~Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai (Originally In English) Why should we put on a miserable face when we could have a brighter one? It costs nothing. It's also a kind of giving, giving happiness and a lighter atmosphere to the people. That's more important than money, more important than food. You can love people, but people might not love you. The best thing is to just love them, with no expectations. Maitreya means happiness, loving, love. That is the Buddha with love, who brings love, who brings happiness to people. Whoever does that is a Maitreya Buddha, and you yourself should be a Maitreya Buddha, bringing love and happiness to people. That's the way of a gentleman, the way of a big strong man. You are not just enlightened and then do nothing; that's becoming a useless Buddha. The more enlightened, the more work, I have to warn you. That's the purpose of enlightenment -- to help other people who are weaker, who need you. ~Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai (Originally In Chinese) Sometimes we have the illusion that only a prosperous life can give us peace of mind, make us happy, and let us practice spiritually. This is not the truth! When we are happy and have peace of mind, we can pursue spiritual practice under any circumstances; it has nothing to do with being wealthy. If we fail to do our best to change ourselves, even the blessing power will be of little use; it will only become a material blessing. It is easy to deceive ourselves and others, but it is difficult to be really serious and honest in our spiritual practice. We must think clearly when making a decision. If we know from within that it is wrong, it is better not to go through with it just to save face, or as a habitual action, or for the convenience of a fleeting concept. Otherwise, we will create very destructive consequences for our future.