We have many disciples who are from I-Kuan Tao. A lot, the “pioneers” or what… (Transmission masters.) “Transmission masters.” Or “temple masters,” they all come to learn with Master. Some of them became my closest chief disciples. Just look at their photos and you’ll know. Many with crew cuts came from I-Kuan Tao, We have both “pioneers” and “followers.” We have many “pioneers.” Countless “transmission masters.” A lot, a lot of I-Kuan Tao followers. You know there’s some music which describes… (“Mother of the Earth.”) “Mother Earth.” And something about following the Sun, or the stars here to get initiated and the like. (“The Heart of the Moon.”) “The Heart of the Moon.” She wrote many songs for me; she is a I-Kuan Tao follower. I-Kuan Tao followers like me very much.
There was an old gentleman from Taiwan (Formosa). He is initiated for 18 years. That must be the first one. Oh, it’s you, right? Actually, he is a very important guy in another group – you know, the I-Kuan Tao? Yes. He followed I-Kuan Tao, 50 years. He also practiced another Taoist [way], for 24 years. And then he was with me 18 years, finally. The last path of his life, “Ching Hai-ism.”
(Eighteen years ago, Lao Tzu told me to jump into the sea. It’s Lao Tzu, eighteen years ago.) Understand. (He told me to jump into the sea.) I see. (I had attained the Tao so my body was no longer useful. I went to the Jinsha Bay in Taipei and jumped into the sea. When I jumped off, I hit a rock here and bled severely. So I went home. Three days later, Lao Tzu told me, “You won’t die jumping here. Go jump into the Tamsui River, the clean water.” I went there and jumped, but still didn’t die.) Didn’t you understand? (Then I came back. Seven days later, Lao Tzu told me, “Just go up there to cleanse yourself, and it would be fine.” After a year or so, I heard about our Master Ching Hai. So, it meant jumping into the Ching Hai Sea, not jumping into the sea! [“Hai” means “sea” in Chinese.])
Some were told by their Lao Mu (Heavenly Mother) from inside to come and learn from me. (And Ji Gong.) Ji Gong told them to learn from me; that’s why they came. Otherwise, it’s not easy to “seduce” I-Kuan Tao followers. (Talk about them shooting a sword and falling.) What did you say? (She said she shot a sword at Master.) Yeah. One of their disciples, a senior disciple, came and shot a sword at me trying to kill me. An invisible sword, a sword of light, shot from a distance trying to kill me. And then the sword became chocolate. When it touched my Light, it turned into chocolate, soft. (You’ve seen how powerful Master is.) And that person came to take refuge in me and learn with me. Now she’s still here. The sword she shot was so long, if it were shot into a normal human, he would be dead. Dying without any disease, and no one will ever find the cause. Later on, after she became Master’s disciple, once she was won over, she told the story. How scary. I said that if she had said it earlier, I wouldn’t have dared to accept her as a disciple. But she has no more swords; they softened and became chocolate and noodles. How scary!
I tell you, if you don’t have the power, you are risking your life. It’s not that if you want to be an enlightened Master, you can become one; many people will come to test you. I-Kuan Tao followers are… very important. They’re also Taoists, with a lot of magical powers. Many of Master’s disciples are I-Kuan Tao followers. Some of them have practiced to a high level. They could see who I am, and then they came. I can’t lie to them. They have magical powers. Some I-Kuan Tao followers are very sincere, very high level I-Kuan Tao followers. Like the “pioneers,” they all have supernatural power. They came only after seeing it. I can’t tell them who I am. Actually I can’t. They wouldn’t believe it even if I told them. They came because they saw it themselves. I don’t know what they saw, they talked a lot.
(But some of them are fake. Officially, they say it’s 30%. About 30% are fake? Is that so?) Some are fake, and some are real. (They say it’s fake.) Some of them are real. Some are real. To have shot such a long sword at me. Some Taoists have a lot of magical powers. I have many disciples who are high level Taoists. In Taiwan (Formosa), they are the highest, very rare, and they truly stay. They shot such a long sword into the air. Like that. When it’s time for a sword fight, they shoot it like this, upward, just like what we see in the movies. (Sword of Light.) Ah? (Sword of Light.) Sword of Light, so long. Flying to the sky, and then dragon and phoenix, fighting over there. It’s also a scary scene.
