Hsihu Center, Formosa March 3, 1996.
Emperor Xuan of Zhou Dynasty employed an animal tamer whose name was Liang Yang. He was very good at taming animals; even some very fierce beasts like tigers, lions, wolves, some huge animals, the pelican that specializes in catching fish, and other fierce animals like snakes, all become timid and obedient in his hands. When Liang Yang fed them, all the animals would behave themselves, no animals would harm him; they didn't want to harm him. The animals loved Liang Yang who kept them, and they cooperated very well and very peacefully with him. They reproduced very fast, and on time, so they grew quickly in number.
Liang Yang had some special tricks in keeping animals; even very benign and very fierce beasts could live together without biting or hurting each other. Emperor Xuan of Zhou Dynasty really liked the man. He feared that Liang Yang's secret method would not be continued after he died, so he told someone to follow him and learn his method. So a chancellor was sent by the king. When he asked Liang Yang about the method of keeping the animals, Liang Yang knelt and said to him, "My job is a very lowly job. How could I bother your excellency?" Mou Chu-Yang told him that he was under the king's order to learn, so Liang Yang slowly explained to him.
Liang Yang said, "I tell you because I am afraid the king may suspect that I am hiding something from him. Actually, my job is so lowly, so ordinary that there is nothing worth talking about. To keep a tiger or any animal, we must know that, it will be happy if we follow its will; otherwise, it will be angry. Animals are similar to other beings; because they have blood and energy, they have a temper. When we comply with them, they behave; otherwise, they are angry. There is always a cause if they are angry. We have to find out the reason: Why are they mad? Why are they contented? If we are in harmony with them, they will not act against our will; they will cooperate. If animals suddenly become very fierce, it is because we have done something against their nature, habits or feelings of safety, so they are angry. For instance, I keep a tiger, but I dare not feed it a live animal. If I do so, it has to chase, catch and tear that animal into pieces before it can eat. Then its vicious nature will emerge again. Therefore, I never feed it with live animals; I dare not even feed him a whole animal body, not even a dead one. If I do, the tiger has to tear up the animal body with its claws and teeth, which will remind it of its animal instinct; the vicious quality will emerge again. Therefore, I dare not feed it in this way." Liang Yang would first cut the dead animal's body into pieces until it looked like chocolates, before feeding the tiger.
It is the same with us human beings. If we really cannot keep the vegetarian diet and go home to eat chicken, we should eat it after it is properly cut. However, it is better not to eat it. The food that we buy outside is always cut into many pieces, sometimes with added seasonings, bitter or spicy, and beautifully coloured until it looks like a biscuit. Therefore, most people do not have any guilty feelings when they eat it, nor will they feel nauseated. If they have to kill the animals themselves, watching it flap its wings, screaming in pain, they would feel very uncomfortable eating it.
It is because we human beings are higher in consciousness than the animals; we can distinguish good from bad, and we don't have to fight fiercely with other beings for our existence. We are very different from animals; we can think, we are more intelligent, and capable of making our life more beautiful, pleasant and comfortable. Animals have no choice due to their situation. In the kingdom of wild animals, if you don't eat it, it will eat you; you will starve if you don't eat. Unlike humans, animals cannot go to work, find a job to do, or choose to eat bean curd.
The truth is, God creates us vegetarians at birth. Look at the carnivores; they have sharp teeth and short intestines to excrete the flesh. We humans have very long intestines. If we are vegetarians, there won't be any toxic gases created by the meat in our intestines, which becomes rotten and has a bad odour.
The digestive systems of carnivores and herbivores are different. From this fact, we can see that we should be vegetarians in the first place. The digestive system of herbivorous animals are longer, and their teeth are flat. The carnivorous animals are given sharp teeth at birth by God. You can understand from this reasoning, and don't have to blindly believe my words.
Some zoos feed animals with living creatures, so they are never tamed; their vicious habit is enhanced. The zoos feed them live chickens, and I am against it. It is not only from a human point of view, but that the animals will become increasingly fierce, and even hurt people on some occasions.
Wehave often heard that the animals in the zoo would sometimes snatch children, or eat them when they accidentally fall inside. They may even hurt the adults. When the visitors are careless and get too close, they will be attacked, resulting in broken limbs or lacerations. Occasionally, the animals would even attack the people who feed them, because their feeding method is not correct.
They should all come to China to learn this method before they take care of the animals. Shall we tell them about this? When you observe people taking care of animals, show this to them. This might save their lives or maintain the benign nature of animals, and safe guard the public too. This is not bad! These ancient scriptures are very useful.
So, how did Liang Yang feed the tiger? Tigers are supposed to be the most fierce. He said, "Feed it when it is meal time. Observe its habits to find out when it is hungry and when it is full. Follow its nature to feed it at the right time, and with the right amount. The reason is, though tigers are a different species from humans, they love the people who take care of them, if they comply with their will, and know their needy moments."
