Master Says
Why Do We Have to Meditate?

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hong Kong February 20, 1992 (Originally in Chinese)

We have wars, floods, starvation, and refugees all over the world. This is all because we do not use our wisdom; instead, we rely on our ego, mind, and arrogant habits. We think that this is the same as that and there is no difference. There is a difference! Even clothes are different sometimes. Different fabrics cause different physical sensations. The cool air from an air-conditioner is different than the cool air outside; we cannot say that they are the same just because they are the same degree in terms of temperature. They are not the same! They are different materials.

For instance, when we climb high up into the mountains where it is colder or even snowing, we do not feel very tired because the air up there is natural. It might be very cold there, but after we inhale the oxygen in the air, heat will be generated and the body will make suitable adjustments. On the other hand, when we are in an air-conditioned room where the ventilation is not good, we feel tired despite the cool air. It is not very good for our body. When we leave an air-conditioned room, we don't seem to be able to quickly adjust physically, and our faces are pale when we get up from sleep. If we live or work in an air-conditioned room for a long time, our faces might appear greenish. Yet we will look pinkish even though it may be much colder in the mountains.

Of course, we should develop our freedom, but we have to find out which is the better thing to do. Just because we are free does not mean that we simply do whatever we want. We should use our brains and wisdom when we act; use them since we have them. Do not act blindly and willfully. Whether we buy good or bad things, it takes the same amount of time, and most probably we pay the same amount of money, or perhaps more money for the bad things. Therefore, in whatever we do, we should try to use our brains and wisdom; that will save us a lot of time and energy, and benefit both others and ourselves. This is why we need to pursue spiritual practice; the reason is very logical.

Concentrating Our Life Energy

If we use a magnifying glass to focus sunbeams, we can ignite a fire beneath them, at the point where the rays converge. Otherwise, even if there is plenty of sunlight, we cannot make use of it. Similarly, our life force is dispersed throughout our bodies, and even outside. When we pay attention to something, we give it power; we give it our life force. Therefore, by focusing all our attention on one point, we can solve any problem. We can make a fire that will burn all obstacles. It is very logical, nothing mysterious.

Avoid superstition in spiritual cultivation. Try to understand clearly why we practice this Method, and why we have to focus on this point. (Master points to the wisdom eye.) When we think, don't we use this spot and knit our brows? We knit our brows because we want to concentrate; we do it naturally. Accordingly, we know that we should focus on this spot to prevent our energy from leaking out, or being wasted on outside distractions. Doesn't the power grow stronger when we concentrate it in here? And then, isn't it faster for us to make a breakthrough? Yes! For example, with one hand, you can only push open a door, but with both hands, you can break it if you want. This is very logical and simple, nothing mysterious. Spiritual practice is a scientific matter; so have no doubt about it. Probably you will protest and argue with me, "How can our energy be dissipated if we just look at things outside?"

It does dissipate, otherwise, how can hypnotists gain command over people? They send out their energy to control someone. How can you say that they are not using their power? They are! Some people practice on focusing their thoughts, and make things rise or fall in the air at will. There are even people who can kill others with their thoughts from a long distance away. You can still find them in Tibet or perhaps China. Our focused thought is very powerful. Do not think that when our attention is diverted to other things, our life energy is not wasted. Yes, it is! It does waste our wisdom.

For instance, to attain perfection in something, we must look at it or think of it attentively. This applies to everything, even to playing music or doing the laundry. When we do the laundry, we have to look at the stains carefully before we decide how to clean, scrub or wipe them off. In the case of an artist, he must be very focused in mind to create a good painting or sculpture. There are times when you see a man or woman whom you like very much, and then can you say that you are not wasting your energy? You are! If you keep watching him, he will sense something and may even be charmed by you after a while. You are using your power to attract him. You cannot deny that you are dissipating your energy!

Therefore, we should concentrate all that power that might have gone to waste, and save as much of it as possible, just like saving money. If we spend money lavishly even when it is not necessary, we will never have enough money. If we spend appropriately, one dollar saved means one dollar earned. As our savings increase, our lives will become better and we will not have to work so hard. After we have saved a big sum of money, we can easily buy anything that is important and necessary. Without money, we cannot even buy trivial things. Therefore, let us save first, and then we can buy whatever we want.

