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My Experiences of Xian Tao (The Way of the Saints) Published by Yoolim Press, Korea 1997.11.10 / First Edition |
W: I have a question. It seems
that you have never before introduced a living master with such a
positive attitude.
K: That's not true. I think I have introduced
several monks positively. Through my materials and experiences, I
just want to help my readers by conveying the facts as they are.
W: I am afraid
that all of your students might go there!
K: I don't care. How fortunate it is
if they can get spiritual help from a master I introduced them to!
W: Do you think
so? Others would be very nervous if their students moved to another
sect. Are you the opposite of them?
K: Sure I am, because it is also a source
of merit to create a good affinity.
W: What did Supreme
Master Ching Hai do before She received initiation from Her Himalayan
Master?"
K: When you read "A Brief biography
of The Supreme Master Ching Hai" in the first part of "The Key Of
Immediate Enlightenment," it is said that She was born in a well-to-do
family in Au Lac, the daughter of a highly reputed naturopath. After
She grew up, She married a German physician, but after two years of
a happy marriage and with the consent of Her husband, She left Her
relationship in pursuit of enlightenment. She traveled to many different
places in search of an enlightened Master. At last, She met a Master
in the Himalayan Mountains.
W: What kind of
person is the Master whom the Supreme Master Ching Hai met?
K: In issue 79 of The Supreme Master
Ching Hai News magazine, it is written that She wandered about the
dreadful Himalayas alone with only two sets of clothes, a pair of
sports shoes, a sleeping bag, a water bottle, a couple of books, and
a walking stick. At last, She met the great Master Khuda Ji, who lived
in seclusion deep in the Himalayas. Master Khuda Ji was 450 years
old when He initiated Supreme Master Ching Hai into the ancient art
of meditation on the heavenly sound and divine light.
W: How can a human
being live to the age of 450?
K: That is the thinking of worldly people
like us. In the "Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East"
the author, Baird T. Spalding, wrote that there are plenty of spiritual
Masters living in the Himalayas. Maybe they have something like an
astral body. It is said that the great Master Khuda Ji had been waiting
patiently for Her to come until the age of 450. Supreme Master Ching
Hai was his one and only initiate. She had practiced numerous methods
before, but Master Khuda Ji imparted to Her the ultimate spiritual
transmission that is the essence of initiation. Supreme Master Ching
Hai rarely speaks about Master Khuda Ji. He left the physical realm
soon after His noble mission was accomplished.
After that, She went to Formosa, just
as She had gone to other parts of the world. Her undiscriminating
compassion, like the patience, determination, and perseverance that
She has displayed throughout Her life are important qualities for
all spiritual aspirants to possess. These are the qualities that were
also taught and exemplified by the great past Masters like Jesus,
Shakyamuni Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Moham-med, Guru Nanak, and others.
Yet, while each Master's life is unique, the spiritual path they take
is and always has been the same. That path is the path of meditation
on the heavenly sound and light. Master Ching Hai calls it the Quan
Yin Method because She gave Her first public teachings in Formosa.
Quan Yin is a Chinese term that means observation of the inner vibration.
This primal vibration or sound is by nature transcendental and therefore
is perceived in silence. Jesus' disciples called it the "Holy Spirit"
or the "Word" from the Greek word "Logos,"meaning sound. In the beginning
was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
After Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment,
He too spoke of this sound, calling it the "drum of immortality".
Krishna equated himself with the "sound in the ether". Mohammed perceived
this sound in the cave at Gare-Hira when he had a vision of the archangel
Gabriel. And Lao Tzu described the Tao as the "Great Tone". This is
a summary of the contents of News magazine #79.
W: Besides this,
is there any other unique aspect of Her teachings?
K: She advises people not to revere
already deceased Masters, wooden Buddhas, or metal statues of the
Buddha, but to go to a living Master by all means.
W: Why does She
say this?
