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"Yesterday I said that there are two kinds of sound. One of which is negative, representing the sound within the Three Worlds, and the other one belongs to the realms above the Three Worlds -- the "liberating Sound." Listening to the sound within the Three Worlds will make us transmigrate again, while the Sound above the Three Worlds will lead us toward liberation. But without the guidance of the enlightened master we are not able to understand and discern between the real Sound, the perfect one enabling us to get liberation, and the false one which is imperfect, not able to liberate us.

The Light also has two kinds, one liberating us and the other one making us forever in the circle of transmigration. Therefore it is not every sound you hear or every light you see will grant you the liberation. That is why we need the guidance of an enlightened master. He knows both the negative and positive light and sound, so he can teach us how to discriminate right from false. Otherwise what is the point to look for an enlightened master, since we can also meditate by ourselves? Do not think that it is enough just meditating by yourselves or reciting the Buddha's name. Of course this is better than doing nothing, but it is not the best way, not the way to help us attain great enlightenment. Therefore, since ancient time till now, before getting enlightened the great practitioners all travelled uphill and down dale in order to find the enlightened master. What is the need to find the enlightened master, if it was good enough for them to practice by themselves? Jesus Christ was said to be born a saint, the son of God, then why was that He still went to India to follow many great masters and practice for over ten years? It is said that Shakyamuni Buddha could walk seven steps right after He was born into this world, and following each of these steps there was one lotus, totaling seven lotuses under His feet because He was the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva. Be it so, He still had to seek for the enlightened master to learn and thereafter arduously practiced for six years before He attained the ultimate enlightenment.

The sixth patriarch of Buddhist Ch'an sect, Hui Neng got enlightened immediately when he heard someone else reciting the Diamond Sutra, though he was then just an illiterate woodcutter. But why did he still go to ask the fifth patriarch Hung Jen for initiation, and afterward sequester himself from the world to practice for sixteen years before he got the complete enlightenment, before he could initiate others? And Jesus Christ followed many great masters in the Himalayas to practice in order to understand many truths. Shakyamuni Buddha had six teachers, who all were already dead when He achieved Buddhahood, though He was going to preach the Truth to them as a return for their benefits to Him. Therefore we should not think that Shakyamuni Buddha had no teacher. He had six teachers. Anyone who is the reincarnation of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas all has to find the enlightened master in order to attain complete achievement in practice.

So there are two kinds of Light. The first class Light belongs to God's or the Buddha's level and can liberate us; the second class light will only make us transmigrate endlessly in the birth & death circle. If we meditate and practice without the proper guidance of a real enlightened master, sometimes suddenly we will hear that inner sound or accidentally see light and also get a little wisdom.

But without an enlightened master's guidance, the light we see or the sound we hear definitely only belongs to the second class. If we do not know this, we will think it is very good and turn out to be bound in the lower worlds by the second class light or sound, not being able to experience the highest level, not being able to attain real great wisdom. We will only get the small wisdom, which is only second class, only the wisdom within the Three Worlds, the wisdom belonging to the six paths of transmigration. What are the six paths of transmigration? They are the devas, human beings, Asura, hungry ghosts, hell, and animals. Therefore just seeing the second class light or hearing the second class sound we will not attain the Truth.

Many people asked me that, being meat-eaters they could also see the spiritual light, so for what reason had I insisted that people must take vegetarian diet? The answer is very simple. The reason is as I've mentioned just now. Understand that? Meat-eaters can also see the second class light, but they will not find the Truth; they will just run around within the six paths. But of course they can understand more than the ordinary people do because they have practiced.

For example, if this cup were dirty and no one washed it, then whatever things I put into it would do no good to me. If I still drank it, then surely I would get sick because since the cup is not clean, no matter what you put into it will all become like poison, understand? The milk poured into it will turn sour and bitter, wine will taste bad, and even water will become with unpleasant smell. Because the cup is not clean, be that the water is very clean, wine is very pure, or the milk is aromatic, we will not get any benefit but a stomach of harmful things.

In the same way, a practicer who has not purified his body, speech, and mind will be troubled by the level or achievement he has reached, no matter how high it is. It's just as the unclean cup will dirty the water in it. It is we who turn light into dark, and it is also we who can attain the bright Light if we can keep a purified practice.

