The following are questions and answers between Mr. Kim Tae-Young
and his student Mr. Woo Chang-Seock (referred to below as K
and W respectively).

W: I have a question. It seems that you have never before introduced a living master with such a positive attitude.

K: That's not true. I think I have introduced several monks positively. Through my materials and experiences, I just want to help my readers by conveying the facts as they are.

W: I am afraid that all of your students might go there!

K: I don't care. How fortunate it is if they can get spiritual help from a master I introduced them to!

W: Do you think so? Others would be very nervous if their students moved to another sect. Are you the opposite of them?

K: Sure I am, because it is also a source of merit to create a good affinity.

W: What did Supreme Master Ching Hai do before She received initiation from Her Himalayan Master?"

K: When you read "A Brief biography of The Supreme Master Ching Hai" in the first part of "The Key Of Immediate Enlightenment," it is said that She was born in a well-to-do family in Au Lac, the daughter of a highly reputed naturopath. After She grew up, She married a German physician, but after two years of a happy marriage and with the consent of Her husband, She left Her relationship in pursuit of enlightenment. She traveled to many different places in search of an enlightened Master. At last, She met a Master in the Himalayan Mountains.

W: What kind of person is the Master whom the Supreme Master Ching Hai met?

K: In issue 79 of The Supreme Master Ching Hai News magazine, it is written that She wandered about the dreadful Himalayas alone with only two sets of clothes, a pair of sports shoes, a sleeping bag, a water bottle, a couple of books, and a walking stick. At last, She met the great Master Khuda Ji, who lived in seclusion deep in the Himalayas. Master Khuda Ji was 450 years old when He initiated Supreme Master Ching Hai into the ancient art of meditation on the heavenly sound and divine light.

W: How can a human being live to the age of 450?

K: That is the thinking of worldly people like us. In the "Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East" the author, Baird T. Spalding, wrote that there are plenty of spiritual Masters living in the Himalayas. Maybe they have something like an astral body. It is said that the great Master Khuda Ji had been waiting patiently for Her to come until the age of 450. Supreme Master Ching Hai was his one and only initiate. She had practiced numerous methods before, but Master Khuda Ji imparted to Her the ultimate spiritual transmission that is the essence of initiation. Supreme Master Ching Hai rarely speaks about Master Khuda Ji. He left the physical realm soon after His noble mission was accomplished.

After that, She went to Formosa, just as She had gone to other parts of the world. Her undiscriminating compassion, like the patience, determination, and perseverance that She has displayed throughout Her life are important qualities for all spiritual aspirants to possess. These are the qualities that were also taught and exemplified by the great past Masters like Jesus, Shakyamuni Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Moham-med, Guru Nanak, and others. Yet, while each Master's life is unique, the spiritual path they take is and always has been the same. That path is the path of meditation on the heavenly sound and light. Master Ching Hai calls it the Quan Yin Method because She gave Her first public teachings in Formosa. Quan Yin is a Chinese term that means observation of the inner vibration. This primal vibration or sound is by nature transcendental and therefore is perceived in silence. Jesus' disciples called it the "Holy Spirit" or the "Word" from the Greek word "Logos,"meaning sound. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

After Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, He too spoke of this sound, calling it the "drum of immortality". Krishna equated himself with the "sound in the ether". Mohammed perceived this sound in the cave at Gare-Hira when he had a vision of the archangel Gabriel. And Lao Tzu described the Tao as the "Great Tone". This is a summary of the contents of News magazine #79.

W: Besides this, is there any other unique aspect of Her teachings?

K: She advises people not to revere already deceased Masters, wooden Buddhas, or metal statues of the Buddha, but to go to a living Master by all means.

W: Why does She say this?

K: Actually, deceased Masters, whether they were great saints or not, cannot help us, because they are not here now. We cannot talk with them, so they can't help our practice. The scriptures and books left to us are just references for the practitioners of later generations, but the masters exist no more. Therefore, we should find a living Master who has been handed down the Method and power, and depend on him by some means or other.

W: What are the required conditions to be called an enlightened Master?

K: We can feel strong blessing from him when it is necessary, or he can help practitioners with innumerable transformation bodies. Since Master Ching Hai can do that, I am greatly interested in Her!

W: Did Her manifestation form appear in front of you?

K: Of course, otherwise, how can I say these things with such confidence?

W: Is there any other Master who is like Supreme Master Ching Hai in the world today?

K: I don't know yet, because She is the only one I have seen. I found out many things from the books by Supreme Master Ching Hai. First, when I finally discovered the true state of the sound that I had heard for 12 years, I came to know what the Quan Yin Method is. Second, I consciously quit following a meat diet. It is totally thanks to the books of "The Key Of Immediate Enlightenment" that I know the Quan Yin Method and adhere to strict vegetarianism. As soon as I put these two teachings into action, my Quan Yin practice progressed a great deal through the miraculous blessing power of Master Ching Hai although She was in another country.

W: What does "blessing power" mean?

K: As a Buddhist term, it's a kind of supernatural power from a Buddha or a Bodhisattva to let sentient beings realize and experience the Truth.

W: I cannot understand that She can send this power from a foreign country to Korea.

K: That's okay. However, it usually happens in the spiritual realms.

W: I cannot for the life of me understand it.

K: It's because the wave of an enlightened Master is omnipotent and omnipresent like empty air. Since such a Master has already left the concept of self behind, he can give his blessing to whomever is open-minded without intention and discrimination. This is called "doing without doing", "giving without the concept of self," and "letting the left hand do it while the right hand is unaware". If he gives spiritual blessing consciously or he blesses only some people without blessing others, it means that he is a fake master rather than an enlightened Master. An enlightened Master doesn't belong to a private individual, but to the public. The sun rays shine upon all of nature, without distinction, be it grain or weeds. Rain also falls on all things equally, whether they be medicinal herbs or poisonous herbs. The sun and rain can do that because they have no concept of self.

W: What do you think of the fact that the Supreme Master Ching Hai wears makeup and splendid clothes like an entertainer or a model, contrary to the ways of other Masters?

K: The Truth doesn't lie outside, but inside. In some sense, I think it's necessary for a Master to show the public a brand-new feature away from the stereotyped monk's robe and uniform. As She has said, when She wears a nun's robe, renunciates like it, but those who practice at home don't like it. Therefore, Her makeup and clothes should be changed accordingly as She follows the various tastes of people. It means that She is willingly able to change Her outer appearance if it is beneficial in spreading the Truth. It is said that, frankly speaking, She Herself feels less comfortable making herself up and getting dressed up rather than just wearing casual clothes. However, considering the people She meets, She wears different clothes in every circumstance, even though it is inconvenient. The most comfortable clothes are pajamas, but She cannot be impolite in front of guests. To conclude, it means that She uses various appearances as a means of spreading the Truth.

W: In doing this, I think a coordinator and a makeup specialist would have to accompany Her.

K: They say it's not like that. She takes care of all Her clothing, accessories, and makeup by Herself. Apart from clothes and makeup, She pays all the expense incurred in going to places to lecture from Her own earnings. She has made it a rule not to collect membership fees from members of Her Association.

W: Then, how can She make such a large amount of money?

K: It is said that since Master Ching Hai has many different talents like designing, making crafts and ceramic art, painting, cooking, and singing, She can earn quite enough money, and then uses it to spread Her teachings. I think She is a new kind of Master suitable for the environment of a new age.