Gravitation of love

Gravitation of love is the reason that relationships exist. It is the deepest learning of our soul and the most important lesson in human growth.

Some people often complain why they always attract bad people? In fact, what we should do is to ask ourselves: “Why do I create this reality? What kind of spiritual growth is intended here?

We should treat the people around us as lessons for our growth. They are the motions behind joys of life rather than torturous pain – because of these interpersonal relationships formed by the gravitation of love, these people around us still have lessons of love yet to be completed.

No matter how conflicts and hatred are caused between people, it is within these opposing forces that love and acceptance are released from the heart. We must first confirm the value of our existence and the good intentions of this world. Let true love and unconditional acceptance come from within our hearts. This way, the relationships with our family, friends and colleagues will drastically make positive changes filled with goodwill and respect.

—excerpt from “Mind Energy Resources”

Real Doctrine and False Doctrine (part 6)

Lecture by Master Ching Hai
October 20, 1986 Taipei, Formosa
(Originally in Chinese)

part 6- While we have this physical body, we should utilize it to achieve our great aim; that is, to practice the unification with the Lord till we are able to save countless sentient beings – not just a small group – whether they are ghosts, devas or human beings. That is why Buddha is called “the Teacher of devas and human beings,” and “the Father of the four forms of birth.”

Remember the prince in the story I have just told you as an example? Although having received from the king’s minister some pocket money, some nice clothes to wear, and a good horse to ride, instead of using them he gives all the money, the horse and clothes to others without considering that the road is still so long and he should first use those necessities to go back to the palace to become the king and have all the treasures in the palace, with which he can help himself and his people easily whenever he wishes.

As the minister could not have brought many things with him on the road except few clothes and only enough luggage for traveling, actually the prince should make do with these few comforts and the little money for his journey to the palace. He should use them carefully to reach home first. It is not the question of being stingy, if the prince does not give his recently obtained possession away to those needy people on the road; it is just that he must first reach home where all the power and treasures await him. Only then can he freely distribute them to his people who are in need.

Similarly, instead of merely using our human brains to think, or listening to the common ideas of others or following actions of others indiscriminately, we should first consider carefully what benefit will be derived from such actions and whether these benefits, if any, are boundless or limited, and what is the best way to get the greatest benefit from the least amount of trouble.

Before my renunciation I also helped many people. I am telling you this not because I want to boast about myself but just because I want to give you an example of my personal experience. At one time the Aulacese refugees in Germany confronted many difficulties in language and customs. There were not many who could speak German, English or French, so I devoted most of my time to help them every day.

After working for the Red Cross which deals with international disasters, I realized that there were even more refugees, more misery in the world. Not only the Aulacese, but the world at large – the Africans, the Afghanistan, etc. – were all in turmoil. Only then did I truly realize that my power was so limited and my ability so insufficient. Then I thought of Shakyamuni Buddha, who once said that it would be best to leave home for the concentrative practice in order to become the Buddha to help many, many more sentient beings than a world ling could. Thus I made up my mind to do so.

There was not anything of great value to be a monk in so many temples that I had been to, except all those morning and evening sutras recitations – which I had long learned since my childhood – or the hand gestures, head gestures, or even ‘foot’ gestures. (Laughter) I did not see any spirit coming to eat the sacrifices, nor did I see any actual benefit these things could do to the public. So, I began to wonder: “If Buddha’s disciples could have so many transcendental experiences, according to the Surangama Sutra, and if it was true that the Bodhisattvas could practice to reach different levels, to hear and see the devas or to enjoy various wondrous Sounds and Light, according to the Lotus Sutra, then why have all those things never happened in the whole course of my practice?”

Therefore I decided to look for an enlightened Master to fulfill my expectations for the inner levels – hearing the Sounds and seeing the Light as mentioned by Buddha, even just a little. It was not because of the eagerness to become a Buddha, immediately or to see the entire universe instantly, but only because of the desire to get a little proof or verification to ensure that it was the right path I was taking. There had to be some special evidence, just as the bridge outside this house is the landmark of our place, to show, it was the proper road leading me home.

But I did not have any of those experiences. It is said in “the Chapter of the Universal Door” (a Buddhist sutra) that By reciting Quan Yin Bodhisattva’s name would not get hurt even if one fell in the fire. But if you try putting your finger on a lighted matchstick and at the same time recite the Quan Yin’s name as said, you will see what could happen! (Do not try with your entire arm unless you want it all burnt.) Also, it is mentioned in the same sutra that By reciting the Quan Yin Bodhisattva’s name one will float when one is dropped into the water.

