Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai,
Seven-day Retreat in Ilan, Formosa
August 12-18, 1988 (Originally in Chinese) MP3-2

All of you are attached to visions in meditation, considering them to be real spiritual experiences, and visions that you see when you are not meditating just do not count. But actually, at that moment you are really meditating, because "Zen prevails in everything." Meditation doesn't mean that we sit tight and regulate ourselves. That is the incorrect way, because at that time, we meditate with our ego, and that's why we have no experiences. We should do it in a natural way in order to attain enlightenment.

If you are as relaxed in your meditation as when you see me, that is real meditation. We have heard the story about someone becoming enlightened while chopping logs, and another case about someone else getting enlightened upon hearing a few words from an Enlightened Master. That is it. Why don't you have an experience after hours of sitting vexed in meditation? It is because you do it with your ego, your mind. You focus your attention too hard; you push yourselves too much, so you become attached and nervous. That's why you have no experiences. That is not real meditation. It is just a kind of drill.

Real meditation takes place at any time. That's why some of you have good experiences when you are asleep or when you look at me attentively. That is meditation, for your attention is focused at that time. You concentrate because you are delighted to see me or listen to me, and you put aside your prejudices at that time. That is when you meditate, isn't it? That's when you have a normal experience.

Suppose you sit there with your brows knit, thinking, "I want to meditate. Oh! How come I have no experience? Why has it not come yet? Oh! When will it come?" (Audience laughs.) You are rushing yourself, rushing the enlightened experience. But these experiences never hurry. They come as they may, and go as they want. They don't attach to anything; as the Diamond Sutra says, enlightenment comes when we do not attach to anything. We should follow this paragon in order to attain enlightenment.

When you gaze at me in a very pure state of mind without the slightest disturbance, you have all the experiences that you should have. Some of you, while attending my lectures, have seen the lecture hall turn into a world of extremely brilliant light. That is the Pure Land. That is what is meant by the saying "the Pure Land is right in front of us." Our world is a physical one, but when we concentrate spiritually, it becomes the Pure Land at once, and devils can become saints in our eyes.

Some of you complain to me that you do not have such good experiences after you join group meditation. Actually, that's because your ego has come out and your love has diminished. The fellow initiates are not affecting you. You should not blame others; instead, you should retrospect on yourselves. That's why I don't like those who complain; it's just that I don't say so. These people expect me to blame others, but I won't be biased.

Some of you have many things on your minds when you look at me. You see as if you don't. Then you had better not look. Even as you look at me, many things are going on in your minds. You are wondering whether you should recite the Holy Names, as if you want to drive me away. (Audience laughs.) If you should remember to do that while looking at me, it means you want to drive me away quickly and that makes me feel uncomfortable. You should look at me like a child who has not seen his parents for a long time, and then you will have inner experiences, which will be the best that you can have.