Spoken by the Supreme Master Ching Hai
to the worldwide contact persons
During the International Seven-Day Retreat in Taipei, Formosa May 23, 1994
(Originally in English)
All I want is to teach you to be a great person, and you don't want it; you just want to be small. You have to expect big! And then, whatever left over, maybe it's enough. If you expect small, nothing there left. You have to expect yourself to be a president, and then maybe left over, you are at least a minister or something. Otherwise, if you expect yourself to be a chief of the police and then maybe you end up to be a taxi driver, or just a small sergeant in the army. You understand? ("Yes, Master.") Make a big goal, and if you can not do it, you don't lose anything.
Always kneeling around and expecting crumbs, and then? Beg for food. If you want to live your life like that I'm sorry for you, but I don't want to accept you. You have to represent me, represent the lofty idea of fearlessness. You don't have to fear me, you must love me only. Respect me but not fear. Fear is terrible. Fear paralyzes you, you can not do anything when you fear, understand? (Yes.)
But you know I won't kill you, you know I'm not terrible, so what is the reason for fear? The more you do like this, the more I have to pick on you, make you stand up, make you realize that you are terrible. You are too weak. You are harming yourself. Some centers are dragging around and having troubles and division, because you are too weak. All of you can not do anything. I appoint you to be my representative there and you don't use your power. You don't know how to act. You run around with everybody else's idea. Democracy is not like that. Democracy means we respect everybody; but the intelligent one must also make a choice, and the one who has authority must exercise it for the sake of everybody. Not that we use our authority to harm anybody, to do anything bad for the group but if it is something right, you have to make a firm stand, and make people understand.
Of course the contact person is not a boss over there, but if something you cannot solve, you can always write to me. Do not just give in to everybody, everybody just wants to be the boss; of course, everybody is like that, anywhere. But you can not have too many things, with too many persons and too many ideas - sometimes garbage ideas, and then you still respect it and want to use it. And then it's a big ruin. Ah. (Sigh) I have asked you to come up in case you,... I wanted you to help me with something. But when I see this kind of attitude, I don't know if you can really help me. I've already lost my inspiration.
Normally when somebody has been a contact person, then I would not change it, because mostly people are the same. Just to contact people... But when you're on the job for too long time, then you must learn also from experience - how to carry out the job more efficiently. Not just hang around there and have a name printed on the book and doing nothing.
If somebody is good in practice, he is not too good in social relations. And when he is very good in meditation he has no eloquence, or sometimes not a kind of public personality. So there are always problems. It's alright when we only meditate, like the old times, and don't worry about other peoples' suffering and need. But when we have to do some also social service, then we really need talented person, not just a good practitioner.
All of you have good qualities; that is no doubt. Some are very sweet, some are very quick, some are very enthusiastic, some are very kind hearted, some are very devoted to a good cause. Every of you have something that perhaps I don't have. Or perhaps every of you have something more than I have. But because you don't have everything, you just have one thing, or two things. That's why it is difficult for me to make use, that's why we need so many, and only one Master. Or we try very hard to make use of whatever we have, okay? But sometimes you make more trouble for me than help. But nevertheless we just... because I respect you as practitioners not as social workers or heros or revolutionists or anything like that. Therefore we still have to put up with each other, otherwise it is very difficult that you can help me in anyway at all.
That's why many things I do, I do it alone. And many things I do, most of you don't know. Only a few next to me know. And some people who have anything to do with that, know, otherwise, most of the disciples don't know what I'm doing. You only know something. Yeah maybe, Costa Rica knows a corner, America knows another corner, or France knows another corner. But, in the whole, you can not know everything. Even then, sometimes, you make more trouble than help, but I hope you learn day by day at least to progress yourself. Even if my work fails at least you don't fail yourself, and you will develop further. Actually, a contact person must be a very good one. But up till now we just chose the first one. Like, for example, he was the first one who campaigned, and nobody else, or the one who introduced the Quan Yin Method to that group, or to that village, or to that country, and okay we also picked him.
