The Key of Immediate Enlightenment
Questions & Answers 1

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

Contents

Walk the Way of Love
 Footsteps of a Living Enlightened Master
Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture
 1. at Holiday Inn, San Francisco, CA, USA on May 24, 1989
 2. at Holiday Inn, San Francisco, CA, USA on May 25, 1989
 3. at Evergreen Community Center, San Jose, CA, USA on May 27, 1989
 4. at Evergreen Community Center, San Jose, CA, USA on May 28, 1989
 5. at the Association of Architect, San José, Costa Rica. on June 8, 1989
 6. at the Association of Architect, San José, Costa Rica. on June 9, 1989
 7. at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil. on June 15, 1989
 8. at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil. on June 16, 1989
 9. at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil. on June 17, 1989
 10. at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil. on June 18, 1989
 11. at the Chinese Town Hall, Penang, Malaysia. on October 1, 1989
 12. at the Chinese Town Hall, Penang, Malaysia. on October 2, 1989
Initiation: The Quan Yin Method
Introduction to Our Publications
How to Contact Us

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 brings spiritual elevation and luck to the land and its inhabitants.

Aphorisms

“I do not belong to Buddhism or Catholicism. I belong to the Truth and I share 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. 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.”

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at Holiday Inn, San Francisco, CA, USA on May 24, 1989

Q.1 There are so many who claim to be Masters. How can we know which are the true Masters, so that we will not be led astray?

M. This is a very sincere question, very sincere and very straightforward. I might tell you it is very easy. First, a real Master will not accept any contributions for her own, his own use. He or she lives from his own hands. That is the first qualification. Because God only gives, and doesn't take. Have you ever seen God come down and take any offering from you? So... no. If the one who proclaims to have God's Power within, if he represents God or he works for God, he must have this God attribute. He must not take any offering for her or his own private use.

And then the second attribute is that he or she must give you some proof of enlightenment. For example, if she or he says... anyhow he or she, I don't know what it is. On the inside there is no she and no he. That master, if she or he proclaims that she has the Light. Then she must also give you the Light, give you the proof that you can see the Light, and that you can see, hear the “Word” of God, the “Word” in the Bible. If they can give you, whoever can give you the proof of these two, the Light and the Word of God, the Vibration of God, that is someone you can believe. Otherwise how do you know he or she has anything?

If someone says to you, “I am a millionaire. I have a lot of money.” And then you want to see a little bit of his money, and he says, “Ah, you must believe me. It's enough.” It is not enough. At least he should show you a credit card or a check. If he is generous enough, he will give you some, and then that can be of real use to you. Otherwise, he could talk for a hundred years that he has money, and what is the use for you? No use. If you are thirsty, and you are hungry, and he gives you no financial help, then that is a no-use millionaire or useless millionaire. Whether he is a millionaire or not, we would care not.

These are the two conditions of knowing a real Master. First, he won't accept any offering for private use; second, he has to give you some proof of the inner enlightenment, he has to give you the Light. “Guru” means Light giver, darkness remover. When you see darkness every day and he gives you the Light, then that is a Guru. And then the Sound must also be heard, because, In the beginning was the “Word” and the “Word” was God. If you don't hear the Sound, then you have not completely contacted yet with God. The Light is only one attribute of God, not perfect. You have to also hear the Sound.

Now you may ask me, “Why is it? Why can we not see only the Light, and have to hear the Sound? Why do we have to use the hearing method?” I may tell you. Our physical eyes can only see one dimension. I mean in the front. If you want to see here, you have to move to the left; if you want to see the right, you have to move to the right; and if you want to see behind, you have to turn completely. Our inner eye is similar. Even though your inner eye is opened, it has the same effect as the outer eyes; meaning that you can only see the front, or whatever direction you are looking at. (Except when one is in the much higher dimension where we don’t “see” with the “eye.”)

The ears are not the same. Our physical ears have a multi-dimensional purpose. You can hear from above, you can hear from beneath, you can hear from right, from left, from behind, from front. Our inner ears are also the same; you can hear from all directions. Then we become all-knowing. If we only see and don’t hear, then we are deaf. Then one of our organs is not in order, is not in use. We are not perfect beings.

The hearing organ, being inner or outer, is the perfect one, more perfect than the eyes. For this reason, we have to practice the hearing method. Outside we use the physical eyes to look, we use the physical ears to listen. Inside we also have to use heavenly eyes to look and heavenly ears to listen, because the sounds come from all directions. We have to use the hearing organ, whether inner or outer, in order to become a perfect being. If our ears are not in order, we are not a perfect human being. Therefore, our inner ears also have to be in perfect order, to be a perfect heavenly being. At the moment, we have our inner ears, but they are not yet opened. At the initiation, I will help you to open them and then you’ll hear the different celestial Vibration of different dimensions.

By coming in contact with these Vibrations, or the so-called “Word” in the Bible, we become all-knowing, we become all-power, all-blessing, all-virtuous, all-satisfied, all-happiness and all-bliss bestowing to the people in our environment, and even to our surroundings. Our surroundings will be blessed with our presence. Everywhere we go, those beings, or those places will become sacred. They will become blessed, will become more happy, more lifted up in human consciousness, whether they know it or not. But most of the time they would not know about it. They just feel that there is a change in their consciousness by being in contact with us, but they do not realize what it is, and they do not know why. And that is how we distribute our God’s blessing to the world. If we come in contact with this God Power and we can distribute it, then that is our contribution to this world. It is the best, the highest contribution; more than physical help, more than financial help. This is the God blessing, the wisdom, and there are some other things.

To know a Master takes time. First of all, there are the two primary conditions that make you know a Master, but then you still have to go higher in consciousness yourself in order to realize how great a Master is. But the safeguard is that he will not abuse your financial or physical contributions, and you are safe. “At least that person doesn’t want anything from me. So I can safely learn with him, or with her, and I will see whether he is good or not. If he isn’t good, I can always leave and I lose nothing.”

That is just for your safe side. I mean, you don’t lose anything whatsoever. No conditions are imposed upon you, therefore at least you are safe. Whether that master is good or not, we’ll discuss later. At least he will not abuse your innocence and doesn’t want any contribution on your part, and that is a sign of a real Master. At least you are safe. That’s it.

And then there is the power of the Master, and at the time of initiation, you might know a portion of it. And then as the days go by, and you practice, you clean yourself, and you will understand more, your wisdom opens, and you will realize how great a Master is. To know a Master, it’s not a one day thing, but you may know a little bit of it by the proof she or he gives you at transmission time or initiation time. But at least she won’t want anything from you. That’s a safe sign. To know something else. It takes a little bit of time, but you may know it. Some people know their Master very quickly because every day they get blessings, every day their lives change, every day they get bliss and power, every day they know. But some people may take a little bit longer. That’s all. But more or less, at the time of transmission.

Q.2 Master Ching Hai, what are Your thoughts on the animal rights movement that is now beginning in this country? Do You agree with their methods?

M. I completely agree. We are vegan supporters and I do not agree with violence on animals’ innocent lives. Of course I completely support this.

Q.3 What is the right way to study Buddhist studies? And where to study?

M. The right way to study Buddhism is to go within yourself and see where the Buddha is; not in the doctrines but in you, because the Buddha said, Buddha is within you. He didn’t say the Buddha is in a doctrine or in any church or in any temple. We forgot this. After He died we built many temples, made His images, and bowed there to the wooden statues, and then we asked Him for this and that and other things. The wooden statue cannot give us anything, and so we become frustrated, and we think that the Buddha does not have any power. It is that we are looking in a wrong direction. To study Buddhism, go inside! And the go-inside method, I have! I can tell you how to find the Buddha (God).

Q.4 How can we always be happy and immortal?

M. Yes, there is a way. There is a way to everything that we want. We must know where to find it. If you want to live forever and be happy, I will offer you that method. It’s very easy. You should devote a little bit of time every day to acquire it, and in a very short time you will know, in a very short time. For some people it’s just a few days, and for some people on the first day. They know that they are immortal. But for this I cannot use language to explain it to you. You must experience it yourself, and then you alone will know. And afterwards someone will ask you, “What is it like?”, and then you’ll become dumb, just like me! (Master and everyone laugh) We cannot say much, we only know, realize, and experience it ourselves.

Q.5 What is the initiation and what are some of the requirements?

M. Initiation is the moment of connection with God within you. Afterward, you are always connected and see God every day. The requirements are a complete vegan diet and virtuous living and two and half hours meditation every day. You may ask for the details outside. Outside we have written some kind of requirements. Actually, I myself require nothing from you; it is that you yourself have to require of yourself some discipline. For example, if you live on an animal diet, that is detrimental to your spiritual life. And now when I tell you the secret is to cut it off, it’s for your own good. For myself, I require nothing from you. There is no need to change your husband or wife, no need to change your job, no need to change any social contacts or any religion. If you are Christian, be so; if you are Jewish, believe that; if you are in any religion, any sect, you are free to stay there. I just tell you how to acquire your own highest potential Power inside. And that is what you, or what any religion would name the highest. The Buddhists name this as the highest, the Christians name this as the highest; and I want you to find that Power. That’s all.

But you must be pure in speech, body and mind. For example, in our minds we must not think of any violence; we must think of love, forgiveness, tolerance, forbearance. In speech we must speak of wisdom, of soothing comfort to our associates. In body we should live a pure life, more or less a chaste life. A chaste life doesn’t mean you don’t have a husband or wife, but that you have only one husband or one wife, and you don’t divorce. Whatever husband or wife you have, you continue to have, and you put up with that. (Master and everyone laugh) That is the chaste life. After that, to be a chaste person you must give up all kinds of liquor, I mean things that make people confused in mind, and make the body weak. Things that make mental disease like drugs, alcohol or gambling, these kinds of things. That is a chaste life or pure life.

So your body, speech and mind you should adjust according to God’s virtue, what Hes means, because you want to become God, you want to become I and my Father are one. Now you may wonder if God gambled or God drank any liquor or God had any, so many terrible adulteries or all kinds of lower desires, If we want to become one with God, of course we have to lift our own body, speech and mind to match Hiers. So, this is the condition. You should be vegan, that’s all; and be chaste in speech, body and mind, be loving and not violent. That’s all.

For example, before you loved to beat people, and now if you want to practice this method, then please don’t beat any more. That’s all. And before, if you loved to eat animal meat, then now, out of compassion and love for living life, you should just abstain from it. Just to show that you are higher, one step higher, in God consciousness, and that you have more compassion, you practice love and mercy. That is the condition. Very easy. We can do that. We can.

Q.6 Does our past karma affect the present life? How can we believe it? What is the proof? Thank You.

M. It is not easy to prove this, but I can try. We do not need to talk about a past life which is unreachable for our mortal understanding. We will talk about the present. It’s easier to understand. For example, if every day you drink alcohol, if in the morning you drink alcohol, then in the afternoon what do you feel? Lovely, no? Fantastic? Or you feel drunken, and terrible, with a headache, and lousy and sluggish? You feel terrible, right? That is the effect of it, what we call, “the past karma affecting the present.” If you did not drink alcohol so much in the morning, then at noon you don’t feel so terrible, or in the afternoon you don’t feel so terrible. You will feel clear-headed and very happy, and very normal. That is the karmic effect, we call “the past affects the present.” It’s very easy.

These things are easy to understand because they are in the same time, and in the present time. But if something happened so long ago, in the centuries of times, then of course we do not understand. Every time we’re born again we change into new clothes, and this body is the new clothes, and we’ve forgotten the last time we wore what kind of clothes.

The fact that we forget the past is also a blessing for us, because what is the use to us if we remember that last life we were a tiger, or we were a wolf, or we were a kind of very terrible president or very terrible king? This will make a very, very heavy pressure on us. We cannot even deal with our daily pressures, how much more so if we have to deal with past karmic burdens, mental burdens.

So it is a blessing that we don’t remember our last life. This is especially designed by God, by the lord of karma, that we do not remember, so that we may live a bearable life. But actually, when we practice some kind of meditation, even just ordinary meditation, not to mention our method, some people would see their own past lives. There are some kinds of spheres which record every minute detail of our past existences, and when we reach that so-called library we can see everyone’s life like an open book, including our own. So actually, when we practice our method we can also reach there. If it’s useful for you, the Master will let you see; if it isn’t, and too much for your own enduring power, then the Master will cover it and won’t let you see.

So the secret of life is nothing secret. It is a matter of reaching the right library and then seeing what is in store before and after. So you can prove it for yourself even. You can prove it for yourself, no one can prove it for you. For example, if you ask me how I can prove your karma, now I would tell you, for example only, don’t believe it, I would say, “Oh, before you were a tiger.” And now you would ask me for proof. It is very difficult for me, because you are here and I am there. I see things differently from your seeing things. The one who is on the fifth floor sees more parts of the city than the one who is on the second floor, and the one who is on the second floor will not believe what the third floor is telling him because he himself doesn’t see it. So proof or no proof, leave it till later. You should concern yourself more with your present life. For example, our past life we cannot change, it’s gone, it’s already happened. So all we can change, all we can worry about, is this present life and the future. No? And now we can change the future, and that is a good thing. The future and the present are so important to us, not the past. The past, we cannot do anything about. And we couldn’t do much even with the present, but we could minimize it, could smooth it, by our own God Power within us. Every day we take it out and use it.

For example, you have a treasure and inheritance from your parents, a million dollars treasure laid and hidden somewhere, and you don't know where it is; and every day you go and work very hard and earn a little money. But the fact that you know you have a treasure somewhere doesn't help you, does it? But, if you know where it is, then you will take it out and use it every day. And now, if you owe someone a hundred thousand dollars, you cannot change that, because you've already borrowed from him and you cannot change this. But you can take your money and give it to him. You can make your life more comfortable. Pay him some money and you can avoid the lawsuit, and avoid people coming to drag you out to scold you and beat you because of owing money. That's how you can change your present life.

Our present lives are fixed from our past so-called karma: As you sow, so shall you reap. Therefore, our happiness or sorrow are fixed because of our own past actions, just like when we owe someone money we cannot change that because we've already spent it. So now we have to bear it, or if we have the money, we give it to him, and then we're free. In the same way, our present life may be miserable or unhappy because of our past lives or the past years wrong actions. But now, if we practice, we can take the inner blessing power to use, and then we can minimize this misery and that's how we can help and change the present. And of course, in the future there will not happen anything unfavorable to us, because we have so much merit in store to alter our future.

It is the same as when we have discovered our treasure, then we can give some money to our debtor. Is that not so? And then we even have a lot to use in the future. In the future we can avoid borrowing money, we can avoid being poor. Is that not so? Same thing, same thing! We cannot change the past, we have to smooth the present and change the future. And that is the purpose of practicing the immediate enlightenment method - the Quan Yin Method of meditation. Quan means contemplate. Yin means inner Vibration, inner Sound. So says Quan Yin. This is a Chinese word for contemplating the inner Music.

Q.7 I am a Roman Catholic. I have accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. I have begun chanting in a Buddhist practice. Is one in conflict with the other? Is the chant in conflict with the Father's name JAHWEH?

M. I understand. No, you have not, you have not done a bad thing. God will forgive your earnestness for enlightenment. It is because you want to look for God that you go from door to door. It isn't that you want to do bad things. I don't believe in any so jealous God. If Hes is so jealous, I will put Hirm down the drain. (Laughter) But anyhow, anyhow, the practice is of the Jih Lien sect. It is a lotus sect. Jih Lien is a Chinese word for a lotus sect, so you are practicing the Lotus Sutra method, and they are repeating the name of the Lotus Sutra. But from what I understand and what I realize, it's repeating a name of a scripture, means nothing to God. God is within us, not in the scripture.

So when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, what did He see? He saw the Light from Heaven come down like the dove. So if you repeat the names of the Lotus Sutra and you don't see any dove coming down, that means you are practicing in a wrong way, whether you call it Buddhist or Catholic, I don’t care. I am a Buddhist by origin, but I feel that, I know that most of the Buddhist methods even contradict the Buddha’s teachings. They only talk and talk, repeat by words, and have no inner Light or inner vision.

So now I tell you, do not abandon your Catholicism, but I will tell you a method to acquire the Light within, and that’s all. Do not worship me, and do not become Buddhist, and do not go to any Buddhist temple, and do not come to me even. I don’t care about all of this. I just tell you how to go in yourself and see God, and see what you want to. You always long for that God, that JAHWEH, or whatever you name Hirm. You can call Hirm another dozen or hundred names and Hes would not mind. Hes has no name. Hes has no name. Hes takes on whatever is the name of the Master on Earth at that time.

Therefore when Jesus came, they worshipped Jesus as the Son of God, or as even God. When Buddha came, they worshipped Buddha as God. Because the God Power manifests in that person, in that human pole. The human is just like an electric wire, carrying electricity inside. So if it is red or yellow, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is it has electricity inside; otherwise you don’t call it an electric wire, maybe an empty wire, yes?

So all kinds of methods, if they don’t give you electricity, if they don’t give you Lights or God or the heavenly sphere to look at, then it is an empty wire, it’s not an electric wire, and it’s not Jesus’ method. It’s an outer method. I don’t care if it’s Buddhist or Mohammedan or whatever; all empty, just an empty shell. So therefore you feel in conflict.

If you learn this method from me, there is no need to change to become a Buddhist, no need to repeat anything. You just see the Light every day, feel joy, and be in the presence of God. And then you call Hirm whatever name Hes tells you to call Hirm, and you will know Hirm by different names, hundreds of names, or no name. You just feel Hes is so much love. Hes is loving and merciful and Hes takes care of you every day, in every minute detail. Then at that moment you really feel thankful to God, you really know Hirm, you really know Hirm and worship Hirm, and that’s the real worship of God. If you don’t know Hirm, it’s not the real worship. You don’t know how great Hes is and you just blah-blah-blah, “Oh, You are so great, You are so merciful!”

In fact every day you are so miserable. What does Hes help you with? Nothing. Then you tell lies. You can only say, “God, You are so merciful, You are so loving, You are so compassionate,” when you know how compassionate Hes is, where, how, and in which way Hes helps you, how Hes takes care of you every day. Only then your word is true and your worship is sincere. And you throw yourself at Hiers feet and become one with Hirm.

And that’s the true way to God; it’s no religion, it’s no dogmatic thing, no blind belief, no blah-blah repeating; but knowing, realizing, seeing, contacting; and that’s the real path. I have no Catholic path, no Buddhist path, no lotus path, no “lily” path. I have only one path -- it’s God’s path. If you know the Light, you know God; that is the true God, true way.

And don’t feel any conflict. Even if now you believe in the Lotus Sect, God would not punish you. It doesn’t mean you betray Hirm. Hes would only feel touched at your devotion, at your blind search for Hirm. Hes would only help you, because of your sincerity. Therefore Hes sent me here to tell you how to find Hirm, not through the Lotus repeating, not through the scriptures, but through your own Self-realization. Hes will not punish you. You’ve not betrayed any God. It’s your sincerity that counts. It doesn’t matter where you go, you only carry God in your heart, no? You only want to know Hirm, and that’s why you come here, you go there, you ask this master, ask that person, “Do you know God?” and he says, “This way, this way,” and then you follow. And then you find no God, and so you feel a struggle again. And you go in a different way, and again say, “Do you know how to find God?” And they say, “Yes, yes!” and this is again only an empty promise!

You must know that when Jesus baptized people, He gave them Light. And when Jesus Himself got baptized from John the Baptist, He got the Light from Heaven like a dove. So you have to see that. If you see that, then it’s a proof that you practice the same way as Jesus did. Otherwise this is all wrong, this is all misunderstanding.

Q.8 How do you distinguish the Voice of God from your own ego’s voice? How do we know God’s Voice?

M. It is different. That’s why we have to practice. The ego will fall away once we come in contact with the God Power. At the moment we’re all doing everything with ego: “We helped this person, we helped that person.” This is all ego. We feel a sense of satisfaction that “I helped her, I did this for her.” But when we are in contact with this Supreme Power, we lose the sense of “I” doing things, and we see God doing everything. God uses this body. And that body is also God. The one who helped and the one who got helped are all God. Then you don’t feel that separation any more.

Q.9 What is the immediate method to enlightenment?

M. Oh! Yes, that I will teach you at the time of transmission. Because this method does not use language, I will sit there quietly and then you will get it. Now I’ve talked too much. It’s all only advertising for cookies. (Laughter)

Q.10 How long will it take to travel to the universe?

M. Oh, this is very quick. At the time of transmission you might get it, but for some persons it takes a little bit longer. It depends on how virtuous you were in past lives, and how much you believe in the Master Power.

Q.11 Please bless me with every way -- “Mary.”

M. Thank you, merci. You are so kind, you even put your address here. People are already putting their addresses here. Very good. You can only bless yourself. I cannot bless you. Mary, I cannot bless you. You have the blessing Power within you. I can only show you how to use it. If I can bless you, then I can bless the whole world, and then I do not need to come here. I can stay at home and bless. (Laughter)

I cannot cheat you. I cannot cheat you, I cannot tell you that I can do everything for you. You must make a first commitment, you must sacrifice something, you must show your sincerity to God. You must be a vegan, you must devote some of your time every day to contact with Hirm. Every day Hes waits for you but you are busy, every day Hes wants to give you blessing but you are busy. I can bless you also, but only if you make the first step and get initiation, and then we are together, and we can connect. Now at the moment my telephone and yours are cut off, and whatever blessing comes, it will come in the middle and then it’ll come back to me. It’s just like if I talk to myself on the phone, you’ll hear nothing at the other end because the telephones are disconnected.

So, at the initiation we are connected, the telephones are fixed again, and then all my blessing will become yours. I reserve nothing for myself. You are free to take all my blessing. But at the moment you cannot take it, not to a certain degree. You take a little bit, yes, of course. You take a little bit, but not in every way as you asked, “Bless me in every way.” This you can only do by your own efforts. Even I can only bless you a little, so do it yourself.

Q.12 What is the method? Is it meditation? How long does it take?

M. Yes, it is meditation, but it is not those that you always imagine. This meditation requires no effort. “How long does it take?” Very quick. When you are initiated you immediately know, very quickly. Just a minute, and you get contact with God Power. No need to wait too long.

Q.13 What do You think of Gandhi and Martin Luther King?

M. Ah! I worship them, I respect them very much. If the world was full of these people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, then I would give up my job. Yes, and we could all sing together every day, and it will be sunshine. It’s a pity that these kinds of people are so rare.

Q.14 Since You had an opportunity to be a Catholic and You have expressed so many similarities between Buddhism and Catholicism, why did You choose Buddhism?

M. OK, I can change. I can change tomorrow to Catholicism. But what’s the use of that? I’ve already told you whatever you are, you stay there, because it’s only an outer appearance. It makes no difference to the inside. When you are enlightened, you are a Buddhist or you are a Catholic, and you are still enlightened. So, if I change to a Catholic nun people will ask me, “Oh, why have You chosen Catholic?” Then it makes complication. I think I’ll stay where I am.

Q.15 What is the purpose of life? How can one know if reincarnation really exists? What is the soul and what is its origin?

M. So many questions. What is the purpose of life? I think we can only know it after enlightenment. Now, if I tell you very much, you would not understand, you would not even believe me. The purpose of life is that God sends us here to bless this world with our inner Power. But we bless so much and we exhaust ourselves. Our treasure runs out, our Power runs out, and we need now to recharge. And we don’t know it. So my mission is to come to recharge you. Then you can bless this life, this world again. And then you can go Home, not empty-handed, but full and blissful as you were originally, since the time without beginning.

Q.16 How can we know if reincarnation really exists?

M. I’ve told you already. In the Bible Jesus also said He is the reincarnation of such and such great past Master. But anyhow we couldn’t believe Him unless we ourselves go to the Second World’s sphere and see the library of the book of lives, and then we have no more doubt about that. Therefore there are many people, Buddhist monks or Catholic monks, and some of them know of past lives. But the trouble is, we have difficulty believing them.

Q.17 And what is the soul?

M. I have told you. The soul is our real Self which is now dormant. We have to awaken it, and that is called awakening or enlightening. Then you will know what the soul is. Now you only know what the body is and the brain is, and after awakening you’ll know what the soul is.

Q.18 For a mentally ill person on medication, what are the chances for enlightenment?

M. I think if this person understands my talk, then he can get initiated and then get help, and be better every day. No need for medication. If you have come here and understand my talk, that means you are not really mentally ill. You may be depressed or slow-thinking or out of society, because sometimes we think not the same like the society and people think we are mentally ill. It may not be the case. It may not be. If we cannot put up with society’s pressure, then people think we are nuts. Sometimes it’s like that.

Q.19 Can You display any miraculous power such as levitation, flying, telepathy, appearing in many places at once? Are these things not important?

M. No, they are not important. These miraculous powers are not important. Birds can fly, birds are flying, and they are nothing important; airplanes can fly, and they are not masters, insects are flying all over, and they are not masters. There is no need to imitate birds or insects to prove that you are a real Master. Even if I would do so, people might think I am a bird and shoot me down, so I won’t do it. (Master and everyone laugh) I am not stupid. People have guns. Can you imagine in this society a man flying in the sky? You are asking for trouble. (Laughter) Don’t you think so? Yes. (Applause) Yes, thank you.

And as for appearing in many places at once, yes, I can do it, but it’s not with this body, it’s with the transcendental body. I have told you. And to see my transcendental body you have to use different eyes, or be in some very special blessed conditions. But I would not do it just to prove myself. Jesus said, Don’t try your God. If I always have to prove myself, then I think I am not worth your trust. Whoever keeps trying to prove how great she or he is, then he or she is not really great. You must use logic and wisdom to talk, to induce people to find their own logic and wisdom. If they have enough wisdom they’ll believe you.

If you use this kind of magic tricks and children’s games, playing tricks on some people, I think this is not worth a thought, hum? Sorry! You can go and find some magician and they’ll do it, they fly in the air, levitation, all these kinds of children’s stuff. My disciples, if they do it, I will beat them. (Master jokes) I’ll scold them and say, “You are getting into a demon.” This is a small thing, this is not worthy.

When you practice you might get into a kind of levitation, just one or two times, or for a minute. That just means you have some demons in you, nothing to be proud of and to be talked about. You should not even talk about this, and let people know that you are kind of possessed. A great Master would not do this kind of trick, I’m sorry. And this is a kind of misinformation from the West.

Q.20 How can we know for sure that there is a God? 

M. We can know. When we practice this Quan Yin Method of meditation, every day we are in contact with God. We can see God like I see you, and even clearer than I see you because we see with the clearer eyes, with the wisdom-eyes, and not with the clouded eyes, and limited vision of the human understanding. We see God more clearly.

Q.21 Is Jesus Christ correct on will there be reincarnation?

M. Jesus Christ was correct. He said, I am the Light of the world, as long as I am in the world. That means there are others who come afterwards. He also said, Don’t grieve for me, for after I go I will send Comforters. Is that not so? He said, I will send some Comforters to you. That means a different reincarnation “will come,” other sages, other prophets “will come.” So He was correct.

Q.22 Master Ching Hai, my question is twofold. First, can You give me a brief description of the practice that You teach? Second, can You imagine any conflict between this practice and others?

M. A brief description is that I will show you how to concentrate yourself in order to contact this heavenly God Power or Light within, and to hear the inner Word or the Word of God within. That is basically the so-called method. But to do so I don’t use any language. I may talk to you and explain to you all different kinds of heavenly scenery, or different levels of consciousness, and so wherever you are, you may know what your level is. I may explain all these outer things, but the method is transmitted by complete silence. When I am silent, that is when I transmit to you, and then you will see the Light and hear the Sound. And now that I’m talking, you see nothing, and you hear nothing. 

      So the method is actually no method. It is the transmission of the inner Power from person to person, from heart to heart. Therefore we call it in Zen “Ying Hsin.” (Chinese) It means “heart stamp.” That’s it. “Heart” means our Power, our inner wisdom, not this physical heart. Therefore there is no method to talk about really, except that when you are in contact with God, then you can transmit it. Hes allows you to. 

But then whatever it is you will see, you will get enlightened. You will see the Light, you will hear the Sound, you will see some heavenly abodes. You may see Jesus, you may see Buddha. You may learn with them something of the ancient wisdom. And that is a benefit from the method, a success from the method, but the method itself is no method. It’s only the silent transmission of the Light.

Q.23 Now what is the first real step in order to have a little wisdom and enlightenment?

M. What is the first step? It is the initiation. You are willing to let me open the wisdom-eyes for you, you are willing to let me open the wisdom-ears for you, and you are willing to let me open the God blessing Power within you for you, and then every day you use it. Because I have the key. You hear that Peter had the key to Heaven? Now he gave it to me.

Q.24 How can we let go of our grief that keeps us stuck in a miserable state?

M. Yes, that’s true. We have to go out of it. Get initiation and feel uplifted, all your burdens washed away. Even when your parents die, you know where they are going to and you won’t grieve so much. You will see the transcendental form of the Master come and take them to Heaven, so you won’t grieve. And after you practice you’ll see all of your friends or relatives go to a happier sphere and so, instead of grieving you’ll feel happy. That’s the secret of happiness, because seeing is believing.

Why do you grieve, when someone leaves you, or dies? It is because you don’t know where he is going to, so you feel the loss. But if you know where he is going, that he enjoys himself somewhere, and that you can even visit him, then you don’t grieve. That’s the secret of practicing. That’s the benefit, and that’s why we must practice.

Q.25 Is it possible for one to achieve enlightenment all by oneself, or must we ally ourselves with an organized religion or discipline?

M. No, We have to achieve enlightenment all by ourselves. Religions cannot help us. Religions are only doctrines left behind by past enlightened Masters. We can only take reference with it, refer to it, to compare it with our enlightenment now, to see if we are in correct accord with the ancient Masters, if our method is correct, and if our enlightenment is like theirs. That’s the good of the doctrines.

Right now I just mentioned, Jesus when He was initiated, or baptized -- actually “baptized” means “initiated” -- He saw the Light come down from Heaven like a dove. So now, if we get initiation from Master Ching Hai, and we see the Light come down like a dove or whatever, then we can say, “She transmits the same method.” That is just for our reference. Otherwise, the Bible cannot enlighten us. Any religion, any religious bible cannot help us to get the inner Light and inner happiness and satisfaction. Only the transmission from the real living God Power fulfills all of our desires.

Q.26 Initiation requires one to meditate two and a half hours per day. May I substitute this by chanting “Nam-myo-ho- renge-kyo”? I don’t want to give up this religion.

M. Actually it makes no difference to me whether you carry on chanting this or not. I have no objection to your sect. I’m just afraid that if you devote your time for chanting this, then you’ll not have enough quiet silence to contact with this quiet power. Because when we use our mouth, then we are busy. God doesn’t come with chanting. God comes always in silence.

If you want to chant this, you can. Then I let you do it, but then you must sit in quietness and use your mind only. I will also teach you to chant something, but without using the mouth, using the wisdom, and then you can also add these together, and then you will be happy. And you can also find the Light through our method, and then also be happy, because you don’t need to give up this habit. you are making deal with me. (Laughter)

Q.27 When one is gardening, growing vegetables, is it a conflict with Buddhism to kill the creatures that eat the vegetables? How should one deal with these lower forms?

M. If you feel the conflict, then I would advise you that we all starve to death. Because even breathing would kill a lot of invisible creatures. So what shall we do? We cannot eat vegetables, we cannot grow vegetables, we cannot even breathe, we cannot even walk, because we would kill all sorts of living things. What is the solution? 

      No solution, except to meditate and cleanse this karma, this unavoidable karma. To live in this world, more or less, we have to kill others, kill worms, kill insects. Every time you wash your hands, that is killing. Disinfection of things are killings. But what do we do with it? We have to, but then we have other sins. When we don’t do this intentionally, that’s a different thing from violence. We have to live here, so we must eat something to live. We have to breathe, we have to wash our hands, but this unavoidable karma doesn’t mean zero, even though we don’t do it intentionally. We still have the karma. We still have the sin.

So we have to do the Quan Yin Method of meditation every day to clean this out. Then we can be free of karma, otherwise there is no way we can be free of killing. I am sorry. Therefore we need to practice the method of cleansing. Otherwise you can do good deeds, you don’t kill, that’s enough. No, no, even eating vegetables is killing. Vegetables have life. So, you must use some powerful power to cleanse this small karma in order to be free.

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at Holiday Inn, San Francisco, CA, USA on May 25, 1989

Q.28 What is stealing?

M. And you don't know? Whatever is not belonging to us and we take it without permission or prior asking, that is stealing. Maybe a glass, or a needle, and even talking too much is stealing. Stealing people's time and energy. You know this kind of stealing very well. Some friend phones you and talks for hours, and you just cannot stop it, and you get exhausted. And out of politeness and compassion, you just listen, listen..., and don't know what they are talking about because it's so boring. That is also stealing, yes! We should devote time to know God instead of talking on useless topics.

Q.29 What is the Quan Yin Method, the inner Sound?

M. Yes. It is like this, when you are yourself open to receive God's blessing, then it will come. So this method is actually God’s blessing. It’s not mine. Only when your mind is open and completely surrendered and wants to receive, then you can get this method. The method is without words, and when we transmit the method, we don’t talk, and then you will get the inner Vibration. You will hear it but without these ears, you will see the Light of God or the heavenly abodes without the eyes. And that is what the method offers, not what the method is. Because the method, I cannot speak of it by language, I can only transmit it to you in complete silence. That’s why we call the transmission from heart to heart, or from mind to mind.

Q.30 How does the inner Sound bring you to liberation? 

M. Because the inner Sound is God. If you know the Sounds, it means you know God, you get nearer to Hirm. And to come near God means you get away from demons. That’s a simple thing. To be near God is to be liberated, or to be near Buddha. To become Buddha means to be a liberated soul, to be free from bondage, to be free from birth and death. That means liberation. But there is something more concrete, that is when you get transmission you immediately transcend death. And that’s what we call liberation.

Yesterday I gave transmission to about thirty persons, and some of them experienced the death experience. That’s what is called being born again. Except thou be born again thou shall not enter the Kingdom of God. So what is being “born again,” or “I die daily.” One of the Catholic Saints said, “I die daily.” What is it that I am dying daily? We are living, and he said he is dying. He said he dies a hundred times daily. That means dying while living. You die but you don’t die. You just transcend the limits of death, and then you live forever. Once the fear of death is transcended, is understood by our own very weak and scared soul, then we are forever eternal. We are normal, and we are immortal. That’s what he means.

Yesterday, a fellow practitioner said when he meditated just a few seconds, or minutes, he immediately saw the Light and the tunnel. You know the dark tunnel and inside there is Light. And he flowed through it like sailing on a boat. That’s what he said. Now what is that? You have seen on TV and you have read books about the experiences of near death persons. Haven’t you? And they see this great tunnel, and then they have to float through it, and then they see the great beam of Light, and then someone explains to them that they are dead. But yet their time has not come, and then they have to come back to the Earth again. And so some of these persons come home. One said she cried off and on for two weeks because she had to leave that wonderful world and come back to this terrible one. That is the limit between life and death. And some of these persons experience that while they’re near death.

