Forgive yourself
Fremont Hindu Temple, CA, USA, November 25, 1993.

Q. For what purpose has mankind been created in this life form? Is there any human-like life in another planet in the universe?

M. Yes. There are human lives in other universe, in other planet. And for what purpose? I don't know. That you have to ask the Creator when you go up there. I never ask Him why, cause I don't ask many questions. I am kind of a quiet person. (Master laughs) Okay.

Q. How do we know to liberate ourselves from suffering, painful emotions, at the right time when we want so bad to let go of the lives, the circumstances around us? But it's so hard to see through because of the people we are attached to, and know that there is more to life itself than just ourselves and love of someone else we couldn't let go?

M. I told you, just forgive yourself and try again. Sometimes in some circumstances we are able to control ourselves, but with some great effort, and some other times we don't want to control ourselves or we can't control ourselves. In either way you just do what is good for you at that moment. Okay? Don't worry much about the emotion. It is only the waves on the surface of the ocean. It is not the ocean's fault. It is the wind. It is the rotation of the earth that makes the waves. So the ocean cannot blame itself all the time, and says that he makes waves, he makes troubles for the boats and he makes trouble for the people, etc. He cannot help himself. The ocean cannot help herself or himself. Is it him ocean or she ocean?

MC. Whatever You want to call it.

M. We never know. Well, let's make it a she because I am Ching Hai. Ching Hai means "pure ocean". Actually in India they name it Vishudananda. I think I have to change my name into Indian name now to attract more Americans. (Master laughs) The other day one of the American disciples said to me, "Oh, all the Americans like Indian teachers only, so that's why You don't attract so many of them. You attract only the Au Lac people and the Asian." I said, "Okay! Why don't I change my name?" He said, "Do You have an Indian name, by the way?" I said, "Yes, I do, Vishudananda." (Master and the audience laugh.) That's the translation of my name. Anything "Ananda", Da Da Da, will do. (Laughter.) Sounds very much Indian. Now you may call me, Ananda, Vishudananda. It sounds very Indian, right?

Q. How do we attain inner peace or happiness in everyday life?

M. Slowly. After initiation, the more wisdom, the more this peace and grace from God we receive, the more peaceful our lives will be, but only if you don't become a master. I can't promise you a peaceful life if you want to be a master. But if you are a disciple, everything perfect.

Q. Dear Master, I always make the same mistake that I don't want to make. I feel there are two of me inside, one good and one bad, how can I stop this?

M. Well, maybe that's the balance proportion in your life that you need to learn. Actually we can't be too good all the time. You will break! Yeah? You see the man in the circus, when he walks the rope, he has to walk this side, that side. You know what I mean? One time he dips in this side, the other time he is siding to this side. Otherwise, if he walks just like this, he will fall down. This life has two sides anyhow; one is positive, and the other is negative; one is happiness, and the other one is misery. Sometimes we can't help ourselves to dip from one side to another. It's okay! Forgive yourself. Try if you can; if not, forgive yourself. Alright?

Do other things in contradiction to that, to counter attack this habit if you think it's bad. For example, if you are normally very stingy; don't want to give to people, now force yourself to give. Every time you want to take, you give instead! So next time you dare not want to take any more, because every time you want to take, you lose the business! (Laughter) For example, if you want to take one dollar, then force yourself to give two dollars. So next time you dare not to want any more! Or if you normally like to look at other woman besides your wife, so every time you want to do like that, just go home and look at your wife. So next time you are fed up, and you don't want any more. Maybe you try it.

Q. Some religions are saying the end of the world is coming. What is the true meaning of this saying?

M. No religion ever says that!

Q. Only the Christian Religion, right?

M. What? Christian religion says so?

Q. I mean, the Bible.

M. The Bible doesn't say that we end at 2000. The Bible just have some revelation about some kind of destruction of the world, but that is one man's experience only. And we, some of the people, sometimes have this kind of experience. When you enter into some kind of destructive past, when you have seen it before in your previous life, and now you saw it and you thought it would be this time for this Earth. It is not true. Maybe you see the end of the other galaxy, the other planet, and you mistaken that for this world. Or sometimes you see it in the past, mistaken for the present time. Sometimes you see it in the very, very, very remote future and you miscalculate the time; you think that it is now. That is why many prophecies never come true.

