Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai at Hsihu Center, Formosa,
 Sept. 15, 1991(Originally In Chinese)

Have you noticed that all the guardian deities in the temples look very fierce? They have menacing faces! But why? It is because they were demons before they became guardian deities. You can read in the Buddhist scriptures some stories about how the Demon King or demons devoted themselves to Shakyamuni Buddha. They vowed to become guardian deities in order to redeem their previous sins, so that their levels would be elevated, which enable them to practice becoming Arhats and Bodhisattvas. It is impossible to jump directly from the level of the demons to that of Bodhisattvas; the gap is too big! Having been demons before, they must first change into good humans, and then further become Bodhisattvas or Buddhas. Before they can be born as good humans, they have to go through the stage of guardian deities to redeem their sins. Once they have become good humans, they can immediately jump to the level of the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. If they really have strong faith, and can find an enlightened master and a good method, of course they can climb to the level of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas quickly. To achieve this, the demons must go through the stage of being humans. For instance, we cannot go directly into the university from primary school; we have to go through the stages of secondary school and junior high school. Humans are similar to the junior high school students, who upon graduation can go to university. Primary students can only go to secondary schools.

It is the same with the demons who are used to evil habits. Their level and thoughts are inferior to the humans. Though they have great magical powers, those are merely magic. They don't have the benign nature and wisdom of the humans, so they cannot become humans right away! To become Bodhisattvas, they must first become humans. The heavenly warriors and guardian deities look so horrible because they have just been promoted from the level of the ferocious demons. If they cannot even change their outer appearances, you can imagine their inside qualities. They look menacing outside, because they are fierce inside.

Why do the snakes and tigers look so vicious and fierce outside? It is because they have identical inner quality. After death, ferocious people will become tigers and snakes. Those crafty people always like to "bite" (Master laughs) or harm others with tricks, so they will become snakes. Even when they become humans again, they are still poisonous.

In mystical legends like "The Meritorious Book Of The Gods," or other historical stories, you may read about some pugilists who practiced the highly poisonous skills. With a slight movement, or just by moving close to you, they can make you unconscious, dazed and poisoned. These stories were true, because the negative force is very strong, and can be infected to others. These people are poisonous throughout, and you will be poisoned just by being close to them. When you get close to some people, you may feel their deep, deep desires for lust, fame or wealth. Suddenly, you will also be a little affected too. Sometimes, you get close to some people who have strong desire for fame and wealth and listened to some of their words, though you originally have no desire to do such things, suddenly you feel like doing them. But this desire will leave you when you go home. The negative force can affect people deeply. Mostly, people who don't practice spiritually have a very poisonous atmosphere. They have strong desires for fame and wealth, and are overshadowed by an intense negative force.

In the pugilistic novels, you can read about the Taoists practicing poisonous skills. With a flick of their hands, their enemies were poisoned. This is true! Without having to move a limb, they can poison you just by getting near you! It is true that the senior practitioners of the poisonous skills have great poisonous power. It is so intangible that we can't see it, but the influence is there. Invisible influences are even more powerful! We can guard against visible ones, but not the invisible ones. We are not aware! Without any preparation at heart, we are easily contaminated.

I teach you to always reflect on the Tao, on spiritual practice, on liberation, and always remember to recite the Holy Names. This is a way to protect ourselves. Since we don't know who is who, it is safer to always be on guard. We don't know who is who, and in fact we shouldn't bother knowing who is who. Why should we know? A tiger is a tiger, and a kitten is a kitten. They are what they are, and why should they concern us? Anyhow, we still have to protect ourselves against possible influences.

We don't want to stay here as ignorant human beings any longer. We prefer to become superior sentient beings. Even if we cannot help others, it is fine that we can help ourselves. We are tired of this world. It is not our ideal abode; we want to live somewhere else. For instance, you have already graduated from primary school, so you have no reason to linger around there anymore. You should look for your classmates in the secondary school, study with them, encourage each other, and exchange experiences and ideas with them. You shouldn't stay in the primary school where you can learn nothing, and will be pulled down to their low level instead. They will keep asking you questions or talk about primary school matters. Even if you are not affected, you wouldn't have time to think about your studies in secondary school. This is simple logic. For example, I can speak English very well, but I spend all my time with people who speak poor English. Eventually, I would forget my English. Even if I didn't forget, I wouldn't have the time to use it.

Similarly, why do we have to go to group meditations, and to hang around with our fellow practitioners and virtuous people? Only then can we realize our level, and what we should do. If we always mix with people who are lower in level, naturally we will regress! Even if we can avoid the influence, we wouldn't have time to think about high level things! We busy ourselves with inferior matters, and our attainment gets stuck there and becomes useless. Even if we can keep our attainment, we have no chance to use or develop it. Isn't that right? (A: Yes!) We are not being discriminative, but things of the same nature attract each other!

Do you know why I have been so strict with you lately, and tell you to vow before you enter to the group meditations -- "I have not violated the precepts. I have kept a pure vegetarian diet. I sincerely come to seek the Truth..." It is because you are still new on the spiritual path, and you are not stable enough. What makes it even worse is that you mix with chaotic people! Whom can you protect when you can't even protect your own life? Therefore, we don't want to force those who have no intention to pursue spiritual practice. Forget them, even though they are initiated.

I initiate all of you without discrimination, because you request it. If you can't carry on with your practice, then stop coming here to annoy us. I have no desire for fame and wealth. I won't think that it is better to have more disciples, or love hearing people say: "Wow! There are so many people going to their group meditation each time." What is the good in having more people? If they are not diligent, they will only annoy or contaminate the other fellow practitioners. It would be more terrible if they deliberately offended the precepts. So, let it be if they don't want to practice anymore; I have to protect the good seeds.

For instance, you have a basket of delicious fruit, but one or two among them is rotten. If you don't discard them, the other fruit will also become rotten later. Or when a few leaves on our tree are being eaten by insects but we don't pick them off, very soon the whole tree will be infested. To get rid of the insects, you must bear to part with the half-eaten leaves. The insects will lay eggs on the leaves. If you don't pick them off, the whole tree will be destroyed later.

Therefore, we have to be incisive in spiritual practice. I am not being strict. What good can it do me? No matter what, they have been initiated; and yet I have to take the trouble to give them other forms of education. Let society educate them; let karma temper them; they will recover one day. However, they cannot mix with you. They are being too loose. They think everyone can go in, whether or not they are good in spiritual practice, strict in keeping precepts, or observe the vegetarian diet. If this is the case, you might as well mix with everyone, and there is no need for the initiation. Then you are free to come and go, or to become a vegetarian or not, and I would feel more relaxed.

However, this is not the way! Spiritual practitioners should be honest. I can't deceive you like this, nor do I want to be deceived by you. I am a straightforward person. Good or bad, I will say it clearly. I cannot tolerate ambiguity or equivocation; this is not being incisive! So, don't blame me for being strict. I do it for your own good. You might see me scolding someone very fiercely sometimes, but I am not being vicious. The really vicious persons are those who kill, defame and malign people! I am not being ferocious in rectifying your faults. Do you want me to stop doing it? (A: No!) Can you refrain from washing a dirty cloth just because it is very pretty? Of course you have to wash it; you have to rub it briskly to clean the dirty spots! The dirtier it is, the harder you should wash it. Isn't that right? (A: Yes!)