Or sometimes I pick some good one, if there is one. Do not have an illusion that good people are all over places, and that every Master's disciples is a good person. He is good, yes good, meaning good heart, yeah, good mind, and very pure and clean, fine; but it doesn't mean he is good in everything. He is good for himself, yeah, at least. At least when he does things for himself and then he can not do it, then he prays to Master and then he can do it, fine, then at least he can help himself. But, he does not always possess the capacity to deal with the international environment, and people, and this is the problem why many of my humanitarian work has been delayed because I'm working almost alone. It's not that you don't want to help me. All of you want to help me. I believe, sincerely you all want to help me, but I also sincerely don't know how to use you. (Laughter)
When I go on lecture or when I go group meditation, at that time you can do, you can talk to people, you can tell them to come; but that's about all, not much else you can do. Or when I tell you to go rescue some of a disaster area, okay. “Here is three hundred thousand dollars. You go and buy goods.” Yeah, then you can go buy, and buy very cheap. That's very good - You know where to buy cheap things. Because maybe you do shopping everyday. That you know better than I do, yeah, sure, yes. If I go probably I buy more expensive things. I don't know where is the wholesale, but you know everywhere, especially the wholesale. Probably you know better - these kinds of things - and then you are very quick, efficient and very, very loving... lovingly do. That I appreciate.
Utilizing Our Opened Wisdom
But then this, there are so many things I don't know how to ask you for your help. Like the refugee problem, really. If I ask you to come to Hong Kong and meditate, to do meditation, to protest, then you do right away. There is nothing I ask that you don't do. That I know. I appreciate that, but you have to learn also, to have your own initiative, to decide what is good, for that moment. You see, it might not be good tomorrow again. So you have to be decisive and use your wisdom that is already opened. Otherwise you already opened your wisdom but you always listen to your habit.
Like, "oh, last year I didn't do that," or "my mother never did that," or, you know, "I never see anybody do that." And then you don't do it. You know what I mean? That's why we learn so slowly. You have no daring initiative. Even though your wisdom tells you to do this, you say "Oh my mother will scold me. My mother will tell you not do that" or "I've never seen anybody do this before, I can not do it!" This is your habit, thinking. And that's why we have to meditate more and analyze more; using the mind, instead of letting the mind use you. You have to tell your mind, "That is different now."
You have to reprogram your thinking and reorganize your reaction. Otherwise, you have wisdom, you have blessing from Master, you have power to act for success, but you always step back and worry. Because of your habit, you think you cannot do that. Some of our disciples are still like that. For example, last time Hong Kong... everybody wrote a humanitarian letter, to send to Hong Kong Government, but the Hong Kong didn't write. Said “Oh no! No, we can not offend Hong Kong Government.” Things like that. They are brainwashed by some of the false information that some of the political people want to spread around to get the support from the people, so that they can get together and abuse the handful of the Au Lac refugees, because just want to get rid of them. And so even the disciples, they also go with the strong. You know, and suppress the weak.
Because actually, if we take care of the Au Lac refugees issues we go against 74 nations and other dozens sympathetic nations. We go nearly against the whole world. And the rest are only like communist countries which do not count already, or under developed countries, have no idea what's happening, or isolated tribes and all that. So it does not counting anymore. So actually when we do this, we go against the whole world, nearly the whole world. Therefore, nobody wants to do it. That's for sure. But why should we worry, why should we be afraid of the whole world if we are right? We are only afraid of one person even if we are wrong. But if we are right, even the whole universe, we are not afraid. Is that not so? (Yes!) Otherwise, what is the use of talking big, and being Bodhisattvas, and this saint and that sage, what is the use?
I have read one story about the aliens, extraterrestrials, the good ones, who have been mistakenly captured by some of the powerful nations; sometimes in America. And then they froze them. They did not kill them, just took their blood out and froze them. Because they wanted to extract some information for technical advancement, and these people don't speak. These aliens don't speak. So they froze them,... so like that, in this case you are not dead and you're not alive. You know, you hang around in the frozen atmosphere and you can't let your soul go out of the body because you are not yet dead, officially, or your time has not come. So they just hang around in this frozen feeling. And they know full well that the injection will make them suffer but they still undergo, quietly, in order to keep the secret of the universe.