Because they have been virtuous, therefore when they die they can immediately go to the region of Light. But this region of Light is not the highest one, may I tell you. There are some others higher. But this is only a kind of frontier, a frontier between our world and the other worlds. It is just the beginning of the other worlds. The other worlds are higher, higher, higher, with limitless spheres of Light. And the higher you go, the more speechless you become. And there is nothing to say anymore and nothing to talk about. Except that some stupid ones like Master Ching Hai like to convey this to others, and then She couldn’t even say much. But I talk about this because yesterday this man, and other men, experienced it. They transcended the limits of life and death. They died and they came back again. They had the same experience as those recorded by Doctor so-and-so, who wrote about many hundreds of near death, or dead and come back again to life patients’ experiences. So this is what we call born again, or transcending life and death, or being free from life and death. Once you know how to die while living, you will fear death no more, and you’ll know how to do it any time. And when your Earth time is over you will know it even in advance. Your Master will come and tell you, “Three more days, and your time is up. Or in a week’s time we will go to another place, so please prepare. So if you owe people money, give it back quickly, or your children need something, insurance, life insurance.” We have to take care of such kinds of things.

A Master will take care of you, every minute detail, after the initiation. And that is his or her job. He does a lot of work, even paperwork, bureaucratic work. Because we live in this world with many complications, the Master cannot avoid taking care of even these things, even though his job is not that. But without that the devotee can not be free. So we often hear of transcending life and death, being free of life and death, and we don’t know what it means. It means exactly just that. At initiation you transcend and you know what life means, what death means, and you have no more fear.

Q.31 After one has experienced Nirvana and/or enlightenment, is it difficult to attain mastery over one’s energy body?

M. No, it isn’t. It is easy to gain control over one’s energy body when one has attained enlightenment. That is the purpose of it. If we couldn’t control our psychic, or energy, or Light body then what’s the use of enlightenment? If we are out of control, then we are even worse off than before.

Maybe this may happen if you have an incompetent master, or if you practice yourself from a bookshelf, a bookshelf self-realization, and other things like that. It is a little bit dangerous. Yes. Sure! Therefore some people who practiced themselves or have had incompetent masters became mentally deranged. Yes. It is true, I understand now. (Someone said possessed) possessed. Yes. Some are possessed by demons, and some by self-disturbance because they couldn’t handle so much release of psychic energies or higher order of power. They are not used to it. They are too immature. They do not know what to do with it, therefore they become out of order.

So it is better to practice with a competent Master. That’s the reason why we should have a Master, otherwise there is no need. If the Master doesn’t need to transmit the teachings personally, then he can even write a book, and sell it, and become famous, with a best seller, or something like that. Yes. It is even more comfortable. You sit at home and you write a book and it becomes a best seller, and every day you get income.

Q.32 Does a dog have Buddha Nature?

M. How boring! No? (Master imitates a dog barking, and everyone laughs.) It is like this. In the “Chan” or so-called Zen world, people invent so many so-called methods. After the Buddha’s Nirvana, everyone became a master overnight.

So, and then lacking real power they just invented any kind of dog’s Nature, like “Does a dog have a Nature?” And then it becomes like a “Koan.” You know that? Koan means a question you have to ask yourself, and you ask until your head becomes broken, or whatever, or your brain explodes. And if you haven’t found it then, you must die with shame. Before, there were even worse circumstances in Japan. If a person didn’t know what “Moo” was when the master asked, and he couldn’t answer it, then he had to commit suicide. And at that moment he might get enlightened, so-called, but most of the time not. And so people would die with grief and shame, not knowing where they have gone to. We can check though, but it is not very high.

A person committing suicide is not good. They go to a very dark region. It doesn’t matter what the purpose of the suicide was, whether for a heroic act or whatever. Because life is given by God, and it is not for us to take away. It is for Hirm to decide when we leave and how. So the person who commits suicide is in a very, very bad realm of his own dark thinking. He closes himself up in his own prison of dark thinking, and it’s very dangerous. Until this power wears out, billions of years later, he can not get liberation. And then it is not a very normal liberation; I mean he is liberated from that dark region only. He may incarnate as other beings but maybe lower than human existence. God knows!

The question of “Does the dog have Buddha Nature?” arose in China thousands of years after the Buddha’s Nirvana. People lacking the transmission of the Light, lacking the inner lineage, we call “Fa Mai,” the lineage of power, they just invented anything. So if people came to ask them how to practice, they would cite any of the ancient Master’s talks and tell them to investigate it, to ask themselves. And of course when you concentrate on one idea or another, of course it may give rise to some power. The power of concentration is not to be underrated.

But I already told you in my book. It doesn’t matter how big an intellectual one is, he is still only an intellectual giant and not a Self-liberated person, and not a Saint of wisdom. Intellect belongs to the realm of mind and matter, not soul and God. Intellect is thinking, and thinking arises from what? From data, from learning, from other people’s thinking and brain washing ideas. Soul and God and Nature are spontaneously self-born, self-existing, self- supporting and self-pure. So anything that is influenced or can be influenced by society, by thinking, by philosophy, by language of any kind, is intellect and intelligence, not wisdom.

Therefore, if we use language to ask questions of ourselves, or to be enlightened somehow, it is still in the intellectual realm, is some kind of mind wrestling, and it is very tiring. So, I do not teach this kind of mind wrestling method. Because I think we are tired enough of working every day and wrestling with our problems. There is no need to go home and sit there cross legged and wrestle again.

The Buddha never taught this method. I may remind you of this. The Buddha never sat there and asked Himself who am I? What am I? Who am I? What I am? Does a dog have Buddha Nature (inner Nature)? Does he really have Buddha Nature? Does he really...? He would not do this kind of thing. How did the Buddha become enlightened, you know? He saw the inner realms. He subdued the inner demons. It means that when He saw the inside demons He subdued them, and when He saw the inside Stars, and it was recorded that as the Buddha saw the Stars, He became enlightened.

We think we see the stars every day, so how come we're not enlightened? That is because He saw the inner Stars not the outer stars. So many of our disciples see the Stars, so they also can be called enlightened. Now you may wonder yourself, if you see the inner Stars, so what is the big deal about that? It makes a lot of big deals, because it is not seeing the Stars that counts. It's what you make out of the Stars, and what it makes you become, what it makes you feel. The feelings, the wisdom, the way of life are changed after seeing the Stars, or after seeing the inner worlds, or the inner realms, or the inner Light, or after hearing the inner Sounds.

It is not because we like to see the Stars, or like to hear the inner Sound, but because hearing them and seeing them make us great, make us wise and saintly, and make us become Buddha, become Jesus Christ, become Christ. Therefore, we have to see them. Just like when we eat bread and potatoes, they turn into and become blood, and become our thinking, become our muscle power. Yes, that's it. The Stars and the Sound are our inner bread, the bread and water of life. So Jesus said that humankind doesn't live from bread alone. That's what He meant. Because the bread and water of life are inside of us.

Q.33 Why is there so much pain in this world?

M. Because we have no supports. We have no enduring Power behind us. This Power, we neglect. We only use our minds, our brains; we don't use God's limitless supply. Therefore, we can not endure the pressure and pain in this world, and we feel pain and suffering. If we have that great treasure, great support, great strength, then we don't feel that much pain. The pain still exists. It's just that we can bear it. Just like when we were young, when we were children, if we lifted about a five pound sack of rice, it felt very heavy. No? We couldn't even walk. But, when we grow up twenty years later, even fifty pounds means nothing. That's the meaning of God Power. That's why we have to practice. That's why we have to practice the Quan Yin Method of meditation to get in touch with this inner limitless supply. Then we don't feel so much pain, so much pressure, and we will feel joy ever after. The pain still exists, mind you. I don't mean the pain disappears, but you can bear it. You feel nothing much of importance.

Q.34 How do You deal with the fear of letting go of self, of becoming selfless, egoless?

M. I don't remember how I dealt with it. It just naturally goes by getting in touch with God, and merging yourself with God. You just naturally have no more self. Slowly, slowly the self will go out. That's it. I don't deal with it. To have to deal with it is a problematic thing. Because the self is so very big, therefore you let God deal with it. After you practice this method, you become less and less self, and then you become greater and greater. The less you become, the greater you are. This is a paradox of God. Because it is not for us to understand.

Q.35 How do You get rid of bad thinking?

M. It's difficult. You also have to use this Power, this inborn Power. You have to practice this Quan Yin Method of meditation, then you naturally become pure. It isn't for us to struggle anymore. Every day we use the Light, use the Sound to purify us, to bathe us. But also there is a kind of inspection, the spiritual diary. Every day, you may check yourself to see how clean you have become in speech, action and mind, to see how you have progressed.

Q.36 How do You meditate?

M. How! Of course, everyone already knows how to meditate. It is only that you meditate on the wrong thing. Some meditate on pretty girls, some meditate on money, some meditate on business. Every time you pay attention a lot to one thing, one pointedly and wholeheartedly, that is meditation. And now I pay attention only to the inner Power, to the compassion, to the love, to the merciful quality of God, and that is my meditation. But to do so officially, we should just sit in a quiet corner and be by ourselves, and that is the process of meditation. But it is not by sitting quietly in a corner that one gets something. No! No! You have to get in touch with that inner Power first, and with that inner Power we meditate. Actually it is like that.

So that is called Self-awakening. You must awaken the real Self inside and let Him meditate, not you, the human brain and the mortal understanding, That Power will meditate. He meditates, He awakens Himself, He knows how to work. At the moment, you let Him sleep and you do everything mechanically with the brain, the order of the brain. So even when you sit down, you think of a thousand and one things and you cannot subdue your own passions.

But when your Self awakens, the real inner Self, then the God Power within you will control everything, will meditate, will come back to its own Self. And that is the real meditation. You only know real meditation after you are awakened by transmission from a real Master. Otherwise it is only a waste of time, mind wrestling, body wrestling. You only rest your body, but the mind is struggling and fighting. That is not real meditation.

Q.37 Is there right? Is there wrong? Any difference?

M. No? There is no difference? You need to ask me this? If you want to go out and steal another's wife, is that right? If you ask that person's husband he says no, and that is not right according to our human society's behavior and virtue. What's right and what's wrong, according to the law and according to the human standard, we must observe, without any excuse. We do not say I have become one with God and God has no discrimination. Right is wrong, wrong is right. No. No. No. We don't make this kind of nonsense excuse.

Therefore to practice with me, with this method, I emphasize the virtues. One must take to heart the keeping of the guidelines, the five principle guidelines. Thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not tell lies, thou shall not drink alcohol or take drugs, or do anything that makes our mind confused or body weak, or any kind of so-called firms, movies that excite our passions and are no good for our quiet, and very calm nature.

These are all called drugs, including films, gambling, and alcohol. These are all drugs. So these five guidelines I may ask you to keep, if you want to join our circle of practice. You must not follow me in person, you must not do any service for me, you must not offer me anything, except your commitment to yourself and meditation every day. You must give this, as far as possible. And then the five guidelines I also demand you to keep. And that’s all you have to do.

Q.38 Why is initiation limited mostly to people under 65?

M. Why do the initiation people have to be under 65? The question is simple. When we are a little bit older than 60 or 65, our brain is no longer so alert. Most of time these people could not understand the Master’s teachings. And because of the vegan diet, a sudden change from a flesh eating to a vegan diet at such an old age may cause inconvenience for you. You may not be able to follow it.

Q.39 Why are the leaders in Christianity falling? Why do they emphasize the negative and punishment?

M. I have told you. It is also because of ignorance, lack of enlightenment. They have not practiced anything at all. What is the difference between a priest and you? Can you tell me? They also eat meat, drink wine, and some have women, and you also do the same. And they read the scriptures as you do, every day. So what is the difference between them and you, or any other people? They do not realize that. That is their mistake. Therefore of course, they can only think negative and punishment, because they have not reached to the love Power of God by practicing quiet contemplation on Hiers mercy quality.

They only preach and talk. They repeat the Bible only, every time you come to the church or to the temple. I don’t mean only Christianity. They take out the big book, then they say “Saint Matthew such and such says so and so,” and then you chant together, and you go home. How can you find God so simply like that? And then they are called priests and father and mother or master, or… So easy to become a priest and master? Why don’t you all become one? I am surprised to ask myself. I wonder myself. It is so easy to become a missionary. No? You still also can marry even. The Protestant priests can also marry. So why haven’t you become one, I wonder?

Q.40 Is eating vegetables a form of killing, because they also have life like animals?

M. Yes it is true, but the life in vegetables is very much less. The soul is sleeping. You know all things are composed of many elements. We human beings are composed of the most elements, including soul, ether, earth, metal, wood; all kinds of these substances together. But the plants consist of water, ninety percent water. And the other substances are very much less, and the soul is almost dormant. But then we still take life if we eat vegetables. Therefore the Buddha said that if you eat anything, even vegetables, you have to consider it like eating your own child’s flesh. 

      But what shall we do if we live in this world and can not eat anything. We can do that also but it’s against the needs of our bodies. It would take us tremendous willpower to overcome the material needs of our bodies. Some people don't eat anything. There exist such people, but I do not advise you to do so. First, people would look at you as a zoo-loo, or some kind of nut. Or if people stream to you, only because they are attracted to your non-eating diet, then they will overlook your spiritual qualities and the highest goal that you want to set before them.

Fancy me, Ching Hai not eating anything, and then I advertise in the paper “Master Ching Hai doesn't eat anything.” So many people will flock here, and all day they will ask me how? Why? How long? You know, how long since? And that's it. And I would have a lot of trouble to tell them to please convert their attention to God and to my topic. It is the Quan Yin Method of meditation. It is life and death. It is serious. You have to meditate two and a half hours, and be vegan. And all these things, they wouldn't listen a bit, because all their attention is diverted to the non-eating diet, and that's it.

I know all about it. I know in Formosa there is one who hasn't eaten anything for twenty years. And everyone comes there and asks the same question, including myself. (Laughter) So even if we eat vegan, we also have some karma, meaning the influence of the bad effects. So we have to practice this method in order to cleanse out this even minimal karma, so that we can be free and purified.

Q.41 When confronted with evil, physical or spiritual, such as someone trying to harm you or destroy you, whatever, when someone is trying to hurt you, will you fight back to defend yourself, or will you just die?

M. Or just die? You must be joking! I won't die just like that, I will run. (Laughter) I won't fight back, but I will run for my life. Anyone stupid enough would lay down and die, but I won't. Life is precious. I have a lot of things to do, and even if I don't need my body, my disciples do. If I die like that, it is very irresponsible. Of course we have to do our utmost to protect our life, because life is precious. Without life we couldn't accomplish anything. We couldn't even come back to God without this human life. We need every minute of our human existence to come nearer to God, to realize our greatest power and our blessing power, and in order to help other beings who need our help. We may not need this ourselves, but we must acquire it. It is like we don't need money so desperately, but we must have money in order to provide for our kid and wife, and other needy, underprivileged persons.

Q.42 Why must we keep a vegan diet in order to cultivate Self-realization?

M. Because we all know God is love and merciful, and Buddha is compassion. If we do not learn to become like Them, then how shall we become one with God, how shall we live in Heaven which is a place of love and mercy? If we want to learn something, we have to become that. Animals desire life, they love life, they would run for life. So we know they desire life; they know, they love to live, like us. We have no right to take away their life. By all means, even directly or indirectly, we should not.

Q.43 You said God is all, but You never explained what the psychic is?

M. God is all. God is not psychic. Psychic is a lower level of our consciousness. Psychic body and psychic power is not God Power, is not the Highest Power, even though it is also very frightening, very powerful. But, it is not the whole.

Q.44 Do You truly know that You have been blessed and sent by the true God to sincerely help and rescue the lost ones that are not of this Earth and universe? 

M. Yes! Completely. I would not tell you, otherwise I fear to go to hell if I tell a lie. I fear God’s punishment. I fear Hiers judgment. I fear the Buddha’s judgment.

Q.45 What are demons?

M. They are a little bit lower way of thinking, a lower way of existence, a little bit less loving. That’s what is called a demon. Less Light, less love, this is a demon.

Q.46 How does one meditate? What should be in his or her mind?

M. There should be nothing. Nothing should be in the mind of the meditator. But actually it is not like that. At the initiation I may have the time to tell you everything. It’s not good to answer casually like that, because you won’t get it.

Q.47 How do You explain the fact that in the 1940’s scientists proved that there is no ether. What is it and how does it function?

M. It is maybe because the scientists call it by a different name. Ether is what the Chinese called “Chi.” You know, it functions invisibly and you can’t just use science to prove it. I disagree with that. The scientists have invented many things, have discovered many things, but there are many things they do not know, and they could not know, and they could not discover. The simple reason is that everyone knows they use only a limited fraction of their minds, or a little part of it. We use only one fifth or one tenth of our mind and we think we know everything. Oh, impossible!

Q.48 Why does one see white Light during meditation? What does it mean?

M. It’s not bad. (Laughter) Seeing Light means that there’s no darkness.

Q.49 What do You think psychiatrists do to help people with their problems?

M. There are psychiatrists, but the problems of the mentally disturbed people are deeper, deeper than just what the surface looks like. So the psychiatrists sometimes do not have very deep insights into solving the problems, but even make them worse. Now it’s not their fault, but it is the fault of the system of the whole society. We should make everyone become enlightened, and then everything they do will be in perfect order. Because they would do it with wisdom, with the inner knowing, not with the limited brain guessing and false data.

The help that psychiatrists offer is not really from their own knowing, it’s affected by others’ thinking, by other psychiatrists and by other doctors, by other things. And then at a later date, they prove that their method is wrong, and it is too late to correct it. Most of the time it is like that, so don’t ask me what they should do. I think they should all practice the Quan Yin Method of meditation, get enlightened, and then go back to their jobs and do a better job, be a better scientist, and help many more patients in a better way.

Q.50 If you see that your father only believes in the physical things such as science and traditional western medicine, what are you to do? Do you do nothing when you see that he thinks that all yogis are ignorant? He thinks that if a yogi is great, he must prove it by doing a miracle such as flying or disappearing. What do I do about this?

M. You know what you do about this? Keep silent and practice. There is nothing we can do about it. But we can, by our own practicing power and vibration, influence our family members. They will become automatically receptive to the Higher Power in time, by and by they will. In Formosa there are many people who become initiated even though their family members objected fiercely. But after they patiently and lovingly practiced for a period of time, their families felt the change, and felt the benefit. They also became initiated, those who before objected not only to their daughter or son, but objected to their Master. And they even came and threatened me with all kinds of ways, and obstructed my mission in all kinds of ways. But later the whole family came and got initiated.

I don’t need to fly or disappear in order to convert them. I use the Love Power which is invisible, which is natural. I don’t even use it, even. It is there. It flows every twenty-four hours, and then they get it somehow. And then they got it, and then they appreciated it, and they became devotees in a natural way, in time. So that’s what we have to do. We have to prove to ourselves that we are worthy. We don’t need to debate so much. The more we talk the more we lose. Just wait until the moment comes, and then just say one or two words, it may be enough. But we must become a Light bearer. We must become an example of love, patience and wisdom. Then others will sense it, and they will come naturally. Like a flower, it doesn’t speak, it attracts bees by its own fragrance and honey.

Now, as for thinking of flying and disappearing, you may even see me doing it. As a matter of fact, you may see it often. But I will not do it just to convert your father. After he is converted by his own wisdom and free will, he might see it. I’m not doing that to convert him. It’s contradictory to my policy and to God’s order. A Master may not show any miraculous power to prove how great he is. The more he proves this, the smaller he is. The sun doesn’t need to prove anything, it just shines. Those who have eyes will see. With the blind one, you don’t need to argue. No? He is blind, you don’t need to argue with him. But he also will feel the sun shine on his face, and be benefited by it.

Flying, doesn’t need this physical body. The Master can be anywhere any time. Flying in the sky, flying on the lotus, flying in Heaven, flying to hell, flying around the world, any time anywhere, he/she can do this. This is a childish trick, and the most elementary instrument that the Master may use, in order to be anywhere to rescue and help his disciples in need, or those who have affinity with him or her. There is nothing to demonstrate and to talk about. This is all small action.

And disappearing, you may even see it now; but because your eyes are so obstructed, you only see my physical body, and you see nothing else. If you really have the wisdom eye, you might not even see me talking. You'd only see Light here. The whole room is Light, nothing else, no person. Even all of the audience will disappear in this Light. So this is the real disappearing. And if you see some of my photos, you don't see me, you only see Light there. People photograph me, but they don't see the Master, only a big Light. The person disappears, and many of my photos are like that. It is a kind of disappearing, no need to prove any more. The cameras can prove it. And sometimes on the stage there is no Master, that is the disappearing. Because in reality there is no Master, no one, no sentient beings, no existence, only Light and Vibration, love and togetherness. Now is that alright? Everyone loves to fly and not practice. If you practice with me, after a while I promise you can see me flying and disappearing with no difficulty. If you don't practice, I won't do it. Not for you to look at. We are not in a circus.

Q.51 Please, may I receive Your every blessing so that I may avoid all forms that would cause me to be less than me, or what I am.

M. The way to get blessing is to bless yourself with your own inner Power. And I know how to do it, and I can tell you how to do it. No one can bless you except yourself. Hes can only help. Hes can lend you some of Hiers radiation, some of Hiers love and power to lift you up to a higher consciousness, but not completely. Hes can do this, if you are not willing to bless yourself with your own blessing power. Otherwise Jesus would have blessed the whole world and we would not have to crawl around here until now. Otherwise the Buddha would have blessed the whole of India, at least India, and would have taken them to Nirvana.

As you can see for yourself, Buddha has become Buddha (a fully enlightened being), and the Indian people are still ignorant, most of them. So no one can bless any one. No doubt when a Master comes to Earth, she or he will bring with them great blessings from God, and the place where she or he lives or wherever she goes in marked by her blessing power and becomes different, in outlook and in consciousness. But that is only a small part. Each person has to bless himself.

Q.52 What is a sumo wrestler? Is sumo a Buddha (a fully enlightened being)? Do You know how to become a sumo master? What is self-esteem? Can a person live without religion?

M. Is sumo a Buddha? He has a God Nature in him but he is far from being a Saint, I'm sorry. It takes a long time! Self-esteem? I think it is self-respect. Knowing where your goodness is and being able to respect yourself. But it is difficult to really have self-respect. One must practice to know that the greatness Power is within.

Shall a person live without religions? Yes and no. Yes, because most of the religions do not teach people how to get enlightened. Therefore they are just repeating the boring doctrines without understanding the meaning, without bringing them into practice. Therefore the Christian people preach that you have to love thy neighbor, and then they go and fight with the Protestants, for example. Not all Christians are like that. I mean only that they cannot bring it into practice because they are lacking the persevering power within, lacking the real God Power. They cannot do it even though they wish to.

So if you can live with religion then live with it, and if you want to live without it then live without it. By all means be a good person, be a virtuous person, and be a religious person, whatever religious sect you belong to. If you are without a religion, if you’re a good person, you don’t steal, you don’t lie, you don’t harm others, and you try to be a good citizen, then that is a religious person.

Q.53 Why did a separation take place from God?

M. Yes, I have told you. It is because we are too busy. If someone is talking to you on the telephone, and the telephone keeps ringing, and you are cooking and busy chatting with other people, then that person cannot get in touch with you. Is that right? It’s the same thing with God, God is telephoning every day, every minute, and you have no time for Hirm. You keep Hirm hanging on the line. That’s how the separation takes place. Now if you want to be united with Hirm again, then take the time. Give Hirm one tenth of your daily time to communicate with Hirm. Surely you will get no more separation.

Q.54 Why were we all separated from the Word, or Nam, or Buddha, or God Nature in the beginning?

M. I tell you we have never been separated. We are in there. We have it inside, outside, inside or upside down. We all have God and Buddha Nature. It’s just that we are too busy. We bind ourselves to worldly obligations and jobs, so we do not know where God is. For example, sometimes you have your glasses in your pocket, your eyeglasses, and then you go around looking for them. Similarly like that, if we are too busy we forget many things, or sometimes we are too busy that even our loved ones come and we don’t see them. Is it not so? And we have the television on, and then we are too busy. We are thinking of something else so we don’t even see what they’re acting, or we are talking to the next person and we don’t know what the television show is all about. Is it not so? That is the truth. So, when we have God inside and we have no time for Hirm, then it’s no doubt that we don’t see Hirm. That’s it! Now I can unite you again with this Word or with God. So, we don’t need to ask why, but how to be united again.

Q.55 If we cannot follow all Your rules and decide that we will not take initiation now, is there some form of meditation You can share with us to help us? Sometimes my mind wanders or my mind dwells on past events, replaying past events. Is there any method You can share with those who will not take initiation now? Also, when you become vegan and clean your system, won’t this make you more sensitive to the air pollution, and other non-pure substances and people who are not clean? When you live in the country it is not so stressful, but the city life is very stressful. How to purify yourself and not become so vulnerable?

M. It is like this. Yes, there are some other kinds of meditation. You can try to be as much a vegan as possible, and that will help you. Even in a polluted area, to be vegan gives you more immunity. You must know that! The vegan people are less sick than the meat eating people. So instead, it gives you protection, and your mind will be calmer, and you will think less. That is a good benefit of the vegan diet, not only it’s mercy quality. Why? Because we forgive. If we don’t take another’s life then our life is also not at stake. It’s the law of Karma, cause and effect. So, if we forgive others, others will forgive us, so we will be more peaceful at heart. We have no guilty conscience. No guilty feelings, so that’s what makes our mind peaceful. That is a very logical way to think about being vegan.

And now if you can not get initiation, what kind of rules do you think are difficult for you to keep? May I explain it to you, and then you can decide. If you completely can not keep them, then I may teach you another method, no problem. What kind of rules can you not keep? She is taking what? (Someone in the audience answers “Martial arts”) What’s that got to do with the rules? Fighting? Oh, this is only for fun. You won’t kill people, no? You are taking fighting? Will that kill people? Make them hurt? Oh! Really! But you are so nice, how can you beat people up? I think you are taking up the wrong hobby. Why don’t you take up drawing, or dancing, or singing? It is more suitable to your sweet face, your sweet expression.

I think that’s no problem. It’s just a matter of changing hobbies. Instead of going and beating people up, you sit there and beat God up. Tell Hirm, “Come out quickly, and let me see You.” That is also a kind of fighting. I think to do martial arts with ourselves is more difficult than martial arts with other people. Don’t you agree? So I’ll teach you a new type of martial arts. Please go get initiation, and then fight with yourself. You will find it very interesting. What is that?

Q.56 Buddha wanted to liberate all the living beings and wished all the living beings would become Buddha (fully enlightened) also. However, Jesus Christ said that only those who believe in Him can be saved. Those who do not believe will go to hell. You use the Bible and God’s teachings to explain the Buddha’s Sutras. Does that mean Buddha is better or greater than God?

M. No, They both speak the same thing. It is like this. The Buddha said that He wanted to liberate all sentient beings, but He could not, could He? Not everyone is liberated. Everyone who met the Buddha could have been liberated, but only when the Buddha was alive. We have to find the living Buddha (a fully enlightened being) in order to get liberated. Jesus said the same thing, that whoever believes Him will go to Heaven. That was true when He was alive, but after He is gone we have to find another Jesus.

So They both spoke the same thing. Therefore both say They want to liberate all beings, and that those who believe can go to Heaven. But many beings are still not in Heaven. After They left, other people came, and not many people always believe in Buddha or Jesus. Every time a Buddha comes only a few people, a handful of people believe Him. Therefore only this handful of people can go to Heaven. Where the others are going depends on their karma.

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Evergreen Community Center, San Jose, CA, USA on May 27, 1989

Q.57 If we eat vegetarian, why can't we eat garlic, onions and leeks?

M. You see “Wu Shing” means five kinds of a little bit pungent kind of spice, very strong, like garlic, onions, leeks, the leek family. In the orient, we believe that if we are truly vegetarian, we could not eat these five kinds of spices of the leek family. Onions, garlic, leeks and so on. Now this Chinese person asked me, why? In my opinion, you can eat them because this is not killing any animals. Yes. But according to Buddhism, and the Hindu Scriptures of the ancient order, they explained that if you eat the garlic, onions and the like, you will give a bad odor, bad smell, and the devils will like to come and lick your lips. That is what the explanation in the Hindu Scriptures and Buddhist Scriptures is. Also, garlic and onions excite the human passions, make us even more excited than we already are. Therefore, for the monks and the nuns in the Buddhist orders, we are not allowed to eat these, in order to feel cool. That is what the reason is.

And now, some of the lay Buddhists they think if they don't eat these, then they will also become not so excited. That is what the precept of not eating the leeks, the five leek roots, means. But you are ordinary people. If you try to eat vegan, and you couldn't go without these foods, I think there is no harm. Just go slowly, if you want to leave them, then you leave them. If you don't want them, then leave them slowly, or you can include them sometimes.

It is only that everyone knows when we eat garlic and onions; it also smells so badly, and some of our colleagues couldn't stand it. Is it not so? Then, if we do without, everyone is happy anyhow. But garlic and onions have a good medicinal property. If you have a cold, you can drink onion juice and eat onion soup. And if you want sometimes to purify the blood, then you can use some garlic. If you are sick, I think there is no harm.

Q.58 Why is killing plants not considered killing? What is the role of fun in becoming enlightened?

M. Killing plants is also a kind of killing, but so minimal, so minimal that we could also clean it away by a few minutes of meditation, under the Quan Yin Method of meditation. When we are enlightened, we are in contact with the Light and this inner Sound. We are so powerful. Then, every day if we are reconnected with that, then this minimum effect of the killing of plants or eating vegetable food will be washed away. Otherwise, how do you expect to live here and practice? Then you get initiation, and then die or what? You cannot eat even vegetables?

We have to do it because of survival. But we do the least amount of killing. Because the plants, they consist of 90% water, and the feeling of pain is so much less, so much less, it’s almost nothing, compared to animals. Animals love life and they struggle for life. This is a lot of difference. But if you only eat vegetarian and do not practice meditation of enlightenment, of the Quan Yin Method, which is contact with your inner God Power, then you are not secured to liberation, because you still have committed some kind of so-called killing as just explained.

The second question is, “What is the role…, the role of fun in becoming enlightened?” Is that correct English? Is it correct? What is the role of fun in becoming enlightened? What you mean is that when you become enlightened, can you still have fun? Is that right? Is that the meaning of it? Why doesn’t the author stand up and explain it to me. Who is the author of this famous question? You? Please enlighten me. “What is the role of fun in becoming enlightened?” (Someone in the audience: “Well, You said earlier that if you listen to the Music inside just for fun, that wouldn’t make any difference in consciousness.”) I didn’t mean that. What I meant was, we don’t listen to it because it’s fun. It is because it gives us a great chance. It’s not like when we listen to outside music for fun. What I mean is the inner Sound is not for fun, it is for enlightening us, and giving us more and more wisdom every day. That is what it was. Now I understand you, and you understand me now.

What is the difference between fun and joy? I think both are the same. If we have fun, then we feel joyful, Maybe it’s like that. Fun is a little bit not so serious. Fun may be evoked by some kind of game or some kind of outer influence, but joy may be deeper. It may be a sense of deeper satisfaction. Maybe, probably, that would be it, when we look it up in the dictionary. Is that all right? Thank you.

Q.59 (Master reads question and translates) This person said he already practices, maybe some other kind of method, could he also get initiation?

M. I said, of course, it will only strengthen your spiritual power.

Q.60 How can I start to reach my Christ Nature? What is the specific action I can take to start to listen to God’s Sound?

M. You fill in the form and ask for initiation, and later we may sit together and I will transmit that to you. I mean I will help you to open the inner hearing nature. The inner hearing nature is the real Self, the outer hearing nature is the false self. The false self indicates this false body. This flesh body is the false self, the real Self is inside. I mean it’s not inside, but it is another one. We have it within us. And the real one has the real ears and real eyes. Now, the real one is sleeping, therefore, we don’t see the real world, and we don’t hear the real Voice of God. If this real one is awakened, we call it awakening or enlightenment. Then we can see a different world and the real world. We can see the world of God, we can hear the Word of God by the real sense organs, and the real sense organs can be awakened through the competence of someone who already knows how to do it. It’s like someone who can repair a car or fix the television. He knows how to do it.

So, at the initiation, the Master will open the inner ear for you, then you can hear that. Otherwise you can not. You can live for thousands of hundreds of billions of years, and you will never experience the inner world. You can only experience this outer world, the world of flesh, of material, of life and death, of changing, of ephemeral nature. You never can experience the real, the everlasting, invisible, inner world. To experience that, we must awaken the real Self, the inner Self.

It is like we have different organs to experience different things, like the eyes to see the flower, the mouth to speak, the ears to listen, the body to enjoy sensual pleasures. Now we have different organs to experience enlightenment and to know God. These different organs, invisible organs, we have to awaken them. And we can’t do it ourselves. Then, we must ask someone who knows how to do it. If we could do it ourselves, then fine and good. If we couldn’t, then we ask someone who is an expert.

Q.61 If I get the method of enlightenment from You, can I then practice it in my home? How can You help me from here in California?

M. You can practice it at your home every day. Your home is your temple. Your body is your temple. There’s no need to go anywhere, to any temple or come even to see me. If you want to, you can. Because any Master worth the name is ever-present, omnipresent. Anywhere, he or she can protect you. He can appear to protect you. You can even see him or her anywhere, anytime, like you see me now. There is no need to be attached to her or his flesh body. I can contact you any time. Even if you don’t see the transcendental form of the Master yet, due to your obstructions or because your attainment level is not yet high enough, then you could even write or telephone. There is no problem anymore today. Is that all there is? The question is fully answered?

Q.62 What is eternal life? What is it like when you die?

M. What is it like, when you die? You don’t die, that is the thing. After you know enlightenment, you don’t die. You just change one consciousness to another, like you walk from one room to the next. There is no sense of loss or dying, nothing. You live forever. That is what’s called eternal life, called “Chang Sheng Buh Lao.” You never die. You don’t die, it’s only an illusion. We only change clothes. But, for the ones who don’t practice, they really die. Because they don’t know what eternal life is. That’s it.

Q.63 (Master reads a question) This is Chinese. The person asked, how, which ways, we can be near to God every day?

M. I said use the Quan Yin Method of meditation. Every day you are with God, every day you are in it, every day you are with it, every day you are it.

Q.64 I already have a Guru, and I thank You for Your service. I am confused about my outer life. Do You have any other advice? I am ready to follow, but my conscious mind doesn’t let the inner message through.

M. It’s like this because we are not yet connected with each other inwardly. If we were connected, then you would be more ready. But anyhow, don’t be hurried. If you are not ready today, then give yourself tomorrow or next year, or maybe next life. You have many lives to come, no hurry.

If you want to finish it in one lifetime, in this life, then you can follow me. If you have time, then take many thousands of years to think it over. (Laughter) Now, if you already have a Guru, then I think it’s fine. I congratulate you. But if you still feel confused about your outer life, that means maybe your Guru is not yet enough for you.

Q.65 What is a Guru?

M. Guru means Master. This is a modern word, Sanskrit word. Guru means darkness remover, means the Light giver, means an enlightened Master. That’s it, and we all complicate it. We call it by different names. You can call him a Buddha or a Master, That is the meaning of a Guru.

Now, she already has a Guru, but she still feels very confused, and that means the Guru might not be so much service to you, or you have not followed your Guru explicitly, completely. So if you have a good Guru, and he gives you a good method, please follow him to the letter. And if after following completely you haven’t got satisfaction in your inner and outer life, then please come back and I may help you. And whatever outer confusion you have, please write it clearly, so I may answer and help you.