"If a tiger bites or hurts someone who keeps it, it is because the person doesn't know what it needs, and acts against its will. So the tiger would hurt the person. Therefore, I dare not act against its need and make it angry, but I also will not follow entirely its vicious nature by feeding it with live creatures. I refrain from stimulating its underlying animal instinct, or from making it too happy or excited. If it is too happy, it will eventually get mad one day when it loses that happiness. It will continue to seek that happy moment; failing to succeed it will feel bored, frustrated and angry. When it is angry, it is even more unlikely that it will be happy. When it is too happy or too angry, too extreme or unbalanced, it definitely will hurt someone. Therefore, I dare not rouse its instinct."
He observed the middle way, exactly like us - the spiritual practitioners. Actually, most animals won't get mad. You may have read in the newspapers a story of a crocodile that saved a child. It held the child in its mouth and took him ashore to his father. Sometimes the crocodiles will save people. I read in the newspaper that some bears, when they saw a cat or other animal in hunger, shared its food with them. Recently, some Christian priests found several children, over ten years old, who had been brought up by a wolf pack. They had been missing since they were small. The wolves raised them, so they crawled on all four limbs like wolves, only not as fast. Some hair had grown over their body too. The wolves didn't hurt the children who lived all the while with them.
There were also children raised by a crocodile for over ten years, who were later brought back to human society. However, they still missed the wilderness where they were used to more freedom. Having lived with the animals for over ten years, they had gotten used to it! They thought that the crocodiles were their parents.
After they returned to the human world, they felt strange, frustrated and unhappy. They learnt to speak some human language, wear human clothes, act in the human ways, walk with two feet, and eat like humans. Nonetheless, they still loved to crawl on the floor, take off their clothes, and run around freely.
Some of the children escaped later! Some died in misery. After a few years, they couldn't live anymore. If these stories were true (proven by photos in the newspapers), not fabricated by the newspapers to boost sales, it indicates that even animals are benign in nature.
In fact, all living beings are originally benign in nature. Only when they have been provoked will they be afraid and attack us. You must have heard that, when you run into a snake, all you have to do is to remain motionless, then the snake will not bite you. It will bite if you run; it attacks because it is frightened. Even savage beasts, when they are not hungry, would not attack people. Most animals are afraid of people, instead of the people being afraid of them. They attack people only when they have no choice. These are the research finding conducted by people - not my opinion. I didn't do any research, so I don't know.
When you see animal, better not get too close. Don't say that: Master said that they are gentle in nature! (Laughter) They are, but you have wisdom, so run when you see them. Don't try anything; don't recite the holy names and try to deliver them to liberation, please! (Laughter) We can't even deliver human beings, not to mention animals; don't dream about it! Liang Yang really knew the theory of 'the middle way' and natural harmony, so he could tame the animals.
He continued to say, "I have no intention of suppressing their inner needs or desires, so I do not provoke them. I am never agitated, and I often pat them to make them feel happy and contented. Therefore, all the animals and beasts take me as their friend and one of their kind. I do everything according to their will, so they wander about in the compound contented and happy; they won't miss the mountains and hills. Sleeping in front of my courtyard, they won't think about the deep caves and jungles. This is a very natural theory."
We also have some animal characteristics in us. As we have blood and energy, we often have temper. If we continue to surrender to our mind, we cannot change our habits, and we can never have peace and happiness. We should know what is enough, when to stop, and do not spoil our mind. When we are meditating, the mind may tell us to go and drink coffee. Having finished with the coffee, you ask it if you can meditate now. It will say, "Not yet! Now you should go to see the girls...." Then, we have no end to it! This mind simply loves to play, like a monkey. That is why we say: the heart is restless like a monkey, and the thought capricious like a horse. We are not to over control our mind or habit, but we also should not spoil it too much - this is the middle way. Let me advise you: don't blame yourself too much, nor should you practice in too ascetic a way. If we practice in an exceedingly ascetic way, our mind cannot stand it! Just like an animal, if you do not give it what it likes to eat, or if you fail to feed it when it is hungry, one day it will be angry and resist you. When you are off alert, it will claw or bite you. These incidents happen very often.
We have also to take good care of our body. Eat when you are hungry, and sleep when you are tired. Of course, you still have to meditate "by the way". (Laughter) What are you laughing at? I just tell you the truth. Every day, you have given the best eight hours to your boss, not to mention the two or three hours spent in travelling, which add up to at least ten hours. Having to put on make-up and clothes, and take a bath before you go to work, you need another one and a half hours, so it is eleven to twelve hours. And, you have to take meals - then it is thirteen hours; after adding in the eight hours of sleeping, how much you have left for God? If it is not meditating "by the way," what is it? And you still complain that two and a half hours' meditation is too much, and you can't stand it. Then you might as well transmigrate life after life, and come back again next life. You struggle for over ten hours each day just for a little monthly salary. You sell yourself for just a few thousand dollars! When you die later, you cannot take them along. You know very well that you have to leave one day, and all that you have must be left behind - not even a single penny can be taken along, yet you carry on selling your life for it.
