Master Says
Blessing the World Is the Duty of Spiritual Practitioners
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa, February 18,
1990 (Originally in Chinese)
Good spiritual practitioners have blessing power wherever they go.
Fully charged with their magnetic fields and loaded with merits, they
enhance the vibrations of things they touch and the ground they walk
on. Sometimes, people enjoy being near these practitioners, seeking a
touch, taking a look, or just offering them food; and they are changed
from within.
Tonic for the Soul
The milk or tonic we drink, and sometimes even the mineral water
that contains many minerals, does not appear to be nourishing. Our
naked eye cannot discern any minerals in the mineral water. It seems no
different than ordinary water, when it is actually very nourishing.
While physical substances contain physical nutrition, speech of a
higher level or spiritual nature carries spiritual blessings, too.
Tangible things have tangible power that ensures our physical
well-being, but intangible things have intangible power that nourishes
our invisible body-our soul- and keeps us mentally healthy.
The physical things in this world contain only physical nutrition. But
as human beings, we are more than just this body. We have a spiritual
nature as well. Our thinking comes from this invisible spirit, whose
existence cannot be denied. We may say, "Today I am in high
spirits or in low spirits," or "I am spiritually
drained." Everyone knows that the spirit exists, but no one can
describe it or pinpoint its whereabouts.
Likewise, we cannot say that spiritual practitioners have no blessing
power. We know that they do, which is why we feel very comfortable when
we sometimes come near highly spiritual and ethical people. If we have
not been in their proximity for a long period of time, we miss them
very much. They are the invisible food that nourishes our invisible
spiritual body. It is like watering plants. If we water their roots,
they feel comfortable, turn lush green, flourish, and bear many flowers
and fruits. This is because water contains many nutrients. Similarly,
if we nourish our spiritual body with the invisible water, it too will
grow big and strong, relax, and blossom.
Water from the Ganges River is definitely blessed, and these blessings
become attached to physical things. For instance, when we water a
plant, water permeates its roots and is transported to the cells of
every little leaf. The plant is nourished by the nutritious water.
Similarly, spiritual tonic can be absorbed by the cells of any physical
body in its proximity. The more tonic the body absorbs, the stronger
and better it becomes. And the more internal changes occur.
As long as we water and fertilize a small plant, it will absorb
everything, and grow stronger, taller, more beautiful, and different.
So will our spiritual body. When we come close to such spiritual
nutrition as the magnetic field, morality, and love of great
practitioners, our spiritual bodies flourish and feel comfortable. This
is unlike physical comfort, for our physical bodies look the same,
while our spiritual bodies feel comfortable and relaxed because we have
consumed spiritual food. Therefore, a single spiritual practitioner can
benefit many people.
The World Needs Spiritual Food
A river benefits many beings, including plants and vegetation.
Sometimes a river may flow underground, but it continues to nourish
vast fields, countless trees, fruit, minerals, and animals. Its
influence reaches far and wide. In the same way, we spiritual
practitioners are blessed with an invisible blessing power. It is so
rich and nutritious that anyone who comes near will benefit and develop
very well. That is why there are spiritual practitioners who develop
their power life after life in order to bless this world.
There are many people doing different jobs in this world. Farmers plant
crops; road builders pave roads; drivers transport us to various
destinations; and spiritual practitioners bless people's souls and
spirit. We all have to work, but that does not mean that we should all
be road builders or farmers. Some people have misconceptions about
this. They think that everyone should be a farmer in order to help the
world. But that just helps the stomach, and leaves many other aspects
without help. We need different people for the many kinds of work; we
need doctors, road builders, train pilots, airplane pilots, mechanics,
and most of all, farmers of spiritual food. These are few in number.
(Master laughs.) Many people plant vegetables and fruit, but few plant
spiritual food. Therefore, we practice the Quan Yin Method, by which we
plant this kind of food. It is our responsibility.
Spiritual Light Dispels the Darkness of Ignorance
Initiation and good spiritual practice bring you comfort. When you
go out, people feel comfortable around you and treat you well because
they feel the benefit. Some people feel uncomfortable in the beginning.
