questions & ANSWERSQ. How can we liberate ourselves from suffering, fromour painful emotions at the right time when we want so bad tolet go of the lives, the circumstances around us! It is hard tosee through because of the people we are attached to and we knowthat there is more to life itself than just ourselves and thelove of someone else we couldn't let go of?
M.Just forgive yourself and try again. Sometimes, in some circumstanceswe are able to control ourselves, but with some great effort,and some other times we don't want to control ourselves, or wecan't control ourselves. In either case, you just do what is goodfor you at that moment. Don't worry much about your emotions.They are only the waves on the surface of the ocean. It is notthe ocean's fault. It is the wind, it is the rotation of the earththat makes the waves. So the ocean cannot blame itself all thetime, and say that he makes the waves, that he makes trouble forthe boats and for the people. He cannot help himself.
..... Q. How do you get rid of bad thinking?
M.Yes, it is difficult. You must use your inborn power. You haveto practice the Quan Yin Method, then you will naturally becomepure. It isn't for us such a struggle anymore. Every day we usethe light and the sound to purify us, to bathe us. But there isalso a sort of inspection, a spiritual diary. Every day you checkyourself to see how much cleaner you have become each day, inspeech, body and mind. You see your progress.
..... Q. What is anger, why does it boil inside of us, andhow do we release it?
M.Sometimes it helps to release it outwardly. Sometimes betweenhusband and wife, or parents and children there is some kind oftension, and after you have cleared it together, you dear theair. It is also helpful. Whatever comes naturally, just let itbe. If you cannot control it, or cannot control it completely,just try not to bear hatred. Just express what you feel in thebest manner you can. Because sometimes, anger when swallowed toomuch, will breed diseases within the body. So the best is thatfirst we have the virtues of God and then all the passions, likeanger, greed, or attachment will subside by and by.
..... Q. How would you explain or define fear?
M.Fear is lack of faith in God. If you always sense God's presenceeverywhere and in all situations, then you have no fear.
..... Q. How do you deal with the fear of letting go of theself?
M.I don't remember how I dealt with it. It just naturally goes away.By getting in touch and merging yourself with God, you just naturallyhave no more self. Slowly, slowly, the self will go out. That'sit. I don't deal with it. To have to deal with it is a problematicthing because the self is very big. Therefore, let God deal withit. After practising our method, you become less and less self,and then you become greater and greater. This is a paradox ofGod, because it is not for us to understand.
..... Q. Dear Master, I always make the same mistakes thatI don't want to make. I feel there are two of me inside, one goodand one bad. How can I stop this?
M.Well, maybe this is the balanced proportion in your life thatyou need to learn. Actually, we can't be too good all the time.You will break! You see the man in the circus, when he walks onthe rope? He has to walk this side, then that side. You know whatI mean! One time he dips on this side, the other time he is sidingto the other side. Otherwise, if he walks just like this, he willfall down. This life has two sides anyhow, one positive, and theother negative; one is happiness, and the other is misery. Sometimes,we can't help ourselves from dipping from one side to the other.It's okay! Forgive yourself. Try if you can. If not, forgive yourself.
..... Q. Why do we have so much bad luck and difficulties!Is it arranged by God?
M.No, it is because we live in this world, and there is action andreaction. We create an individual cause and effect and also havea collective effect from the whole society and all the atmosphere.Bad energy creates accidents, catastrophes, disasters, illnesses,etc. Bad energy comes from our bad thoughts, bad actions and badspeech. Everything carries energy. Therefore, we have to be purein speech, in action and in thinking. That is why we suggest theFive Precepts and the vegetarian diet, to purify our environment.
..... Q. How do you explain rape, cancer and accidents?
M.Karma, cause and effect. "As you sow so shall you reap."'We do not see very far into the past. That is why we blame thepresent. There is nothing that happens without a cause, even thoughsometimes it is not entirely our fault. This world is very sad.That is why we have to find the way out. It is just like if youalways drive your car on the highway, and if you do not find theway to the exit, sometimes your car may run out of gas, or youcan have an accident because someone ran into you.
..... Q. When people invade our psychic space, when shouldwe surrender to it, and when should we fight it off?
M.Everyone has the right to his living room physically, as wellas his psychic room. No one should invade other people's psychicspace. Should it be done so, you ask sincerely that it shouldbe gone. Ask the God power inside to help you. Protect yourselfwith the faith of your religion, but be faithful enough, be strong.Otherwise, we have initiation for you. Use the greatest power,and then everything will leave. In the presence of the king, noother topsy-turvy being can be present.
..... Q. How can we protect children from being contaminatedby modern life, television, drugs, laziness, arrogance, etc.,and respect at the same time their so-called freedom of choice?
M.You can help them by selecting for them what is best on televisionand from their environment, so they can also have the freedomto watch television, but not the freedom to choose bad programs.Freedom is not always the best thing for children who have notyet enough intelligence to choose. When they grow up, you cangive them more freedom. But above all, if you lead a life of virtue,goodness and beauty, you will be an example for your childrento follow.
..... Q. Why do drugs have such an influence over people inAmerica?
