Q: As we approach the 21st century, what would You wish for humankind and the world?

M: I wish whatever you wish -- peace, prosperity and love between brothers and sisters.

Q: Do You think that there is a message in all the human tragedies that we are witnessing, one event after the other -- the hurricanes, the floods, the fires, the earthquakes?

M: Yes, definitely, I think you know. I think all of us know.

Q: What are we missing? Are we doing something wrong? Are we doing something to displease the universe or anyone?

M: We are doing it all the time. And we have been doing it for thousands of years. That is, being unkind to each other; killing each other; suppressing each other, including our younger brothers and sisters, like the animals. I know I will displease many people by saying that, but since you've asked me I have to be absolutely frank.

Q: Please, by all means.

M: Anything in the universe will return to where it began. Since we are in the Western world, in the Bible it is said: As you sow, so shall you reap. And if we believe in the Bible, we have sowed too many things that unfortunately will yield undesirable fruit for us. Sometimes, it has accumulated to such a great intensity that individual cleansing or purification is insufficient, so there has to be a kind of great cleansing action, just like disasters -- earthquakes, fire, floods and hurricanes, etcetera -- as you have mentioned. So the only thing to avoid this, to avoid the fruit, is to avoid the sowing of the seed.

Yes, we have to start to be more God-worshipping, God-loving, God-fearing. It doesn't mean we go to the temple and “blah, blah, blah all day long how we love Hirm; but we have to love in action, love Hirm and love Hiers children.

In the Bible, it is said very clearly, I think it's Psalm 78. If I'm wrong, please forgive me because I'm not good at scholarly statements. But it's something like: Who told you to kill all these she-goats and he-oxen to make offerings to me. Repent your sins because your hands are full of innocent blood. If you do not stop all this, then I will never listen to you when you pray. And when you seek me, I will turn my head away.

God doesn't permit us to kill even to make offerings to Hirm, how much less to kill to satisfy our very temporary physical appearance. So, this is the cause of most of our disasters and sickness in this world.

Scientifically speaking, we can prove that in America the majority of the people love red meat and they eat a lot, so their rate of cancer is number one in the world. Other poor countries where they don't have so much meat, the rate of cancer is very, very, very low, just like nothing, compared to America. That is according to the research of all the doctors and scientists, so don't scold me.

Therefore, you can see the connection between the facts, science -- and the religious statements. I'm not saying that we all have to be Catholics or anything. We just have to be loving and that's the only religion there is.

Q: Is there any way that our faith can assist us in trying to combat diseases such as AIDS and cancer? Is there some strength to be found in Your spirituality, in knowing and focusing more on your soul as opposed to your physical temple, your body?

M: Yes, there are ways and means, provided people want to listen. Last night someone talked to me about how beneficial they have found our meditation practice and my advice, how their lives have changed, and how many sicknesses have left them. Even if they have sickness, it's reduced into half size or nothing. Sometimes instantly. So I thought, "Yes, it's a pity that not many people listen to me."

And they said, "Yes. If they all listened to you, the world would be peaceful long ago."

I said, "Yes, if only they'd listen then no more suffering ever in this world. We would turn it into paradise in no time."

Q: Do You see there being something special, something unique about You being a female Master? About You being so youthful? Why perhaps were You chosen as You are in this particular form to be our living Master?

M: I guess this is the will of the Most High, and I cannot do anything about it. I guess we need a change. Always having male Masters is boring. We need a change. (Master and audience laugh. Applause)

You know, being a female spiritual teacher has also some advantages. Like, many women don't like or feel shy talking to men teachers, so maybe they find it easier to communicate with a female teacher. Maybe that's why God chose me to do this job.

Q: And with our various religions as they are today, why do You believe we've had such a history of so many different religions? What has man through the ages been seeking through religion and philosophy? What is that need that we're seeking to satisfy, or that fear?

M: Yes, fear is one of the reasons. Another reason is that, we, inwardly are the essence of the Most High. You know we came from God, otherwise where did we come from? You think we came from plants, from the wall or stone? So, we must have come from God, the Most High, the most intelligent, the Highest Consciousness. So that inner, inherent, latent consciousness always keeps seeking itself despite all the coverage -- like dust, position, wealth, fame and all this worldly knowledge -- that keeps occupying our attention outwards.

Then the Highest Consciousness inside always keeps seeking, not really seeking, keeps telling you that you are not that. You are not the Ph.D. and you're not this garbage that you accumulated. You are not Mr. so-and-so, or Mrs. that-and-this. You are the consciousness. You are God-like.

