(Respected Master, we are from Oregon. Portland.) Oregon. Oh, I know. You are Phượng’s parents. (Yes. Phượng. Yes, Tong […]) I know. I met you earlier. Met you and already hugged you. (Yes.) (We came to visit Master. We pay our respects to Master.) Thank you. (Yes.) You are still healthy, right? (Yes, I am healthy.) Are you still living in the old house? (No, we moved to…) Moved where? (We moved to Beaverton, Oregon, Master.) Houston? (In Beaverton [Oregon, USA], Master. It is about…) I do not know. I do not know where that is. (About 30 minutes away.) Oh, really? (Yes…) Is it roomier, ma’am? (Yes, bigger, Master.) Yes, that’s good then. The previous house… ([…] The other side is used to store Master’s scriptures. She lives by herself, Master. The house is quite spacious.)
(…) is living alone now and left (…) already? (No.) (She lives with little […] and Tong.) What do you mean? They live together? (Yes, they live together, but she takes care of…) If they live together, why did you say she lives by herself? (Yes.) Oh my God. (Before she lived with me, now she lives separately, Master.) Separately with those two. (Yes.) With the child and husband. (Yes.) So you should say she lives separately. OK. (Thank You, Master.) So you are still staying at the old house? (Yes, we are still there. Three or four of them already moved over there, Master.) Oh, I see.
(Respected Master, the fellow initiates in Âu Lạc [Vietnam] really hope you will return to Âu Lạc [Vietnam], Master.) Oh, come on, ma’am. I’m very afraid. I will go when I can, alright? Why are you speaking only Aulacese (Vietnamese)?
(Dear Master, I am from Cambodia.) Oh, yeah? (Yes.) I know, I remember you, you are the engineer, (Yes. Yes.) the architect who designed the whole Center in Raising Center. Right? (Yes. Yes.) Are you OK? (Yes, OK. And I want to ask You one question. If we got initiation, should we get into work as policemen?) Yeah, sure. (Oh, yes. Thank You.) Yeah, “beat” the bad guys. Yeah. Why not? What’s the problem with policemen? (Because when we use gun or we kill some people…) Give to him (the microphone). You run with a gun? (Yes, because I heard some brother said if we become a policeman and we use a gun or we kill some people, then we will get karma too.) Well, he’s just doing his duty. (Oh, yes?) People should not run around in front of his gun. (But some big bad guys, aren’t scared of guns, so they even fight back against you, so we need to fight back.) Yeah, sure, sure, sure. (Yes.) Sure, sure. (So then if we kill them, we get karma too?) Oh, he just takes the order from the government. (Yes. Thank You, Master.)
Actually, the policemen don’t like to kill people. (Yes.) Yes, because it doesn’t matter if the policeman is right or wrong. He never intends to kill people. The worst would be that he tries to shoot them in the leg. (Yes.) Shoot at the leg of the running so-called criminal or suspect, so that that person stops. Or else, normally, the police will tell him to freeze, stop. (Yes.) And then he will take him into custody and then give him a fair trial or something like that. Of course, there are bad policemen everywhere. But we are practitioners, we will not be bad policemen. We might be there to help some of the people who are not fairly treated. We can use our power to help people. It’s not necessary for policemen to shoot people all the time. You don’t have to shoot people. (Yes.) But in an extreme case, if you have to, and if you accidentally shoot people and they die, that is not your intention. You just do your duty. OK? (Yes.) You have to protect the country, protect the good people. And being a policeman is a noble job, if you’re doing your job in a very perfect way. It’s a very noble job. It’s OK. (Thank You, Master.) You’re welcome.
Poem by Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) “The Quiet Hero” (To all the good policemen)
In the freezing wintry gust You stand tall like a colossal Greek statue The ocean storm seems to veer away from you Awed by that indomitable courage! In the sweltering haze of summer-noon Your dignified smile diffuses complaints The high Sun would take flight, shy of your endurance. In the chaos of traffic hour Your assuring arms restore order Never expecting a thanks.
When I forget to slow down on busy streets You reproach me back to safe speed. When I lock myself out at midnight You “welcome home” with the master key and a smile! When I am lost on the stressful motorway You drive with me to the right place. You even speak my language Well! You did try...
Tough on the baddies Soft on the meeks. Though having to deal much With negative sides of human characters Surprisingly, your heart still reserves plenty of trust. In ten thousand ways You show your genuine goodness!
