While On The Path

Jonathan, a bright seagull, the main character in the novel Jonathan Livingston Seagull, remains in the deep recesses of my memory. I used to have a puzzled feeling similar to that of Jonathan's: Is the purpose of life simply to look for food and produce offspring? Jonathan courageously endured other seagulls' derision and practiced flying very diligently. Finally, he broke through the limitations of space and time; and thus, found the great-self. Then, he was able to enjoy the deep mystery and happiness of flying in the sky. When he went back to the group of seagulls to reveal the unimaginable flying art, only the bravest and youngest seagulls followed in Jonathan's footsteps.

I believe that the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull must be a very enlightened and spiritually evolved person; because, once we have tasted the happiness of spiritual practice, and realized our own real-self, we would know that no fame, wealth, honor or love between man and woman can be compared with the happiness of spiritual practice. There is nothing surprising or mysterious about knowing our true nature through the process of enlightenment. Therefore, if we step beyond our illusions about enlightenment, we will discover our real-self and achieve immediate enlightenment.

Master has said, I would like to play with you very much, but you always hide yourselves in the corners of inferiority, self-blame and regret, thinking that you are not good. You block yourselves, and do not dare to come close to me. So, we are not one!

How can a caterpillar imagine that it will be able to fly one day? We think we are ugly and can only crawl on the ground. However, only Master knows that we deserve much better, that we are the later generations of beautiful butterflies and one day we'll spread our beautiful and splendid wings, flashing under the sunlight; just like the ugly ducking that became a beautiful swan and flew off in the vast blue sky. Thus, it is time for us to liberate our souls and fly freely.

I have been tormenting myself for a long time about my own weakness and lack of power. I wanted very much to overcome it. However, no matter how hard I meditated, repented, and prayed, there was not much improvement. I had to endure this quality of my own in this way.

One day, during meditation, Master's soft and beautiful dharma voice, making me feel so warm and intoxicated, was suddenly transmitted to me, Do not rely on others anymore! From now on, you have to trust yourself to have the ability, to have the confidence. With the clear appearance of Master's manifestation body, all my worries disappeared. My heart was so content and peaceful. All guilty feelings disappeared totally in no time! I immersed myself wholly in Master's great love. It was so warm, so light and so touching! From that time onward, I have had a great power supporting me inside my heart, and my mood has became more and more stable.

Relying on my parents since childhood, and then on my husband after getting married, I was disappointed at my uselessness. For a long time, I was afraid of making mistakes when doing anything. Even in speaking, I didn't feel at ease. My judgment was also not accurate. Therefore, I looked down upon myself, withdrew inward, and lacked the confidence and power. Very often, I did not put my plans into action because of the fear of failure. Lacking confidence, the bitterness could hardly be expressed. Within the weakness, no one could help. But, Master's power changed my concepts and I was reborn. The feeling of liberation was really good!

Many thanks to You, great Master! Your everlasting light brightens up the dark road, and consoles the aching heart. Your noble and elegant love allows the souls to highly develop; Your endless and limitless merits leads sentient beings to enlightenment and liberation.

After her initiation, sister Wu was coaxed by her ego into confining herself within certain parameters. It made her becoming more and more distant from her friends and relatives. She eventually discovered that nothing went smoothly. Then, she began to study Master's teachings diligently, and discovered it would be good to have an attitude like Master's, spreading her love to people. Beginning with her family and friends, by looking after them wholeheartedly, by being a practical spiritual practitioner, and by accepting people regardless of their attitude towards her, gradually the antagonism between her and her family disappeared without a trace. The opinion of her friends and relatives that spiritual practitioners were odd also gradually dissolved. Through this experience, sister Wu understood that it was because she followed a true Master, whom one could hardly meet over aeons of times, that she was able to overcome the obstacles in her spiritual path so quickly.

Sister Wu said with deep feelings, If we are nice to our friends and relatives, and treat them with the 'give the best we can' kind of love that Master has for people, I believe that we can walk on the path smoothly. If we look carefully, we will find that all the resistance in our spiritual practice comes from ourselves. I remember that on October 25, 1995, the last day of the Third Anniversary of Ching Hai Day International 7-Day Retreat, Master especially reminded fellow initiates to focus on fulfilling their responsibilities to their families; then they would have no worries and would be able to concentrate on their practice. She also said, 'I hope that when you return home, you can bring some benefits to your families and your countries, and let them know that practicing the Quan Yin Method is truly good for you. When they see that you are full of love, spirit and patience, and aspire for Truth, virtue and beauty, they will know that we are walking on the right path, one that benefits people greatly. Nothing needs to be said at all. Actions speak louder than words. It is best to show an example by action.' A reminder of such thoughtfulness benefits sister Wu endlessly.