Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Seven-day International Retreat, Hsihu, Formosa,
October 30, 1995 (originally in English) Videotape No. 508

In our daily dealings with friends, relatives and any other people we happen to meet on the street or in our walk of life, we have to put forth our true feelings and our true affections. Everything we do must be true. Otherwise, sooner or later, we'll lose. People will leave us or won't like us the way we expected. Or, we'll lose their business, lose their affection, lose their trust and probably lose them altogether.

That's the purpose of keeping the precepts, so that we'll remember where our limits are. We'll know where to stop. We'll know how we should behave, or at least how to be honest with ourselves. If we're honest with ourselves, other people will sense it. Inside of them is God. Outside, maybe we can cheat them by telling lies or flattering them with all kinds of untrue compliments in order to get something out of them. But inside, the God within them knows. So we can't cheat them for too long. That's why we must always be honest with ourselves. The precepts are there for that reason, so that we become purer, truer to ourselves and to other people so that we can be successful in every aspect of life.

It's not that we're truthful like this only to benefit other people: We're the first to benefit because whatever we give will be returned. But we can't cheat the real inner Self of other people; that's a great offense. That's why we must be honest, and we mustn't tell lies.