I remember When we first met You carried me off to the roadside (My second failed attempt On a motorbike) You were yelling at the paramedics “Do something, do something! Will she be all right? Will she be all right?” Your face was like That of a worried father Your aura was like That of an angel’s The face I will always remember For the rest of my life.
Oh yes, I know you well In a foreign town In my home village In a scary alley so narrow and dark On a deserted beach at dawn... You are mostly alone Or just with GOD!
You are the day-to-day bravest soldier Fighting a constant war Against violence and injustice Saving the weak Shielding the innocent. Putting your life at risk To keep safety and peace For your co-citizens And for the ones you don’t know even: Like me eh! “Just a tourist...”
But I am also the public Who is inspired to write you this poem. For it is Noël And this shall be our modest gift: A feedback ribboned with something positive Packeted with Love and sealed with Respect that’s due to you. So that someday, when you feel: you are through Dealing with darkness! You may remember this letter somehow Knowing the public loves you! It’s just that society still breeds defects, so inexplicable! But we’ll all try different ways to mend...
Now it is a special season And I am not sure what to send! (You know... to a police!) So just sincerely wish you a nice Christmas As the old year rolls to an end: May we all start a happy life afresh May our days bear pleasant events. Hopefully they will all vanish, “the bads” But even then It’s always nice to see a police around Walking tall, looking good, talking proud In the uniform that represents protectiveness. Strong but fair, humble but fearless You are the Quiet Hero Who “love what we do” (*) And the people love you ♥
♥ CDLA ♥
~~~ ♥ ~~~
(*) Quote from a policeman, met on the street in Monaco.
(Master, I’m from Lincoln, Nebraska. I just wanted to say thank You very much.) Nebraska? (Yes, I’m the first one from Nebraska.) Oh, yeah? (Yes.) Exciting. Nebraska. I watched the film with a man named Nebraska, the one who plays baseball. (No, football.) No, no, no, baseball. The one that you catch, you sit and catch and the other one... (Baseball.) Baseball. (Baseball. Baseball.) That’s your son? (No, he’s not.) Well, what do you have in Nebraska? (Corn.) What? (Corn.) Corn? (Yes.) What else? (And a football team who are national champs for three years.) Yeah, yeah, yeah. (And me!) Yes, sure, the most important, huh? Hey, what’s the weather in Nebraska like? (It’s four seasons.) Oh, yeah? (It’s pretty hot. It’s a nice state. Master should come sometime.) How far from here? (About 2,400 miles?) How many hours, flying? (Flying is about six hours.) Oh, OK. I appreciate (that) you came from such a faraway place. How long [do] you stay here? (I’m leaving tomorrow.) Oh, OK. Nice to see you. (Thank You.)
That’s it for Canada? Anybody else? (No.) You can’t see me really from there. Can you? Here, here, microphone. How’s Mexico? (Mexico is waiting for You, Master.) Waiting. Yes, I know. (There are more than three…) Yes, yes. (There are more than 300.) You speak more into the microphone. (There are more than 300 fellow practitioners in Mexico) Already? (waiting for You.) Jesus. I’ve been there only one time. OK, I will ask GOD whether HES let me go there. How far? (Just three hours and a half.) Three hours and a half by airplane, OK. My God.
(I’ve got a question, Master.) Please. (What about if a person has a mental disease, can that person get) Initiation? (the initiation?) When a person has a mental disease, he doesn’t understand much about the process of initiation. Anyone who wants initiation must be fully aware of what he’s doing. That is, he wants to go Home. He wants to realize his noblest quality. He wants to fully understand that he’s God, that he’s part of GOD, that he’s a son of GOD. The mentally handicapped person, in most cases, does not understand what he wants. So, you see, it’s not that we discriminate, but this is a path of freedom. Everyone must have the free will to choose which way he wants to walk. So a mentally handicapped person does not understand which way he chooses. That’s the only reason. (Does it depend on the mental disease that person has, or just most of them?) Well, if you are mentally handicapped, you don’t understand much. Of course, in some milder cases, they are just depressed or very agitated. But they’re perhaps not fully in control of him- or herself, and not fully in control of what he chooses to be or what he chooses to do.
Or else everyone is welcome and equally accepted. But provided that you know what you’re doing, you know why you want to choose this path. You know because you want to realize your full potential, GODly quality within yourselves. Nobody else can. That’s why I never emphasize to people to go out and try to seduce everybody, and the whole family or anything. No, no, no. Each one must choose to walk this path himself. That’s why we don’t use any tricks, any blackmailing, or anything to recruit people. And outside people, they don’t understand this. They think we are trying to recruit people. It’s not true. It’s not my intention. This path, everyone must choose to walk by himself, by fully understanding what he wants to do. See, that’s why the kids, when they’re only six years old, we don’t give them full initiation, just give them a little trial. And when he grows up, OK, if he wants to choose to continue our path, it’s fine. He’s welcome. If he doesn’t, he can walk out. OK. (Thank You.) You’re welcome.
