So, maybe we’ll let the Occidental people, the Caucasians, ask something. Mr. Newman? Or the old man? Any more questions? Because if you let the Chinese ask me questions, they will ask me until next year; they’ll never finish. They’re very thirsty for knowledge – the Chinese people. You want it? Have someone go and give them a hand. Anybody want to ask? Otherwise, you waited so long and you don’t ask me anything. Maybe you’re waiting for lunch. That’s what it is. Then why didn’t you say earlier? Then we don’t have to do anything. Just go straight [to lunch]. OK.
(You’ve just explained about heresy.) Yes. (When I read the “Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha,” it says that before the Buddha attained enlightenment, He had defeated 96 kinds of heresies. Is that true? He then became a Buddha. It also mentioned that He had a battle with the demon Bo-xun (pāpīyas). How do You explain that?) They’re not heresies, just illusions. People always translate it wrongly. Many things have been mistranslated. It meant that He Himself had to struggle with His own illusions, prejudices, misunderstandings, and eliminate all of them.
For example, I have many disciples who follow my footsteps. They had never had any [spiritual] experience, never believed in any religion, never had any experience of enlightenment, and didn’t know how to meditate. They weren’t even vegans. Then I teach them from ABC. First, be vegan. Keep the precepts. Refrain from killing and telling lies. Be a good citizen. Be a good husband or wife. Be a good son or daughter. And be filial to parents, loyal to the country leader, and patriotic, etc. The vegan diet is to help cultivate your compassion. Then I give you enlightenment. I help you immediately recognize the place of your enlightenment. Not everyone instantly believes that what the Master says is true. At first, they will still have doubts, because they have a lot of preconceived ideas about how a Master should be. Like having a beard this long, or being this tall, for example. Everyone has their own prejudice. Also, they may have read many books and scriptures. If what I say is different from what they understand, they might think that I’m wrong, when in fact, they are. For example like that. So it takes a long time before they can completely understand. Just like Sakyamuni Buddha at that time, He had to cut off all His own so-called demonic hindrances, obstacles, heretical thoughts, illusions, etc.
I also went through that. I didn’t understand everything right after enlightenment. It took me several years. I had to struggle with my own misunderstandings. I had to explain it to myself or ask an enlightened Master, before I could understand completely. Like before, when I had just become enlightened, I thought I should shave my head, thinking that growing long hair like you do was not good. Afterwards, I thought, “It has nothing to do with enlightenment.” I myself also had to eliminate my own illusions, demonic hindrances, and prejudices. A lot of silly stuff binds us here. Any more questions? Are you satisfied? (One more question.) (Thank You.)
(For example, we Chinese like to say “Manifest one’s heart to see one’s Nature.”) Yes. (Do You have any special explanation about “Manifest one’s heart to see one’s Nature?”) It simply means immediate enlightenment. At that time, you’ll see your own heart and realize your Original Nature. It means the same thing: immediate enlightenment, instant enlightenment, and “understanding your heart and seeing your Nature” are all the same. (So, when an enlightened person sees his heart, what does his heart look like?) It’s this big. About two kilograms in weight. And it is red. OK. Are you satisfied? You already knew the answer – so why ask such a silly question? Do you want me to give you a silly answer? (Master, that’s not an answer.) Yeah. Of course not. (That’s why I’d like to hear Your real answer.) It can’t be answered. You’re asking me about something that can’t be put into words, something intangible, and cannot be discussed, yet you want me to explain it in words, with gestures, and explain it in language. Isn’t that illogical? Didn’t you know it already? And yet you still ask nonsense questions to annoy me, like you’ve got nothing better to do. (Master.) Or just wasting time? (We didn’t intend to ask nonsensical question. I asked a practical question.) I knew. I was just joking with her.
(What is “ignorance,” which is frequently mentioned in Buddhism?) Yes. Got it. (What exactly does ignorance mean?) Yes. There are two characters in Chinese for “ignorance.” The first character means “not” and the second means “understand.” So together it means “not understanding.” You don’t understand anything. You don’t know where you came from, why you are here, where you’ll go after death. You don’t understand anything. That is called “ignorance.” The opposite of that is called “open-mindedness” or “enlightenment” – it’s all about understanding, alright?