And I tried, but got myself almost drowned before someone over there hurried to save me!

At that time I thought: “there must be at least something to convince me to keep on practicing, for I cannot wait till I die. How can I know what would happen then? What if Amitabha Buddha would not show up to pick me up? If I cannot even be paid a little now, what good would it do that the ‘boss’ would possibly, just possibly, give me billions of dollars after I die?”

That was why I had to look for an enlightened Master to get the real experiences stated in the sutras. Of course it is not possible to have all the experiences in one day, because it takes a long, long time. For instance, it took Shakyamuni Buddha six years of practice to reach Buddhahood. But if we have some enlightened inner visions first, we will feel safe that the way we follow is the homeward way. It is not that we look on these inner visions as happiness; it is because they can lead us to happiness. When we have the inner Light and Sound, our life begins to change, our wisdom opens, and our levels of power and thinking speed up.

It is just as when the minister first found the prince. Very probably the prince himself cannot suddenly show change in his habits or manner although his outer appearance has already taken on a fresh and new look, with clean and nice clothes, with fragrance emitting from his body, and his pocket full of money, and a strong and beautiful horse to ride on and plenty of servants loyally waiting on him. It is not the same at all as when he was a poor pitiful beggar. What will become of him after reaching the king’s palace is easy to imagine.

The same is with us. It requires those inner visions to serve as the prince’s clothes, money, servants and horses, etc. before we can reach the capital. Otherwise what is the use for us to become a prince or not?

I have discovered this kind of inner peace, so I would also like to share it with all of you. The minister is not the king and he cannot make you a prince, but he can report to you that you are in reality already a prince who only needs to find the way back to the palace and become the king of the nation. To learn the way with the Master is about the same. My duty is only to tell you who you are. So do not bother to criticize any of my appearance or actions. How the Master eats her meals, how her voice sounds, all these things have nothing to do with your own status or your own kingdom. I come only to tell you that your position is very high, the highest in the world, and that if you want to recover your lost position I will help you get it back.

That is why when we come to learn from the master,  do not criticize her actions or look at her appearance, for she is only an ambassador appointed by the king to escort you back home to enjoy your original status. What you should do is to follow her without bothering about her personal affairs. How she dresses and how she walks have nothing to do with you. It is good enough for you to only follow her footsteps to get Home quickly!

 However, most people who seek for the Truth and who seek out a Master would commit similar mistakes. They would depend on the Master’s outward appearance. Some don’t want to study with a woman, some not with a man; some will say she is not good looking, not attractive or not dignified enough, and so on. All these things are rarely connected with our Real Nature and it would be a great pity if we unfortunately pay much importance to them and overlook the inner Power of the Master. As for the great Masters, it does not bother them at all whether you listen to them or not, because before going out to spread the doctrine such Masters already know that the road ahead will not be a smooth one. They know that sentient beings will be difficult to convert; but because of the compassionate nature they always return life after life to save sentient beings out of their mixed up illusions. To them, all beings are their kin. For example, if our parents or brothers or sisters do something wrong, we will all the same love them and find a way to help them out so that they can realize their mistakes. We do so because they are our relatives, is it not so? Suppose we have a problem with a child, a short tempered and bad one. We still take care of him, giving him food when he is hungry and clothes when he is cold, instead of throwing him into the river. Is it not so?

In this world there are plenty of people who appear to be very nice and sweet and polite; but they cannot, with only these virtues help us reach the Truth, the ultimate liberation because these good manners have really nothing to do with practicing the Tao. We should not depend on outside actions or worldly manners to judge a Master. Whether the Master we meet is good or bad is only the reflection of our own karma, of our ways of perceiving things, or just the Master’s personality. The Master cannot change her personality to suit and please every disciple.

To save sentient beings is really a very hard task. It is not only their complicated minds but also their personal tastes that have to be dealt with. Some disciples may like the Master to dress in yellow, while others like red, and still others green. Then many different clothes are offered for the Master to wear and rejecting any of them would hurt someone’s feelings. Sometimes when they offered food and if I did not eat, it would appear to them that Master disliked them. After a while, those who had heavier karmic burdens would even leave Master due to these petty preferences. I cannot help it, if they are so clinging as to harm themselves in this way. After all, how can one comply with everyone’s wishes?

It is similar to keeping a pet. Some people like the birds very much while their neighbors do not and might even try to kill the birds to shut their mouths up because every day the birds just keep on chirping and making noise. Everyone has his own preference. This body, this brain and the world are what they should be. It is not possible to change them according to your own wish. Anyone who really wants to realize the Truth should make his own efforts to practice, without caring about the Master’s physical form which is not the Truth itself but only the guidance for you!