Because they believe that the human kind of this earth are not yet sufficiently sophisticated, not yet sufficiently virtuous enough, to handle this technical information. Giving it to them, they might do harm to themselves and to the universe. So they have to keep quiet. So the earth people punish them, freeze them alive. So they can not move, but they cannot die. So this kind of situation, fine, okay, this is the part of the ignorant earth people,... and then a part of the aliens is even worse. They do nothing about it. They just beg the earth people release their brothers and sisters and the information is very difficult to come through, first, second, they say they can not break the vow of non interference of this world.
"I catch hold of any of you, I'll "beat" you, and scold you and make you kneel all day long until you go rescue your brothers." I am here, helpless because I don't have UFO, I don't have machine gun which can freeze people for one or two minutes, I can have nothing of this technique. Therefore I can not rescue your brothers.
And here you send a message saying that if we know, we may be able to rescue your brothers and sisters. Everything you could do it, because I say you have everything! You have UFO, you have gun, not shooting people dead but to freeze people in space for one or two minutes, then you can take your brothers out. Instead you let them suffer there and then you even send messages to say maybe if I know, or She knows, or everyone else knows about this message maybe one day we can help your brother and sister.
We have enough work to do in this world and you help nothing, and you want us even to help your brothers and sisters. I'd willingly help them, because I feel so much suffering when I read that. You know, when I read the extraterrestrial people suffer, I suffer too. But, I say why don't you do something, you know? This is not interference. If you come here, invade our earth or shoot other people or do something, then they would say interference, and then you swear you didn't interfere. That I understand, fine. But your brothers and sisters who suffer so much, for years and you do nothing about it. And you say you fear of the law of karma and non interference and all that. And your brothers and sisters suffering there, and then you talk big and you do this and that and protecting the earth and all that kind of...
I said it is bad enough that the world people, because of ignorance, they don't know it, therefore they harm your brothers and sisters. But you are the ones who know, you should do better, you shouldn't let your brother and sister suffer in the hands of the ignorant! Suppose the tiger takes hold of my brother. Okay, I don't kill the tiger because of my vow of non violence, fine, but I can make the tiger faint for two minutes and take my brother out... I can not sit there and reason to the tiger, look here the five precepts, look the vegetarian diet the Master Ching Hai tells everybody have keep etc... How can you reason with a tiger, you understand? The world people are very, very ignorant, therefore they do that kind of thing. Now, you already know they are ignorant and you reason with them, until when, and let your brothers and sisters suffer. I cannot believe it!
In the beginning, I thought maybe they would come and help us also, but when I see this kind of stupidity I say you should go home and learn something more before you come here and try to help us. I think you should help yourself first, know what is interference and what is the flexibility of spirit in order to work in different situations and different circumstances, right? Not interfering doesn't mean you can not help your brothers and sisters out. If they help them they don't have to touch anybody. They just do it technically or using intelligence. They can do it, they know everything, they know where their brothers and sisters are, I don't. What is the use of letting me know this? Okay, I come and to talk to President Clinton about it, or what? What happens if he doesn't listen to me, right?
And the President Clinton, for example only, can not even interfere with the armies rule. They have their own set of rules, they have their secret work. Even many presidents don't know what they are doing. Nobody is supposed to know. And not every president has the perfect security clearance, that allows them to come inside military base. Ordinary people can not come in, only the perfectly screened, that oh he's good, he had no background with C.I.A., no F.B.A., no K.G.B. or whatever is that, or nothing - no drugs, no alcohol, no blah, blah, blah, blah, blah or maybe vegetarian and meditation two and a half hour, I don't know. Completely clean, then can go inside the... not all the presidents have this clearance. They have different levels of clearance, you see.
So you see, this is weakness, this is not compassion, it is not honor that you keep your promise, but stupidity and weakness in this case. You cannot kneel there and beg the tiger to have compassion with your brothers and sisters, just do something about it! Don't have to harm the tiger, but if you can rescue your brother without harming the tiger, it's so much better. But even if you have to sacrifice one or two tigers to help your human brothers then do it, for God's sake. Even if you have karma for yourself, so what, for example like that. Suppose that's what they believe. If we think that, okay, never mind, if the tiger eats my brothers and they will go to the Buddha's land, then it's fine with me, you know? But don't go around, boast around that because we are non violent people we can not do anything to the tiger. So, can you please do it? Asking somebody else to do things that you do not want to do when you are in a much better position and have more equipped ability to do it, this is stupidity and weakness.