Q.66 Tell us about Your enlightened life in the Himalayas?

M. It is a long story. You just get enlightened like that. It is not much to talk about, the Self experience, the Self inner joy, and satisfaction. You may know it immediately, later, if you want to get initiation. It’s too time consuming to talk about.

Q.67 What is the difference with Yourself before and after enlightenment?

M. A lot of difference, a lot of difference. So many things that I can not tell you. You see, after you are enlightened, everything becomes so clear to you. All the bibles are so clear. Before, even you read the bibles or any scriptures, you do not understand. After enlightenment, you understand more and more each day, you know everything without learning, and even you become greater and greater enlightened. Then you will be everywhere, you can do anything, you can save anyone you like. You can go to Heaven, you can go to hell and save the hell beings. You can do any kind of thing, unimaginable for the human mind. That is the difference between the enlightened person and unenlightened person.

The unenlightened person, he is confused about his life, his own power, against all these, all disaster, all sorrow and even all meditation. And the enlightened person is forever joyful, forever satisfied. In any circumstance he can live. He can accomplish everything that Buddha has accomplished, that Christ has done. It’s the same power, the same level of attainment.

When someone is completely enlightened, but even before you reach complete enlightenment, and you are just enlightened a little bit, you still feel so great and joyful, and so light are the burdens you feel. You would think you could dance on the street, swim in the air. I don’t know what to tell you about all these miraculous feelings, because the more I say, the more I feel lost, it’s terrible. I do apologize, but you must experience it for yourself. I offer this opportunity to you, and then you’ll know it by yourself. No need to ask me. But then when there is someone who asks you, you will also say, I can’t tell you.

Q.68 What’s God in Your terms?

M. God is that, God is that. Oh, my God! What is God? If you want to know, I can let you know in a few minutes, at the initiation. But if you ask me, I am also at a loss again. I can only tell you that God is the greatest Power that you can ever imagine, the greatest love you can ever have, the greatest satisfaction that you can ever long for. God, or whoever you call that Power, the Buddha Nature is the highest, highest love, the highest ideal in the universe. That is God. And when you get that, you become the highest. You become everything. You can accomplish everything. That is what God is.

But so few people know God because they think they have everything in this life already. And to talk about God is so abstract, and no one understands that. And it’s difficult for the one who realizes God to even talk about that. Because we human beings, with our poor language and limited understanding, cannot perceive God by explaining, but by self-knowing and realizing by our own experience. The Quan Yin Method of meditation is the method to know God quickly, immediately, and every day you know Hirm again and again, every minute after initiation. Hes looks after you, then you know there is a God.

Q.69 Why is there an age limitation to initiation?

M. Because sometimes people when they get too old, they are a little bit confused in the mind, and they cannot understand the instructions, or they cannot follow the vegan diet. That’s all. The soul is forever young. It’s only the mind that we need in practice. Because if the mind doesn’t grasp what is talked about, then he won’t accept it, and he won’t let it go through. It is a gatekeeper. If you are not friendly with him, he won’t let you come in.

Q.70 If people are reborn, why is the world population increasing?

M. Because people are reborn! (Laughter) Because most people are not enlightened, and not liberated, therefore the world population increases. Because there are some from hells that come up to be incarnated as human beings. There are animal kingdom beings. They, after paying their retribution as animals, they come back and become humans. The more beef, ducks, chickens, pigs we eat, the more overpopulated the world will be. These souls have to find some revenge field for their action. Also, there are some angels, some people from paradise, after some period of many thousands of years or hundreds of years, they will reincarnate again on Earth as human beings. Therefore, the world is always, ever overpopulated.

Q.71 If we are created in God’s image, then why are we so ignorant. Why didn’t God create us enlightened?

M. Hes created us enlightened. It is that we don’t walk with the Light, we put it behind, we hide that Light, we hide our Light in the closet. If you want to know where the Light is, just get initiation, and immediately you’ll see it. There is no need to ask God why Hes is not so loving. Hes is so loving. It is we who don’t use it. Just like when you put your eyeglasses in your hand and then telephone somewhere, and then go around looking for your eyeglasses. It is here, you can immediately see it. That’s why it’s so pitiful, people don’t see it. And I am wondering every day. It is so easy to see God. This is the work of the negative force that obstructs people’s mind.

Q.72 What is the role of tantric ritual? Is it yoga?

M. Tantric yoga is like this. The real tantric is a secret practice of a kind of meditation. Why is it secret? Since ancient times, the Masters’ lives have been in danger. You can see for example yourself, many Indian Saints were flayed alive, Christ was nailed on the cross, Buddha was nearly assassinated, and attacked nearly every day in His life. So the ancient Masters they hid themselves very well. So whenever you want to come to a Master it is difficult. So they call it a secret doctrine, a secret way of practice.

The tantric is one part of it. The real tantrics are those that practiced the Quan Yin Method of meditation, the method of enlightenment. But nowadays everything is changed. After the real Master died, everything changed. It is so with any religion, or any sect, any kind of practice. So over again and again, a real Master always had to be reborn, in order to correct the proper method, to tell people what is the correct one. But whenever the real Masters come, people reject them, thinking no, I practice tantric, I practice Buddhism, I practice Catholicism, that’s enough. They do not know that the living Master is important.

And the tantric nowadays is not the real tantric. And all the rituals are symbols of the real inner realization. For example, the lighting of the candles, and the beating of the drums and gongs, and ringing the bells, these are symbols of the inner realization, the inner Light, and the inner drums, the inner bells, the inner gongs, and etc. So in any ritual, they blow a lot of horns, they play a lot of music, and they light a lot of candles in any church, in any practicing center. These symbolize the inner power, the inner realization, the inner Light and the inner Sound. Now, they only have rituals and no essence, no realization.

Q.73 What is the role of Chod yoga, the Tibetan ritual that destroys the ego?

M. The person going near to a dead person or tomb. Put a tent over there, and every day kind of punish himself, and tell himself, I trample upon the ego, and all that kind of thing. That is their practice. Sometimes it makes the person become crazy, by this practice. More often it is like that, but the master will not care about this. He said once you commit yourself to Chod yoga, then you have to take the risk of gaining it or losing your life.

So I consider this is too dangerous for the modern time. And we have not so much time to go into the cemetery, or to put up a tent in an isolated and scary place in order to kill our ego. I believe to kill our ego is to merge ourselves with God. When we are one with God, then we lose ourselves, and it is so simple as that. There is no need to try to tax your brain with outer punishment and self-hypnotism. Yes, I believe. Thank you.

This is Chod yoga. This is in Tibet. They practice like that. It’s a little bit dangerous. You become so thin, so yellow and so white. You don’t eat much. And every day you might beat yourself. And sometimes you practice until you become really painful. You feel the pain and you convince yourself you are the pain. And no one is killing him, but he thinks someone is killing him. No one is biting him, but he believes he is being bitten, and that it is very painful. And then you can become, I am sorry, N-U-T-S.

Q.74 What is mind? Where does it exist in the body? When we use the term “I have changed my mind,” what does it mean? What is the role of mind in the process of being enlightened?

M. Mind actually doesn’t exist. We know it when we think, or when we change our ideas. So we know I have a mind, I have changed my mind. If we have no ideas, no thinking, no thoughts, then we have no mind. Where does the mind come from? Only from thinking, from the data we collect from outer information. Our thinking is the result of our learning and our contact with other people. That’s what we call mind. And the mind really doesn’t exist.

The mind we can call prejudices. Whatever we collect and we believe or not believe, and then we collect this over some time and we call that, the “mind.” If I believe in Buddhism, and someone comes along and preaches me Catholicism, and I don’t believe that priest, and I say that Catholicism is no good, he is a heretic, an atheist and things like that, then that is when you know you have a mind. You can say you have a prejudice. That’s all. The collected thoughts from someone else, and then it convinces you, and then it is rooted inside you, and you can’t root it out. And that is what “mind” is.

And it’s nowhere in the body. It is somewhere in the brain maybe, in the grey matter, where you collect the different information and store it up there. But if we operate the brain, we couldn’t even find it. It is invisible, it is thought waves. That is mind.

When we use the term “I changed my mind,” we change our idea. Like you want to eat a candy. I just want to eat a candy, and then, I think, no, no, candy makes toothaches. So, I change my mind, I eat a fruit. That’s what we call “I change my mind.” So simple as that. Why you have to ask me? We change our thinking, our choice of something, that is when we change our mind.

What is the role of mind in the process of being enlightened? This is very important. The mind has a very big role in the process of enlightenment. It can help us, and it can destroy our faith. Therefore a Master, however of a high degree, has to use a lot of logic and reasoning in order to befriend the mind, in order for the mind to accept the ideas, and then you can go and get initiation, and start the practice. If the mind doesn’t accept it due to a lot of prejudices, due to a lot of preconceived ideas, then you are in trouble. Just like the first questioner, she/he said, “I’d like to follow You, but my mind doesn’t let the message through.” That’s the problem, because we have so many preconceived ideas. Like, to become a Buddha we have to read the Lotus Sutra thousands of times, to become Buddha we have to read the “Om Ma Ni Padme Hum” a hundred dozens of times. Or to go to Heaven, we have to go to the church every Sunday, and listen to the priest’s sermon, etc. We can’t believe that the so-called Master Ching Hai from Formosa can give us God experience.

That is how the mind can hinder us, and it plays a big role in our process of enlightenment. Most of the people cannot get enlightened. Most people are born over and over again in this world, and they make the world population more crowded every day because of the mind. They could not break through the mind’s gate, in order to receive a Master’s instructions, and be liberated. That’s how great the mind is. It is the greatest after God. I tell you, it may be even greater than God, because here in this world the mind controls everything. The preconceived ideas, the prejudices, the collected data control everything, and let us forget our inborn Nature, make us forget that we are not these preconceived ideas. We are not to forget our judgment. We have to find our inborn wisdom, but the mind is always in between. This is how the world is over populated. The mind.

Q.75 Why should I attain enlightenment through meditation? Is it possible to attain enlightenment through any other activity?

M. Enlightenment, it’s not through meditation. Meditation is only one part of the work to enlightenment. But without meditation, you couldn’t be enlightened. But when you meditate at random only, it’s not easy to get enlightened either. You must be initiated, you must be opened. The inner wisdom must open, then you get enlightened, not by meditation. But after the opening of the wisdom, you must nourish your wisdom, and you are enlightened every day by the process of being quiet.

To be quiet in order to perceive our wisdom and our own nature. To perceive the message from God, that is called meditation, be it standing, sitting, lying down. So don’t think you cross your legs like this, and that’s how you get enlightenment. No, no, no. You have to be quiet, and to go within, and perceive your own wisdom. That is meditation. OK. And if you haven’t got the inborn wisdom, then it doesn’t matter if you meditate for how long. It makes no difference, and no use.

Q.76 (Master translates the question from Chinese.) You want to hear it or not? (Audience: Yes please). The person asked like this. How do you discriminate between a real Buddha, a real inner world, or the illusion? How do you know if it’s real or an illusion, when you meditate and you experience the inner world?

M. I say at the time of initiation. I tell you how to discriminate. There is a method to discriminate between the real and the false. And also you have the Master’s protection, then you know. After enlightenment you know. The real Master should tell you everything, every setback, every hole on the road, every illusion and every trick from the devils. If not, then she or he is not a real Master, because she or he doesn’t know himself.

Q.77 (Master translates the question from Chinese.) You also want to hear about that? (Answer: Yes!) It is like this. The person asked me in Chinese, if the enlightenment is all and the same, why is it that Buddhism has so many sects, and so many different practices? Some encourage eating vegetarian, and some like the secret doctrine, the lamas, they eat meat, why are there so many different methods of practice?

M. My answer is this. The enlightenment and the method is only one. After the death of the Master, everything becomes topsy-turvy, and changes. Like for example, the Buddha, when He sat under the bodhi-tree and meditated, and saw the Stars within, saw the Light within, then He became enlightened. He didn’t bow to any images, He didn’t beat any drum, He didn’t light any candles, He didn’t offer any butter cakes. He didn’t do these things like what the secret sect, the Lama sect, they do. And all these rituals and different methods came after the Buddha’s Nirvana. People lost the lineage of enlightenment, and they just invented something.

Then, Buddhism afterward came to Tibet. Of course it took on the color of the national religion, the butter cakes, and all the images, and so many different kinds of images, and different kinds of colors and flags. All this is the Bon religion, it is the religion of the Tibetans. And after that, it influenced the Buddhism, and they mixed them together. So, the same when Buddhism went to China, and then it adopted a lot of Taoism, Taoist rituals, and then they recite the mantra, beat the drum, light the candles, and all those kinds of things. And these are not the pure Buddhism. The pure Buddhism has nothing like that, (so noisy).

The Buddha sat under the bodhi-tree and became enlightened quietly. He needed no candle, no cakes, no flower, no fruit, no any outside light and ritual. Is that not so? And the pure vegetarian diet is the Buddhist diet, because in all the sutras the Buddha said you must eat vegetarian if you want to become Buddha (an enlightened Master). Anyone who teaches that people can eat meat and can become Buddha is teaching the doctrine of the devil. He said so clearly in the sutra, and in many sutras He said like that. So afterward, if someone else eats flesh and still says he is a Buddhist, well, I cannot do anything about that.

Q.78 I know a temple that was built in Northern California by a kind of Tibetan Buddhists. It is a very famous place, very holy ground, and they converted to eating meat during the construction of the temple for that reason, so that they would have more energy.

M. They don’t eat meat?

Q. They do eat meat. They needed it for the construction of the temple.

M. In order to get more energy?

Q. Yes, for a period of five years, and as far as I know they are still on their path to enlightenment. I have heard from another enlightened master, who is not here in California, that there is a power in eating meat that can help us repel the evil spirits.

M. Then, the Surangama Sutra is telling a lie. Then the Shakyamuni Buddha told me a lie. The Surangama Sutra is the most reliable source of Buddhist Scriptures, and the practicing scriptures. If you read in it, it states strongly, anyone who eats meat can attain the level of the maya king, meaning the devil king only, or the devil’s subordinate. They can never reach Buddhahood (Sainthood). Please go home and read it, and don’t question me. I cannot help what the Buddha has said.

Q. That karma, of eating meat, could not be transmuted by a Buddha?

M. The Buddha said it is, Whatever you sow, so shall you reap. The Buddha Himself dared not transgress the material law. For example, if I go to a communist country, maybe I am a liberal country citizen, but when I go to a communist country, I have to abide by that law, whether I like it or not. So maybe in the Buddha Land (Kingdom of God) there is no law, no bad, no evil, but here, Whatever you sow, so shall you reap. The law of karma, of cause and effect, everyone must obey.

Therefore, the Buddha emphasized to all, don’t eat any flesh of sentient beings, even the five kinds of clean flesh. Afterward He strongly stated it. I forbid you to eat, from today, any kind of meat whatsoever. It’s not I who say it. It is the Buddha. These scriptures are translated by Tibetans, by Aulacese (Vietnamese), by Chinese, by Japanese, all kinds of languages. All kinds of languages I have read, all kinds have stated the same thing. So what shall I do about that? You may think they are enlightened, they may believe they are enlightened, but if you read the Surangama Sutra statement, you know their level of attainment. They are enlightened, but not very high.

Because you see, animals have some kind of… their energies are heavier than ours, their karma is heavier. Therefore, they are born as animals. Now, if we bring this kind of magnetic field to our magnetic field, then we become more mixed with the animals’ magnetic field. Of course we cannot become higher. How is that for logic? I am sorry, after you get more enlightened, you’ll see who is enlightened. From some normal stand point of view it is difficult to recognize. But when your heavenly eye is opened, you’ll see, those who are so-called enlightened, who eat meat, their magnetic fields, their auras are mixed with black, brown, coffee spots, it’s not clear. It is not beautiful, not light. It is dark. Then, you will know. I am sorry. It is like that.

Q.79 What is the opposite force of enlightenment? What is its purpose in the final outcome?

M. The opposite force of enlightenment is unenlightenment. It is a force of darkness. It is a force of obstructions. It can hinder us in many ways and make us ignorant, and it cannot make us visit the Pure Land, the Land of the Most High. The purpose in the final outcome is that you are liberated, you no longer fear death and life, you know everything in the universe. That’s the outcome of enlightenment. You can save sentient beings.

Q.80 What is the purpose of the opposite force in the final of everything?

M. You mean what’s the purpose of the negative force, and the final outcome of the struggle between the two. It is to strengthen us. It is like, without water we cannot learn how to swim. Without any complicated highway, road and rules of driving, you cannot keep the order of the society, you cannot learn how to drive well. So, all these temptations from the negative force are for us to overcome them, that we should resist them, and become stronger and stronger, and stronger in will and stronger in power.

Q.81 Is it true that once you become a Master, you can develop magical powers such as turning objects into different things, etc?

M. Everyone likes magical power. What a small trick, turning objects into different things. Yes. Definitely, these are only children’s tricks. You want to learn that? Any magician can do it, no need to be a great Master. But the Master can do that also, if necessary, but not to do it to amuse you!

Q.82 Is there really a life after death?

M. I say yes. If we practice, we can see it, we can see our previous life and our after life. But if we practice this Quan Yin Method of meditation, we don’t see our after life, because we don’t have to come back as a human being anymore. We go to the Kingdom of God. We go to live with God.

Q.83 Why do people who look very nice and virtuous still encounter some disaster and unpleasant circumstances?

M. Maybe because last life he has not been very virtuous, some karma from last life. Or maybe in the darkness, when no one else is looking, he does something that is not virtuous. We don’t know, but God knows, the Buddhas know. And those who seem to do some very bad deeds, but also have a lot of merits and happiness in this life, it is because last life, they have sown some good seeds, some merits, some good virtues.

Q.84 If you carry on to practice as a lay person, would you be better off next life?

M. I say maybe, maybe not, because we do not know what’s in store for us in the future, if we don’t clean the store of karma away. Because our life consists not only of this life’s karma, but also of past life’s karma. So, if we don’t clean them all off, then we don’t know what we’ll become next life. So the best thing is not to have a next life. So practice the Quan Yin Method of meditation and go directly Home with the Buddha, with God, then we don’t need to worry about anything. We go to live in the real world.

Q.85 What is the best way to integrate the three levels, the child-self, intellect, and the higher God-Self within you?

M. The Quan Yin Method of meditation is the best way to unite yourself, put yourself all together, and become whole.

Q.86 I have taken many journeys in my life, but each time I travel into nature far, far off the beaten path, I experience a tremendous feeling of power, almost as if I am traveling inside myself. What does it mean?

M. It means you might experience something new. It’s your own power inside, it’s also good. But be careful, if you have a master, better ask him where, how far you are.

Q.87 My hobbies are rocks and mirrors. Would this be one of the many paths to enlightenment?

M. No, you become rock. You are what you like. You are what you eat. You are what you think. So many people they look after pets, and they look like their pet. Don’t you think so? Dogs and their owners look the same. (Master and everyone laugh) So be careful!

Q.88 Well, since our world is inundated with things like instant noodles, instant housing, now comes instant enlightenment for instant self-gratification. Isn’t this quick-fix method a direct reflection of our impatience and therefore our inability to truly realize that glorious and elusive path of Providence?

M. Enlightening suddenly, this is a method of ancient times. In China, we called it sudden enlightenment. “Dueen Wu Fa Men.” It means sudden enlightenment, immediate enlightenment or instant enlightenment. It’s the same thing. We had this long ago, and Buddha called it sudden enlightenment. There are two roads to enlightenment, a quick way to enlightenment and a long road to enlightenment. We call “Chien Wu” and “Dueen Wu” means a gradual path and a quick path. So, this is not the reflection of our model standard civilization, but it is the ancient way of quick liberation. But even then, you have to persevere. Every day you must meditate. I don’t just tell you to get a quick enlightenment and then go home and watch TV every day. No, you have to work hard. I still meditate every day, the Buddha meditated every day. It’s not a quick-fix, it is a quick glimpse of enlightenment, and a long life of watering and nourishing. So it’s no lazy path.

Q.89 Why do You shave Your hair, and dress like a monk? What is the purpose?

M. It’s because I am a monk!

Q.90 What’s the meaning of wearing yellow, and having so much yellow around?

M. OK. Tomorrow I’ll have green. How about that? It is just tradition. The Buddhists and the monks and the Hindus they wear yellow. No, it means enlightenment, so the monks wear yellow to symbolize enlightenment. That’s it. But I don’t mind, I wear many colors, I don’t care about that. Because the cloth I collected is from those wholesale stores, and they cannot sell it, so they sell it one kilogram for five cents. So there are many colors, and I fix them all together, and wear like this. It looks OK. No? Very cheap. I wear green sometimes, white or whatever color I can find, the cheap cloth. It is self made, self designed, very cheap, comfortable and cool.

Q.91 How did You become enlightened?

M. It’s by this method. (Quan Yin Method of meditation) By the sincere longing for enlightenment.

Q.92 Where will You be after You drop these clothes?

M. I will be where I have been, I will be where I came from.

Q.93 What is the best way to stop thought so that I can enter Samadhi?

M. Quan Yin Method of meditation.

Q.94 How long can you stop thought?

M. As long as you are in Samadhi, you can.

Q.95 If life is eternal and never ends, if a soul is eternal and never ends, how can the taking of life or the refusal to bear life be wrong?

M. It is because it is not natural. For example, your life should be sixty years, and you force it to become forty- five. That means you are taking over God’s will and right. Therefore, it is not correct. Everything unnatural is a violation. So, also refusing to bear life is wrong, because you are a kind of coward. You sowed some bad seeds, and you do not want to reap the fruit of it. You only want to give other people suffering, and when the retribution comes to you, you don’t take it. Like you borrow someone else’s money, when you have money you don’t want to give it back. And that’s of course wrong. That is wrong.

Q.96 Why don’t You get married and tell us how an enlightened person experiences sex. Is there any joy, any big sex joy?

M. A lot of joy? This is nothing. The sense enjoyments are so low, and so cheap, and so exhausting. If you experience enlightenment and greater joy, then you can compare, then you will know the joy experience in sexual intercourse is like garbage. At that time, you couldn’t imagine how you have indulged yourself so far in such a very cheap substitute. Why do we indulge ourselves in sexual enjoyment? It is because we have not known a greater joy. If we have known a greater joy, then we would leave that. We wouldn’t even think about that.

It is like a baby, if he has milk then he just pulls away his dummy. It’s like that. When you’re hungry enough, you don’t want any more dummy, you just want the breast of the mother, and you know that is the real thing. You throw away the dummy. Or when you grow up, you don’t want to play with a plastic car but you want to drive the real Mercedes. And that is when you know the higher value in life. That is when you get complete enlightenment, you know sex is garbage. But as you are not enlightened, you may just slowly abstain it. There is no need for a quick forbidding of yourself. But the sex joy is nothing compared to heavenly joy.

Q.97 Christ said, I am the Way, the Truth, the Light. No one comes before the Father, but by me. Is Buddha an anti-Christ or another form of Christ? Did Buddha claim to be the Son of God as Christ? Christ said one must be born again to obtain salvation. What does Buddha say on this subject?

M. What Christ said is correct. Whenever a Master, a living Master comes, and you follow that Master then you can go to the Father. Except through that Master you can’t go to the Father. That’s the necessity for having a living Christ. Therefore, Christ said, I am the Light of the world, so long as I am in the world. He didn’t say I am forever. He was afraid that we would misunderstand, so He said, As long as I live in the world, I am the Light of the world. After me I will send other comforters, and before me, there was... such and such.

So… and then, Buddha is not an anti-Christ. Christ is Buddha, because Buddha and Christ teach the same thing. If we take the patience, we would understand. Buddha didn’t say He is the Son of God, but He said He came from the “Tathagata” womb. “Tathagata” means the Ocean of Consciousness, the womb of all Consciousness. It means God Consciousness. When Christ came from God, or was the Son of God, or when the Buddha came from the “Tathagata” it all has the same meaning.

Christ said that one must be born again to attain salvation. That’s true. That’s true. After a while you will be born again, after initiation you will experience some kind of death, and then you come back to life again. That is what we call being born again. Last time when I gave initiation, some people saw the frontier of death and life, I mean the tunnel that we talk so much about. Some after death, they will see the tunnel, and go through the tunnel, and then see the Light. At the initiation you may experience the same, or some of you may. That is what the process of death or being born again is. That’s what it means, initiation.

Q.98 Since God created everything, can we say that the devil is the son of God, too?

M. He is, but he is the bad son. So God told him to get out of Heaven. But after some time he will come back again, when he repents his deeds.

Q.99 Can you become initiated with a closed heart, when one fears love?

M. You can. Then your heart will be opened, and then you will not fear love anymore. You must try it.

Q.100 Why does plant vibration not affect us when we eat them like animal flesh?

M. That’s a good question. It is because plant vibration is sustaining and not dragging like animals’. And also the plant vibration is not so strong, and doesn’t have such a downward pull, because animals they have strong consciousness. Therefore when they die in hatred, these vibrations or this atmosphere stays there. And even in their flesh, there are some toxins in it due to this hatred. But the plant, their consciousness is so low, they don’t have such strong sentiments or passions. Therefore, they cannot affect us so much.

Q.101 How much time does initiation usually take? Thank You for Your givingness.

M. About a few... sometimes three, four hours, sometimes seven hours. The great initiation takes all day. It’s better like that. But you are so fast moving. You want it today. So I’ll try to make it concentrated, quick. Better is all day, I can explain a lot of things to you and satisfy your inner doubt, and skeptical questions.

Q.102 Is there any minimum level of indulgence in physical and intellectual pleasure, so that you can still make contact with God?

M. You may go on as before. And this minimizing effect will come gradually as you practice the inner Light and Vibration method. There’s no need for you to kind of over control yourself, and make yourself feel nervous and tense. It will diminish by itself, by the practicing. All you have to do is live a vegan and ethical life, and other things slowly will change. We can’t just press ourselves too hard. We can’t press the mind too much. It will rebel and give us problems.

Thank you very much!

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Evergreen Community Center, San Jose, CA, USA on May 28, 1989

Q.103 You mentioned on Saturday that someone of another sect, who ate meat, also got partial enlightenment, meaning a little bit of enlightenment only. Wouldn't this be a way for us Westerners to gradually do without meat?

M. You want to bargain. Yes, then you go over there. Yes, go there and get partial enlightenment, if you can ever get one. Even to be partly enlightened you must find a partly enlightened master, and this is very rare even. (Laughter) Because those who eat meat and drink wine and mess up with worldly pleasures hardly can leave them, and if you can't leave these, then you cannot go to the Kingdom of God. God demands undivided attention. Hes says I'm a jealous God. If you worship any others before me, then no! If we worship meat, women and other things before God, then God leaves us alone. Okay, enjoy, yeah. God wants us to want Hirm alone.

But the thing is, I don't mean you all have to become monks. At least you don't have to become a monk. You can still have a wife or husband. Just lead a little bit of a chaste, controlled sex life and no adultery. And that is easy to do.

And now about the meat diet. If you cannot leave meat, then meat cannot leave you. Meat for the belly and the belly for the meat, and God shall destroy them both. You remember that in the Bible? Yes. Don't say I share only Buddhist doctrine. It is in your Bible and it says the same thing. And Buddha forbade any kind of meat to the Buddhist practitioners. If you want to be partly enlightened, yes, I may teach you also, or you may go to find this partly enlightened master. But it is difficult. Yes? And then if I teach you in this way, I feel a little bit irresponsible.

Why is it so? Because I feel I would be leaving you only half-way. If you just practice at home, with meat and without a master, there are times you'll run into difficulties. And I cannot completely help you out of this, because you can't leave meat alone. And then meat will cause a lot of disturbance when you go higher in consciousness; it will cause a kind of struggle. If you don't want to go higher in consciousness, then it's OK. But how can we even think about that? Ah, it's terrible! What is the good of eating meat? Tell me? Don't you feel it is so bloody? Think about it. Read my book about “The Benefits of a Vegan Diet” and then think about it again. Maybe next year or next life I'll come back and we will discuss about that. (Laughter)

Q.104 Jesus told the apostles that it was OK to eat meat, that all that God created was good, that it does not matter what we put into our bodies through our mouths but what matters is what we put into our spirit. So why is being a vegetarian a requisite for enlightenment?

M. Nonsense.

Q. But isn’t eating vegetables like a ritual?

M. No. Jesus, since His childhood, was a vegetarian. He was born in an Essene family. It is like if you are born in a Hindu caste you would eat vegetarian food since childhood. It’s also like if you are born in a true Sikh family, you would also eat vegetarian things since childhood. It’s also like if you are born into a true Buddhist family, you would eat vegetarian since childhood.

And, Jesus in the Gospel said, You cannot eat meat. Even in the Bible God said, What? Do you remember? Who told you to kill the bullock, the she-goat to make offerings to me? Wash yourself from this innocent blood so I may hear your prayers; otherwise, I will turn my head away because your hands are full of blood! Hes doesn’t allow us to kill the she-goat and he-goat to offer to God, how would Hes allow us to eat them? Hes said these are innocent lives, Repent yourself so I may forgive you. Didn’t Hes say so in the Bible? Did you read this part? No? Go back and read the Bible. Oh, I’m ashamed, for you. (Laughter) You only read what you want to read! (Laughter) And then, you twist it all around.

It’s the same with Buddhists. In the Buddhist bibles it is mentioned again and again, in many places, that you never can eat any sentient beings. And then you see most Buddhists saying “I am a Buddhist” and also eating meat, including monks. So what can we say about this? So, you follow what you think is the compassionate way. You follow what you think pleases God. God creates. Hes doesn’t kill. Everything dies naturally. So if we force lives to end abruptly, we take the right from God.

Only God has the right to kill. We cannot create anything, so why can we kill? Jesus did not say that we should eat meat. Jesus said, Don’t bother much about what you eat and what you wear. God will take care of you. God will look after you. That’s what He meant. He meant that His disciples should not worry so much about material comforts, but should surrender to God, and God will take care of them.

Therefore He also said, Seek you first the Kingdom of God and all things shall be added unto you. That’s what it is. Jesus never told us to eat meat. He ate vegetarian since His childhood. Besides, He went to India for many years, according to the research. And when He went to India, He learned with Hindus, Indian yogis, and Buddhist monks, and all of these are vegetarians from birth. You must know! Even if Jesus had eaten meat, after He followed these people for ten or more years, He could never go back to a meat diet again. I’m sorry, you have miscalculated this. Now, you have read too little, that is the problem. You only choose the meat lines and forget the vegetarian lines. (Laughter)

Q. 105 Jesus said that He would send us one Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He did not say He would send us many people as Comforters. (Master: “He didn’t say one.”) So why is it said that Buddha or other Masters are Christ or Comforters sent by Jesus?

M. No. Jesus was born after Buddha. So if we say who was sent then Buddha sent Jesus, (Laughter) Jesus was younger than Buddha. I am sorry, you are really wrong.

But anyhow, they are all the same. Please don’t argue about this point. God has sent many Comforters, not only Jesus. Before Jesus there was Elijah, there was John the Baptist, there were many Saints. Therefore when someone asked Jesus if He was the reincarnation of such and such past Masters, like Elijah, Jesus didn’t say anything like that He wasn’t. He accepted by His silence.

So, before Jesus there were Masters, and after Jesus there will be Masters; before Buddha there were Buddhas, and after Buddha there will be Buddhas. God sent Buddha, God sent Jesus. Not that Jesus sent Buddha.

Q.106 Are all babies reincarnated souls?

M. What do you think they are? If they are not reincarnated souls, what are they? Reincarnated stones?

Q.107 How does reincarnation work? Does a soul that wants to be reincarnated wait for a woman to get pregnant?

M. It is like this. A soul can be reincarnated when his merit is complete, up to the human standard. To be born as a human being you must have had a very virtuous life in the life before, or you have already paid for all the bad sins that you have done previously.

To be born as a human being you have to possess the human qualities, such as not killing, not committing adultery, not stealing, not lying, not gambling, not drinking or drugging in the last lives. Then this life you can come back straight away. You are born as a human again. But if in your last lives you did something wrong according to these five guidelines, then you are not born as a human.

Before a child is born, a soul is resting in some intermediate place. And then, when the cause is right, when a woman and a man have some affinity with this baby’s soul, then he can come and not before that. All the conditions have to be correct. You can’t just go and be a son of anyone, or a baby of anyone. So all of our family members are connected by cause and effect, a condition for many lives. This is according to Buddhism. No need to believe me.

Q.108 Does a person get pregnant because a soul wants to get reincarnated?

M. As I said already, all the causes and conditions have to be right, altogether. And this is decided by what? By the karma, or the so-called causes and conditions in the previous lives. This book of lives, or karma, we can read when we go to a certain level of enlightenment, get to a certain world, maybe the Second World. There we have a library where we can get the books of lives of everyone and know where he came from, who his affinity is with, and what his future life is, etc.

But for the one who practices the enlightening method, the Quan Yin Method of meditation that I may teach you, you don’t reincarnate again except if you are willing to do so, by your own will or for some purpose, to help others.

Q.109 How old are You? (Laughter) And is it necessary to meditate two and a half hours every day, and why?

M. It is necessary. How old I am, you can never guess. Can you say? (The questioner guessed) Oh, so young? Eighteen? (Laughter) Sixty-eight? Not so old. Thirty-eight? Yes, something like that. It doesn’t matter. That is only the age of my physical body. I am as old as the world, and as young as having never been born.

We have to meditate two and a half hours because it is necessary to cleanse our souls, our infected areas with a lot of elixir. Now, if you are dirty from all day’s work, and you come home, you need two gallons, no less. (Laughter) Every day we mix in the world and are infected by others, affected by everyone around us, and by our own unavoidable misdeeds. For example, when we breathe we kill a lot of invisible beings, when we eat vegetables we kill vegetable lives. Or we may step on worms or ants and spray mosquitoes, and washing our hands - disinfecting kills a lot of invisible lives.

So this two and a half hours is two gallons of water to wash our souls. If you wash with one and a half gallons, it’s also OK, but you are not completely clean. Then tomorrow you will add again some more dirt and you only clean with one gallon. Thus every day you are not completely clean, and you may smell one day.

Q.110 You have mentioned that only God has the right to kill. Can You please elaborate on this?

M. Yes! Because God created everything, Hes knows when a soul should change its clothes, not we. It’s like you are working for a company and your boss is the one who decides which machine is good, is complete, and can be sold for a good price, and which machine has defects and has to be broken up and made up again in another form. You cannot do that. If you do it by yourself, you’ll do it wrong, by thinking the machine is not complete. Then you’ll commit a mistake. Then your boss will kick you out, or fire you, or make you pay the money.

Q.111 When I am aware of my discontent and long to know a master or guide, how will I come to meet one that can help me and satisfy my emptiness? Also, do I have to come to the point of complete despair before this will happen?

M. It has happened already. When you are ready, the Master will come. It’s always like that, not before. But if you think you are not sure, then go home and pray to God, “Please make me feel sure of the one that I may follow. Whom shall I follow?” But I have told you already how to recognize a Master. A Master will not take anything from you for his or her own living. He gives or she gives everything free of charge; only service and no demand. Then you lose nothing from the beginning. Anyhow you won’t fear anything.

