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Selections of Q&A from Chapter M |
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MASTER KNOWS EVERYTHING Q: Is it correct to say that You know everything but You only choose to respond to some things and other things You just don't respond to, even though You know. M: I also don't know. [Master and all laugh] These are very intellectual issues. You know, the mind is different from the soul. The body is different from the Master Power. The body eats, but the Master power doesn't. The body sleeps; the Master Power stays awake 24 hours. The mind responds, and the Master Power just acts with knowledge; it doesn't react. The Master Power has to be above the body, outside the body, and inside the body, in order to know everything at the same time. If it's not really necessary, the Master Power does not direct the mind to understand that, or to do anything. If it's really necessary, then the Master Power will direct the mind to do something, to react to something physically. If not, the Master Power just does it in the abstract sense - outside of the physical realm. Not that the body can understand; not that you and I can understand; not that the brain can understand. The Master Power works 24 hours nonstop. The brain can get tired, overloaded, and exhausted because of too much information, too much stress or too much thinking. The Master Power never does. So, what you're
referring to right now, whether I know or not know, refers to
my brain. In order to know the way you think I should know right
now, I have to use the brain to know the way you think. But that's
also the brain's domain. Knowing is the Master Power. The mind
can be briefed about it with a little information. It doesn't
have to know. If that thing is really important, the Master makes
the mind react, makes me react - "me," in the physical
sense that you see. However the "me" who is the Master
Power always does something, always knows everything, but not
in the physical realm. Spoken by
Supreme Master Ching Hai MASTER Q: What makes You the equal of other great Masters? M: The same thing that makes you equal with other great masters makes me equal. All of us are equal. You are as great as Jesus and Buddha - if you want to be, if you know where your greatness is. I know; that's what makes me great. If you don't know, okay it's fine. If you want to know, you will be as great as any. (BACK TO TOP) Spoken by
Supreme Master Ching Hai EMOTIONS OF THE LIVING MASTER Q: When one becomes a Master, will he or she ever have fear, doubt, or anger? We call Jesus a Master, however, according to the Bible, Jesus was frightened the night before He was crucified. And before His death, Jesus cried, "Why, God, have You deserted me?" Please explain, if Jesus had fear and doubt, how can we have no fear and doubt? M: Yes, they probably would have fear and doubt, but that fear and doubt are not deep-rooted like in us. If Jesus had no fear of the crucifixion, then His sacrifice was not so great. He had fear, but He accepted it. Whereas when we have fear, we run away and we try to blame it on others, or we try to escape. We try to put that cross on someone else. That is the difference. We might have fear, we might have emotion, but we can withdraw it anytime, or we can make use of the fear or emotion for the benefit of other beings. After enlightenment, all the feelings or the emotions are still there because we are made to have these in order to use them to understand other brothers and sisters. If you have no feeling, no emotion, how can you understand human beings? How can you help them? But the fears of the Masters are different. The fear of the Master sometimes is also affected by the fear of the disciples. He takes the fear from the disciples, so the disciples are fearless. The Master will take some degree of that fear, but that is only very shallow and not deep-rooted - only illusionary. And the Master, on one hand has fear, but, on the other hand, definitely has no fear. He knows he has to have fear, but he doesn't fear the fear. (BACK TO TOP) Spoken by
Supreme Master Ching Hai DEFINITION OF MASTER Q: What does the word "Master" mean? M: "Master" means you already know how to master yourself, and you are not torn apart by different obstacles in life. (BACK TO TOP) Spoken by
Supreme Master Ching Hai MEDITATION METHODS Q: I heard on some of Your tapes that You recommend not mixing practices. Perhaps You can clarify for us what You intended by that. M: Only when it has anything to do with breath control; that is all. Otherwise, there is not much there. For example, there are many kinds of so-called meditation. People say anything is meditation, so we are confused. But actually there are different types. There is a kind of mantra practice; they recite something. People also call that meditation, so that's confusing. People tell you to pay attention to your breathing- you breathe in and breathe out, and that they also call meditation. Some people say you have to pay attention to the solar plexus, the abdomen, all the time; that they also call meditation. Fine, there is nothing wrong with that. But we abuse the word "meditation" too much and confuse people; because otherwise, I would say that everyone meditates anyhow. This morning when some of the television interviewers said, "We are not used to meditation; we don't know what is meditation, and you tell us to meditate," I said "Yes, you meditate all the time; some people meditate on money, some people meditate on girls, some people meditate on drugs when they don't have enough of them." That's their meditation. When you pay attention to something to a very extravagant degree that is when you meditate. Therefore, I
say to you, "Be concentrated, be one-pointed with my teachings".