K: Actually, deceased Masters, whether
they were great saints or not, cannot help us, because they are not
here now. We cannot talk with them, so they can't help our practice.
The scriptures and books left to us are just references for the practitioners
of later generations, but the masters exist no more. Therefore, we
should find a living Master who has been handed down the Method and
power, and depend on him by some means or other.
W: What are the
required conditions to be called an enlightened Master?
K: We can feel strong blessing from
him when it is necessary, or he can help practitioners with innumerable
transformation bodies. Since Master Ching Hai can do that, I am greatly
interested in Her!
W: Did Her manifestation
form appear in front of you?
K: Of course, otherwise, how can I say
these things with such confidence?
W: Is there any
other Master who is like Supreme Master Ching Hai in the world today?
K: I don't know yet, because She is
the only one I have seen. I found out many things from the books by
Supreme Master Ching Hai. First, when I finally discovered the true
state of the sound that I had heard for 12 years, I came to know what
the Quan Yin Method is. Second, I consciously quit following a meat
diet. It is totally thanks to the books of "The Key Of Immediate Enlightenment"
that I know the Quan Yin Method and adhere to strict vegetarianism.
As soon as I put these two teachings into action, my Quan Yin practice
progressed a great deal through the miraculous blessing power of Master
Ching Hai although She was in another country.
W: What does "blessing
power" mean?
K: As a Buddhist term, it's a kind of
supernatural power from a Buddha or a Bodhisattva to let sentient
beings realize and experience the Truth.
W: I cannot understand
that She can send this power from a foreign country to Korea.
K: That's okay. However, it usually
happens in the spiritual realms.
W: I cannot for
the life of me understand it.
K: It's because the wave of an enlightened
Master is omnipotent and omnipresent like empty air. Since such a
Master has already left the concept of self behind, he can give his
blessing to whomever is open-minded without intention and discrimination.
This is called "doing without doing", "giving without the concept
of self," and "letting the left hand do it while the right hand is
unaware". If he gives spiritual blessing consciously or he blesses
only some people without blessing others, it means that he is a fake
master rather than an enlightened Master. An enlightened Master doesn't
belong to a private individual, but to the public. The sun rays shine
upon all of nature, without distinction, be it grain or weeds. Rain
also falls on all things equally, whether they be medicinal herbs
or poisonous herbs. The sun and rain can do that because they have
no concept of self.
W: What do you
think of the fact that the Supreme Master Ching Hai wears makeup and
splendid clothes like an entertainer or a model, contrary to the ways
of other Masters?
K: The Truth doesn't lie outside, but
inside. In some sense, I think it's necessary for a Master to show
the public a brand-new feature away from the stereotyped monk's robe
and uniform. As She has said, when She wears a nun's robe, renunciates
like it, but those who practice at home don't like it. Therefore,
Her makeup and clothes should be changed accordingly as She follows
the various tastes of people. It means that She is willingly able
to change Her outer appearance if it is beneficial in spreading the
Truth. It is said that, frankly speaking, She Herself feels less comfortable
making herself up and getting dressed up rather than just wearing
casual clothes. However, considering the people She meets, She wears
different clothes in every circumstance, even though it is inconvenient.
The most comfortable clothes are pajamas, but She cannot be impolite
in front of guests. To conclude, it means that She uses various appearances
as a means of spreading the Truth.
W: In doing this,
I think a coordinator and a makeup specialist would have to accompany
Her.
K: They say it's not like that. She
takes care of all Her clothing, accessories, and makeup by Herself.
Apart from clothes and makeup, She pays all the expense incurred in
going to places to lecture from Her own earnings. She has made it
a rule not to collect membership fees from members of Her Association.
W: Then, how can
She make such a large amount of money?
K: It is said that since Master Ching
Hai has many different talents like designing, making crafts and ceramic
art, painting, cooking, and singing, She can earn quite enough money,
and then uses it to spread Her teachings. I think She is a new kind
of Master suitable for the environment of a new age.