This is because of their heavy karma and the strong internal resistance
that causes them pain when they meet you. This is like having been
isolated in a dark room away from the sun for a long time. Seeing the
sun then hurts the eye. It is like the discomfort our eyes experience
if the light is turned on when we have not quite awakened. We often see
the light, but because we have been asleep or haven't seen the sun for
a long time, our eyes hurt in the beginning and we want to complain.
But we cannot accuse the light or the sun of being wicked or bad. It is
because we are not yet accustomed to it.
Most people feel comfortable and benefited around spiritual
practitioners. The sick get better; the stupid get smarter; people
whose business is floundering find that their business has improved
(audience laughs); those in poor health get better; the unhappy ones
feel happier. These are common phenomena. But there might be one or two
who cannot bear it. For some of you, your husband or wife might have
quarreled with you after you received initiation. This happens in the
beginning, because they haven't seen the sun for a long time, so their
eyes feel discomfort at the sudden sunshine. Later they come for
initiation and apologize to me (audience laughs). We are fine because
we walk in the sun every day, while they have been caged in a small,
dark room and feel uncomfortable at the sight of the sun.
You should know that we are always blessing this world, and anyone who
meets us benefits. If you encounter occasional resistance from a couple
of people, you must realize that they have been away from the sun for a
long time and you should not be angry with them; instead, you should
have pity on them. You should take your time and be patient. Things
will be fine after they become comfortable. The situation is different
for everyone. Some things may be good for them, and we should seek what
is good for us. We all need different things. For example, if someone
doesn't need the sun, he won't seek it because he doesn't like it. But
we like the sun, because we are sick (Master laughs). There are sick
people, so the sun must be there to help them recover. Or we may be
thirsty, then we should seek water. But they may not be thirsty, so why
should they bother! If they are not thirsty, yet we bring them water
and say, "The water is good. I just drank it. Why don't you try
some?" (all laugh) this is not logical, so we should just let it
be.
Spiritual Practice Helps the World Most
People benefit from our spiritual practice. When a person practices,
he gradually becomes one with the world, and his property becomes that
of the world. When an Enlightened Master passes away, He leaves His
merits and the fruits of His practice to the world instead of taking
them with Him. Therefore, our world becomes more and more civilized,
because Enlightened Masters come during every era and time, and they
leave some property for us and our descendents, thereby making our
world more and more civilized, blessed, and bright. Previously, there
were no lights, telephones, cars, airplanes, or television. But the
situation has gradually improved. In ancient times, there was no
medicine to cure diseases, but now medicine has become very advanced.
Therefore, practitioners are of the greatest help to the world. This is
not superficially discernible, but we cannot deny the help we render to
this world. We work and practice. We cause no harm. Our renunciates
also work hard. Everyone should know that spiritual practice is very
good. We share our spiritual merits with the world, instead of
practicing for ourselves. We cannot just retain the merits if we
practice this Quan Yin Method-people will come and take them (all laugh
and applaud). Take an electric lamp, for example. Is it possible for
the lamp to not radiate light? It shines naturally and people come near
to read, eat, and chat in the light. It would be illogical to say that
the lamp does not want to give illumination. Illumination cannot be
withheld. It is given away naturally.
In the same way, we practitioners bless every place we go, whether we
want to or not, whether we do it consciously or unconsciously. It is
best if you are not aware of it. Your ego will grow if you are. It
should be as Lao-Tzu said, "Do without doing" or "Know
without knowing; that's the real knowing." We feel something, but
we don't know what it is. We just like "whatever it is." (All
laugh and applaud.) Therefore, don't worry about getting no benefits
from spiritual practice. They are there for you! We don't care if we
benefit personally or not, as long as others do. It is a certainty that
we get the benefit naturally. You will feel it clearly. At least your
life will become different. It will be purer and more carefree, and
your mind will be more open rather than constrained.
In the past, you felt sad when you were scolded. But now you don't feel
so sad except when I scold you (all laugh), because you have the
misconception that Masters should be sweet. Therefore, you feel hurt.
You don't allow me to do my job naturally. Of course, I want to be
sweet, but I can't when your bitterness blends in with my sweetness. It
takes a long time before the sweetness surfaces. This is like adding a
little milk to water. You cannot feel the change, but as you add more
and more milk, the milky color shows and the mixture becomes milk in
the end.
