If all of us are Buddhas, originally Buddhas, then why have we become sentient beings? Why have we become like this? And, if we are all Buddhas, why do we have to keep the precepts, and be so serious in spiritual practice? Why do we have to avoid evil and be virtuous? Does anyone know why? Since everyone says that we’re Buddhas, we’re children of Heaven, meaning the children of the Kingdom of God, which is within us, that Buddha Nature is within us, and the Tao is within us, etc., then why do we still have to avoid evil and be virtuous? (Play the drama well.) Huh? (Play the drama well.) Play the drama well? Kneel. Kneel down, nonsense! (Because everything is just a show in a dream. It’s but a play in the dream.) You must be kidding. If someone beats you to death in your dream, will you feel hurt? If someone takes your wife away, takes your son away, won’t you scream and cry? You certainly would tell the police. It’s like this. I’ve told you before. Never mind. I pardon you. Just joking.
I’ve told you, perhaps. Everything is God. Everything is created by God, everything has Buddha Nature. And you remember many Zen stories, Chinese Zen stories. For example, a Zen master and his disciple, who probably had attained enlightenment. It seemed like that. Then the two had a match. Someone seemed to offer a (vegan) cookie that day. I can’t remember the details of the story, but it seems like that. There’s a (vegan) cookie, from where I don’t know. The two held a competition, and only the winner could eat that (vegan) cookie. Such was the condition. The one who could tell the story, for example, about Buddha, in the dirtiest, lowest status would be the winner.
Then, perhaps the Master… or the disciple told the story first. Does anyone know the story? The story about the worm enjoying coolness in the cesspool. Is there anyone who knows? He said that the Buddha Nature was in there. Didn’t he? Someone asked the other person, “What is Buddha?” He answered, Buddha is… a piece of what? Ah? (A roof tile.) (A kiln-fired roof tile.) What kiln-fired roof tile? (Paving the roof.) (A roof tile.) (Those on the roof.) (Roof tile.) That is too clean. Alright. I’ve forgotten the name. But I know it. The Master said that he was …(Dung.) Buddha is something like a “cesspool.” Like a septic tank. And then…What? (Maggots, worms in feces.) Then the disciple said that he was the worm in the cesspool, meaning he’s even worse. Then the Master said, “Alright. Of course, you are lower than me, which is wonderful. But I’d like to know, what you are doing in there?” He said that he was enjoying the coolness there over the summer. He was enjoying the coolness. Meaning he was at ease, carefree, and it’s OK for him to be anywhere. It means that both of them had attained enlightenment. That the Buddha exists even in there. Understand what I mean?
Someone asked another Zen Master, “What is Buddha?” He said that it’s dried, reduced to dust, like a chopstick or something, meaning very low status. Even very low, very humble, and very dirty – that is also Buddha. Then, of course, people who have not attained the Tao, have not been enlightened, would criticize that person for slandering the Buddha. While an enlightened person will know it’s nothing. Everything is Buddha. Buddha is everywhere. God is everywhere. Everything is God. If this is true, why do we have to keep the precepts? Why do we have to do good deeds? Why do we have to avoid those dirty, evil deeds? If those evil people also have Buddha Nature, God, and are also created by God, then why do we have to meditate? Why do you have to do good deeds and keep the precepts?
I tell you. It’s because, life after life, we have already learned those nasty things. For example, God is like that: In the lowest, it’s Hirm; in the middle, it’s Hirm; and in the highest, it’s Hirm too. Where are we now? We’re in the lowest place, or at least in the middle place. At best we’re in the middle place. We haven’t recognized the higher place yet. Now, if we continue doing that kind of nasty work, or doing evil deeds instead of keeping the precepts, without clear understanding, then we only recognize the lower aspect of Hirm. We’ll never be able to climb up and recognize the highest part of Hirm. So, now, having learned the low aspects, we leave it. Life after life, we’ve learned too much, enough for us. Now we want to climb up. Or, given that we’re in the middle part and are much cleaner now, we still have to climb up. We want to know: Heaven, Earth, higher part, middle part, and the lowest part. Only then will we know God completely. Understand or not? (Understand.) Only then will we become God. That’s how it is.
Only then will we see that it’s not actually very dirty, not exactly that good, and not exactly that bad. It’s all God, all are arrangements of the Creator. But before we get to know the highest, we cannot think that way. To us, good is good, and bad is bad. Then we are confused: “Huh? Master said that God is everywhere and everything is Tao. Then why does She still ask me to practice so strictly and keep the precepts? Aren’t those doing bad things out there also God?” Yes, yes. But he’s God in another corner. He is still sinking in the dark place. He has not realized it completely.
For example, we live in a… We built a very big house, inside which there are a living room, bedroom, toilets, kitchen. Do you stay in the toilet all day long? Then you’re out of your mind. Since… that… Alright. Alright. Applaud. Of course, we cannot say that the toilet isn’t ours. It’s also built by us, for which we also invested money and effort. We also tried hard to build it very well. But it’s just a toilet. We cannot stay in it all day long. Correct? (Right.)
It’s also the same. When we look at an enlightened Master, it’s similar. We look at every aspect! Not just the so-called bad corner. For example, can we build a beautiful palace without a toilet? No. That is very important, that is very important. And the place for putting the garbage is also important. We cannot have a palace without a toilet, no toilet, and without a place for putting the garbage. They are necessary! The biggest palace is the royal palace. The most important is… for example, there are also those places in the presidential palace.