The second sign to recognize a Master is that she or he can give you the enlightened experiences mentioned in the Bible or other scriptures. If an enlightened person can see heavenly Light, like a flame, and can hear God’s Voice, like thunder, then at least your Master should and must be able to give you this kind of basic experience. Then you know that he or she is a real Master. Otherwise, how do you know? Everyone can write down here, “I am a master.” Everyone can say he is a millionaire and never show you any money. Not only does a real Master have to be enlightened, but she or he must give you also the enlightened experience in one minute, or two. That is the sign of a competent Master.

Q.112 I am a vegetarian, but my partner is not. What would be the good and sensible way of handling the cooking for the two of us? We are not very traditional, and sometimes we cook or eat our meals separately.

M. They eat separately already?

M.C. Sometimes they do.

M. Only sometimes? The other time you eat meat, or what? Separately is the way. You cook separately. You cook meat for him, and you cook for yourself vegan food; each one for themselves.

We don’t need to force anyone to be vegan if they are not willing to accept it, if they are not ready for it. But you yourself eat vegan, and you can live peacefully together. Why not? If you can tell your partner to eat vegan, then it’s better for you both. He will or she will, eventually. If you show a good example, if you progress, if you have a good vibration, you meditate, and you radiate love, then you will affect him or her.

Q.113 If I study with You, then I would have no more time to go back to see my previous teacher. He didn’t teach me this method but some virtuous things, like a priest. Would I be like a betrayer for not remembering the benefit that my previous teacher gave me?

M. No. You requite your teacher’s kindness by improving yourself spiritually and virtuously. And then when you are enlightened, the more you are enlightened, the more you can radiate love and Light and save a lot of others, and yourself. That is requiting the kindness of the teacher. There is no need to always hang around him and be ignorant. That is not the way of requiting his kindness.

Q.114 Why did You become a Buddhist nun, and not a sister of Christ?

M. Yesterday, I have already said. Now again. Alright! I don’t mind. I would like to be a sister also. Whatever, it’s only a way of life, of different clothes. But the problem is that I was born more in a Buddhist tradition. And also, in the Buddhist monastery I can get vegan food, but not in the Christian monastery. So I dared not risk it. If I go to a Christian monastery and say that I am a vegetarian, do you think I can stay there? It is difficult. So I became a Buddhist nun.

And it was also because of some affinity. What you are and what you become are ordained by the Most High. You become a wife because you have to do a wife’s part; you become a president because you have to fulfill the president’s purpose. If you become a Buddhist nun or a Catholic sister, it is your destiny. Even though you are enlightened, you follow your destiny.

For example, the Buddha, after He was enlightened, He could have also gone back to be as a lay person again. He can change the clothes, but His enlightenment wouldn’t change. But He didn’t change and just carried on like that. So now you are wearing lay clothes, and after you get enlightenment, say from the Quan Yin Method of meditation, after the initiation you are enlightened, do you need to change from jeans to a mini-skirt, or not? Or to different clothes, or not? If you are enlightened, you are enlightened, no matter what clothes you wear. You can wear Sikh clothes, you can wear Hindu clothes, you can wear Buddhist clothes or Christian clothes. It makes no difference. You don’t need to change anymore. So why do I have to change anything? I am OK like this. Don’t I look very good? (Laughter and applause) So if it pleases you, then I don’t need to change.

Q.115 Why can’t we drink? It has some medicinal effects.

M. Drinking affects our minds, makes our minds clouded, confused, and numbs our nerves to some extent. Everyone knows this. So I don’t care what good it affects you on the surface, it does harm to the brain, to the thinking system and we have to rely on the thinking system in order to get enlightened. The more we numb it, the more confused we will become, we couldn’t think straight. That’s why we should not drink wine.

Q.116 What is “cause and effect”?

M. The Bible says, As you sow, so shall you reap. You sow a lemon seed, and you’ll get lemon fruit. You do a bad deed, and you’ll get a bad effect, and if you do some good ones, you’ll get good karma. If you follow the the Saint’s/ Buddha’s path, you will become the Saint/Buddha. If you follow the worldly path, you’ll become a worldly sentient being.

Q.117 What is “cause and connection”?

M. Cause and connection is like this. If some time in the last life this man gave that woman some material comfort, and that woman has not done anything in that life to repay the kindness in a material way, then she has to come back again. Maybe she’ll become his wife or his daughter in order to work, earn money, and pay back the debt. That is what is called cause and connection.

So make sure you pay every debt if you don’t want to come back. Therefore, to learn with me means to keep an ethical life. Don’t steal, so you don’t have to come back. Make every deal straight and honest, so you don’t have to come back.

Q.118 What will happen to all the monks in Thailand, who all eat meat? Won’t they go to Heaven?

M. You ask them. According to the Buddhist sutras, they won’t. If they meditate diligently and keep other precepts like “don’t steal, don’t have sexual lust, don’t tell lies, and don’t drink alcohol,” then they may attain a certain level of enlightenment, but not Buddhahood (Sainthood). They may go to Heaven.

If you go to the first Heaven, you will see all of these people. You’ll see the nuns and monks who eat meat but are good, virtuous people.

Q.119 I am very interested in the initiation, but I would have a problem with not committing adultery or premarital sex. What would You suggest about this problem?

M. Premarital sex is not adultery, provided you don’t change your partner and you intend to marry. Nowadays this is similar to marriage. Yes? You live together so you can first get to know each other, so that’s all right. Just don’t go to others, and don’t change partners so quickly. (Master and everyone laugh)

If you are not married and you couldn’t stand each other, and you couldn’t sort it out with each other after all kinds of trials and tribulations, and talks and peace settlements and you still couldn’t make it, and you both decide to separate, or maybe in the future unintentionally you bump into another partner, then I think you should be honest with yourself. And that’s enough.

We cannot be too strict in this modern time. What I mean by adultery is when you already have a wife or husband, and they are good to you and harmonious, but you still, due to lustful desire, look around and hurt your partner. But after you practice this method for a while, you don’t feel like wanting to look around any more. You will naturally become pure, because God’s Power will cleanse you.

Q.120 I would like to know where the content of hallucinations come from. Do they come from the same source as dreams?

M. They come from our own wrong thinking, and from our wrong diet. Therefore Buddha said when you eat meat and drink wine and indulge in sexual pleasure or worldly pleasures, you can get only the demon king’s position, and never the Buddha position. The demon king means the position of hallucination, the false position, and not the true one or the highest one. Hallucinations come easily when our speech, actions and mind are not clean and we try to meditate, or when we meditate alone without a competent Master. Now, an ethical life, cleanliness of actions, speech and mind are absolutely essential if you want to reach the ultimate. Otherwise you might reach some between Heavens or some hallucinations.

Hallucinations might come without meditation of any kind when you are lacking in oxygen. So sometimes when you faint, you feel like you see some of Heaven, but it is your lack of oxygen. Or when you endure extreme pain and hardship, and you faint, then you also see that. Or when you are too exhausted, or when you take drugs, you will have hallucinations. So many sources, they come from.

This is similar to dreams, but then it isn’t always a dream. Dreams are a little bit natural. When you go to sleep, you dream. But hallucinations come sometimes from external pressure, like I’ve just said, like when you are in extreme pain, or are lacking oxygen, exhausted, or if you take drugs. So, it’s a little bit different.

Q.121 I have many medical conditions that require a diet of animal protein, chicken, etc. What shall I do?

M. I do not know why in this age people still misunderstand that animal protein is the only protein in the world. All the doctors and scientists have proved that vegetable protein is absolutely enough, and even more helpful for health than the meat diet.

In Formosa there are two hospitals built by the Christian believers, and all the doctors, nurses and patients are required to take vegetarian diets inside. If you want to be in there, you have to be vegetarian. They recover very quickly, and no one has died from any malnutrition. So I think the vegan diet is no doubt the best.

You know, the Americans eat a lot of meat and so, according to the research, your country has the highest cancer rate in the world. Is that a case for congratulations? (Laughter) And then the Russians and Mainland China have no meat because they are underprivileged and they have the lowest cancer rate. How about that for comparison and fun?

Q.122 A woman of 79 years old vowed to be vegan from today, and asks for initiation.

M. It’s very touching, but she is too old. So, I will teach her something else. She can be vegan, but it’s a little bit late. So be quick, before it’s too late, when you are still very young.

Q.123 What happens to a child who dies before enlightenment?

M. That’s nothing big deal. Most of the people die before enlightenment. And so you will come back again as something else. A child who dies before enlightenment is not so sorrowful as when we die when we are old but unenlightened. We have had so long a time without searching for a Master or method. The child can’t help it, but we can. We have time to change. We are thirty, forty or fifty and we still have time. So do it.

Q.124 What about sex life with your marriage partner?

M. It’s OK. Just minimize it, as much as you can, in order to progress quickly, as much as you can. Reduce naturally, otherwise the mind will revolt. Abstain from it slowly, naturally, and the more you practice, the more natural it will become, and then you will completely feel like it’s not necessary. If you have it, OK; if you don’t, it’s all right. You’ll feel like a monk or nun, without any difficulty.

Sex is not really necessary, it’s only a habit. Now, observe. Sometimes if you don’t see a woman for many months, you don’t feel excited so much. If you see one, then you feel something itching. (Laughter) I mean if you are away from your wife for a period of time, but you are working hard, you don’t feel like you need any sexual indulgence. Is that not so? Try it for some time, and you’ll know what I mean.

Now, animals never desire anything until the time comes. They have their seasons. Is that not so? Human is in the animal kingdom except his mind belongs to God; he is also animal. Actually we are overindulging in this. We should observe the rule of the physical law and do it in season only. (Laughter) I mean not just for pleasure, but just for reproductive sake. So the Bible says, Don’t indulge yourself. If we do it too much it will become a habit, and then become boring. And it’s nothing.

Q.125 Most spiritual Masters of the past could only enlighten a very few disciples. Why do You offer enlightenment to so many?

M. Who are many? Do you think all of them will come up to me and get enlightened? No. Some will come, and some won’t. Most of the Masters in the ancient times offered enlightenment, of course, to only a few people because only a few of them came. Most of them were hiding. They dared not come out in the open. Once they came out in the open, they might get killed.

Don’t you see what happened to Jesus? They let Him live only three and a half years. You see, the fifth Guru, the sixth, or the tenth Guru of the Sikhs was chased from one city to another, was flayed alive, and was burned in the hot sun and with an oven underneath. They made Him sit, the fifth Guru or sixth Guru of the Sikh religion. They made Him sit on top of a hot pan, under the hot sun with a burning fire underneath. He with Almighty Power, did not resist this. Not because He was a coward, but because He bore the punishment for the sake of His disciples. He took the karma, the ugly and heavy karma of the disciples on His body. Therefore He had to endure some punishment.

Like Jesus, He can disappear at will, can fly to Heaven, or He can do some magic tricks. But He did not resist the devils, and let them nail Him. It’s not because He couldn’t run. He could. He could disappear at will. He had a lot of magical powers. He had disappeared many times according to the Bible’s records. He had learned a lot of yogi’s tricks, and He could disappear, manifest, heal the sick, the blind, and walk across the water. But He wouldn’t use it. Why? Because He had to wash the sins of His disciples at that time.

Every Master has to bear the sins of whoever comes to his feet for enlightenment, because the sins of a human being are collected from numerous, numerous lives. It’s impossible to imagine how big it is. The Buddha said, If you could see the sins of one person, it would fill up the whole universe. One single person’s sins already fills up the whole universe! In the Bible it is also said, When we are born, we have sinned already. We’ve inherited the sin in our blood, so how can we wash it with our own limited wisdom and strength? We need the Son of God, the Savior, or a Master, who knows the way to wash it.

Q.126 Is there only one Higher Power? Can you not use the fellowship of somewhat enlightened people, who share their experiences, strength and hopes with the group?

M. Is there just one Higher Power? Yes. The highest one. The higher it goes, the higher and stronger the power is; the lower, the nearer to our world it descends, the less the power is. Therefore, enlightenment has levels. The higher you climb, the more enlightened you are, the more power you possess. Until you become one with God, and then you have the Absolute Power. That is the time you attain Nirvana, Sainthood, or you become one with God, you have God-realization.

All the enlightened Masters should get together? Is that what you meant? Yes? It is possible. But enlightened Masters are not so many. And if there are, they are busy. Because there are so many unenlightened people around the world, and they have to go around to help them, not just to get together. They are together already in spirit, and there’s no need to be together physically. But after the initiation, we can practice with our fellow practitioners and share experiences, and joys and the group power. And the Gurus from far away even can protect, help, and bless the whole group. So group practicing is very, very useful. Therefore Jesus said, When two persons sit in my name, I am with them. That means that group practicing has a lot of God’s blessing.

Q.127 What did You mean by “Tao”?

M. Tao means “the Way.” Tao is a Chinese word for the way or the road to liberation, or the highest wisdom in the universe, the creative force. That is Tao.

Q.128 What did You mean when You said, “The ordinary mind is Tao”? I did not understand that word.

M. Tao is that. The ordinary mind means when our mind is peaceful, calm and harmonious with all circumstances and beings. That is called ordinary mind. Actually, “Ping Chang Hsin” (Chinese) doesn’t mean the ordinary mind. It’s just because when you translate it into English you lack this vocabulary. So, “Ping Chang Hsin” really means the ordinary mind, but not in the ‘ordinary’ sense. It means a peaceful mind, an already enlightened mind, a very harmonious mind. That is “Ping Chang Shin.”

Q.129 If we are not sure whether Your path is our path, can we try initiation and leave to go our own way without incurring bad feelings or karma?

M. Yes, you may. I don’t bind you. There are no conditions. But I am afraid you won’t want to leave.

Q.130 What if we slip up and cannot keep our part of the bargain after the initiation, if we take two steps back for every three or four steps forward. What if we just decide on another way? Would You prefer us not to try to get initiated? Has God Power anything to do with chakras?

M. You may try our path. And the God Power has something to do with the seven chakras. But if you mean by chakras only the bodily chakras up to here, then it is not related to God Power. I am talking about what is above these chakras. Most of the yogis practice with the chakras in the body, and stir the inner heat motion only.

We have two motions, two currents in the body; one is the Sound current, and the other is the heat current. The heat current takes care of the motions in the body - the digestion, the sweat, the blood, the circulation; and the other current takes us up, back to the Kingdom of God. When the yogis practice, they work with the chakras of the sexual pole, the anus chakra, the abdomen chakra, the solar plexus, the heart or the throat chakra. In our practice, I don’t mean these. I mean above these bodily chakras. May you please refer to my book, “The Mystery of the Wisdom-eye” in my first English book, in which I talked about different chakras and the difference between our practice and that of these chakras.

If you want to get initiation, then please be firm. You must know that you want God above all things. Don’t bargain with Hirm. I don’t care what you do. Hes does. God is not to be mocked, and don’t worship any other before Hirm.

Q.131 Does asking for blessing the food before eating help?

M. Yes, it helps. Before you eat you should offer the food to God, or Jesus, or Buddha, or whomever you believe most, or your Guru Nanak and then eat it. Then the food is blessed, and it is easier to digest.

Q.132 How many paths are there to reach enlightenment? What are they?

M. There is only one path. The Buddha said it is the Sound Stream Method. The Light and the Sound within will lead us to enlightenment. Jesus also said the same. I am the Light of the world. Those who follow me will not walk in darkness. So whoever can offer the Light, he is doing the mission of Christ. If he gives us the Light, that means he will lead us to the Light and we won’t walk in darkness. Enlightenment implies “Light,” so whoever can give you “Light” surely you are “enlightened.”

Q.133 If it is immoral to eat meat, is it also immoral to kill animals for other purposes, such as belts, shoes, etc.?

M. Yes, it is. For any purpose. Thou shalt not kill. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, said the ancients. So it is better that we refrain from any killing, may it be direct or indirect. If we don’t eat any animal food, no one will kill, because it will make no profit. So, eating meat, is also killing indirectly.

Q.134 (Master reads the question and translates) “I don’t want to go life after life, and revolving again, so I want to get enlightenment and be liberated in this life.” She says she is an Aulacese woman. She thinks that “perhaps you will say my ego is blinding me, but somehow I can not bring myself to bow to the Aulacese monks around here. They are too busy doing business.”

M. Then, don’t bow. Then, don’t bow. There is no need to do it when you don’t feel easy and comfortable. You are just being honest. That’s all. I admire your honesty. If you are not enlightened, you are only doing business. It’s the same everywhere. But, when you are enlightened, you can even bow to a stone. You don’t mind. They do theirs. You do yours. You worship only the symbol of enlightenment, not the person. So, you may bow to them.

As for me, never ever bow to me in any circumstance. Don’t bow to me, because this is only a fleshly body. I’m not this. It’s only my clothing. So, when you come to me, there is no need to bow. Don’t be afraid about that. None of my disciples ever bow to me. Except when they are ignorant and they don’t know, then they bow, and then I run. And then they bow to an empty chair. Or, I scold them.

Q.135 Does “Quan Âm” exist in the world? Chanting and praying have been seen in many pagodas and temples. Are they the ways or methods to reach enlightenment?

M. “Quan Âm” means the Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. In Aulacese “Quan Âm” means Quan Yin Bodhisattva. This person or this Saint represents the compassionate quality of God, or of the Buddha. Yes! She does exist! Sometimes, She incarnates in this world and takes on the fleshly clothes to help ignorant people. She does exist. She came to China many times. We know who was the incarnation of Quan Yin many times, over and over again. In Tibet also, She reincarnated sometimes.

Second, “Chanting and praying have been seen regularly in many pagodas and temples. Are they the ways or methods to reach enlightenment?” No! No! This is only a part of it. Praying and chanting are necessary to stimulate our sincerity and to help create a sincere and clean atmosphere. But we must be silent in order to communicate with our silent God. Hes is not noisy. And we are busy every day already with our mouth, our actions and thinking. When we go to the church, we are busy again, chanting and talking, and telling God what to do. So, when do you think God will have the time for us, or we will have the time for God? We have to sit in silence. Or even stand in silence and lay in silence, and know where to find God. We must do this apart from prayers and chanting in the temple and in the pagoda.

Q.136 When you help someone, how do you know, you are not interfering with their karma, or with their lessons? If you keep tying someone’s shoe strings, they will never learn to do it themselves. How do you know when to help and when not to help? Should you wait until they ask for help?

M. You don’t need to tie someone’s shoe strings if he can do it himself. When he can’t, because he’s sick, then you may help. So to interfere, or not interfere, this we can’t really help. Sometimes we don’t want to interfere, but then we just do it. So, the best way is to get in touch with God Power, and to possess Godly wisdom. And then God will direct you in what to do. And then you will be free of burden and responsibility. Otherwise there is no way you can do it. Only God knows. When we get in touch with our wisdom, then the wisdom will direct us every day in every affair! And then we will be sure, and we will be certain that we are doing it right. I have the way to show you how to do it the right way! But this takes some time after initiation.

Q.137 Did You know Your destiny from Your earliest memories? Who was Your Master? Was He or She in the Himalayas?

M. In the Himalayas. He’s gone, gone Home. “Do You know Your destiny from Your earliest memory?” Yes. You can know. You also can know, not only I. I not only know mine. I know yours. I know every sentient being in this universe.

Q.138 If someone helps you, do you have to pay back to someone else? Or can you erase the debt by doing good to another?

M. If you can, then pay back to the same person. If not, then you can pay back to others in the name of goodness to all universal beings. If you need help then ask for it, and later try to repay when the time comes. Everyone needs help sometimes.

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Association of Architect, San José, Costa Rica on June 8, 1989

Q.139 When going back to the common life after this lecture, what is Your advice? What is the first thing one should do?

M. It is that you write your name and say that you want to get initiation to get enlightenment, on the information desk outside. That is the first thing you have to do, and the second, read the requirements for that, and then the third, you will get enlightenment. So simple! Then practice as instructed every day.

Q.140 Is it possible to see You privately? Are You living here, staying here to teach for a short or a long time, or are You leaving soon?

M. I leave on the 11th to Brazil and Argentina, because I am on a world tour. But you may see me if there is really something urgent, otherwise you might ask me sometime later; after the lecture, you may ask me again in private. If something is really urgent, you need to tell me in private, and you are welcome.

Q.141 How can one stop suffering?

M. By getting happiness. The great source of happiness is the comfort from God which you get after enlightenment and repeating enlightenment every day. Getting happiness doses and less suffering, just like the doctor gives you medicine, you get less and less pain every day and more and more strength.

Q.142 What exactly is initiation? What exactly is the method?

M. The initation is an invisible process. It is not to be even described by words. However, I would talk for many hours, but then when you get transmission, we don't talk then. I would talk about how you sit, how you get concentration, how you get the blessing of God, and how to be holy every day, how to avoid pitfalls, how to strengthen your faith, how to get better, closer to God each day, how to practice that in everyday life, how to bring God's blessing into everyday life, and this I will talk about, but the method is completely silent. I will transmit it in utter silence, and then you will get enlightenment. Not that you get nothing, you get enlightenment, but in silence. And I transmit it also in silence, so there is nothing much to talk about except that you will get immediate enlightenment.

You will get into contact with God, and you will see some experiences. I mean, something to stimulate your faith and your devotion every day. If you not see some glimpses of God and hear some of Hiers wondrous Sounds, you may not be able to know Hirm and you will not be sure whether God really exists. So you should have some glimpses of Hirm and then every day you get blessings from Hirm. You know it for sure, that God really exists, that God really loves you, that God really blesses you. The method is not to be talked about. I would talk about the concentration, how you see, how you get blessing, and how you meditate every day. But the method is in silence and you get enlightenment also in silence, but you would get enlightenment.

Q.143 What is love?

M. It is this. (Master blows a kiss) When you feel very close to someone, very friendly to someone and very wanted with that someone, that is love. When you feel that despite your shortcomings and your failures and your ego, someone still protects you, guides you, loves you, and helps you, blesses you, that is love. A love of a faithful friend, a love of a wife or husband, children to parents, parents to children, that is a small part of the cosmic love of God.

But God’s love is many thousands, millions and limitless more times than this of our mortal love. I cannot convey Hiers love, but I can lead you into Hiers love to experience yourself and to bathe in it, to enjoy it, and to get spoiled by it. And then you will realize that there is nothing in this world we can compare with that. Even the most, the happiest moment in this life cannot compare to the excess of that, when you are deep in the presence of God’s love.

Q.144 How can You free Yourself from wishes if they are too strong to keep control of them?

M. This is a very good question. We do not suppress our desires. We hardly can do it; only God can. When we are in God’s presence or we contact with God after initiation, we feel less and less desire for anything in this world. We enjoy, but we do not desire. If we fill our inner beings to the full, we don’t feel we need anything, but then we would have everything. I feel happy every moment. I feel fulfilled, satisfied every moment of my life. It is because Hes fills my inner being with all that I need.

You may think that because I live in a very big and beautiful temple, so I am happy. No! I live in a tent, in a forest. My left home disciples also all live in tents. You may think that I get a lot of offerings of money, so I am happy. No! I don’t take offerings. You may think people come and bow to me full-length, prostrate on the ground, so I feel very proud and happy. No! I don’t let anyone prostrate to me. I tell them, “Prostrate to your own God inside. Buddha is within you, God is within you. Develop it yourself and worship yourself because you are so great.”

Knowing ourselves to be great and being proud are two different things. When we know how great we are, we become very humble. To be proud in any form in this world is a kind of inferior feeling. It is just another kind of inferiority complex. Because you don’t know how great you are, you think you are only that great. You think you are a doctor, so you are proud. You think you are a professor, so you’re proud. No, you are God. If you are proud to be a professor, that means you look down upon yourself. You underestimate your position in God’s universe. So I say it is another kind of inferiority complex.

Q.145 Once you have seen and felt enlightenment, is it for sure that you have finished your way towards God?

M. Once you are enlightened, you are not yet finished. You only begin, begin to walk your way Home. Every day we must walk. Enlightenment means now you know this is the way Home, now every day we continue to walk without going astray or feeling lost. So every day we must strengthen this connection with God. And this I’ll also tell you how to do.

The initiation is only the beginning, and after that, the Master has to look after the process of continuing to interest the seekers until he or she fully develops. Then the work of the Master ceases. It is like when you enroll in college, the professor has to teach you until you get the Ph.D. Then you may also become a professor; the same level with him.

Q.146 When Jesus said that the only way to the Father is through Him, what did He mean?

M. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Q. What is Your position with respect to this statement?

M. I fully agree with Him. What He means is that when He was there, He was the Way, He was the Light of the world. In fact He also said, As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. But He said, As long as I am in this world. What He means is that when a living Master is alive, you should follow the Light from the Master to go Home. If the Master is gone, follow another one which succeeds him. Therefore, after Jesus had gone back to the Kingdom of God, He handed the key to Peter. The key of Peter is here. I have it now.

Q.147 How can we follow Your teachings from our country here, in Costa Rica?

M. There is no difference. What I teach is no different from Jesus. You’ve already followed some part of it, the Ten Commandments. I only add the illumination, the connection with Jesus, with God. Then you may directly communicate with Jesus or with God, and ask Them yourself. You may see Jesus through our meditation, through our transmission. You may see Him even at the time of initiation, the first minute of your sitting, if your faith is strong enough. Some of my disciples have already seen Him. They have only been initiated for a few days.

But also you must know the Ten Commandments. The first commandment is that “Thou shalt not kill.” Now most of us think we shall not kill human beings only, but God doesn’t mean that. It means we shall not kill any living being, including our young brothers and sisters, the animals. So I may request you to understand the deeper meaning of not killing. It means to live a very loving life and not to harm anything. Like the Bible says, Don’t eat anything by the eating of which will make your brother stumble and fall. Remember? And, Don’t be among the meat eaters and wine drinkers. So that’s the real meaning of non-killing. Don’t kill animals, and don’t eat them. Because if we eat them, the others have to kill them. So it is indirect killing also.

That’s the only thing I want to call your attention to, the deep understanding of the Bible’s Ten Commandments. Otherwise, nothing else that I teach is new. I only awaken your inner Self, I don’t teach anything new. You may say the Bible doesn’t tell us to eat vegetarian. I want to remind you of many passages or phrases in the Bible which say we should not eat meat and drink wine, like Meat for the belly, belly for the meat and God will destroy them both, the meat and the belly. Don’t be among meat eaters and wine drinkers. So what does that mean? Also in the Bible it is said that God was angry. Once someone required Hirm to give them meat, and God used power, magic transformation to pour down meat like rain to them. But after that Hes slew all of them. Also in the Bible another passage it said, Do not kill the bullocks, the sheep to make offering to me. Wash yourself of the innocent blood so that I might forgive your sin. Repent your sin. Otherwise, I will not listen to your prayers because your hands are full of innocent blood. If God forbids us to kill animals in order to make offerings to Hirm, how would Hes permit us to kill to offer to ourselves? Are we greater than God? Enough of that. I think some of you don’t want to hear already. You must permit me to tell the truth, whether you like it or not. You must give me the right to do the will of God. But you have the right to accept or to reject it. In this way we allow each other to have the right. Thank you.

Q.148 I am not an atheist, but from what I understand in this lecture, an atheist cannot find peace unless he believes in God.

M. I don’t blame you for not believing in God. We cannot believe something we don’t see and not have contact with. You are not an atheist, you are only an honest person. So now if you want to believe in God, or not believe in Hirm, you may decide after you know Hirm. And may I help you to know Hirm? Then you can say whether you believe Hirm or not. It isn’t that you are not believing in God. It is that you cannot believe, you cannot cheat yourself into it.

It is just like you heard someone say, “The neighbor has a beautiful girl or a beautiful boy.” But you have never seen any glimpse of this beautiful person in your neighborhood. And everyone talks about this beautiful girl, but they, themselves included, have never seen this girl. And they force themselves to believe in the existence of this girl, and force you to believe it, and you don’t believe. That is not your fault. It is the lack of information and the lack of reality, the real contact. Everyone will believe in God when they see Hirm. No one would deny God’s love and existence once they experience this greatness.

Q.149 What is Your opinion in relation to the forces of love and sexual energy.

M. The love between a husband and wife is a great comfort to our struggling life. And sometimes we use sex as an expression of this love. As long as you express this true love, I think it is not very harmful. But it is the abuses and indulgence in sexuality that are harmful. Yes or no? Yes. If no, you can ask again.

Q.150 How can you obtain freedom in one life, if you believe that there is a long process of reincarnation?

M. It is because we have already gone through a successive progression of reincarnations. Now we arrive this time, and these people who are ready can get enlightenment in one lifetime, and end the cycle of birth and death. These people will feel a very strong longing in their hearts to end the relation with this world, and they feel a longing to experience God’s love. They are tired of this trouble. These are the people who are ready for the message that I have delivered. We also have free will, remember! We can go on or we can stop. If there is a way to go on, then there must be a way to stop. That is very logical. No? You want to go on, welcome! If you want to stop, also welcome!

Q.151 Do You think that Buddha, Christ, Mohammed and Krishna gave the same message to humanity?

M. I do. I know all of Them. When we travel over there, we work together.

Q.152 When You mentioned that we must not kill any living beings, can we kill a fly, a flea or any type of insect that really affects us?

M. Yes, you can, but you must pay for it.

Q.153 How can we reach that communication so personal with God?

M. Because God is within us. Know you are not that, you are the temple of God and the Spirit dwells within you. God is very intimate with us. Hes is in personal contact with us. If Hes is within us, then we can find Hirm personally.

Q.154 What relationship do You have with the great white fraternity?

M. White fraternity, the brotherhood, the white brotherhood? I don’t know who is black, who is white, all are my brothers. I don’t care black or white. All are my brothers. I understand the white. I don’t make any distinction. The white brotherhood is a spiritual lineage. I have connection with anything that is good and brings people to liberation.

Q.155 Where do we go when we die? Do You believe in hell?

M. We go where we are destined to go, through our present actions and collection of karma. Those who are initiated into the presence of God, into the love of God, they go back to the Kingdom of God, to God’s throne. Yes. I do believe in hell. There is hell. Sometimes I have to go to hell in order to rescue some of the terrible disciples, some of the disciples’ relatives. Hell is not created by God. It is created by our own dark, negative, unloving vibration. It is very real, as real as the hospitals in this world. Hell is a hospital for mental sickness. When we are lacking of love, lacking of virtues, that is when we have mental sickness, so we have to be put into hell to heal.

Q.156 How is enlightenment found? What are the necessary steps?

M. How is the enlightenment attained? Through our own open hearts and through the grace of God. The grace of God is ever flowing, but we must have an open heart to receive it. The grace of God flows through a human vessel and comes to us, like electricity. It is veiled in this wire, comes to us in a form of Light or other instrument.

And what are the conditions or the requirements for it? You may read them in the initiation form outside. Also the only real hard requirement is that of a non-killing diet, nothing else really. For example, do not commit adultery. That everyone already knows. We know we have enough problems with one wife and one husband. We don’t want another, double problems. Like the Ten Commandments, don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t commit adultery. We make it short, into five commandments only. Do not kill includes taking a non-killing diet, meaning a daily diet with all kinds of protein from vegetables and not from animals. So that’s non-killing, and non-lying, non-stealing, non-adultery, non-drinking alcohol or drugs. These are requirements that are good for yourself, and not really commandments. They are not real commandments. They are only a help to your purification.

Q.157 Is God the same for all or does Hes have different ways to manifest Hirmself, and how can we know which one is really the true one? I have always wondered about these things.

M. When we say God, we mean the essence of God, the spirit of God. Hes can descend upon Earth and take many forms. Hes took the form of Buddha, of Jesus, Mohammed, Krishna, Socrates, Plato, etc. And if we are not certain about who is the real commissioner from God, we may pray to God. What is the name of the most sacred temple here? Go over there and pray to the Virgin Mary and get the answer inside, or you pray to Jesus. You ask her if it is yes or no. You can make a deal with her, make a deal with the Virgin Mary.

Q.158 Are we in this life in order to get eternal life, or are there some other beings which do not have this opportunity of eternal life? Are there some who are not entitled to eternal life?

M. No. Everyone is entitled to eternal life. But from this life or next life or next, next, next life. It is a question of time and readiness. We are already in eternal life. You must know. We just change forms. Whereby in the Kingdom of God, the form never changes, that is all. For example, in this world we are happy as human beings, but when we die, our form may become the form of a bird or a lamb. Then we don’t feel so happy about it, or we may be in so-called hell. But in the Kingdom of God when we reach the eternal bliss, we stay always like that. We don’t change, we don’t feel misery again. OK. Here is eternal changing, there is eternal bliss. That is the only difference.

Q.159 Is God only within us?

M. Hes is within and without. Hes is in us and in every other thing. But Jesus says the Kingdom of God is within you. It is because He addresses us. When He addresses the flower, He will also say the same - the Kingdom of God is within you. If He says so to the pigs, He will say the same. But why should He mention this to these beings, when they are not yet developed enough to understand Him? So He mentioned it, He addressed it to us.

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Association of Architect, San José, Costa Rica on June 9, 1989

Q.160 Do You think, dear Master, we can reach enlightenment in only this one incarnation, without the need of having more reincarnations? How?

M. Yes. If you are initiated into my circle then I can promise it. If you are not in my circle, I do not know. I am responsible for those who come to me. Those who don't come, it means they are not ready.

Q.161 In relation to not killing animals, not eating them, my question is this. In Jesus' times He would help to fish, the fish in the ocean, and I think they ate them, these animals. Can we eat the animals from the ocean?

M. I think it is a misinterpretation of the Bible. Yes. Yesterday there was a question concerning this, and I have answered it fully in this booklet. Please go and take one, later. I can mention quickly that Jesus had been born into an Essene family and the Essene tradition is that they eat vegetarian. You must try to read the book about the life, the true life of Jesus; not the Bible, apart from the Bible. It is available in English, and I think Spanish also.

Q.162 Are there notable differences between You and the lamas in Tibet?

M. Yes, great difference. First I'm not a lama. I don't eat fish, meat, wine. I practice the method which they don't practice. They practice visualization, reciting incantations of the mantras, secret words. I don't do this. I'm in direct contact with God. I don't need any mantra. And they sound the gong, the bell and the musical instruments, outside. I play the music instrument inside. That is a great difference. But I like them. They are fine people. They have been very good to me, like you have been good to me.

Q.163 If You are a messenger of God, why don't You teach with the Bible?

M. I haven't used the Bible? Have I? Yes! Must, must I do, do, do this? (Master is holding a book) No, I learned it by heart already. I am the Bible. I have it, in my heart. I have quoted the Bible all along since a few days, four days. I have talked nothing except the Bible. You see you are used to the priest, yes. He takes a page of the Bible and reads it, and then he reads the next one, and then he does like this. OK. I can do that. Next time, I'll bring the Bible. (Laughter) And then it is perfect. (Applause) You are lovely.

Q.164 Jesus took fish from the ocean to eat. How can You say He was vegetarian?

M. He took the fish to eat it. That is what you think? Yes, I have said already it is a misinterpretation. Firstly, the life of Jesus since childhood has been the life of a vegetarian. Secondly, He disappeared into India and Tibet for nineteen years, into the range of the Himalayas and the border of Tibet. And these people, the yogis, the Buddhist monks He met, they are all vegetarians in India. How can He after nineteen years living with vegetarians... if He hasn’t been vegetarian since childhood, if He wasn’t a vegetarian. You don’t need to believe me that He was a vegetarian since childhood. But after being nineteen years a vegetarian, how can you go back and eat meat again? It becomes a habit.