If you have found such a real Master, you should diligently practice so that after a period of time you will see the Master within yourself, who will appear to take you up to the higher worlds to really study the Truth. A really good Master will be able to do so. When you know the Truth, you will no longer be bound by tradition or by the various worldly concepts. After practicing for some time, you will be able to see the inner Master who only belongs to you; at that time the Master within you is for you alone. While in this world, she still has to use the physical body to teach many beings and act differently in dealing with various people. She cannot only associate with you especially and please you alone.

Even Shakyamuni Buddha could not possibly satisfy everyone, and neither could Jesus Christ, a powerful saintly person who performed many miracles and helped many people, such as healing the sick, bringing the dead back to life, and transforming water into wine, etc. Even such a great person still fell into the hands of some cruel people and was crucified! There were people who did not like Them when They were alive, and even now there are still many who do not.

I can give you some proof of the inner Power and show you the perfect way of life. Then you go ahead and save yourself. Do not bother with my appearance and actions, which have nothing to do with your own life and death!

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Real Doctrine and False Doctrine (part 5)

Lecture by Master Ching Hai
October 20, 1986 Taipei, Formosa
(Originally in Chinese)

Part 5- That is why the true, holy Buddhists would not do such things. Have you ever heard that the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng recited any mantra for saving ghosts or did the noisy, so-called morning and evening devotion service? He did nothing like that. He just simply turned to face the wall and meditated. Pai Chanf the great Zen Master was also the same. He never did any ‘funeral service’ by reciting all those noisy mantras and sutras, did He? No. I myself also have never heard that Buddha did morning and evening rehabilitation or any of other outward performances.

Even if Buddha did so, He Himself had the power to do these things to benefit others. Whereas you cannot, for you are not Buddha and have not yet reached the highest level as He did. So, what is the use for us to recite mantras or sutras? Actually it is not necessary for Buddha to ‘do’ these things because He could just sit in any corner and accomplished anything He liked without going to any special place to recite any mantra or sutra but just ‘using’ His all-pervading mind. All that was needed was His power, His manifestation to accomplish. Therefore it is said that Buddha had thousands of manifestations (Light bodies), never did He have to really move a finger at all!

To tell you the truth, Master “neither comes or goes,” but surely people have been seeing me coming to aid them when necessary. It is not me, this physical body, but my transcendental bodies that go down the mountain to help them. Right now I am lecturing here. This is a physical Master who lectures you, who will feel the pain if you beat her, but most of the other work is usually done by my manifestations (Light bodies).

After finding our Real Nature, we will begin to really help the world, without moving our hands, without any sense of being grand, being a savior of the race, etc. because there will be no one who would be saved by us, there will be no separation whatsoever between ‘I’ and sentient beings or any of such feeling. Without thinking any particular thing we will have everything be done naturally, spontaneously; hence the saying of Lao Tzu: Doing without doing.

As I have just said, enlightened Masters often became even more famous after they die than when they are alive. Why? Because the Maya king (illusion) would pervert the real Master’s doctrine to cause all things to become chaotic and topsy-turvy, so as to confuse the Truth-seekers. Using the past Master’s great name he would find a seat and a religion with all sorts of mixed superstitions to bind people. People will believe this to be the truth spoken by the prophets and will blindly follow it and be tied up in the wheel of life and death and become the Maya king’s subjects, without knowing anything about true liberation. Like this, they will have false belief, thinking that they have found a religion and their thirst for the Absolute will thus be quenched!

There are many people searching for the Truth without knowing where to find it and how to get it. They would be overjoyed at hearing others telling them that by worshipping the Buddha’s statue and praying to Buddha they will attain liberation and the Truth. They follow this idea and think there is no option but to rely on Buddha who is still so famous now even though He has been gone for more than two thousand years.

These people really love to prostrate themselves at the Buddha’s image, believing it to be the way to attain liberation. Little do they know this is only the tricks of the Maya king, who does not wish us to find our true Self, our inner Buddha which we all possess. He would lead us astray to worship outer images and do any kind of useless worshipping to busy ourselves; and even then he would make us believe that we are great and we have real faith and the wisdom of the way to liberation, that “I am so good, for I am performing worshipping service morning and evening, going to the church every Sunday or to the temple every day offering flowers, incense and fruit to Buddha or to Jesus or to the Father in Heaven, etc…” He fools us into feeling proud of all these stuffs without knowing these are only the bonds which bind us in the lower three Worlds, which keep us forever in the circle of life and death and far away from bliss and liberation.