In the same way, as we dissipate energy into the outside world each day, we retrieve it through meditation. Whenever you can save some time, save it; it is better than none. In twenty-four hours, we should set aside two and a half hours, which is one-tenth of our time, to replenish our life force and concentrate our energy, and then we will have enough to spend during the rest of the day. Just as we have time to spend money, we should also have time to earn it. We work eight hours a day to provide for our spending in twenty-four hours.

Now we only save two and a half hours on meditation to provide for our consumption in twenty-four hours, and I don't think this is illogical. Actually, I think this is too little! Therefore, initiation doesn't mean that all has been accomplished; you still have to go home and continue to work. Receiving initiation is just like registering for work in a factory. The boss has hired you, but that does not mean that you will be paid every month. You have to go there and work every day; you have to be responsible to the boss, and then you will be paid for each day you work. Similarly, we meditate each day to earn our wisdom and power, and then we will observe more incredible events. This is neither magical power nor blessed reward; it is the energy that you have saved up. It emerges and lets you solve many problems that were once impossible. It's very logical!

Previously we were rich, but we spent foolishly, buying anything we saw even when we did not need it. We spent the money buying things that we had no room for. Gradually, they became a troublesome burden. We had too many things, and there was not even room for us to dwell in, so we felt distressed and uncomfortable. Now that we have disposed of all those things, we will not buy things foolishly anymore. Now, we have more room and more money saved. Later, when we see something very important, very beautiful, and comfortable that suits our taste, we can buy it with our savings. When we buy it, we know we really like it. We feel comfortable; the money is well spent and the thing is good, so we think it is incredible. "Why have I never been able to buy this?" We might even think that it fell from heaven into our house. Not at all! It is our money. We have saved a lot of money, so we can buy this valuable thing now. When we were spending foolishly before, we dared not even look at such valuable things, not to mention buying them!

Previously, we wasted too much vitality and energy looking at the outside, thinking that it would bring us consolation and comfort. The truth is, it only brought us frustration. It was like buying too many things foolishly, making our home so crowded that there was no room left for us. We felt suffocated and oppressed. We had many things that we couldn't handle, karmic hindrances that we could not eliminate, or cause and effect that we could not escape. The enormous power that we save up helps handle the previously unmanageable karma, reducing it a little and making us more comfortable, or letting us handle it in other ways. Therefore, our life often becomes more comfortable as we advance in spiritual practice.

However, we really have to practice with our heart, and with true sincerity. Sincerity can help us concentrate; if we are not sincere, we practice casually, sluggishly, or may not even do it. This is very logical. I have to cite a worldly example to let you understand. For instance, when you are sincerely in love with someone, you fear no hardship. No matter how far his home is, you still go to see him; no matter what his temper is like, you accept him. You can endure anything just to marry him. If you are not sincere about him, you see him as though you don't see; you don't feel anything. You do not miss him or feel like going to see him. Neither do you feel like getting married to him or winning his heart. Since you do not try your best, of course you won't get him, because that is not what you want. Most probably you want someone else or something else. Perhaps you want to take a vacation or have some fun. You do not miss him. Naturally, you will not win him. On the other hand, he doesn't care much about you, either. Because you are not sincere, you fail to attract him or touch his heart.

It is the same with our wisdom and incredible power. Only when we really want them will we try our best to get them. Our minds and souls will strive to get them. If we do not want them, we will not get them. Isn't this logical? (Yes) We concentrate on getting something only when we really want it. Otherwise, we don't care whether it comes or not. Therefore, it is most important that we are sincere in our spiritual practice. Don't put on a show for others. It doesn't mean that you conceal the fact that you are meditating; but you must avoid boasting about it.

Why You Should Not Reveal Your Inner Experiences to Others

When people ask what you are practicing, you should answer, "I am practicing the Quan Yin Method, and I feel very good about it. I meditate for so many hours each day, and I am a vegetarian." Just don't tell them about your inner experiences. Why? If you tell them, they might not believe you. They might scoff at you. Most people in the world would not believe you! When I talked about other planets yesterday, people questioned me: "How can you prove that those planets exist? Can it be your imagination?" There have been so many reports in the newspapers and on TV about UFOs and extraterrestrials, yet people do not believe it! Imagine what they will think when we talk about our inner experiences. Since we cannot show them a UFO [Master laughs], how can we make them believe us?