I say it is very difficult for me to prove what people have already printed wrong. They even printed my books wrong, I tell you. Yes! And this is interesting, how people can even hear wrong. My disciple, one of the resident disciples, she just became a resident for a few weeks and she kept asking people why Master says sexuality is good. I said I never said that. Now these questions and answers, about thousands of them, this is only a part of it (Master shows a stack of questions and answers), that we could not type, so we wrote it by hand. When I dictate, I say different things, and when they translate it, they translate different things, then when they write it down it’s even more different. So today, I have been changing and changing all these questions and answers, and I am still alive. Never mind Jesus, dead two thousand years ago. People say what they want about Him. He can’t open His mouth anymore.

We must believe what is logical, not what people tell us. Use your wisdom. For example, I tell you so straight, in the Bible it is said, Thou shall not kill, and that you should not kill animals to make offerings to God. God said so. And now, would Jesus go against a commandment of God? Would He do that? To kill? It’s not logical. But I do not blame you, because the Buddhist people, some of them also believe the Buddha ate meat. Yes. Jesus we might have to believe, but Buddha, He had been a Brahmin, a Brahmin. The Brahmins, they never eat meat in India. And the Brahmin monks never eat meat. I don’t know where they get this information from, but they say that the Buddha ate meat.

But you read my book. I explain more in detail about this misunderstanding, please. I am not against you. I am just against the misinterpretation, and I just want to defend Jesus’ glory. He is all love, all compassion and He keeps the commandments of God, He doesn’t commit anything like that. You see now why some of the Buddhist people don’t like me. Because I always defend Jesus. They love to see that Jesus ate meat so they can tell people that Jesus is no good., and I always defend Him, so they don’t like me. (Laughter) They have no excuse to say that Jesus is no good, see.

Q.165 In Quan Yin, is it the Vibrations that stimulate the third eye, the pineal gland or hypophysis gland that provokes beneficial chemical changes?

M. Provokes what? (Chemical change. This gentleman is interested in chemistry.) Oh my God, you scientist. You see, it is not the stimulating of these glands. We stimulate our wisdom. Stimulate our compassion, our love. We stimulate the inner man and awaken the inner sleeping man up, the driver within the car.

Q.166 Is there a chemical reason for a vegan diet besides compassion?

M. There is another reason besides compassion for eating vegan. It is like this. The animals have animals’ consciousness, and although they are not as high as human consciousness they know how to love life, they know hatred, love, anger and fear. Therefore when we eat the animals we also have to accept the fear, the anger, the frustration, the hatred which are contained in the meat and in the vibration around the meat of the animal. Yes. And that makes us restless and feeling guilty. Sometimes it affects us mentally, makes us ill, sick or tired and sluggish. It is difficult to get enlightenment in this kind of restlessness.

But, you all know also that animals carry a lot of illness. Most of the hospitals take care of meat eaters, not vegan eaters. America is the biggest meat eating country in the world, and they have the greatest, the biggest cancer rates in the world. So, it’s also for our health sake that we should be vegan. The Russian and the Chinese don’t have so much meat because they are underprivileged and their rates of cancers are very low, the lowest ones.

And I heard that your country eats meat very little. When I come to your country, I feel so peaceful, so happy. And I give the people candies and shake peoples’ hands at the airport, people whom I never knew before. Last night I also embraced some of you, and shook your hands, and held your hands and talked to you very closely. I never did that before, five years in Formosa, may I report to you? Or in America or elsewhere. It helps! (Applause) I mean only my disciples in Formosa, only my disciples can touch my hand, but only rarely, on my birthday only. And only a few of them, not all of them can touch me. And that surprised many people already, because I never did it before, they couldn’t touch me before. So be happy that your country has a good vibration because your people don’t eat meat that much. (Applause)

I tell you the truth. I never embraced my disciples before in Formosa. For five years I have been very famous in Formosa and, even my resident disciples, they could touch my feet only on Jesus’ birthday, on Christmas day. Do you know what the residents, my disciples who have followed me for many years ask from me? They ask me if they can kiss my feet, hold my feet for awhile. They could never be able to touch me before.

Then be happy that you are underprivileged and do not eat so much meat, and I feel so close to you because of your good vibrations. Alright. Congratulations. In your country I feel the gentleness from almost everyone I meet on the street and here. And when I lecture I feel so very close to you, I mean very comfortable, and I feel you understand very readily, very quickly. In some other countries, or in Formosa sometimes I talk many days and they cannot capito! Formosa eats meat a lot! They have money.

Q.167 Why is there this physical distance with Your disciples?

M. Because I did not like to touch them. (Laughter) What I mean is that, I will in the future, I will be more open to them. But what I mean is that, what you might think was normal yesterday, it was really special because of your good vibration. That’s why I share with you the story. It didn’t feel natural in Formosa. It feels natural here. It’s because of the vibration of your people. Even though you are not initiated, I feel so close. I mean you should be happy about that. Also the customs in Formosa, they’re different. You don’t mind about that. It has nothing to do with God, OK. Forget it.

Q.168 What do I need to visit You in Formosa? May I stay a few days with You? Today I want to be initiated.

M. Of course, you are welcome to come to my residential mountain any time you wish, and stay as long as you wish, as long as your visa permits, and it will be all free of charge, and free of love. Take a tent with you, we don’t have a house, OK. Take a tent, a small tent. If you don’t have it, we will provide. No problem. Take a sleeping bag. Let us know in advance, so if we are home we can go and fetch you. So you don’t get lost on the road, OK! That is all the conditions. You know my address.

Q.169 Is Your method the only one to reach enlightenment?

M. As far as I know; anyhow, the quickest and to reach the highest.

Q.170 Is it absolutely indispensable to become vegan? If I am not ready to be vegan, can I keep on trying to get closer to God?

M. Yes. You must keep on praying to get close to God. Use the method I have taught you before the lecture, ... and you may get closer to God than just a mere prayer. God is inside.

Q.171 Why is there so much suffering in the world, and what is our individual human response to that?

M. We are responsible for the suffering of the world, every one of us. It is from our wrong actions from the past, our wrong action in the present, and our sometimes negative vibrations that cause the negative atmosphere in this world, and affect the whole of humankind, including ourselves, everyone is responsible, more or less... a little more, or a little less. So that’s why Jesus said to us that we must be born again, be an innocent baby, be pure as a child. Then we may enter the Kingdom of God.

Q.172 After initiation, how can I keep on growing?

M. I would tell you at the time of initiation. That’s why the initiation takes such a long time, many hours. Otherwise, the enlightenment is very quick.

Q.173 Is there a destiny? Does destiny exist? Is my life already written?

M. Yes. There is a destiny. Our life is already written. We could not change much this life but we want to change the future life. Why is our life fixed? It is from the actions, the result of our actions in past lives. But the future is still open. So the Quan Yin Method of meditation is to teach you how to eliminate the connection with the future, that you may go free, back Home to the Kingdom of God. Yes, I will tell you how to live a life that will avoid the karma, the bad effects for the future, how to cut the karma, and not sow seeds for the future. Also the Quan Yin Method and the Master Power will cleanse whatever you may do mistakenly in this life, so that you don’t have to go back again in the future.

Q.174 How can I manage that during meditation my mind doesn’t go to other things which are not God? How can I manage during meditation so that my mind will keep thinking about God, and not other things?

M. I will also teach you at the initiation. I take care of everything that you may need. I not only transmit the God Power to you, but I also take care of the material information. For other people, try as much as you can to centralize on God. Whenever you forget God, quickly bring yourself back again to remember Hirm.

Q.175 Do You think if I received Your literature about Your method, I could be initiated? Just through the literature?

M. Correspondence? No, we have not made a correspondence course yet. (Laughter) But why don’t you get it tonight, instead of getting it through correspondence? The method is not spoken by language. When I transmit this to you, we are both silent. It is through the grace of God, that Master Power, that you get it, not through the language. The language I only use to introduce it only. Like when I talk about candy. The candy itself is not the talk. If I draw a candy and say it to you, is that all right? Would it be sweet, on the paper? No, it’s just a drawing of a piece of candy.

Q.176 How do we know if we are enlightened? How do we know?

M. We know. Enlightened means you see Light. Enlightened means you are in Light. The Light within you will be enlightened, so you will see the Light. Also in the Bible it is said, In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God. So, if we hear the inner Word that means we are in contact with God. When you are enlightened you will hear the Word of God.

Q.177 Why did Jesus permit violence to His physical body when He died?

M. Because that is the will of God. God ordered Him to suffer this way in order to cleanse the sins of His disciples, those that took refuge in Him at that time so that they may be cleansed of the original sin, and that they may go Home to God. Not only Jesus, any Master sent from God has to suffer for the sins of whomever He takes to be His disciples. So if you read the life of many Saints and many Masters, all of them died a terrible death, or suffered a lot of persecution and pain all their life. No Saint is without suffering.

Therefore sometimes we are made to believe that suffering makes us nearer to God. But suffering alone doesn’t make us nearer to God, except when we are already in God, in contact with God, and Hes makes us suffer for other’s sake, or for our own sake. If suffering will make us nearer to God then all the people in hell are already Home with God. The people in hell would come back to God immediately, because they suffer more than us. It is suffering through God’s will, that is the difference. OK! Many people were also nailed on a cross before Christ and after Christ, but they don’t come to God in that way. When we are in contact with God, and every suffering and every happiness is by God’s will, then anything will bring us to God, even happiness.

Q.178 So far, You have talked only about Jesus’ death. Do You believe that He resurrected and ascended into Heaven, and is able to intercede for us from Heaven?

M. Yes, I believe. He did not die on the cross. He died in India, when He was a hundred twenty years of age. In Kashmir, there is still a tomb of Jesus and one of His close disciples. You may visit it. Outside there is still His name in Arabic “Jesustaphus” and the life story of Him. He fled to India, and taught people in Kashmir until one hundred twenty years. Jesus had learned many yogic capabilities including dying at will and coming back to life at will, including not feeling the suffering of the body. So He just died, just a false death. And He used His yogic power to rise again. He also learned how to fly. Milarepa of Tibet also can fly. Some people still can fly today. (Applause) Thank you. I have come to the tomb of Jesus. I worshipped His tomb, put some money in the box in offering to Him. And I meditated with Him, in His memory, yes. Until people threw me out because it was too late, and they wanted to close the door.

Q.179 Why is it that Christ died in Israel yet all the people from Israel didn’t believe in Him? The only ones who did were His disciples.

M. Yes, there is a reason. Because in the Hebrew Bible, at that time, it was wrongly interpreted that the Messiah will come in so many thousands of years. And the Hebrew, the Jewish people now, they are still waiting for the Messiah? They are still waiting for the Messiah. How many Messiahs, I mean messengers of God, have come and gone, and come and gone? How many souls have gone back to the Kingdom of God? The Jews are still waiting for the Messiah. So what can we do about the ignorance of human beings? Nothing I guess.

Also, it is difficult for us, for our pride, for our arrogance to believe that there is another person that looks like me, with a nose, two eyes and two ears that has become a Saint. How? She looks like me! She eats, She sleeps, but why did She become a Saint? I can’t believe it. This is our arrogance, our pride. It’s difficult to worship God in a human form, difficult for us to accept that a human form can house the God Power inside. But God says that we have the Kingdom of God, we are the temple of God, and God lives in it! How many times do we read it and how many times we do not understand?

When I first came here before I lectured, I looked at all of you and my tears wanted to fall down. You know why? I saw so many Gods here. I just wanted to hold you. I wanted to bow to your feet and love you because you are God. (Applause) I was so happy to meet God. And a moment later, I was sad. I think, why don’t you see God inside you? Why don’t you know that you are God like I know, and I was so sad then.

Just drop away our arrogance, our unvirtuous life, our unrighteous life, our wrong thinking and we will see God. So simple is that. Just like I cover something, my face, now I don't see you. But if I drop it out, then I see. Very simple. We are covered. God is covered by the veil of our ignorance, our sins, our wrongful thinking. Once we take the veil away, wash it, then we will see God. At the initiation, I will help you to take away the veil. Then you may see God, you may hear God. That's very simple. Any more questions?

Q.180 Is it advisable for a person who has had a mental problem, for instance, severe depression to meditate? Is meditation advisable for such a person?

M. Yes, It would cheer you up, it would make you happy. You are depressed because you don't see God, you are separated from Hiers love. Once you are connected with Hirm, feel Hiers presence and love, you will no more be depressed. We are all depressed, some more, some less, because we are separated from God, and we long to meet Hirm. Therefore even if we have a lot of money, we have a good wife, good husband, somehow we are never always happy in this world. Somehow we always feel something is wrong, something is missing. Also, sometimes we do something wrong, but it is also because we think if we do that, we will feel happy. It is because we lack God's love. Therefore when we are initiated and get in touch with God, we will not do wrong things again. It's easier for us to keep the commandments then. It's easier for us to love our enemy then, because we have God's support directly.

Thank you! Remember God.

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil on June 15, 1989

Q.181 What is the relationship between the divine Light and the divine Sound?

M. The Light is to show us the way back to God, the Sound is to pull you upward. It is like the light and the engine of the car; the light is to show you the road, the engine is to take you on the road. Whoever asked this question must have some experience already. Do you practice the Light and Sound? Who is the master? You want to say? Indian master? Don't know his name?

Q.182 What do You think about the end of the world which has been announced by many religions?

M. I think nothing!

Q. Is it true? Is it close to us?

M. The end of the world? Yes, very close. You want to know how close is it? It could be five minutes, could be tomorrow. When you leave this world, you end your life, that is the end of the world. What is the use if the world exists when you ended your world? So that is what I call the end of the world and we should take care of that. I may tell you how to not to end the world. I don’t care about the end of the world, I have the way not to end the world. I try to make it more humorous, not so serious. You see, because every one of us has to end our own world soon, therefore, I come to tell you how to save your life. Whether our world ends, or how many worlds end, it makes no difference to us. We would live in the eternity by awakening the Kingdom of God within us, and live in that Kingdom of God.

Q.183 Do You believe the world will find peace in the next year, or perhaps in the next decade? Thank You!

M. Yes, I believe, if we all find our peace, then the world will have peace. Let it begin with us! The way to find peace is to practice peace within you, practice the Quan Yin Method of meditation, the method of the contemplating on the heavenly Light and heavenly Vibration, and practice loving kindness every day in your life by not killing, not stealing, not telling lies, not committing adultery, not drinking intoxicants and taking drugs. These will contribute to the world peace. Not killing means you also have to take a vegan diet because God didn’t say in the Ten Commandments that Thou shall not kill humans. Hes said Thou shall not kill. Killing means taking away life. So anything that has life and we take it away, that is killing.

Today, in the car, there was an interesting story about the Amazon. Someone told me, in the Amazon, there are still some tribes, they kill people and eat them. Many adventurers went there, and never go back. And some of them escaped to go home and tell the story. And I was struck with the feeling of fear. You know I was feeling the fear of the people who are being killed at that moment. And I said to my companion, “It must be a terrifying feeling when you know you are going to be killed for lunch.” And he said “Yes! Yes! It must be horrible, because that killing way might not be very quick like when we use a gun and kill, but it might be slow even. Cutting!” Because people there have no feeling for the victims, they don’t have the habit of thinking how the others who are being killed will be feeling. It is their habit to kill and eat. Only for the victim, it must be horrifying, must be terrible!

So I said, “This is the same as when people kill animals and eat.” We lose the consideration for the feeling of the animals. Must be also awful for those animals who could not speak our languages, could not defend for themselves. Now if we exchange the place, the position, then we can feel how the animal feels. Place yourself in it, place yourself in the place of the adventurers in the Amazon. When he is caught and sliced by the tribes people over there, this will be a fearful experience.

Therefore, the Bible said, Thou shall not kill. Buddha also emphasized Thou shall not kill. The first commandment of any religion is Thou shall not kill. But we forget to see that killing has two aspects, direct and indirect. If we don’t eat the animals, then no one will kill and sell them. So no-killing also means a vegan diet. If every one of us eats vegan, then the world will have peace, no need to talk about peace. It will be peaceful, will be paradise. Because peace must be for human beings as well as for animals.

Animals and humans all are inhabitants of this Earth equally. As soon as there were humans, there were already animals. So we are neighbors, human and animal. If there must be peace, then peace is for all, not for humans alone, yes! Because animals they are also crying for peace every day. If we have the inner ears of God, we will hear them crying and would know their language. I have gone too far.

Q.184 But the vegetables also have life. How is it in this situation? What about the vegetables?

M. They also have life but their consciousness is very, very low. They hardly feel much. So actually when we eat vegetables we also collect some so-called “karma.” “Karma” means As you sow, so shall you reap. If you kill, you will get killed. That is the meaning of “karma.” If we hit someone, later we will get beaten. That is called “karma.”

When we eat the plants, we also have, but very minimal “karma,” very little, and when we meditate every day for two to three hours we will clean it out. If we do not meditate on God, it’s difficult to clean this even minimal karma. Therefore, the practice of the Heaven of God, of the Kingdom within is necessary because even before eating vegetables, we have already killed. We breathe, we walk, and we wash our hands, and all these are killing. 

So it doesn’t mean if we eat vegan we are free of sins. Even if we don’t eat anything we sin. We sin from our past life’s karma, what the Bible calls “original sin.” We sin from breathing in and killing so many invisible insects. We sin from washing our clothes and washing our body, disinfecting our body, and killing many insects, invisible insects, from walking on the earth, on the grass and everywhere. Therefore, no way we can escape except using the greatest force inside and cleaning everything out. That is what we called the grace of God. We can take the grace of God out every day to cleanse our house. Without this, there is hardly any chance to go back to the Kingdom of God. That is what I want to share with you, how to clean ourselves every day from the inevitable sins and unavoidable sins.

Q.185 How can I feel that spiritual eternity exists? How can I believe that there will be and there are other lives?

M. We have no need to feel. We must experience it. I have the way to show you how to experience that; no need to believe what I said, or the Buddha said, or Jesus said. We have to know it, see it, and to realize it within ourselves. That is why there are so many religious scriptures in the world, which describe so many Heavens and so many hells and all these kinds of virtues and sins, but people still do bad things because they can not believe in what the scriptures said, because they don’t have their own experience about Heavens and hells. Therefore, it doesn’t make a deep impression in their hearts. So it is hard for them to avoid making troubles, to avoid committing wrong deeds.

Q.186 How could You explain the hunger phenomenon in Africa? Have You served in the Red Cross over there? How do You explain these problems?

M. No! I haven’t served in Africa. The hunger problem in Africa is always there. Somewhere in Africa, in some places that are very remote, even a jeep car cannot come in, and it is difficult to even locate where they are. Sometimes the area is covered around with swamps, with mud. You could not even walk in it. Walk across it and you will die in the mud, in the swamps. So most of the time they use helicopters. But the helicopters can take only so much, so the people are starving and the supplies outside couldn’t get inside. That is why it is difficult for the Red Cross, or any cross to help the people starving there. Africa is so great a continent, and so uncivilized, not enough roads, not enough transportation. I worked in the Red Cross, but in Germany. I worked as a translator in the refugees’ program. Of course, there is a lot of suffering also, in that aspect.

Q.187 Can we exchange karmas? Can those who were born with heavy karma change with someone who has a lighter karma?

M. Definitely, you could clean it all out. Even with a lighter karma, you still are not free. Better that you clean out everything. I can do that. It’s my job. But you must follow some instructions, and we have to work together. You must allow me to clean your house, and don’t cling to the garbage.

Q.188 When we die, does our spirit stay in the atmosphere of this planet, or does it go to another world?

M. It depends on what you do this life. If you are virtuous, meaning giving to others, serving others as much as you can by your loving kindness, or by your property, or by your service of labor, then when you die you go to Heaven, small Heaven not a big one. To go back to the greatest Heaven, the end, the highest Heaven, you must practice to know the presence of God, the Light and the Sound of God within you. If we are not virtuous and we are abusing other people and we are unkind or unloving, after we die we go to hell. If our behavior is like an animal’s, we might even have to wear an animal’s clothes next time; meaning we have to experience the life of an animal in order to know how to be kind, how to behave as a human being.

Q.189 Without the guidance of a Master, meaning without interior work, is it possible to obtain enlightenment?

M. Maybe! But to a very small degree, not to the highest, and often with a lot of dangers to our health and mentality. That is why we see someone practice alone and they get very weak, or they become mentally disturbed, or they become possessed. We have heard about these. If you have a Master, these won’t happen. But the Master must be a perfect, a real, a competent Master, who has reached the highest goal, who is omnipresent, meaning one who is in one place, in many places, in all places, in the whole universe at the same time, and who knows your problems without asking, who helps you before you even know it. Then you are in safety.

Q.190 Basically, who is God? And what is the biological structure of God?

M. Who is God? You! You! We have two sides to our nature. One is physical, and one is super physical. I find no words for it, so I have to say it is super-physical, spirit; one is physical, one is spirit. The spirit means the God who sleeps inside our body. And if we awaken that sleeping spirit that is God, then we become God. Like Jesus said, I and my Father are one. Then we become one with the whole universe. Then we reach the state which Lao Tzu describes as “Wan Wuh Tong I Ti,” meaning all the universe is the same essence, all things in the universe are one. Then we become perfect as God in Heaven, as Father in Heaven is perfect. At that time we say, people will say we are the Buddha or the Christ.

To reach this stage demands perseverance and regular practice. It is like a baby. He has to eat a little every day, but every day he must eat; then he grows up, becomes and adult. He couldn't eat the whole thing and become an adult in one night. That also would kill him. But he must eat a little, a little but every day. Now we must take a little bit of God's food every day to be great and to be completely enlightened like Jesus or Buddha. Then the inner man, the God in us is completely awakened, completely grown up. Then we become God. The God that walks the Earth, that eats, that sleeps, that loves people and contacts people. Outside, we don't change. We only change in the consciousness, in the wisdom and in the way, the view point of life.

Q.191 Why do we live in a time so full of disharmony and problems? What is the future of humanity?

M. Why do we live in this time? Because we choose to live in this time, because we haven't corrected our way of life in the past. But we can correct it from today, and in the future we don't have to live in this kind of disharmonious world anymore. It is still not late, not yet the end of the world. If you believe in the end of the world then correct it quickly today, and then escape it. I have the way. I'll show you. I'll show you at the initiation, how to escape. We escape into the Kingdom of God. We don't need to move our house or move the body. We have a metaphysical way to move out of trouble, and it's very safe, very quick. Any instant, we can move in. I will show you!

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil on June 16, 1989

Q.192 From the first being, the vegetable arose, then following, the first animal. They grew up separately. Do You think that one day we will go back to unite to the vegetables and animals in the future?

M. No! No! Our tendency is to go upward, back to the Kingdom of God where we came from in the first place. Yes, when we go upward sometimes we fall down. Maybe so, that we may become an animal again for one, two, three, four lives. But then later we go back up again. There is no union with vegetable life again. We might be, just for a short while, but not back forever in that stage. It is like when we climb up the hill, sometimes we miss our feet and roll down again for a while. But then we climb up again, because we want to go to the top.

Q.193 I would like to know what are the Five Guidelines that we shall practice besides meditating and being vegans.

M. Guidelines, it’s easy. It’s like the Ten Commandments, only shorter. The first is you shall not kill, therefore eat vegan. Because we eat vegan, no one kills. The second is you do not tell lies. The third is you do not steal, but give. What it is? Not killing but helping life. Not telling lies but always tell the truth, and preach the Truth to others. Yes. Not stealing but giving in charity. Yes. Not having adultery but have one wife, one man, like that. Or become a nun. Or become a monk. (Master and everyone laugh) This he doesn’t like. We forget it. One wife is enough. One man, one wife, this is good. And the fifth is you don’t drink alcohol, gamble, take drugs, or watch these kind of, very poor ladies movies. Poor lady means they have no clothes on, they can’t afford it. These are the Five Guidelines. Alright? It’s difficult to laugh when we must listen to the translation. I know, otherwise we will explode here with laughter.

Q.194 What is Your name in Portuguese?

M. My name in Portuguese “Ching Hai.” Can you say that? Ching Hai means the pure sea. Pure sea, clear sea. So what is that in Portuguese? I want to know. (M.C. says, “Mar Puro.”) Mar Puro, my name, is Mar Puro.

Q.195 How can we abandon the selfishness inside our hearts?

M. Slowly, slowly, and by the practice of the Quan Yin Method of meditation. If we practice this Quan Yin Method, it means we are in touch with God Power, and only God Power can help us in any way. God Power will give us everything we need, give us tolerance, give us unselfishness, give us wisdom and love. We are selfish because we don’t have enough love. We are craving for love. We feel no one loves us, that it’s not enough, so we try to hurry up and love ourselves more. We try to make up for the lack of love by loving ourselves in this way.

As soon as we practice this method, we are in the presence of God. We feel we are loved, and we are loved by our Master, by our fellow practitioners, by God. Then we don’t feel any more selfishness. It just simply leaves us. After we are initiated we are in touch with God Power, then we feel we are loved by God. We feel fulfilled, satisfied inside. And also we feel the Master’s love. We feel the unity between the fellow practitioners, then we just feel so secure and we don’t need any more selfishness. It will leave us, it will leave us automatically, naturally. Yes. It may not be in one day, but shortly.

Selfishness is a form of love. It’s loving ourselves. At least you love yourself. You must learn from there. If we know how to love ourselves later we will know how to love others. If we do not know how to take care of ourselves, if we couldn’t learn how to be comfortable, how to make ourselves comfortable, how would we know how to offer the same to others. So this is only a kind of lesson which is very useful later, when our love expands from self to others.

Q.196 Can a dog have a Master’s love?

M. Sure. Definitely, why not? A dog sometimes is more lovable than a human being. Sometimes it’s easier to love a dog than to love a human.

Q.197 How can we stop using marijuana, and cigarettes?

M. We must make a strong commitment to stop first. When there is a will there is a way. Then the Master will help you when you are sincere. Marijuana, is that a kind of hashish? Hashish, like hashish mild. Not so strong like L.S.D. No? (M.C. says, “Not so strong. It’s a grass, you smoke it and you get crazy.”) It’s a pity. You must learn to stop it. Take another kind of substitute, take chewing gum, candy, chocolates. Help yourself with whatever you want, but not with drugs. And pray to whomever you believe to help you. Pray strongly, sincerely, and you’ll get help.

Q.198 Can we become Masters by studying the words of God in the Bible and by knowing how to interpret them correctly?

M. He means if he studies the Bible can he become a Master? I am sorry. No! Before Jesus was born there was no Bible, and He became a Master. Before Buddha was born there were no Buddhist scriptures and He became a Master. Today we have so many Buddhist scriptures, so big, Catholic Bibles distributed freely, but no one becomes a Master. Books can not make us become a Master. We can become a Master if we study with a Master.

You want to become a doctor, you study with a doctor. Reading books is helpful but it’s not practical, you have to learn how to give injections by practicing under the guidance of a doctor, of a licensed doctor, of an experienced doctor. Medical doctor. You have to learn to feel the pulse, many many times, under the guidance of an experienced doctor. You have to learn to cut the stomach of someone, how much, how long, how deep. You must do it with the watchful eyes of an experienced surgeon. You can’t just do it from books. Otherwise you will kill the patient and put yourself in jail.

Q.199 What is meditation?

M. Meditation, there are many kinds. Some are good for health, some are good for the mind, some are good for the intellect, some are good for money, are you surprised? Some are good for money. Because you can make good business if you concentrate on your work. The intensive concentration is meditation. So all of us meditate every day. Some meditate on a wife, some meditate on beautiful girls, some meditate on money, some meditate on business. Our meditation is on God. And I will show you God before you meditate on Hirm. It’s just like you must see a beautiful girl, or you must know your wife, before you can meditate on her. So what kind of meditation do you want to learn from me? For money? Yes? Yes, everyone says yes. (Master and everyone laugh) Business? Yes, For health? For God? I’ll think about it. (Master and everyone laugh) you tell me what you want and I may teach you.

Q.200 Do You believe there is a devil, Satan? How do You explain them?

M. I believe. I believe there are devils, Satan. It’s easy to have devils. Devils are produced from our bad thoughts, bad deeds, bad reactions, from our negative way of life. When you see someone outside killing someone, that is when you see the devil. When you see someone cheating someone else for his property or wife or whatever, that is the devil. So every misery in this world, every devilish thing in this world is caused by our own human beings’ reactions or wrong thinking. This becomes hardened into a kind of atmosphere, and then it continues, action and reaction, until the atmosphere is erased, or has lost its intensity. Then there is no more evil.

But because the human race continues to create this kind of atmosphere, therefore we always have devils. The good force comes and cleans in one place, and in the other place it starts again. Or it cleans the evil atmosphere today and tomorrow it starts another. The contrast to the evil force is the God force, the force of loving kindness, of tolerance, of live and let live, of peace. Therefore we have to meditate on goodness, on God, in order to liquidate some of these evil forces which are always produced in the world. If there are no good forces at all then there are only evil forces in this world. Then this world will become hell. Hell is a place where good force is missing. No cleaning process going on. Only evil, evil, evil all the time.

Q.201 When we get enlightened are we better able to resolve real problems such as abrupt changes and difficult things like these?

M. Definitely. Yes, it has certain effects. We may be able to live a better, smoother life. Because we think clearer, so we solve problems better.

Q.202 What is initiation?

M. Initiation is to connect you back to your own God Power again. Connect you back, connect you with your own God Power inside, or back to your Buddha Nature (inner Nature). It’s the same thing. Just like an electrician, the wires are there, the bulbs are there, but there is no light. Then he fixes them together, and then there is light. He connects the light with the power house and then there is light.

Q.203 How can initiation be achieved?

M. It’s what we called baptism in Catholicism, or taking refuge in Buddhism. Taking refuge, take refuge in the Buddha, relying on the Buddha. You see, in the Bible it is said that when John the Baptist baptized with the water, Jesus saw the Light from Heaven. White Light from Heaven came down like a bird. This is a kind of initiation. That’s an initiation. When you see Light you are enlightened; that’s an initiation. It doesn’t happen due to water. It happened due to the force of John the Baptist. Otherwise we bathe in water every day, everyone bathes in the water and doesn’t get enlightened.

But the Master does not need always to use water. He can use a flower, or a candle, or fire, or he can use nothing, only Holy Spirit. Therefore John the Baptist said, No doubt I baptize with water, but the one who comes after me, who is much mightier than I am, will baptize with the Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is invisible. You can’t hold it, you can’t catch it, you will only have it. You will receive it in silence at the time of initiation. The Master won’t talk, won’t shake your hand, doesn’t even need to do this (Master touches Her own head). It’s helpful to do but not necessary, because when the Master touches you no doubt the current is stronger. But the Master doesn’t even need to do that to give you the initiation, to give you the Light of God like John the Baptist did.

Q.204 Why are we born man or woman?

M. Why we are born as man or woman? Because we like it that way, the men all like women. And the women all like men. That’s why we have man and woman. It’s to fulfill your desire. As long as you have no more desire for man and woman, you will be born in the land where there is no difference between man and woman. In the Kingdom of God there is no man, no woman. In the Buddhist scriptures it says also that in the Western Paradise, Amitabha Buddha (an enlightened being) has no men, no women. but we are happy with it.

In this stage we couldn’t imagine that. No man, no woman would be boring. No, no it’s not boring. I shouldn’t have told you this. No? You might not want to go there. Still want to go, to go back Home? No man, no woman is OK? We have other happiness, other blissfulness. Because we do not know other kinds of bliss, we think only man and woman can have happiness together. No, there are thousands of times more happiness than that.

It’s just like when we are a baby we can’t think of anything better than milk. But when we grow up we have other things, nicer, tastier. We see things differently. We enjoy life in different ways. So to be enlightened is to grow up spiritually. We can see larger, longer distances. We know many more things. We enjoy different kinds of happiness.

Q.205 What do You think about AIDS?

M. What should I think about it? I never think about it, but since you ask me I have to think about it. I think it’s bad for us, for our younger generation. It is a warning from God that we must go back to a virtuous life. We must respect the commandments. We must get enlightened. We must rely on God’s grace instead of swimming in the sensual enjoyments of the flesh and material wealth.

Q.206 In the world now are five billion humans. Will all of us go back Home, be saved one day?

M. Go back Home, be saved one day? It will take a long time, take a long time. No one listens to the messenger of God. I mean a very, very few people do. Very few want to go Home. They attach to this material world and the enjoyments of this illusion. They don’t believe there is anything else besides this.

Q.207 What is the hope for humankind?

M. Enlightenment, this Method. Back to union with God, united with God, that’s the only hope for us. That’s the only hope for us.

Q.208 Jesus was enlightened and He ate fish. Is it necessary not to eat animals to be a Master?

M. It is necessary. Jesus never ate fish. Many people misunderstand the Bible. Jesus was vegetarian since He was born, and when He was in the womb even. You should study more the life of Jesus; in another separate book, not in the Bible. You see the fish He brought and gave to people may even be vegetarian fish. In Formosa we have many kinds of vegan meat. We make chicken, vegan chicken. We call it “Chun su shi,” vegan chicken. We make vegan ham, beef, vegan fish. The fish looks exactly the same as real fish, and tastes similar. And we have all kinds of “Niu,” “Kou-Niu.” “Kou-Niu” means dry beef. So when I give my disciples dry beef, you don’t think I give them beef steak, or beef. Dry beef, but it’s a vegan beef. It’s the name of that vegan food.

Jesus was born in a vegetarian family, a vegetarian tradition, the Essene tradition. They have eaten vegetarian since thousands of years before Jesus was born even. And He was born into that family, that tradition. Yes, this you can study in the book about the life of Jesus. Just like when you’re born in the Brahmin family in India, then you automatically become vegetarian. They were vegetarian thousands of years before Buddha was born. But that’s nothing. The Buddhist people also think Buddha ate meat. And this mushroom He ate is called pig’s feet in the Indian language. So people assume He ate pig’s feet and died.

And in India also there are many kinds of small sweet, sweet balls. Sweet balls, small and big sweet. They call it sweet meat. So you think I go to India and ate meat every day? Yes I did, I ate sweet meats, sweet meats mean candy. Sweet stuff. That’s all there is to eating meat in India. So there is a lot of misunderstanding all the time, all the time. Always misunderstanding, especially after the Master has left the body. Especially after the Master has left the body, the misunderstanding is even more grave.

Q.209 Is it possible that drugs might destroy the spiritual side of human beings?

M. Yes, if you continue, it will. If we don’t stop it now, it will. Our younger generation is beginning to taste this kind of destructive drug and is beginning already to degrade. We destroy our intelligence, and intelligence is necessary for spiritual development. We destroy our sensitive nerve cells in the brain which are necessary for spiritual attainment, development.

Q. And in this case will enlightenment become more difficult?

M. Yes, but better late than never. Start it today. I have initiated some people who took drugs before. He promised to stop it. But then his enlightenment was not as great as others at the same time, at the same initiation. He suffers.

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Japanese Culture Society, Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 17, 1989

Q.210 Master, You mentioned inner Power. Please talk more about it . What kind of practice is necessary to develop it?

