The Supreme Way to Save the World
Sometimes
Enlightened Masters dare not venture outside to save people because the
world is topsy-turvy. We regard the really good things as bad. Conversely,
we consider the evil things or drugs that make us arrogant, sick, or angry
to be good. Nonetheless, some Enlightened Masters do not use these methods
because they are beneficial to few people. We cannot blame sentient beings,
because their ordinary minds think differently and their concepts cannot
be changed immediately. Therefore, I use more comfortable methods because
I know that those methods are not feasible. How can we do things that way
in this age? It was unacceptable even in those days. Many people dared not
accept his treatment and left as sick as when they first came.
Some
Enlightened Masters do not need to use that method; They don't use any method.
We have heard that reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha or the Goddess of
Mercy can benefit and save us. Is this not a lot more comfortable? By reciting
the name of the Goddess of Mercy, we can realize our dream of begetting
a son, getting promoted, having a long life, or transforming into a male
body. However, this kind of Enlightened Master is rare! We might have heard
about the Goddess of Mercy and Amitabha Buddha, but They seldom come here!
Besides, there are many people who do not have a chance to hear their names!
Take the people in Africa, for example. How could they know about the Goddess
of Mercy or Amitabha Buddha? Then, are they deprived of salvation forever?
Wouldn't that be a great pity? Let us temporarily forget Amitabha Buddha
and the Goddess of Mercy, and direct our attention toward the more fantastic
Enlightened Masters. We don't have to recite their names; even before we
know about them, they have been saving us already. They are the Supreme
Masters and are extremely rare. Even if they do come to this world, we won't
recognize them. Even when they declare, "I am an Enlightened Master,"
we won't believe them. Of course, they usually do not make such a claim.
So, how do we know about them? It is extremely difficult to meet great masters
who can save our lives.
It
is not always useful to constantly recite the name of the Goddess of Mercy,
because we cannot see Her! We can only hope that God will manifest and incarnate
into this world and communicate with us through a physical body. Only then
will there be hope for us. I mentioned yesterday that when God does come
here, Hes might not be dressed in the same attire as we imagine, so we feel
disappointed. Sentient beings will forever be disappointed because even
God cannot satisfy the mind of every person. Some people like Hirm to be
in male form, others prefer Hirm in female form. Therefore, we had better
negotiate with our ordinary human mind first and try to convince it, "Whether
Hes is man or woman, big or small, and however Hes looks, we will accept
Hirm! You should try this way!" [Applause]
Master's Grand
Vow
When
I first came to Formosa, I attended a seven-day saint-chanting retreat,
which means we had to chant the saints' names for seven days. "Namo
Amitabha Buddha, Namo Goddess of Mercy, Namo...." The whole day long,
we chanted the names of three to five saints non-stop, until our voices
were hoarse by the time we got home. That is what you do at a saint-chanting
retreat. I had some response when chanting the holy names. I was then practicing
the Quan Yin Method, but since I had nothing to do, I wanted to observe
how the Formosan people practiced spiritually. So I visited a famous Zen
master. I liked spiritual practitioners regardless of their level. I liked
their aspiration for the Truth, their simple lifestyle, and merciful vow
to save sentient beings. I liked them all.
When
I chanted the holy names with them, I received some response and made contact
with Amitabha Buddha. A thought came into my mind. I felt that sentient
beings were in great misery, so I started crying. It was during a repentance
ritual and we were chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha, but I was shedding
tears. I complained to Amitabha Buddha, "Sentient beings are in such
great pain but not all of them know Your holy name. By the time they learn
to recite Your name, they might have gone to hell!" And then I said,
"Should I become a Buddha (an Enlightened Master) one day, people will
not have to recite my name. As soon as I am aware that someone is suffering,
I will go render help!" [Applause]
Any
vow that is made sincerely will be realized. This is my personal experience.
I had made several vows before, and all of them came true. I would like
to share this with you. Should you really want to help sentient beings,
please be sincere, and you will attain the Truth quickly! Helping others
is the fastest way to attain the Truth, but you must also practice the Quan
Yin Method. When we long to attain the Truth, our sincerity will touch God.
When we want to help suffering sentient beings, our sincerity will touch
the heavenly beings, and eventually our vow will be realized. However, the
vow will not be realized the instant it is made; we must work hard to find
an Enlightened Master. The Master will appear, indicating that our time
has come! If we make such a grand vow, the Master will appear and superior
beings will come to help us. Very soon, we will be enlightened and attain
the Truth!
