Enlightenment awakes the positive power
Singapore Jan 10, 1995.

Q. Master, will I be able to find my dead relatives and communicate with them if I practice the Quan Yin meditation?

M. Dead relatives? Oh, sure, sure. But I am afraid maybe you don't like to go there. Some of your people are difficult to get in touch with. If you want to go such place, you need a Master. Otherwise you will be in danger. So it's not always good to see dead relatives. Now you practice the Quan Yin Method, and some of your relatives, dead relatives will be immediately released from whatever suffering they have. If they are already in heaven, they will go to a higher level of heaven. If they suffer light punishment, they can go immediately, quick. If it's too heavy, then we have to negotiate. Then the Master must negotiate or has to suffer for that person. But it won't be too long. For example, if those people have to suffer for thousands of years, the Master wouldn't have to suffer for thousands of years. Just maybe a few hours, or sometimes a few seconds, sometimes a few minutes, sometimes prolonged but not a big deal sickness, things like that.

So it's not always ideal to see your dead relatives. It's better to see live relatives. Love them, serve them, and encourage them before they are dead. But you can see them, you can see them. Many of our practitioners see their dead relatives and friends coming to thank them that due to them, they are liberated. That is no big deal, no big deal.

Q. Master, one of the five precepts is refrain from sexual misconduct. How does this apply to singles?

M. Oh! What we mean is that you should be faithful to each other. But in the case of some of the other religious orders, they may, due to their tradition, have many wives. If they already had them before initiation, then that doesn't mean they have to separate and take only one. But in the general case we tell people to refrain from having too many ties, because if you have one wife, I think you suffer enough. Oh, sorry. (Laughter) I mean... I am sorry. Don't kill me please. What I mean is the suffering in affairs of the heart are very heavy for the wife or the husband to bear. And that you don't want to cause to other people, let alone your beloved friends, or the mother or father of your children.

So that's why we say refrain from having another affair if you are already married. But if you already have before initiation, just keep it like that. And better don't let the other to know each other. Minimize the suffering. The less suffering the better, because it will affect you also. You will have a bad conscience and guilty feelings. How can you meditate in peace? When you meditate you want to think about God. All you think about is the second or the third wife. Yeah! How she wanted to beat you last night because you came late, etc., etc. Or you bought better clothes for the other one etc., etc. Aiya! so many troubles. It hurts. That's why. That is called sexual misconduct.

But in the case of people who are not yet married, of course in the modern time, I can not tell people don't, don't, don't do that, you know. Yeah! Then try to be faithful to each other, yeah? It's good for the heart, good for your moral and good for the mutual trust between each other and especially good for your health, you know nowadays. You read newspapers more than I do. The letters spelled very big. Should I say more? More and more people die from AIDS each day, so take care of yourself.

Q. Master, is it necessary to have a quiet environment to pursue spiritual practice?

M. Yes. In the beginning yes, but later no. Later sometimes we need. That's why sometimes we organize a retreat for one week or two weeks or four days, three days. Every year at a different time, so people have a chance to have a peaceful, quiet, only practicing meditation environment. But otherwise, you must go out into the society. Bringing the light and blessing into our brothers and sisters. You can not always hide yourself in the mountain and become a selfish Buddha. (Laughter)

Q. Master, will dreams of future events come true? Can we change the future?

M. Yes, sometimes we can. If we are strong enough, and if you want to be strong enough, meditate, get your Buddha power out, then you can change anything. Otherwise the future will change you.

Q. Master, can You please advise me as to how I should control my monstrous sexual appetite? I need God grace.

M. This...? I don't have experience. You know what? There are many remedies. But most people when they ate too much meat and drink the wine and all that, it will excite more of their passion. We already have enough so-called animal passion within us, so we do many things like the animals do. This we can not control.

Because we inherit the animal quality while we live in this kingdom, part of it, because of this body. So now, if we want to control that, we must minimize the intake of intoxicants and exciting food, things like that. There are foods for sexual empowerment. The people look for that. Some people like that. So the old kings, they always eat special kinds of foods, because they have so many wives.

