Recognize Our Own God Nature

Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai
Irvine University, CA, U.S.A.
June 2, 1998
(Originally In English, Unabridged)

Perplexing Questions From Ancient Times

We have to begin somewhere, and our life began a long time ago, or perhaps it has just begun and we have forgotten where we truly came from. That's the only question that we could not answer, for most of us, for many of us. Everything else, we are clever enough to know. We can learn through books. We can experiment in the laboratory. We can use chemical substances or scientific knowledge to solve, to give an answer. But the only answer that's most puzzling is, "Where have we come from?" And this is another equally puzzling one, "Where will we go after this?" Obviously, to many of us, life doesn't end in the coffin. We do know that, but we just cannot prove it. To many of the wise saints since ancient times, these questions are very simple. They do know where they came from, and they do know where they will go. For them, the question of death doesn't have any appeal or any frightening effect, because like the saints in the Bible say, I die daily.

What does it mean to die daily? When we withdraw ourselves inward to enter the Kingdom of God, that's when we die. We die temporarily, and then we come back to life again. So, resurrection can happen any time during our ordinary life if we follow the process of Jesus, of the ancient saints. Since we die once, or we die daily, we do know there is other life, there are other worlds besides this physical one. Then we are free to roam around the universe; we explore the mysteries of the cosmos. We know that dying is no big deal; and in fact, we know that we don't ever die. We also know that we don't even have a physical body. So strange as it may seem, it is a fact.

That's why when Jesus was nailed on the cross, He was not afraid, He did not cry. He didn't beg for His life. He didn't run away. He could have done so, but He didn't want to. He didn't have to. He surrendered everything to God's will because He knew where He was going. He knew all the time. He knew that there is no such thing as death or suffering. True suffering occurs when we do not know where we came from and where we will go. Because Jesus knew already, He gave up the quest for physical comfort. He gave up the fear of death and He went because He knew He would always be there, and that it is only the physical body that decays in the mortals' eyes. But in Jesus' wisdom, there was no such thing even as a physical body.

This is very difficult to prove unless we follow the same path as the great masters have gone through, like Buddha or Jesus. They went on the same path; therefore, they preached the same thing, even though we label them Buddhism or Christianity. We have so much terminology and separate the Truth into two different categories which confuses us. But actually, the Masters always teach basically the same thing. If we cut off the ribbons, the wrapping paper, and the different ways of the Master's individual talent and eloquence of speech, then they are the same. Especially after we have become enlightened, or have followed the same path and practice the same thing, then we know it is exactly the same because they both go the same way. Suppose all of us come to this auditorium, sit here for a while, then afterward we go out and then describe the same room. There is no difference.

Enlightenment Is Our Natural State

What is it about enlightenment that so many people make a great mystery about, praise so much, and encourage us to go forward to claim it again? It is not enlightenment at all. It is just the Truth. It is just the way it should be; it is the way it is. And if we don't know enlightenment, then we continue suffering so much until we realize that everything else is not important, except to know God. When we begin to want to know God, then God will send someone, a friend, a guide, an experienced brother to show us what to do. After we know what to do, that's when we are enlightened. We might not be as greatly enlightened immediately as Buddha or Jesus, but we are enlightened somewhat. Then, day by day, we continue with the process, and we become just as great. We will understand what Jesus said to us, like: "Whatever I do, you can do better, or you can do as well," and, "I and my father are one." We will understand that we are all children of God. We will understand that we are the temple of God and only the Holy Spirit lives within us.

If God lives within us, then what are we? We are God. Well, if this is only the house, and God lives inside, then who else is there? Could it be that we, I and God, live in the same house? He didn't say I and God live in there. He said I and my Father are one. If I and my Father are one, how come we don't know Hirm? If the Holy Spirit dwells within this temple, and this fleshly body is only the temple, and there's only one person who dwells within, God, then who is there inside? Only one person, only God.

That made me cry sometimes before. I said, "If I am God, how come I am so humble? How come I'm so weak? How come I'm so small; how come I'm so ignorant? How come I suffer so much? Where is my Home?" And that's when we begin to ask ourselves how to reclaim our glory again? That's when enlightenment begins to inch toward us, or we're crawling toward enlightenment, or maybe we're running, flying, it depends. Some people fly, some people walk, some people go by, maybe train. That's why at the time of so-called initiation, some people have greater enlightenment, some people have lesser "great" enlightenment. It's because sometimes we choose to go faster, sometimes we choose to go slower.

How did we choose that? We chose that before we were born. We chose before creation began to play our part in this physical world, or in any part of the cosmos -- we spread all over. We were one and then we became many, as God wished it to be. We partake in the grand design of the creation to play in the colorful drama of life. And now, when the time comes that our role is finished, not necessary, or we're tired, then we want to retire, we want to go back Home. Other people, or other souls, will continue our role, will take over, and then we begin to go Home. That's when enlightenment occurs. It is so simple. We are God; we chose to be ignorant in order to play this drama of life, in order for creation to be colorful and lively, to be different, to have fun, and also in order to know what we truly are. In heaven, there is only God, nothing else. We don't know God, because we are God, so we have to be "un-Godlike." We chose to come here to be different from God, so that we can have a look and compare and know that we are God.

Enlightenment is the purpose of everyone who comes into this physical universe. Because we want to know God, we have chosen to play this ignorant part so that we truly can recognize God and ourselves. Just like if, in the world, there is only man, we do not know the difference between man and woman. We will not know that we are a man unless there is a woman. Unless there is night, we do not recognize daytime. If we always live in the sunlight, we do not know what darkness is. That is the answer that I have found myself. But to find out the real meaning of it, to realize the real meaning, each one of us has to search the way to find it for him or herself. It's not by hearing, by listening, by saying, that we know we are God. Even though we believe the Bible, at the moment we still don't know we are God, or do we? Do you know you are God? Some of you do, I guess, because you are enlightened. Some of you have studied with other masters, or teachers, and then of course, you realized, to some degree, that you are not just the body; you are not the body at all.