In that way even the sincerest practitioners would only reach the so-called ‘Second World,’ with very few reaching the ‘Third World,’ not to mention the other higher worlds above. the Second World is still in the Maya king’s domain, and the third is still part of his throne. This illusory world, including our bodies and minds, are all made by the power of the three lower worlds. When we are above the Three Worlds, we do not need any of these instruments such as body, mind, thought, speech, eyes, etc. Here in this world we need so many devices and the more we have, the more complications there are. “No mind” is a better situation for us. But in this world we still need the mind and the body because  without them we cannot exist.

Therefore, if we want to help all beings and if we want to recite any secret mantra to rescue any ghost, we must first become a Buddha, a ‘supra-Master.’ To achieve this end is the ultimate aim of all real Truth-practitioners; and to reach this aim we must find our true Self, our greatest source of Power within, till we become a different class of being, that is, all powerful, all merciful and all pervading, like Buddha or Jesus Christ. Perhaps someone might tell you that some secret words or secret hand gestures (mudras) are powerful and useful, but they will not work when you yourselves use them. These are only things which have no real benefits.

Therefore, a real enlightened Master would never use these to teach a disciple; rather, he or she will show us how to look into our own powerhouse – our Real Nature. After that, anything we wish to do is up to us, because we will have the real Power of our own, the so-called Buddha Power or Master Power. With this inner Power we can accomplish anything, we can save anyone we like, we can appear anywhere with our Light bodies and help whoever in need, whether they know us or not. There is no need to work hard at morning and evening prayer services, no need to pray for hours on end or to do mudras and sacrifices, which are not of real and lasting value. They only serve to separate us from the Lord and make us even more busy and thus have no time for the unification practice to become one with the Lord of the universe. In a way they even do harm to us, as we waste precious time attending to the outer performances and lose some of the merit and virtues accumulated from our previous births, leaving ourselves nothing to take along into other higher worlds. Then we have no required blessings and merit to help us as the booster to soar into the higher domains, and then naturally we will be reborn to this earthly world again to be a human being or maybe a lower being such as animals, ghosts, etc. Is that not pitiful for us?

Real Doctrine and False Doctrine (part 1)

Lecture by Master Ching Hai
October 20, 1986 Taipei, Formosa (Originally in Chinese)

To spread the doctrine I need this body, a car, some other things, and lastly – the audience. However, when there are people coming for the lecture, perhaps the car would be out of order, or there would be no one to drive it, or I would get sick. But have you ever heard that on any day I was so sick as to fail in giving the appointed lecture on time? Even in sickness I still got up and talked, and therefore you never have doubted that I would. In this world, spreading the Truth is not easy, because everything in this world is made of Maya material.

What is the meaning of “made of Maya material”? It means that our bodies, our food, our clothing, etc. all come from Maya power (the negative aspect of nature). To spread the Truth here we have to work with the negative power, and it is not easy. What is the Truth? It is something we cannot grasp, something difficult to talk about clearly except only a little at the most, for the transcendental Truth normally is not to be spoken or to be described in the worldly language. Therefore, to propagate the Truth by using the body or other material instruments is not simple, because the worldly material things are mostly too defiled – they do not belong to the wisdom category – to be used to express the great and living wisdom.

First, for the preacher to use the limited, dull material instrument to explain the unlimited, living wisdom is already something extremely difficult; second, for the listeners to comprehend and grasp the great intelligence which is something so noble, vast and beyond human’s imagination is neither easy. It is not simple for either side.

Anyone who wishes to understand the Truth must use his wisdom to realize it and experience it. Transmitting the Truth must be done through the heart, through inherent wisdom. It is not possible to use human language. Chanting the holy verse and reciting the Buddha’s names and preaching are only ABC steps. After listening to them, one may become curious and like to know more to raise his own level a little and not to just stay at the ABC level day after day because it would be a loss. That is why the initiation to Quan Yin Method of meditation is necessary. It is our method of transmitting wisdom and the Truth.

It is a method, but actually there is no ‘method’. The essential part lies in the initiation – the heart to heart (consciousness) transmission – and not in doing exterior things such as talking about something or telling you what to do. At the time of initiation Master will tell you what not to do, to put down everything and to desire nothing in order to find your own Nature. Does this sound very contradictory? No. Because most people generally try to find their Real Nature by outer rituals, hanging on to exterior forms and praying to something or someone other than themselves. In our method I want you to put all this down and not to remain attached to them. Therefore I tell you to quit needing this or that. But just “don’t need” is still not the ultimate. Nevertheless, if one can really ‘put down’, even just a little for a second, one can also experience enlightenment.

