You May Not Know

The World Is A Stage For Our Play

(Originally in Chinese)
In the very beginning, we were with God; we were one with the essence of the highest Buddha. At that time, there was nothing to do in the universe. It was empty like an ocean of love, so pure and tranquil, without any movement, or anything interesting. Therefore, when God or the Creator suggested that we have some activities and add some excitement to the universe, we all agreed with joy. Thereafter, we shared in part of God's creative work. Each one of us has to do something and has to play a role. We each cast our own character. That is why there are so many different colors of skin, different temperaments and even different shortcomings. Thus, we created the universe. We created different planets, different nations and different people.

When we came down, we brought some tools or toys along with us, such as our characters and the roles. Since we created them, we also need to destroy them in order to rest and then to create new ones. Suppose you had created a bad character, perhaps a hot tempered or murderous one, even though it was your role, it was not meant to be played forever, because the roles in the play still have limitations. You may play it for a hundred years at most, or you may murder a few people, so as to carry out the drama, thus making the universe have activities, have the virtuous, the evil and transmigration. But you cannot continue to kill people like this or be so hot tempered. At the end, you still need to eliminate this character.

The character you created is only for you to come down and play with for fun. After the play is over, this tool or this malevolent character has to be eliminated. How do you eliminate it? You have to try your best to overcome this character. It was created for you to play with, but because it is defective you have to destroy it. This has to be done by no one but yourself. You will have to destroy and dissolve this character completely by yourself in order to reclaim your original quality, which has no discrimination of good or bad. Do you understand what I mean? Otherwise, you carry this character with you as you transmigrate through the universe, contaminating yourself and others as well. Unless it is cleansed off, you cannot recover your original self that existed before the creation, and before the drama was set on the stage.

In case you have not eliminated the qualities before you die, then you cannot return to where you came from. Because before we came down here, we did not have these toys, such characters and temperaments. At that time, we were in an ocean of love and purity; we were just as loving, as perfect and as almighty as God. In order to have some fun, to carry out the drama, and to make the universe more interesting and diversified, we played our roles as different characters, like the performers in a drama.

Originally, we were the children of God and we were with God. Later, we wanted to have some fun so we signed a contract with God. We all supported His plan of creation and agreed to follow it. Subsequently, according to the plan, we created Africa, Europe and the Americas to be this way, and Formosa, Cambodia, Thailand... to be that way; each one being unique and beautiful in its own way. But the trouble is, sometimes we overplayed our roles; we forgot to wash off our stage makeup or to remove our masks, and we continued on with the play. We forgot the will of God and couldn't stop playing. That is why this worldly game is no longer fun and it gets worse as we go along.

Now, those who are tired of playing and wish to rest must eliminate all those characters borrowed from the second realm, for such characters do not exist above the second realm, not even our brain, the computer within us exists. These tools are not needed up there; without karma, there is no need of temperament, no need to have good or bad. It was originally quite uneventful! Now, if we want to go home, we must dissolve all these tools and characters; we must destroy all these qualities that we have borrowed, before we can become our original self again. Do you understand what I mean? You continue to play because you have been here for so long that you have forgotten.

If you want to go back now, you must follow the Master and listen to the Master's instructions. You must eliminate all those borrowed and defective tools. There must be no more greed, anger and obsessions, no more alcohol, no more meat... no more malevolent qualities. If you still cannot let go of these, then you have to stay here. Why is that? Because these tools and qualities belong down here, and if we are still attached to these, then we have to stay here with our tools. We can go up only after we have let go of them.

It is like if we were to visit the president at the presidential palace, we have to leave our luggage or guns at the gate. If you don't want to leave your weapons, your baggage and other junk with the security guard, then you will not be allowed to go inside to see the president. Similarly if we still indulge in greed, hatred, obsession, fame, gain and other vicious qualities that are unfitting up there, then we will not be allowed to see the King of the universe.

When we came down here to have fun together, some people chose the roles that had the worse qualities, while some others chose those that had higher positions. In fact, only in this world we have the good and the bad, we see others as virtuous or evil, superior or inferior. When we picked our roles before we came down, no one intentionally chose anything. It was like God put out a big pile of different qualities, the good, the bad, the greedy, the angry, the obsessed, the irritable, the benign, etc. for us to pick one to wear, just like costumes. No one complained that his position was not what he wanted, that he wanted to be the king and not the policeman..., etc. At that time, no one had such ideas at all.

When we were up there, all things were equal. We were not impressed by fame or gain, we did not care about being poor or unfortunate, or worse yet, having a poor figure. We and God agreed to create a universe in which there should be a variety of different people, animals, flowers, trees..., etc. Besides, we were all willing to come down here to each play a role, choose a character in the creative plan. But after the role was over, the character was supposed to be eliminated and not left to roam around the universe. For the universe can only be an ocean of love, nothing but simplicity and purity.

