SMCH: The Quan Yin Method is not a religion. However, all religions originated from the Quan Yin Method. There are already too many religions in the world; I don't want to add another one to the list. I had no such intention in the first place; otherwise I would have done it long ago. It would be nice to hear people call you the "founder of a religion", [Laughter] but by practicing the Quan Yin Method, we are restoring our Original Self. Religions usually discuss the experiences of ancient people. Take Jesus Christ, for instance. The focus is on the abilities or supernatural powers He attained through spiritual practice, how He reunified Himself with God, what His disciples achieved through spiritual practice, and how they finally reunified themselves with God. In the case of Shakyamuni Buddha, the focus is on what He achieved through spiritual practice, how He became a Buddha (Enlightened Master), and how His disciples practiced and became Buddhas in the same way. Today, our Quan Yin Method teaches us to walk the same path. Therefore, all religions originated from the Quan Yin Method. People call it "Christianity" because Jesus Christ came; people call it "Buddhism" because the Buddha came. This is how so many religions came into existence. I beg you not to call us the Ching Hai religion after I die! [Laughter]

Professor Ruaan: The general public and religious scholars refer to Your group as the Quan Yin Method or the Ching Hai religious group. Would You accept the name "Ching Hai religious group"?

SMCH: Of course, you have the right to call us any name you like. However, since we feel that we are simply a group devoted only to knowing our Real Self, we don't want to create another religion. We worry that it might have an impact or create more religious controversies. We only want to know our God Nature, our best quality within, so we don't think there is any need to give ourselves a label. However, it is all right for you to call us the Ching Hai religion. We won't print it on our name cards, though!

Professor Ruaan: The second part of my question is related to the fact that You have said You don't belong to any religion.

SMCH: That's right.

Professor Ruaan: Then what is the relationship between the Quan Yin Method and other religions? I am not sure whether You have already answered this in the first part of the question, or would You like to elaborate further?

SMCH: Let me elaborate. I have explained that there was no religion to begin with. Before the Buddha came, there was no Buddhism; before Jesus Christ came, there was no Christianity; before Mohammed came, there was no Islam. All enlightened persons are here to act through God's will and impart this method of liberation to those people who are ready to go Home. After the Masters and their disciples died, people in later generations knew very little of the Masters' teachings, and so the lineages were broken. People worshipped statues and oral teachings without the power of heart-to-heart transmission. Then, slowly, religions were formed. However, the Quan Yin Method is the most ancient and the only path back Home. You have only one path that leads you Home. That is how it is.

Professor Ruaan: Now comes the third part of the question. We have heard of the transmission of the Quan Yin Method in Formosa and abroad. Is there a difference between these other Quan Yin methods and the Quan Yin Method imparted by You? I raise this point because the theme of the seminar is "The Supreme Master Ching Hai, the Quan Yin Method..."

SMCH: It was other people who named it that way. When we practice the Quan Yin Method, we listen inwardly to our Self Nature; that is, we contemplate the inner Sound current, our original Nature and our God Nature. If another group is teaching the same thing, then they are also teaching the Quan Yin Method, except that they may call it by another name, like the "Sound Stream," "The Inner Voice of God," or "The Word." If they can let us hear our God Nature within, our heavenly Kingdom within, and see the inner Light, then their methods are the same as ours.

Professor Ruaan: The next question is related to Your organization. According to our knowledge, whether it is ancient Catholicism or the newly established I-kuan Tao, each religion has a huge church and organization, a tight hierarchy, and titles for each rank. For instance, in Catholicism, we have cardinals, archbishops, bishops and pastors between the Pope and the priests. In I-kuan Tao, we have the patriarch, matriarch, chief priests, initiate masters, altar masters, and introduction masters. With their massive organization and well-organized hierarchy, these religions can mobilize their members quickly and efficiently. However, this can also easily give rise to a bureaucracy. That is what usually happens. The Quan Yin Method is presently practiced by disciples on the world's five continents. I am not sure of the exact figure, but there must be at least several hundred thousand of them, and I believe the number will continue to grow in the future. From our observations and the information I have gathered from the written material, there is only one formal title -- the Quan Yin messenger -- between You, the Master, and the disciples in Your group. The Quan Yin Method group does not seem to be highly organized. However, is it possible for an organization like Yours that is not tightly organized to mobilize its members when engaging in Truth-sharing on a large scale? And can this last long? At present, the answer seems to be positive, because You hold huge congregations. I think this is due to the personal charisma of the leader, but can this continue for a long time? Can You share with us Your views and thoughts?

SMCH: Thank you very much. Your question is very clear. You have missed nothing. Perhaps you are very enlightened. The point is that we don't believe in hierarchical organization and bureaucratic positions. Quan Yin messenger is a casual title to let people understand that this person is authorized to give them verbal instructions regarding the Quan Yin Method. However, the real transmission within is conducted in total silence, from God, from within, from heart to heart. It is not conducted by the Quan Yin messenger, who is there only to relate the verbal instructions. That is why he or she is called a "messenger."

