News 120, Story World

Cherishing the Enlightened Supreme Master Ching Hai

By Wild Grass

I once heard Master mention a library about a half-hour’s walk from Her abode in the Himalayas. Each morning, She would prepare a simple packet of dry food and make Her way to the library on foot. When She was occasionally overcome by fatigue, She would spread out a cloth at a suitable spot along the way and take out some chapatis. (Indian flat bread) She would then pick wild vegetables from the roadside, wash them with melted snow, sprinkle some salt on them, and place them by Her side. This would be Master’s sumptuous meal — a delicious sandwich made of a chapati, wild vegetables, and salt. She would also drink newly melted snow to quench Her thirst. Above Her would be the azure sky dotted with clusters of white clouds, which made the lofty mountain peaks appear even bluer than usual, and their snowy caps even whiter. Beneath Her were little green sprouts peeping out from the earth, waiting for a chance to grow. From the distance, sincere voices singing in praise of God floated through the thin air as pilgrims trekked up the mountain paths. When Master hummed the hymns for us, Her sweet voice, like silver jingle bells, left us so intoxicated that we could not tell whether we were in Heaven or on earth.

Master often tells stories and parables in Her teachings. One of these stories was about a Russian czar named Peter, who once disguised himself as a civilian and went to Europe to learn ship-building techniques. There, he encountered a group of Russian criminals whom he had banished. These people had no homeland or relatives, and life was rigorous. Czar Peter befriended and worked with them, and when he had completed his training and was about to return home, he asked them, “Do you want to go home?” “Of course, we do,” they replied, “but the Czar will not let us return!” Czar Peter then told them, “I am a friend of the Czar. It will be all right for you to return with me.” Some of the exiled men did not believe him, and thought, “He is just an ordinary civilian like we are. How can he make the Czar forgive us?” So they decided to stay. Others figured, “He is a good man. Why would he deceive us?” So they returned to their homeland and became free.

Similar incidents have occurred involving great Masters through the ages. They could not claim to be Gods, but could only say that they were friends of Gods, because sentient beings were blinded by their ignorance and deep preconceptions. During meditation, a female spiritual practitioner once reached a very high dimension and beheld her Master as God. When she woke up from samadhi, she complained to her Master, “You have always insisted that you are just a very common, ordinary person. But when I went to Paradise, I saw that you are God! You have been deceiving me all along.” Her Master responded, “I am so sorry! But you would not have believed me even if I had told you!” Only through diligent meditation can we realize how great a Master is, because it may be detrimental for Hirm if Heirs Greatness were revealed to ordinary people.

In India, there was a very famous Master who had many disciples. As a result, He became a target of envy among other disbelieving masters, who often caused Him trouble. One day, an Indian prince died of an illness, and the king sought help from all the famous doctors, but none could revive the prince. A number of evil men persuaded the king to seek help of this Enlightened Master. The Master gently refused despite their coercion.

“You say that your God is the most high and you are connected to Hirm. If you pray to Hirm, surely Hes will help us!” Enlightened Masters usually do not expose their magical powers, but this Master was compelled to give in to the men’s demands. “All right, I’ll do it since you are going to slay me whether I do it or not!” Saying this, he prayed to God, “Please revive this child with Your merciful and loving power!” But the boy remained still, so the king and everyone else continued to force Hirm to prove His power. Finally, He said, “All right! Now I command you to wake up.” And the prince came back to life. Those men became furious and complained to the king, “You see how arrogant he is. God’s power failed to save the prince, yet his command succeeded. He wants to show that he is greater than God. This is blasphemy. He must be executed.” They insisted that the Master be executed, and He received the terrifying penalty of having his flesh cut off piece by piece.

All Enlightened Masters suffer great pain and ordeals. They put Themselves in grave situations and risk great danger coming here to save sentient beings. For example, Jesus Christ was crucified; Shakyamuni Buddha was framed and stoned; and many other great Masters suffered similar fates. This is why it is so hard for us to find Enlightened Masters even when They do come to this world, because They must protect Themselves for the benefit of sentient beings. When we gain this realization, we can only be even more grateful to our Master for braving great ordeals and enduring heavy toil to teach sentient beings, thus giving us a chance to follow Her and learn from Her.

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