That's why you get the best results. If you meditate on my teachings
and meditate on money at the same time or meditate on a mantra
at the same time, of course, you are divided and that's very
logical. I am not a dictator. I just tell you what is good for
you. Whatever you want to do, you have to pay all your attention
to that point. Whether you meditate, you fix the car, or you
drive a taxi, if you don't pay attention, you will get into trouble.
That's it. All of these are kind of secret codes, secret methods, to speed yourself on the highway of spirituality. There is nothing dictating about that because if you don't do it, I will never say anything to you. I will never scold you. I will never ring you and say, "Hey, you didn't do it." Or I will never check up on it. It's all your choice. The path of freedom is a path of responsibility, self-responsibility, so I never impose anything. Just to suggest, just to tell you, "This is a good way. If you do it, you surely will get that. If you don't, okay, you'll get half or maybe three quarters." (BACK TO TOP) Spoken by
Supreme Master Ching Hai PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF THE QUAN YIN METHOD Q: What is the real practical purpose in our everyday life of following this meditation? Where will You lead us? M: Because we don't use our complete wisdom, we have a lot of anxiety, and sometimes we do things in an unsure way. Sometimes, we are unhappy and feel many external pressures, and also we are frightened of situations; therefore, we are not peaceful and stable no matter which position or how much money we have. If we find this greatest Wisdom inside, we can do things better and clearer. We are happier, more stable, and peaceful, and this is good for daily life already. Also, we love others more unconditionally; all hatred and envy fall away. (BACK TO TOP) Spoken by
Supreme Master Ching Hai MAKE UP FOR THE MISTAKES Q: If a wrong is done and can cause bad karma, how can it be reversed or undone? M: Do the opposite. Try
to make up for it. Not only stop doing wrong, but continue doing
right, or start doing right. Not only do we not steal from other
people, but we also help the people who are poor and truly in
need. That's the true correction for what we did. For example,
you have a husband and you have an affair with another man. Only
for example, please! [Laughter] Now you feel sorry about it.
It is not only that you have already stopped the affair because
your husband doesn't like it, but you also have to love your
husband more. Take care of him more. Help him to feel better.
Help your family relationships to become more solid and happier
for you, your husband, and your children. That's the positive
way of repenting our wrong deed. Not only do we stop doing wrong,
but we have to do right. Spoken by
Supreme Master Ching Hai HOW TO MAKE OUR MOTIVES SELFLESS Q: How can we know the motives of all our actions - if we're doing something out of service, out of proving our qualities, or if we're just doing something because of our ego? M: We do know what we're doing, don't we? You know what you're doing it for. You can feel it right away. And even if you don't realize it in the beginning, later you can check yourself and you'll know why you're doing this and why you're doing that. If you've doing it for ego, then just check yourself, turn around, and be more selfless. Many times in the beginning, probably we do not know why we do this and that. We take up some service, some work, probably out of a competitive kind of attitude. But then as soon as we realize that we're being competitive, we turn around immediately and say, "Oh, no! I should not think that way. I should not feel this way. I should take this honor and opportunity to serve people selflessly." That is nobler. The moment that we realize we aren't noble enough in our behavior and in our intentions, we just check on ourselves, and then change our attitude. The service remains the same, but just the attitude should be changed. Even if we didn't have a noble intention in the beginning, we still can change in the middle of it. It's sometimes difficult because we cheat ourselves too. The mind cheats us into thinking, "Oh! I want to serve humankind." But sometimes we serve more out of self-interest. After we check ourselves for a long while, we become more prudent in our attitude, in our thinking, in our motives. Then it becomes that we're just selfless by nature. Even sometimes if we do it with the ego, it's all right. Just forgive yourself. At least someone else is being served; someone else benefits from your actions. Then it's okay. But it is better for us, if we know that our intentions are noble so that we know we're on the way to becoming a better, more improved being. (BACK TO TOP) Spoken by
Supreme Master Ching Hai |