We don't like pompous titles very much. I alone have already endured the title of "Supreme Master" too much. I don't want others to be targets of criticism as well. We emphasize humility and self-practice, without any desire for positions. Although we have many members working in our group, you seldom see them publicly given credit. The working groups, such as the video team, have done much work, but specific names are never mentioned. Many people are engaged in printing sample booklets and scriptures, but no acknowledgement is given to them. Sometimes the names are listed, but only when required by the law of a particular country. It is better to keep a low profile. However, the names have to be disclosed if it is really necessary for others to know. They are disclosed when we have no other choice, but the people involved are not interested in gaining a titled position. They are aware of their own greatness within without having to announce it.

Professor Ruaan: So, if there is any pressure, Supreme Master will shoulder it alone.

SMCH: It is better that way, so that everyone else can be free and easy.

Professor Ruaan: My questions end here. Professor Chu.

Chairman: That was excellent. Let us thank Professor Ruaan for his brilliant commentary and questions, and also Supreme Master for Her incisive answers. Let us perhaps change the agenda a little bit. I am sure that all those present are very interested in expressing their views, asking Supreme Master some questions, or consulting our commentator. Shall we now open the floor to questions? All right, this lady!

Q: This is a follow-up to the question that our chairman asked earlier. Supreme Master Ching Hai has emphasized that She does not accept offerings. However, She has performed many charitable deeds around the world, which could not have been accomplished with a small amount of money. She just mentioned that She wove hats and designed clothes. Are these items sold only to disciples or to the public? Are the proceeds from these sales enough to help so many asylum-seekers, or victims of floods in America, and natural calamities in Southeast Asia? Can You further explain Your financial source?

SMCH: I don't accept any offerings. However, if a disaster occurs and our disciples want to send contributions or relief provisions to the victims, they can pool theirs with ours in a package or in bulk quantities. That way, all of us, including the disciples, contribute together.

Reporter: Excuse me, but I would like to follow up on this question. We are aware that in the past, You have provided aid to many places and demonstrated compassion to many people. However, we didn't see You in areas hit by the September 21, 1999, earthquake. Could You please tell us whether You participated in the disaster relief work or provided assistance in any way?

SMCH: As soon as I saw the news on TV in the United States, I tried to call but couldn't contact the liaison practitioners, as their lines were busy. It was very difficult to get through on the phone at that time. Finally, I managed to get through to a Brother Lin, who is not a liaison practitioner. I asked him to quickly mobilize everyone and provide all the financial and material assistance they could afford. Our group was in every place that needed help and was already in the disaster-stricken areas on the very first day. Brother Lin, would you like to tell us about that?

Chairman: Will you please introduce yourself before going into the details?

Brother Lin: My name is Lin Shu-lin and I live in Tainan. On the morning of the September 21 earthquake, I received a call from Supreme Master Ching Hai from abroad. She said that She had been trying to call for nearly two hours but couldn't get through, so She finally called me, and said, "Please help me set up a disaster relief team immediately, and promptly render aid to every area that needs help. Pool together all your strength and offer as much help, as quickly as possible."

This is the first point I'd like to make clear -- that Supreme Master was very concerned about the disaster in Formosa. Then, as I transmitted Her message of concern to fellow practitioners around Formosa, I needed to let them know that She was very worried about the post-quake situation. Even though She could not give Her regards and consolation to everyone in person, She wanted to convey Her deep concern about the situation. Therefore, I asked the local Centers to contact their members and set up a mobile car team. On the evening of the earthquake, we reached Chungliao. There, we left a message on the bulletin board of the local police station, saying, "If your area needs help or support, please call us at such-and-such number." We left the telephone number of our Nantou and Taichung contact Centers, which were closest to the earthquake's epicenter.

After 9/21/1999 earthquake in Formosa, fellow initiates rendered help to the affected areas in every way possible.

We also delivered relief provisions contributed by our Formosan members to the sports field in front of the Nantou County Government office. I personally visited the affected areas and found that these provisions alone would not resolve the situation. It was clear that we had to coordinate with the government and let the authorities handle it. Therefore, our fellow practitioners, who share the same ideals and will, together raised a fund for the quake-stricken areas. We raised precisely NT$10 million and contributed it all at that time.

Chairman: Now let us ask the director of the SMCH International Association to elaborate on this, and then we will take comments from the gentleman in the back.

Brother Ke: Let me introduce myself. I am the former Director of the Association. My last name is Ke. I personally participated in the relief work in the quake-stricken areas. Upon receiving a call from Mr. Lin, we went to the affected areas, and were the first group to arrive. At the time, the Nantou command center did not have any phone, so we provided ours for them.(1) We also organized a team of excavators(2), as we didn't see any excavators when we first arrived.

In general, we took care of the most urgent and top-priority matters. We immediately asked our members to purchase all of the tents available from nearby wholesale stores and factories. You might have seen on TV that all the tents in Formosa were sold out. That was because we had bought them all, at a cost of between NT$900 and NT$6,000 each. We purchased a total of four to five thousand tents. Since we have attended many retreats held by Master over the years, we knew about the need for tents.(3) We also bought canvas sheets. If you went to the disaster-stricken areas, you might have noticed some canvas sheets there in addition to the tents; they were contributed by us. When tents became unavailable in Formosa, we learned that many charity groups had ordered tents from places overseas, such as Hong Kong and the United States, and were flying in more tents by air.

For disaster-stricken areas inaccessible by car, we mobilized fellow practitioners to climb mountains and get there on foot. We organized a medical team to provide service in the affected areas before any TV news teams or other groups arrived. We were the first group to reach those places, before other charitable groups.(4)

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