88/Spot Light/Inner Experiences Come When You Concentrate All The Time

Spot Light
Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa October 28, 1995 (Originally In English) You must know that light comes in different forms, sometimes in colors, sometimes like daylight. It doesn't necessarily come and shine through with one flash or one beam of light that wakes you up or startles you. Sometimes moving darkness is also one of the levels of practice. It's not pleasant, but you must start from somewhere. You must pay attention. Sometimes you will notice that even when you meditate and you sit very stiff, you sit very straight, but the light doesn't come. Then sometimes you happen to relax, you put your head like this (Master collapses back in the chair with Her head thrown back), and then the light comes. Or sometimes you just move your head to one side, and it comes from nowhere. So you must always pay attention. It is not because you concentrate that the light comes. To concentrate is good for you, so that you can see the light; otherwise, it's always there. If you want to truly see the light, you must sometimes move the position. Turn away from the traditional crossed-legs; you can even crawl on the floor. Really, put your forehead on the floor, and you will see. Like people kneel and when they are tired, they just fall on the floor on all fours; then they see the light. Or sometimes you just lean your head over the back of a bench and hang there for a while, then you will see it. You always have to concentrate here (wisdom eye). You don't always have to cross your legs and sit so straight. Sit straight for a while, and then hang around or kneel on the floor. You know the position when you do the Quan Yin, and when you are tired... It relaxes your body too. Or you change your seat; sit on the chair, or lie down on the bed after sitting for meditation for a while, and you will see the light. The light comes anytime, because light is always there after initiation. It is just sometimes we think, "Oh, I am meditating now; light comes or not comes? (Laughter) Coming? Supposed to come already!" And you sit there and recite all the time about the light, instead of concentrating. Sometimes because you think you must concentrate, that's why you can't concentrate. We can't concentrate with the "thinking," and we can't concentrate with the mind. We concentrate when totally all of our body cells, our brainwaves, everything, relax! That's why sometimes in the middle of laughing, in the middle of yawning or in the middle of turning over in bed, you see the light at that moment -- because all your body cells were relaxed. That is the true concentration. It just happens, not that you are meditating, not that you are reciting the Holy Names, nothing. So just pay attention anytime. Anytime, the Master comes; anytime, the light comes. Just because we don't expect it to come at that moment doesn't mean it comes. Just be careful. That's why we have to meditate all the time, even during walking, sleeping, eating, talking, joking, all the time. We must pay attention inside, all the time. I've told you already. When you come up and see me hanging on a chair like this (Master hangs Her head over the side of the chair). I don't look like a saint at all, but I am meditating. I'm not kidding. You try. A dream is also an experience. It's not only when we sit in meditation, we have the experience. Whenever it comes, in whichever way, just welcome it. It's good for you. As long as our lives changes for the better, we are more loving, wiser, more contented with life and happier, that is the outcome of meditation. No need to measure it by light and sound, because they come when you don't even expect them. They come, most of the time, during your sleep. Whether you remember it when you wake up or not, it was there, I guarantee. If you don't believe me, you tell your wife or your husband to kick you in the middle of the night. Then you will see the leftovers of a thousand stars, a thousand suns or a flash of light. Then you will know what it was. When I was studying with some of the Buddhist Zen monks, they told me that you have to sit and meditate like this (Master demonstrates the position of sitting straight, looking at Her nose) with your eyes open. I saw nothing! I only saw my nose and the floor! (Laughter) So one day I got tired and closed my eyes, then everything came. So I didn't listen to their nonsense anymore. (Master laughs) I did my stuff. I studied with many masters before, because in search of enlightenment, I looked for many masters. One of the Zen masters told me, "When you meditate, cross your legs; and the more you cross, the better for you." So I squeezed my bottom, and twisted my limbs. It was terrible! Then whenever you didn't close your eyes properly, if you moved, or if you scratched, there was something like, "Bang!" (Master demonstrates being hit with a stick.) It shook you all over. Nothing (no light) happened anyway, so I decided to relax. Then all the heavenly beings came. (Master laughs) They told me, "When you go to sleep, you can lie down and meditate, too." (Just like I told you; it is correct. You should lie on the right side when you lie down to meditate, just like the Buddha.) No problem, I do that. But when I lay there, meditated, trying with all my might, I saw nothing! When I turned over to sleep, wow! Everything was there! (Master laughs) So I wonder whether the traditional position is really good for us or not? You do what you like. Whatever you do, if you see light, it's okay for you. I tell you the truth, they told me, "If you really want to meditate while you sleep, then you have to lie straight, like you lie in a coffin, and also you're not supposed to close your eyes even." (Master sighs) But I tried many hours like this, and saw nothing. I was so tired and my eyes got dry and hurt. So I said, "Oh, now I will go to sleep." As I turned over, the light came. I lay on my right side, supposed to go to sleep, but I couldn't sleep anymore because all the light came. So do whatever you think is proper for yourself. If you want to see the light, even if you have to crawl on the floor to see the light, do it! I never tell you that you have to sit cross-legged. You won't fall asleep easily, that's all. But later on, you improve, and you experiment with your own body and mind, and have fun. Then come and tell me, "Oh, Master, while I stood up on one leg, I saw light! I did the flamingo position." (Laughter) "Oh, Master, while I was cleaning my ears, I saw the heavenly beings," or whatever. (Laughter) You tell me all your experiences later. Experiment. Of course, to be safe, first you sit there two and a half hours every day, then you do anything else you want. But sometimes, if the body demands that you rest, you'll be surprised that when you rest, the light comes, mostly in your sleep. You know why you don't see while you meditate, some of you? You think too much! You keep waiting, waiting for things to come. Don't wait. It will come. It cannot run away. It's inside you. You are made of light. The whole of your being is light, condensed. So whenever you realize that, that's the time your liberated. You are light and sound. You are not the tissues that you think you are. Everything is made from light and sound. It's different when condensed. (Applause)