(But Master, I’d like to ask You. On the day they were worshiping the Lao Mu [Heavenly Mother], when a shrine was being inaugurated. There was a picture of Quan Yin Bodhisattva in the shrine, and Quan Yin Bodhisattva walked right out of it, Was it real or fake?) I don’t know. You were the one who saw it; why ask me? (I want to ask Master.) I didn’t see it. How am I supposed to tell you whether it was real or not? (When they turned on the light, they saw the Buddha coming out.) Sometimes it’s an exposure of light. (Light exposure.) It’s good as long as there’s the Buddha. It’s good if it’s truly the Buddha. If you see it yourself, then say it. If you don’t, then say nothing. I didn’t see it, and so I can’t say anything. Right? (Yes.) If I see it personally, then I can tell you. Yes? (Yes.) You have no personal experience. You just hear it from others, and then come to ask me. How am I supposed to answer you? This is something that can’t be solved. And I don’t know which shrine you’re talking about? Where is it? And when? What Buddha came out? I can tell only if I see it.
If you see it yourself, then you can talk about it. But if you don’t see it, don’t spread it around anymore. After spreading it, it becomes just like a mythical story, and there are way too many of those. Our own mythical stories are based on actual discoveries and real experiences told by our disciples from their personal experience. Otherwise, what’s the use of just telling the mythical stories based on hearsay? Too much hearsay. (Therefore, I myself… The transmission master from Taiwan [Formosa] showed me the photo. He said it happened in Taiwan [Formosa] when someone opened a shrine. He showed it to me; I looked and said I didn’t know if it was real or not. Because in the past, some people were selling photos of Quan Yin Bodhisattva, the one that appeared in a foreigner’s photo. I asked if it was real or fake and he told us…) Then you ask the people over there yourself. I’m a complete novice when it comes to these things. I don’t collect those kinds of photos.
Sometimes when people relay messages, they only say a little bit, and exaggerate it a lot until it becomes something different. Sometimes what he meant wasn’t like that, and then we misunderstand and distort it. As we pass it on, the next person also misunderstands, and then it becomes another story. After being passed around too many times, it becomes troublesome. The best is that we hear the first-hand story, directly, just like when our disciples talk about the responses and miraculous experiences they get, narrated by them directly. Not secondhand, not through a third person. He wrote it down by himself, then it’s OK, then we can believe it, because he is still around, the evidence and the witness are still available. Then we can believe. Otherwise, if it’s just hearsay, I can’t tell; I can’t guarantee. I cannot misguide you. Things become different as we age. Any other question? Yeah. Are you satisfied? (Thank You, Master. Thank You, Master.) OK, OK. Do you have the picture to show me? (Not here.) If not, then why are you asking? (I haven’t brought it here. It’s at home.) You asked an empty question. Not even a picture. (I didn’t bring it here.)
(Master, I’d like to ask what’s the difference between the inner Master and the physical Master?) Oh, the inner Master is inside, and the physical Master is outside. There is a difference. The inner Master is omnipresent, and the physical Master can only be in one place at a time. The physical Master is limited and has only one physical body, while the inner Master has hundreds of billions of Light bodies which are everywhere at the same time. That makes the difference. The physical Master can only speak five to six languages, while the inner Master can speak any language. Why are you crying? Have you seen Her? Did you see the inner Master? Is that the case? Yeah, that’s why you’re so touched. Don’t tell other people. They all know now, never mind, but don’t tell anyone else in the future, otherwise She won’t come anymore. The inner Master is very shy. She is gone the moment you tell.
You see, kids are not always young, and sometimes the elderly aren’t really old. We’ll talk when you bring your father here, OK? My mother is also very old, but she’s practicing very well. She often sees Master’s Manifestation Body. I haven’t been home for more than 20 years, but she often sees me there. And she’s very happy. She meditates for four, five, six hours every day. She’s very old, also over-age, but she’s my mother. I had to. I couldn’t say no when she asked for initiation. It’d be unfilial. What should I do? She has been vegan for a very, very long time. So, sometimes we make an exception. We make an exception. If the old person is related to one of our disciples as a parent, and has been vegan for a long time, for several years, then we can give him or her initiation. But if he hasn’t been vegan, I’m afraid he/she won’t be able to take it and can’t meditate well, or they’ll be in poor physical condition and won’t be able to sit. So, why abuse themselves? Just wait till the next life and practice then. There are always Enlightened Masters. I’m not the only one. After I’m gone, there will be other Enlightened Masters. After he’s gone, he can be reincarnated as a child right away. And after five, six, or seven years, he can get initiation. Won’t it be better than this body? The car is already broken and can’t be repaired. So, let’s not spend money on it.