M.There are many reasons, some are visible, others are invisible.One obvious reason is that Americans have enough material comfortbut still feel a deep solitude. In some areas, you can drive formiles and miles without seeing a soul, only freeways and forests.You might see a few scattered and hidden houses and almost feellike you are in a desert and very lonely. Communication with neighboursis almost non-existent so you feel lost. Time doesn't seem togo by and you do not know what to do with yourself. Your desireto understand the meaning of life, of death, consumes your souland the pain is so unbearable that you take drugs that offer temporaryrelief and allow you to forget life's reality. People who drinkor take drugs or any other toxic substances all do it for thesame reason. So I never condemn those who take drugs. I only wishto help them and that is why I am here, to offer solutions. Ifyou feel that you are alone, if you don't have a real friend thatloves you unconditionally, then you can always come to me. Wewill always be connected, and you will know that you will alwayshave a friend. You might even see me appear, if you wish and aresincere enough. You will have won an eternal friendship, a guidewith whom you can always share your joys and your problems, andthat will always help you in the best of your interest. You don'tneed to use these cheap substitutes to comfort your soul. Thereare better ones in Heaven and they will be yours after the initiation.
..... Q. Is it justified if I kill a murderer in order tostop his killing of other human beings. If not, what should Ido?
M.Tell the police, because if you kill him, you are the killer andthe police will be after you! Do tell the police so they can dotheir job. It is not your job, all right? But maybe this personwill repent, so give him a chance. When he is in his jail, hemight repent, or he might read some immediate enlightenment book(laughter) and then turn his life around. You never know whatmakes a person turn into a murderer. It can be many complicatedsituations. It could be a very intricate system of society, orsome kind of trap he fell into and couldn't get out of. You seewhat I mean? So we can't just take justice into our hands withoutconsidering a lot of his background, and many of the previouslife karmic nets between the different people's relationships.So sometimes we judge him unfairly. The murderer came maybe tokill those who killed before. And now, if you kill him, next timehe will come back to kill you, and the devilish cycle never ends.So we had better not use violence for violence.
..... Q. So, there is no such thing as a completely hopelessbeing, no matter how many bad things one has done?
M.Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. No one ishopeless. It is just that they don't know they were great, thatthey could be great again. And if they find someone who can showthem their greatness, then everyone can do it. Even the one whokilled 99 people and tried to kill Buddha to make a hundred, becameAllajan. He became a Bodhisattva after the Buddha accepted himand initiated him into the order.
..... Q. How to bebest help to someone who is experiencing serious illness?
M. The car has troubles sometimes . Thecar sometimes burns out, sometimes the tire blows out, sometimesthe outskirts is scratched or something. What do you do with thecar? Try to repair it . So the same with the body. And if, sometimesthe car is irreparable, it costs more to repair than to buy anew one, then buy a new one, is that not so? The same with thebody. Whatever you can do with the car, this car - the body, doit. If you can not, just leave it and God will give you a newcar . New body. (Laughter & applause) That's why most peoplepay so much attention to this car, and they have all kinds offear and troubles because of this car. Kill each other for survivaljust also because of this car. Hate each other just because ofthis car. Do many things that are against our own conscience justbecause of this car. Therefore we have to realize it is only aninstrument, just like a car that you buy.
..... Q. As human beingson earth, we have to fulfill earthly obligations such as food,clothing, a roof over our heads, make enough to pay the internalrevenue service. (Laughter) How could we break away from theseand start nurturing your spiritual needs?
M. You still keep the roof above yourhead. Don't take the roof away. (Master and all laugh.) Just getenlightenment. Don't worry! I stay in a tent, and I'm still alright. Sometimes the tent blows away, no roof is there, but I'm stillokay. We had a meditation hall, very large, accomodating aboutseven thousand people. But last year, some people talked somethingand then it's pulled down. Okay, we let it get pulled down. Wedid not protest. We did not complain. We did not explain our,how it says, ungrounded accusation. We didn't bother . And thenwe plan to take, to bring a rain coat when it rains, and bringan umbrella when it shines. Just to sit there and meditate, allthe same. But when we are enlightened, all the things will beokay also. Jesus has promised, "Seek you first the kingdomof God, and all the things shall be added unto you." I promiseyou the same .
..... Q. Can love betruly unconditional? If God loves those who don't sin and lovesand forgives those who do, why are we spending our life tryingto avoid sin?
M. Because it hurts us, not because ithurts God. Whenever we do something that we know is sinful ornot correct, we hurt ourselves. Our conscience will scold us,make us trouble. (Master and all laugh.) Therefore we try to avoidit . God loves all alike. Therefore the sun shines on all. Therain doesn't detest those poor or sick or sinful . It's just weourselves are responsible for the feeling of separation betweenus and God if we do something unrighteous. Therefore we shouldavoid it. Also it is a duty of ourselves when we live within thisworld. We have interrelationship between each other; we have tokeep an orderly society, okay?
..... Q. Master, whydo good people suffer so much in this world?
M. How do you know if they are good?Do you know them personally? Sometimes you don't. Good and badis only in our level of understanding. The record of their lives,of their existence is so long. Sometimes they are good, sometimesthey are bad. You can never check-up enough. Anything that happenshas a reason. And don't worry.