M. The practice that I've mentioned is the Quan Yin Method of meditation. It's the best way, the safest way to develop this inner Power, or God Power, or Christ Power. Quan Yin means contemplating on the Sound of God, on the Word of God. This Sound of God or Word of God is God Hirmself, so when we are in contact with this Word of God, we are in contact with God. This is the inner Vibration, the inner Music, not the outer. This is what the Bible called the Word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

If we know this Word, if we are in contact with this Word, we are with God, and God will take care of everything for us. In other words, it means we have the God Power and then we can take care of everything in a better way. Because we become God, we lose the “I,” the ego, we attain the limitless divinity, we are filled with that divinity, we are filled with God, and we are God. And at that time when we have this inner Power, we can do whatever we want, we can be anywhere we like, we can save anyone we love to save.

Q.211 Master, what's fornication?

M. Why do you ask me? You already know what it is. If you are in it then please just correct it, get married, that's all. (Laughter) Nothing to worry about. But I may tell you, if it is love, then it's of no sin. If you are married, but hate each other every minute, then what is marriage good for? If the love is pure, God will accept it. It depends on if you have love or not. I see love as a marriage bond, not the certificate. I see your heart's commitment as the marriage vow, not the magistrate's signature.

Q.212 To what extent does thinking bother the Samadhi state?

M. If you still have thought, then there is no Samadhi. Samadhi has no thought.

Q.213 Can satori be achieved without a Master? Is it possible?

M. Yes, but there are many different levels. There is vegetable satori, there is stone satori, there is dry satori, there is wet satori, there is wisdom satori, there is Buddha satori. Sometimes you think you have satori, but you are just like dry wood, or just like a stone, and you derive nothing from your satori. You just sit there and feel happy, you feel nothing, you don't move, you don't have life.

So the highest Samadhi you obtain is through a Master, through studying with a Master. If we can do it alone, God has no need to send Jesus, to send Buddha to us. Why couldn’t we do it alone? It is because we have so much burden of karma, of preconceived ideas or prejudices. Our brains are full of garbage. We have been brain-washed for millions of years with so much garbage. It’s difficult to overcome, to wash them all out, so it needs God’s Power. It needs someone who has developed more wisdom than us, more power than us to help us when we are beginners.

Q.214 How do I know if reincarnation exists?

M. We can know it, if we get to a certain level in our wisdom. For example, when we pass the second grade of high school, we know many laws of physics. We could experiment with them ourselves in our laboratory. If you practice the Quan Yin Method of meditation, or sometimes another type of method, you can get to the second plane, I mean the second plane of consciousness. There are many levels, the second is not the best, it is one of the worst. There are the third, fourth, fifth the Quan Yin Method. The higher the wiser, then you’ll reach the highest.

If you get to the second plane you may know the past lives of yourself and of many people. Then you know reincarnation really exists. I can’t prove it to you. Your eyes cannot see further than a hundred meters. But I can help you to develop your heavenly eye, then you can see further, many generations behind and ahead, and then you can prove it to yourself. But I tell you, this is not a good motive to meditate, because to know the past lives is not so good for you. Suppose you know that your wife was a tiger last life, then maybe you might have a nightmare. Yes? (Laughter) You would be thinking: “My God, what if she becomes a tiger again, (Master and everyone laugh) or suddenly changes back to a tiger?” It’s no good. Out of God’s mercy, Hes draws the curtain between our life and the past, because we have enough to deal with in this life.

Q.215 I believe that Jesus will come back. If this is true, how shall I behave?

M. I won’t answer you. You won’t believe me.

Q.216 Please talk about sin.

M. Sin? You all know about it. You know better than I do. (Laughter) I’ll talk about virtues. You should be loving to each other; should help the underprivileged and needy, because God lives in them; you should be tolerant toward each other’s shortcomings; love and respect your parents, love your wife and respect your husband; take care and educate the children; be a good citizen to the nation. That’s what we should talk about. If you do all these, then there’s no need to talk about sins. If we are positive, then we couldn’t be negative.

Q.217 Master, I would like to know how we can achieve the inner feeling of happiness, and how we can transmit it to the people nearby.

M. I’ll show you. You come for the initiation tomorrow. I’ll guarantee the result immediately. After the initiation you’ll sense this happiness. People around you will sense it. They’ll smell something. They’ll come asking you “What have you done? You have changed. I like you so much. Won’t you show me the secret?” Do you like me, Are you comfortable with me? That is because I have the secret. (Master and everyone laugh) I can give it to you. We can share together. It’s a good question.

Q.218 Why do the Christian churches not accept reincarnation?

M. Because they misunderstand the Bible. And also the Bible has been cut and censored many, many hundred times over. I’ll tell you an example. When Jesus was asked, Are You the reincarnation of such and such past Saints? He didn’t say “no.” Saint Paul also said, I live; but no, not ‘I’ but Christ lives in me. And if you don’t believe in reincarnation, why are you waiting for the second coming of Christ, huh? (Laughter) You ask your church. Then see how they answer you.

Q.219 Is humanity walking toward destruction? Is humanity going to be destroyed?

M. Yes, but we can stop it. We should start to lead a virtuous life, keep the commandments of our religion. Any religion has commandments and all commandments from good religions are good. Keep them and save the world. Get the initiation and save the world together. I can’t do it alone, so I need you. This is the offering I request from you, not money, not praise, not lip service. Just do it!

Q.220 Please talk about out of the body traveling.

M. In the astral body, this is nothing incredible. When you sleep, you are often out of your body and on astral trips. So you have a lot of dreams, and you go to different places. When you concentrate by some ways or means, your astral body also leaves the physical body and goes out somewhere. Say you may be sitting here and you want to go to the toilet, but then you didn’t go. If you concentrate, you might go with the astral body and see the toilet over there exactly as it is, as if you have gone to see it with your physical eyes. When you die without a Master, without good virtues, no, without virtues, you also leave in the astral body. When you sleep, sometimes you feel like you are elevating or falling down. You have such feelings? That’s when you are on an astral journey.

Q.221 Master, if the level of spiritual development is individual, why are parents and families saved without any sacrifice?

M. They are saved, but they are not to be masters. They are saved because God’s grace is boundless. I’ve told you, you are all connected together as family and relatives. If one is free, one is glorified, the whole of the relatives get good benefits. For example, say you are a very beautiful girl, and the king of a certain country loves to marry you. Now, after he has married you, all your relatives and friends aren’t they also glorified? Won’t they have the chance to go to see the king in the palace and enjoy all the luxury?

Q.222 How can I get a cure for an illness which is said to be incurable?

M. You can do it by “positive healing.” You try to meditate on God every day, and that Hes will heal you also. If you have enough faith you'll get healed in no time. But you must also know, illnesses are the result of our wrong actions in the past or in the present. It is a warning from God that we should turn our life back to the virtuous way. We should sincerely repent our known and unknown misdeeds, and keep the commandments of God, and try to lead a more vegan life.

Most sickness comes from meat, fish and all kinds of these animal products. America is the biggest meat-eating country and they have the highest rate of cancer in the world. The Russians and the Chinese are so underprivileged that they have no meat, and they have the lowest cancer rates. So this should also give you an answer to why we should be vegetarians, why we should be virtuous, why we should practice compassion by not eating animals' meat. Because to love others is to love ourselves. If we save others' lives, our life will be saved. It's a law of cause and effect. In the Bible it is said, As you sow, so shall you reap. Same thing.

Q.223 Master, do You believe that the people who go to the other side, the people who die, can give messages or cure through those who remain alive?

M. Yes, but very, very seldom. Because most of the mediums are not powerful enough. People in Heaven don't want to be in touch with this filthy world. When they are in Heaven they see our world as very filthy and unfit to come back to. And we couldn't reach them in Heaven because we are ordinary persons. Now the people who went to hell couldn't reach us either, because they are bound. So, it's hard to get true messages. It happens, it happens just rarely, seldom reliable.

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Japanese Culture Society, Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 18, 1989

Q.224 What is the meaning of the transcendental body of the Master?

M. Do you know what the transcendental body of a Master means? A Light body. The Light body. Because I have just asked them if the translation was correct. She didn't make it correct, she said the Master comes in the night and appears in your dreams and tells you what and what. No, no. This is not the Light body of a Master. A Light body of a Master appears anywhere any time, not just in a dream. And sometimes you could even see it with the open eyes, like you see me now; maybe in the train station, maybe in the train, maybe in the airplane, maybe when you are working, maybe when you are cleaning your toilet, anywhere. If you need to see the Master, then the Master will appear.

That is what we call the transcendental body or the Light body, because the body is full of Light. It looks like the real flesh body, but it is not made by flesh. You may be able to grab it, but only for a while and then the Master disappears into the air. Sometimes you see the Master flying through the window, but that is not the physical body which flies. It’s the transcendental body through the Samadhi power of the Master. That is why the Buddhists say “many ten thousand bodies, many ten thousands of manifestations of the body.” In the Christian terminology, or Hindu terminology we say “omnipresent,” meaning “nowhere He is not, and everywhere the Master is there.”

Any real Master is able to manifest thousands, ten thousands, hundreds, hundreds of thousands of bodies and millions of bodies in order to help the disciples at any place and at any moment. If the master cannot manifest so many bodies, the master cannot take care of so many disciples. And if a master could not manifest so many bodies, he or she is not a real Master.

Q.225 If I stop eating meat, doesn’t my body weaken if I do not have the proper conditions for preparing vegan meals?

M. No, but you must select a protein-rich diet to replace the missing animal protein. In my English sample book, I talked about the vegan diet, and there I told you what foods you can eat, and which have enough nutrition. We will try to translate it into Portuguese later. But you go home and find an English speaking friend and tell them to translate it for you. English is international, so you’ll be able to find anywhere some people to translate.

Meat is not all that good, we all know already by now. You see the hospitals are full of meat eating people; vegan people hardly go to the hospital. The more civilized, the more meat we have, the more hospitals we build. If you feel that the vegan diet has not enough nutrition, look at the elephants, look at the horses, look at the cows; is there anything stronger than an elephant? What does he eat? He doesn’t even care about protein I tell you.

Don’t cheat yourself. The vegan diet is very healthy. Even Mohammed Ali the boxer, he is vegan. So don’t tell me any tales. If you want to eat meat, then you eat meat; no one says anything. Just don’t make excuses. Meat is not good, very filthy; all kinds of bacteria in it, all kinds of poisons in it, all kinds of hatred, fear and terrifying feelings in the magnetic field in the meat of an animal when he is killed, and it remains there. When you consume the meat, you consume all these “energies” within it. It is a very heavy energy, so you couldn’t climb up back “Home.”

Q.226 What is the difference between the state of Samadhi and the awakening of kundalini energies?

M. When the kundalini is awakened, you may be or you may not be in Samadhi, and when you are in Samadhi your kundalini may be or may not be awakened. You see, kundalini is a kind of psychic energy. It takes care of the body. It’s like what we call in Chinese “Chi.” When you awaken that “Chi” you’ll have vital power, the body is strong, your mind is strong, but Samadhi offers you wisdom. Your body might be very weak, very sick, but you are in Samadhi, you have wisdom. So that’s the difference between Samadhi and kundalini.

Q.227 Is it possible for one to reach enlightenment through direct experience in case he doesn’t have a real Master around?

M. Yes, you can get enlightenment without a Master. There are many reasons for it. One of the reasons is that you have practiced before, many lives before, and your memory is still there. So we see people are born with... there are some people whom we call “genius,” From childhood they already can do many things. So this is a case of the leftover power from the previous lives of practice. So there are some who when they are born or just a small child already they want to practice meditation, eat vegan, go to the temple, etc.

There is another case in which you attain enlightenment after you have seen some Masters, but without knowing that these are Masters. You don’t recognize them, and you might not even believe in that Master; nevertheless, you still have the blessing. You just look at the eyes of the Master once. In some cases it is enough to give you enlightenment, and you could even attain liberation through that grace. But this will not enable you to be a Master, a Buddha in this lifetime. That’s the difference; because this enlightenment is not complete, yes, it is just a part of enlightenment.

There’s one more category in which you meet one or many disciples of a great Master, and somehow you contact with them, help them, or have good relations with them, and the disciples might mention about the Master, might give you a photo of the Master, and then you’ll also get blessed. Or maybe they share with you the blessed food from the Master. You eat one piece and suddenly you do not know what is happening, you get the Light, you become enlightened, and you thought it is from yourself. Actually, it is from the invisible blessing from the Master through the disciples, through the blessed food. Blessed food means food that is blessed by the Master, charged by the spiritual power of the Master. In Hindu we call it “prashad.”

So these are many cases of enlightenment. And sometimes if you are a relative of an initiate of an enlightened Master, then you also get the benefit from that disciple of the Master. So many cases. Some of my disciples have children, two, three, four years old; and of course, in the night they meditate, and the child was sitting behind. And then suddenly one day the child tells the mother, “Mother, mother, I saw Master come here!” “I see Jesus,” or “I saw Buddha, I see Light, I hear Sound.” Four years old and already enlightened. Four years old, three years old, and it’s because of the charging power from the Master through the mother. In these cases, we say you are enlightened without a Master.

Q.228 Does having children limit the way to liberation?

M. No, not at all. You even have a chance to take another soul Home. Blessed are the children already born into a spiritual atmosphere, born by enlightened parents. Blessed are they indeed. It’s good to have children. If everyone stopped having children, where would all the Buddhas come from? Jesus would have no chance to come back again. He promised you He would come back. Maybe one of your children will be Jesus. We must have hope.

Q.229 Does karma oblige us to have children, or do we have the children because of the karma?

M. Yes, we were connected with the child in a past life through something, sometimes bad karma, sometimes good karma. So karma mustn’t always be very bad. Maybe last life you helped a person, and then this life you get enlightened and unconsciously want to help that person also get enlightened; then he’ll be born into your family and become your child. In that case it’s very good. The child sometimes comes from the wish of the parents to help that child, because maybe that child helped the parents somewhere in the past lives; and now the parents are enlightened and wish to repay the kindness. In the subconscious mind they wish that person also can be enlightened and liberated. Therefore the person will be born into that family and become a child. In that case, it is good; it is not bad karma, it’s good karma.

Q.230 Is the way to enlightenment equal for the woman and for the man?

M. Yes, definitely. There is no man and no woman inside, it’s only that the clothes we wear are different. And these clothes are changing all the time; this life you are a man, and next life you are a woman. I have not always been a woman Master; I did it on purpose this time, to let you know that a woman can also be enlightened and be a Master. How about that? (Laughter) To break your false conception about the superiority of manhood, to encourage and glorify womanhood, and to teach men the humble humility lessons which are badly needed now.

You have boasted your ego for many centuries and looked down upon women. Women are the mothers of all the Buddhas(Saints) and of Jesus, and they deserve a good position. Without women no one can exist. But since millions of years people are ungrateful to the mothers of the Earth. So God has decided that Hes would choose a woman to be a Master now. Inside there’s no woman, no man. Only wisdom, only divinity, only love, grace. There is no woman’s grace, man’s grace, woman’s love, man’s love, woman’s wisdom, man’s wisdom, no such things.

Q.231 How can one know if he is the descendant of the lineage of past great Masters, such as Ch’an Master Tao Chi?

M. It’s easy. You see what is the Tao Chi Chan or the Tao Chi, and what did He have when He was alive to be a famous Master. If you have any of that quality, or if your master has any of that quality, then you and your master are connected with that master; no doubt. Because you all have the same common quality. When Tao Chi was alive, no doubt He had enlightenment, He had all the virtues like compassion, mercy and power of liberating sentient beings, He had Light; and if your master has the same, these qualities, then he is no doubt the descendant of this lineage. If you also are given the same qualities, a little bit of these qualities, and you develop more, then you are also the descendant of that master. You are connected.

Q.232 I would like to know if spirits are born or if there is already a predetermined number of spirits. Do they all exist already?

M. There are some old, there are some new; mostly old. Old are those who are born as humans and have never done many things wrong, who keep coming back as humans again. New are those from the mineral kingdom, from the flower kingdom, from the animal kingdom; they’ve evolved and become humans. These are a little bit dull in spirit, a little bit slow in reactions, or maybe even fearful. If he was from a stone, and now became a man, then he will look like a stone, cold, blank, stupid, stubborn; if he was a tree last life, then he is cooler, nicer, but also dumb, a little bit slow, low in intelligence. They need many reincarnations to learn perfection. And some are from the kingdom of Heaven, not the Kingdom of God, like angels, like some of the devas, heavenly spirits. They descended on the Earth to become humans because they wanted to practice perfection. They wanted to look for a Master and get liberation from birth and death. They wanted to become a Master themselves. So, these are different kinds of spirits, old and new.

Q.233 How can we understand the karma of a couple?

M. If the couple is in harmony, then they have good karma; if the couple every day strikes out at each other, then you know what kind of karma that is. Easy to understand. If your couple is in harmony, then be happy; if it is not in harmony, then try to adjust and be tolerant, to avoid next time coming back again as a very undesirable karmic couple again. 

Tolstoy had a very terrible wife. You know Tolstoy? The author of “War and Peace.” He had a very terrible wife, so it’s told. Every day she nagged him, cursed him, and scolded him, and even beat him and threw him out sometimes. One day his friend couldn’t bear it any longer, so he told Tolstoy, “Why don’t you kick that devil out of your house and then we can have peace?” Tolstoy said, “Shh...!” “Don’t talk too loud. Last life I did that already, therefore it got worse this time. I don’t dare to do it.” The more you struggle, the worse the situation becomes. So just accept anything as given by God, and try to get through it and train yourself in patience, tolerance and love thy “enemy.” Even as wise a man as Tolstoy couldn’t deal with his terrible wife, so we ordinary beings had better keep silent. (Master and everyone laugh)

Q.234 Is it possible to forgive yourself, then restart with Your help?

M. It is possible, if you did something wrong and you sincerely regret it. If you can make it up for the party concerned, then make it up quickly. If you couldn’t make it up, then at least you can say you are “sorry” or do the best you can; if you couldn’t say you’re sorry then repent to God, and vow never to do it again in another time, and then forget it. Every human being does something wrong sometimes. The important thing is to repent and to change for the better. If you carry on blaming yourself all your life, it does no good to anyone.

Q.235 How can I end the feeling of greed and stop being ambitious?

M. It’s not easy. Only when you see the beauty, the glory of the Kingdom of God, could you forget the ambition for success in this world. That’s why I offer you the Quan Yin Method of meditation, so that you might see the glory of God, of Heaven, and then lose the desire for material gain and fame. It is like the baby, if you give him milk, then he will not suck the dummy.

Q.236 I want to know how to overcome my feeling of self- importance.

M. It’s good that you know that you have this self-important feeling; your illness is already half cured. There’s a very good way to overcome this pride. You think of the greatness of the universe and all the things in the universe that you have not been able to understand, that you know nothing about the universe, about the law of God, then you will feel very small. Whatever worldly knowledge we gain is so small, whatever important business we have is so ephemeral, and then when we die we have nothing.

So better get enlightened. The more you are enlightened, the more humble you become, because you see that you know so little, that the universe is so great, and then you are more humble, more humble until you are the most humble person. Then you admit that you know nothing, and then you know everything. That’s why Lao Tzu said, The wise are like the dumb. That’s why Jesus said, I work, but not I, it’s the Father who works in me. He was so great but He knew He could do nothing without the Father; He knew He could do nothing, that’s why He could do everything. Is it easy to understand?

Q.237 What is the relationship between the orange color and spirituality?

M. No, nothing. Yesterday I wore white, and some other times I wear blue. But the orange color is the traditional color of the monks. In India there was a lot of saffron, it is a kind of color root. You can dye with it, saffron color, yellow color. You can dye in yellow, saffron colors, and they dye the cloths in that color as a symbol of renunciation, the color of love. They vow to love all sentient beings, they vow to get enlightened. Also, that color is like the earth color, so it’s easy not to look dirty, because the monks in India have to walk many miles, and sometimes without water, without bath. It helps the monk to think that he is made of earth, and will later return to earth, so nothing to be attached about. But it’s better to dye your heart, not your clothes. You don’t need to dye your clothes, just dye your heart; dye your heart in the color of love. Wear the grace of God around you, then you become God, you become love.

My colors are all different. I don’t wear orange any more; I wear what I like. I wear this because it’s comfortable. There’s no problem, I can sit anywhere. My clothes are mostly picked up from what people have left over, material or cloth, and I fit them together. I design my own clothes. So I have clothes of many colors; today yellow, tomorrow green, and the next one is white. Whatever I can pick up I make it into clothes. I could dye them into orange but I couldn’t care less, I am too busy. Besides, when you dye, your fingers become orange, and every time you wash, orange, you see orange water comes out, and then it makes a mess of everything. So whatever the color is there, I just wear them; and today just happens to be orange, but yesterday you saw me in white, and the day before was blue. I couldn’t care less. It’s nothing.

Q.238 I’m afraid to be initiated and become weak and go back to eating meat. Master, even though it is so, should I be initiated?

M. You are very honest, and I like that. The future, we don’t know. Take care of the present. Maybe you never will, who knows? You have to be sincere and pray to the Master and help will be there. If you are sincere, the Master won’t let you fall.

Q.239 It was said today that our uncommon experiences should not be related, otherwise they'll disappear. But what about our friends and other people, can our experiences be useful to them?

M. Yes, it will be useful to the people who listen, but it's not useful for the one who tells. Our friend just reported about her son's experience. The Master's blessing is only for you alone, so you should not share it with anyone. If you talk about it, the Master will close it up. Therefore it is difficult to be a Master in this world, because of that. It would be easy for me to do some magical tricks here and attract everyone, but I'm not allowed to do that. If I want to do that I'd be a different kind of Master, who cannot take people Home.

A real spiritual practitioner could never boast about his experiences and his power. The disciple knows how powerful his Master is at the initiation, after the initiation. And the more he practices, the more he knows how great the Master is, because he receives blessings every day. Miracles happen every day, only the Master is not allowed to do it in the public. Also, because the Master is a very humble person, and never boasts about these things, never uses miracles to attract the followers. This is self-praising and publicizing and is not suitable for a Master's manner. And since you learn with this Master, you learn to become a Master yourself. To be a Master the first quality is humility, so you're trained to be humble at the time of discipleship. You must begin to keep quiet about your own attainments, otherwise God will take them back.

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Chinese Town Hall, Penang, Malaysia on October 1, 1989

Q.240 Please tell us more on Your spiritual experiences in the Himalayas.

M. We do not need to go to the Himalayas to have spiritual experiences. Also, my spiritual experiences did not start in the Himalayas and they don't end there. I have spiritual experiences every, every minute, every second of my life, and I could not tell you everything. It is too long, too much. And it is also out of your expectation and imagination. I invite you to come to join us and do the same, and later you will know yourself, and that is the best. What is the use if I keep talking about candy all the time, and it is me who eats it. You don't eat, so I think the more I talk, the more your mouth waters. But, I can tell you that I have experienced what according to all the scriptures is called “the highest experience.” And then, every day you develop even more. You do not stop at one level. You experience more and more each day. But the highest one I have experienced. That's all I can tell you.

Q.241 Is it true that if we meditate without proper guidance, we may go mad or fall under evil influence?

M. Yes, it is true, it is true; so whatever I teach you, do not teach others. That is why our disciples are not allowed to tell their experience or the method of practice to other people. Not because we have no compassion or want to keep something secret, no! It is because the students have not yet enough, sufficient power to protect their so-called students. 

Therefore, I do not teach indiscriminately. You don’t need to come to me. It is enough, I know.

Q.242 Regarding those who practice other forms of meditation, how do they know that they are doing the right one? Is it advisable for them to try Your technique?

M. It is like this. Everyone is different, and so you choose whatever meditation you feel is best for you. It doesn’t matter how much I say that the Quan Yin Method of meditation is the safest, the quickest and the best. I also understand that you might not accept this, so you do what you think is the best, and what has the most secure feeling for you. And if your meditation gives you peace, quiet and wisdom more and more, and a loving heart every day, then that is the right one. It could not harm you.

If, however, you meditate and it gets you nowhere, and you get no loving kindness, no wisdom, no satisfaction and no peace in the heart, then you should look for another method. I can only tell you that the method I offer to you is free of charge, free of any obligation, and free of any condition, and it is the best, the safest and the quickest. And I can personally guarantee you protection until you become Buddha (enlightened Master). With the other methods, you try yourself. I cannot give a guarantee, and I cannot tell you which is the best.

Q.243 Please describe the feeling of enlightenment.

M. How can I describe these indescribable things? Have you ever fallen in love? Yes? Yes or no? Yes! Can you describe that falling in love feeling for people? No, of course not. These things we must personally experience. So, the best way is to invite you to join us. You will know very quickly what enlightenment feels like. You will know it immediately at the time of initiation. I can only tell you that it is very, very, very excellent.

Q.244 Dear Master, being from the Himalayas can You explain why some human beings have a third eye, and why were such people given the advantage of such power?

M. We all have a third eye. It is just that some are opened somewhat, some are opened completely, and some are blind. Why is that so? It is because of the law of Cause and Effect. Some people have done good deeds in their last life or in this life, some people run into an enlightened Master and accidentally may get some blessing from this Master, and suddenly they have the third eye opened.

Also, in many lives they have practiced and they get some degree of enlightenment, and so in this life they continue to practice more. Or, if you want to get your third eye opened, you can also go and find an enlightened Master who already has the third eye opened and who knows how to help you to open this third eye, then you will also have the third eye. Everyone is entitled to the third eye.

Q.245 Dear Master, what about mosquitoes? Should we also not kill mosquitoes?

M. No, we should not!

Q. But mosquitoes bite us and bring disease. Should we not protect ourselves by destroying mosquitoes?

M. Mosquitoes have their function. Mosquitoes wake us in the night so that we get up and meditate. (Laughter and applause) We always have to be optimistic. We always have to look at the bright side of life. 

Now, to avoid mosquitoes, there are many things you can do. You can use a net. You can put up mosquito nets, and you can keep your house clean, etc. But, I may inform you that the Quan Yin Method of meditation can keep away the mosquitoes, even. Many of our disciples, after being initiated into the Quan Yin Method, the mosquitoes suddenly moved out of their house without saying any good- bye. (Laughter) Also, if they don’t say good-bye, then you can protect yourself with a mosquito net, by some medicine, and by virtuous living.

If you “Rau Ming,” forgive someone else’s life, if you give someone else life again, then God will give you protection. Therefore, I say do not eat animal flesh so that the animals will be friendly to you. To protect ourselves by killing mosquitoes will not help much. We may get a worm disease, or we might get another kind of retribution. 

So, the best way to protect ourselves is to surrender to God’s love and Buddha’s mercy. Pray every day sincerely for protection, for help, for guidance, and meditate half an hour at least every day, and try to be merciful to all lives. Try to eat vegan as a sign of your compassion as much as you can, then you will see how your life will change for the better. We cannot always run away from disaster. We have to protect ourselves with virtues and God’s protection. (However, when all methods fail and the insects are too overwhelming to our health, then we must take action accordingly. But meditate more to clean the karma!)

Q.246 How can one know when he is in correct meditation? How can one know when he is in advanced meditation?

M. I have already mentioned, if any meditation gives you love, wisdom, satisfaction and peace, then it is somehow, at least correct. It would not harm you. If it only gives you benefit, then it is correct.

In the same measure, the more love, the more peace, the more wisdom you have, the more advanced you are. That is how we measure our practice. If we practice every day for many hours and we do not have love for others, we don’t have tolerance, we don’t have peace of mind, we do not have more wisdom, we do not advance in intelligence, then that meditation is fruitless.

The Quan Yin of meditation is the best. Why? You experience very quick change. You change completely. Before, you may be angry, stupid and slow in action and now, you become different, you become more loving, peaceful, patient and wise. Before, when you read the sutras or any Bibles or any scriptures, you didn’t understand what they were talking about. After initiation into the Quan Yin Method and practice, very quickly you understand everything that is said in any kind of scripture. No one needs to explain it to you. That is our experience in the Quan Yin Method. That is why we know the Quan Yin Method is good, is correct.

Q.247 We are trying to take up a religion. My wife tends to Christianity. I tend to Buddhism. What should I do?

M. Then you go to a Buddhist temple and send your wife to the church. (Laughter and applause) And then, in the evening, you go back and discuss what you both gain from both places. In that case, your life will be more enriched. The two of you learn separate things and go home and teach each other! Is that not good? Very good solution! (Applause) Thank you.

Q.248 What is Your view of reincarnation?

M. I believe in reincarnation. In fact, we can see that for ourselves. When we practice meditation of the Quan Yin Method of meditation, we have many different levels. In the First Level you experience Light and Sound, and beautiful views, beautiful people, and you would go to different worlds, and you have different magical powers. That is the First Level. In the Second Level you may see your past lives and other people’s past lives. And you know that there is surely, truly a reincarnation process. No need for hearsay. Experience it yourself. And in the Third Level, you experience different things. The fourth, the fifth. So that’s how I know there is reincarnation. That’s how my disciples know there is reincarnation. It’s not that we listen to what people say, or read it in the Bibles, or in the sutras or in the scriptures. It is that we have experienced it.

Q.249 During meditation, in the state of no thought, what faculty would you use to experience this state?

M. We don’t use any faculty. At that time, we have no mind, no tongue, no ears, no eyes, no body, no feelings, no thought. We just know it. We just know it, experience it, and are definitely sure about that. We do not use the eyes to see things. We do not use the ears to hear things. We do not use the mind to calculate and analyze the experience. We just know! Just like, I don’t know what. How can we say something that I cannot say. It’s difficult to explain. I may use a mundane example. For example, when you are in love with someone and that someone is in love with you, then both of you know! You don’t know what faculty you are using, you just know that, and you just feel good. But that’s a very low example. And I cannot find any better example, so we have to settle with that.

Q.250 What is the meaning of enlightened?

M. Enlightened means the opposite of ignorant. For example, before, we do not know anything about love, don’t know much about love, we do not know much about the function of the universes, of our bodies, of God, of Buddha. Also, we do not know who we are, where we come from, and where we will be next when we die, and that is ignorant. And now, enlightenment means you know all these things. And above that, the more enlightened you are, the more powerful you get. This power is not a very vigorous power. It is a very loving power, which enables everyone to love you, and enables you to save everyone by this power of love.

For example, if you practice with us by the Quan Yin Method of meditation and you get enlightened, then because you have opened this power of love inside you, your five generations who have already died also get rescued. If they are in hell, they will go to Heaven, if they are in the animal’s state, they will go to the human realm. And they get liberation. And that is what enlightenment approximately is. But there are many more things which combine and I could not easily put them into words especially not in such a short time. So, the best way is to get enlightened yourself, by practicing with us the Quan Yin Method; and by and by, you will know everything that you want to know.

Q.251 Are the Buddha and God the same? Is believing in God good? Or is believing in Buddha good?

M. So now my answer is that the God Power and the Buddha Nature is the same thing. But the Buddha is not the same thing. From the God Power or the Buddha Power were born the Buddhas (fully enlightened beings)/Masters into the world in order to teach us. When a Buddha comes into this world to be in close contact with us, He has this God Power with Him. He has this Buddha Power with Him or with Her. I do not discriminate. Woman also can become a Buddha (a enlightened Master) I may tell you. But, originally this Power is not a person. It is a being. It is a Power. It is a wonderful love, that we cannot use language to describe. But this Power is unimaginably great and loving. It creates all things and looks after all things. But sometimes, the creatures do not listen to the instructions of this greatest Power. Therefore, this greatest Power manifests into a body, and uses a body of this worldly image to teach all the beings again how to believe in the greatest Power which exists inside ourselves. That’s why the Christians say, Know you that you are the temple of God and God dwells within you, God lives within you. The Buddha says, Every being has Buddha Nature inside. That’s the meaning of that.

The Buddha’s Power, the God Power and the Buddhas or the prophets are different things. The prophet brings the message, the love of God, of the Buddha Power, to our world. And the Buddha Power or the God Power is still, peaceful, lovingly in all things. But that Power doesn’t let you know that It is there. If It wants to let you know. It manifests into a body, uses a body as a vehicle to speak to you and remind you how you should behave, what you should do in order to realize the greatness within you, the greatness of the Creator, of that Buddha Power.

The Buddha is the Prophet. In English the Buddha is the Prophet, or an enlightened Master who brings the message of that highest Power to us. That is the little difference between Buddhas and God Power or God. But actually it’s not much different. Why? Because the Buddha, meaning the Prophet, is one with God already. Like Lao Tzu says, All beings are one. Or Jesus says, I and my Father are one, meaning that He and God become unified. Or the Buddha says, I have become Buddha, I and all beings are now not discriminated. It’s difficult to say this.

So, actually, in a supreme sense, a Buddha is not different from the greatest God, a Buddha meaning a Prophet. But in the worldly sense, He is different. Why? Because, God is God, and the Buddha or the Prophet is also God, but is also a human being. When He is in human life, He looks like a human. He has human weaknesses. He has human necessities, the needs of a human body, like He must eat, He must go to the toilet, He must sleep, He must talk, He must wear clothes, He gets sick, etc. So in this sense, He is not God completely, but He has the complete God Power within Himself, whereby God never gets sick. Never has to go to the toilet, never has to sleep, never goes to the restaurant, etc. So, in our own unwise eyes, there is a difference between them. But there should be no difference, because the body is only a vehicle of that great one. It’s difficult, but try to understand.

Thus, if you believe in God it is good. If you believe in your Prophet then it is also OK. Believe in God through a Prophet, believe in God through a Buddha, that’s also OK. Jesus says, No one goes to the Father except through me. Or the Buddha says, If you do not meet the Buddha, if you don’t see a Buddha, you cannot get liberation. You cannot get the highest level of enlightenment. It is similar. Similar meaning, different saying.

Q.252 Some people ask about transcendental meditation and the Quan Yin Method. What is the difference?

M. There is a great difference. The difference is like a woman and a man. There is a great difference. The method is not the same, and the precepts are not exactly the same. For example, if you learn transcendental meditation they do not tell you, or explain in detail, why you should be vegan, and why you should keep the Guidelines, the five Guidelines which you should keep clearly; don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t commit adultery, don’t use drugs, don’t gamble, etc. They do not emphasize that. Also they teach you to meditate about twenty minutes a day, no more, whereas our meditation is more strict. You have to be vegan. You must meditate gradually up until two and half hours a day. And you must keep the Guidelines. There are many small, many more small things, which are very much different. Also the meditation techniques are different. It’s not the same.

Q.253 They say in the Diamond Sutra that the Buddha said, if you attach to form and sounds, you will not find the Buddha Nature. If You teach people the Quan Yin Method to see the Light of the Buddha, the Buddhas, the Words and the Sounds of the Buddha, isn’t that attaching to form and sound?

M. I say “No!” This is not the sound and the form, because we cannot use the eyes to see, we can not use the ears to hear. This is a silent thing. This is a peaceful thing. When the Buddha says sound and form He means outside sounds and form, like symbols, like the Buddha’s statue. We should not be attached to that. We should not be attached to the words of the sutras, and that is what He means by sounds and forms! Because we can hear it, and we can see it, that’s what He calls sound and form. Otherwise we cannot say sound and form. The soundless Sound, the formless Form of the Quan Yin Method, that is not what the Buddha means. Otherwise, He would not mention about the Western Paradise, “Pa Kung Tei Shui,” the eight virtuous waters, the form of the Buddhas and the Buddhas’s Land, everything.

Q.254 What is initiation? What is the Quan Yin Method? How long does it take to get enlightenment?

