The eternal life and the law of the universe
Harvard University, Boston, U.S.A. October 27,1989.

Now his disciples saw him many times everyday in Samadhi, in a deep, blissful state, in deep Nirvana. They also wanted the same. One of his outstanding disciples was Swami Vivekananda, who is very famous in your country. He asked the Master, "Could I have the same level of attainment like you?" And he ask many times like that, because he had got none. So the Master scolded him, "You fool, there are higher levels than Samadhi." Now what is the higher level than Samadhi? That is of loving, of devotion. Love all creatures as our own selves. Love the enemies as friends. Love the neighbor. Love God above all, and surrender everything to God. That is higher than Samadhi.

But there is a trap here. We the Buddhists can also say that, we love the Buddha, worship the Buddha, and we love our neighbor, we love our friends, our enemies, that is it. But there is a difference between saying and really doing. Most of the human beings are incapable of such a great love, because we are not trained in this way.

Only enlightened people are capable of such a great love, and compassion and tolerance. Therefore we see in many nations in many periods of time, people always fighting over ideas, over territories, over financial benefit. But they always say that it is in the name of love for their nation, love for their religions, love for their groups or their kinsmen. Maybe it is true that they love their country, so they go and fight and invade other countries in order to benefit their own. But that is too small the love, it's too limited.

The love of Buddha and Christ includes the whole universe, no races, no colors, no finances, no status. Therefore, we see the disciples of the Buddha have many social positions, different social position, different in races, different in colors, different in social status, and different nationalities. The disciples of Christ also the same. All kinds of disciples, all kinds of nationalities, all kinds of personalities, all kinds of different beliefs will unite themselves under the wing of an enlightened Master. Because the enlightened Master's love is so great. It encompasses everything, and no one feels excluded. And such enlightened souls would never fight or side with one person or one nation or any sect or any religion but preach universal love, universal truth, and equality to all. Therefore, Jesus said, "All are children of God. Whatever I can do today, you can do even greater tomorrow." He didn't say, "I'm the only son of God." He said, "We are all the children of God. In the house of my Father, there are many mansions and all are welcome." So Buddha also say the same thing, "All of us can become Buddha. I have become Buddha, you will become Buddha. All beings have Buddha nature." These sayings denote similar ideas, understand? That is the equality of mankind in the eyes of God or in the wisdom of the Buddha.

I have not started my mission seriously before two years. When was the first initiation? That was in India. Must be in 1983, when I started, forced to start. Now is 1989. Six years, only six years since I started my mission. But I have found that truly everyone inherits the kingdom of God. Everyone has the Buddha nature. And everyone can see the Buddha nature in no time, provided he or she is willing to, is convinced that he and she can see and is willing to let a teacher help to open the door for them. All can see, all can enter into the Kingdom of God. There is no one, rich, poor, small, big, weak, strong, intelligent, stupid, has been refused into the kingdom of God. No one ever, not as far as I know. Therefore, I believe what Christ said is true. We just have to become a child again and then we can enter the Kingdom of God and right now on the earth. Why? Because the Bible says, "Lo and behold, the Kingdom of God is within you!" The Bible didn't say the Kingdom of God is very far away, 20,000 light years distance. (Master & everyone laugh.) No! No! No! It says, "The Kingdom of God is within you." And the Buddha said, "The Buddha is within you." So now both of them saying the same thing. If we want to find the Buddha, if we want to find God, we have to go within.

But how to become a child? It is not easy, we think. Truly it's not easy, if we do it all by ourselves, but if we have the grace of God and the blessings of the living Buddha. The living Buddha is not the body. It is the power of love that flows into one body and to bless the whole world, understand that? So when the Buddha was alive, he said he was Buddha. It doesn't mean he was proud of his own personality, his ego as Buddha. No! No! It means he already destroyed his own ego. He had no longer an ordinary "I," but he was one with the Father, one with the universe, with the creative force. So when Jesus said "I'm the son of God, I and my Father are one," it didn't mean that he was very arrogant and proud of himself as an individual ego-self. But he knows that he had lost himself, and merged into the ocean of consciousness of the great wisdom.

So, how to become a child? It's very easy. We need a so-called cleansing process. First we must vow to follow the Commandments of the Bible or the Buddhist scriptures again. They both say similar things. The first in the Bible is "You shall not kill." In Buddhism, also, you do not kill. And in Hinduism also the same--- ahimsa, no harm to other living beings--- that means ahimsa. From that ahimsa stems the Commandments of the Bible, of the Buddhist Sutras. Christ also had been in India for nineteen years. Buddha also had to learn first from the Vedic scriptures. Then he became Buddha by his own right. So, if we follow the Commandments of the Bible or the Buddhist scriptures and we start to change our way of life, then from that day on, also by the grace of God, we will be cleansed, be purified like a child. And then when we are purified at that moment, we see the light of God, we see the Kingdom of God or so-called Buddha nature.

So when Jesus was alive, he give people baptism, to baptize people. But even he himself had to go through the process of baptism. He said, "Let the law be done." Why did he have to do that? Even though he was already great, and John the Baptist knew he was great. But because he knew that he had to set an example of humility, of believing in grace of God to the rest of humanity. All his whole life is an example of humility. The Buddha Shakyamuni also the same. Shakyamuni was a prince, very rich in all means, very talented. He could have the whole nation, and luxury. But he went around forty nine years, even after his enlightenment, to beg. His begging doesn't mean that he couldn't work or he is unable to work. Just to show many thing, many examples to humanity. The first is to show us the desirelessness for the world's possessions. The second is to show us that we all have to depend on each other in order to live. No one is higher, no one is lower. He was the first one to preach equality, to break down the caste system of the untouchable idea in India. He taught by his own example and humility. He didn't only preach by mouth, by words, but he taught by his life example.