Protect Human Rights
Why do I talk about this? What was it before? Oh yes, the Hong Kong disciples. And so, I was so sad. I didn't say anything. I just asked a few representing ones. I didn't ask all of them yet. But I thought they worked together all the time, they should know what the trend is. And sometimes when I talk to other people also, they also have the tendency to think that the government is right. How can it be right when it uses violence against unarmed and harmless people? It is not according to human amnesty and human rights, it is against international law to even detain people in such kind of prison - like conditions.
But the people in prison, they have even their own bed. They don't have that terrible condition, not cramped and crowded; one bed small like this and two persons, and all square. Everything, eat there, sleep there, anything else is there, children and... all together in a small bed. And then upstairs there is another one or two beds and upstairs is a metal sheet of roofing and not trees and nothing around. The prisoners, they have a better condition; they have library, they have workshop, they can earn money in the prison. Yeah, they have volleyball, football courts and tennis ball courts and television sets and everything! Except those that are very badly dangerous, then they put them in a cell and cuff them. Otherwise, most of the prisoners are free. At least in the prison they are free. Not like the Au Lac refugees, they have nowhere to go and nothing to do, and nothing to play with and cannot work even. So this is even already against human law.
But we don't blame that because we expect that every country does its best. We can not expect to the highest standard, but at least do the best. Okay, so maybe that's the only thing Hong Kong can do, or other countries can do, use their best. Oh fine, we accept that, but to use violence on the people for no reason, that people never react, even police say they don't react. This is not twentieth century standard. This is not human standard. This is lower to animal standard already. That even kicking and beating children and women while they are still bleeding and fainting with the gas. It was not tear gas only, it was mace. It was sprayed right into the face of the people. Many children now are still blind. Women and children still cannot see. Now, over one month after the attack, many people still cannot see clearly. Their vision is damaged.......
Do you think it's okay? It doesn't matter if the Au Lac refugees suffer, I'm not talking about the suffering. It's obvious already. Even children can see it. I'm talking about human standard. Hong Kong human standard, it's so low! That they should feel sorry for themselves. That they should feel alarmed. That they should be shocked... at their own conscience! So minimum! You understand what I mean, now? It's not the suffering that we're talking about anymore. It is the low, low level of humanitarian... of humanity, that the Hong Kong people carry with them. That they can just stand by and watch women and children suffering and still agree with it. You understand what I mean now? It's alarmingly shocking and dangerous to human kind at large. Because if they treat the refugees like that, they can treat anyone like that, anytime, in similar circumstances, or when they have a chance to do. Understand now? And we can be infested with this kind of spirit if we just stand by, agree, or watch it, or just do nothing about it, or don't awaken ourselves, or don't warn ourselves of being infested. This is terrible!
Everlasting Loving Compassion
I tell you the truth. Even if the Au Lac people die, even if they kill all the refugees, it is not the refugees who are the ones being harmed. It is the Hong Kong people,who harm their conscience. Their standard of virtues has sunk so low, that's how, what for do we live as a human being if we don't have this human standard? You understand what I mean? The suffering of the refugees, or their death, is not that important, is not as important as a human standard of conscience and compassion and loving compassion. You understand now? Because life is short. Live or die, it is not that important. The important, is the everlasting loving compassion. And if we've lost that, nothing we can do. So it's not only that I'm fighting for Au Lac refugees' life. Because to me life and death is not that much matter. Also I fight for the human compassion standard, to raise it up, to awaken everybody: “Wake up, you cannot do that, you cannot lower yourself, lower and lower. Keeping like this you'll go to hell, you'll make Hong Kong become hell, you'll make the world become hell.” You understand? So this is the greatest mistake of human kind: to think that to treat somebody else inhumanly, that it's right. They think that it's the refugees who are being harmed; it's them who are being harmed! Because life, you can have it again. But this human conscience and compassion, when you've lost it, difficult to get it back. You know? And then you can infect the neighbor with it, infest the children with it, and make every of your friends, your neighbors, learn about it...even infest our disciples. Let them stop there, freeze there, and don't move, don't do nothing for the refugees. Until I came along. Until when all of us came and then meditated, then the Hong Kong disciples turned around, they understood better.
