Fourth
Stop
Kathmandu, Nepal
May 1,
2000
Monday, May 1, was a beautiful hot day with the sun's
rays welcoming Master to Kathmandu, Nepal. Hours before the lecture,
buses crowded and people jammed together in front of the Birendra
International Convention Center. Many people passing by on bicycles
and cars slowed to a stop just to behold the billboards bearing
Master's beautiful portraits.
About 30 minutes before the doors were opened to the many
anxious Truth seekers waiting outside, dark clouds that had been
looming overhead suddenly opened up and released a torrential
downpour. Jagged flashes of lightning appeared and thunder crashed
as the temperature dropped a refreshing 10 degrees Celsius. Master's
blessing power was evident!
Five large rooms within the convention center had been prepared
for the thousands of people expected to attend the Nepal lecture.
Large screen TVs and loudspeakers were also set up for guests who
might be standing outside. The large crowd entering the hall filled
the rooms to overflowing. Even by the end of the lecture, there were
still at least a thousand more people waiting outside the hall
sincerely wishing to see Master!
When Master arrived, people stood and clapped. One could feel
their excitement. A flower offering was made by local people and
children wearing traditional Nepalese attire. Master was dressed in
a simple yet elegant ivory Nepalese traditional sari-type dress with
loose fitting sleeves. The stage was decorated tastefully with many
flowers and tall evergreen trees, while Master's couch was covered
in multi-patterned Nepalese fabric.
Addressing the large audience, Master said that She felt so much
love and the purity of the people in this land -- Buddha's land.
(Note: Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal, approximately 2,500 years
ago.) And it was Her honor to be in this beautiful country. She was
shocked by how hot it was there. She explained that She once was in
the Himalayas of India and thought Nepal would have a similar
climate. Instead, She found Nepal to be warm like the heart of the
people. During Her lecture, Master reminded the audience that we
already have the wisdom, but some of us have just forgotten. We call
an enlightened being Buddha. The ones who don't remember their
original Nature we call not-yet-enlightened Buddhas.
We are love,
we are God, we are part of God, one with God, part of the Buddha.
Lacking this knowledge, we feel that our lives are not fulfilled,
and we are not content. Master said that all the misery and unhappiness
on the planet is caused not by war but by lack of wisdom, lack
of the knowledge that we are more than this human body. For example,
many kings and famous people are not happy and want more. But
the Buddha, even as a future king, was able to forsake everything
because He was enlightened. The Buddha remembered who He truly
was. In the Zen Buddhist tradition, the difference between enlightenment
and ignorance is one hair's breadth. How can we traverse this
distance, even though it is so subtle? Can we? The answer is "Yes."
The light in us has never died. The light of Buddha, Krishna and
Shiva has never died. It has been transmitted and is always flaming.
If we find this light, it is transmitted to our unlit candle so that
our candle will be lit immediately. The difference between
enlightenment and non-enlightenment is where we place our attention.
Pay attention to the body and physical surroundings, and we are in
the material world. Pay attention to our inner true Nature and our
Buddha Nature, and we become the Buddha. It's simple to traverse
this distance.
When we turn inward to our original Self, we will see Light and
Heaven. When we turn inward to hear our own Nature, we will hear
true teachings from God. This will happen immediately. The light and
sound of heaven are already there. We just have to turn inward.
Only the actual Divine experience can make us a contented person,
a happier, wiser being. After Buddha attained Enlightenment, He
still stayed a monk. He had no need to be a king or to go back to
his original life. Of course, Lord Buddha could still be a king but
He was still an enlightened person.
Shri Rama was so enlightened that it didn't matter to him
whether he was a king or in exile thousands of miles from home.
After people demanded that he become king, He said "Fine!" To
an enlightened person, it makes no difference. The enlightened
being will do whatever is necessary to help the unenlightened
because within them is peace, love and happiness. No material
assistance is necessary for them to be contented. The enlightened
being does everything for the benefit of others, for the sake
of other beings' peace and contentment. We must remember who we
truly are inside, like the Buddha and so many other enlightened
beings.
One of the great Masters of India was Kabir. He was a cobbler and
was not rich. Someone, maybe a princess, gave him a diamond, a gem.
It was worth a fortune, but he didn't bother to take it. She had
placed it in the roof and when she came back, it was still there. To
an enlightened being, material status is nothing. Being rich or poor
is equal. The Masters have no attachment because they know their
true Nature. They already know that everything in this world is
nothing. To attain this kind of contentment and peace, we must
search inside for our own greatness.
It's easy to remember ourselves, easier than breathing, eating or
talking. We need the real thing. Enlightenment is the real thing,
not talking about it or advertising about it. Advertisement says
Coca-Cola is great. It says that apples are sweet. But we never feel
anything from advertisement alone. We don't see any Light. We don't
feel God's blessing when it's only advertisement.
Master said that it is not like She was going to 'give people'
anything, because we have always had our true Nature. It's just that
we forgot where it is. She shows us how to be enlightened, and then
we will have our true Nature again forever.
At the end of the lecture, Master walked into the crowd.
Speaking through a microphone to the people outside, She said
that although they did not have a seat in the lecture hall, they
had a seat in Her heart.
After the lecture, more than 600 hundred people were initiated.
And since the lecture, more people every day call to request
initiation! The "waves" from the Ocean of Love Lecture Tour continue
to roll ashore as Master's loving presence awakens the hearts and
souls of Truth seekers in Nepal, even after Her physical departure
from their country.