers for each language are indicated in parentheses. For more information about obtaining these and other books, please see the “Obtaining Publications” section.

• The Key of Immediate Enlightenment: Aulacese (1-15), Chinese (1-10), English (1-5), French (1-2), Finnish (1), German (1-2), Hungarian (1), Indonesian (1-5), Japanese (1-4), Korean (1-11), Mongolian (1,6), Portuguese (1-2), Polish (1-2), Spanish (1-3), Swedish (1), Thai (1-6) and Tibetan (1).

• The Key of Immediate Enlightenment - Questions and Answers: Aulacese (1-4), Chinese (1-3), Bulgarian, Czech, English (1-2), French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian (1-3), Japanese, Korean (1-4), Portuguese, Polish and Russian (1).

• Special Edition/Seven-Day retreat in 1992: English and Aulacese.

• The Key of Immediate Enlightenment - Special Edition/1993 World Lecture Tour: English(1-6) and Chinese (1-6).

• Letters Between Master and Spiritual Practitioners: English (1), Chinese (1-3), Aulacese (1-2), Spanish (1) 

• My Wondrous Experiences with Master: Aulacese (1-2), Chinese (1-2)

• Master Tells Stories: English, Chinese, Spanish, Aulacese, Korean, Japanese and Thai.

• Coloring Our Lives: Aulacese, Chinese and English.

• God Takes Care of Everything — Ilustrated Tales of Wisdom from The Supreme Master Ching Hai: Aulacese, Chinese, English, French, Japanese and Korean

• The Supreme Master Ching Hai’s Enlightening Humor –Your Halo Is Too Tight! Chinese and English.

• Secrets to Effortless Spiritual Practice: Aulacese, Chinese and English.

• God’s Direct Contact – The Way to Reach Peace: Aulacese, Chinese and English,.

• Of God and Humans – Insights from Bible Stories: Aulacese, Chinese and English .

• The Realization of Health – Returning to the Natural and Righteous Way of Living: Aulacese, Chinese, English.

• I Have Come to Take You Home: Arabic, Aulacese, Bulgarian, Czech, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mongolian, Polish, Spanish, Turkish,  Romanian and Russian.

• Aphorisms 1: Gems of eternal wisdom from Master. Available in English/Chinese, Spanish/Portuguese, French/German and Korean.

• Aphorisms 2: Gems of eternal wisdom from Master. Available in English, Chinese

• The Supreme Kitchen (1) – International Vegan Cuisine: Combined volume of English/Chinese, Aulacese and Japanese.

• The Supreme Kitchen (2) – Home Taste Selections: Combined volume of English/Chinese

• One World... of Peace through Music: Combined volume of English/Aulacese/Chinese.

• A Collection of the Art Creation by The Supreme Master Ching Hai – Painting Series: English and Chinese.

• S.M.Celestial Clothes: Combined volume of English/Chinese.

• The Dogs in My Life: Aulacese, Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Polish and German.

• The Birds in My Life: Aulacese, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Mongolian, Russian, Korean and Indonesian.

• The Noble Wilds: Aulacese, Chinese, English, Mongolian, Korean, French and German.

• Celestial Art: Aulacese, Chinese, English 

• From Crisis to Peace: Available in Aulacese, Chinese, Dutch, English,French , Hungarian, Indonesian, Japaniese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish and Thai.

• Thoughts on Life and Consciousness: A book written by Dr. Janez: Available in Chinese

Poetry Collections

• Silent Tears: A book of poems written by Master. Available in German/French, English/Chinese, and Aulacese, Chinese, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Filipino.

• Wu Tzu Poems: A book of poems written by Master. Available in Aulacese, Chinese, English

• The Dream of a Butterfly: A book of poems written by Master. Available in Aulacese, Chinese and English.

• Traces of Previous Lives: A book of poems written by Master. Available in Aulacese, Chinese and English.

• The Old Time: A book of poems written by Master. Available in Aulacese, Chinese and English.

