Recognize
Our
Inner
Almighty Power

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Taipei, Formosa, November 4, 1987
(Originally in Chinese)
Audiotape # CE3A

Don’t you have such sincerity? Yes, I know, you want to put Master in this world. But people like their lovely karma and have no place for Master. Therefore, this world still always has problems. There are so many material things in this world we can enjoy; however, we human beings still have many troubles. It still seems we cannot survive and that we are going to burst. Why? This is because there is a thing within us that is very difficult to be satisfied. That thing is expectation, longing. We naturally have that kind of entreating quality.

*Supreme Master Ching Hai, upon the earnest request of Her disciples, explained some of the meaning of Her poems in the Silent Tears poetry collection during this lecture.

How to Get a Response to Our Prayers

Most people’s prayers receive no response. Why is that? Today I’m going to teach you how to pray to get a better response. No matter what we pray for, we must first ask ourselves, is this thing really necessary for us? Is it important? Is it really beneficial to us? Will it harm other people? If we know that what we’re praying for is not important, not benevolent, and not necessary, our subconscious won’t accept it.

Our Almighty power does not fall from the Western Paradise or Heaven, nor is it bestowed on us by Jesus, or reserved for us by Shakyamuni Buddha; it resides inside our brains. If you can look through here (Master points to Her wisdom eye), you’ll see it’s located in the center. This is the place where our Almighty power resides. The success of our prayer depends on whether it passes through this place. When our prayer passes through this place, our Almighty power knows if the thing we pray for is necessary or good for us, or if it’s harmful to other people. There’s no way we can deceive this power.

So we don’t need to waste time praying for things that are unnecessary, unimportant, not benevolent or not loving. If you want your prayers to come true, consider first whether the thing you’re praying for is necessary. Then pray wholeheartedly without distraction, and your prayer will definitely come true. But can you pray to become a billionaire overnight, win at gambling, or win the lotto? Of course not.

All Beings Have the Almighty Power

What should the Quan Yin Method practitioner pray for? We should pray to become a Master quickly and become one with the Master sooner. Why? First, it’s because once you’re one with the Master, all your suffering will disappear. You’ll no longer have troubles, as they’ll all be taken away. Secondly, you’ll have incredible power and infinite merits. You can help anyone immediately without them praying to you or knowing who you are. At that time, you help without the involvement of the ego. Therefore, it’s said in the Diamond Sutra, “Deliver sentient beings but no sentient beings are being delivered.” That’s what is meant. Sentient beings have no idea that they’re being delivered by you, or helped by you.

That’s why I always say that I don’t just give initiation to a small group of people every time, because many people receive initiation without seeing me or knowing my name. Many receive initiation by reading my books, or hearing my name once. A lot of people receive initiation by praying sincerely to Quan Yin Bodhisattva (the Goddess of Mercy), for example. The reason is that I’m not this physical being and I’m connected with the Almighty power. So whenever people pray to this Almighty power, I’m there. This universal, Almighty power is exactly the same as your own.

That’s why Lao Tzu said, “All of creation is One.” When we practice to a higher level, we’ll realize this. We’ll realize that all creatures have the same kind of power within. We’ll see it in trees, in animals, in Quan Yin practitioners and in non-Quan Yin practitioners. But Quan Yin practitioners realize and can make use of this power, because they have uncovered it. Other sentient beings, or those who don’t practice the Quan Yin Method, don’t realize this power. It isn’t like they don’t have this power; they do, but they can’t use it. They have the treasure, but it’s locked up and they don’t have the key.

When we reach this level in our spiritual practice, we respect all sentient beings, because we see Master everywhere and in anything. At this level, we can bow to our fellow practitioners and our own disciples. That’s why at the last supper, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. All His disciples were startled and said, “Master, why are You doing this?” Jesus’ level was very high and He understood that all beings are equal. He said, “I, Your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet. So you should also wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14-15) What did He mean? He meant that we should practice with an equal heart. But His disciples hadn’t reached this level so Jesus had to explain it through this example. If His disciples had already attained the level of equality, Jesus wouldn’t have had to make such an example and explain it, and the disciples wouldn’t have been so surprised!

Only when we’re connected with this Almighty power do we have hope of going higher. Quan Yin practitioners who don’t slander the Master and who do practice diligently are less likely to go lower. You should, however, realize your own Almighty power so that you don’t just rely on Master’s level all the time. If you practice for yourself, your level will be higher, you’ll improve more, and you’ll be able to help others. Whoever you think of or feel sympathy with will receive your help immediately.

If we realize the Supreme power, our innermost, omnipotent power, we can do anything, and anything is possible. You just heard my poem: “You can move heaven and earth. / You can change demons into the Angels of Love. / Why, / O Greatest of all Magicians, / Didn’t You change this monkey mind?!”

You can do it yourself. We practice to help ourselves, to help the Master, and to help the world. Actually, we can’t help the Master much, but at least we can lessen His or Her worry and suffering. If we practice, our karma will be erased more quickly, our lives will be more peaceful and we’ll do things more smoothly. Of course, then the Master will also be very pleased.

Pray for One-Life Liberation to Encounter
the Supreme Master

You meet the master who is in accordance with your prayers. If in this life or in your previous life, you prayed to attain the highest level and highest wisdom, then in your next life or even in this life, you’ll meet a Master of the highest level. There’s no doubt about that! If, however, in your past life or in this life, you prayed to Quan Yin Bodhisattva to help lessen your suffering in this world, to have things go more smoothly, or to have harmony in your family, you’ll only meet this kind of master. For example, you’ll meet an ordinary monastic person who’s very benevolent, and you can tell him about all your difficulties and worries. He can explain things to you in a logical way, or answer many of your questions. Then, you go home and handle your problems according to his advice, and you find that you’re happy and your life becomes better. It’s just like that. Or, you’ll run into someone who’s very rich, who’s ready to satisfy all your needs. He’ll give you money without you asking. Or, you’ll run into a person who comes unbidden to help heal your illness, bring you to see a doctor, repair your roof when it’s leaking, etc. It’s because you’ve prayed sincerely in your last life for these things.

Those who want to be liberated, who want to become a Buddha in one lifetime, or to be totally liberated from the cycle of life and death, will meet a Master of the highest level and a method of the highest practice. Only those who pray for eternal liberation, to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, to be one with God and with Truth, will come across the Quan Yin Method. Also, not everyone can teach the Quan Yin Method. If there’s no real power transmitted during initiation, the one who receives the initiation will have no experiences. Therefore, you can tell if a Master is true or not at the time of initiation. A true Master can enlighten you with the same kind of experiences described in the holy scriptures.

All right, I’ll let you go home and work hard. Make good use of this Almighty, pure, and all-positive power. It would be a great pity if you don’t use it. There’s nothing else in this world that’s more precious. There’s no other gift that Master can give you that’s nobler and more precious than this. I tell you many stories all the time, but ultimately my advice to you is to practice the Quan Yin Method – the method of contemplating the inner Sound Current and inner Light.

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