I have the "bad luck" of being chosen to serve as an Enlightened Master, so I have to talk about everything and make a fool of myself. Someone has to make the sacrifice! Since God has already given me this assignment, or "business", I have to do it. Otherwise, when we reveal our inner experiences and spiritual level, very often we make a laughing stock of ourselves, and bring about an opposite effect. We talk because we want others to believe us and pursue spiritual practice; instead, they might laugh at us and attack us. This can impair our faith. When people repeatedly say that this is our imagination, we might by and by come to believe that it is indeed our imagination. As a result, we may want to quit, which can be troublesome! It is not wrong for us to talk about such things, but very often we will have no more inner experiences after we talk, and then we will regress in spiritual practice. Therefore, it is better to keep our inner experiences to ourselves and refrain from talking about seeing any Buddha or light, or hearing any sound. Should people ask, you may tell them, "Well! Among those of us practicing the Quan Yin Method, some of us can see the light and some can hear certain sounds."

Give them a general remark instead of telling them that it is you who hear the sound. You may say, "I too have some of these experiences. Of course, I have some experience, but I cannot tell you about it." That would be enough. We don't have to seal our mouth completely. If we say nothing, then how can people learn about this Quan Yin Method and the benefits that can be derived from its practice? And how will people want to practice together with us? Say what you have to say, but do not discuss your inner experiences and the detailed instructions given at initiation. Without my permission, you must not reveal them because you have not learned them well. It is useless for you to talk about these things.

For instance, if you have just learned the first few words of the English alphabet, and then you go out to teach others, what use can there be in that? That is the reason. I am not forbidding you to do anything. Neither am I creating a mystery. However, there is something you must not forget: When we do something in this world, if we brag about it, most likely we will not succeed. If this is true for worldly deeds, then it is also right for us to keep our spiritual practice a secret. This world belongs to Maya (the king of illusion) and its lackeys are everywhere ready to attack and hinder spiritual practitioners. When they hear that we have within us a treasure, comfortable and good feelings and things like nirvana, they will try to obstruct us. They are jealous, and they do not practice spiritually because they don't want to. Knowing that it is very beneficial for us to practice this Method, they will surely attack us. That is the way of this world.

When you have money and position, people will hate you; or when you are successful in teaching people and have plenty of disciples, people will also attack you. There are conflicts and disputes in many religions because the adherents fail to practice well. Therefore, instead of becoming God's children, they become slaves and tools of Maya. That is why we should heed those more difficult points on our spiritual path; that's all! I am not imposing any strict prohibition or regulation upon you. No, I am not! These are simply secret tricks that we must know to protect ourselves on the spiritual path.

Traveling to Other Planetary Worlds with the Spirit

Of course, it is okay to lie down when we meditate, but it is also easier to fall asleep. We fall asleep even when we sit up; imagine what will happen when we lie down. I have the same problem, because I too fall asleep when I lie down. However, that doesn't mean that sleeping is useless; we need enough sleep.

Our bodies need replenishment, and our souls need to rest. Choose a suitable time to meditate, a time when you are not very tired. Why do we prefer to meditate in the morning and evening? It is better to meditate in the morning when we have had enough sleep. Of course, we are reluctant to get up, but we had better get up because it is the best time for meditation. Of course, that requires courage and sincerity, otherwise it is very difficult to do it!

Sometimes when you are sleeping, you will be pulled up. Usually you are not aware when this happens. Occasionally you are aware, but that only causes troubles. For instance, yesterday a fellow practitioner told me, "Master, very often my soul goes out when I am asleep, and I see myself lying there. I tell myself that it is my physical body; and I become scared and then come back." I told him that since we have been confined to the body all the time, it would be fun to go out for some time. The physical body won't run away when we are not around. It only runs around when we are in it. It is we, and not the body, who run around. Otherwise, when someone is dead, the body remains unchanged, and the eyes and ears are still there, so why doesn't the body run around? It won't scream when you hit it, and it won't respond when you scold it. This indicates that the body cannot function on its own. It can only move about when we are inside. Therefore, when you go out and see that the body is there, it is too great. It won't go away; don't worry. If you are scared, then seek my help. "Master, please protect me!" It would be great if you let me take you up! This is why I do not let you know when I sometimes take you out while you are sleeping. It is troublesome if you are aware! I can't drag you out. It is just rotten and stinky flesh, yet you cling to it with all your might. You have been inside it all your life and you go out only once in a long while, yet you cling tightly to the body. Who would believe you when you swear, "I really want to be liberated from birth and death," if you can't even let go of this rotten flesh and skin; where can you possibly go?

