Because we become more and more relaxed; we become smarter. Our wisdom will develop and show naturally. When we’re living blindly, angry or attached to things, we can’t think it through. When we relax, we can figure out everything. There’s nothing more to it. That’s the logic. However, how are we able to relax ourselves? It’s because we have the God Power inside to help pull our spirits up to a higher place. Looking down from there, we will be able to see more clearly. We look at it in a more fun way, without the seriousness and bickering spirit like before.
It’s like our so-called long residents in Miaoli. Some of them managed businesses outside before. Some of them were very wealthy, living in such and such kind of houses. Now they’re living in tents there; they’re also satisfied and just eating whatever there is. They wouldn’t ask to go out to do business, make lots of money, wear beautiful clothes or be a boss, etc. They don’t want it at all. They had been boss or manager before. They let go of all those things and lead a very simple life, but they all feel very happy. It’s because they’ve put down the world, having no more worldly desires, which is even better than being a rich person. That kind of happiness isn’t obtained from material things.
Only after we’ve practiced spiritually will we know to treasure the simple life. Even if we live just like before, we know how to be content and how to manage it, so that our time and money are not wasted. Then, naturally our life will become better and better. Even if we earn the same amount of money like before, we live a life better than before. Right? (Yes.) Strange, isn’t it? (Yes.) But then, it’s nothing strange.
Because we become more and more relaxed; we become smarter. Our wisdom will develop and show naturally. When we’re living blindly, angry or attached to things, we can’t think it through. When we relax, we can figure out everything. There’s nothing more to it. That’s the logic. However, how are we able to relax ourselves? It’s because we have the God Power inside to help pull our spirits up to a higher place. Looking down from there, we will be able to see more clearly. We look at it in a more fun way, without the seriousness and bickering spirit like before.
Continue reading, or Kabir will say that I’m ignoring Him. He’ll think I’m competing with Him for being “No. 1.” OK, continue reading. “Watch the grazing cow wander in the grass so tall, her mind is on her calf back inside the stall. Kabir says: Perform your actions lovingly and do the same. In every breath of life, remember His name.”
Here He said the same thing as I do. He said, we have to observe the cow-person. She’s eating grass, but her attention is still on her children where she lives. What do we call the place the cow-people live? Is it the cow-people’s house? (The cowshed.) The cow-people’s room? Cowshed? Ah, yes. She still remembers her children, who’re staying in the cowshed. She wouldn’t neglect her children for grass.
So, Kabir said, likewise, you should be responsible and do your duty well, with love every day. Like the cow-person, who takes responsibility at all times. Even when you’re breathing, you have to remember God’s Grace and God’s Name. Meaning that we have to recite the Buddha’s Name, God’s Name. I’ve already told you our secret “national defense.”
It’s not any secret. It’s just that the transfer won’t work if Master does not send the power over there. Then, you might be possessed even if just reciting the names randomly. Right? (Yes.) If you don’t understand it, how can you recite it? Then, people will say that you are weird. Whatever you learn, you have to learn it clearly. That’s all. For example, when we see someone, who knows how to do the electric wiring, it seems so easy. He just uses pliers to cut and wire, and then it’s done. But if we cut and connect the wire randomly, we might get shocked and die. When we watch him do it, it looks very easy. But he knows his stuff. Although it’s the same wire, we can’t handle it ourselves. Right? (Yes.) For example, the high voltage electric pole. Sometimes we see him climb up and fix it. How about we climb it ourselves? What do we turn ourselves into? We’d get fried, looking like “Judge Bao.”
Likewise, the reason I tell you things is only because I’m teaching you. Don’t teach others. If someone asks for it, it’s safer for him to come and learn from me. That’s how it is. It’s to protect you and others. If you teach others to climb the utility pole, both of you will have trouble.
Here He said the same thing as your Master. He said, whatever responsibilities we have, we all should continue with love. That’s it. But when you’re doing your responsibility, you still have to remember God’s Name. Don’t forget the purpose of our spiritual practice. That’s what He meant. Therefore, we don’t leave our families, even if we now are not interested in the world. It seems that we don’t demand anything from the world. No attachment, but we’re still the same. We live in the same house, continuing doing our jobs and taking care of our children, husband or wife. Right? (Yes.) So, if some people, who have children and husband, came to fuss around and ask to become a nun, I’d drive them out. It shouldn’t be like that! We can practice spiritually over there or here.
I’ve told you already that this is not the only place where you can get the wood. You can also get it in the office where you work. You get your money first, then go place the order at the lumber shop. You can still get the wood or get the food. It just takes a little bit longer, a longer trip. Well, not necessarily that long. If you want the wood tomorrow, call the shop today. Perhaps you’ll already get it before tomorrow. It’s not necessarily slow. Right?
The same with us living here. It’s just that we live more simply and have less worry. But your “worries” come from yourself. If you are worried, then you’d be worried wherever you are. Right? (Yes.) At home, sometimes you have a quarrel with your husband or wife. Sometimes you have different opinions. Here, sometimes you also have quarrels with fellow initiates. Your opinions might not be the same. It depends on to where you carry your karma. Sometimes you live at the center, but you bring a lot of worries with you, such as the argumentative spirit. Without attaining a level of true practicing spirit, it’s more or less the same. Understand what I mean? So we don’t have to escape from the world. No need. We escape from the world inside, not outside.
Likewise, for the fellow initiates, after practicing spiritually with Master, they remain the same. They stay at home to take care of their families and be responsible. Otherwise, for example, if a king comes to get initiation and quits, then who’s going to be the king? We’re all spiritual practitioners, and none of us wants to be the king. If he himself also quits, then it’d be troublesome.