But they, some of them understood before that, because I had told them, you know, it's not the Au Lac refugees' problem anymore. Of course, it is their problem, but that is only a catalyst, ah, is that right? Yeah, a symptom of the main problem of the human conscience. You see, we have to be afraid of losing our conscience. It's not only the Au Lacese' problem. They can die, and they may have another life again. But our loving conscience... difficult to find. Because if we lower ourselves to animal standard, we will be born as animal. Then we've lost our human life. And those we kill come back again as humans, maybe better. You understand what I mean? So it's not the ones who are killed that are the victims. The one who kills is the victim of himself. But most people don't know that. So I want to let you know. I want to make people know this. I worry about the Au Lac refugees' suffering and life, that's for sure. I do. But I even more worry about the human standard... our life, the atmosphere of our life. If it has become like this, and it becomes more like this, then it become hell here. You know? Nobody loves anybody, and "when you come to touch my house, I kill you." You know what I mean? "This is my garden, my house. Nobody is allowed to come in, nobody touch my food, nobody come near me, or I'll kill you". Everybody will do like that. Yeah? That's what they do to the refugees, because the refugees come to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is their land: "If you come, I'll kill you. I have the right to do anything to you, because you come to my property." Understand? That's the only thing it is.
So low! So worthless a reason to kill, or to inflict suffering. Worthless! This is only a kind of ... this boils down to territory rights, territory competition. So then we become like dogs and cats and mice and any kind of animals, because animals they protect their territory. Even birds. Did you see any birds in your garden? Each one has one corner of the garden. If the other one comes in, he will poke him to death. At least, poke him to bleeding. I saw that when I had a garden. So when I fed the birds I had to stand guard as a police, because a big bird would come and pick on the small birds, and the small birds dared not come to eat. I said, "It's my food, okay? My food, my garden, alright? All of you have the right to eat, but not to fight." But they didn't listen to me, of course. They pretended not to understand German. So I had to stand there, like a guard, you know, like guardian police. And then I'd shoo all the big ones out first, let all the small ones eat. And then, when the small ones were all satisfied and flew away, and then I'd come inside and let the big ones be kings of the day. That always happens. Even my garden, my food, and they lord over it, and don't let anyone else come to eat.
This is the same thing. Hong kong, Formosa, United States, England: all are God's land. Before we came the land was already there. Before Queen Elizabeth or King Henry, or whatever, the land was already there. Who made the land for the English people? Who made the land for Hong Kong people? Nobody, only God made it. God gave it to us, everything! And they say, "This is mine, this is mine, everything is mine. You cannot touch it, you cannot come near and I'll shoot you." You see, that's what it is. It boils down to animal instinct. And then, people are proud of it. Can you see how low we have become, hmm? We're just like animals. Like the birds in my garden, like the dogs in my yard, like the cats. The dogs have their territory, competition, you know, they mark it by their urine, yeah. (Laughter) And human beings mark it with their... other thing, probably human toilet, yeah. You know, they make a territory, they mark it. Dogs mark it with urine, but man marks it with something else. Quite similar. Actually, just marking a frontier.
Okay, you mark your frontier is alright. But when somebody else needs it, you lend him for a while. Because it's all God's, it's not yours. Everybody says, "In God we trust." Even they print it on the money. But it's not in God they trust, it's in the money that they print it on that they trust. Things like that. And everybody says, “We are Christian. We love our neighbors. We take care of our brothers and sisters because all beings are born equal in God's name.” They say things like that, but they don't do anything that is according to their understanding. So now you see, huh? If you are my disciples, so-called disciples, no, fellow practitioners, brothers and sisters, and you don't do the things I do - you are afraid offend the worldly power and you're not afraid to offend God's power - then you are in trouble. Then no one else in this world that people can rely on to carry out justice, to fulfill the righteousness, so that everyone can enjoy a peaceful and normal life. You understand what I mean? It's very dangerous when somebody infests someone else with their low level of thinking and consciousness. So beware, take care that you're not infected. Even as good as our Hong Kong disciples, some of them also wavered, you see, and are afraid, and think with the big body of the world and Hong Kong, instead of thinking in the righteous way, and siding with the weak and the poor.