Your tiny bit of meditation is for earning your future blessings, and for the soul elevation of your five, six, seven, or eight generations. Nevertheless, you complain. So, what is it if it is not "by the way?"
We have only twenty-four hours in each day; you have taken twelve hours, and then spent four more hours watching television, chatting on the telephone, reading newspapers, seeing friends, drinking coffee, and shopping with your wife...and there are birthdays, death days, festival days, wedding days, chaotic days and many other days. How much time is left? According to my calculations, you hardly have an hour left. Then you still take the opportunity to doze, instead of genuinely offering God the two-and-a-half hours. Hes can understand anyway, never mind!
We do our best and meditate as much as we can. I won't force you in this aspect; I can only advise you. The more diligent you meditate, the clearer and more tranquil your mind will be. Only then can you handle your important or trivial matters. It is not for my benefit that I ask you to meditate.
When your atmosphere improves, the country and the world also become better. Do you think it is good if every person has a killing atmosphere? When you are pure and have kept the precepts clearly, your conscience is stable. When a person is stable in conscience, naturally a peaceful atmosphere will be generated. He fears no one, he won't be nervous, he has nothing to hide, and his conscience is absolutely at ease. You will feel comfortable seeing him. Certainly, this atmosphere affects the surroundings. If more people have this good atmosphere, the world will have peace. There is no need to talk about big things like heaven or hell, retribution or Buddhas; the power of influence of our own atmosphere is great enough.
When you see a fierce person, you are naturally and immediately terrified. Before he tries to kill you, your legs are already shaking! The tiger doesn't have to kill you; you are terrified just by seeing it! When you see a monk, you will feel that he is benevolent and trustworthy; you feel safe to entrust all your secrets to him. When you see a witch, you immediately recognize him even if he doesn't harm you. You are frightened to death just by seeing him, because he has very strong thoughts, very vicious thoughts. What we will perceive is that this kind of people can do all kinds of vicious things. Sometimes, when we see police officers on the street, the feeling is different from when we see other people; we will slow down the car, (laughter) and automatically become nervous.
Each person will emit a different type of awe-inspiring atmosphere or aura, depending on their individual mission. You all say that you are scared of me, but I am such a benign and beautiful person! (Master and all laughed.) Why are you afraid? It is not fear, but respect. Some people tremble when they see me, but I haven't done anything! I am such a nice person. Perhaps my vibration is stronger, I don't know. You know, because you can feel it.
People who will be frightened are those who have done something wrong, failed to keep the precepts clearly, or didn't meditate enough. Good practitioners will be happy to see Master, and have no fear. If you are afraid of me, you are exposing your inner situation to others! Therefore, you better be more diligent in your practice and meditation, mind more about your inner morality, then you will feel that I am your friend when you see me.
Why should you be afraid? I never feared anyone, why should I? I have met many important personages, but I was not afraid of them - they were afraid of me. (Laughter and applause) Why should we be afraid if we have done nothing bad? When our conscience is clear, which can be opened to show everyone, then we fear no one, not even death, because we know ourselves perfectly.
We only fear that we don't know ourselves; we do not fear if other people know whether we are good or not. Knowing we are good is the best. However, even better is that even we ourselves are not aware of it. Just like the flower, it doesn't speak, but it is pretty; like the sun, it doesn't speak, but it radiates power of life. When we reach this level in our cultivation, we have no more ego! Then, we fear no one - not because we are very good, but because we do not know whether we are good or not.
So let it be! Sleep when we are tired, and eat when hungry. The same also applies to our spiritual practice. Don't go to extremes and torture our body and mind; God didn't create us to be tortured. Besides, we are Hiers children. Think about it clearly. If you are not God's child, then it is your own business. I know I am. (Laughter)
I don't know if you came from another source. However, I'd have great suspicion about your obscure origin. If God didn't create us, who else did? Think about it! Who but God could have created all beings? Do you think that there are two Gods? One mother married to two husbands? It's impossible!
So, we are all from God. All of creation are from God, including the trees and animals. This is beyond argument. No philosophy can argue this truth. Who else except God, the Lord of all of creation, could have created us? Therefore, we are very precious.
Since we are all God's children, we have more reasons not to torture our brothers and sisters, including the animals. They are our younger brothers and sisters with weaker and younger souls. They have not yet developed themselves to the level of humans. We observe a vegetarian diet out of compassion. We cannot bear to see them suffer. Though we do not slaughter them ourselves, we can imagine their pain. Our concept must be correct. Vegetarianism cannot bring us enlightenment. If it was possible, the cows would have become enlightened beings long ago! So would the rats and rabbits too!
