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!

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