Likewise, if an enlightened Master stays in the higher place, He wouldn’t need those things. But when He is here, He still needs something to put the garbage. His so-called “bad place” is for putting the garbage. Otherwise, where does He dump our garbage? Leave it there temporarily. He’ll burn it afterward when He has time. Understand what I mean? (Understand.) Therefore, no need to look at how long or short His hair is, what kind of clothes He wears. Those things are irrelevant. He does a lot of things other than that. But I am telling you, I’m keeping my hair long. I’ll keep it long if I want. You initiates definitely have no objection. But some people outside wrote letters asking silly questions. Now, I am not keeping my hair very long, nor am I shaving it. I just keep a little here. It’s good that it doesn’t resemble anything. Before, I shaved my hair neatly and wore tidy nun’s clothes. People said that I tried to catch disciples using the Buddhist attire. But I’ve seen many monks outside with shaved heads, wearing the same clothes as I did; some are wearing even more beautiful clothes than mine, but they didn’t have any disciples. What they said was not true. It’s not true, right? If I grow my hair long, they would say that I belong to Sikhism or some other religion. So I stay in the middle and see what they’ll say. The worst they can say is, “A fashionable lady.”
But I can’t bear keeping my hair too long. Strange. It’ll keep on irritating my eyes and covering my Wisdom Eye. Therefore, it’s more comfortable to have shorter hair and “mow” it every month. “Chop the grass,” right? Just like you cut the grass in the garden. What does it matter? Some like taller grass, and others prefer mowing it flat. Like where they play golf, the grass must be cut strictly flat. Not even a little bit more than allowed. Some people keep their grass a little longer to look good. Cutting our hair short is like cutting the grass. How does it matter? If my hair is too long, I can’t bear it either. I’d feel something weighing on me, while a bald head sometimes gives me a headache, because I like to sleep outdoors. If there is dew, it’ll cause me a headache. I remember that sometimes, it was because of my shaved head. I told the monks and nuns not to shave their heads so bald. But some of them like their heads shiny and even rub oil on their scalp. Even if inside there’s no light, at least the outside is shiny. No. It’s also because of habit. They are used to shaving their heads; if not, they’d feel itchy. Therefore, they like clean shaving. Before, I also loved to have my head bald and shiny, but now I can’t stand it. I was supposed to mow it long ago, but I was lazy and kept it till now. Ah, it irritates me every day.
Alright. Do you want to see me or see Miaoli? (To see Master.) Then, when I was not here, why have more and more people come? Maybe you came to see the monks and nuns, huh? (Waiting for Master to return.) I’ve just said that, in the future we’ll put a sign at the gate saying, “Welcome everyone to see the monks and nuns. Admission fee: five dollars. Two and a half dollars if they don’t come to see people.” We’ll see if anyone wants to come. Will they still come? (Yes.) It’s alright. It’s also good for you to come and enjoy the fresh air even if I’m not here. Meditate up there together, and then take a walk down here. You have been cooking for the whole week; dining out here is also nice. Besides, we don’t charge you for that. Whoever wants to eat, eat. Whoever wants to pay, pay. No one cares whether you pay or not pay. No one checks on you. Everyone feels comfortable. Treating this place as a vacation site is also nice. I’ve done my duty. That’s why I don’t live here. You see how perfect this place is now. It has everything, and everything looks good. Then you don’t need me. I don’t have to live here. (No.)
I don’t really like it. I’m telling you honestly, I can’t stand the crowd. I have been like that since childhood. I’ve been enduring for many years. I’d like to take my leave now. Throughout my life, I’ve never been so comfortable. Oh, living alone in the mountain! Every day it’s like Nirvana. Sometimes a brother from Pingtung can come to my place if there’s anything. Of course, I still have to work living there. I’m not without work. Because there are faxes, letters, etc., which all require my response. A lot of things, a pile of them, including international matters. I’m not free from work. Being able to be there every day is also very comfortable. I’m rather shy. Now I know why. I don’t like places with people, don’t like that lively atmosphere. I’m a rather shy person, kind of shy, since childhood. I couldn’t talk when I was a child, yet I talk so much after growing up. I talk a lot once I’m on the stage.
Because… Sometimes you invite me to give lectures or to go to certain places. I’d think, “If I go out to give a lecture, who will come to listen to me?” Then, if you want people to come, you should write: “Such and such great Master” or “Such and such living Buddha,” etc., then people will come. Then it’ll make me feel so embarrassed. Sometimes I don’t see it and don’t feel anything, but some people will talk. For example, someone wrote a letter and said, “Why do You call Yourself a living Buddha? Didn’t You see what Your disciples have written?” For example like that. Then I’d be shocked, “Huh? Yeah, they wrote it, and I saw it.” I was shocked and checked myself, “Oh, it turns out to be like that.” I really am very shy and don’t like it that way. I couldn’t say that I didn’t see it. Of course, the way I see things is different. I see as if I didn’t see. That’s why I can endure people’s slander. Because praises also mean nothing. They both taste the same, but… it really makes me feel very embarrassed. I cannot stand up and say, “Hey! Look, I’m a Buddha.” Even if I don’t say it myself, the disciples would still say it. No?
Photo Caption: GOD Is So Generous in the Wilderness! Even More Abundantly So in the Realm!