Just recently somebody in Keeth has predicted the end of the world and she shifted three or four times. Supposedly it should be on Friday, then Friday was holiday, so it became Sunday, then on Sunday it never came. But never mind, the end of the world comes when we die anyhow, so make preparation for that day. Be prepared so that when we leave this world, we go with God, instead of going with the angel of death. That would be the end of our world.

Q. What is the relationship between compassion and mindfulness?

M. Mindfulness means you concentrate well. Compassion means you love other people. Compassion, you have mercy, you love other beings, love animals, love people. You don't want to harm them. You want to help them when they're in need. That is compassion. Mindfulness is the concentration degree you get when you meditate.

Q. Earlier You said that if when you open your mind to the Universe, then you can gain the wisdom, knowledge and will be able to understand any book. My question to You is, "What if you were born with not so bright a mind? How can you be able to learn the knowledge from the Universe once you open your mind?" Learning new knowledge would take time and hard work. For me, in the past I had tried to learn to become a professional person. I failed because I am dumb. Can You show me the way?

M. Not being able to learn in school doesn't mean you are dumb. Maybe you lack courage, maybe you lack good teacher, good friends or good circumstances, or maybe you lack patient. Some people learn quicker; some people learn it a little bit slower. But that doesn't mean you are dumb; doesn't mean you are stupid. Not to know your own great wisdom is the true stupidity. So I invite you to come for the initiation and get to know your greatness, then you will understand many things. It is because everything I say is just a big mouth, talk too much. Anything without experience is just advertising. It doesn't matter how much I tell you the orange juice in my cup is very good and is very nutritious and good for you and a lot of vitamin C, and you drink it, it quenches your thirst. But if you don't ever come and drink it, it doesn't matter how much I say, it is all big mouth. Do you know what I mean? It's nonsense! Talk too much. So the best thing is just to drink it. Get enlightenment! Any Living Master Will Respond To Our Prayer

Q. I feel lost. I have searched and searched but have not found Home, that is what I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to do. How does one find Home here on Earth?

M. Get enlightenment. Home is very near. It is next to you. It is nearer than your skin. But if you don't have the light, you can't see it. You can't see things in the dark; it doesn't matter how near. You might have a feeling about what it is, but you don't see it; have to have the light. The light of God will shine on everything you want to search for, including Home. But this is all abstract speaking, really you have to have experience, and that comes only with diligent practice after initiation. You know how to practice and you do it and then you realize day by day.

Q. Why is it that after so many years of religious teachings and past masters that the world has not gotten better but much worse?

M. It is because the past masters cannot teach you. You have to look for a present master, who can answer your question, help you when you are in doubt and take you by the hand back to the Kingdom of God. We need a person to person contact, not the past lives. Just like it doesn't matter how great the beauties of the past; you cannot marry her! She cannot produce any children to you; cannot produce the love feeling that you have with a living wife.

Q. I was taught in my fundamental Christian church that we were to pray only to God, not to Jesus, not to virgin Marry, not to the angels, not to anyone or anything but only to God, the Father of Jesus, the Creator of the Universe. Why then are people praying to You as a master, or to any master?

M. I don't know. That's their problem. (Master laughs.) Just like before, somebody asked me if he doesn't want to get initiation, that means he doesn't want to get direct contact with God, can he pray to Master Ching Hai? What can I do about that? Well, if she prays, she gets the response, so she continues to pray. But I always advise that you go for initiation, and get contact directly with God and pray directly to God. That's the best way. But if somebody don't want to choose that way and want to choose the second way, easier way, no vegetarian, no two and half hours meditation, no rules, nothing, just want the benefits, then she will pray to whoever give her something. And it happened that probably she prayed to Jesus or Buddha and didn't get any help, so she prayed to Ching Hai. When she gets help, she keeps praying again. People are like that; they like profit. Yeah! You know, the truth is that any living master will respond to our prayer.

But then when that Master passed away, people continue to pray because they learned that from their parents, from their ancestors. They continue to pray and they forgot the difference between a living master and the past masters. So they continue to pray to the past masters and sometimes they blame that they don't help them. But, actually, when you pray to any master that means you pray to God anyhow. Do you know what I mean? Because the master is connected with God, you just pray to God. What is there inside except God? You think you pray to Ching Hai? Who is Ching Hai? When you think of her, who is she? What is that? Only God resides in her body; nothing else there! So you pray to her and she is connected with God, then it's the God that you pray to, understand?