At the end, if we were still unable to learn our lessons, or unable to fight, conquer, and destroy the character, then we had to keep it in our bag; just like when you keep leftover money in your pocket. If we come down again another time, we will have to choose another tool or another character before we can come here.

No one was born into this world exactly perfect. From birth until a certain stage at least, we have to be imperfect, which means that we must have a lot of junky qualities. So the last time, if you did not eliminate that character, now this time you have to come down with another lousy character, that becomes two to make things more difficult for you. And if you do not eliminate both characters this time, then next time around, you'll have three. Your qualities will become worse and worse, with more and more shortcomings. If all three are not eliminated, later you'll have four, or five, or six, or seven, or eight... and you'll end up in a mess indeed! (Master and everyone laugh.) Therefore, we say that some people are really bad and have a lot of shortcomings, because life after life, they did not practice and learn their lessons well; instead of eliminating their rotten qualities, they accumulate more bad qualities each time they came down. In addition to that, they even contaminated themselves further by imitating their neighbors.

Therefore, the faster we advance in our self-cultivation the better off we are! You must persevere and try to eliminate any undesirable qualities that you may have; otherwise, there is no guarantee that it'll be any better the next time! (Master laughs.) The baggage might be too heavy to carry! When we came down the first time, we jumped down with empty bags. Now we try to go back up, wow! We have so many tools, habits and burdens, and all are unnecessary baggage. We have become used to working with them, that is why we hang onto them so dearly. We have developed a serious attachment to them and that is troublesome.

The negative qualities we have are also a type of obsession; we are immediately liberated if we can let them go. Therefore, it is said, "Let go of the butcher knife, be a Buddha instantly." Aside from the butcher knife, the same applies to anything that binds us in this world. So if you want to go "home", then practice diligently.

Master Invited to Washington DC

(Originally in Chinese and English)
Photo:
(1) Master luncheon with the directors of the NGO's. (2) After the meeting at the State Department, Master presented Her works of art - longevity lamps and prints of Her paintings, represented Her sincerity and friendship, to the officials.

It was just after the three-day retreat and celebration of the "Supreme Master Ching Hai Day" in Formosa. Master, received an invitation by phone & fax from a U.S. State Department official, to come to the United States to discuss the Au Lac refugee issue. Worrying about the safety of the refugees, Master decided once again to visit Washington, DC, despite Her fatigue after long hours of travelling. (Master is always travelling, and because disciples were eager to see Her, after Her meeting in Cambodia, She immediately returned to Formosa to hold the three-day retreat, still unable to have a peaceful rest.) Washington DC is the administration center of the U.S.A. and the State Department is the place where decision makers gather. The meeting was held in the State Department, and the people who drafted the CPA were the other party who attended.

The Refugee Conference At The U.S. State Department

The two officials that Master met with were Mr. Charles Sykes, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, and Mr. William Fleming, Senior Program Officer for Asia, The Office of Africa, the America's and Asia, in the same Bureau at United States State Department. The agenda included everything relating to the treatment of Au Lac refugees from the current CPA and U.S. immigration policies to how international relief organizations can assist the refugees if they are returned to Au Lac.

The State Department tried in the most diplomatic ways to inform Master that the hope of changing the U.S. policy toward the refugees is very small, that the U.S. supports only the return of these refugees to Au Lac, and that the existing 20 - 30,000 person immigration quota from Au Lac to U.S. will likely come from applicants in Au Lac rather than from refugees in the camps.

Likewise, Master tried to make these two officials understand the nature of the brutality in the camps and the fear that is in the hearts of those, even the most innocent, who have been subjected to the types of oppression that the communist regime in Au Lac still employ.

Master told the two officials: If the boat people are willing to return to Au Lac, and they are safe upon their return, She would definitely be delighted to see such a happy ending. However, the problems are, they are not willing and are afraid to go back, and there are many cases of repatriated boat people continuing to be oppressed. This proves that human rights in Au Lac still need to be improved. The fear of the boat people to return to Au Lac is supported with evidence, it is not just psychological.

For humanitarian reasons, the psychological phobias and restlessness of the boat people must not be overlooked. To support this somewhat, Master brought up a situation of Her being searched by custom officials in San Francisco, upon entering the U.S.A. and awaiting transit to another flight. This incident made her realized the deep suffering one experiences in being suspected and watched over. Although She has no connection with things like drugs, however the after effect of being questioned and investigated by powerful officials overshadowed Her, which made it impossible for Her to rest peacefully during the next long flight. Even when staying in the hotel, she still felt restless and had the feeling of being trailed and watched by the police.

Master then reemphasized the present situation of those boat people who have just returned to Au Lac, and the human rights of religious groups being suppressed in Au Lac. (Their letters asking for help are evidence.)

Mr. Fleming admitted that indeed five percent of the people are being persecuted. However, he thought that this was a small proportion compared to the total number of returning people. He also mentioned that the local governments were responsible for the persecutions, and that it was not the administrative policy of the Central government. We can only hope that Au Lac will continue to improve.
He stated adamantly that under the present situation, the only solution is to persuade the boat people to return to their country.