There are many planets in our universe. Do not have doubts about that. You know when you look up and see the stars! There are the planets, some of which are inhabited and others not. Some are highly civilized, while some are very backward. Our Earth cannot possibly be the only planet in the entire universe; it would be such a big waste! Would the Creator be so stupid as to create only this Earth? There are innumerable planets! Recently, scientists have made some explorations up there, and it seems they have proof that some planets are inhabited but they cannot go inside. The inhabitants of some of the so-called spiritual planets do not have a body like ours, so we cannot see any humans there. That doesn't mean that they do not exist.

These spiritual planets are superior to our Earth or other earths. When we say "earth", we refer to planets like our Earth, our world. We call these material planets "earths", because everything there is material, visible, tangible and palpable. The other kind I call "spiritual planets" because I don't know how to name these spiritual worlds. In the dimensions of highly developed spiritual beings, they have no physical bodies. We have to elevate our vibrations to match their level exactly before we can feel or see their existence. We cannot see them because we are too coarse.

Let us not talk about the superior worlds but take an example closer to our world. Some people can see the souls of dead persons, but other people cannot, because their vibrations are different than those of our physical body. They still have bodies, only different ones. A tent is like a house, but the material is different. We can easily tear it apart with a knife or even our bare hands. Wooden houses are made of a different material and are sturdier; and then, houses built of concrete are even stronger.

People in Hong Kong build houses out of glass, which looks more beautiful, light and comfortable. It is very comfortable looking out from inside. If everything in Hong Kong were built of concrete, so tall and coarse, I am afraid no one would be able to stand it. The narrow space would drive people crazy and make them feel confined. Therefore, the buildings in Hong Kong are very close to those in more civilized worlds. In some worlds, houses are built of crystal. The house seems to be there, but there is no feeling of confinement. People can walk through the walls because they do not really exist even though they are there; they are soft and very comfortable. There are no tall, enclosed walls to block the view. The interior is very spacious, thanks to the intangible walls. The buildings with the big glass windows we build are closer to those of the higher civilizations, although these more civilized worlds are not necessarily spiritual worlds. I am not saying that they are the highest worlds; we can say they are worlds belonging to the heavenly realm.

Only people in this realm want to build such houses and love living in them. It is closer to that kind of world, that is all. They subconsciously remember that there are such buildings in the world where they used to live. People in other places do not think of building these kinds of houses; they would not even think of them, much less build them. Only people closer to this kind of civilized world will conceive and build these kinds of houses and love to live in them. However, I am only citing this as an example of common logic. Wherever spiritual practitioners live is fine. Crystal buildings are not at the highest level. Houses are not important. When we have become accomplished in our spiritual practice, we can build our own house. Whatever house we think of will be manifested. Depending on our imagination and talent in building, we can build anything. The house is built even before we ascend to that realm. Our blessed rewards will determine what kind of house we have.

When Shakyamuni Buddha was alive, His cousin was one of his monastic disciples. He didn't practice well but indulged in worldly pleasures instead. Very often, he would steal back home to see his pretty wife. Shakyamuni Buddha was at His wit's end, as the monk wouldn't listen to His advice. One day, when this monk was asleep or in meditation, he found himself in a very beautiful world where he was greeted by many goddesses and angels. There were sweet music, beautiful scenery, and glorious palaces. He was invited to live in a palace, where the goddesses waited on him, entertaining him with dances and songs, and serving him with the best wine and food from heaven. He asked the goddesses, "Will you please tell me where I am? Whose palace is this? It's so beautiful. And you beautiful ladies, which household do you come from?"

The goddesses told him, "This palace is reserved for the cousin of Shakyamuni Buddha, whose name is such-and-such." They pretended not to know who he was. "If he practices well, he will come up and live here. We are his maids." He noticed with great delight that these maids were hundreds or thousands of times more beautiful than his wife. The wine and food were delicious; the peaches and other fruits were wonderful, many times bigger than those in our world. He asked, "Can I stay here from now on? I am that person, and this house, as well as all of you, belong to me. Well, I am here to stay!"