We will have to wait. We should not become vegetarians because we want God to forgive us, nor should we torture our body to gain God's recognition. Hes looks down upon these people, I tell you the truth. I have asked Hierm before, and Hes said it is not the way.
Some people practice in very irrational ways. They have holes all over their body due to nail punctures or sleeping on a nail bed. Sometimes, they hang upside down on a tree; or, they will eat the nauseating excreted matters to torture themselves, just to show God how much they love Hierm. How on earth would God eat those things? If I were God, would I like to get close to people who drink urine and eat filth? Would you like it if you were God?
If God is the noblest being, Hes will prefer to have noble children. Hiers children should be very high-classed, at least like you. We ought to glorify God with our good examples, and make offerings to Hierm with our pure and beautiful acts, speech and thoughts, within and without. Only then we deserve to be Hiers children. How is it possible that God's children eat feces like animals, hang themselves high, murder themselves, or chop and cut their own flesh? Would God ask you to do this? If God told us to do this, I will refuse Hierm, and put an announcement in the newspapers: "I don't want You!"(Master and everyone laugh.)
Is God so senseless? Could there be such a senseless God? (Answer: No) We humans also should not be so senseless. Even our parents cannot bear to see us injured or harmed, not to mention God. How can Hes be so senseless?
Practicing with the wrong method, even if we torture ourselves for hundreds or millions of years, is still futile. It is because the idea is wrong. We don't know why we practice in this way. We don't know that God is the power of love. God wishes us to be glorious. We are Hiers children. Hes can't wait to help us. How is it possible that Hes would torture or harm us, and let us suffer from injury, pain and bleeding?
If our concept is incorrect, our spiritual practice can take us to the position of the King of Maya at the highest. Since our concept is one of illusion, naturally we will become the King of Maya. We can never attain the supreme position, sitting next to God, or become a Buddha. When the concept is one of illusion, one will become a devil; not one with two long teeth and screaming loudly but the concept of the negative power.
I can see it clearly now. Before I didn't, I used to think that those people are also great. I cannot sleep on a nail bed; I feel more comfortable sleeping on a softer bed. (Laughter) In winter, I cannot sleep if I am not warm. Otherwise, how can I work? It is also all right for us to sleep on a nail bed. We can do it with some training!
We human have great latent power, and we can train ourselves to do anything we want. That is why many people can walk on a steel wire, or hang on a tree the whole day long without feeling anything. They can even put dozens of hot stoves around them under the hot summer sun, in order to offer themselves to God by the Ganges River. We can live like animals if we wish, but this is regressive. God wants us to progress. Only animals eat those filthy things.
God created plenty of food for us. Did the Bible say: I created the feces and urine as your food? (Answer: No) Hes said: "I created many beautiful plants and fruits to please your eyes and nourish your body. These are food for you." Didn't Hes state clearly that these are our food? (Answer: Yes) Right on the first page of the Old Testament!
The old testament Bible also didn't tell people to eat meat. The Catholics should be clear about this point. God didn't state: I created the animals as your food. Hes said: "I created the trees, fruits, vegetables, and these shall be your food." Hes also said: "And for each type of creature on earth, I have created different kinds of food for them."
The food for human are the plants, flowers, herbs and vegetables. Hes said, "We should teach the animals, take care of them, and educate their souls to grow." Hes never said that we could kill the animals to eat; the animals are not listed in our menu! (Laughter)
Whatever Master teaches is not only logical, but also conforms with any of the eastern or western scriptures. We should observe carefully to avoid falling into superstition. Only then we know how to answer others when asked why you follow Master. You don't follow me because I am the Buddha. It was you who called me Buddha. In Sanskrit, Buddha means an old person, an elderly grandpa. I am so young and beautiful, yet you call me grandpa. This is an insult to me! (Master and everyone laugh.) It is not a glorious position; I have no desire for this reputation.
Don't believe Me just because I am a special person. You believe people's words only when they are logical. You don't blindly believe just because I say it, but because my words are logical and beyond dispute. If this is what you are doing, then you are very foolish!
This path is the only correct one - there is no other way. It is beyond dispute, so you are convinced. This is very logical. Whoever says it makes no difference. We listen to someone not because he is a great person or a Master, not because he is adored by the whole world, or that he is the president; it is impossible.
Our body is so precious, and our soul so rare. We are God's children, so we must not sell ourselves cheaply and randomly to other people. Do not let their garbage becomes our own. Our mind is not a garbage station where anything is accepted. We accept only good things and reject the bad. If my words are illogical, you have the right to doubt me. You may tell me, though I doubt that I have said anything wrong. I am very humble, I just speak the truth.