There are many foods to control the sexual drive. The first stage is vegetarian diet, pure vegetarian diet - no eggs, no fish, etc., and no liquor, alcohol, no intoxicating things. Many things we, the ordinary people, pay high prices for, mostly are poison. And I am always wondering why people spend a lot of their money to poison themselves. But anyhow that's their private choice and free will.

So if you ask me how to minimize your sexual energy, there are many things to do. You switch to vegetarian diet, eat a kind of simple, not too much oily and excitement spice and things like that. And then drink plenty of cool water. No champagne, champagne is the worse thing, reserved only for wedding days. You know uh! I don't know. I heard about that. I don't know. They said like that.

But the most simple is to be busy, doing something meaningful, helping other people; and then you forget your own problem. I don't know how you have time to think about this drive even. You know, if you stay up all night long, reading like me, I think your sex drive will drive itself away (laughter and applause), because sex drives are scared, scared of the work.

Do something. There is so much suffering in this world, do some volunteer work in your spare time. Feel the suffering of your fellow beings. Merge yourself in the sacrifice and the joy, the pure joy of serving all of them. Bring happiness, bring noble happiness to other people. That will bring noble happiness to you, too.

You have read so much bad, maybe porno information. Now don't read it any more. Switch to holy books. Read the Bible, read the Buddhist sutras, read the Koran, read whatever information you have on holy life, okay? Hinduism books, anything you want, yoga exercise, holy saints' teachings, so much to read.

Q. Master, if the Quan Yin Method can help me avoid reincarnation, how about my karma in my past lives?

M. Oh, I burn it. I throw it in the dust-bin and set fire to it and finish. Okay? You know where karma comes from? Comes from your reactions. Actions and reactions, of course. But where does it come from? It is stored in your subconscious. There is a button. I just push it and it's gone. It's like your computer or your record player. You can play it, you can record it, or you can erase it. Just know how.

Q. Master, usually how long does it take to get enlightenment? May I know what does it depends on?

M. Oh, depends on many things. First, it depends on the proper meditation method. And it depends on your teacher, whether that person is capable to lead you to enlightenment. Never mind talking about long or short. If you get a good teacher, you get immediate enlightenment. If you don't get a good teacher, I don't know how long, very, very long, many lifetimes. And also enlightenment depends on your sincerity, if you want it or not. If you do want it, you get it immediately. If you don't want it, it doesn't matter how much you pretend, how long you sit there, until your bottom falls off, (laughter) you don't have anything.

Q. Master, will there be someone to guide us in the Quan Yin meditation in Singapore in the initial stages?

M. Yes. I will leave a few monks or nuns here for you. Actually Quan Yin messengers. They don't look like monks. They look like me. They are ordinary like you. I will leave some of the people who have practice for a long time, who know the initial stages of practice, for you. Besides, you can always write to me. Nowadays, we have a fax machine. Don't worry. And the inner connection is always there, one hundred percent, never broken. So that is the best guidance.

And then later on, you don't have to rely on anyone, because you will get the answers from the inside, quickly and you know it. And the teacher will know where you are, what you are doing, and what kind of danger you are in, or what practice you need. From inside, teach from inside, not from the verbal.

Verbal is just ordinary thing, like we talk to each other, you know, have fun. Talk about some old stories to encourage you to practice, things like that. But verbal instruction is never a perfect teaching. The perfect teaching you can only find from inside, and that is between Master and disciple individually, for each one different inside. Even if you sit next to each other, you don't know what level he is or what the Master transmitted to him inside. All different, okay? Depends on each level.

Q. Master, when we are praying to God or Jesus, could we also worship Quan Yin Bodhisattva in the temple?

M. Why not? The more, the better, I think. (Master laughs.) That's what we think. You do what you want as long as you are happy. If that accords you enlightenment, so much the better. If not, you must go for the Quan Yin Method. The real worship comes when you see God, Jesus, Quan Yin, face to face and worship at their feet right there. And you feel so much different than when you bow to the Buddha, the wooden statue.

When you bow to the wooden statue, he says nothing to you, he can not answer your question. But when you bow to the real Buddha inside while you meditate or while you're sleeping and go to heaven, that is the time of your real worship and you will feel entirely different. You will feel you're not of this world. You will feel you are the Buddha then. That's the real worship. Worship anyone you like, but make sure you see them.