Their reply was, "No, you can't. You have not become accomplished in your spiritual practice. Only when you have done so can you come and stay here. We will be here waiting for you. Today, we are only showing you what your future abode is like." It was like taking a look at a house to see whether we like it or not before we decide to buy it. "Now that you have seen your dream house, you can come later and we will be waiting for you. It won't be long, just a couple of days." "What? Just a couple of days? Didn't you say that I have to practice down there for a couple of decades?" he asked. They replied, "That is right! Here a couple of days is equal to a couple of decades down there!" [Master laughs] Very much disappointed, he fell abruptly. He could not stay there because he had not practiced enough to remain stable at heart. Besides, his time had not come yet.

He was very upset, because he really missed that place. Suddenly, Shakyamuni kicked him down to hell for a visit. He had just come back from Heaven, and now he was in hell. There he saw many horrible ghosts with long fangs, big noses, dark eyes, terrible hair, and faces that were terrifying beyond imagination. You might have seen them in the movies. There they punished people by sawing them into pieces, roasting them with fire, and punishing them in many terrible ways. Those being tortured were screaming loudly in great pain.

The demons took the cousin to a huge pot filled with boiling oil. He asked, "Why is this pot empty? No one is in there!" The reply he got was that the pot was reserved for Shakyamuni Buddha's cousin whose name was such-and-such! Should his spiritual practice be lousy, hell was waiting for him! They then showed him many tools used for cutting, sawing, and slicing a person before putting him into the pot to cook. They explained the complicated procedure step by step, about what would be done to his body, which part would be deep-fried, which part sauteed, and how many times he would have to go through it. They read a whole big menu, which made his hair stand on end. He exclaimed, "Oh! No! I don't want to come here! I don't belong here! I belong in heaven." The answer he got was, "You have to practice hard to go to Heaven, but hell is ready to welcome you at any time." The cousin, now extremely terrified, screamed out aloud. Then Shakyamuni Buddha took him home.

Therefore, heaven and hell are all in our hands. The decision is ours to make. Don't blame anyone for being bad to us, or blame God for not saving us, because God is us, our own self. If we do not want to save ourselves, who will? There is no one else around! Each person in the universe is an independent soul. We are aware of our goodness and evil; we know what we need and what we should do. No one will care about us. If we perform good deeds, we will reap good fruits. If we do evil deeds, we will get bad retribution. This is crystal clear; we are our own masters, and we decide our own future.

Never mind if we have erred in the past; we can choose a different future to compensate for the past. After the initiation today, I cleansed your karma from many previous lives. This is being done invisibly, as if pressing a computer button to activate the deletion. However, should we repeat the same mistake, it will be recorded again. To prevent incurring any karma in the future, we ought to keep the precepts and observe a vegetarian diet, so as to avoid undesirable affinities with sentient beings. It is for our own good that we do good deeds. When we love and care for suffering people, it is as though we are loving and caring for ourselves, through creating good karma. However, despite all the good karma or bad karma that we have incurred, if we do not become attached to them, we can escape the retribution caused by them. Whether the karma is good or bad, we still have to come back. The best way is to have no good or bad karma, then we can go back to the Heavenly Kingdom.

Attain without attaining

You have sat here for a very long time without feeling restless. You should have experienced the power of tranquillity. Of course, the power of Buddha or God will not strike you like an electric shock. "Wow! It is coming! The blessings are coming!" (Master mimics electric shock actions) [Everyone laughs] It is very serene. Since it is our own power, it is no stranger to us. It is so comfortable and natural that we are not even aware of it. Are we aware of our own existence? Of course not! We are so used to ourselves! Only when there is a stranger present will we feel a difference in the atmosphere.

Therefore, very often you are not aware of the benefits you derive from meditation. You feel as if there are none. They are so natural and gentle that you have to be very attentive and focused to know what you have attained. As the Heart Sutra states, there is nothing to be attained. However, Confucius' books say that we will "attain". Actually, they are referring to the same thing; there is no conflict between them! There is no conflict between the Heart Sutra and the Great Learning, except that the expressions are different. They are both correct in saying that there is "something to be attained" or "nothing to be attained". This "object to be attained" is not something that we can calculate or show to others, so we cannot talk about "attaining" it.