Before you came to this world and got a Ph.D., became Mr. and Mrs., and had all kinds of knowledge and habits that you call yourself, you knew, that is another self. The real Self is God-like, belonging to the Kingdom of God, are God children. We're called God's children, it means we are God-like. Yeah, the God qualities always keep reminding us that we are not this, that and the other.

Q:Are we supposed to believe then that we are part of that universal and divine God energy (M: Sure.) and intelligence?

M: Not supposed to believe, you just are. (Q: You are.) Now you look at what do you identify yourself with ?Mrs. so-and-so and I have so much knowledge, I have so much wealth, and I have such and such habit. All this is not you. You are the one behind all this and all this is covering us. Therefore we make ourselves suffer because we identify ourselves with our mistakes, our success, our failure, our this, that and other circumstances that affect us. We forget the real super Consciousness, the supreme inner Self, the supreme Spirit which is God, which dwells within us. That's what the Bible says: God dwells within you. That means you are God, apart from the body, it's God inside, nothing else.

Q: Are we closer to our true Selves when we are children? You were wonderful with the girls up here a while back. Are we more God-like as children because we've learned less or is it when we get older that we take on all those trappings and become too physical and materialistic?

M: You're right. Yes, when we were born, at least we were cleansed already, partially, from the residue of the last life or whatever existence we had. So when we were born, we were nearer to God. We just came directly from the "resting place," more peaceful and abundant. So that's why children are more innocent and forgive easily. They have no worries, nothing.

But, the more we grow up, the more we accumulate all these experiences and then we identify ourselves with that. For example: I'm an angry person, I'm an agitated person, and I'm a bad-tempered person. This is not you. It's just that you grew up with all kinds of circumstances that made you like that. Then you think you are like that, that is the 'you'. It's ridiculous. When you were born you were not like that. Or, "I'm an alcoholic." It is not true.

Q: There is so much crime in the world now, so much one-on-one violence with mankind. What can we do to begin to have a greater respect for ourselves and human lives so that we're not killing one another, so that we are not so violent and so cruel to one another?

M: Spread the love message all the time. Always progress positively. It's better to tell children, "Honey, you..." Just say it in a positive way instead of a negative way like we most often do. For example, we say, "Don't be so dirty." Instead we could say, "Honey, keep yourself clean." And the word "clean" will go inside the mind instead of the word "dirty". It doesn't matter whether you say don't or do . It's the essence of the sentence that's important. Most people say, "Don't be so dirty," "Don't be so cruel," or "Don't be so nasty," this, that and the other. Instead, just say, "Be kind, be gentle, be gracious, be graceful," and then the essence of the words will boil down to "kind," "gentle," raceful . And when everything else is gone, only the essence remains. We always keep telling children: "You are dirty," "Don't get so dirty," "Don't stay up late." Just say, "Go to bed early." I make that mistake too. I'm still learning also.

Q: Well, American television and all the messages that it sends, the various media, as a matter of fact, the newspapers, the magazines, the movies -- do You think that we have a long way to go in order to reorient ourselves towards a better way of life, a higher spirituality?

M: Yes, we have a long way. But I hope it's not too long. We try our best. You see everyone has to try.

I was thinking on the way here. We met our neighbor, and I invited him to also come along. Then we talked to the driver who let me stay in his and his wife's house. I said, Why don't you have parties more often and get to know your neighbors. Start from individual. That's what I did when I was married to my ex, or last, or what... (Q: Only.) (Master laughs) the best husband. I always organize parties. At that time I was not practicing Quan Yin Method, I just meditated with another kind of method, and we were vegetarian.

I thought, in Europe, the neighbors don't know each other. It's different from our tradition like in the East or in Africa, people are more friendly toward neighbors. So I said, "I'll start . I had parties once in a while, maybe once every few weeks, and invited all the neighbors. Whoever wanted to come, came. I just dropped the invitation in the box, saying: "Hello, we're having a Know-Your-Neighbors Party. (Master laughs) Can you come? If they didn't come that week, they came the next week.

So, if everyone does this, and spreads love and the message of togetherness, then all the neighbors will know each other and the whole nation will know each other. Then we have better communication, better understanding. You wouldn't fight with the one who you at least know and have dinner with. At least something will stop you. You think twice before you want to harm him, at least. This thing will keep people together.

Why don't we all start to do that? Each one just takes care of his neighbors -- enough. Then the whole nation will be taken care of and united in love and friendship. Before we start to talk about heaven and Kingdom of God, enlightenment and anything else, why don't we just love our neighbor? Very easy.

To be continued next issue...