M. You see, initiation is to help you to get enlightenment, and you get it immediately. But it takes a few hours to explain to you how you will get it. And how you meditate afterward. That’s what initiation and enlightenment are. It takes a very short time, very quick. The explanation takes a long time, but the enlightenment is very quick, like that. (Master snaps Her finger)

Q.255 What is the cause of suffering?

M. Oh! It is because we have done some suffering to others before. So, if we don’t desire any more suffering, we should stop the cause of suffering. We should do good to others. We should help them in times of trouble, distress and financial problems. Then we will get peace in return.

Q.256 As human beings we have four setbacks, which are greed, jealousy, hate and passion. Do You think that we are born into this present world to perform less of these four setbacks?

M. To perform less? Is that right? We should try to decrease these kinds of passions, but only by meditation and a virtuous way of life.

Q.257 Dear Master, Buddha says that all things are impermanent. Is Buddha Nature, God or whatever it is, also impermanent?

M. No, All things means all the material things. All the sounds and forms that we can see, we can grab. That is impermanent. But God or Buddha Nature is permanent, forever.

Q.258 Dear Master, where do human beings come from?

M. Where do they come from? This you get to know after high level enlightenment.

Q.259 Does keeping a vegan diet kill life indirectly? For example, plants have life, only they don’t move.

M. That is true. So, you want to get hungry and die? If you can not eat meat and you also don’t want to eat vegan, then good-bye. Of course, eating vegan is also taking life, but the life of vegetables are not so concrete, the feelings are not so strong, and the karma is not so heavy. If we meditate every day, we can erase this debt. But if we eat animals, it is not easy to erase.

Q.260 Dear Master, You said that the Lord God, or Lord Buddha gave some people beautiful looks, good living conditions, good surroundings, like beautiful flowers, to enjoy for living. Right! But my question now is, why the Lord God or Lord Buddha is so unkind or unequal hearted to place some humans in suffering, in countries with starvation, like in Africa, where so many thousands of people are dying. In some places, people are killing each other, like in Au Lac, etc. Why?

M. It is not God’s will, or the Buddha’s decision. It’s our own. God never tells you to kill another brother or sister, no? Have you ever heard God say that? Or did you ever hear the Buddha preach to us to go and kill each other? No! So this is our own doing, our own responsibility. That’s why I come to you, to remind you that we should not do that again. We should be peaceful and loving toward each other, even toward animals. That’s why I tell you, to remind you to eat a vegetarian diet. To protect the weak, the humble and the small lives like those of animals who cannot defend for themselves. So this is not God’s doing. Don’t blame God or Buddha for that. God only gives us love, protection and power which we are not still enough to realize and to accept. And we go on doing wrong things. We do things opposite to God’s will, therefore we get suffering in return.

Q.261 Based on whose guidance do You practice? How do we name Your religion?

M. I said to you that I have no religion. What I mean is every religion is my religion. I respect all religions, because every religion teaches people to do good things, to be good to each other, and to be kind to all beings. If any people who belong to any religion do the opposite, then that is their personal responsibility, not the responsibility of the religion, or the religious founder. So we can not say that any religion is no good. We can only say that some people who follow such and such religion do not understand that religion, and they do something opposite.

So, any of your religions is my religion. I only tell you to remind you of the goodness of your religion, and to tell you to believe more in your God, your Buddha, your Tao, whatever you believe in. But, you must know what you believe in. You should get in contact with that Power that you believe in. If you haven’t gotten in contact with that Power, that Christ Power, that God Power, that Buddha Power, then I can help you, that’s all. If you practice the Quan Yin Method of mediation you can get in touch with Jesus, with Buddha, with Mohammed, with Allah, with whomever you believe in, because this is the way to everywhere. Just like you get on the highway, you can go very quickly. You can go to different places from this highway, but this is the fast way to go.

Q.262 Please tell us the basis for the rules, precepts and beliefs that You spoke of today?

M. My goodness, after two hours, you ask this question? That means you have gone to sleep! You didn’t hear anything I said. (Laughter) Otherwise, how could you ask this question? Ah! Maybe you have gone into Samadhi. OK. If you did not get my message, please go out and get some of my books, and read them slowly at your leisure, and you will understand what I mean and what religions I believe. I have told you I preach the Truth. I believe in the Most High. I believe in all religions. After you get enlightenment, you will see the same. You will have the same opinion as I do. You can not have otherwise.

Q.263 Living in this world, we are subjected to many negative influences, but not having attained a high level of spiritual attainment, we fall victim to these influences. How do we conquer it?

M. Yes! You must rely on God Power, on Buddha’s Power. And if you do not know how to get this Power, then I can help you. I know where to get them. You get initiation and then you know.

Q.264 If we pray for all beings in this universe, will all beings derive any benefit from it?

M. Yes, they will. If everyone prayed like that, sincerely, can you imagine how much the world will get better. Everyone caring for others, and the atmosphere would become peaceful and loving. Of course they will get benefit.

Q.265 Just now, You mentioned about local gods. What is that? I have doubts whether there are so many gods in this world. Please explain.

M. A local god is just like when people worship the spirit of the trees, the god of the sun, the god of the moon, the god of “Tu Ti Kung,” (Master spoke Chinese. It means the god of earth.) the local magistrate. I do not know how you put “Tu Ti Kung” in English. This is a kind of limited power god. We have all the spirits. Spirits could not help us much, because they themselves have limited power. That’s what we call local gods, local spirits. God is the greatest God. That’s what we have to worship, Greatest Buddha Power, not the local, small one.

Q.266 Dear Master, just now You mentioned about Yourself gaining the big enlightenment. What do You mean by that? Are You saying that You have gained supreme enlightenment like the Buddha?

M. Yes! I mean it like that. Whatever the Buddha got, I have got. Whatever the Buddha had, I have.

Q.267 Dear Master, is the Quan Yin Method of meditation, a vipassana or mind awareness meditation, or is this a Samadhi meditation like transcendental meditation?

M. No! Quan Yin Method is none of these. Quan Yin Method is to get direct contact with God’s instruction, with the Buddha’s Sound, with the Buddha’s teachings inside. The Buddhas use different language to teach us. Like we are human beings, so we use human language to contact each other, to teach each other, to get in touch with each other. The Buddhas or God use different language to teach us; and Hiers Voice, the inner Voice, the inner Vibration will teach us many, many, many things; and that is the Quan Yin Method. When you get contact with this Buddha’s Voice or God’s Voice, you know much more than you do now. That is the Quan Yin Method, not transcendental meditation. It’s different.

Q.268 Why do You call it Quan Yin Meditation? Is it Quan Yin Herself?

M. No! No and yes. Because the Quan Yin Bodhisattva practiced this method. And because we contemplate on the “Yin,” the Sound, therefore we call it Quan Yin. Quan, “Quan Cha,” (Master spoke in Chinese. It means to observe.) to contemplate on the Sound. Therefore we call it Quan Yin.

Q.269 We are trying to live without disturbance for anyone, but when someone tries to disturb us, what should we do?

M. Try to be patient and send more love to that person. Treat that person more kindly and see if that person needs something. Maybe he needs your love, your attention. Sometimes children, they want our attention, so they stay there stamping their feet and making noise. It is because they want our attention and love. Sometimes our neighbors are also like that. Maybe he needs our attention, maybe he needs some of our sympathy, maybe he needs some love, or our helping hands, or our sympathetic ears. Listen to his problem or help him to do some work. Try to ask him what he needs, what you can do to help him or her. Maybe your sincerity, your loving atmosphere will affect that person and touch his inner most heart. Then you have no more disturbance. That’s the best way to solve disturbances.

Q.270 Please explain what’s the difference between meditation and trance.

M. Wah! It’s a big question. Meditation and trance are different. It depends on what kind of practice you do. When some people are in a trance, for example, they shake their body, they are out of consciousness, and they do things that they do not know after they are awakened. And this is called a trance. That is not like Samadhi when you do meditation. When you are in meditation Samadhi, you are fully aware, fully conscious, and not topsy-turvy, not unconscious of your actions and your wisdom. That’s the difference.

Q.271 How can a person meditate on their own, without proper guidance?

M. You’d better not.

Q.272 Venerable Master please help. I don’t seem to recall from any original scripture that the Lord Buddha advocated a vegetarian diet. On the contrary, He seems not to have advocated it. Indeed the Buddha Mahakasyapa affected it upon attaining Buddhahood (Sainthood). He broke the long tradition of vegetarianism of His Brahmin family. Yet, I suspect, I might be misinformed. If so, please correct me.

M. You see, in the little booklet that you got or you haven’t got. Please go outside and ask my helpers for a booklet. Inside I write the reasons for the vegan diet. In that article, I have given you all the references of all the scriptures in which the Buddha emphasized vegetarianism. Just for example, in the “Nieh Pan Ching,” the sutra of Nirvana, a monk asked the Buddha, if someone makes an offering of alms and there is some meat in it, what shall we do? So the Buddha said, You should wash the meat away first, and then eat the offering. If the Buddha doesn’t care about the vegetarian diet, why did He say that? Also, in the Surangama Sutra, the “Leng Yan Jing,” the Buddha said, Whoever eats meat is not my disciple. I forbid the eating of meat of any kind, under any circumstances. Now please go home and read this again, at least these two sutras. There are endless references more. But I have no time to mention them now. You can refer to “The Benefits of a Vegan Diet” in my book and you’ll get the information. Thank you!

Q.273 What’s the meaning of creation? It is never taught in the Buddhist path?

M. Creation must exist, whether the Buddha said so, clearly or not. Otherwise how does He Himself exist? How do other things around us exist? Creation already exists. No need to talk about that. Everything is there. There is a great Power that produces all these things. And that Power we call God or Buddha Nature (inner Nature) or our own mind. Everything is made by the mind. That’s what has creative power. That is creation.

Q.274 Dearest Master, if the Supreme God, which is the only one, is at all Almighty, then why are there so many types of holy teachings which confuse me?

M. There aren't many types of holy teaching. It is only different names given to it. Buddha teaches the same thing: don't kill, don't lie, love your neighbor, don't commit adultery, and don't take drugs, alcohol and meat etc. The Bible teaches us the same thing: don't kill, love your neighbor and love your God, and forgive others. What is the difference? It is only different names and then people separate them, and forbid you to study the others. For example, if you are Buddhist, you should not study the Christian Bible. If you are, maybe, a Muslim, you can not look at the Buddhist scripture. Therefore we are ignorant of each others religions and scriptures. And the more we don't know the thing, the more we doubt. The more we have problems, the more we keep our distance.

We are always fighting for strange things. We are against foreign substance and foreign teachings, because we do not experience the goodness in them. We do not study any of them. Therefore, we do not know what is the same. If we take the time, and patience, and love to study all religions then they're the same. And if you practice the Quan Yin Method of meditation, whatever religion you believe in, you will get to the top. That is the highway to every kind of place you want to go. God is Almighty, but our mind is not. We do not understand the greatness of God. It's not that God wants to confuse us.

Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture

at the Chinese Town Hall, Penang, Malaysia on October 2, 1989

Q.275 Suppose we have utmost faith in both Quan Shih Yin Pusah (Quan Yin Bodhisattva) and Shakyamuni Buddha (Master explains, “These are the Buddhist terminologies. The Buddha and the Quan Shih Yin are the most revered Saints in Buddhism”). When we meditate, which one shall we best call in our minds among the two? (Laughter) (Master: He has a problem. He doesn't know which one to choose.) Please enlighten me and all of us with your answer.

M. This is very easy. You call on one today, and the other tomorrow. (Master and everyone laugh) But this is not even necessary; you can call on one or the other, it is enough. But because your heart is not settled with one, so you can take turns. If you call on one Buddha's name, you call on the whole Buddha hierarchy. And then, “Thank You very much. A Mi Tuo Fo (Amitabha Buddha).” (In the question note) He added another Buddha inside. (Laughter) Now it’s even more difficult for me to tell you what to choose. (Laughter) Now the week has seven days, and you have three Buddhas; so just two days each and Sunday is left for me. (Master and everyone laugh).

Q.276 Supreme Master Ching Hai, I wish to ask a question. Can we meditate in the bedroom?

M. Yes, we can; but tell your wife to go to sleep first (Master and everyone laugh) or your husband to go to sleep first.

Q. Can we meditate on our bed?

M. Yes, you can. But you might get out of Samadhi very quickly when your other partner kicks you. (Laughter) When he sleeps, he gets a good dream and playing football in the dream or whatever, you don’t know. (Laughter) So it is difficult to get into Samadhi this way. The other problem is that the bed is very soft and inviting. After we sit for about five minutes it feels like one hour, and then we tend to feel like, “I’ll just have a quick lay-down,” and then once you lay down you never get up until the alarm clock rings in the morning. So it is a little bit difficult there. Otherwise, anywhere is a good place for meditation, provided you have a good atmosphere and a quiet surrounding, and no one kicking and embracing you, things like that.

Q.277 If there are many problems troubling us, and we cannot concentrate on meditation, how do we overcome this?

M. It depends on what kind of meditation you do. If you do counting the breath, then you immediately go back to counting; if you do reciting the Buddha’s or Jesus’ or God’s name, then you go back to your reciting God’s name or Buddha’s name; if you do the method I have taught you, then you immediately go back to the center of wisdom, and rest your whole self in there. And then the other ideas will run away. And pray to God to help you. I do not know what kind of meditation you do, but our method offers a very reliable way to concentrate, and a good protection power and blessing, so it’s very easy for you to concentrate.

Why couldn’t we concentrate very easily? It is because our mind and subconscious are filled with past imaginations and impressions of the past lives. So if there is a good Master, then the Master will take all these past impressions away, and then you have less of this vexation and less impressions, so it is easy for your mind to become still. So the initiation is this, to help you to clean away all these accumulated past impressions, and leave your mind and heart in tranquility. Thus, the students of the Quan Yin Method find it very, very easy to become tranquil, and do not have much vexation and obstacle and problem. That’s why I emphasize and encourage people to practice the Quan Yin Method of meditation with me. Otherwise every method is good.

Q.278 “A Mi Tuo Fo” (Master: It means Amitabha Buddha.) Master, can a vegetarian consume chicken or duck egg? Thank You.

M. Yes, you can, but that kind of vegetarian is called “egg vegetarian.” (Laughter) And the egg happens to have some chicken inside, so we might call it “chicken vegetarian.” (Laughter) It’s better to leave egg alone. Egg contains lives, even half, even half a life is also life. Even some eggs, non- fertilized eggs, also have already the “Yin” part in it. Yin, Yang, you know “Yin Yang,” have a part of the life in it, half of it. So we also destroy some kind of life. Also egg excites the passions. For the practitioner the most fearful thing is an excited passion. Therefore we should leave egg alone, if we would like to have a peaceful mind and to have a successful meditation.

And remember, there’s another information I would like to tell you. Since the time of old, the witches, the witchcraft, always use the egg to stimulate the ghosts, and to take a ghost out of a possessed person’s body. Now if you put the egg inside your stomach then it is maybe reversed. It means you stimulate and attract the ghosts toward your stomach. That’s why we do not eat egg. But anyway, do what you want. It’s because you ask me, so I tell you. Don’t blame me if you couldn’t sell many eggs tomorrow. (Laughter) I do not mean to break anyone’s business.

Q.279 I think that no one in this world will be able to perform a perfect meditation, because as human beings we have too many worries and wants. What are Your comments on this?

M. We can have perfect meditation, if we have a good method, if we have a sincere heart, and we have good background. The Buddhas, Shakyamuni Buddha could, Jesus did, and other Saints could, so why couldn’t we? Not many, not all, but some can.

Q.280 Shih Fu (Means “Master” in English.) Is it possible for You to tell us whether You attained Your enlightenment on Your own, by Yourself or were You initiated by a Master? 

M. I was enlightened by myself. But I also have many Masters. I have always been a Master. I came back again because some of you, some of the people prayed that I come back.

Q.281 Why do You equate Buddha with Almighty God? Is Buddha the Creator like the Almighty God?

M. Last night I explained to you what the difference is between God and Buddha. Do you remember? Yes, so no need to say it again. I did not equate God and Buddha. I explained clearly yesterday what is so-called God and what is so-called Buddha. But because people, some people believe in God and some people believe in Buddha, so I say to you, you can pray to God or Buddha to help you. I do not want to exclude one group and teach only one group. I have no heart to do such things. If you believe in God, all right, you pray to God; if you believe in Buddha, pray to Buddha. But I welcome you both to come to my lecture, or for my help or advice if you need it.

Q.282 Do You imply that to believe in any religion is the same?

M. Yes, it’s the same. Just be a true Christian, be a good Buddhist, then the world is peaceful. But most people cannot do this. Many people are attacking each other and do not help each other in their faith. If the Christians help the Buddhists and the Buddhists help the Christians, then the world is peaceful and Jesus would be happy, Buddha is laughing. (Laughter and applause) Thank you, that’s very encouraging. (Laughter)

Q.283 In which dharma (Dharma is a Sanskrit word for teaching), or sutra (Sutra means scripture, in English) did Buddha say that we must not eat meat?

M. Not again! Please go back and read my book, the sample book. “The Benefits of a Vegan Diet” I’ve listed all the sutras you want to read. Dozens of them.

Q.284 You said that Buddha can communicate with You. Buddha has gone to Nirvana. He has no more desires. How can He communicate with You?

M. He doesn’t need to communicate with me. He is me! I did not say Buddha communicates with me. I said that for your own sake. I am the Buddha. Is that alright? No? Not alright, not allowed? (Laughter) I and the Buddha are one.

Q.285 Reverend, You talk about sitting still to meditate, to concentrate on the third-eye. Can anyone achieve this stage of concentration? Is the objective to be able to communicate with Quan Yin and other Buddhas? How long does it take to achieve this state of mind? What about the devils disturbing us during meditation? How do we drive them away? Thanks.

M. To communicate with Buddha, or Jesus, or Quan Yin Bodhisattva, or any other Saints is only one step further on the road. After you’ve gone through that state, you become Buddha (enlightened Master) yourself. So now, first you are not yet, you are not in communication with Buddha, but then you get initiation, you get enlightened. You may see the Buddha at the first day of initiation, immediately, or you may see Him or Quan Yin Bodhisattva in many weeks later, many days later, or many months or many years later. That is the second step. First step is initiation, get enlightenment. Maybe immediately see Buddha, maybe in many days, many years or many weeks later. That’s the second. The third step is, you become the Bodhisattva or you become a Buddha (an enlightened Master) yourself. And then you need no more communication. You are that. You are the Buddha. You know everything. You do everything without doing. You are everywhere but you are not anywhere. You sit here and at the same time you are everywhere. You help anyone who can call you for help. You know everything. You hear everything. You see everything. That is the Buddha’s (Saint’s) state.

To achieve communication with the Buddha is easier than to become a Buddha (an enlightened Master), but step by step we will be that. If you practice, and have no hope to become a Buddha (an enlightened Master), then I advise you not to bother. Because if you learn to become a doctor, and no one has ever become one, then why bother? But we have inspiration, we have hope. The reason why I answer you is because you asked me if I am a Buddha. This is the reason why I say “yes,” not because I am proud of being a Buddha (an enlightened Master). I couldn’t care less anymore. It is just to encourage you, to give you a positive example that you might become Buddha also. It’s very easy. If I am such a small person and a small lady, and I could reach Buddhahood (Sainthood), then you can. That’s why I tell you. Not because I’m proud of it, or to impress you. This I couldn’t care. Because I know you might or you might not believe it, and it doesn’t affect me a bit whether you believe it or you not believe it.

I wouldn’t say I’m better than them. It’s just I am nearer. They are in the Kingdom of God and I am in your world. So, in Au Lac we say, “A neighbor, is better than a far relative.” When you are in trouble, or you’re sick, the neighbor will help you, but a far relative would take a long time. That is why you need a living Master, a living good friend to help you in time of trouble.

Q.286 You mentioned that praying to the highest Authorities is better than the corner god, or you know, the local god etc. We will better receive their grace and power. Is it not true that those local gods are also their disciples?

M. I think what he means is that if these local gods are also the disciples of the higher God, then is it not better for us, first to go to the local gods, and step by step go through them to the higher? (Master and everyone laugh) That’s what his question is. Very lovely question. But the problem is, their power is still limited, and our desire, our want, and our expansion is limitless, is what we want. So better go to the limitless store and not to the local.

The local one has no power, actually. A policeman is different from a minister. Do not compare. And a minister is more different than a president. So, if you know a president or know a king it is a very different matter from knowing a policeman on the corner. So, this is very logical. So better pray to the highest God and get the limitless power, and not to pray step by step. Maybe you die tomorrow, you haven’t prayed up there. You haven’t gotten far enough and you are just stuck here.

Q.287 Honorable Master Ching Hai, if we admire or adore a certain master or Shih Fu too much, are we superstitious?

M. If your master is a so-called local god, or has not enough power, then maybe you are superstitious. If he or she only has magical power, only has some kind of “Ho-la-hop” and things, and you adore them too much, then you are superstitious. But if this Master has already reached the highest state and represents the highest Almighty God, then you are not.

Q.288 Is it correct for a male master to say that a female cannot wear a master’s robe?

M. What does a master’s robe look like? Is there a design for a male master robe and a female master robe? Is that right? What she means is that Shih Fu is in a Buddhist master robe, the Buddhist nuns and monks are wearing nun’s and monk’s clothes, right? But do not bother to ask me this. I don’t even wear anything special. I just wear whatever the disciples give me. I don’t care about any robe any more. So no need to discuss this with me. If you give me jeans, maybe I wear it, too. (Laughter)

Q.289 Please tell us how does Buddha speak to You? Is it through voices or through sense, Your experience?

M. I’m not enlightened enough to read this. Please write more clearly next time. I think what she or he means is, “How can I get in touch with Buddha?” That is just one stage on the road. I have already explained. When you are a Buddha (an enlightened Master). And there are no words in this language to explain to you what a Buddha (a Saint) is like. But the Buddha (a Saint) also eats and sleeps and talks. That's how you can see a Buddha. But the inside is different, and the inside we cannot explain. I just invite you to become a Buddha (an enlightened Master) and then you'll know.

Q.290 I am being disturbed by evil spirits for a long time. Please tell me how to cure it.

M. It's a little bit complicated. There are many ways to cure a possessed spirit. The best and the surest way is to change your own way of life. Become a virtuous person, take the precepts, rely one the Buddha, rely on God, and pray every day for help. Also you must live a purified life, then all the ghosts will run away. Devils can only mix in where there is some kind of dark atmosphere, and some kind of unfavorable circumstances, and atmosphere. If it's clean and pure the devils can not come around.

So change your way of life. Be good, do charity, worship the Buddha; the Buddha's Nature, not the Buddha's statue. Worship the Buddha, worship God, and keep the precepts. Try to be vegetarian as much as you can, or completely vegetarian, and pray to any Master you think is most enlightened to help you, to bless you, to give you some grace and protection. Sometimes, if you are in contact with the good practitioners, a group of good practitioners, or a good Master, the evil spirits run away themselves. You get clean automatically by looking at a Master or at a group of practitioners, or you may just get purified by their atmosphere.

Q.291 You speak ill of worms, yet they too are sentient beings. Similarly, antibiotics kill bacteria. Should we not kill bacteria that are harming us directly?

M. What you do not ask! Hmm? Then we should not kill the worms then. He says they are also sentient beings. I do not speak ill of worms. I just tell you a disease that is very incurable and that is causing much suffering for those who catch it. And no need to ask in such a manner. You know what to do with this. If you want to kill the worms, then you kill them; If you don't, then you don't. But some worms don't let you kill them, that is the problem. You couldn't even kill these worms, such as the ones I mentioned last night. It's an incurable disease. The best thing is to lead a virtuous and clean life. Last night, that's what my purpose was, to tell you not to let these things happen. By prepared! Lead d good and virtuous life. Do not let yourself fall into becoming this kind of victim. That's what my good intention was. And if you are so compassionate as not wanting to kill the worm, then I approve also, then don't kill the worms. (Let the worms kill you.)

Q.292 Robert Ardrey's ultimate work “The Hunting Hypothesis” poses the view that our ancestors were, rather than berry pickers, cooperative and sharing hunters and that these human virtues are rally derived from success in killing

M. It could be, it could be so. Because in the old time, we have no agriculture, no corn, and no rice, and no bread to eat. Most of the people go hunting for flesh. It could be the karma that inspires us today, many violent acts came from that. It could be so.

Q.293 Does imagination and visualization play a role in meditation?

M. Yes, it does. It keeps you comforted and busy. If you haven't found a real vision, then you must imagine. It's just like when we have no money, then we might stay there and daydream about it. But in our meditation, the Quan Yin Method, you do not need to imagine, you get it directly. Imagination and visualization comes only when we have none of these things and we crave for them, then we should work up something. But remember, our imagination and visualization is not ultimate. We could not imagine that highest world with our own limited brain power. Therefore, whatever we imagine might have a human defect. So it is better to get it directly from the highest Order, from God, from Buddha, and not go through our own imagination, because our imagination may be too small, too limited, and may be a kind of illusion.

Q.294 What's enlightenment?

M. Yesterday, I told you already. That is when you know everything in the universe, understand everything, see everything, hear everything, any time, anywhere, and appear any time and stay in one place at the same time.

Q.295 Can one practice the Quan Yin Method if one is not strictly vegan?

M. Yes, you can, but what for? No, no result. I already said, even if we practice a very small or basic meditation, we should be more vegan if we want to be successful. How much more so, if we want to practice a higher order and a stronger method! You must be vegan, otherwise you will suffer from the side effects. Just like when you go to see a doctor and you have some kind of disease, and the doctor advises you not to drink wine any more, not to smoke any more. If you continue to drink wine and smoke, your disease gets worse, and there's no need to go to a doctor at all. The Quan Yin Method is to help you to get enlightened and to be nearer to God each day.

Q.296 Dear Master, in the Surangama Sutra Buddha says that we can eat meat and animals that we did not see killed, that we did not hear killed, that which is not killed for our sake.

M. Yes, He did say that, but then He also said that was in the beginning of His mission, when no one knew about precepts much, and some people were not used to this, and some people lived in deserts and in high mountains where no vegetables grew. After that He said, from today no one can eat meat, any kind of meat. I forbid it. Why don't you read further? You just read here and stop. It's so convenient (Laughter) It's very convenient just to read where you want.

Q.297 I have no religion. Can I achieve enlightenment through the Quan Yin Method?

M. Yes, Indeed you can, and you will, and you must, you should, immediately. (Laughter) There is no need for any other requirement. We have God inside us. The Kingdom of God is within, Buddha is within us. No one says Buddha is in religion. Before Buddha came, there was no Buddhism, before Jesus came there was no Christianity. So where did they get enlightenment from? Buddha is not Buddhist. He wasn’t a Buddhist. We are Buddhists but He wasn’t. Christ was not Christian. We are, but He wasn’t. So if you are not any, then come to be, to be God’s disciple.

Q.298 Dear Master, I have heard that in Buddhism there is no God, only Buddha. Is this true? Please explain.

M. Yes. The Buddha didn’t say there is no God or there is God; He just kept silent. Why? I would like to keep silent also. Because most people imagine God with their own conception, a very limited and powerless god, and a very not successful god. Therefore the Buddha didn’t want to say and admit their so-called “god” conception. But He said there is another thing called “Anuttara-Samyak-Sambuddha.” This means the Most High, the Highest that no one is higher than this. This means the highest kind of order, the highest Power, that is what He means by “God.” He doesn’t want people to get attached to the worn out conception of their local god, and their personal god, and their this and that god.

Q.299 Dear Master, can You show and prove to us Your power, so to let us be deeply convinced? (Laughter)

M. Hu-la-hop! (Applause) You didn’t see my power? Nothing come out? Oh, I’m sorry. Must be out of order today. (Master and everyone laugh) You come with your own wisdom, use your wisdom to understand my words, to go deep within yourself and search for your own master, not to be attached to power. Power of any kind is very short-lived. I do not use power to attract my disciples, but I have many, I have plenty. I cannot use enough, but I don’t use it to show off. Any kind of master who uses power to show off is not worth the name; I’m afraid to say. We are practitioners, we convince people by logic, by wisdom, by sincerity and the power of love, not magic, hum? I am not a magician. It’s not my job. (Laughter)

Q.300 What is the difference between an Arhat(a Saint)and a Buddha (an enlightened Master)?

M. Sometimes an Arhat is a Buddha, and sometimes a Buddha is an Arhat, but sometimes a Buddha is not an Arhat, and sometimes an Arhat is not a Buddha. (Laughter) It depends on how you look at it. The Arhat by the most definite definition is the one who has a lot of magical power, who can tame the wild beast. And can make the wind and all these kinds of things. But the Buddhas are the ones who can have thousands and millions of transcendental bodies at the same time, can hear everything everywhere at the same time, can see everything, every time in everywhere at the same time. He and the universe are one. He is everywhere and not anywhere. This is called “Ju-lai,” “Tathagata.” The Arhats by definition, or by usual understanding are the ones who have some magical power, who are liberated, but who are not yet completely having the ultimate power and ultimate wisdom.

Q.301 Shih Fu, does God create this world, or does the world exist by itself?

M. This you have to go and ask God. You want to come to ask Hirm? Go get initiation, practice the Quan Yin Method of meditation, and you go directly and ask Hirm. What is, what came first, the egg or the chicken? (Laughter)

Q.302 What is the difference between perfect vegetarian and no-perfect vegetarian? Any effect on meditation between these two types of people?

M. Yes, If you want to know what kind of effect vegetarianism has on meditation, you may go out and get the book that our own disciples keep. They write about experiences of violating the guidelines, of eating meat after initiation, and what kind of effect it has on them. That's called “Shih Tu Nei Hsin” (in Chinese) disciples and Master's inner letters. These letters are not common letters, they not only ask Master “How are you? The weather is fine” No, no no! We discuss deeply, inside wisdom and many inside guidelines, inside enlightenment

And there is column called Guidelines. In this you will read many experiences about eating vegetarian and non-vegetarian, and how it affects their meditation and their progress. Then you may know for yourself. Because if I always tell you, you'll say, “Oh, of course You are the Master and You want to sell Your product.” No, I speak everything by experience, and also by the proof of enlightenment and experience of my disciples. I do not force people to believe things. We have proof.

Q.303 Is there a specific time for setting for meditation? Must it be three hours after launch?

M. One hour enough. Three hours is too long; one hour, half an hour is enough. If you don't eat a very full meal, then half an hour is OK.

Q.304 What are the things to keep in mind, or is there nothing in mind when practicing meditation?

M. Nothing. Do not desire anything, and do not think too much of anything. Just concentrate on your method.

Q.305 Must there be any objective to achieve in practicing meditation?

M. You pray for grace and wisdom, pray for liberation, for peace in the world, and peace within yourself. That's the best, um? Otherwise you can pray also for winning the lottery, getting a beautiful wife, if you want. (Laughter) But I would advise you to get the highest. Pray for wisdom, pray for peace, for happiness, for yourself and for all beings.

Q.306 What is Your advice if I wish to practice meditation? I sincerely hope I would get some enlightenment from your answer.

M. You would like to do meditation? I'm very pleased. If you already have a method, then continue if it helps you. If it doesn’t help you, then try the little method I have taught you yesterday and this evening. If this doesn’t satisfy you, and you want a deeper enlightenment and deeper wisdom or more inside, more protection, then you get initiation, so that I may teach you the Quan Yin Method, that is the safest, the best and the most beneficial.

Q.307 Dear Ching Hai Master, apart from wisdom can You please tell us any other advantages that we can gain from meditation?

M. Oh yes, many, many. You get happiness, tranquility, power to help yourself and others, help your five, six generations. And later you can become a Buddha (an enlightened Master), or like Jesus. You know everything, you can cleanse the others’ sin, you can help anyone who is in need, in disaster, in trouble. You have many powers, many supra-powers.

Q.308 Can a family man attain enlightenment without leaving home to become a monk?

M. Yes, definitely.

Q.309 Master, is it sinful if a person tells a lie to safeguard his people, family or country?

M. No. It’s OK. It’s not sinful.

Q.310 How can I know if I am having a good meditation?

M. If it gives you peace and satisfaction. That is a good result.

Q.311 When is the right time for meditation?

M. If you’re working regularly, then you can wake up early in the morning from three to six. From midnight onward is a good meditation time, but after a good rest, after a good sleep, otherwise you’ll sit there and just, agree to everything. (nodding head in sitting sleep!) (Laughter) Depends on if you work at night or in the morning. After a good night’s sleep is the best time.

Q.312 Why do we have so many religions in this world today? Why does every one of them have a conflicting teaching and philosophy? Why does God permit this?

M. No, no, no! They are not conflicting. It’s just that our wisdom hasn’t opened to understand the basic meanings of these religions. They are not conflicting. God doesn’t want this. It’s we ourselves who make the separations.

Q.313 Master Ching Hai, You did mention about the Creator, the Almighty God, and other holy Masters like Buddha, Jesus, Quan Yin, etc. What is the relationship between Them and God? If They are God’s disciples, won’t it be better to pray straight to the Almighty God?

M. Yes, then you pray to the Almighty God. But these Masters, They came to the world from time to time to bring the message of God, and because They came, we know God. It’s because of Their connection, Their grace, Their blessing, Their help that we are connected with God, and therefore we are grateful to Them. That’s also not incorrect. 

As for worshipping past Masters, that’s why we should not pay much attention to past Masters. We should find a living Master, so that we can get direct contact with God. So your question is, “Should we worship these Masters?” No, we shouldn’t. We should worship God, but pray to a Master. Ask for help from a Master so that you may contact God. But a living Master. A past one is done with His job. He’s gone, gone to do other things. He doesn’t do this job anymore.

Q.314 Dear venerable Master, I’ve heard many people arguing about the existence of religion. Some people say Christianity came first, and some people say Buddhism came first. To me I say which religion comes first is not important (Master agrees, “Yes, yes!”) Therefore I sincerely hope venerable Master will enlighten us.

M. Yes. It’s not important. That is right. The most important is that we follow the teaching of the religions that we believe. Because if you follow one religion, it means you follow all the religions. They mostly teach the same thing.

Q.315 What is the difference between meditation, chanting and using beads, on the path of enlightenment?

M. Meditation is to sit still and listen to the guidance of the Master inside, or God. Chanting and beads means we are too busy. And we forget to listen. Chanting and telling the beads is praying, praying for God to help us, give us guidance, give us this and that, but after we ask, we must sit still and listen, no? Just like I come and ask you a question. After I have asked blah-blah-blah-blah, then I must stay still so that you have the chance to tell me what your answer is. So meditation is a process after praying and telling the beads. Otherwise telling the beads and praying is not very efficient.

Q.316 How do we know that we have attained a proper Master to teach the path of enlightenment?

M. Easy. The Master must enlighten you, so then you know that is a correct path of enlightenment. To be enlightened means to have Light. Now if any Master gives you some Light, or some guidance from God, direct contact with God, with Light, then that is an enlightened Master and you are on an enlightened path.

Q.317 Dear Master, Buddha said that women are subservient to men. What is Your opinion?

M. Buddha never said this. It is a great misunderstanding. We have Buddha, we have women Buddhas, we have man Buddhas, even in the scriptures. So how can He say such things? If He ever said something like that, it was due to the customs of India at that time, the women must sit behind the men, or the woman must pay respect to the men. He didn’t want to make topsy-turvy of the Indian customs, and destroy the order of the society, so He said that a woman has to stay behind the man or sit behind the man or pay respect to man. It’s because He respected the prevailing customs.

