Only if we have that absolute faith and devotion, then we can really understand the Master and we’ll reach higher levels, return to our glorious, great Original Self.
The Maya, they make excuses all the time to try to catch you back. They don’t want to lose any of you. The Maya system never wants to lose anyone. So imagine if the whole world is gone, then who could he control? Who would he have fun to torture, to punish, and to trick, and to make trouble? Nobody would entertain them with their punishments, with their suffering kind of system. They don’t want that.
Therefore, if you are a meditation practitioner in the Quan Yin Method – I’m talking about us only. I can’t just take care of every other kind of method. I’m talking about us only so that you know. Because it’s no use talking about somebody else. All you need is just about us, about yourself. So, for you, yourself, if you want to really be away from Maya, then you must keep the Five Precepts.
Don’t tell lies, also meaning you don’t gossip. Because gossiping is not always true. You just hear somebody say that, or even if you see something, or you hear something personally, you might not hear it right.
In the college, they experience that. The first person you know in the university, one person said one word, up to the 50th, it’s a different word. Sometimes, you talk even to your wife, your kids, your father, mother, they don’t understand you. In my practice, I always have to do this. I say something, “Blah blah blah,” and then I say, “Repeat. Repeat to me what you heard.” And sometimes, they repeat differently three times, until I’ve really had it. And I say, “OK, OK. Go!” I get somebody else. Really, it’s like that. Sometimes you see something, but it’s not the same.
And many people also told me that, Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), He married again, and etc., etc. I said, “No matter what He did, He was a Prophet. Peace Be Upon Him. He did what He had to do. Maybe it’s their karma (retribution) that made Him have to do that. Maybe He has to sacrifice for that. Maybe that’s the way He has to go through. That’s the price He had to pay. So, there’s no need…”
If you believe in the Master, the teaching is good, you have good experience in Heavens, then you just follow that Master. Do not let your mind cheat you. Do not let your eyes delude you. Do not let your ears confuse you. That’s why we don’t use the ears to meditate. That’s why we don’t use the eyes to meditate. We don’t use anything at all! We just contact directly inside.
Anything that relies on the outside is perishable, is changeable. Some days have, sometimes don’t have. Even if you use your mind, what if you are in an unconscious situation where your mind cannot control? And if you use breathing, for example, that may be helping. But what if you are not breathing anymore in that state? Like in a coma or something, that people keep you in with artificial breathing, what then? Who meditates for you?
So, only your soul inside meditates, not your body. Therefore, even when you meditate, you see you’ve gone away from your body, you see your body sitting there, but you go to Heaven. It’s just an example. So, who is it that’s meditating, while your soul has gone out? It is your Self, your true original Self. There are some yogis, they don’t even breathe. They practice to control their breathing, so they don’t even breathe anymore for some time. A very very long time, many weeks or months even; depends on how long he practiced. So, if we rely on any external things or bodily help, we don’t get anywhere.
That’s why the Buddha said, “If you rely on forms, if you rely on sound, if you rely on visual faculty, for example, then you’ll never get to see the Buddha.” What He means is the Buddha Nature. That’s why He even said, “I am the finger who points to the moon, but the finger is not the moon.” If the Buddha’s finger is not the goal, not the real thing, what about us, this mortal, lowly level body? So, we use nothing, that’s why.
And one of the Zen Masters said what, “Oh! Now I know, it would have been better if I have been blind, deaf in the beginning.” Blind, deaf and dumb (mute) even, in the beginning. That’s what He said. Because these things don’t help us with anything; they just make more trouble. You see a nice woman, “Oh! Wonderful!” Want to see more, and want more than seeing. And then see a nice good-looking man, “Oh! Look at that muscle! My God!” Yeah, for example. See beautiful things, want this, want that. Nice house, nice car. How long will you keep them? (Yes.) Everything is temporary. We can enjoy them, use them.
Just like at home, you watch some movies, or you play toys with the children because they are toys, they’re children. When you play with the children, you don’t say, “I’m an adult, I don’t play with this. These are just toys, plastic.” No, you don’t do that, of course.
So, the Saints and Sages, they came to us in this world. They play with us, they do what we do, so that we can feel a closer, intimate relationship, not feeling like, “Oh! He’s up there, and I am just here. I’m sinful, I’m lowly, I’m just a mortal, ignorant. I can never be liberated, I can never be anything more than just my ignorant self.” So, any Master who came from a higher level, they hide everything. They just look like ordinary people. They even get married, have children, or whatever they do. They’ve got a job, they make money to take care of their family, everybody, the same. But they are not the same.