Later, Master told us that she understood that they were complying to the situation in proposing this plan to settle the problem. However, Master could not give in to the situation as they expected, persuading the boat people to return to Au Lac. Master can only talk about the actual events, what She has heard and seen - that the boat people are truly being persecuted upon their return to Au Lac. She cannot talk about something She has not seen.

Immediately after the meeting, both officials were to travel to Au Lac to meet with communist officials on matters relating to the return of the refugees. However, they expressed that this trip would not include any investigation of human rights violations.

Even though there are many differences in both philosophy and desired outcome, Master never wavers in giving unconditional love to all people. Before adjourning for another meeting over lunch, Mr. Fleming and Deputy Secretary Sykes received Master's art work - longevity lamps and prints of Her paintings, representing Her sincere friendship!

Luncheon Meeting In The State Department

Ms. Margaret McKelvey, the Director of the Office of International Refugee Assistance for Africa, the Americas and Asia, and the Bureau for Refugee Programs, representing the U.S. State Department. Ms. Dawn T. Calabia represented UNHCR. Also present were Mr. Claude De L. Pepin, Vice President of Organizational Development for World Learning, Inc. who is currently heading up a consortium of internationally recognized NGO's, including the Save the Children Foundation, that are providing small business loans to returning refugees in Au Lac. Mr. Ca Van Tran, President of the Au Lac Assistance for the Handicapped, Mr. Timothy M. McCully, Regional Associate for Asia Pacific International Services of the American Red Cross, Ms. Mitzi Schroeder, Director of the Washington DC Office of ICMC (the International Catholic Migration Commission), Mr. Shep Lowman, Director of Migration and Refugee Services of the U.S. Catholic Conference and leader of this month's NGO mission to the refugee camps and Au Lac. All were working members who had been in direct contact with the refugees.

After formal introductions, each guest explained the nature of his or her relief program and how they are helping the lives of both refugees and returnees. The UNHCR official explained that in her life long career, she has been confronted with refugees who committed suicide and were unwilling to be repatriated. However, based on the policy, they are to be repatriated. Not knowing what to do, this makes her feeling depressed and heart broken.

Master together with those frontline working members, discussed, over lunch, the present situation in the refugee camps and in Au Lac. They all had the same understanding and feelings, and were trying their best, in their position, to improve the situation.

During lunch, Mr. Tran told Master that they have a significant amount of donated medicine for the victims of natural disasters in Au Lac. However, he was unable to get money to subsidize the transportation expenses, therefore it had not been carried out. Master immediately said She would accomplish this task. Without hesitation, Master instructed Her disciples to arrange delivery by air, completely at Her expense. Apart from that, She also instructed that Her disciples go to Au Lac, to cooperate with the relief work. Immediately the human and material resources that would be necessary were arranged for. Mr. Ca later informed us that this service is no longer necessary because at the moment in Au Lac they are not in need of medicine. (Please refer to attached letter.)

Master told everyone present at the meeting that our group does not need go through any paperwork or bureaucracy; it is always ready for action round the clock. Master would instantly give help to any request that is deemed necessary, not wanting anything in return, and immediately mobilizing human and financial resources to cooperate.

Washington DC is a city known for its bureaucracy and paperwork. Consequently, everyone was surprised and felt it incredible that Master arranged and solved this prolonged problem so quickly and easily. Never before has any group done it so fast. Most of the members expressed that due to paperwork, bureaucracy and a shortage of transportation funds, they were unable to deliver large amounts of relief items and donations received to poverty stricken people and victims of disaster.

Someone happily remarked that Master should take the job of commissioner of the UNHCR. However, Master only felt honored that She was given an opportunity to contribute in this small way to mankind. Everyone was touched by Master's humble response, and by Her sincerity and generosity. Master also praised their noble work, encouraging them to do their best in their position.

At the end of the luncheon meeting, Master presented Her art creations of love and friendship to everyone - longevity lamps and prints of Her paintings. Her trip to Washington DC ended in an atmosphere of joy and happiness.

Appendix

P.O. Box 6564 - Melean, VA 22106 - Telephone (703) 847-9582 - Fax (703) 448-8207

FACSIMILE COVER SHEET

     Date:            November 17, 1994
     From:            Tony Cistaro
     To:              Gloria Shiao
     Organization: The Internat'1 Supreme Master Ching Hai meditation Assns.
     Tel/Fax No:      508-436-9983
     Total Pages Including this Cover   One (1)

     MESSAGE:
        Per our telecon last night:
        Dear Gloria:

        I wish to thank you and your association for your kind offer 
        and efforts to transport the flood relief supplies for 
        Viet-Nam.  However, we will not require any assistance in 
        the shipment of these supplies.

        Thank you once again.

        Best Regards,
        Tony Cistaro