Selected Questions & Answers

Q: Can an ordinary person like me get enlightenment here and now?

M: Of course! No one is ordinary. You are all God or part of God. You are the beloved children of the Universe. You have just forgotten; I am here to remind you.

Q: Why is vegetarianism important?

M: It is important to develop our love -- our God-like love.

How the Quan Yin Method Can Stop War

Q: I would like to know how much this Method could help us in this difficult situation to stop the war and make peace.

M: The positive energy will overcome the negative energy, and the results will be known to you inside. Since we came here, the bombing has stopped somewhat. (**Note: Master is referring to the bombing in Kosova. The peace accord was signed at the exact time of Master's final lecture of this tour.)

I have been running around Europe since the first of May because of the war. And I have been going to many nations, trying to raise the collective high energy of the planet. It will help tremendously if you join also, of course. Thank you for asking such a compassionate question. Positive thoughts always have positive influences, even invisibly. It is like when we love someone, that person feels very happy, even though love is not something we can touch or prove.

Q: Dear Master Ching Hai, I have been looking at various forms of Oriental wisdom for a very long time, but so far I haven't found any which fit my rational mind. For example, I don't know if once I reach enlightenment whether I would have it forever, or I would need to reach it again and again.

M: We should do it every day until we completely know God. Today, I will just offer you a taste of God, a glimpse of God, a taste of heaven, and it's up to you to continue to know It further or stop; it's up to you. The more you know, the better, of course.

Q: What is your opinion of reincarnation -- does it exist or not?

M: It's not an opinion; it's knowledge that you gain through deep meditation in the secret laws of the Universe. Yes, reincarnation does exist, but not always on this planet. For example, when the soul dies and leaves this planet, if he wants to have more physical experiences, then he may be reborn again in another physical body but on a different physical planet -- if he wants the physical experience. If he wants the intellectual or a little bit higher spiritual experience, then he has to be born on a higher-level spiritual planet.

Q: If we can experience directly the brightness of the tenth level, then why do we need the nine levels below?

M: Because we are at the lower level. In order to go to the highest, we have to go through them. The lower levels are there for us to experience the different corners of the Universe. Even though the dark basement is not as beautiful as the penthouse in our home, it is nevertheless necessary. It's just the structure of the Universe; but if we remain always in the lower level of the structure, we will not know the complete house and we will feel depressed most of the time.

Q: Is it possible that Jesus is right now among us, maybe in another dimension but invisible?

M: Yes, Jesus is in another dimension. We can even talk to Him when we ascend to that level. Many in our group can talk directly to the Lord. Some of you may be able to, also, at the time of initiation. Right now, after this lecture, you might see Jesus yourself, and then you can receive direct teaching from Him.

There is no need to argue with me about who is the "Savior". Jesus said, "I am the Light and the Way as long as I am in the World." He did not say that if He is not in the world, He is still the Light and the Way. That's why He said that He would send more Comforters to us later. And, of course, the Comforters must be as good as Jesus in order to comfort us. In every generation, God sends a Comforter to us in order to lead Hiers children back Home. If it is our destiny, we will recognize that Person right away; if it is not, then we will not. The same is true when Jesus was born as the savior. At that time, people crucified Him because many did not recognize Him and were still waiting for the messiah. I am just helping you to receive direct teachings from the Lord or from God; you don't even have to receive any teaching from me. I am just here to introduce you to the Way to reach God and Jesus. I will introduce and help you to meet them, because that is the real teaching. Anything in human language is not good enough for you, including my speech, which is just an introduction.

The Ego is the Opposite of God

Q: Dear Master Ching Hai, please talk about the ego. What is the connection between the ego and the Godly part?

M: The ego and God do not connect. The ego is the habits of this physical body, or the physical brain, that we have collected during this existence. The ego is the opposite of God; the ego is what separates us from God; the ego is the one that makes us feel competitive with our brothers and sisters; the ego is the one that could even cause war and make us kill our brothers and sisters. In the event that we know God completely, the ego will die. Initiation is the beginning of the death of the ego.

Q: Is there a place where the negative energy is generated or it is also created within ourselves; and if so, do we have to stop ourselves?

M: Yes, we have to stop ourselves. We have two sides within us: one is negative, one is positive. The positive comes from God; the negative comes from the experiences we have in this physical existence. Whenever we generate bad thoughts or negative ideas or hatreds, then we create a negative atmosphere that will affect us as well as the whole planet, depending on how great it is. So, of course, we can train ourselves to think loving, kind, and positive thoughts as much as possible. Think of Jesus, for example, what would Jesus do in those situations and try to do the same in such a loving way.

Q: Some teachings say that God can be reached through sex; other teachings are against sex. What is Your opinion?

M: To go without sex, you cannot reach God; to go through sex, you cannot reach God. God doesn't reside in that little, local place that is for sexual pleasure. So, my opinion is that you find God where Hes truly is. (Applause) And then if you still want to make children, it is okay with Hirm; and if you don't want to make any more children or celebrate your love with your wife or husband in the sexual way, it is also okay with Hirm.

Q: What does "immediate enlightenment" mean?

M: It means that when you sit down with me and want enlightenment, you will have it right away.

Q: What does "Supreme Master" mean?