Ordinary
people do not make such grand vows, but they do make vows like wanting their
children to graduate with the best grades, their daughter to marry a high-ranking
official, a promotion, or to become the most beautiful woman in the world.
Few people forget their own lives and blessings to make wholehearted vows
for the well-being of others. Of course, those people were spiritual practitioners
in their previous lives; therefore, such a noble ideal was recorded in their
subconscious. No one taught them that! Besides, other people may not be
able to teach us anything. It is true that many people are teaching others.
For instance, we all have religious beliefs; many believe in and know about
Buddhism, about the compassionate Goddess of Mercy, and the loving Jesus
Christ. We all know about these things, but we do not develop a very merciful
and loving spirit. Sometimes, we make the same vow as they did, but we are
not sincere! We think we are sincere, but after we have made the vow, we
become scared, "Oh, come on. I was only joking!" [Master and everyone
laugh] That is why few people succeed in their spiritual practice.
To
succeed, we must be very sincere and practice very diligently with the help
of a great Master. Why do we need a great Enlightened Master? I have just
explained why. Now, let me elaborate on that again. Rice seeds can grow
into crops and yield rice. However, if there is no one to sow the seeds
in the wet soil, they will not sprout. After they have sprouted, if there
is no one to take care of them, transplant them in neat rows, apply fertilizers
and insecticides, and irrigate them, they cannot survive either. Even in
worldly things, we need the attention of an expert in order to have fruits,
and much more so if we want to attain the Truth. We cannot succeed by searching
blindly on our own, or by seeking guidance from another ordinary human that
is not an expert. We need an Enlightened Master because even after we are
enlightened, we still need to enhance our level and develop our newly opened
wisdom. Otherwise, it will wither and die.
The Method of Oneness
Many
people think that daily chanting the holy names is good enough, but I don't
think so! Yesterday, I taught you a more powerful way to chant the holy
names, but please do not blame me if you cannot become fully enlightened,
because one cannot attain sainthood simply by chanting them. Why? Because
that is a "discriminating method." It discriminates between God
and "I". I chant the holy names and I worship God, but that doesn't
involve the concept "I am God". You need another method to reach
the state of "I am God". Actually, it is not really a method.
Rather, it is a lineage, an invisible force, the transmission of which can
only be possible from a person who has attained Mastership, or a disciple
authorized by this Master. You do not have to learn it from the Master;
you can learn it from a disciple sent by the Master to transmit the method!
Since the Master has given inner permission to this disciple to pass on
the lineage, it will work! We can believe that.
Milarepa
was once subject to a seven-year punishment by his master in order to cleanse
the bad karma he had incurred through his earlier use of black magic. His
master refused to transmit the method to him until seven years had passed.
During these seven years, Milarepa was so anxious that he tried to learn
the method behind his master's back, but did not succeed. One day, Milarepa
conceived a plan with the help of his master's wife, who forged a letter
in the Master's name and stamped it with his seal when he was sleeping.
Milarepa took the letter to one of his master's disciples who lived far
away. This disciple had the Master's permission to transmit the method,
so Milarepa went to him with this lie, "Master asks you to transmit
the method to me." This senior disciple believed him, so he offered
Milarepa a seat and began transmitting the method to him. But it didn't
work! How can one cheat his master? Milarepa thought that his plot would
work, but he had failed to deceive the wisdom of an Enlightened Master.
He had no choice but to return to his master and humbly beg him with great
effort.
We
can entrust someone to transmit this method, and we can revoke the authorization
too, because it is the Master, and not that person, who transmits the method.
Even when I transmit the method to you, it is the Master Power doing it,
not Ching Hai, this ordinary human body. The Master means the Inner Master!
When our inner wisdom is mature and ready to accept enlightenment, it will
need the help of a cooperative power outside, and then it will be opened.
For instance, eggs are supposed to hatch into chickens, but mother hens
must sit on them to give them warmth every day before the young chickens
can emerge. Similarly, we have the enlightening nature and wisdom within,
but without the help of an outside Master to open it, we cannot use it.
This is the natural law of Creation, just as eggs need the hens to sit on
them to give them warmth. Even when there are no hens, we have to use artificial
warmth to hatch them. Otherwise, the young chickens will not emerge by themselves.
In the same way, we have heard that we all have the Divine Nature, and that
God or the Supreme Power is omnipresent and can help us anywhere, anytime.
However, before we have met Hiers representative in this world, we simply
cannot catch Hirm.
Master
Says 
