There
is another story about a man, probably Japanese. He had an affair with
the wife of a district chief or something like that. Then it was found
out. So he was forced to kill the husband, and took the wife and ran
away. Now both of them became thieves. But the adulterous woman was
very greedy, so eventually this man was disgusted with her and left.
He went to another place and did not steal anything anymore but became
just a beggar. In the daytime, he would go out and beg for some food;
and at night, he would come home. He began to dig a mountain, because
there was a pass which was very dangerous. Many people had died there.He
tried to do something good before he died; because he felt sorry for
what he had done before, he thought he was very bad. Now not only did
he repent his mistakes, but he tried to make up for them by doing something
else better. Not only say, "Oh, I am sorry, I'll never do it again,"
and finish; but we have to do some counter-actions to make up for what
we had done before.
So now this man, he dug the mountain pass everyday, every night alone.
Then one day, the son of the district chief, the man whom he killed
before caught up with him and wanted to kill him. So this digging man
said, "I am willingly to give my life to you, you can kill me; but let
me finish this, the only good thing in my life firs; then you can kill
me."
The boy said, "Okay." So he stayed around, hung around, and waited.
But then he got bored, nothing to do. So he helped the man to dig the
mountain pass also. After sometime the tunnel through the mountain was
finished and everyone could go through it safely.
The man, the killer said to the son, "Now you can kill me."
But then the son of the enemy knelt down, cried, and said to the man,
"How can I kill you? You have become my teacher." Because during the
years that they worked together digging the tunnel, the son, the boy
had become very impressed by the good qualities of the man whom he wanted
to kill, and who was supposed to be his enemy before. But now, he changed
completely. He only thought of good and positive things -- of offering,
of sacrifice, and not other things.
Before perhaps, he was originally a good man. But he was probably seduced
by this bad woman and then because of her, he did these bad things.
Then because he was good, therefore he knew that was bad and left her,
and became his original self. Therefore, it doesn't matter how bad he
was, it doesn't matter whether he was bad or he was originally good.
But because he repented and he completely wanted to change himself and
he wanted to do something for the society, for other people, therefore
he also impressed his enemy, the one who want to kill him. And not only
impressed him, but changed him into a nonviolent person.
It didn't matter how good the son was, if he wanted to kill that person,
he would be in trouble. He would have this killing guilt within his
heart all the time, and it would be no good for anyone. Therefore he
transformed that person into another good person. Not only he transformed
himself, but he transformed the enemy and he transformed the hatred
between the two families into goodness and friendship. This is a great
thing.
Therefore you see cultivating ourselves is very, very important and
it is truly the only way. If we want to cultivate the world, if we want
to help the world, we must truly cultivate and improve ourselves. There
is no other way. So the way we are practicing together is inside and
out. Inside we contact the almighty power through the Quan Yin Method,
through the light and sound everyday; so that we can have more strength
to transform the outer character, and the outer habits that we have
accumulated not only since birth but since many thousands, hundreds
of thousands of births.
This is very strong indeed, so we have to use the inner power and the
determination to change it. It's very difficult, I know; but we must
do it. If we don't do it this life, we have to come back and do it again
next life. Next life don't do it, have to come back again and again
and again, suffer a lot of things. If you are lazy now and don't want
to practice with me the method that I have taught you, well, it's up
to you. You can come back again, many times; you are welcome. I don't
need to come back, I have other things to do.