The body, speech, and mind are all very important. We cannot just cultivate the speech. It is not enough just not speaking ill of others throughout the day, because we still should speak virtuous things, just as besides avoiding the poisonous things we still have to eat nourishments. Nor can we merely cultivate the mind. In addition to keep our mind from thinking any evil things we should also do good things.

Putting the filthy things, such as other living beings' meat into our mouths is also not permitted. Whatsoever we eat will all affect our mind. You see the piggy has piggy's food, cattle feed on grass, Horses take their fodders, chickens eat their forages, and we human beings should hold to the food originally intended for human beings, namely, the plants. In the Bible it is said that God made so many herbs and fruits for us and these should be our food.

In all Buddhist sutras Shakyamuni Buddha emphasized that we should not kill, should not eat living being's meat. He said, "Those practicers who eat meat will not become Buddhas, will not become Bodhisattvas because meat-eaters have no compassionate mind. Eating meat cuts our seeds of compassion. Therefore the highest of them can only achieve the fruition of king of Maya (Satan) at the most, the second the male subjects of Maya, and the lowest the female subjects of Maya." He said this very clearly.

Therefore I will advice anyone who cultivates with any method to be a vegetarian, so that at least there is still some hope for him to have the chance in the future to reach higher worlds. It is not necessary that you should follow me to practice Quan Yin method or believe in me, but whatever method you practice you all have to purify your body, speech, and mind in order that the bad influences can be washed. For example, sometimes when we take some medicine, the doctor will tell us, "After taking this medicine do not drink coffee, because when mixed with coffee it will cause side effect which will bring bad influence on your condition." It is just as at times after we take some pills for the headache, we turn out to have trouble with the stomach or other parts of the body.

If we want to practice we should first purify our body, speech, and mind. Every day we wash our bodies to keep ourselves clean outside, and similarly must we do to our inside. People forgot that human beings originally were supposed to eat vegetables, and they have been used to eating meat, so now inversely it becomes very difficult for them to go back to vegetarian diet. If we do not want to hold the pig, chicken, duck, cattle, or the sheep in our arms, why do we put their carcasses into our mouths? It doesn't make sense."

From "The Supra-worldly Light"
The Key of Immediate Enlightenment II, English Edition
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Penghu, Formosa
April 25, 1987
(originally in Chinese)

Lecture Schedule

City/Country
Date
Language
Lecture Topic
Publication
Penghu
Formosa
February 12, 1987
Chinese

Any Method of Practicing for Enlightenment Is "Quan Yin Method"

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment I, English Edition

Penghu
Formosa
February 16, 1987
Chinese

The Mystery of Wisdom-eye

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment I, English Edition

Taipei
Formosa
March 5, 1987
Chinese

What Is Enlightenment?

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment II, English Edition

Taipei
Formosa
March 7, 1987
Chinese

The Advantage of Quan Yin Method

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment I, English Edition

Taipei
Formosa
March 13, 1987
Chinese

Asura

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment I, English Edition

Taipei
Formosa
March 29, 1987
Chinese

The Buddhas Are Not Anuttara Samyak Sambodha

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment II, Chinese Edition

Penghu
Formosa
April 22, 1987
Chinese

The Infinite Magnetic Field of A Real Master

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment III, Chinese Edition

Penghu
Formosa
April 24, 1987
Chinese

The Supra-worldly Sound

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment I, English Edition

Penghu
Formosa
April 25, 1987
Chinese

The Supra-worldly Light

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment II, English Edition

Lotung
Formosa
September 11, 1987
Chinese

What Happens in Dying?

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment II, English Edition

Taipei
Formosa
September 14, 1987
Chinese

Worshiping the Buddha Does Not Make A Buddha

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment I, Chinese Edition

Taipei
Formosa
September 26, 1987
Chinese

Good and Evil Occult Power

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment III, Chinese Edition

Taipei
Formosa
October 1, 1987
Chinese

Buddha, One Who Reaches Equilibrium of Negativity and Positivity

The Key of Immediate Enlightenment III, Chinese Edition

   

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