• Pebbles and Gold: A book of poems written by Master. Available in Aulacese, Chinese and English.

• The Lost Memories: A book of poems written by Master. Available in Aulacese, Chinese and English.

• The Love of Centuries. A book of poems written by Master. Available in Aulacese, Chinese, English, French, German, Mongolian, Korean and Spanish.

• The Real Love: Available in English, Chinese

• Loving The Silent Tears (The Musical):MP3 & DVD & MP4

• Beyond the Realm of Time (song performance in Aulacese): DVD

• A Touch of Fragrance (song performance in Aulacese by celebrated singers): DVD

• That and This Day (poetry recital in Aulacese): DVD

• Dream in the Night (song performance in Aulacese): MP3 & DVD & MP4 

• T-L-C, Please (song performance in Aulacese): (MP3) English, Aulacese, Chinese

• The Song of Love: (DVD ) Aulacese and English

• Good Night Baby: (DVD) in English

• The Jeweled Verses (poems by distinguished Aulacese poets, recital in Aulacese): MP3s 1, 2 & DVD 1, 2

• The Golden Lotus (poetry recital in Aulacese): MP3 & DVD & MP4

• An Ancient Love (poetry recital in Aulacese): MP3 & DVD

• Traces of Previous Lives (poetry recital in Aulacese): MP3s 1, 2 & 3, DVD & MP4s 1, 2 (with 17 choices of subtitles)

• A Path to Love Legends: MP3s 1, 2 & 3, (poems by distinguished Aulacese poets, recital in Aulacese)

* The poems from “A Path to Love Legends”, “An Ancient Love”, “Beyond the Realm of Time”, “Dream in the Night”, “Please Keep Forever” , “That and This Day”, “Traces of Previous Lives”, “The Jeweled Verses”, “The Golden Lotus” , and “T-L-C, Please”, were recited or set to music and sung by the Poet Herself.

MP3s, MP4s, CDs and DVDs & MP4s of The Supreme Master Ching Hai’s lectures, music and concerts are available in Arabic, Armenian, Aulacese, Bulgarian, Cambodian, Cantonese, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Sinhalese, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and Zulu. Catalogs will be sent upon request. All direct inquiries are welcome.

The Key of immediate enlightenment
– Free Sample Booklet

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment Sample Booklet presents an introduction to the teachings of Supreme Master Ching Hai. The availability of the Booklet in electronic form allows readers around the world to download it completely free of charge, or read it online wherever the Internet is accessible. From Afrikaans to Zulu, from Bengali to Urdu, in Macedonian, Malay and many others, this gem has been translated into over 80 languages.

In the Booklet, Supreme Master Ching Hai emphasizes the importance of meditation in daily life. The text also includes Her discourses on the higher spiritual dimensions and the benefits of the vegan diet, as well as information on initiation into the Quan Yin Method of meditation, the ultimate and highest path. Supreme Master Ching Hai’s uplifting insights in The Key of Immediate Enlightenment offer a bright ray of hope to those in quest of the Truth.

As Supreme Master Ching Hai states, “By attaining inner peace we will attain everything else. All the satisfaction, all the fulfillment of worldly and Heavenly desires comes from the Kingdom of God, the inner realization of our eternal harmony, our eternal wisdom and our almighty power. If we do not get these we never find satisfaction no matter how much money or power, or how high a position we have.” For direct access to the Sample Booklet, please visit:
sb.godsdirectcontact.net

This website offers versions of Master’s Sample Booklet in many languages. Join us in bringing the best gift to the world through sharing God’s message and elevating human consciousness. If you find that your native or first language is not on our list and you would like to translate the Booklet into a language of your choice, please contact us at: divine@Godsdirectcontact.org

Free Sample Booklet Download:

http://sb.godsdirectcontact.net (Formosa) (U.S.A.)

