Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Taipei, Formosa,
July 8, 1986 (originally in Chinese) CD-CE05
At the time of initiation, I say to you, “Congratulations! From today on, you’re completely free. You’ve become a free, liberated person!” However, perhaps only half of you believe me. But it doesn’t matter. Being liberated means being liberated; whether you believe it or not doesn’t change the fact. However, you still have to walk with me. After walking for a while, you’ll realize it more quickly. The more you meditate, the sooner you’ll understand it.
One day not long ago, an enlightened Master in India, accompanied by four or five disciples, went out to handle a matter. Halfway on their journey, one of the disciples was bitten by an extremely poisonous snake, the most venomous and deadliest snake known in India. In an instant, the disciple’s face turned purple, then blue and several other colors. Everyone concluded that his death was surely imminent for no one had ever survived a bite by such a snake for more than five or ten minutes and there was no antidote.
“Please don’t tell Master,” the injured disciple implored his peers. “Walk on with Master and leave me here. In no time, I’ll be dead and liberated. It doesn’t matter.” Then, just as the other disciples were pondering what to do, their Master realized what had happened and retraced his steps to see his stricken disciple, being anxious about his condition. But the disciple beseeched Him, saying, “Master, please don’t worry about me. I’ll soon be liberated. No problem!” Next the Master said to his other disciples, “I’ve heard that this bite can be cured by rubbing the wound with some kind of herb.”
The other disciples did as instructed and treated the victim with the herb, and sure enough, he was healed. The disciples knew very well that it was not the herb but the power of their Master that had saved him; for how else could someone in such a hopeless condition have been healed through the rubbing of leaves on his wound? Deeply touched, the grateful disciple fell to his knees before the Master, saying, “I’m just an insignificant disciple. Why have you so mercifully shouldered my karma? Why did you do that?” And his Master merely responded, “No! I didn’t. Now let us continue with our journey.” Such is the relationship between Master and disciples.
Cherish the Rare Opportunity to Have
an Enlightened Master on EarthGreat Masters are manifestations of God. They are very compassionate, but in this world, Their power is limited and They can’t reveal Their true identity or what They’re capable of accomplishing so it is known to very few people, even few disciples. For instance, after saving his disciple, this Master instructed his disciples, saying, “Don’t tell anyone about this incident. You must forget it immediately.” The episode later came to light only when a disciple discussed it in a book he wrote, but by that time the Master had already left this world.
Such is the way of humankind. A great Master comes to teach us, but we don’t recognize Him. Even when some people follow Him to learn, they’re wishy-washy and don’t comprehend their Master’s identity. The great Masters become famous only after They leave the earth, and then the whole world venerates Them. It was only in this way that people learned about the existence of Jesus Christ, Bodhidharma, Shakyamuni Buddha, Lao-tse and Chuang-tse. But then it was too late! We only recognize the great Masters after They’ve left, not while They’re on earth. What a pity! Such is the way of people in this world.
any followers come to learn from a Master, but after a long time they still don’t realize Who their Master is. Hearing that they need to meditate, they say, “Oh! Meditation is too hard for me.” Hearing that they have to go and see the Master, they say, “Well! What’s the use in seeing Him or Her?” Hearing that they’re supposed to attend the Master’s lectures, they say, “Well! It makes no difference if I go to lectures given by other masters so why should I go to this one?” (Master laughs.)
But after a great Master departs from this world, everyone suddenly learns about Him, understands how great He was, and learns about the many things He did while living. It’s because the great Masters don’t talk about Their many deeds that even Their disciples are unaware of them. In times of difficulty, we seek the Master’s help and express appreciation for His assistance. But even then He says, “It’s nothing! I didn’t do anything.” (Master laughs.) He might even reprimand us, saying, “Nonsense! Superstition!” (Master and everyone laugh.) These Masters never advertise Themselves in the first place. Any master who publicizes his magical or other powers is not a genuinely enlightened Master.
Great Masters bless Their disciples in many ways. Some are blessed by a mere glance, some by a touch on the head, and still others in secret ways. Most disciples don’t know how their Master helps them or what He does for them. However, whether they realize it or not, meeting this kind of Master makes them the most blessed and protected disciples. Much of their karma is erased by a mere touch on the head by such a Master.
In India, people revere a living Master more than they do Shakyamuni Buddha or God. “Although God is very high, I cannot see Hirm,” they say. “To me, my Master is the highest! I cannot see the Buddhas but I can see my Master. I don’t know what the Buddhas are doing, but I know what my Master has done to help me!” Originally, the great Masters also come from God; They are manifestations of the Buddha nature. However, they remain silent about it. Even if they do talk about it, people don’t believe them.
