In this episode, Supreme Master Ching Hai expounds on GOD and the Buddha Nature, discusses the similarities between Lord Buddha (vegan) and Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian), and explains what happens after we leave this world.
(Just a follow-up of a question that I asked You previously.) Right. (What is GOD’s relation to Buddha? When You refer to Buddha and GOD, are You referring to one entity or what’s the relation between these two terms You use?) I see. Buddha is the term for an enlightened Master. In Christian terminology, it’s an embodiment of the Holy Spirit, meaning a Messenger of GOD. That is the correct term to understand Buddha. GOD is the all-pervasive Energy or Force, or loving or Entity. Now, if you understand Buddha in the terms of a human manifestation of GOD, then the Buddha is exactly like that. But if you understand Buddha as all-pervasive, GOD-like, then it is GOD also. So, you can say Buddha is the manifestation of Buddha Nature, or GOD, GOD’s Power. And the Buddha Nature is GOD.
Just like Christ is the manifestation of GOD, of GOD’s Power, like that. But actually, there is no difference between the two. The Buddha is the Buddha Nature, comes from Buddha Nature, and manifests the Buddha Nature in order to help people. Or Christ is the manifestation of GOD in order to help people to go back to GOD. But He is GOD Himself. Therefore, He said, “I and my FATHER are one.” But because of the modesty of all the Saints, the humility of all the Saints, They will not say “I am GOD, I am the Highest,” or anything like that. They say, “I am the servant of GOD. I am the Son of GOD. I am the Buddha, the Messenger of GOD,” etc.
But sometimes in a fit of inspiration, They would say, “I am GOD, I and my FATHER are one.” But that doesn’t mean Christ or Buddha was very, very arrogant. No, far from it. They are too humble, humble. We can never imagine Their humility. What we think in terms of humility is that if somebody tells us what to do, and we say, “Yes, yes, I will do it, sir. Yes, sir.” Or if somebody scolds us and we humbly say, “Oh! I’m sorry. Please forgive me,” that’s humility. No, no, no. That is too low, too little of humility. Humility is like (Lord) Jesus, like Buddha; They are the greatest in the Universe, but They appear the lowest. Buddha became like a beggar, and let people think that He was a human being. He suffered, He died, He got sick, He had to beg for food. That is humility. He could not show His greatness, and He didn’t even show it. He didn’t make a show of it. And (Lord) Jesus Christ, He was the greatest on Earth and in Heaven, and He let people crucify Him and even prayed for forgiveness for those people who crucified Him. That is true humility. The greatest humility we can only learn from the Saints, not from ordinary social behavior or convention or code of morality. This is only man-made humility. True humility came only from Sons of GOD.
(There are two more questions written in Aulacese [Vietnamese].) (“The Buddha taught that spiritual practice is to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. But when one is still practicing, it means one is not yet enlightened. I don’t know what I was in my previous life. So how can I know if I have been liberated or not? Or what level I have reached?”)
The question is, the Buddha teaches us to be liberated from birth and death. But now, the person has not yet reached the highest enlightenment. So, he doesn’t know whether he’s already out of birth and death, or not yet out of birth and death. Also, he wants to know what his last life would be? So, my answer is that you carry on practicing, then one day you may know, or you may not know.
If you do not follow a real enlightened Master, it’s difficult to pinpoint whether you will know or not, whether you will get enlightened or not. If you follow a real Master, it’s easier to know. It’s safer; it is more guaranteed. He will tell you that you will get it, you will know it in time.
“Excuse me, I’d like to ask You two questions. Who is the representative of our Lord? Where do we go after death?” You understand? (No.) No? It’s French. “Excuse me, I would like to ask You two questions. The first is who represents GOD, Your GOD?” Is that right? Did I translate correctly? Who is this? Who is the friend? (It’s me.) It’s you. Why write in French? (Because You can speak French.) Oh. But I also know English, right?) (Yes, but, excuse me Master because I only understand a little bit of the English language.) Alright, alright.
The first question is: “Who represents Your GOD?” So, for me, who is the representative of GOD? In my opinion, right? Is that right? Who is GOD, right? (No… I mean, who represents GOD to lead us back to GOD?) That’s right. That’s right. OK.
The second question is: “Where are we going after death?” Shall I tell you in Aulacese (Vietnamese) so you understand?
The one who represents GOD is someone sent down by GOD. And when They come here, They live just like ordinary human beings. But after They receive the Grace of GOD, They remember who They are. They remember that They were sent by GOD and that They are here to work for GOD. Those beings lead us to the (inner Heavenly) Light and true Wisdom. They guide us to Eternal liberation like (Lord) Jesus Christ, like the Buddha, the Original Buddha. All of Them are Representatives of GOD. And They lead us back to GOD. What is GOD? In the Aulacese (Vietnamese) language, we call it the Original Nature – our true Self. It is the Supreme Power that exists within us.
After we die, where we go depends on our karma. For example, in this life, if we do good deeds, we go to Heaven, or we will be reborn as a happier, more beautiful, more fortunate human being. If we do bad deeds, we fall into lower realms, which are more suffering, and after some time, we will come back. If we practice with a living Master, a living Buddha or a representative of GOD, then we will go to the Buddha’s realm, or to Heaven.
So, I told him that those who represent GOD are those who are sent by GOD. Like Buddha, like (Lord) Jesus Christ, who come from the Most High, the highest Power in the Universe. That’s what we call the Representative of GOD. If we follow these People, They will show us the way back to Heaven, to the Buddha’s Land. And They will give us the (inner Heavenly) Light… not give us, but open to us the (inner Heavenly) Light within ourselves, which already exists, which is ours. The Master cannot “give” you anything at all, except just to show you where your Treasure lies, where you have It. But of course, the Master stands by, and with the Master’s virtues and compassion, helps us a lot to smooth our way, clear our road, so that we walk better and not hurt ourselves. So, the Master is very compassionate.
Now the second question is: “Where we go after death?” We go to where we belong. If in this life, we do some virtuous deeds and good, then we go to Heaven. Or we go back, become human beings again, and enjoy a prosperous, healthy, and comfortable life.
If we do some wicked deeds, which are against the law, then we may have to transmigrate or degrade into some kind of lower and more painful existence. If, however, we follow a Living Master who shows us the way to the Buddha’s Land or back to the Kingdom of GOD, then we will go there when we die. There are three kinds of people.
Anything else? (Oh, nothing. But can I have one minute?) Yes. (Tomorrow, we’re going to have an initiation. The directions and map are at the front desk. And please be on time, because we’re doing this all together at the same time, not one by one. Please be on time. Thank you very much, Master.)
We didn’t have that much time yesterday. You know what time we slept last night? About four or five in the morning. And I didn’t sleep until very late. I read books, sutras, and… I didn’t even sleep that much at all. And then it’s time, and then we had to go. And they had to be here very early in the morning. After the lecture, we assembled together and drank something, ate something, small things, and chatted around. And then we didn’t part until about four or five o’clock in the morning. (Yes.) Yes. Then they went home to their place. They have to wash and shower and fix things. And then maybe rest for a couple of hours. And then come early here to prepare all this. Preparing this thing takes a long time, takes many hours. So, you come about one o’clock, but they have to leave the place about maybe… (Ten thirty.) Ten thirty? (Right.) Ten thirty. Yes, what is it?
(Do I have to change my religion?) No, no. no. What are you, Catholic? (Yes.) Yes, just stay there. (Lord) Jesus is OK. I worship Him, too. We worship the same Master.
Photo Caption: “Offer What U Have, Sweetness or Beauty”