Sometimes, during samadhi, you find your body doesn't exist. You know you exist, but not the body. You don't find any body, you don't find any trace of the physical substance that we call flesh, bones, body, hair, or whatever. It's all light; it's all God. That's when we truly realize we are God, that only God dwells within this temple; and after all, the temple disappears, too. Only this realization will make us happy, truly happy; otherwise, no matter how many Bibles we read, how many other teachers tell us that we are God, we can never believe it. We can never know we are truly the children of God or the Kingdom of God is within you.

We read the Bible every day; we know the Bible by heart; we might be able to recite from the first page to the last sentence, but we still do not know God. We pray every day to God, to the God that we don't even know, to answer our questions, to fulfill our requests, to answer our desires; and all the while we are that. We are that to whom we're praying. Then sometimes we get angry with Hirm because we think Hes doesn't answer us, Hes doesn't fulfill our requests. Only when we know we are God, we don't blame anymore. We don't even need to pray anymore. Whatever we think, we will have; whatever we want, we will get, but we will not want any more.

At that time, we can say, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want, because we are so fulfilled. It doesn't matter if we drive a Mercedes, we drive a bicycle, or we walk, we are so happy, we are so fulfilled. We are so rich inside that nothing can make us unhappy at all. Even if we are a king, or we are a beggar, we are equally happy in any situation because we truly know happiness. At that time, happiness is us and that's what enlightenment will bring. It's not a theory that we should listen to, it's the experience, it's knowledge, it's the realization that we must get. Otherwise, we cannot understand many things that we want to understand. Otherwise we will continue to misunderstand each other, also, and suffer a lot, whether in personal relationships, in business dealings, or in the loving connection with God. We will not have the true understanding and the love that is so great that we could forgive our enemies because at that time, we will realize there is no enemy.

We read a lot of the Bible, like, you have to forgive your enemy, love thy neighbor. But we will never understand why until we truly realize what we are or who we are. Then at that time, there's no need to explain. Love just flows from us. Light just surrounds us; we become that, we become love, we become light, we become what we always wanted to be, we become what we have always been praying to. We become Godlike. That's why a master like Jesus, we worship because He is so Godlike. That's why Buddha, everyone adores Him, because He is so Godlike. He is everything that we imagine a God to be. But that, we can become also. Jesus has told us, and we have to believe Him. He had no reason to tell us a lie. He didn't take money from anyone. He didn't build a church or house at that time, even. He walked, He had no possessions, He had no reason to tell lies to any soul on this planet. He told us: Whatever I can do, you can do also. You are all children of God. He said that; we have to believe Him. Now, the only one thing for us to do is to realize what He said, to prove it to ourselves. Because He already promised that, we have to find out 'how', how to realize these promises. This is what enlightenment is all about. Very simple.

Fortunate Are Those Who Find The True Teachings

Enlightenment is in us already; the Kingdom of God is in us. The Kingdom of God is at hand. "At hand" means we can always get it. It's not far, only if we know how. The masters of old have passed away, but their teachings, their lineage of enlightenment, has always, somewhere, somehow, somewhat survived. It doesn't necessarily survive in Jerusalem; it doesn't necessarily survive in Bodh Gaya, in India. It goes deep into the ground of existence like a river. It goes all over. It branches out. It's hidden away somewhere and then it springs up somewhere else, surprisingly. So we have to find where that river has sprung up right now, and get to the source of the water of life. Lucky for those who know where the river has emerged after being hidden underground or running to different corners of the planet.

Similar with the teachings of the masters of the old time. They don't disappear. Whenever we're ready, we will find that river again. Through some friends of ours, an acquaintance, sometimes by a very funny chance, a very strange coincidence, we'll find that river of the teachings again. Sometimes it could be very easy, in the supermarket. Sometimes it's more difficult; we have to go to the Himalayas. Sometimes we just encounter it in the library or in the candy shop, who knows? The ways of working of God are very, very mysterious, but it's always for our benefit. It's not necessary that all of us have to go to the Himalayas or somewhere very, very far away to find enlightenment. God arranges differently for each one of us, according to our desire, according to our sincerity. According to our destiny that is written in the book of the universe, we might meet the chance for enlightenment here or we might meet the chance of enlightenment somewhere else.

I'm also lucky to have encountered the newly sprung-up river and I have also drunk the water of life, which tastes good. I know it tastes good because I've tasted it. So I've come back to tell you. I can also show you where to get the water, and taste it for yourself. (Applause) It just happened that I found it first, before you. It could have been you sitting here and telling me. Yes, but as God willed it, Hes picked a small woman, easy to transport, (Master and all laugh) because small things go a long way. Very easy for me to sneak everywhere, find the river for you. So do not ask, "why me?" I also don't know. (Master laughs) Just someone has to discover something somehow, somewhere, sometime. It's not necessary that everyone discovers the same thing at the same time. Like Einstein had his theory and he is the one and only. Newton, for example, one person is enough; then he can share his knowledge with the whole world, and the whole world will benefit. It's not necessary that we have two Einsteins or two Newtons. It may be too much if we have two suns, too hot. California is truly hot in summer. Suppose we have two suns, it may be too superfluous, overflowing, so one sun is also enough. Well, here I am. I came from far away to bring you this news, and if you'd like to accept, if you'd like to find out about it, we would be very willing to share it with you -- no cost, no charge, no strings attached. (Master laughs) No before, after and between. That's what it is. Simple. (Applause)

It has been a long time since I've appeared in public like this. I do appear, but within the fellow brothers' circles. I haven't appeared in the real public like this, so I have also lost my eloquence, I guess. But it's so simple. Sometimes I don't feel the need of talking. I have a feeling that you all understand, that you all know, because you are God. I'm sitting here looking at the Gods. That's why I feel so happy. (Master laughs) I don't need to speak. But, in case you have any questions, I may have the chance to elaborate more for the sake of everyone else. So, feel welcome to ask or maybe share with me your knowledge also.