Several hundred years ago, there was a very great Master in India. One day, one of His female disciples reached the Fifth Realm in meditation. There she saw her Master — an enlightened Master in the Fifth Realm. After this experience, she rushed to see Him, saying, “Master! You haven’t been telling the truth! You’ve been deceiving us by saying that you’re just an ordinary human being who has no magical power or ability to do anything. However, today I saw that You’re God! You’re an enlightened Master in the Fifth Realm. You’re the highest; no one is superior to you! Why have you been withholding the truth all this time and not revealing your true identity?” Her Master replied, “If I had told you, you wouldn’t have believed me so I chose not to speak about it.”
It’s one’s greatest blessing to meet such a Master. However, He can’t reveal too much in this world. Besides, He doesn’t want to discuss it; for what purpose would it serve to reveal it?
A long time ago, a Czar of Russia disguised as a civilian traveled to Spain to master shipbuilding techniques. In the course of his training, he met some compatriots who had been exiled for offenses they had committed. Forbidden to live in Russia, they went to work in Spain, where they lived miserable lives in pathetic conditions. They missed their families and homeland very much, but couldn’t return because of the Czar’s orders.
This Czar worked with them every day, and came to understand their nostalgic sentiments. Deeply touched, he told them, “I’m a friend of the Czar. I know him. Should you really want to go home just follow me. I’ll ask the Czar to pardon you so that you can go home.” Some of the people believed and followed him but others didn’t for he looked just like an ordinary worker. They didn’t believe that he would have such great power to negotiate with the Czar so a few of them refused to follow him.
Those who chose to return to Russia with him saw great crowds turn out to welcome him. People greeted him in every city he entered. “Perhaps he’s a powerful man, a high-ranking official of enormous influence, or a person of high status and great fame,” they speculated. As they approached the Czar’s palace, more and more people came to welcome him, and the celebration banquets became increasingly grand. They speculated further, “Oh! He must be the highest chancellor or a relative of the Czar. He must have been telling us the truth.” Finally, when they entered the palace and saw him sit on the throne of the Czar, they realized that he was the Czar himself. At that time, all their sins were forgiven because the Czar held the highest authority. It was he who had exiled them, and now he also had the ability to let them return.
The same goes for us who have been initiated. We come originally from the Supreme Force, and now this Supreme Force has come to take us home. It’s that simple! As in the case of this Czar, he could exile people and bring them home because he had the highest authority that was subject to no other person’s command.
and Reach SainthoodAs recorded in many Indian scriptures, if you meet a Master who possesses the Supreme Power, there is virtually no need for you to do anything — no need to worship, no need to prostrate, no need to repent, no need to accrue merits, no need for anything. Yet you will be perfectly well and fulfilled in every way because originally we are this Supreme Power. From It we come and to It we shall return. That’s why we say, “Behold the God nature and reach sainthood.” This “nature” is our Self nature, not our personality. This is what the ancient Zen Masters meant by “immediate enlightenment” — immediately beholding the God nature and reaching sainthood. Most probably we still can’t believe that we’re saints, but even so we’re still saints. We’re free and liberated all the same. When the time comes, we’ll know it naturally.
This is similar to the story I’ve just told you. Those workers who had some faith in the Czar followed him home, and the moment they reached the palace they beheld the truth. They had already been freed when the Czar told them that they could return home. When they were still in Spain, the Czar said to them, “You may go home now,” and from that moment on they were free men. They didn’t have to wait until they reached the palace to be freed. However, it didn’t matter. Although they had been skeptical, as long as they followed the Czar, they understood everything when they arrived home.
Similarly, at the time of initiation, I say to you, “Congratulations! From today on, you’re completely free. You’ve become a free, liberated person!” However, perhaps only half of you believe me. But it doesn’t matter. Being liberated means being liberated, and whether you believe it or not won’t change the fact. However, you still have to walk with me. After walking for a while, you’ll grasp it more quickly. The more you meditate, the sooner you’ll realize it. If you don’t meditate, although you’ll understand it eventually, your life will have little meaning. You’ll only live a sluggish life, causing trouble for yourself and being plagued by illness, heavy karma and deprived of enlightenment.
This is because we ordinary humans can’t understand God. Even though we have eyes, we cannot see, just like the blind. We don’t know what God has done for us or how Hes has helped us. Instead, we worship wooden statues and beg for blessings every day. We even worship deities and ghosts, and pray for safety and protection. Though we’re rich inside, we go begging outside!
