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Formosa

Before Her lecture, Master, with eyes closed, led the audience in a sincere prayer for peace in Formosa, mainland China, and the rest of the world. She thanked the large numbers of Buddhas who came to see Her. Although not everyone knew that they were Buddhas, She saw the Buddha in everyone. She said. "We are all one. We are the same. Each one of us is like a drop of water in the ocean. Although every drop is individual and special in its own way, it is still the ocean. If we want to know rather than just hear others say that we are all one, it is not so difficult. We only have to approach it from the other side. If we listen inward to our Self-Nature, we will immediately see our God Nature. We have all read about "listening inwardly to our Self- Nature" in the Buddhist scriptures, but we don't know how to do it. Why do we need to 'listen inwardly', and not 'look inwardly,' 'touch inwardly,' or 'feel inwardly'? This is because it is really possible to listen to our True Self. We do not listen to It with our hearing faculty; we listen with our inner heart. We can really listen. Why do we say listen? It is because there will be heavenly music, Buddhist sutras, heavenly teachings, and the inner Sound current that is as beautiful as music, but no musical instruments are needed to produce It."

"No musical instruments are needed to produce this sound that is so beautiful and mystical that it makes our souls soar in bliss and happiness back to our original Home, like the Buddha Land or heaven. This is why the Buddha said that we should 'listen inwardly to our Self Nature.' Our Self Nature is not our 'heart' nor a 'quality.' It is free and easy, very, very wise, noble, great, and encompassing the whole universe. This is our Self -Nature."

In Her usual, humorous way, Master elaborated in simple language on the nature of the Divine Realm, and Her speech was greeted frequently by loud applause. "The Bible states, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and then everything shall be added unto you,' Shakyamuni Buddha also said that when we have found our God Nature, even our life as a human being is happier, more successful, and more abundant in material terms. The purpose for finding the God Nature is not to get a more comfortable life, but after finding our God Nature, we become happier and more comfortable because, upon finding our Buddha Nature, everything is illuminated. All of our previously forgotten talents, our dormant wisdom, and our overlooked abilities develop with our God Nature. We become a different person, because from that moment on, we are no longer humans; in fact, we are not human in the first place. It is only after entering this body that we call ourselves humans. So, who are we before we enter this body? Also, who will we be after we have departed from this body?"

"Shakyamuni Buddha said that He and we are equal, that He attained Buddhahood and so will we in the future. He also said that all sentient beings have God Nature like He did; then why are we not aware of It? He asked Himself this also. It is because the illusions of this world are really alluring; therefore, we absolutely cannot remember who we are, we forget about our homeland in heaven, and we forget about the Buddha Land. However, it is also very simple if we choose to remember. It is as easy as turning over one's palm. It is simple, but also not simple. It is not simple because we are used to looking outside, so it is difficult for us to believe that we are God. We might have heard about heaven, the Buddha Land, and that the Buddha is in the heart or that God is within us. However, hearing it is one thing, but the next day we are still busy living the life of an ordinary human. When we die without a guide to lead us, we won't know where to go, and our soul will be in agony."

"If all of us would have found the heavenly Kingdom within, this world would have become nirvana long ago. The Zen doctrines say that only a strand of hair separates heaven and Earth. It's truly like that. We originally came from heaven, so we only have to revert our attention and listen inwardly to our Self Nature to find heaven."

In the middle of Her lecture, Master said that those who wanted to learn the Quan Yin Method could go outside to register. Then, there was a lot of movement in the venue, and many people went to the registration counters. More than a thousand people received initiation or learned the Convenient Method. For several days after Master's lecture, the "Ocean of Love Tour" hot line continuously received calls from every part of Formosa. Callers expressed their interest in learning more about Master's teachings and the Quan Yin Method. Some earnestly requested initiation or to learn the Convenient Method since they had missed the chance on the day of the lecture due to other engagements.

May 6, 2000

From 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Master attended a seminar entitled "The Supreme Master Ching Hai, the Quan Yin Method, and the Chinese in Southeast Asia," held at Academia Sinica in Taipei. Although Master's itinerary was very tight for Her lecture tour in Asia and Oceania, She still attended the seminar, which was one of a series discussing the relationship between various religions and Chinese people around the world.

Academia Sinica is a world-renowned organization involved in academic research. The organizers of the seminar were members of the Southeast Asia Research Project from Academia Sinica, the Taiwan Religious Institute, Formosa's Central Broadcasting Corporation, the Overseas Chinese Research Group of the Contemporary History Research Faculty from Academia Sinica, and the Chinese Interdisciplinary Association. Participants in the seminar included professors from Formosan universities, research fellows and associates from Academia Sinica, media professionals, and other elite personnel from many fields.

At the seminar, Master's charitable and teaching activities in Asian countries including Formosa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Au Lac, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Mainland China were introduced. A printed copy of relevant material was also provided for reference. The various questions raised by the attending scholars, journalists, and guests, in counterpoint to Master's wise and humorous answers, created a lively and brilliant discussion. (The complete content of the seminar can be found in a special column, "Spiritual and Intellectual Interchange," included in this issue.)

After the seminar, the hosts followed their usual practice and presented a lecture honorarium to Master, Who was very touched by their sincerity. This was the first time in over a decade that She had been awarded compensation for a discourse. Master returned the money to them immediately, as a gift to help with the expenses of the seminar. Lasting two hours, the seminar was warm and interesting, and especially meaningful in regard to Asian academic research.

All the major newspapers in Formosa prominently reported the news about Master's lecture at the Taoyuan County Stadium, as well as Her seminar at Academia Sinica.

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