Question & Answer Session

M.	C.: It's an honor to have an enlightened master to whom we can ask questions and get real answers. She is someone that knows the Truth and I, a graduate of UC Irvine, am very honored to have such an enlightened master on our public campus. The first question: Master, could You please explain the origins of the Quan Yin Method of meditation and how to practice it?
M:	As I have mentioned earlier, it comes from God. It comes from God knows when, from time immemorial, since creation began. Since we began to play the drama of life, God has granted us this way to go back to Hirm. That's where it began. And as to how to practice, I'll explain to you, if you're interested, in greater detail later if you stay behind. It needs to be explained more in detail so you will not be confused at home if I'm away. You have to know at one time and forever, then you'll never forget it again. You can do it all yourself at home, whether the teacher is dead, alive, there or here, or never seen again. So you have to learn carefully. It doesn't take long, maybe a couple of hours to explain everything, but that's for life. Here we don't have so much time. I just briefly tell you that the Quan Yin Method is not a method really; it is the inherent power that is the power of God to prove that we're God. Because we have that God power, at the time of initiation, the master just helps you to remember it. And remember you will, immediately, and then you'll feel it. You will feel the power; sometimes it shakes you. But later on, you will calm down, because you know you're God. In the beginning, it might be exciting, but later on, "It's okay, so what? Everyone is God, no big deal." (Laughter)
Q:	Why is it necessary to erase past karma?
M:	It's not necessary if we want to continue living here. But if we want to go back to where we belong, then we have to pay all the debt, either by suffering or by enlightening medicine. Once we're enlightened, the past karma is erased, but the present karma continues. The future karma is nonexistent, and that's how we can be free to go back to the Kingdom of God. What keeps us here is the storage of past karma. What does it mean by karma? It is a Sanskrit term for cause and effect, for what we call, As you sow, so shall you reap, in the Bible. We have been sowing a lot of bad and good deeds since thousands of millenniums, since time began. That's how we continue to exist here, because we keep paying and borrowing, and paying, repaying. All the time, we come back to repay the past debt. So in order to be clear of this and to be free of bondage, we have to erase the past karma. The only thing that we can do to erase the past karma, once and for all, is enlightenment. Once we're enlightened, the past is gone. Just like you switch on the light, doesn't matter how many thousands of years that darkness has been residing in this room, in one instant, it's gone. There is no other way we can erase the past karma because it's too much. It's too much. That's why enlightenment is very necessary.
Q:	Dear Master, I love You very much. I would like to ask You about animal research. What do You think about it? Do you think animal research is unethical?
M:	You mean for medical purposes, try on animals first? Who is it? (The person who wrote the question does not identify himself in order to clarify Master's questions.) Well, what do you want me to say? You want me to offend the whole medical system, and they kill me? (Laughter) Some say it's necessary to have done research on animals in order to help humankind. If the intention is pure, we have no right to judge anyone. But from the animal's standpoint, it's a very, very unkind thing, an uncompassionate thing, to do. I wish we didn't have to do that. I wish we all would get enlightenment and cure ourselves inside out. (Applause)
Q:	Do I have a soul? If not, how is reincarnation possible?
M:	Well, the Bible says you have a soul, so you must have one. (Master laughs) In reincarnation, it is not the soul that reincarnates actually. The soul lives forever; doesn't die, doesn't live, doesn't reincarnate. It is the experience of life, the integrating process between the physical and the spiritual when we are experimenting in the so-called life here and which attaches to the knowledge of our existence, that reincarnates. And if we do not detach ourselves from this kind of experiment that we call ourselves, we reincarnate. Actually, we don't reincarnate, we don't die, ever. We are just sick; we are just diseased with these incidents, with these disasters that happen to be attached to us. If we don't cut ourselves asunder from that, then of course, we are forever connected with that. The cause and effect keep changing, keep moving, keep adding, keep diminishing; and that's how we say we reincarnate. If we are not enlightened enough, that's it.
Q:	Master, when one wants to express in the work situation but finds that the opportunity gets oppressed, what should be the attitude at work and what should one do? Is ambition in the workplace wrong? I would appreciate Your shedding light on this matter.
M:	Ah, we go back to real life, working. (Master laughs) Ambition at work is not wrong; ambition is a must at work. Otherwise, how can you work, how can you progress? How can you please your boss and yourself? How can you make a profit for your company? That's a duty. It's a duty to be ambitious. To be ambitious doesn't mean we have to step on other people's heads to go forward. Ambitiousness and viciousness or jealousy are different. We can be ambitious, we can improve ourselves all the time without having to suppress other people. If we do feel oppressed to some degree, then we have to find the reason the other person is oppressing us -- whether we are not competent enough, whether it's a personality problem, or it's the other person who is too envious of us. If we can, then talk to that person. If we know we are in the right, that person is in the wrong and we talk to that person, if she or he becomes better, forgive her or him. If they don't become better, forgive them anyhow; continue with your work. We can't avoid conflict in this life. That's the fact. Even within personal relationships, sometimes husband and wife also envy each other, if one is too successful. That's the problem with the human brain; it's not with the soul, though, not with the enlightened people. (Applause) The Soul Needs Spiritual Nourishment
Q:	Why does one need to meditate two and half-hours each day?
M:	Just like you have to eat two or three hamburgers now and again. (Master and all laugh; applause) That is, more or less, the portion of food that you eat every day to sustain your body. So there is a portion of spiritual nourishment that you should take every day in order to become strong again in God, in Godlike qualities. You don't have to, but this is prescribed, the doctor's prescription, fixed amount. It's more or less; it's not so strict. Besides, we can meditate in sleep as well. We can meditate on the bus, we can meditate on the airplane, meditate in the toilet, excuse me. (Laughter) Yes, yes, we can do so. We can do many jobs at the same time. There is always time to meditate. Cut down on some of the "unfavorite" television programs, read only the essential things in the newspaper; talk less on the telephone, then you'll have a lot of time; stay in bed a little bit less. Sometimes, we don't sleep, we stay in bed late in the morning, just turning around. (Laughter) That's the time we can meditate very wonderfully. Instead of tossing and turning, you just meditate, concentrate. That's it. Very simple. Instead of thinking all kinds of nonsensical things, you just concentrate. That's where your meditation is. You don't have to sit down and cross legs like the Buddha; you just lie there and concentrate. I'm showing you how to utilize your "lazy" time, oh, I'm sorry, (Master and all laugh) your "unproductive" time, or some other time in which you scatter your mind all over and you don't do anything. Those times we can gather together and remember God. Very easy. (Applause)