Over there, over there. Hey, (Yes.) Your eyes are sharp, no? Oh, over there. OK. (OK.) Got it, got it. (They got it.) (Respectfully, Master.) If you can, can you speak English? (No.) OK, OK. (I have read Your book, Master. In it, You mention, “If someone practices and reaches the Second Level, they can transcend their destiny.” Respected Master, could You please elaborate further on this?) Did I say that? Did I say that? (No. No, You didn’t.) (Yes, in the book “Questions and Answers,” I read that passage where You said, “If someone reaches the Second Level, they can transcend their destiny.”) I don’t remember saying that. Did I say that? Did I say that? (No.) Did I? (No. No.) That kind of wording doesn’t really sound like something I would say. (Yes, I clearly read that You said it, Master.) Oh, really? (Yes. And You just said that, Master, but didn’t elaborate any further. I don’t quite understand that part, so I respectfully ask if You could please clarify it further, Master.) You have to reach the Third Level for that. Only at the Third Level can you transcend the Three Realms. (Yes.) The Second Level is not enough. (Yes.) I think you’ve got it wrong. (Thank You, Master.) You’re welcome.
(Respectfully, Master, could You please explain further: when one reaches the Third Level, they transcend destiny. What does “transcend” mean?) I didn’t say it like that. That’s your wording. “Transcending one’s destiny” that’s not my style of expression. Sounds strange to me. But it’s like this: when you reach the Third Level, it means you have already cleansed all your karmic obstacles. Naturally, then you no longer have to undergo suffering or fall into lower realms. You won’t return as ghosts or spirits and such. You also won’t have to return as a human being anymore. But even if the past has been erased, if in the future you continue creating karma, then you will still have karma as usual. That’s why you must reach the Fifth Level. The Third Level is not enough. But these things are abstract. “Abstract” means theoretical concepts.
In truth, at any given moment – right here, right now, as we’re sitting here talking – we are simultaneously living through all the realms and states we have known, as well as those we have not known. It’s not that we are only human here. We can be Immortals, Saints, Heavenly beings, Buddhas, even ghosts at the same time. Because within one universe, there are many different layers like this. For example, think of a skewer like a string of beads. Today you had (vegan) barbecue, you grilled something. Vegan barbecue. One skewer. They gave you a stick like this and then you skewed all kinds of things onto it. (Yes.) Here a piece of pepper, there a piece of tofu, over there a piece of wheat gluten, maybe some (vegan) ham, and so on. Right? Then, when you hold that skewer up, you can see all the different pieces on it. You see the pepper, you see the tofu, they all are in your hand. Human life is like that. At any given moment, we can manifest all qualities and all levels of understanding that exist in Heaven and Earth. It’s just that we don’t realize it.
Because we are living in this human realm right now, we have chosen the role and duty of being human. We chose to live a human life, so we close all the other doors in order to fulfill this particular existence properly. If all the other doors were open and you knew you were also an Immortal, a Buddha, a Heavenly being, your past, your present, your future then you would not be able to complete the responsibility, the duty and the journey you chose to fulfill in this lifetime. So there is no such thing as Third Level, Fourth Level, Fifth Level; it’s all you. The Third Level is you. The Fourth Level is you. The Second Level is you. If you want to return to that all-encompassing awareness again, then you must practice the Quan Yin Method (meditation on the inner Heavenly Light and Sound) in order to regain that understanding.
The more you practice, the more you realize that you are everything. All things are of one essence. But if you don’t practice, then you only know yourself as a human being. All day long you just work and go home. Work, go home, take care of your wife, take care of your children. Argue with your wife, argue with your kids; argue with your husband and that’s it. You know nothing beyond that. But if you choose… If you grow tired of it and feel that perhaps choosing this human path was somehow a mistake... If you become weary and say you want to know more, then practice the Quan Yin Method, and you will come to know more. Then your life will naturally change. What’s going on? Why is everyone clapping so loudly? You understand? (Yes.)
Photo Caption: “Ephemeral Nature of the Physical Life Is So Evident Everywhere Why Anyone Is Still Busy Building Toy Castle on the Sand?”