Sharing Spiritual Merits with the World
The best news is that we can share our spiritual merits with others;
we have no private property. We are individuals but we all get the same
thing. The sun shines without losing its brilliance, and everyone gets
its benefit. The same goes for Quan Yin practitioners: Others receive
our blessings without us incurring any losses.
Yesterday, a fellow initiate told me that he repeated the Holy Names
while he made noodles. Customers love his noodles and this preference
has never faded. His business is expanding (all laugh). He can hardly
make enough noodles. Yesterday, he had to ask for a leave to come for
group meditation. His business is so good that he almost couldn't make
the trip. He said: "I have to come and see Master. I have to set
the work aside!" He was afraid that he would be drained of his
blessings if others ate his noodles. That is so cute! You won't lose
your blessings. You just benefit more when others benefit from you!
Because we are all one. My feet, for instance, are no better looking
than my face. They cannot talk, but they are mine, nonetheless. If they
get hurt, I feel uncomfortable all over. If they are fine, I am fine
too. If they are uncomfortable, I feel troubled, too.
We are all one in this world. We may be at different levels and engage
in different work, but each one is still a part of us as a whole. We
are the same inside. However, since you are at the superficial level
and haven't delved deeply enough, you see differences; as you go
deeper, you will know that you are the same as I am. My level is yours.
There is no difference between you and me. Now you are wrong because
you think you lose something when you benefit others. No! We are all
one.
I have told you this story before. The mouth, feet, and hands are
quarreling. The hands and feet complain to the mouth, "You do
nothing all day long, while we work so hard to feed you. From now on,
we will stop working. We won't feed you anymore. Then let's see what
will happen to you!" So the mouth gets nothing to eat. But after a
while, the feet and hands become so weak that they can no longer move.
They become sick. We mistakenly think that our spiritual merits belong
to us and we don't want to share them. It is impossible to keep them to
yourselves! Others will take them automatically. For instance, we have
to pay interest to banks for loans. The interest is automatically
deducted from our income. The food we eat, the roads we walk on, and
the clothes we wear, all come from this world. Everyone has to depend
on others to exist. So why don't we share our merits with others if we
have spiritual blessings? You have to share them even when you are
aware of it, let alone when you are unaware of it! All the blessings
come from the Master. How can you be so stingy! (Audience laughs and
applauds.)
Fulfilling the Duties of a Spiritual Practitioner
Electricity running through cables comes from a power generating
station, not from the cables. How can the cables retain the power, or
lose it after it is conveyed? Of course, they cannot! It is the duty of
the cables to supply electric power to every corner of the world. It is
the same with each one of us. We should convey the highest blessing
power to every corner of the world. That is our responsibility. I have
told you already that everyone has his responsibilities. Farmers grow
crops, builders pave roads, and we are the electric cables. We carry
this blessing power to every part of the world. If we cannot do it,
then we are not cables.
Therefore, if we don't practice spiritually and share our blessings
with the world, we should not call ourselves spiritual practitioners or
spiritual persons. We are at different levels and do different jobs,
the way a professor has to teach students if he wants to be called a
professor. If he doesn't, then he isn't a professor. The same is true
for spiritual practitioners. Our aim is to bless this world. We must do
our job clearly, not for the Master. We do it not for fear that we will
violate the precepts. We do it not for fear that we will go to hell. We
do it not for fear that we won't have merits. We do it because it is
our obligation.
When you have practiced more, you will understand your mission. This
mission is no mission (all laugh). We bless the world naturally.
However, we need to practice well before we can have the power to
bless. If the cables are disconnected, power won't be able to flow
through them. Therefore, our mind, body and speech must be clean in
order to protect the "cables." If they are not, they will be
like torn cables. The power will leak out and the cables become
useless. Again, a water conduit is not water; the two are not
interconnected. They are of different qualities . But water cannot be
transported to our house if the pipe is broken. Therefore, if others
say that we don't need precepts for practice, they are wrong; that is
just like water without the water pipe. Of course, water is clean and
useful, but it won't reach our house if the pipe is broken. Do you
understand? (Audience applauds.)
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