Q:	Do You believe there will be world peace one day?
M:	(Master laughs) Do you? (Laughter) Maybe in the year 3000! No, there won't be world peace at all, ever, because otherwise, it wouldn't be called the world, it would be called heaven. (Applause)
Q:	Dear Master, thank You for being here. Where does intuition come from? How do we know which decision to make? Sometimes I get so confused. I have two options, and sometimes it's so hard to decide because each choice it comprises makes up my life and I don't really know which one I should do? I want to get to the place where I know exactly which decision I should take.
M:	That takes some time. That's why we must be enlightened. That's why we have to get back the power of wisdom that we have forgotten. We let too many mundane troubles cloud our vision. That's why we are indecisive. We cannot make decisions because we do not know, we are not clear. That's why we have to be clear. The two and half hours that we reserve every day are to clear our mind, to get back to the origin, to be Godlike. Then we will know what to do better. It will be clear. It will be very clear. Meanwhile, if you don't meditate that much, if you don't want to meditate and if you have intuition, that is the remnant of whatever is left over of the so-called Godlike wisdom. It's sometimes clouded by worldly worries and survival efforts, but then, sometimes it's clear. That's what we call intuition. Meanwhile, if you are not so clear, then you just have to take a risk. You have to feel which one is more appropriate or which one has a higher percentage, then just do it. You have to risk. There is no one else to tell us what to do. Pray to God, and just pick one. Or else, you tear two pieces of paper -- one left, one right, and then pick one. Either way is risky, so you have to get your own wisdom, your own Master power.
Q:	Dear Master, if I sincerely pray to You, will I be liberated eternally?
M:	I think so, (Master chuckles) but only one person. Whereas if you get enlightenment yourself, you can take other people with you too. Like one person enlightened, many generations of your relatives and friends, even your dogs and cats, will be liberated. If you pray to a God person, you get only one ticket if you're really sincere. You don't even know if you're sincere or not. Sometimes it's hard to tell.
Q:	Does hell exist as the Bible says?
M:	What do you think? Does it exist? Look at our world, and you know the answer. There's no need to look elsewhere. There is a bad joke, do you want to hear it, about hell? Yes or no? (Yes!) (Laughter) Don't be mad. There was a girl, 18 or 19, came home, crying to her mother, "Oh, mommy, I don't want to marry John anymore. I called the wedding off!" The mother said, "But why honey? You're engaged already. You're going to get married next week. What's the problem?" The girl said: "I don't like him anymore. He is an atheist. He doesn't even believe in hell." So the mother said: "Don't worry dear, after marriage, he will!" (Laughter) (Applause) Bad joke. It's not always true, though. Why Did We Come To This World
Q:	Master, why did we fall? Why couldn't we have remained pure consciousness for those who may have never wanted to be incarnated in the first place? I understand karma, but are karma debts and credits, a part of the Creator's plan? Why did Hes desire our suffering karma so much?
M:	Hes doesn't, we do. That's a part of the deal, so that we learn to know the difference between God and un-God, so we can recognize the light when we come back to the light again. We go into the darkness deliberately, so that we might know the light at its full splendor. For those who did not want ever to leave heaven, they did not come here. There are some who never left heaven, that's for sure, some masters. Some left heaven to come here to teach us. Some have also reincarnated many times and became a master. We had our choice. We did because we wanted to. There are many answers to this, but in summary there are two main purposes that we have karma. Number one is that we want to know God, we came here purposely just to know God. At some time, we lived in heaven, all full of light, everyone was a saint, everyone was God. Then we said, "God, what is God?" So God said to you: "You are God. God is you. God is that." "I don't know what is God." Hes said: "You are like this. It's God." But the soul did not fully understand, and asked God: "How can I know God? How can I know myself as God?" God told him, "Then you have to become different from God, from yourself, first. And when you look back, you will know." That's why we came here. The purpose of our coming here is to know ourselves better. The other one is, since creation had not begun, nothing had appeared in this world or any other world, then God made a plan. Hes wanted creation to spring forth, to come into being, and we joined. We were happy to play every part of the grand design, just for fun. Just to make life more colorful, some knowingly played their part, and for the purpose also that one day they'd become God again. They would know God again. In order to know God, they had to play many different roles and one role was related to another. Just like in the movies, you have the main character, you have the supporting actors and all that; otherwise, it doesn't work. So, the karma for us right now feels very heavy and very unreasonable. But at that time, for us, it was no big deal. Because we were God, we didn't see suffering, we didn't know problems; we didn't look at obstructions as anything undesirable. For us, everything was just a play, until we really played, then we felt that suffering. But that's a part of the game, a part of the universal plan. If we don't play our role, we don't exist, nothing is here. I don't sit here. You don't sit there. You're not blonde; I'm not black. What is there then? Everything is just so plain. It's okay. That's why all the perfect masters say, Everything is perfect under the sun. Jesus said, You are all the children of God. They realize there is nothing to do; everyone is perfect. But we do not realize it yet, so we suffer. We have to realize the same as they do, and then we know why. Then we look at suffering as not suffering. It's still suffering; it still hurts when someone pinches you, but you understand it's just for something. You don't suffer. You do not sink into the suffering, just float on top of it.
Q:	Dear Master, my wife is here today for initiation. She has been vegetarian for a long time. I tried, but could not. Please tell me why, and how to.
