(Originally in Chinese)

Master (middle) attends a seminar at the Academia Sinica, Taipei.
(Left) Mr. Chu Hong-yuan from the Department of Modern History, the Academia Sinica
(Right) Professor Ruaan Jy-sheng of the National Taiwan University

On May 6, 2000 at the fourth seminar in a series of eight panel discussions, "Religions and the Chinese People Worldwide," Supreme Master Ching Hai was invited to speak about the Quan Yin Method and its development in Southeast Asia. The seminar was held at the Academia Sinica, a prestigious national academic research institute in Formosa. The conveners of the seminar were the Southeast Asia Research Project from the Academia Sinica, the Taiwan Religious Institute, the Central Broadcasting Corporation, the Overseas Chinese Research Group of the Contemporary History Research Faculty from the Academia Sinica, and the Chinese Interdisciplinary Association. Numerous professors, research fellows, media professionals, and elite personnel from many fields participated in the discussion.

This seminar on the Quan Yin Method (presented below) was also broadcast locally to the public on May 20 by the Central Broadcasting Corporation. In addition, the discussion was available worldwide simultaneously on the Central Broadcasting Corporation's web site at www.cbs.org.tw.

Chairman (Mr. Chu Hong-yuan from the Department of Modern History, the Academia Sinica): Good day to you, Supreme Master Ching Hai, Professor Ruaan Jy-sheng of National Taiwan University, and friends from the academic and public sectors. It is not often that the Academia Sinica has an opportunity, as it does today, to comprehensively explore a topic from both the religious and academic perspectives.

I am the convener of the Overseas Chinese Research Group of the Institute of Modern History of the Academia Sinica. Our group has been sponsoring a series of lectures over the past few years. Beginning this year, we have, at the recommendation and with the support of Director Lin Mei-rong of the Taiwan Religious Institute, incorporated religious perspectives into our research on the Chinese in Southeast Asia. Thus, we have invited an important religious leader to this seminar at the Academia Sinica today. This is the fourth in a series of eight lectures. The first three lectures were on Islam, Christianity, and I-kuan Tao. The topic today is a very special one, namely, the Quan Yin Method, a new path led and taught by Supreme Master Ching Hai. Let us learn more about this new spiritual dimension and its tremendous impact on Chinese people around the world.

We are coordinating the Chinese project with the Southeast Asian research project, also conducted by the Academia Sinica. This combined effort is proceeding under the guidance of Professor Hsiao Hsing-huang. Professor Hsiao has demonstrated his support for this activity by contributing an honorarium for each lecture. It is not much; nonetheless, it indicates his moral support for this academic study. We will be presenting this honorarium to Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her lecture. (Note: Master immediately contributed the honorarium back to the convener.) In addition, our overseas Chinese research group, which is now conducting studies on the Chinese in Southeast Asia, has prepared a token fee for Professor Ruaan, who will be serving as commentator today. But this is not important. More important is the cooperation evidenced in this event between the different institutes of the Academia Sinica working together on comprehensive research topics.

We are especially delighted to have representatives from two organizations with us today. We have the Central Broadcasting Corporation, represented by Mr. Wen. Mr. Wen is the producer of the radio program "The Overseas Chinese Community on the Air," which is broadcast to listeners worldwide. Today's lecture will be simulcast on his program to overseas audiences, and so he will record the entire lecture today.

We would also like to thank the Chinese Interdisciplinary Association for being with us today. Since its establishment 19 years ago, the association has launched a series of interdisciplinary activities with the support of university professors around Formosa. Nearly two hundred individuals with doctoral degrees are currently working with the Association to promote various interdisciplinary events. Research on religions, as well as Southeast Asian Chinese activities, is a highly interdisciplinary subject. Thus, we are delighted that the Chinese Interdisciplinary Association is participating in this seminar. We also have several other important leaders in our audience today. Of course, our greatest appreciation goes to the Academia Sinica for its attention to the lecture series, especially this fourth seminar featuring Supreme Master Ching Hai. Certain newspaper reports have raised concerns, and perhaps some tiny misunderstandings. Professor Yang Kuo-shu, Vice President of the Academia Sinica, as well as several other important administrative officials of the Sinica, have called me several times to discuss this matter. I would like to express my immense gratitude to them for surmounting all obstacles and accepting an activity of this nature.

Since this is basically an academic activity, we must first request that we remain in academic discourse. Supreme Master Ching Hai has traveled to many places, and I have asked that She begin Her lecture by discussing the Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Then, She can elaborate on the development of Her organization, as well as related developments of both past and present. Of course, it is inevitable that Her spiritual teachings will be mentioned, but we hope that the Master will focus Her talk on the Chinese in Southeast Asia. In other words, we hope that She will refrain from discussing any doctrines or activities involved in sharing the Truth, related difficulties, and future prospects in regions outside Southeast Asia, and save these topics for a future time.

Today's seminar will be conducted in two sessions, each lasting approximately one hour. I think that this is a precious opportunity, one that none of you has ever had anywhere in the world, even at the Taoyuan County Stadium (Master's lecture venue the previous day). So, please try to be concise and keep your discussion within the scope of Southeast Asian Chinese academic research. We hope to gather relevant information on this topic with you serving as our witnesses. Time is precious.

Now that I have completed my basic introduction, let us respectfully invite Supreme Master Ching Hai (referred to hereafter as SMCH ) to speak on the Quan Yin Method and the Chinese people in Southeast Asia.

SMCH: Thank you! Thank you very much! Since I am here at your invitation, let me proceed immediately without being too courteous, so we won't waste any time. Thank you for your trust and for giving me this honor. I have always felt that Formosa is my home, so my return this time does not seem like anything special. I haven't visited Formosa for a long time because I've been very busy abroad.