Therefore, I told the Muslims, don’t criticize the Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him. Do not criticize anything, because you don’t understand anything. Not yet. If you did understand, you wouldn’t have asked that question to begin with. For example like that. In some of the teachings of some Masters, one Master said to the Muslim, “If your Master is God, your Master is number one. If you know your Master is really a real Master, then even if He tells you to dip your prayer mat in the wine, you’ll do it.” For the Muslim, the prayer mat is very holy, sacred, personal. And wine is a no-no. So, He said to such extreme, to advise the doubtful disciple of Muslim, that if your Master tells you to dip your prayer mat in the wine, you do it. This is the advice for absolute faith and devotion.
Only if we have that absolute faith and devotion, then we can really understand the Master and we’ll reach higher levels, return to our glorious, great Original Self. Otherwise, we are so deluded here. We think everything is us; the ego is us, the house is mine, the car is mine; that’s all we know. But these are not permanent anyway. Even if the car is yours, how long will you keep it? The best car will last maybe for 30 years, or 40, 50, and then? Some cars last not even three years, four years; it depends on what car. We all know that but we… For us, very difficult to remember. Every day, we catch up with things.
We’re caught in the maze of the world working, family, and competition at job. This is a very pitiful situation, but we have to. What else can we do? That is the karma that the Master cannot erase; can maybe reduce a little bit, but cannot. You know why? If I take away all that karma, you’re gone, you die. But you still have affinity with the world, with your family members, with the boss of whatever job you do. Because of that, Master has to leave it, the present fixed karma. It can be reduced, can make it smoother, like you will die in a dream. You’ll lose your leg, your arm in a dream, but you don’t lose it in reality. That’s all. For example like that. Otherwise, if you have no more karma, you cannot be here.
The same, a Master has to borrow karma to stay. The Master came without any karma, but the Master doesn’t need it. Disciples will be happily lending a lot, with no interest, anytime. I’m happy that you understand. I’m proud of you if you understand. If you do not understand, then you will, slowly.
In the classroom, there are always different students. Some understand quickly, some are top of the class, top ten, some are lower than top ten, but they will be OK. As long as they stay in the class and try their best, they will be called educated, and maybe they will get a certificate, so that they can get a good job outside. Maybe not the top job, but some job, so they can earn money, take care of themselves, and take care of family. At least, when they go out, they say, “Yeah, I graduated high school.” “And what grade?” “I… I forgot.” Maybe not intelligent enough to remember. “But still, I was in high school!” Right? For that, you will be accounted for, for the higher dimension.
Just like the story, a Hindu story, one guy he was having karma; he didn’t have any Master. But one day, somehow, he happened to see the Master and then the Master told him he was going to die. What good news! He said, “But if you go up there and the Karma Council asks you… You still have a little bit of good merit, because you helped me today, a little bit, so if the Council of Karma asks you, ‘You want to enjoy your good deeds’ karma first, or you want to pay the bad karma first?’ You say, ‘I want the good deed (karma) first.’” So, the guy remembered that. When he died, in Heaven, some Council of Karma asked him and he said, “I want the good deeds’ karma first.” And then because of that, he has been able to go into a so-called class in Heaven, see that Master again, listen to His discourse, earn more good karma and then, go up and up and up.
Just one time even. And you have seen your Master maybe a lot. You have listened to a lot of good discourses, and you have helped the world, helped Master to help the world. I’m sure you will not be cast lower than Heavens. Remember, wherever you go, remember your Master. OK? (Thank You.) Maybe your Master is not the top one, but I don’t know who else to recommend to you. So, you stick with me for now. If you find some better, please tell me, so we can be rescued together, in case you do find, OK? Don’t hide it from your poor Master. At least, I taught you something, right? So, if you find something better, you must tell me. Remember me, OK?
All right then. Now, I’m going. I’m going back to work, OK? (OK.) Maybe from tomorrow, I’ll have to be in retreat for a while. But you stay here, be in retreat with me. If I can, I’ll come out. If I cannot, then you’re also in retreat with me. Understand that? (Understand, Master.) I have to. I have to. But before retreat, I had to work a lot, to prepare for when I’m not there. And when I come back, I catch up a lot, also. So I have to go back, do some more work. I worked a lot last night already, but I had to do some meditation afterward. Then because you’re going today, some of you, and my relatives are going, I came out and had a look. No matter what, I’m right next to you, nearby, physically, I mean. All right. Thank you.
I will forever love you.