M:	Maybe your wife should go and learn vegetarian cooking more. The poor husband cannot just eat when it's not tasty. So actually, enlightenment begins here too, (Master points to Her stomach) not just here. (Master points to the wisdom eye) (Laughter) When I first met my husband, (my ex-husband, he already remarried) I was a vegetarian, he was not. He was a doctor, very practical, very down to earth. He's a Taurus kind; he belongs to the bull in the zodiac of the orient, so he is a double bull. So he doesn't believe any nonsensical things, but because I cooked very nicely, he ate every day with me and he had nothing against vegetarianism at all. After I left him for "to save the world kind of idea," (Master says jokingly) he gathered all my recipes and cooked for his friends. He always advertised, "My wife used to do this, my wife used to do that, and all the vegetables are very rich in vitamins." He cooks exactly like the recipes I left behind. If even a Westerner, a German, a scientific-minded doctor like that, could be a vegetarian, you could be too. If all the wives cook very tasty meals, you don't miss anything. For example, you eat a bowl of soup, like Chinese soup, you have noodles and some pieces of meat in it. Instead of those meat pieces, you can have like gluten meat, tofu meat, or vegetarian ham meat, everything, all kinds, even fish. Everything can be made exactly like the non-vegetarian, so it's a matter of skill. The way to enlightenment goes through the stomach, I believe. So you wives, please take care of your crafty fingers, make it nice and tasty so your husband will be able to eat with you. Women are easier. Truly. Once you believe something, you just eat anything. (Master and all laugh) But men, they are more scientific, they are more practical, not too sentimental like a woman. A woman can live by sentiment, affection, emotion, so she believes, then she eats and she doesn't care how it tastes. (Laughter) But men, they're more critical, so they please their taste first, and then enlightenment comes. (Laughter)
Q:	Maestra Ching Hai, please explain our relationship spiritually to You. After You die, and one has been initiated, is our flight back Home still guaranteed by Your soul spirit?
M:	Guaranteed. (Applause) As has been said earlier, we are not the body; we are the spirit. So when this body goes or comes, there is no difference, no distance between us. And I have told you already, at the time of initiation, the Method is explained to you so that you can use it for life. There is nothing that can come between anymore, unless you don't want it and you leave. But the seed is still there for next life.
Q:	Master, five of my children are already initiated into the Quan Yin Method, but I'm quite old. Is enlightenment for everyone? What requirements are needed, or is sincerity the sole criterion?
M:	Yes, sincerity is enough. But when people are too old, like past a certain age, sometimes the physical body and the memory are not so sharp anymore. Then we might tell them to come back again next time, next life. Or just to practice the Convenient Method also can help her or him, no need for full initiation. But that is a guarantee only for one person, and initiation guarantees for many generations. That's the difference. By initiation and practicing yourself, you can also become an enlightened master and help many, many souls, too.
Q:	Master, why does Christianity as a whole tend not to believe in reincarnation? Does the Bible talk about reincarnation?
M:	It does, but it has been censored. When someone asked Jesus whether He was Elias, whether He was so and so, the past Master before Him -- that meant whether He was the reincarnation of those past masters -- He kept quiet. That was a part of the Bible that people forgot to censor. Suppose reincarnation did not exist, then Jesus would have said, "No, no, there is no such thing as a master coming back. I am me, alone, one time, never again, never before, never after." He kept quiet, and in those times, quiet means okay, agreement, acceptance. Otherwise, Jesus would have explained, so as not to mislead His disciples. He kept quiet.
Q:	Dear Master, explain that if one person gets initiated, five of their generations would be saved. How about living family members who eat meat and drink alcohol, will they also be saved?
M:	They will also be saved, sadly but fortunately. (Master and all laugh) That is, if they deliberately do not want liberation, then the master will not force it upon them, of course, because each one is God. You must remember, each one of us is God. No one can tell God what to do, even another God. How bad he is, how good he is, that's his own decision, his own path in life to choose. He chose to play this role. He is okay, even if he is bad. That's why the Bible says to us Judge not.
Q:	Before we become an enlightened master, we vow to do this and do that for human beings, and we vow to serve them, but say, after we've become an enlightened master, we change our mind for some reason, because now we have a different outlook. Are we free not to fulfill our vow, or must we fulfill our vows due to the law of karma?
M:	We're free. We are free to do what we want.
Q:	Greetings Supreme Master Ching Hai. Please give Your view of Earth as a great sentient being whose love assists us in our ascension.
M:	Everything is made from God. The Bible says so. Everything springs from the "Word," means the vibration of the universe, and that vibration is God. That is the Quan Yin Method. That's what we teach you to tune in to, the vibration of the universe, of the source of all creation. So, even if we are human, are from God, then also is the great Earth or everything in the universe. It also has Godlike qualities, but probably in a different form and a different density. So, in that case, the Earth is also a great being as you have mentioned. We live here, we live from the Earth, of course, we have to respect this great Mother. (Applause) Pay Karma In The Dream
Q:	Do we pay karma in our dreams? How do we pay karma?
M:	We pay karma in our dreams only if that is the grace of God. Otherwise, most of the time, we have to pay physically, like an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. When initiated, or enlightened, then we live by the grace of God. We don't live so much by the law of karma anymore, except for some already fixed karma, like we have to have some certain karma in order to exist in this life. That karma we have to continue with. But then, it can be erased to a certain extent, it can be lubricated, it can be lessened a lot of degrees, or it can be paid in dreams, only at that time.
Q:	Master, what happens if a person gets initiated but ends up not being able to meditate the required two and half-hours.
M:	Then he probably stays in the class for a while. (Laughter) Just like you students, what happens if you enroll in a certain class and you don't study well? Then, you stay there. (Master and all laugh) Instead of an 'A', you have a 'J'. That's what it is. But you are still nevertheless a college student -- you're not primary school or you're not kindergarten kids, anyhow. At least, you are a college students, that's no doubt, but just to a lesser degree.
Q:	I would like to know more about the person You received the Quan Yin from. Is he a reincarnation of Jesus, or are You? Does he or she have a name You can share with us?