Obtaining Publications

All publications are offered at near-cost prices. If you want to purchase or order a publication, please check first with your local Center or contact person for availability. To obtain a listing of available publications, you can check with your local Center, or visit the following web site:

http://smchbooks.com/

http://edenrules.com

http://www.theCelestialShop.com

In addition, many of the online News magazine issues provide listings of recently released books and tapes. The exhibit area at retreats is also an excellent place to get a firsthand view of Master’s books, tapes, pictures, paintings and jewelry. If necessary, you may order directly from the headquarters in Formosa, address: P.O.Box 9, Hsihu, Miaoli, Formosa, ROC (36899 ). A detailed catalog is also available upon request.

Quan Yin WWW Sites

God’s direct contact—The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association’s global Internet:

http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/links/www.htm

Access a directory of Quan Yin web sites worldwide, available to browse in many languages, as well as 24-hour access to the TV program, A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. You can download or subscribe to The Supreme Master Ching Hai News, available in eBook or printable format. Multilingual editions of The Key of Immediate Enlightenment sample booklet are also available.

How To Contact Us

The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association 

P.O. Box 9, Hsihu, Miaoli, Formosa, ROC(36899) 

P.O.Box 730247, San Jose, CA 95173-0247, U.S.A.

Supreme Master Television 

http://www.suprememastertv.com/

Book Department

Email: divine@Godsdirectcontact.org

(You are welcome to join us in translating Master’s books into others languages.) 

The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association Publishing Co., Ltd. 

Email:smchbooks@Godsdirectcontact.org 

Tel:(886)2-23759688/ Fax:2-23757689 

http://www.smchbooks.com

News Group 

Email:lovenews@Godsdirectcontact.org

Spiritual Information Desk 

Email:lovewish@Godsdirectcontact.org

S.M. Celestial Co., Ltd. 

Email: smcj@mail.smcj.com 

Tel:(886)3-4601391/Fax:3-4602857 

http://smcelestial.com//

Online Shop 

Celestial :http://thecelestialshop.com 

Eden Rules: http://edenrules.com/

Loving Hut International Company, Ltd. 

Tel: (886) 3-4683345/Fax: 3-4685415 

Email: info@lovinghut.com 

http://www.lovinghut.com/tw/

Loving Food for a healthy Vegan Lifestyle

http://www.lovingfood.com.tw

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment  –  Book 3

Author:  
The Supreme Master Ching Hai

Transcribers:  
Formosa Lecture Transcribing Team 

Editors:  
Worldwide Book Group

Design and Layout:  
Book Department

Published by:  
The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association Publishing Co., Ltd. 
International Association Publishing Co., Ltd. Rm. 16, 8F,;No. 72, Set.1, Zhongxiao W. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei(100), Formosa, R.O.C.
Tel: 886-2-23759688
Fax: 886-2-23757689

Email:
smchbooks@Godsdirectcontact.org

Website: 
http://www.smchbooks.com

The Supreme Master Ching Hai ©1992~2010

First Edition: June 1992 
Second edition: March 1993 
Third edition: August 1994 
Fourth Edition: September 2010

Printed in Formosa, R.O.C.

ISBN: 978-986-6895-44-9

All Rights Reserved.

Document Outline

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment 3

Contents

Walk the Way of Love

01. Moving Toward God-Realization

02. What Causes War?

03. The Perfect Example of a Great Saint

04. The Inner Sound Creates Boundless Love

05. The Importance of Finding an Enlightened Master

06. The Rescuer Exists Life after Life

07. To Love God Is to Keep Hiers Commandments

08. The One Who Realize God and the Messiah of God

09. (a) Jesus Was One of the Saviors

   (b) Neither Man Nor Woman Exists Inside

10. Prepare Now for the End of Our Journey

11. To Disclose One’s Inner Power

12. How to Make Peace on Earth

13. One Can Attain Enlightenment Anywhere

14. Leading the World to a New Era

Initiation: The Quan Yin Method

Publications

How to Contact Us

Copyrights