It is not a sensory feeling like an electric shock or a terrible fright; it is sometimes, though. If we have heavy karma or a bad atmosphere, we will be shocked when God's blessings come to blast out the negative force. Then we will feel the shock, because that is a strange phenomenon. God's power and Maya are total strangers because the latter is an outside force or entity. Our own power will feel alien from it. We will feel the shock as if we have gone through a battle. Otherwise, if we are not heavy in karma or possessed by outside entities or energies, we will feel very comfortable, as if nothing has happened. It is absolutely tranquil, and can hardly be detected. Anyway, we will notice it when we see the light or hear the sound.

Sometimes, when we hear the sound, we expect something sensational to happen. For example, when you are told at initiation that you may hear the sound of thunder, you will keep expecting the thunder to come. "How come I still have not heard the thunder?" It is perfectly fine if you hear some other sounds! Even the sound of inner thunder is not as shocking as outside thunder. It is a loud rumbling sound that seems very much like thunder, but it is not the same. It is not to be compared with worldly sounds. Otherwise, you may wonder, "He mentioned the sound of thunder. Is this the one?" Your doubts will disrupt your concentration, and the thunder will also vanish! [Master and everyone laugh.] Just now a fellow initiate said that he didn't hear anything except the sound of "Om..." Is this not one of the sounds? It is! Sometimes you expect too much!

Take it slowly! This is only the first day. Many more wonderful things will occur in the days to come. As you practice more diligently and save more of your energy, many incredible things will happen. You will experience the phenomenon of "being resistant to burning by fire and to killing by the sword" as mentioned in the Universal Door chapter. You will understand what this means. You may be reciting this passage every day, but you are easily burnt by fire, and get killed immediately by a sword. You have never really experienced it. Actually, that is a symbolic phenomenon, which cannot be described in words.

Ancient people wrote it down because they had experienced it themselves. Here we keep reciting this passage from the Quan Yin Bodhisattva Universal Door chapter: "Being resistant to burning by fire and to killing by the sword", but it doesn't really happen! Since it is not our experience, how can we keep on reciting it? It is useless, anyway. That was only other people's experience. For instance, someone is eating cookies and he says, "These cookies are very sweet and crispy. They are really delicious!" Wouldn't it be ridiculous for us to repeat his words? He has eaten them, so he knows, and he writes it down to express his feelings. Since we have not eaten them, we know nothing about it. What can we express? What use is there in reciting other people's experiences? Therefore, recitation is futile.

It will be beneficial for you to recite the Universal Door chapter now, because you understand the meaning therein. First, it describes seeing the Quan Yin Bodhisattva and other wonderful visions, and mentions the merits of the Quan Yin Bodhisattva. Then it goes on to describe experiencing the sounds of Brahma, tidal waves, and supraworldly and other fantastic sounds. The first part describes meditation on the light, while the second part describes meditation on the sound; it is a clear and detailed report of inner experiences. However, people later have just recited the words without knowing what they mean!

For instance, this fellow sister just now spoke of seeing my manifestation form. She saw me in her dreams throughout last night, and she wanted to come very early this morning. Just now while meditating during the initiation, she again saw my radiant manifestation form, which looked very much like the physical Master outside but was more beautiful and wore prettier clothes. [Applause] Before I came here, she saw my photograph and thought that she had seen me before, but in different clothes. She had seen me in red, but then I wore yellow at the lecture, so she felt that there was something wrong. Now, I am wearing these clothes today, and she remembers! These were the clothes she saw. I have many different clothes in various colors, some very shocking, to suit the tastes of different people. They sometimes see me in different forms within.

The clothes are not important, but I wear them to let people recognize me. Very often, they see me from within even before they meet me. If I don't wear certain clothes, they cannot recognize or communicate with me, and they forget the affinity they have with me from their last life. When they see me in these clothes, they remember subconsciously and they practice more quickly and more steadily. There are many such stories, but one is enough; here we don't have time to hear so many. Suppose we do not see the light, but we can sit here feeling very comfortable and tranquil, as though in samadhi, then it is also a very good experience. Day by day, we develop our love, intelligence, and wisdom, and our life becomes more stable, as we feel supported, very confident and safe; this is also an experience and benefit derived from spiritual practice. We do not pursue spiritual practice just to see the light. The light only serves to assure us that we are on the spiritual path, and properly connected, so that we can have peace of mind. If we have not seen the light, yet we have peace of mind, and we know that we are safe and have a place to go, then it is a very good experience.

There is no need to compare ourselves with others. Therefore, I advise you not to reveal your inner experiences to others, not even fellow initiates, unless I say it is okay.