M: It means your "Self" -- your inside Self, your real Self - in every one of you. The Bible says that you are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives within you. So you are just God. The body is only the temple, and God is the Supreme Master. You are the Supreme Master. If you have forgotten, I am here to remind you and prove it to you. (Applause)

Q: Is this Method similar to the brain control meditation technique?

M: No, we don't need to control anything. When God comes, every dark thing disappears. God is within us already.

Q: Why do you talk about God and not Buddha? Is it because God is closer to You than Buddha?

M: Ok, then I will talk about the Buddha next time. (Laughter)

They are both the same. We have only one Father -- God. Some people call Hirm "Buddha"; some people call Hirm "Allah"; some people call Hirm "God"; some people call Hirm "Father"; some people call Hirm the "Beloved"; some people call Hirm the "Almighty". It doesn't matter. We have too many different languages in this world; that's why.

Q: The first point of the five precepts doesn't talk about plants. Are they not sentient beings? Can we take their lives?

M: They have a more neutral kind of energy and we temporarily should take them in order to survive. They do not suffer so much like animals, so we are allowed to take them as nourishment. For example, if you cut one branch of peppermint, it will grow three, four, five branches after that, but if we cut off the leg of a pig, it will not grow two or three more legs.

Qualities of a True Master

Q: How can we know a real master? Recently, many people claim to be real Masters themselves?

M: Yes, that's a very good question. If you don't know, then you must go home and pray very sincerely to God. It takes a very high consciousness to know a Master; this is very unfortunate and that is why they killed Jesus. When people are in this physical prison, they are blind to the Truth. When Jesus and His disciples were alive, wherever they went, they radiated light. They had halos around their heads and bodies, but not many people could see that. The same is true now. You see modern saints now and they also have Light, but only if you have a higher level of eye can you see.

But as a general guideline, whoever can help you to see the brilliant Light inside can bring you to God consciousness or bring you closer to God. Another general guide is that whoever that Master is, he must be omnipresent. This means that he can appear in many places at the same time. The disciples will be in many different places, and if the Master cannot manifest in many different places, then he cannot hear the prayers of the disciples and cannot help them effectively. You can either ask the Master directly if he is omnipresent, which is the quality the Master must have, or you can ask other disciples of the Master whether they have experienced the omnipresence of their Master. Then at least you will know the level of the Master.

Q: Is there such a thing as "hell"? If someone doesn't believe, does that person go to hell? The Bible talks a lot about Satan and hell.

M: We are all believers of some kind. It is just that we cannot define our feelings about belief. It is difficult also to believe in God when we don't see Hirm, so God would not punish us for not knowing Hirm. If we at least try to be a good human being, then we don't have to go to hell, and we will be given another chance to know God the next time.

Q: Why doesn't God help the homeless and why does Hes let sick people suffer?

M: God doesn't want any of us to suffer. We suffer because we don't know God.

That's why it is said, "Seek you first the kingdom of God and everything will be added unto you." We have a Treasure inside but we forget to make use of it. That is why we suffer.

Q: I would like to ask whether Master can heal sick people?

M: I don't do anything. I only let God do whatever Hes wants to whomever Hes chooses and whenever Hes feels fit. There are people who claim to be healed by me, but I tell you that the credit is God's. I am merely an instrument, and God 's blessings flow through me to heal whomever Hes chooses to heal. But it happens.

Q: What is the meaning when a little baby dies after several minutes or hours, or when a person is born physically or mentally disabled?

M: A soul chooses many ways to present itself in this world, and God makes an arrangement with that soul to do such and such a thing. We cannot understand them all. Sometimes, in order to reach God, a personalized soul chooses to be disabled, for example; or sometimes in order to awaken love within a particular parent, a soul chooses to be born and dies shortly afterwards. God's arrangements are impossible to explain or to count with our fingers. Everything is for the best development of our spiritual progress.

Q: Is there any condition for initiation?

M: There are no costs, no conditions whatsoever, except that you walk the way of God -- keep the commandments.

Q: If someone is initiated and doesn't keep the precepts, what will happen?

M: "As you sow, so shall you reap." Why do you ask me? Whatever way you choose to walk your life, there is a consequence; so, choose carefully.

Q: Why do we need to meditate two and a half hours a day? It is too much for a working person.

M: You try your best. The more you can meditate, the better for you. It's just like the more money you earn, the wealthier you become. That is a recommended number, but just try your best as much as you can. We work eight, ten, twelve hours just to feed this ephemeral body, but we are not willing to do only two and a half hours to know our true "Body". It's a pity.

Q: There are many sects and religions, and there is a big mess. What is the solution?

M: Because we do not know God, we try so many different ways. But if we do know God, there is only one way and we will not need any labels or names or outside rituals anymore.

Q: Will the predictions about the end of the world happen?

M: The world will end the minute you die anyhow, so each of us should worry about our "end of the world". Even if the world still exists and we end, what is the use? I will show you how to continue life.

Q: How can we distinguish the voice of the ego from the voice of God inside us? Both of them can be strong.

M: We only know if we truly are pure within ourselves. For that reason, you should learn to meditate properly. During the time of initiation, I will show you everything: how to protect yourself, how to distinguish between the positive and the negative, the real and the false. Until you remember fully that you are the master, you should know some necessary instructions.

The True Essence of Our Being