(originally in German)

Q: Can you tell us a little about your family background?

Nitzschke: I grew up in a Christian family. When I was little, my grandmother taught me the teachings of Jesus Christ. She warned me to guard against those who didn’t believe in the existence of spirituality. That’s why I have never identified with materialism. All my life I have searched for spirituality. My parents are both artists. I had a very happy and carefree childhood. However, all this changed after the war broke out. Our happy life was completely shattered. My life experiences influenced my choice of career. The painful times I experienced during the war made me determined to do something with my life, so that I could help prevent wars.

Q: I understand that your father is a painter. Why did you choose filmmaking as your career?

Nitzschke: The thing that fascinated me about movies is that they unite story-telling and painting. A movie is an animated painting. It is also a story with sound and images. It enables people to find something unchangeable, something eternal in the midst of something transient. These are the reasons that I chose this career.

Q: What kind of messages do you wish to convey to your audience?

Nitzschke: Ever since I started filmmaking in my twenties, my goal has been to help my audience discover their own self through their surroundings. I hope people will understand that God exists in all living things. I hope that when people see a lizard, a person, or a dog, they feel a sense of compassion and realize that God takes care of all beings, big and small. If we can reach this realization, it will be such a beautiful state. However, to convey all this through a movie is not an easy task. It takes a tremendous amount of time and effort.

Q: Would you please talk about the first time you watched a video lecture by the Supreme Master Ching Hai?

Nitzschke: The love I saw in Master’s eyes has been very deeply etched in my mind. When I first heard Her voice, my immediate response was: “Oh my! This is the living God!” After that, there were many other events guiding me to Her. For years, I had been seeking the Truth. I think that this yearning for the Truth is an artist’s true blessing and mission. But after I first met Master Ching Hai, it seemed as though I had received divine guidance that led me to the Truth and to Her.

Q: Since you are now following Master Ching Hai, are you considering making movies with different themes?

Nitzschke: I want to make movies that are different from my earlier works, for example, with themes related to spirituality. I also want to make movies about the life of the poor to reflect the social reality.

Q: You said you were moved by the love and compassion in Master Ching Hai’s eyes, and you have read Her books. Have you ended your spiritual search, or are you still searching?

Nitzschke: The spiritual search never ends. However, now I have Master’s guidance and help, and I know that She accompanies us on our search. So this is totally different from before. It is unimaginable to be able to encounter a living Master in one’s lifetime. I can’t express the happiness I feel with my human language. Very few people in this world are able to experience this happiness. Master’s way of talking and teaching makes it so easy for people to accept and understand Her because She uses such simple words. But every one of Her words comes from the innermost region of Her heart, and it addresses the innermost part of the listener’s heart as well.

If one listens to Master’s talks and reads Her teachings, one can discover that what I just said is true. This is exactly what I had been searching for all my life! It’s so fantastic, just like a dream! I have no idea how I am going to put all this into a movie because my experiences are so incredible, so wonderful! They are like dreams, yet they are not because they actually happened.

I have always known the true sense of a living Master. I know what a living Master means to people in Asia, in the Orient, or in India. However, I had never imagined that I would meet a living Master myself. I was first introduced to Master by someone. That makes me believe that our encounter was prearranged. It was no coincidence at all. When I listened to Her talks and read Her teachings, I discovered that this was what I had been looking for all my life!

Some of Master’s teachings I knew before, but some I did not. My spiritual path has become completely different since I met Master. What Master gives us is direct understanding and direct experiences, where there is no use for language or words.

Postscript:

Mr. Nitzschke’s wife, Heikemarie Wenzei, was once a very famous German actress. She said, “We had always been searching for Truth and a spiritual path. We had also read many Buddhist books. But after we met the Supreme Master Ching Hai, we immediately decided to learn the Quan Yin Method. This decision came to us very naturally. When we reach an old age, we start to ponder the issue of death, but now with Master’s protection, things have become very easy!”

Our best wishes to Mr. And Mrs. Nitzschke for a mutually encouraging life on their path to God and love!