Spot Light

Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa
October 28, 1995 (Originally In English)

You must know that light comes in different forms, sometimes in colors, sometimes like daylight. It doesn't necessarily come and shine through with one flash or one beam of light that wakes you up or startles you. Sometimes moving darkness is also one of the levels of practice. It's not pleasant, but you must start from somewhere. You must pay attention.

Sometimes you will notice that even when you meditate and you sit very stiff, you sit very straight, but the light doesn't come. Then sometimes you happen to relax, you put your head like this (Master collapses back in the chair with Her head thrown back), and then the light comes. Or sometimes you just move your head to one side, and it comes from nowhere. So you must always pay attention. It is not because you concentrate that the light comes. To concentrate is good for you, so that you can see the light; otherwise, it's always there.

If you want to truly see the light, you must sometimes move the position. Turn away from the traditional crossed-legs; you can even crawl on the floor. Really, put your forehead on the floor, and you will see. Like people kneel and when they are tired, they just fall on the floor on all fours; then they see the light. Or sometimes you just lean your head over the back of a bench and hang there for a while, then you will see it. You always have to concentrate here (wisdom eye). You don't always have to cross your legs and sit so straight.

Sit straight for a while, and then hang around or kneel on the floor. You know the position when you do the Quan Yin, and when you are tired... It relaxes your body too. Or you change your seat; sit on the chair, or lie down on the bed after sitting for meditation for a while, and you will see the light.

The light comes anytime, because light is always there after initiation. It is just sometimes we think, "Oh, I am meditating now; light comes or not comes? (Laughter) Coming? Supposed to come already!" And you sit there and recite all the time about the light, instead of concentrating.

Sometimes because you think you must concentrate, that's why you can't concentrate. We can't concentrate with the "thinking," and we can't concentrate with the mind. We concentrate when totally all of our body cells, our brainwaves, everything, relax! That's why sometimes in the middle of laughing, in the middle of yawning or in the middle of turning over in bed, you see the light at that moment -- because all your body cells were relaxed. That is the true concentration.