God says: Blessed are the poor and the weak, because the Kingdom of God is theirs. We read many things, we know all the Bibles, we know all the Baghavad Gita, the Buddha and Dharma Sutras, and bla, bla, bla, but we don't do anything accordingly; then it's useless, huh? That's why sometimes we need a teacher, a living one, not a dead one. Dead ones, we have too many already. They left so many books, but the books don't help you anything. You read it, and you forget it. You can memorize it, but then you don't do anything with it. You don't understand the deep meaning of it. Until a teacher, the living teacher, comes and shakes you out of your slumber, and points to you the direction, and the things that you should ponder, and things you should do, you see? It needs a force of a power, of a living being, to point things out for us. Can you see? There's no more question about why we need a living Master and not a dead one, huh? No more. Because all of you already old enough. Some of you have grey hair already. And still you cannot think that straight, huh?
If I did not point it out to you... I don't mean I'm so great, but probably I'm clear. I'm a little bit clearer than you, sometimes. So when I say it to you, you understand right away. If I don't say it, even though you read the same thing as I read, but, you don't understand it. You might even understand it, but you don't realize it, and then you cannot make use of it, understand? Even if I keep talking to you time after time and the same things again and again, still I have to repeat again and again, until you fully understand and digest it, and make it become your own property. See, then you're strong and then you can do things like I do, and you don't need me anymore. But why, why do I have to repeat all the time? Because you still listen to your habit, and forget to use your righteous wisdom, that's all. You have it, but you don't use it, then how can... what is the use, huh? Right? The wisdom I transmitted to you is the same as mine. It's no different. But why you don't do the things like I do? Because you don't use it the same way I do. You don't use it enough you're not strong enough to use all this.
It Is Still A Great Virtue To
Just like a young boy is not old enough to know how to use the inheritance of his father. Even though his father gives to him as much as he gives to the older brothers, but he looks at the money and then he plays games with it, or he throws around and makes games with other children. He looks at diamond, and he thinks it's kind of a toy, you understand? And his beautiful father's furniture, maybe he brings it out and you know, makes a toy out of it. Things like that, you know what I mean? So it's as much as you can use your wisdom, then you have it. If you don't, it's just like every other people outside. They have it, but they don't have it. See, they don't use it, okay? Okay, we have to go down now. Anybody have a personal contact with the White House? No? Okay, I don't suppose so. Yeah? [Somebody mentioned writing to congressmen.] Yeah, fine. That's good, okay. Writing is different. You can write, but sometimes personal relations are even stronger, yeah? We can write. I write to many different Presidents but nobody bothers to answer me. Well, some of them do, but it's not that, not much fruitful, when it comes to action. They can be polite to you, they like you, they love you, but they don't take active measures about what you want them to do. They, even our disciples, like Hong Kong, I ask them to write only letters to express our disgust about their inhuman treatment, and they don't want to write it. You know what I mean? Even our disciples; so how can I blame outside people, huh? But of course afterwards they changed. They know, and they changed their minds, but because I told them. Because they are my disciples, they understand quickly. Even if they make mistakes, immediately they understand, that's fine. That's the best thing about you. You make mistakes, but at least, when somebody says something right, you know right away. You change. But other people: they make mistakes, but when you talk to them they don't know about it, they don't care about it, and they don't change. That's the only difference between you and the non-disciples. Nothing more big deal. Okay? (Master laughs.)
You make same mistakes but at least you have a Master, a teacher, a
good friend like me, tell you. And then you realize immediately. But
outside people, they don't have a teacher, they don't have a friend, they
don't have a good Master maybe, to tell them what to do. So they make
mistakes. Or sometimes, because their wisdom is not open, tell them, they
don't understand. They don't want to hear, and they don't think they make
mistakes. Just like today when we were in the park,there was a man who was
drunk, and made a lot of noise and fuss, see? And our disciple tried to
talk to him about wisdom and five precepts and not drinking alcohol and
things like that. Do you think it was useful? (Everyone answered: No use.)
Yeah, he heard nothing, he continued to shout. You know what I mean?
Yeah? So it's good that you don't drink alcohol, and... You know now, huh?
When you saw it today, he came to teach you a lesson, that the Master Ching
Hai is correct when She tells you not to drink alcohol.