M:	Yes, I've told you in one of the tapes a long time ago. His name is Master Khuda Ji. He's gone back to God. Jesus never reincarnates, nor any of the other masters. Reincarnation is only for us -- the mortals, the karma-laden people. So you can say Jesus has reincarnated or you can say Jesus has not. It's not Jesus who reincarnates; it's the Christ power that keeps coming, descending to different persons through God's will to help humankind. So you can say "yes," you can say "no." (Applause)
Q:	How do Your teachings relate to religion in general? Do Your teachings enhance our belief in our own religion?
M:	Yes, they do. You know already. I make you understand your religion better, deeper; and if you're enlightened yourself, you become the religion, you become the Truth. You could write another Bible, but you don't have to; one Bible is enough. You just verify it, you just understand it. That's good already.
Q:	Could You tell us about our dreams?
M:	Dreams are of many kinds, sometimes bad, sometimes good. Sometimes dreams come true, sometimes dreams are just fragments of the daily collection of different information, so it's all a mixed salad. Sometimes dreams are a kind of foretelling of the future or reviewing the past, or some of your deepest desires or your wishes. That's a clairvoyant dream that is a kind of vision. Many of the Quan Yin practitioners or the people who meditate have this kind of related dream, like a vision. They dream, but they are very vivid, in all colors, all light, splendor and very bright. It's not a dream anymore; it's a vision. They go to heaven and all that. When you meditate and you go to heaven, it's almost like a dream, except you wake up so excited, so electrified, so energized, so full of life and love that you don't know what to do with yourself. You want to hug everyone and kiss them. But don't do that, (Laughter) people will think you're loco, coo coo.
Q:	Do animals and plants have their God?
M:	We have only one God. (Laughter) Same. One father for everyone. Jesus said so, Look at the lilies of the field, how the Father takes care of them. [Mtt 6:28] So it must be the same God. (Laughter) You read the Bible, but you ask me so many questions. Everything is in the Bible already, no?
Q:	How do I disconnect from past life experiences once and for all?
M:	Past life experiences? I've told you, initiation. At the time of initiation, the stored karma, the Master erases, so you don't have past karma anymore. But you're welcome to pick up some if you want. (Master laughs) If you want to come back to this life, you're welcome.
Q:	Can You please clarify what You mean when You say we are children of God, and that we're all God. Do You mean to say that worshiping God isn't necessary since we already are?
M:	No. It's necessary. We worship God even more so after we realize who God is, what a loving being that is, and how near to us Hes is, nearer than the dearest friend in the whole world, nearer than our own skin. At that time, you really worship God, in the truer sense of worship. At the moment we are just dictating to God, "Oh, please give me money, oh please give me a wife, please give me a job, please, please, please..." We don't really know God. We are God, but yet, we are not yet God. So please get to know Hirm first, and then ask me the question later. After you know Hirm, you tell me.
Q:	How does humanly love play a role in our enlightenment?
M:	Human love? Well, it's nice to be loved whether by humans or by animals. Every time we are loved, doesn't matter by whom, by what, that's God who loves us. It's not human love, it's not motherly love, it's not brotherly love; actually, it's all God's love, divided, minimized, or modified. Everyone who loves us, that's God who loves us. So there is no harm; it can only help. When someone loves us, when two people are in love together, are enlightened together, it is very helpful, very nice.
Q:	What do You think about the evolution theory? What is its problem?
M:	Gosh, I'm not a scientist. You mean that we came from the monkey and all that stuff? (Master and all laugh) We all came from God. There might be some kind of link between man and animals, because sometimes man and animals live together. Sometimes they bred with each other by some hazard, by some chance, so it might be. But humans are a very different race. We don't evolve. We are created in the image of God. That's all there is. God made animals as well. Hes said so in the first chapter, didn't Hes? The first one, the Old Testament, page number 1, it says God created man and all the fruits, the herbs. By the way, Hes mentions vegetarianism there and then. Hes says, I created all the fruits and the herbs in the field that are pleasant to the eyes, and good to the taste, they shall be your food. Hes also said, For all the animals, I also created food for each one of them. Hes didn't say we evolve from animals. Hes said we are the rulers of the kingdom of animals. We are the king of them. So, there is no mixy maxy about evolution. We are human beings; animals are also from God, but they are not human beings.
Q:	To achieve perfect enlightenment, that can be achieved in one lifetime, is it possible to do this without going to the Himalayas like You did? Would it take us less than seven years since You are such a perfect, compassionate Master?
M:	You don't have to go to the Himalayas. I've told you already, it was my karma. I had to go there. Your karma is better. You sit here and get enlightenment on the sofa. (Master and everyone laugh) And it could take seven years, could take seven months, it depends on you, depends on your destiny; that is, depends on the choices that you have made yourself before this existence. That I cannot interfere, only you know. You are pleased with yourself, the choice you made before you came here, so don't be in a hurry. Whatever it takes, that's your choice. You and God made the covenant already that you take seven years, that you take seventeen years, you take twenty years, whatever. We live in eternity. No problem about how many years, but enlightenment occurs immediately at the time of initiation. It's just complete enlightenment, sometimes it varies, depends on the people, depends on your diligence, of how in a hurry you are to go Home. You have a car, you can drive fast, you can drive slow. Don't ask me seven years or many years; it doesn't matter. After enlightenment, you get happier and happier every day. You don't bother about how many years. At the time, you don't even consider enlightenment anymore, because you know God, you know happiness. You're just fulfilled, content.
Q:	Can world evil or negative karma be trans-substantiated into good or positive karma through people's use of the violet flame and the golden light of Mahatma energy?
M:	The negative energy is necessary for us to realize God. We have chosen to know darkness to enable us to recognize the light. That's the way we can say we translate the negative into positive; otherwise, negative is negative, positive is positive. There is no way you can say that darkness is light. But darkness is there to help the light to shine in darkness so that you know it. I guess what he means is if you meditate and you see the light, can you neutralize the negative power. Of course, that's what it is. When the light comes, the darkness disappears. Whether it's a violet flame or a golden flame depends on the level of consciousness. The violet flame is a little bit lower level; the golden flame is higher. You'll know it later when you meditate.
Q:	Have you traveled beyond heaven and the light? If so, what is out there? (Master and all laugh)