Similarly, when we go to this country, if we go here, we must respect the customs and the laws of this country. So when we share something, we share all these for the Buddhists or the Christians or the non-believers, we could not share to the Muslims. It’s because we respect the law of this country. I do not say it’s my order. It is the national law and we respect the law. Similarly, when the Buddha was in India He let the woman be subservient to man, because it was the order of the society. Otherwise man and woman are equal.

Q.318 People talk about the existence of a spiritual world or another world after death. How true is this?

M. Yes, it is true. There are many worlds beyond our world, more beautiful, more permanent, more loving, more relaxed.

Q.319 What exactly is Nirvana in Buddhist teaching?

M. Nirvana means blissful tranquility. When we sit in meditation, you have a small Nirvana. After you achieve great enlightenment, and you leave this world, you attain the greater Nirvana.

Q. Is this Nirvana the Buddhist’s ultimate aim in life?

M. Yes.

Q.320 Master, is it wrong to feed your pet dog meat or your cat fish?

M. It isn’t wrong, but it isn’t right. Do what you have to do, the best thing. If you don’t feel right about it, then you do not have to keep a dog or a cat. Let the other people keep them, feed them.

Q.321 Your list of initiation data is long and frightening. (Laughter) How can this encourage us to be initiated?

M. Whatever you feel frightened about, you ask my disciples to explain to you, or ask me. Not every one is frightened. If it is so frightening, then not so many disciples would come. We have a lot of people. There is nothing to be frightened about being vegan, about not eating meat, about not taking drugs, about not killing, not stealing. There’s nothing frightening about that. Think it over.

Q.322 Is it wrong to help others heal themselves when they are ill? If so, where is our compassion?

M. People get sick, they have doctors. They also have spiritual healers if they want to. But we follow in a different path. We want to take people to liberation, not just heal a little sickness. If people are sick, you should take them to the hospital, care for them, and tell them to pray and rely on their own power and self, not to rely on your little limited power to heal them. A little compassion and great compassion are different. For example, if you study to become a doctor, and you have not become a doctor yet, and you see all the nurses are very busy taking care of patients, then you might abandon your studying to be a doctor and become a nurse in order to help the people. That’s also all right. But then you won’t become a doctor. You’ll be only a nurse all the time.

If you heal people by spiritual healing power, then you become a healer only and can only help sick people, and not the whole of sentient beings. You could not take people to freedom, to liberation and to become Buddha. If you want to become a spiritual healer, you give the poor people spiritual healing, OK! That is compassionate, too. But I would like to teach you to become a Buddha, and then not only can you heal people, but you can liberate people, you can liberate the world, and that is a greater healing goal. You become a doctor, not a nurse.

Q.323 Do You accept the title of the living God accorded to You? If not, what are You doing about it to the misinformed?

M. I accept or don’t accept, makes no difference. It is they who call me, it is not I who tell them to call me, and it’s very difficult to tell the press to call you a living God. You cannot buy them. They, the first time they know me, I don’t know them even, and they called me that after I had left Costa Rica. They commented about my work, and about my person, and they wrote many comments after I left already, and my disciples picked them up and told people.

This is for the information of our disciples, wherever the Master goes, what happened, what happened, what happened, in which country what happened. We also tell people when people blame us. We also tell that. Just a very truthful news for our disciples to know where the Master goes and what to do, and what people say. Makes no difference to me whether you call me a living God or living ghost. (Laughter)

But we are all the living God, not only me. According to the Bible we are the living God, Know you not that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit dwells within you. God lives in this temple. That means it is God. The body is only the shell, only the temple, and God is inside. We are God. What are you talking about? Who is misinformed? You are misinformed. You don’t know who you are, you don’t know how great you are. If I know how great I am, you should be happy for me. (Applause)

Q.324 In Buddhism one of the greatest defilements is the ego. How do You justify Your photos being on sale outside?

M. Does that have anything to do with the ego? People like my photo, so we have to comply with their wish. It is also all the work of my disciples; nothing to do with me. I don’t take my own photo, I don’t go and develop them, and I don’t sell them. I have nothing to sell except my goodness and good-will to help you. I don’t sell nothing. I take no money, no profit. I work with my own hands to earn my own living, may I inform you? So whatever you take from me is free of charge, free gift. It’s all from good-will.

I work every day with my hands. I make the scarves. To earn enough money for myself. Even when I lecture, before I lecture I do some of this work. On the traveling tour, on the airplane, on the train, on the bus, whenever I have time, I do work so that I have enough money to live. I do not sell nothing. Whatever money or profit comes, it will be freely distributed again, it will be to print the book. We give it free to you, free arrangements for you to come for lectures, free arrangements for you to go for initiation, free arrangement that you come and eat with us or see me. It is all for you, nothing for me. Photographs, people want to take for souvenirs. If you don’t want, you don’t. Nothing to do with my ego. I couldn’t care less.

To do this work is very frightening. (Laughter) Yes. Do not envy my job. No, no, don’t wish, don’t envy. You get pressure, frightened, and criticism, everywhere and at any time. You listen to all these questions and you know already, and you, and you read the newspapers and you know already. You should pity me, not criticize. You should protect me. Give me more love and encouragement, so that I may serve you and serve people more, hum? Not pressure. I only serve, and do not take.

Q.325 Dear Grand Master, I would like to practice Your Quan Yin Method, but I think I cannot make it now, because of the vegan requirement.

M. Then you practice this little method I taught you this evening and slowly try to be vegan to see if you can, and after you try for some time, if you succeed, then come for initiation. Is that all right?

Q.326 Dear Master, why are garlic and onions not considered vegan food? Please explain.

M. It is because of the Buddhist precepts. In a Buddhist sutra it is said that garlic and onions stimulate your passion. Your sexual desire. Therefore if we do any kind of practice, we should minimize our sexual activities, and if we eat garlic and onions, it makes it more, therefore we avoid them. Also it is said that onions harm your kidney, and dull your memories. Therefore the monks and nuns or the good practitioners they think it’s better to avoid them. But Master doesn’t forbid it.

Q.327 Sometimes my body moves or shakes during meditation, just like in a trance state. Can You explain?

M. Yes. It is because when you meditate, the good force and the bad force are fighting; one wants to take you up and one wants to pull you down. So it stays like this. You should go on with your meditation; and whoever is your master, if he has power, ask him to help you. If he doesn’t, pray to God, to Buddha, to whomever you believe to help you, and slowly, with perseverance, you will overcome this. Also try to live a more clean life, eat vegan, etc.

Q.328 If we have fear of learning to meditate, and we can’t find a Master, isn’t the fear a hindrance for further development?

M. Yes, you should overcome this fear. If you want to meditate, you should try, you should have courage. We should fear nothing. Human beings are the highest in creation, we should not fear.

Q.329 Is it the eye that sees, or the seeing that sees?

M. It is the seeing that sees. So even when you close your eyes, you can see many things, so it is the seeing nature that sees things. Therefore when we die, our eyes can be opened or closed, yet they see nothing any more, because the seeing ability is gone (out of the eye!)

Q.330 Is it possible for a Master to give a touch or other method to help the student in enlightenment?

M. Yes, it is possible. You don't need a touch; a look is enough, a name is enough. Hearing about a Master's name is enough to help you, if you have faith, sincerity and humility, humility.

Q.331 I believe in calling a Buddha's name or chanting the Lord of the Universe. How can I practice a silent meditation together with calling and chanting the Lord of the Universe? You told me that after chanting we need to meditate a few minutes.

M. If you want to be silent and also noisy at the same time, then I have no way. You chant for awhile, and then sit. And if you want you can chant again. you cannot chant for twenty-four hours a day. Try to be quiet for some time to receive God's blessing, Buddha's help.

Q.332 Do animals have souls?

M. Yes.

Q. How about killing germs and harmful insects, is it murderous?

M. Yes, but then you have to kill for your life, whereby killing animals to eat is not necessary. The first case and the second are different. In the first you kill for food, but food is available nowadays from soy beans, from all kinds of vegetables. So the first case is not so necessary, not a life and death matter, therefore the sin is a little bit heavier. Now in the second case, you have to fight for your own life. Human life is very precious, so you are allowed to get rid of these insects and harmful germs according to medical means, and this killing sin is very minimal. Because you have an excuse, also because these animals and these germs are very small, their life values are not great, therefore we can cleanse it by prayer, by repentance, by meditation. Whereby killing a greater animal is difficult to clean.

Q.333 Dear Master, being a vegan or non-vegetarian, to kill or not to kill, to be a Buddhist or Christian, to have the key to enlightenment, to have initiation, to observe the Sound or no-sound, etc., is just the discrimination of the mind. To be attached to all this thinking is samsara, not to be attached to all these things is wisdom. To be free from all this attachment or non-attachment thinking is enlightenment. Please comment whether I am right or wrong, and offer some advice.

M. If I say you are right, then it is not, because if you already have wisdom and enlightenment then you don't need to ask me this. (Laughter) That means you are not enlightened. If you thinking is like this, it's not enough. We cannot say, “I'm not attached to the staircase because the second floor is not the staircase,” but we have to go from the staircase to go to the second floor. And when we get to the second floor, then we can say, “I don't need the staircase.” We haven't reached the higher floors, so we need the staircase. Ok? If you have this kind of great thinking, it sounds very great, but then you are not yet completely enlightened. That's why you still ask me. You are not certain. The one who has wisdom and enlightenment never doubts. That is the difference.

Q.334 Great teacher, is Nirvana a place or a state of mind?

M. It is a state of mind.

Q.335 If one has attained Nirvana, where does one go after death?

M. You go to Nirvana, to the Kingdom of God, back to the whole of the universe. But this you know after you die.

Q.336 Is there a life after death, and reincarnation, and such a thing as Heaven and hell? How can one prove such things?

M. Last nigh I told you already. When we get to a certain level in practice we see our reincarnations, we'll see the life and death cycle and the law of it. Then we know. Hell and Heaven, we can see also. We can see these during our meditation. We can visit these places.

Q.337 What happens to one's soul when one dies? Is it reborn immediately into another human body? Is it reborn into a higher or lower human being depending on one's past actions in one's previous lives?

M. Yes. The soul can be liberated completely, if you practice such as the Quan Yin Method of meditation and liberate yourself in this lifetime. Then after you die, you have no burden, no covering of the soul. If you haven't, then you still have some cover. In this world we have this physical body's cover, and in the other world we have a different cover. It is more subtle, more invisible, but it is still a cover. Just like when you build a house with concrete, or you build a house with wood, the densities are different but still there are some obstructions for your vision. Only a liberated soul can go free after death. They go to where they have attained during life. And where you go depends on your last life, of course.

Q.338 Dear Master, shall I place Your photo together with other Buddhas or Gods? Any problem?

M. Yes, do what you want with it. (Laughter)

Q.339 Master Ching Hai, why do You discourage the practice of “Chi-Gong,” when it is beneficial for health.

M. I don't discourage. I told you to do exercise, do Chi-Gong, or do whatever you like to exercise. Keep your body healthy. I just mentioned it, didn't I? I cannot mention all the yogas in the world, I just mentioned a few, and that's enough. Just because I didn't say Chi-Gong, so you get hurt. I forgot. There are so many types.

Q.341 When is the best time for meditation?

M. From three o'clock to six o'clock, if you are working in the daytime. Otherwise anytime after a good rest. Because after three o'clock to six o'clock is a very quiet time. Our life activities have not yet been excited, and the wife and kid, or husband is still sleeping, house-work is not yet necessary, going to work is not yet time. So you can meditate. It's more quiet and feeling secured. That's why that time is good. Otherwise anytime when you feel relaxed, when you feel calm and needing meditation, will do.

With a hungry stomach, or just after taking food, daytime, nighttime, it depends on your working schedule, and your leisure time. A hungry stomach is no good, a full stomach is no good. After taking food, wait a little while, maybe half an hour or an hour afterward. If you are too hungry, when you sit there, you only contemplate on food and forget the Buddha/God; (Master and everyone laugh) and then when you see visions, it is only bread and butter and cheese (vegan), and not Buddha/God (Laughter)

Q.342 Dear Master Ching Hai, I was born a Buddhist, I also accept the Bahai faith (Master, “That’s good.”) I follow the teachings of the Buddha as closely as possible, like the eight-fold path. I’m sad that I do not understand the Buddhist prayers, or recite them. I depend upon the Bahaist prayers which I could understand. Honestly, I receive blessings from God through the Buddha as well as through Baha Ullah. Is it wrong to accept two great religions or religious teachers at the same time?

M. No, it’s not wrong. Do whatever you feel comfortable with, and do whatever is beneficial to your soul and helpful to your mental quest. Buddha’s or Baha Ullah’s purpose in coming to this world is only to help you to feel peaceful, to feel relaxed and happy and secure. So, whomever you trust and whatever recitation helps you, that is good. The Buddha will be happy that you are happy.

Q. If You permit, I would like to have Master Ching Hai as one of my protectors.

M. Three? (Master and everyone laugh)

Q. But how am I to feel Your presence when Master is away?

M. You will feel it. You might even see it. See, if you are sincere enough and purified enough, you may see me at your home like you see me now, and no question.

Q. How are we to know of Your presence with us when You are away sharing the Truth in other countries?

M. I’ve told you already. You might feel it. You feel it every day of your life, the protection, the help. You’ll feel it very clearly. Otherwise you may see with your own eyes, or in meditation. It is different with everyone, but people who can see the transcendental body of the Master are not few; many, many can see.

Q.343 Namaste. Local people here believe in Gods like Quan Yin, Nine Emperor gods, etc. What is Your advice concerning such beliefs?

M. It is OK. If it helps you.

Q.344 What is the function of dreams and what is their importance for us?

M. Dreams have so many complicated functions and so many things. Sometimes you’re thinking in the daytime and dreaming in the night. Sometimes dreams predict the future or connect with the past. It’s complicated. You should ask a dreamer or buy a dream book. Because I don’t have that much time to go into the details. we have a tape in our retreat, we have a tape concerning dreams. You might buy it and listen.

Q.345 When a person has achieved enlightenment, does that mean he/she will no longer undergo the cycle of reincarnation?

M. Yes, no longer.

Q.346 Was Jesus Christ really the Son of God or was He just a man with great psychic power?

M. He was a Son of God. You are also a son of God. It’s just that you don’t know you are. He knows He is. (Laughter)

Q.347 Many Chinese practice ancestor worship. What is Your advice on this?

M. Let them.

Q.348 Dear Ching Hai Shih Fu, Namaste. Please help me to solve these questions. Who is Quan Yin? I believe in Her existence and pray to Her a lot. Will I be able to see Her one day in my life? How do I get to see Her?

M. It’s difficult. The better, the quicker way is for you to go to get initiation. You might see Her at initiation time, even that quick, or you might see Her a little bit later. Without the Quan Yin Method of meditation I do not know when you will see Her. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t.

Q.349 In the market there are many books like Seth Speaks and Ramtha, etc. on teaching one to discover oneself and enlightenment. Who are they? Are they like Master Yourself, and do they possess God’s Power?

M. Reading a book or something, or any teaching could not give you enlightenment. That is for sure. You must get in touch with the living Master.

Q.350 Who discovered and invented the Quan Yin Method? Did Quan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, Herself?

M. No. She practiced this method and then attained the level of Goddess of Mercy. This method is ancient, came from God, came from the Kingdom of God, not from anyone’s inventing it. If we practice this, we will, we can become as good as Quan Yin.

Q.351 In reality, it is not possible for every human being to find enlightenment. In theory if the human population all became enlightened and broke the cycle of death and rebirth, does it mean ultimately the end of the human population on this planet?

M. No, no need. We can live in harmony together, harmoniously together in enlightenment. We must not even leave the Earth. For example, I don’t leave the Earth. I’m still here. If I wish, I will come back again. The trouble is unenlightened people, even if they wish to come back to the Earth, they cannot. That’s the problem. So if you want to populate this world, then get enlightened and then come back. And live together in harmony.

Q.352 Dear Guru, You come with a big group. The expenditure must be very high. Who is supporting this trip? Do You mind answering this?

M. They support themselves. You support yourself to come here, so they support themselves also. You don’t mind my financial problems. You don’t care, do not bother. Thank you.

Q.353 Dear Master, we are a very loving husband and wife, and are both keen to follow the Quan Yin Method of meditation. Have we got to give up sex?

M. No, you haven’t, but you may decrease it slowly. (Laughter) Give it up slowly. (Master and everyone laugh)

Q. Must we change our relationship in order to attain enlightenment? (Laughter)

M. No, no, no. Just slowly do it. Change as you feel according to your levels; nothing pushing is good. In time you just suddenly won’t want sex any more, then it is the right time. Otherwise just try to control it as much as possible. Alright? Give time, and energy to meditate, and to do some better good for humanity. It doesn’t mean sex is something so sinful. It is just wasting too much energy and time, whereby we can use it for a better purpose. That’s why it is, that we should minimize it. I don’t condemn anything, I just advise you, between a loving husband and wife relationship, it’s good. Only when you’re abusing it, then it is no good.

Q.354 Dear Master, You insist on the vegan diet, but I already bought a bottle of cod-liver oil and fish oil capsules. Must I throw them away?

M. Give them to someone else who needs them.

Q.355 If there are some minor meat based foods mixed with my vegetable diet, is it OK? A complete hundred percent change is difficult. Slowly fasting from a meat diet would be easier. Can You accept me this way?

M. You first try it slowly, until you can completely be a vegan, and then come back for initiation. If you want to do it slowly, then do it slowly. Don’t ask me to go slow with you. (Laughter)

Q.356 Dear Master, I worship two Masters, Buddha and Jesus. Can I meditate on Buddha and Jesus Christ at the same time?

M. Yes, you can call on both of Them. They will both come. One day you realize that Jesus and Buddha are one.

Q. The holy Bible states clearly that one must not serve two Masters. Do I reject Jesus Christ to love Buddha or contrarily love Jesus to reject Buddha. Is the Bible’s teaching contrary to the Buddha’s doctrine, scripture, or what is Your personal opinion?

M. The Bible means you should not serve God and the devil at the same time. Jesus and Buddha are both Saints, God’s representatives. You can love Them both or more, welcome.

Q.357 Master, I was a monk before in Thailand, and I have already disrobed. The majority of monks in Thailand take meat ever since early days until now. Please explain why? 

M. Because they did not read the other scriptures of the Buddha, they only read the small part of Buddhism. If they read more, they would understand.

Q. Can they be enlightened?

M. Yes, but not the ultimate. According to the Buddha, whoever eats meat can become the Maya king only. He can never become a Buddha (an enlightened Master). That’s according to the Surangama sutra, so don’t blame me, hum!

Q.358 As a vegetarian/vegan, can we take shellfish?

M. No. Don’t take it.

Q.359 If vegetables are mixed with prawns to fry, (Laughter) can we eat the vegetables but not the prawns?

M. Yes, in a desperate situation, if you have nothing else to eat, and if you don’t eat it you will die, (Laughter) then eat it, and quickly go home and wash.

Q.360 Venerable Master, throughout the ages India has always been the land of Saints. Today the greatest and most well known of the Saints is Sai Baba. Who is this Sathya Sai Baba?

M. He is one of them, but not the greatest. One of the greatest, maybe, but not the only.

Q.361 This Sai Baba, he is supposed to be incarnated again now.

M. He was a very famous Hindu Muslim Saint before, and he did many miracles. He could help many people in many places at the same time, and his devotees always worshipped him and got whatever they wanted, but he didn’t teach people a method to liberate themselves, and to become a Master themselves. You can worship a person and get benefit from him, but it is another question to become him yourself, to become a Master yourself. So Sai Baba helped a lot of people, was very compassionate, and had a lot of magical power.

Also the one now, the Saint, he is very famous because of his magical power, and also he is helping. But as far as I know he doesn’t teach people a way to liberate themselves, to become a self Master. So, and our method is to teach you to become a self Master, to become the Master, not only to worship a Master. So you don’t worship me. I never let disciples worship me. I only tell them where to find their own greatness, and their own self worth, and how to become a Master. If you worship me, you think I’m great, then I teach you how to become like myself.

Q.362 Dear Master, I always hear from people that it is God, or the Supreme Creator who has created all beings, with Hiers Almighty Superpower. If this is true, then why can’t Hes stop warfare or evil incidents before they occur, instead of allowing the killing of innocent people?

M. No, these are not really innocent people, not necessarily. Maybe last life they killed this person, and this person came back and killed them. So next time they’ll come back and kill again, and next time they’ll come back and kill, kill, kill again; and that’s why transmigration is going on all the time. That’s why I come and tell you God’s message, to stop all this. Even if people hit you, don’t hit back. That’s what Jesus said. In this way we cut the circle, because if you hit them, next time they’ll hit you. If you kill them, next time they’ll kill you, and the next time you’ll kill them, and the next time they will kill you. It’s just like this going on. So don’t. Stop! Eat vegan, and don’t kill.

Q.363 Dear Master, when we pray and make offerings of food and fruit, etc. to an ancestor’s tablet at home on the anniversary, does the dead ancestor get any benefit?

M. I don’t think so. Either they go to Heaven or hell or transmigrate into a different place. If they go to Heaven, they don’t care about our dirty food and cheap fruit; if they go to hell they couldn’t come up to eat; if they go to the animal or plant world, then they couldn’t hear anything what you say. And if they’ve already become another human being, then the fruit is also not necessary.

Q.364 Dear Master, how is it possible to get enlightened with the Quan Yin Method? What is the feeling of enlightenment like?

M. You get enlightened, no need to ask. Very quick and evidently. The feeling, you’ll know later, when you get enlightened.

Q.365 If You are Buddha and You know all and everything, why do You have trouble reading some of the questions, and why did You ask the audience what a particular Japanese sect was? (Laughter)

M. So I “know” everything. So, the Buddha (enlightened Master) also has to ask some questions. Because I explained to you already last night, the Buddha is God as well as human. In the human level He functions as a human, but in another level He functions as Buddha, both at the same time. So dealing with the human, you have to enlightened Master) be human, otherwise everyone will come flocking to me just expecting miracles. If after practicing with me, you immediately can read everything, know everything, all the languages, and show it off to people, then I think in one second all the world will become Buddha (Saint) and be gone, and good-bye to all your grandmothers, grandfathers, children and babies. This is not allowed.

For example, if you are a spy in a country, in an enemy country, even though your position is very high, you “don’t know” nothing. You are working like a taxi driver. You have to drive a taxi, and you say. What is this? I don’t know. What is that? Right? What is his name? What is that? Is that a president? What kind of president is he?” But you know everything. You know, but you don’t know, you must not. You know everything at the same time, and you don’t know everything at the same time. You will know that, when you get initiation.

If you say I don’t know anything, it is not correct, because when you meditate and you ask me in your own Malayan language, I will answer you in Malayan language. But here I don’t. If you ask me in French, in Greek, in Latin, in whatever very old language, or in your local language, the Master inside will answer you exactly in that language. So that means the Master knows every language. But here I don’t. Just like if you asked me to do some miracles for you to look at, I wouldn’t do that, um? No one ever did that. Jesus never did that. Jesus also had to ask for something. He asked for water. He asked for food. He let people massage His feet. He doesn’t need that, but He let it be. It is difficult to understand.

Q.366 I did notice that many holy Masters like Buddha, Jesus, Sai Baba and others have one similarity, that they do raise up their hand or palm. What’s the reason behind this, and the interaction with meditation?

M. To give blessing. But the real Master doesn’t need to raise the palm to bless. Just a look is enough. You don’t have to even have a look. No need for the Master to raise the hand, the foot or the head or whatever. There are many ways to bless people, but sometimes as a gesture of peace or greeting. It is a kind of habit.

Q.367 Master, You claim to be a living God or Buddha (fully enlightened being). How do You justify Your claim? Enlightenment?

M. I know my own Self. I know who I am. You’re also Buddha (fully enlightened being). It’s just that the difference between you and I is that you don’t know yet, and I know. So what is the big deal about that, um? If you have practiced medicine for many years, and you don’t know that you have graduated and have a doctor’s degree and have become a doctor, then what would you know? If you study medicine for a long time and you graduate and become a doctor, and then you say you are a doctor, what is the big deal?

Q.368 In accordance to the holy Dharma, the enlightened Buddha said that the Maitraiya Buddha would only come into the world when all humans do not believe in God or Saints anymore and when all humans have become animals.

M. Humans become animals? Then He comes? Ah, He preaches to animals? It’s difficult to rescue and talk to human beings, how can we talk to animals and enlighten the animals? I don’t think the Buddha would wait so long. But I have explained this in another tape, so please go and ask. Time doesn’t permit.

Q.369 Has the true Master that comes to save humankind from this destructive world finally appeared?

M. Oh, they appear all the time, all the time, any time.

Q.370 Is there only one spirit in our physical body or could there be another spirit that attaches to our body as well?

M. Sometimes. Sometimes there is another spirit who attaches to our body, sometimes a good spirit, sometimes bad. But whatever spirit it may be, it is better that it doesn’t attach to us at all, that we are free, we are Masters of ourselves.

Q.371 I have daily headaches. Please help me. I also feel a sensation like ants creeping in front between the eyebrows. Is it due to a wrong way of meditation?

M. No. Just place your attention over there. You can place your hand on your temples every day a little while, and the headache will become better. Or take aspirin.

Q.372 Christians have their Bible in one single volume. Muslims have their Koran in one single volume. Can we get Buddha’s bible in one single volume?

M. Yes, we can, in one single volume. Just pack them together, stick them together, and you get one. (Master and everyone laugh.)

Q.373 Master, dear Master, how can You make Your presence be felt when I need Your guidance most? If You are far away from Penang, how can I consult You and seek Your answer to my many problems which will certainly arise when I pursue the Quan Yin Method?

M. You can write to me, even you can telephone me. Nowadays it is not a difficult question. You don't need to stick to the Master, and you will see the Master come, you will feel the Master's presence, you will know the Master's helping hand in any situation. This is very clear, you will have no doubt whatsoever. You only doubt now because you don't have this experience. Once you are initiated you'll know it. You know it like black and white, then you don't need to ask this.

Q.374 Can You answer so many disciples at one time?

M. Yes.

Q. An answer from Your best assistant can never be as good as from You Master.

M. Of course, I will write to you, and sign my name. (Master and everyone laugh)

Q.375 Do You have an alternative? I expect a lot of hallucinations and disturbance which I cannot comprehend when I meditate. Your personal guidance is necessary, otherwise many of Your disciples can divert from the true path, and become mentally disturbed.

M. No, never. We haven't got any. We haven't got one that became mentally disturbed or got diverted. It has not happened. Unless she already had such a condition before she came, then we slowly solve this problem. If she doesn't, then no, never!

Q.376 Dear Master, it is quite clear that the human population is increasing year by year, and the percentage of people following the path to God-realization, and successfully attaining Sainthood and enlightenment is so small. Don't You think You are fighting a losing battle? Within Your lifetime, how many people can really benefit from Your teachings?

M. Already so many. In Penang this is the first time, therefore you don't see so many. But the world over, there are so many. Thousands, thousands. I have more disciples than the Buddha already.

Q.377 The law of cause and effect seems to favor disproportionately a growing population, unfortunate enough not to be exposed to the Quan Yin Method. Does God, the Creator mean it to be this way? Surely evil cannot triumph over good. Can You comment?

M. Yes. I appreciate your compassion. It's difficult to talk to people, and it's difficult to help people to liberation. It is due to their own misdoing in past lives. For example, those people who crucified Jesus Christ, who slandered Buddha, for them it is difficult, even up till now, to cleanse off this karma. Therefore such kinds of people cannot come to God, just yet! But by our own sharing of the practicing group we might reach up to there, slowly and slowly, and by lighting our own wisdom we brighten somewhat this darkened world. One light is better than no light. So, start with us now, and don't wait. The other people will come later when their time has come.

Q.378 From where did God come from, from the human imagination?

M. No, we cannot imagine God, because our imagination is too small. God exists alone, forever and forever.

Q.379 Honorable Master Ching Hai, You stated earlier that originally we are sons of God. If it is so, why does God allow so much suffering in this physical world? Shouldn’t we be living in a world of peace and happiness? Please enlighten me on this point.

M. Yes, we should. We should live in the world, in a world of peace and happiness. But because we have done so many things wrong, against God’s will and God’s law, so we have to pay for it now. But there is a way to go out. We repent and go back to God now. There’s still time. 

Thank you so much for your patience and love. Wish you all the best. Try to be vegan, meditate. Remember God. Remember Buddha (Saint). All the blessings!

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

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

Refrain from harming any living being*.

Refrain from speaking what is not true.

Refrain from taking what is not belonging to oneself.

Refrain from sexual misconduct.

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.

Aphorisms

“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

pearls of wisdom

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

Whatever we think makes the world better, at least a more comfortable place for ourselves and neighbors, we can share. Begin with sharing, then we will feel a subtle change in ourselves — more love will pour into our consciousness.
(Extracted from We Are Stepping into the Golden Age.)

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

After we know all the secrets of the universe, after we possess all the treasures of the Heavens, we desire nothing anymore. We become happy within ourselves; whatever comes, comes. We become like a child. We do not desire and the desires of this world will not burn our hearts any longer, will not have any more control over us. That is the advantage of becoming enlightened.
(Extracted from Practicing Makes the World More Civilized.)

~ The Supreme Master Ching Hai

Introduction to Our 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, DVDs, 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 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:
Available in Aulacese(1-15), Chinese(1-10), English(1-5), Finnish(1), French(1-2), 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:
Available in Aulacese(1-4), Chinese(1-3), Bulgarian, Czech, English(1-2), French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian(1-3), Japanese, Korean(1-4), Polish Portuguese and Russian(1).

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment - Special Edition/Seven-Day retreat in 1992:
Available in English and Aulacese.

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

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

My Wondrous Experiences with Master:
Available in Aulacese (1-2), Chinese (1-2).

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

Coloring Our Lives:
Available in Aulacese, Chinese and English.

God Takes Care of Everything — Illustrated Tales of Wisdom from The Supreme Master Ching Hai:
Available in Aulacese, Chinese, English, French, Japanese and Korean.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aphorisms 1: 
Available in English/Chinese, Spanish / Portuguese, French / German and Korean.

Aphorisms 2: 
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 Art Creation by The Supreme Master Ching Hai – Painting Series:
Available in English and Chinese.

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

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

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

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

Celestial Art:
Available in Aulacese, Chinese and English.

From Crisis to Peace:
Available in Aulacese, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, 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 Available in Aulacese, Chinese, English, German, Filipino, French, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish

• 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 Chinese and English. Also available as MP4.

•Loving the Silent Tears (The Musical): Available in Chinese and English. Also available as MP3, DVD and MP4.

• Beyond the Realm of Time (song performance in Aulacese): Available as MP3, DVD and MP4.

• A Touch of Fragrance (song performance in Aulacese by celebrated singers): Available as MP3

• That and This Day (poetry recital in Aulacese): Available as MP3

• Dream in the Night (song performance in Aulacese): Available as MP3, DVD and MP4 

• T-L-C, Please (song performance in Aulacese): Available as MP3 

• Please Keep Forever (poetry recital in Aulacese): Available as MP3 

• Songs & Compositions of The Supreme Master Ching Hai: Available as MP3, DVD and MP4 in Aulacese, Chinese and English.

• The Song of Love (Supreme Master Ching Hai sings timeless songs): Available as MP4 in Aulacese and English.

• Good Night Baby: Available as MP3 in English.

• The Jeweled Verses (poems by distinguished Aulacese poets, recital in Aulacese): Available as MP3, DVD and MP4.

• The Golden Lotus (poetry recital in Aulacese): available as MP3, DVD and MP4.

• An Ancient Love (poetry recital in Aulacese): available as MP3, DVD and MP4

• Traces of Previous Lives (poetry recital in Aulacese): available as MP3 1, 2 & 3, DVDs 1, 2 (with 17 choices of subtitles)

• A Path to Love Legends: available as MP3 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 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:

http://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:

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

This portal provides a directory of links to Quan Yin Web sites in a variety of languages, as well as 24-hour access to the TV program A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. You may also download multilingual editions of The Key of Immediate Enlightenment Sample Booklet, or download or subscribe to The Supreme Master Ching Hai News available in eBook or printable format, or simply browse the sites’ contents online

How to Contact Us

The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association
P. O. Box 9, Hsihu, Miaoli, Formosa (36899), ROC
P. O. Box 730247, San Jose, CA 95173-0247, USA

Supreme Master Television
http://www.suprememastertv.com/

Book Department:
E-mail: 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. Taipei, Formosa.
E-mail: smchbooks@Godsdirectcontact.org
Tel: (886) 2-23759688 / Fax: (886) 2-23757689
http://www.smchbooks.com

News Group:
E-mail: lovenews@Godsdirectcontact.org

Spiritual Information Desk:
E-mail: lovewish@Godsdirectcontact.org
Fax:(886)946-730699

S.M. Celestial Co., Ltd.
E-mail: smcj@mail.sm-cj.com
Tel: (886)3-4601391 / Fax:3-4602857
http://www.sm-cj.com

Online Shop
Celestial: http://www.thecelestialshop.com
EdenRules: http://www.edenrules.com

Loving Hut International Company, Ltd
Tel: (886) 3-468-3345 / Fax: 3-468-5415
E-mail: 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
Questions & Answers 1

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.

Room. 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

http://www.smchbooks.com

The Supreme Master Ching Hai©1989~2015

First Edition: September 1989

Second edition: September 1991

Third edition: March 1994

Fourth Edition: November 2010

Fifth Edition: September 2011

Printed in Formosa, R.O.C.

ISBN: 978-986-6895-43-2

ePub Edition: November 2023

All Rights Reserved.

We, the disciples of The Supreme Master Ching Hai, have experienced the hardships one may suffer while searching for the ultimate Truth. We therefore understand how difficult and rare it is for one to find a fully enlightened living Master who teaches the highest method of awakening our inherent wisdom and realizing this Truth; the same method which has been taught by all genuine Masters since ancient times. Having experienced profound benefit from practicing this method, we hereby present this collection of lectures delivered by The Supreme Master Ching Hai in various countries around the world, to help Truth seekers who are longing for eternal liberation in one lifetime and others to find answers to their various questions about life, birth and death as well as about spiritual cultivation and the Truth.

Document Outline

Walk the Way of Love
 Footsteps of a Living Enlightened Master
Questions & Answers of Master's Lecture
 1. at Holiday Inn, San Francisco, CA, USA on May 24, 1989
 2. at Holiday Inn, San Francisco, CA, USA on May 25, 1989
 3. at Evergreen Community Center, San Jose, CA, USA on May 27, 1989
 4. at Evergreen Community Center, San Jose, CA, USA on May 28, 1989
 5. at the Association of Architect, San José, Costa Rica. on June 8, 1989
 6. at the Association of Architect, San José, Costa Rica. on June 9, 1989
 7. at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil. on June 15, 1989
 8. at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil. on June 16, 1989
 9. at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil. on June 17, 1989
 10. at the Japanese Culture Society, São Paulo, Brazil. on June 18, 1989
 11. at the Chinese Town Hall, Penang, Malaysia. on October 1, 1989
 12. at the Chinese Town Hall, Penang, Malaysia. on October 2, 1989
Initiation: The Quan Yin Method
Introduction to Our Publications
How to Contact Us