Transmission of the Light is a very simple process; but it is also not easy. It is simple because one can have the enlightening experience at the transmission immediately; but one must first find someone who can do the transmission, and this is what is ‘not easy’. It is not that transmission of the method is complicated, or that to become enlightened is impossible; it is finding someone to help us get enlightenment that is really difficult.

Transmission of the Light can be done individually or in groups, depending on the Master. Therefore we know that some of the ancient Masters had only a few students. Very few people knew Lao Tzu; Confucius had hundreds of followers; Hui Neng the Sixth Zen Patriarch had more, and Shakyamuni Buddha had even more; Jesus had twelve great disciples. Perhaps He gave transmission to more people, but these twelve were the more enlightened.

Probably you have often wondered that since the Quan Yin initiates are all enlightened, then why are some more enlightened than other fellow initiates? Why is it that only some of them can succeed the Master to further spread the Truth? All this has to do with the practicing process. It is not that one can reach Buddhahood immediately after the initiation into the Quan Yin Method, though everyone is originally a Buddha, not just after the initiation. Initiation only helps you to open the wisdom-eye, enlightening your inner knowledge to recognize your own Buddha Nature, and must be followed by further continuous practice. It is impossible to realize too much at initiation. Both those acquiring greater or smaller enlightenment need further practice. The more we practice, the more we know our Real Nature and our position in the universe.

For example, there is a prince who left the royal palace when he was a child and came across some beggars who took him home and trained him to also become a beggar. He has grown up not knowing that he was a prince. Every day he goes out to beg for food. The king has been missing him and searched for him every day, sent someone to look for him everywhere. Maybe the prince has some special mark on his body. One day, the king’s man finds the prince and tells him that he is a prince, “Believe me. I will take you back to the palace and you will become the future king.” The prince, having grown up in a beggar’s home and gotten used to the life there, cannot believe king’s man immediately. Therefore, the messenger has to make a great effort to persuade him, reminding him day after day, “I assure you that you are truly a prince. I can give you proof, if you want. The prince’s clothes are here for you to wear, the horse is there for you to ride, if only you will.”

The prince lacks courage to admit the fact, for he has been a beggar too long; so that the king’s man has to keep on telling him patiently about the glorious palace and the many good treasures therein, which all belong to him. But the prince still dares not imagine that he can have all this. The king’s man is not there to turn the beggar into a prince, the beggar was originally the prince.

Then one day the prince decides to accept the proposal: “OK. I might as well give it a try for my fortune. I will leave it to you to take care of my life, and see what will happen.” Seeing him put on the prince’s clothes and ride on the horse, all other officers present come to prostrate themselves before him, which convinces him more – though not yet completely. Troubles still lie on the road for the king’s man to take him home, to educate him in the royal manners and bearing for a real prince, which will be a very different lifestyle compared with his precious low beggar’s lot not daring to look up to others. He still has plenty to learn, from personal style to inner wisdom.

Immediate Enlightenment – part 2

Excerpt from Master Ching Hai Lectures

Q. It is said that the enlightened soul doesn’t think or act, he is only an observer and doesn’t make decisions. How can we live in this world without acting or choosing? It is also said that to act is to disturb the order of nature, and to compensate for this imbalance, nature will create some opposition. Do you agree with this?

M. Well, you must first be enlightened, and then you will know what happens! To act without acting doesn’t mean that you are lifeless, mindless, without a soul, but that you are simply doing everything naturally. It is true that you no longer have to make decisions, you only act according to God’s will and you know exactly what to do. Even if from the outside, you seem to act like everyone else, it isn’t the case because all your acts are dictated by God. You no longer have responsibilities and you always act for the best. But this doesn’t mean that anyone behaving without thinking is acting God’s will, because he doesn’t know His will. After enlightenment we know the original Plan and act accordingly. Before being enlightened, we only disturb it by trying to force our will over the divine Plan.

Q. How many levels of consciousness are there and how can you find which one you are on?

M. Before we reach the highest level of Truth, we have to go through five levels of consciousness. We can know this by recognizing the light, the intensity of the light we see inside, and also the scenery, the heavenly abode we see inside and that we can recognize. Another way of recognizing is through the sound. Each level of consciousness vibrates at a different rate and by knowing which sound corresponds to which level, we can know more or less our own achievement. But after some time, you become expert, and you will know immediately someone’s level. We can judge our level of inner achievement by our own outward actions, like becoming more loving, more tolerant, more dedicated to the whole of mankind.

 

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