The Supreme Master Ching Hai Ocean of Love Tour ~ Experience the Divine ~

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.

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