That’s why recently I told those monks and nuns not to wear those special clothes anymore. Don’t rely on those kinds of clothes to practice spiritually. Don’t rely on our appearance to gain respect. Wait and see if people still respect you without those kinds of clothes. If they practice well, people will still respect them. If not, people now have excuses to not greet them. When they used to wear those kinds of clothes, people felt obligated to greet. But now, it’s OK not to greet, thinking that you and I are the same. We also wear jeans or sportswear, etc. We spiritual practitioners had better not rely on our appearances to gain respect from others, leading people to think that he’s somebody. Just because he does this and that, everybody has to practice ascetically with us.
In the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, the trend was like that. The trend in that era was to be a monk and wear shabby clothes to ask for alms from others. But now our time is different. Especially in Taiwan (Formosa), one is not allowed to ask for alms. If we continue to do that, then it means that we don’t respect the laws of the nation. We mess it up. We’d mess up the nation.
It’s not right to go against the law. So, this explains it. Since we’re not in that kind of trend, we just don’t do it.
Spiritual practice is done inside, not outside. Why do we imitate something that was 2,500 years ago? Two thousand five hundred years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha went places on foot to preach the dharma. Now, if I followed His style, even walking to Taipei would be very troublesome. I’m now coming down from the clouds by airplane to liberate beings.
We imitate only when we should. At the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, that era in India was different. If I went to the UN now to give a lecture with shabby clothes and had washed my face only once in two weeks, would it work? Yes or no? (No.) If I sat down, they’d say that I dirtied their chair. They have workers to clean the place, mopping the floors and wiping the chairs to keep the place very clean. Why would I have the right to go in there and dirty their chair? With bare feet and walking on their clean carpets. Perhaps I’ve just stepped in some chicken-people droppings, and then I go in and step on their floors and carpets, which are very beautiful and expensive.
Our time is different. We should not cause trouble for others. We should catch up with the times and cultivate ourselves inside. This way we won’t make trouble. Before, when I wore a nun’s robe, people looked at me wherever I went. I couldn’t bear it. The way I dress now, fewer people will look at me. Right? (Yes.) It doesn’t matter if they want to look. It’s like looking at ordinary people, unlike before. People would worship me. It’s quite embarrassing to be worshipped in the airports. Now, just looking at the eyes will do. No need for worship. If they see me like this, they would feel embarrassed to worship me. So, it saves me a lot of trouble. People said that “The real person is not revealed.”
OK, wow! It’s hot suddenly. Do you feel hot? Yes? (Yes.) How can the weather in Pingtung change so fast? It was ten degrees Celsius the day before! But today it feels like thirty degrees already. (It’s cold in the morning.) (In the morning.) Is it cold at night? (This morning.) It was very cold this morning. Yes. How come it’s like this? Not very cooperative, right? Probably sees a lot of people coming from Taipei, it pities you and gives you some sunshine to dry you.
Otherwise, those from Taipei would get moldy. And you haven’t come here to see Master for a long time. I’ll come to meditate with you this Tuesday. I can see that you’re so diligent, that many people attend group meditation even without Master. Two or three thousand people. And even without an ashram, without your own place. And you can’t come earlier because it’s still school time. You can’t come late because you would be driven out by the others. This is not funny either. He was shedding tears when he talked to me about it. I was crying, too.
It’s all because of you following the wrong Master. You may replace me. The temples are very big. You won’t be missing a roof there. OK? (No.) I’ll bid you farewell. (No.) Some have temples, but no disciples. I have disciples, but no temples. It’s OK to swap. It’ll be OK if I send them disciples. You’ll be safer there. Don’t have to worry about wind or rain. You are truly pitiful. It’s OK, we do it step by step. It should be like this. That way we know that we have faith in spiritual practice. If the temples were all built magnificently before you came here, then who wouldn’t come? Besides, you might not necessarily come here. After getting tested by Master and scolded for three or four weeks, you’d run away. Probably you’d leave us.
When you give people too much comfort, they might not cherish it. I think those from Taipei are pretty good too. Maybe it’s because Master lived there for a long time. My old home used to be in the North, and initiates from Taipei are mostly old initiates. I don’t know. Maybe the spirit of the North is more serious. It’s harder to earn a living there. Being busy with work, they value time more than those in other places. So sometimes, even if we’re too busy, it’s not impossible to practice spiritually. They value every minute they can sit in meditation. Sometimes, we are free the whole day, but we don’t remember to meditate. Is that right? (Yes.) Yes! Sometimes, you have to cherish that you don’t have your own place. Not necessarily so if you have a place. If you have a place, you would think “Oh! It’s OK. I can go any time I like. If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then Sunday.” Then you don’t go even on Sunday. “It’s OK to go next Sunday. Why not?”
How many people of Pingtung came today? Five hundred, yes? From Kaohsiung and Pingtung? Or more people came just now? Does anyone know? Around 11 o’clock, there were only about five hundred plus people from Kaohsiung and Pingtung. See that? If Master doesn’t come to Pingtung in the future, those from Kaohsiung and Pingtung don’t complain. Don’t say that I neglect you. You just don’t take it seriously. Seeing that I’m here every day, you come for group meditation for two days. Then, on Sunday, “Wow, too much.” Then, you don’t come. See that? OK. Next time you’ll have to “crawl” to Taipei to see Master.
But then, after a while, initiates from Taipei will stop coming here. Fine. Never mind. I have other countries I can go to. (It won’t happen.) (It won’t happen.) Won’t happen in Taipei? (No.) It hasn’t happened for a long time, not to mention now. Yes.