M:	You want to taste my chocolate and it's not possible, (laughter) (applause) because it is I who ate it. But I have another piece of chocolate, and you're welcome to try. I can tell you it's sweet, it's chunky, it's juicy; but then you just hear the words, you don't understand it. You have to eat it, eat the chocolate. Get the initiation, meditate, then you'll know. There is nothing impossible, nothing at all impossible for us, humans. Enlightenment Is The Key To Everything
Q:	What is the most effective way to remove bad habits from one's life when they feel so much like chains around my feet and hands?
M:	It's difficult, but if we're enlightened, things will change, and fast. Change very dramatically. That's how the saints are made. That's why it is said in your culture that all the saints have a past and all the sinners have a future. Believe in God, accept the grace of God through diligent practice, through the light of guidance within yourself, through the God in you. Everything is possible. You can even raise yourself from death to life. You can cure your own diseases, let alone the habits. Terminal diseases, even. Everything is possible in the light of God. That's why I came to tell you the good news, very good news.
Q:	What if You are adopted, which family generations are saved biological or adoptive?
M:	Biological. But adopted are also, because I told you even your dog, your cat, are benefitted. You'll see. I'm not kidding you, you'll see your dog enlightened, cat enlightened. They'll change. They will sit next to you. They will meditate with you. (Laughter) Yes. They'll become a saintly cat. They will even become vegetarian. (Laugher) (Applause) Yes, read our magazine, there are many true stories in there. Everything you read in there is true. All the witnesses are still alive. You meet the modern saints in those pages. Even cats and dogs, very cute. Quan Yin Method! Even your friends and your lover who are not biologically related are benefitted by your practice, by your light, because God's grace is very generous. We cannot imagine, it's incredible!
Q:	If you become initiated and follow, does that mean you can't kill or exterminate bugs, mice, etc. that invade your home? What about pulling weeds? (Laughter)
M:	Well, in some cases, the termites move out. If you keep your house clean and hygienic, you don't have to kill them. Pulling weeds you can, just recite God's name and do whatever you have to do. You don't kill for violence, you don't kill for hatred, but you do have to protect your health and your family members if it's absolutely necessary. Otherwise, in many cases, when our initiates meditate, all the pests go away. The bugs and all that don't come near. It's very convenient and economical. Everything leaves us.
Q:	What do You think of divorce?
M:	Bad. Divorce is the last solution of a loving relationship, and it should not happen at all. But it's very difficult for it to work out since men and women are so different. Men are more cool, straightforward, simple; women are more sentimental, more romantic. So the warlike and the beauty don't often mix well, but there are many ways to reconcile each other. There is marriage counseling, there are books about it, and there is, of course, meditation, that will reconcile a lot of differences. You'll see that both of you will change -- more loving, more understanding and less demanding. That is, if you both are in almost similar levels; otherwise, you will still have conflict. But you still love each other. You'll not resort to divorce as much as the other people who do not practice the inner peace. They would do it more; I would not have divorced my husband if I were enlightened at that time. I tell you, he was the best man, he still is; but someone else's best man now. (Master uses a hand gesture to show the relationship has ended) After enlightenment, you will learn to appreciate your partner more. A lot of family conflicts have been erased after initiation if husband and wife meditate together. It really helps because you realize you both are God. The love in you will spring forth, will magnify to cover all the differences between the man and the woman. You'll learn to love each other, respect each other as God even. Apart from the physical love, there is another holy love that will bind you to each other, make you more loving, more responsible, and more sensitive to each other's feelings and needs.
Q:	What is the problem when one has a key to enlightenment but fails to make the shift into God consciousness?
M:	In that case, well, maybe you try again later when your time comes. Everyone has his own time. It's okay, no hurry, we have eternity.
Q:	Is it true that beyond the second level, there is no karma anymore? If we live in the world depending on our karma then if we don't have karma anymore, do we still live in the world?
M:	Not having karma means, that after the third level, when you arrive at the "karmaless" level, you never commit any karma again. But the present karma that makes you exist in this lifetime still continues until your time is up. And whenever your time is up, that means the karma is gone. You don't have to stay here anymore. But when you reach the third level, that means the type of person you are, the state of mind that you are in, will never let you commit any more karma. You will do everything in righteousness, automatically, but it doesn't mean that you die immediately because the present karma still exists. The written karma for this lifetime, how many steps you have to take, how many breaths you have to inhale, how much food you have to eat, how many days you have to live, that's already written, we don't erase that. We could, if we want to, but why? It's just a few more years to live or a few more days. Why hurry? It's the last time anyhow. Masters Only Give, Never Take
Q:	Dear Master, I want to practice and teach meditation but also have an abundance of materialistic things. How can I do that? I don't wish to make a living doing anything other than teaching meditation. Please advise.
M:	Who is that? It's you. Are you teaching right now? And you earn some living from that?
Q:	Yes, but not enough.
M:	Not enough, then, what to do? You have to expand your circle. You asked the wrong person; I don't take money.
Q:	How do You make a living?
M:	I make a life out of living. I design clothes, I paint, I do... I don't know, what else did I do? -- Jewelry. I do a lot of things.
Q:	So do You advise that I do things other than teach meditation to make a living?
