Q : I'm confused about whether there's a difference in levels between people who can see the inner light and those who can't. Is the level of people who can see the inner light higher than the level of people who can't? Those who can see the inner light, have they just come from Heaven or have they just been reincarnated recently? Those who can't see the inner light, have they been reincarnated for a very long time?

M : It's not that the level of people who can see the inner light is higher than anyone else. It's only that their ability to focus their attention and to concentrate their thoughts is stronger. It could be that their professions do not require the extra exertion of brain power that causes mental fatigue. It could be that their education did not involve excessive brainwashing and therefore, their minds are still innocent and simple. Thus, when they meditate, they can go into samadhi immediately. They no longer worry much, nor do they ponder, "Oh, Newton said so and Einstein said so, then why on Earth does Madame Ching Hai say so now?" This creates more trouble. The more we know, the more we get into trouble. People who have a peaceful and simple heart, or their profession does not require excessive mental hardship or worry, are able to see more inner light, as they go into samadhi more quickly when meditating.

We all came from Heaven. None of us came up from the Earth at all. Don't worry. It's because of differences in the karmic burden of each person. What's karma? It's simply the path that each person has chosen. It's because when we first came down here, we were God and Buddha who had no fear of choosing that path at all. Whether we chose a path full of suffering or not, to us at that time was no problem. It was only after we chose to come down here did we know how full of suffering it is. Since we had already chosen it, we had to go along with it. Based on our choice, we became a highly educated person or a person who had a simpler life with less education, for example. Because of our past choice, when we come down here it will affect our spiritual life based on our chosen path. One chooses to walk on a straight path while others choose to travel on a winding road. Traveling on a winding road takes a longer time, but it's not because one's spiritual level is higher than another's.