88/You May Not Know/The Immortal Silver Cord

You May Not Know
Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai, Taipei, Formosa May 21, 1989 (Originally In Chinese) Why do the dead suffer a lot? It is because most of them are separated from the sound current forever. There is a silver cord in every one of us when we are alive. It follows us wherever we go, automatically expanding and contracting as we travel to and from other planes. If we know how to play the silver cord, we can make it generate beautiful sounds to make us happy, nourish our souls, and take us back to our real home. For those who do not know how to use the silver cord, it is used only once at the time of their death, when it is irreparably severed. That is very sad. That is why many people who have died are unhappy. When they were alive, even though they did not know how to play the silver cord, they had it anyway, and their souls knew that there was still hope. For example, I have a mandolin. Although I do not have very much time to play it, knowing that I have it comforts me, and I can play it as soon as I have the time. When I did not have it previously, I used to think, "Oh, it would be nice to have one!" Now I have it. Although I do not have enough time to play it, I know it is there. It is better than having nothing. When we are alive, the silver cord exists. Even if we do not practice the Quan Yin Method and have not used this cord, it is there and there is still hope. When we die, it is gone. We do not know when we will have enough blessed rewards to become a human being and have this silver cord again. Animals do not have it, so they do not have the inner music. Well, they do have this cord, but theirs is too tiny to be played. It is not good enough to be fully functional. Most people go through a lot of suffering after they die, because there is no sound from this silver cord and there is no hope. Those who are initiated are different. Their silver cords exist forever, taking them to and from higher worlds, so they are always free and never lost or separated from the highest spiritual plane. With the silver cord functioning properly, they are really alive. Otherwise, the cord would be gone when they die, and there would be no hope. And if, according to the Buddhist law of causality, some of them should become animals, there would be even less hope for them. That is why people who have died are so miserable, unable to hear the external and inner sounds. Quan Yin practitioners are very happy at the time of death, knowing in advance when they will die; the silver cord remains unsevered, continuously generating pleasant and nourishing sounds for their souls, taking them anywhere and then bringing them back. It can extend to the ultimate borders of the universe and to the depths of hell, so they are free to go anywhere. Therein lies the difference between ordinary people and the initiated ones when they die physically. The initiates never really die. Only those whose silver cord is severed die. Living people who cannot hear or see externally are very unhappy. The blind and the deaf are not so happy because they do not have the outer sounds and sights to entertain them. It is the same with dead people. That is why they are unhappy. If we cultivate this silver cord and keep it from dying, then we can be immortal and will always have sound and light to nourish our souls, comfort our hearts, and make us joyful. Now we have them twenty-four hours a day, so we are happy all day long.

You May Not Know

Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai, Taipei, Formosa May 21, 1989
(Originally In Chinese)

Why do the dead suffer a lot? It is because most of them are separated from the sound current forever. There is a silver cord in every one of us when we are alive. It follows us wherever we go, automatically expanding and contracting as we travel to and from other planes. If we know how to play the silver cord, we can make it generate beautiful sounds to make us happy, nourish our souls, and take us back to our real home. For those who do not know how to use the silver cord, it is used only once at the time of their death, when it is irreparably severed. That is very sad.

That is why many people who have died are unhappy. When they were alive, even though they did not know how to play the silver cord, they had it anyway, and their souls knew that there was still hope. For example, I have a mandolin. Although I do not have very much time to play it, knowing that I have it comforts me, and I can play it as soon as I have the time. When I did not have it previously, I used to think, "Oh, it would be nice to have one!" Now I have it. Although I do not have enough time to play it, I know it is there. It is better than having nothing.

When we are alive, the silver cord exists. Even if we do not practice the Quan Yin Method and have not used this cord, it is there and there is still hope. When we die, it is gone. We do not know when we will have enough blessed rewards to become a human being and have this silver cord again. Animals do not have it, so they do not have the inner music. Well, they do have this cord, but theirs is too tiny to be played. It is not good enough to be fully functional.

Most people go through a lot of suffering after they die, because there is no sound from this silver cord and there is no hope. Those who are initiated are different. Their silver cords exist forever, taking them to and from higher worlds, so they are always free and never lost or separated from the highest spiritual plane. With the silver cord functioning properly, they are really alive. Otherwise, the cord would be gone when they die, and there would be no hope. And if, according to the Buddhist law of causality, some of them should become animals, there would be even less hope for them. That is why people who have died are so miserable, unable to hear the external and inner sounds.

Quan Yin practitioners are very happy at the time of death, knowing in advance when they will die; the silver cord remains unsevered, continuously generating pleasant and nourishing sounds for their souls, taking them anywhere and then bringing them back. It can extend to the ultimate borders of the universe and to the depths of hell, so they are free to go anywhere. Therein lies the difference between ordinary people and the initiated ones when they die physically. The initiates never really die. Only those whose silver cord is severed die.

Living people who cannot hear or see externally are very unhappy. The blind and the deaf are not so happy because they do not have the outer sounds and sights to entertain them. It is the same with dead people. That is why they are unhappy. If we cultivate this silver cord and keep it from dying, then we can be immortal and will always have sound and light to nourish our souls, comfort our hearts, and make us joyful. Now we have them twenty-four hours a day, so we are happy all day long.