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.

Enlightenment or the Great Awakening

Excerpt from Master Ching Hai Lectures

Enlightenment is the process of knowing what is greater than life, what is greater than the things we can see with our physical eyes, or touch with our physical instruments. It is the moment when we begin to know something greater than that, the true governor of the whole universe, which is also within ourselves.

Enlightenment means inner awakening. You realize that you have a power that is much greater than what you use every day. Usually, we follow the directions of our ego, but after enlightenment, we follow God’s will. We are connected with Him and recognize our real value. But at the same time we become very humble. The more we know about ourselves the more humble we become. We know that there is a greater force in the universe, and it isn’t for our human understanding to discuss and to grasp. So we become humble and then very powerful, because we have a higher power within us, and use it every day for the benefit of others. As we tap within ourselves into the right source of positive power, which is called in Christian terminology, ‘the spirit that dwells within you,’ or God Almighty, we open that source that was closed before. So once that source is opened we become powerful like Christ, like Buddha. We can help many people with this inborn God power, and then we become more humble because we see within everyone the same power, so we respect everyone as living God.

Enlightenment is a gift from God, and not the result of virtuous or charitable deeds. We can all become enlightened or liberated. If not, why would God have sent Jesus or Buddha or Mohammed if we were so helpless, if only the virtuous souls could achieve it? And I do not know who is really virtuous because, ‘Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.’ We are not such sinners. It is an illusion and after you understand this, you will know that there isn’t any virtue or sin. We must however work a great deal to realize this. The Quan Yin Method offers you a method free of charge to rediscover your original purity and noble heritage.

When I experienced the great awakening, I saw that I was in every creature and enjoyed whatever it was in that particular situation, be it a butterfly, a bird or an angel. A rock or a tree, everything was as perfect as it is. It is hard to explain it in words, but ultimately all of us will reach that kind of understanding if we yearn for it. And then we will know for ourselves.  This is only way for us to end our illusion, our belief about this ephemeral existence. When we see through our human understanding, everything looks different, but when we are in a higher state of consciousness everything is more joyous, light-hearted and positive.

Only when we are truly enlightened can we enjoy anything. Whatever comes, we can enjoy. When good things come, we take them as a gift from God, wholeheartedly, without any guilt or reservation, without any obstacles whatsoever in our heart or in our thinking, because the nature of an enlightened person is very free, very carefree, very easy, just like a child. If you give him something good, he accepts it, he won’t think that you want to trick him, or whether he deserves it or not, he just accepts it. And, when the circumstances do not allow that we have comfort or richness in life, then we are also happy to carry on that way, we have no desire for material greatness. But this doesn’t mean that we don’t strive to work for the society, and that we don’t do our best to fulfill our obligations as a citizen of the world. We do, all the same, we do more effectively and with all willingness to contribute our part to the whole world. The difference is that we do without a desire for reward or praise. Should we fail or should people misunderstand our goodwill, we still can bear it, we will not have any suffering in our heart.

 

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