M:	I would. I would think it's more noble if we teach the way of God free of charge at all times, because it's inherent in each of us. If we could, we should not make a living out of that. But if you're in need of money and people donate to you, it's okay. Take it as God's gift. But I personally don't demand any money. I'm very afraid to take people's money. I just don't feel good, since I was young. And any of the masters since ancient times have not been allowed to take money even. You're supposed to give, not take. But I guess for just ordinary teachers of different meditation methods, it's no harm. But to be a master, I think it's better not to take anything. The Buddha took only one meal a day because He didn't work; that was the minimum He could take. But then, He had to do it. At that time He didn't have the means to walk around and earn money at the same time. Besides, He was a monk, and the tradition of monks is to go begging for food. People respect you that way. In the modern times, if you go begging for food, the police will beg you to go to jail, so I cannot do that. Not that I'm materialistic; to design to earn money to live is not a materialistic viewpoint, it's practical. We live in the modern times, we have to dress decently, presentably, for the modern people, because they don't accept the beggar-look anymore. You can't go on the street and beg. People will take you for homeless. They don't respect you, number one. So how can you teach them? You have to be decent, be like everyone else. I used to be a monk but at that time, I also earned money. I didn't feel right taking money from people; I earned money from different things. I grew vegetables, I knitted at that time. Because I was alone, I didn't have too many traveling expenses, and I ate one meal a day also. So making very little money was enough. But now I've expanded and I have to travel a lot, so I have to earn more money. I resort to different kinds of techniques, like my interior decorating stuff -- lamps, lights, sometimes, ceramics, painting, designing clothes; and designing jewelry. These earn me a lot of money worldwide, so I'm able to travel around and live comfortably. I pay every penny for what I take. If even an initiate lends me a car, I'll pay for the petrol too. I don't take it. I don't want to. I feel I should pay for my own living existence, because I'm able. Even if my disciples give me anything, I don't take unless I really don't know about it. If I know, I don't take it. I'll give it back. I'll give back the money, the value, or return something else. You feel more comfortable that way. But it's all right if people offer to you and you have no other means and you're too busy teaching to earn a living, then you take it. Take enough for yourself.
Q:	Can I ask You one more question?
M:	Sure.
Q:	So, You are able to run a business and have a spiritual teaching going on at the same time?
M:	Yes, well, that's the way it is right now. I do my spiritual teaching, but in my spare time, I design clothes and jewelry. The people who help me sell, the people who help to make the clothes and all that, they also get money. Sometimes we have a small restaurant here and there; we also earn money from that. I pay the money to the people who work there. Everything is strictly business.
Q.	Okay, thank You so much.
M:	God bless!
Q:	If there is no physical body, then why did Jesus cry when His best friend John the Baptist was beheaded?
M:	Well, should He have laughed? Should a compassionate Master, all loving, all Godlike, have laughed or been like a stone, indifferent to a best friend like John the Baptist? What do you expect His behavior to have been? What do you expect an enlightened person to be? A stone? Just because He was enlightened, the chemical reaction in His body didn't change. The tears still flow when they are triggered by emotion, and it should be so. He had become so soft, so feminine, so loving, and that is the best of all. It happened to Him; it happens to us. It's very good when you cry when your friend dies. It's very natural; He was very normal and very enlightened.
Q:	It seems that all my paths are being blocked. For this reason, I cannot reach my goals. My past experiences reveal that every time I'm one step toward my goal, something pulls me back and away. What should I do to clear my way?
M:	What kind of path is he talking about? For the sake of the audience. Who is it?
M.	C.: (The person that asked, would you like to raise your hand?)
Q:	(Someone raises the hand) I didn't write the question but for me it's applicable. I think we constantly encounter obstacles in life that are very frustrating. I think it's just a universal....
M:	Okay, I got it; it means in business and relationships. The only answer is enlightenment. I have no other answer. Enlightenment will guide you; will give you the answer, give you the strength to start all over again, or to overcome difficulties as well as ignore the unnecessary worries about different problems. You will solve them quicker. There are no other things for us to do in life except to get enlightenment first, and everything else will follow. That's why the Bible says to you, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God; that means get enlightenment, and all other things shall be added unto you. Yes, truly. I earn more money now than when I was not enlightened. When necessary, God will show you the way, even in a physical way. I didn't get enlightenment to earn money, but it just happened; it just happened that everything else became very smooth, unasked for, and that's true.
Q:	How do I live an enlightened life?
M:	Live like you lived before; live with your wife, your kids and your husband; continue to discharge your duties and enjoy your life while enjoying heaven. Nothing changes, except the inside knowledge, the happiness.
Q:	What are the reasons You don't believe in healing other people?
M:	The reason why I don't believe is that they should learn to heal themselves. We should not play God; that's the reason. We stand between God and that patient. Each one has the power to heal himself. God has bestowed sickness upon the patient as a blessing in disguise, so that he may see God. When that person is very sincere, God will appear to him. Otherwise, we have a lot of physical, medical treatments that should be used to take care of the physical things. And to tamper with people's psychic body and the healing power within them is not very advisable. The karma is not erased by just the touch of hand; it will come back again tenfold later. The person will suffer more and never know God. If you just believe in the healers and forget God, especially the God inside you, you're in more trouble than the sickness. That's what I believe. That's what I know. That's what I share with you. But of course, it's my opinion and my knowledge; it's not necessarily yours. It's not necessarily accepted by you. Just if you come to me and ask me, I have to tell you what I know. But I don't condemn healing or anything like that. If you want to go higher, then you have to stop that. Just like you want to learn to become a doctor, you have to continue with being a doctor, you cannot stop midway and become a nurse and expect to be a doctor at the same time. It's not possible. (Applause)
Q:	Master, why is it necessary to be guided through meditation?
M:	There's no other way. Meditation is just a name; actually, it's the inner reconnection with the God power. Just like why it is necessary to eat three meals a day in order to sustain your body; this is to sustain your spirit. We have to meditate; we have to get recharged by the God power again in order to be free from the shackles of the physical world to be God again, to be master of ourselves.
M.	C. Thank You for Your time.
M:	Thank you. (Applause) Thank you very much for your attentiveness, your support, your enlightened atmosphere, your loving smiles, everything. It pleases me very much. And I shall see you in the initiation hall. (Applause) For those who don't take initiation tonight or will consider later, go home and pray; pray to God. Don't forget, pray all the time. Pray any time you can. Pray with your heart until the day you get enlightenment. I'll see you there. (Master points upward.) (Applause)