(Then is God enlightened?) Hes is. Because Hes is very aware. Hes knows this illusory world is not good for us, but Hes lets it this way – giving us afflictions. It means Hes understands. Hes does it knowingly. So, you can call Hirm enlightened. I’d rather take care of people. People are more unfortunate. As for God – don’t worry about Hirm. Everyone already worships Hirm. We’d better mind our own business. It’s because you asked that I answered that way. When I talk to the Western people, I don’t tell them to put down God. Actually, we don’t have to put Hirm down – nor can we. Hes is everywhere. Hes is inside us. We cannot cast Hirm away. I just meant…I meant, since I was answering your question, I thought I’d also lighten the mood a little. Just a little joke. God is OK. Hes is OK. This is what Hes is. We cannot criticize Hirm. In fact, we cannot judge Hirm and say that Hes is like this or like that. Hes actually is very great, but also very “small.” Hes is the Highest, and also the lowest. Everything belongs to God and God is in everything.
(Recently I saw a photo in Time Magazine about Somalia. I was very upset after seeing it.) Somalia? (Somalia.) (The Somalia…) Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The war. (Yes. The war in that underdeveloped region.) Yes, yes. (Children over there are starving.) I understand. (The photo showed a child suckling from his mother with his eyes closed, and his eyes were covered in flies. If God is wise in creating humans…) What? His eyes were closed? (He was suckling his mother’s milk.) Got it, got it, got it. (Yes. My feeling after seeing the picture was: if God created humans, why also create hunger and so much suffering?)
What can I tell you? We ourselves ask for the suffering. It’s actually like that. But we ourselves are also God, because God is inside us. Actually, we have two choices. From the beginning of the world until now… I’m not talking about today, because we were not just born today. Everything we’ve created – including roads and houses – wasn’t made in one day.
So, what we’re talking about here is: since the beginning of the world, we’ve had a choice between doing good and doing bad. Sometimes we chose to do good, and because we did good deeds, the world had good things, like beautiful palaces, good people, and some happy situations. However, sometimes we chose to do bad. Since the beginning of time, karma has been accumulating life after life, not just today. So, whatever good things we have today, are because we humans had chosen the good, since the beginning of the world.
As for the suffering or disappointments we experience now, it’s because, life after life, we humans chose to do bad. That’s why our world is chaotic – some places are good, some are bad. Therefore, if we don’t want to suffer anymore, we have to turn around and do only good deeds, which is what I teach you to do. If you do only good deeds, you will get only good things in future.
(Then, what about the people in Somalia?) When their time is up, they will wake up; they will be fed up with suffering. (But they can’t hear what You’re saying.) They can. They can. (How can they hear You? You didn’t go to Somalia.) No need. They can hear what I’m saying here. Their souls hear it.
Our souls are omnipresent. Souls don’t need language to communicate, don’t need microphones or televisions. Those are just for the mind. What I say here, the people in Somalia can hear. But their time is not up yet. When their time is up, they… They have heard it today already. The seed has been sown, and it has begun to sprout. After some years, or in their next life, I’ll come and speak to them directly, or take them with me, or other Masters will come to save them. It’s just a matter of time. That’s why any enlightened Master in this world is beneficial to the whole world. I’m not just talking to you. The whole world can hear me. Their subconsciousness can hear me, not their minds.
(Then, will aliens hear You?) They do. (If aliens are not in this solar system, or not in the Milky Way galaxy, how can they hear You? Do they also use the so-called “heart” to listen?) Souls, souls – we are souls. Originally, we all belong to one system. We’re not… For example, your feet, hands, and fingernails are all part of you.
But an ant is so small, it can only see your hand – not your whole body. Similarly, because we are now covered by ignorance, we only see ourselves as individuals. We don’t realize that there is a kind of “connection system” that links the entire Universe together. So, we are all interconnected. That’s why in Buddhism it’s said there is “collective karma.” It means if one or two people do something, many others can be affected. It really happens! In the Bible, it is said that King David… Do you know King David? He did something wrong, and God punished him and his entire country for three or four days. King David, he did something wrong and that affected the whole country for a few days. So, the same thing in Buddhism and Christianity, just to prove to you that we are one.
Photo Caption: Not Just a Pretty Face, Also Beneficial!