It just happens, not that you are meditating, not that you are reciting the Holy Names, nothing. So just pay attention anytime. Anytime, the Master comes; anytime, the light comes. Just because we don't expect it to come at that moment doesn't mean it comes. Just be careful. That's why we have to meditate all the time, even during walking, sleeping, eating, talking, joking, all the time. We must pay attention inside, all the time.

I've told you already. When you come up and see me hanging on a chair like this (Master hangs Her head over the side of the chair). I don't look like a saint at all, but I am meditating. I'm not kidding. You try.

A dream is also an experience. It's not only when we sit in meditation, we have the experience. Whenever it comes, in whichever way, just welcome it. It's good for you. As long as our lives changes for the better, we are more loving, wiser, more contented with life and happier, that is the outcome of meditation. No need to measure it by light and sound, because they come when you don't even expect them. They come, most of the time, during your sleep.

Whether you remember it when you wake up or not, it was there, I guarantee. If you don't believe me, you tell your wife or your husband to kick you in the middle of the night. Then you will see the leftovers of a thousand stars, a thousand suns or a flash of light. Then you will know what it was.

When I was studying with some of the Buddhist Zen monks, they told me that you have to sit and meditate like this (Master demonstrates the position of sitting straight, looking at Her nose) with your eyes open. I saw nothing! I only saw my nose and the floor! (Laughter) So one day I got tired and closed my eyes, then everything came. So I didn't listen to their nonsense anymore. (Master laughs) I did my stuff.

I studied with many masters before, because in search of enlightenment, I looked for many masters. One of the Zen masters told me, "When you meditate, cross your legs; and the more you cross, the better for you." So I squeezed my bottom, and twisted my limbs. It was terrible! Then whenever you didn't close your eyes properly, if you moved, or if you scratched, there was something like, "Bang!" (Master demonstrates being hit with a stick.) It shook you all over. Nothing (no light) happened anyway, so I decided to relax. Then all the heavenly beings came. (Master laughs)

They told me, "When you go to sleep, you can lie down and meditate, too." (Just like I told you; it is correct. You should lie on the right side when you lie down to meditate, just like the Buddha.) No problem, I do that. But when I lay there, meditated, trying with all my might, I saw nothing! When I turned over to sleep, wow! Everything was there! (Master laughs) So I wonder whether the traditional position is really good for us or not? You do what you like. Whatever you do, if you see light, it's okay for you.

I tell you the truth, they told me, "If you really want to meditate while you sleep, then you have to lie straight, like you lie in a coffin, and also you're not supposed to close your eyes even." (Master sighs) But I tried many hours like this, and saw nothing. I was so tired and my eyes got dry and hurt. So I said, "Oh, now I will go to sleep." As I turned over, the light came. I lay on my right side, supposed to go to sleep, but I couldn't sleep anymore because all the light came.

So do whatever you think is proper for yourself. If you want to see the light, even if you have to crawl on the floor to see the light, do it! I never tell you that you have to sit cross-legged. You won't fall asleep easily, that's all. But later on, you improve, and you experiment with your own body and mind, and have fun.

Then come and tell me, "Oh, Master, while I stood up on one leg, I saw light! I did the flamingo position." (Laughter) "Oh, Master, while I was cleaning my ears, I saw the heavenly beings," or whatever. (Laughter) You tell me all your experiences later. Experiment. Of course, to be safe, first you sit there two and a half hours every day, then you do anything else you want. But sometimes, if the body demands that you rest, you'll be surprised that when you rest, the light comes, mostly in your sleep.

You know why you don't see while you meditate, some of you? You think too much! You keep waiting, waiting for things to come. Don't wait. It will come. It cannot run away. It's inside you. You are made of light. The whole of your being is light, condensed. So whenever you realize that, that's the time your liberated. You are light and sound. You are not the tissues that you think you are. Everything is made from light and sound. It's different when condensed. (Applause)