Alright. Any more questions? Yeah, there is. Behind there. You don’t need to kneel. Too much trouble. (Good evening, Master.) OK, OK. Good evening. (Master, when I meditate… Every time when I meditate, it feels like there are many insects on my face, crawling around. It’s very itchy. May I scratch it with my hand?) Yes, you may. (Yes. Master, during meditation.) Yes, you may. But just endure it if you can. Before meditation, wash your hands clean. Wash your face clean. Wash your body clean with some cool water. It may be better that way. OK? (And…) About the itch… It’s something inside, some not-so-pure thoughts. Anyway, I’m sorry for offending you. Since you asked, I have to tell you. (No problem, Master.) If you become purer in the future, it won’t itch anymore. It’s not that you’re doing it deliberately. Sometimes, it’s the karma. You need to take care of your actions, speech, and thoughts and try to be purer. Pay attention to your food. Choose the kind that’s not too stimulating. Sometimes we don’t have an appetite, and we eat the kind of foods that are very stimulating: too spicy, too sweet, or too sour. They will also arouse our desires. Then we can’t meditate calmly, and there will be lots of those so-called side effect problems. Therefore, Master tells you that your actions, speech, and thoughts have to be pure for meditation. That’s the reason why. It’s not that I’m strict or anything. Why should I be strict with you?
(Also, I often experience cramps and numbness in both legs. Can I shake them? Or move them?) Yes. (Or change position?) The numbness means our so-called chi wants to go up. After enduring it for a while, you won’t feel anything in your whole body anymore, and you won’t even know that your body exists. If you don’t endure it and move around when you are meditating halfway, after a while, the chi will come back down again. Understand? (Understand.) We have to pull the essence of our whole body up here, then it’s liberated. When you do it just halfway, you’ll feel numbness. So sometimes when we’re not focused enough, our body only feels numb partially. There’s no feeling down there. Our body is there, but we can’t use it. Later, when we come out of samadhi, our body will get back to normal again. So, numbness isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But if you cannot endure it, of course you need to move, or you can sit on a chair. You won’t feel too uncomfortable sitting like this. Understand? (Understand.) It’s not necessary to cross your legs. Anything else? (Thank You very much, Master.) You’re welcome. Raise your hand if you want to ask, or grab the microphone. Don’t make me ask again. I’m rather tired.
(Master, in Chinese tradition, when somebody is dead, the family always burns the money,) Yes. (the house. Will that do anything good for the dead person?) Oh, it might do some good for the living, because they will make some money out of it. And also, the living family feels that they have done something for the dead and they feel a little bit comforted. But the dead, I don’t know if they can make use of these things, because nobody died and came back and told me that they need these things. So I cannot tell you whether it’s useful or not. You know what I mean? (Yes. Thank You.) So you have to find some dead person and ask them. I am the living; I don’t know.
(But some people in this country, sometimes they can ask the…) The dead. (the dead to talk.) And then? (And they say they have a house and they feel comfortable there. But I don’t know if it’s true or not.) Well, I can only tell you some of our disciples’ experiences. After they got initiation, some of their dead relatives appeared to them and told them that now they live in a comfortable house and they wear more beautiful clothes, and [they are] comfortable and very relaxed. But they didn’t burn any paper houses or any money for them. They just got the initiation and got all this.
And about the burning [of the] house and all that, I don’t know. I don’t know if it is useful for them or not. It could be useful. At least it’s useful for the factory that manufactures these papers and houses. It’s alright, it’s harmless, it’s harmless. They can do it or they cannot do it, it’s alright. I don’t see any harm in it, but I don’t know if there’s any use in it. If it’s good for your mind, it calms your mind, and it eases your burden that you helped the loved ones to be comfortable, why not? But we have a better way to comfort the dead, that is to get initiation and their life automatically becomes better in the world beyond. That has been proven by disciples.
Photo Caption: “The Sunset of OLD HOME Is Always Special”
