So
humility is the most important element in spiritual practice. Anyone
who tests our patience is our teacher; people who beat and scold us
are our teachers, training our tolerance and giving us a chance to
reflect. This is also good. It's not bad unless such actions hurt
the public, then we must try to stop them. If he's only testing us,
then let him test us to the end; the harder it is, the better it is
for us. Gold shines more radiantly when tempered in fire. Genuine
gold fears no fire!
I'm
not just telling you this; I practice what I say. I have to do it
because I'm your example. So, don't ask me why I'm totally unmoved
when people slander me. If I can't even tolerate that, then what can
I tolerate? How can I teach people to be tolerant? Unless it causes
harm to the public or other people, then I'll think of a way to stop
it. If it hurts only me, it's all right!
Now
you know what the ego is and how to eliminate it. Don't allow your
ego to grow stronger and confine you like a wall. As such, you'll
believe that you're this person and this is what you are. That's the
ego. You'll just carry on and do the same wrong things, and subsequently,
you'll become even worse. If no one stops it for you, you'll become
worse. You'll think that it's fine and feel happy about it. Finally,
it will become a habit, just like smoking and drinking. Though you
know that it's bad for your body, you'll still become heavily addicted
to the habit as you drink more and smoke more.
This
is why we must learn to be humble. We shouldn't add more to the habits
that we've accumulated through many lifetimes, and we shouldn't let
them grow stronger until they become irreparable later. We already
have a great many bad habits. If we don't minimize them but add more,
how can we handle them? There's no way to minimize them even if we
want to. When can we finish reducing them? We've collected so much.
It's already difficult enough for us to avoid getting more, not to
mention that we need to erase those firm habits, and even traditions,
that we've gathered through many lifetimes! That's why we have to
use this supra-worldly power, the vibrations of the Sound meditation,
to cleanse them quickly. Ordinary brainwashing is useless. Only practicing
the Sound meditation is the true "brainwashing."
You
ask me how to avoid the ego. I advise you to do more Sound meditation.
If you're aware, endeavor to check and control yourself. Don't add
more to or repeat the habit. If you can avoid it, then stop. If we're
not aware of our ego, then there's nothing we can do. That's even
worse. We must do more Sound meditation! Do more Sound meditation!
Do more Sound meditation! It cleanses us automatically; there's no
other way. (Applause) Now you realize that the Quan Yin Method is
truly great! Without it, we can never cleanse our myriad habits!
