"There
are three kinds of spiritual practitioners. The first one believes
in God and obeys Hirm. The second one works for God. The third one,
or the highest one, becomes one with God. He who is one with God
or becomes God comes spontaneously and without expectations. He
comes out of sincerity, not out of greed. Sincerity is different
from expecting something. I don't know how to differentiate them
for you. It comes naturally and is difficult to explain. Sometimes
we may confuse expectation with sincerity, but actually they are
different.
The
first kind of person likes to worship God and obeys God. He is very
satisfied and happy with the idea of having a God that he can worship
and pray to, who is higher than him and takes care of him. He does
not ask for anything else but this.
The
second kind of person recognizes God and likes to work for Hirm.
Whatever he does, he does for God. After a while, however, he becomes
more fond of the work than of God. He begins to find himself more
and more work to do, but he forgets his ultimate goal is God. This
kind of person has a lot of merit. He does a lot of good things,
like delivering sentient beings, giving lectures, building temples,
and becoming a monk, et cetera. But after he does these things for
a long time, people begin to worship and adore him. They believe
he is a virtuous person and keep praising him. The more they praise
him, the more he indulges in the work. Gradually, he becomes attached
to doing good deeds, never able to become one with God. These two
kinds of disciples cannot attain the highest level, one attached
to worshipping God and the other attached to working in order to
please God.
The
third kind of person may also worship God and do good things to
please God, but he knows these things are only secondary. He would
like to realize, 'Who is God?' He doesn't just want to worship God
or please God by working. Instead, he wants to know who God is.
He wants to 'catch' Hirm. This kind of person will ultimately become
one with God. Very few people can attain this level."
From "Three Kinds Of Spiritual Practitioners"
News 80, Pearls Of Wisdom
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Hsihu Center, Formosa • June 10, 1990
(originally in Chinese)
"Don't
compete with others; don't long for profit and fame; don't be mean
and calculating, be forgiving instead. People may have treated us
badly but we should treat them well and love them. Such is the heart
of a child. If we can preserve this heart of a child - no matter
how old we have grown we are still God's children - we won't go
to hell or fall into undesirable situations. Our lives will be smooth;
at least our hearts will always be happy. We will face any problem
cheerfully. No obstacles will make us feel frustrated or worried
as we can overcome them. We will easily forgive others, and we will
feel very free. We may be rich or poor, our position may be high
or low, and despite where we are living or whom we are staying with,
we just won't mind. Such is the heart of a child. It is not that
we cannot be a child again after we have grown up."
From News 86, Pearls Of Wisdom
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Hsihu Center, Formosa • July 23, 1990
(originally in Chinese)
"We
must practice every day so that in emergencies and at the time of
death, when we're very agitated and when we're suffering and in
pain and in fear, we won't forget. Not that we practice every day
in a peaceful and normal condition, and when danger comes, when
we need God the most, we throw Hirm out, forget all the Guru's blessings,
and the mantras all go fly out, of the window. Yes, that's why we
practice every day, that we should not fear in time of danger and
keep our balance and tranquil mind so that we don't lose ourselves.
If
we have to die at that moment, we die in remembrance of God; and
our next birth will definitely be of a very high level. If we don't
remember God at the time of death, where we will be born is not
guaranteed. So we must practice every day for that moment. And for
dangerous situations, because in dangerous situations, we don't
know if we will survive or not. So when we're in a normal state
of mind and in normal conditions, we must practice, practice so
it becomes a habit, so that even in danger, we will not, cannot
forsake this habit; because when we're in an emergency or near death,
that's when we need it most. We practice all our life just for that."
From "Let Spiritual Practice Become A Habit
To Face All Circumstances"
News 92, Master's Words
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Costa Rica • December 26, 1990
(originally in English)
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