Spiritual Practice

Spiritual practice is not folding your legs to meditate. Spiritual practice begins the moment you have the thought of wanting to contemplate on the ephemerality of life, and to purify yourself into a perfect being ...



Attitude Toward Spiritual Practice
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 4, 1993

Q: Do You love Your students equally, regardless of their levels of attainment, or do You take care of Your students even if they do not practice well?

M: That means you want to come (for initiation) and you're already prepared not to practice well. You want to get assurance from me, right? You should not come with this attitude. You should come with a very determined mind to do your best, not always expecting something, but to offer, because this business is for your own sake.

Of course, I love my disciples equally, if that's what you want to know. But that's my business. Your business is to do your best in order to get the best out of yourself, not for my love. Even if I love you, and you are lousy and your level is low, what's the good of that for you? What you get is important for you whether I love you or not.

Time for Spiritual Practice
Spoken by the Supreme Master Ching Hai
Lecture at Harvard University, U.S.A., February 24, 1991

Q: To take time for yourself to be self-fulfilling, is this truly selfish?

M: It's not selfish. For example, if you take time to eat because after a whole day's work for society you're tired and hungry, and need to regain some energy, it's not selfish. If for this body alone, so ephemeral and short-lived, we have to work so hard and invent so many things and cook so many meals to feed it, how much more must we take time to feed our spiritual body? It's not selfish; it's the right thing to do. It's because we are not used to it, we are used to doing things the hard way, the wrong way, and now we get the correct way and we think it's selfish. It's not true.

If everyone in the world never eats, but you feel hungry and eat, they will think you're selfish. [Laughter] But we should eat, inside and outside. It is because we don't eat this kind of spiritual food that we are hungry, we suffer, and we are ignorant. We don't know what to do next, we struggle so much, and we're always lost in this life. It's not selfish; it's absolutely unselfish.

Progress in Spiritual Practice
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Hawaii, September 4, 1994

Q: Dear Master, do You think that there will ever be a day when we can all just go back Home and not have to deal with these earthly issues and matters anymore?

M: Definitely, we'll go Home.

Q: I mean all of us!

M: All of us! No one will be left behind. There's no second coming for you, [Laughter] unless you want it so badly because a beautiful woman is left behind or something like that. Because this time is a very bad period for our world, the Master Power decided that we have suffered enough. So, if we just make a little effort and have just a little sincerity, the Master will embrace us and disregard everything. [Master sighs] To be honest, you can't meditate in this world. You really can't. So, whatever time we can meditate or whatever the outcome, truly comes from the grace of the Master. I mean the Master Power; I don't mean this person.

During the night, the Master will take us to different levels where it's safer and better. In the day, we are too busy. Our mind is running against the spiritual Power, so we have to do it quickly this time. If you keep the Precepts, meditate, and go to group meditation, you'll see yourself improve so fast that you cannot imagine. When you look back at yourself, it's like someone else behind there, really! And they'll tell you that - the people who have experienced it. I don't say this because I know it from books, but it's from my own experience and the living examples of your brothers and sisters.

It's nice to see your family members (fellow initiates) once a week, no? It's good, but not many people can keep up although it is very beneficial for them. And if you cannot go to group meditation, if you don't want to, or for any reason, please meditate at home. There's no "must" for anything; it's just that it's beneficial for you. Whatever I tell you is only what is good for you. There are no forbidden items! If you keep it, it's good for you; and if you don't keep it, well, you'll experience some setbacks or some obstructions and then you'll know why.