I delivered a lecture yesterday and you probably were there, and so have some reference. However, since I have promised to deliver this special talk today, I will abide by the guidelines set by our chairman and confine my talk to today's topic. Should I make a slip, please help me make amends.

Perhaps most of you are aware of our presence here, because we have created quite a sensation in Formosa. I mean that the government and the media have helped us become very famous. [Laughter] Although there are misunderstandings, these are nonetheless part of God's arrangement. Hes does things in Hiers own way. Sometimes, Hes lets people praise you a lot to make you famous; at other times, Hes lets people misunderstand you, and that too makes you famous. The second way is not so enjoyable and we don't like it that much. However, Jesus Christ, for example, was misunderstood by many people and subjected to immense suffering, yet He is worshipped throughout the world today. Shakyamuni Buddha was framed and misunderstood by many people during His lifetime; however, the whole world worships Him today. If these two great Masters had to endure suffering and wrongful accusations, this little bit of suffering should not matter to ordinary people like us. It cleanses our karma. In our group, we are grateful to those who insult or rebuke us, because they cleanse our karma for us. It is inevitable that we will, at some time in our lives, do something that does not appeal to everyone, and that causes misunderstanding among people. When people speak ill of us, it means that our karma is cleansed; we become more prosperous, and will be rewarded after our death.

Now I will talk about our development activities. Although we have contact Centers in many countries and places, we have more brothers and sisters in Southeast Asia than anywhere else in the world. By "brothers and sisters," I am referring to our fellow practitioners. That's what we call each other because we practice a common Method.

Initially, I didn't know anyone in Formosa, but now everyone treats me like a Formosan. I am really honored. Yesterday, I felt as if I had come home. When I'm overseas, people introduce me as someone from Formosa. When we render relief aid to other places, they refer to us as a Formosan group. Therefore, I am just going to stay on here as a Formosan. Even when I am not here physically, my heart and soul will be here. This is something that we cannot change; perhaps I was born here in a previous life. Some people have, during meditation, seen me eating sweet potato leaves in Formosa in a previous life. We share a deep affinity with each other.

Although I didn't know a single soul when I first arrived here many years ago, I was greatly impressed by the warm hospitality that the Formosan people immediately extended toward me. I was ordained here, so I followed the traditional customs. I abided by the rules and disciplined myself. It was just like taking driving lessons and following the words of the instructor. There is a supervisor by our side while we drive strictly and very rigidly according to his instructions. Once we know how to drive, we don't need an instructor anymore; we have become so familiar with the rules that we can drive smoothly and naturally.

The people here took very good care of me when I first came. The temples welcomed me and treated me well. They gave me money when I was in need. I was penniless at the time, but now I am earning some money. Once, I was on a retreat in a temple when, at midnight, about a dozen people came knocking at my door. I was bewildered to see them at that hour. They came in and revealed that the Quan Yin Bodhisattva had asked them to seek me out and learn something from me. I knew few people then, and was on a retreat. I was surprised that those people knew about me, but they said it was the Quan Yin Bodhisattva who had tipped them off. I wasn't ready to teach people, but started to do so because of their intense sincerity.

I am not a Formosan citizen, so I then went to the United States, where I stayed for more than a year. There again, people came to me, claiming that God had told them to come to me at a particular temple. As a result, I established bonds of affinity with the Americans as well. Initially, I shared ties of affinity with the Chinese only, but had to leave Formosa when my visa expired, whereupon I went to the United States. I couldn't, and still can't, stay permanently in Formosa.

After I had developed bonds of affinity with the Americans, the Formosan people asked me to return because they really loved me. I agreed and stayed here for quite some time, which was why our group was able to grow and expand in Formosa. This is a natural affinity. I began to shuttle between Formosa and the United States, and also traveled to other countries later.

I have affinity with the Chinese people. In Southeast Asia, where there are Chinese populations, the news spread by word of mouth. We had not issued any printed or audiovisual publications back then. I was invited to Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. Before we extended our reach overseas to America, our group was concentrated mainly in Southeast Asia, especially in areas sharing relations with Formosa and the Chinese people. In Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, which we have just mentioned, our group members were mainly confined to the Chinese people living there. The people there are mostly of Chinese descent and can speak Mandarin or Chinese dialects like Fukienese or Hakka. Also, one dialect in Thailand is identical to a Chinese dialect. People have discovered that the northern Thai language is exactly the same as a dialect spoken in one area in China's Yunan Province. These two peoples can communicate with each other. This proves that we Chinese once lived in Thailand. Singaporeans also speak Chinese.

When I first came to Formosa, the only Chinese words I could speak were "Is your mother well?" [This is a mistake that foreigners often make when they say the Chinese characters for "How are you?" in an incorrect sequence.] [Laughter] I didn't really understand the language. When senior practitioners in temples chanted the name "Amitabha," it sounded like "Ami-tofu" to me. I was astounded to hear them repeat the word "tofu" all day long.

However, I quickly mastered the language because I like the Chinese people very much. They treated me very well, just like a sister. Perhaps it was due to affinities made in previous lives. We could communicate perfectly despite the language barrier. But I was forced to learn some Chinese as I stayed on in Formosa, and I still remember some of it. I haven't forgotten it completely during my stay overseas. However, sometimes my tongue is tied because I have not spoken Chinese for a long time. I am most fluent in English; I even have difficulty speaking my own mother tongue, the Aulacese language. It's been so long since I last spoke in Aulacese that I have almost forgotten it.

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