Let
me try to prove herein that the teachings of our Master, the Supreme
Master Ching Hai, are consistent with those of the great Chinese sage,
Confucius. As described in "Chaung Tsu," one day, Confucius' favorite
disciple, Yen Hui, came to take leave of his master before he embarked
on a journey to the State of Wei. The State of Wei was in turmoil
under the dictatorship of the despotic prince; therefore, Yen Hui
sought advice from Confucius on how to edify the tyrant and restore
peace to the people.
"Fast
and I shall tell you! Acting according to your preconceived ideas
is easy, but easy ways do not conform to heaven's will," said Confucius.
"My family is so
poor that I have not touched alcohol or meat for months. Is that observing
a fast?" asked Yen Hui.
"That
is only the ritual way of fasting, not the `fasting of the heart'!"
replied Confucius.
"Master,
may I ask what is the fasting of the heart?" asked Yen Hui.
"When
you concentrate (in meditation), do not listen with your ears. Draw
your attention inwardly, but do not listen with your mind. Listen
with your spirit. Your ears can only hear the outer sounds, and the
mind can only collect intellectual information. However, your spirit,
or Self- nature, which is essentially void, receives all. The Great
Truth can only be found in this realm of emptiness. Therefore, when
you reach this state of emptiness, you are observing the fasting of
the heart," replied Confucius.
"Before observing
the fasting of the heart (meditation), my "self" still existed. After
observing the fasting of the heart, I no longer felt my existence.
Is that the state of emptiness?" Yen Hui asked further. "
Yes!
That's all there is to it! When you have entered the State of Wei,
if you can remain unperturbed by name and prestige, speak your mind
when people are willing to hear. Otherwise, remain silent," said Confucius.
"Never force your ideas or drastic changes upon them. Concentrate
your mind and spirit on the Truth; speak only when it is inevitable.
Then you are close to success. "It is easy to remain still; but it
is difficult to walk without leaving a trace on the ground. It is
easy to have flaws and to act unnaturally according to the human mind,
but it will be naturally perfect to act in compliance with heaven's
will. You have heard of flying with wings, but not flying without
wings; you have heard of knowing with knowledge, but you have never
heard of knowing without knowledge. Look closely at the empty space
before your eyes (concentrate on and look out from the wisdom eye),
light will appear in the void; the infinite wisdom of the universe
and incredible visions will also appear before your eyes. This is
what we call `traversing the universe spiritually while sitting still'!
If you focus your ears and eyes inwardly, and are detached from the
outer perceptions of the mind, even the ghosts and deities would surrender
to you, not to mention ordinary humans. These guidelines can change
the whole Creation and were observed even by the ancient sages, saints,
and wise kings. So how could we ordinary humans not follow them?"
This dialogue between
Confucius and Yen Hui tells us that this Chinese sage did indeed teach
the Quan Yin Method. 
Teachings
of The Ancient Master
