Therefore, the conclusion is that we may not
use magical power. Where there’s magical power, there will
definitely be the ego. If we were able to control this universe,
the ego would be there. If I said now, “There shall be no
rain. Stop raining!” and the rain stopped immediately, would
you not all be very happy, clapping your hands and cheering? From
then on, you would come all day long to beg me, “Master, let
it not rain!” Those who like rain would then say, “Master,
let there be rain so it will be more romantic! (Audience laughs)
It will be nice to sit inside listening to the pit-a-pat of the
rain. It will be cooler this way.” Then I’d be busy
day in and day out dealing with those thoughts in your minds: asking
for the sun one moment, and asking for rain the next. It would be
very troublesome. And I myself would also feel very proud. If every
time you requested something, I immediately accomplished it right
in front of you, my ego would unavoidably grow bigger and bigger.
For a real Master, the ego has completely disappeared.
There’s no way to bring it back. Therefore, he would not perform
those little magical tricks for you. Even though you may lose your
faith in him because of that, he wouldn’t mind. It’s
because he wouldn’t use those little magical tricks to attract
you. He uses great truth instead, great logic to make you understand
clearly and know the reason for believing. He won’t use those
ways like a “hula-hoop” to entice sentient beings. Many
magicians and witches can perform these tricks. You can see them
at a circus. Even now in India, some people can do these things.
Anything you want to eat, they can materialize out of thin air for
you. Those things are like real. For example, one can get oranges
even in the Himalayas. When he recites the mantra “hula-hoop,”
an orange materializes for you. Anything you want, he can make appear.
However, after seeing this for a while, we will be fed up with it.
Knowing that it’s nothing, we will become bored.
To materialize those things requires a lot of
energy and makes our ego grow so that we can’t be liberated;
it also wastes our power. Thus, we can’t go up to higher realms.
That’s why we shouldn’t use magical power. It’s
the same with using spiritual power to heal illnesses. Those people
waste a lot of energy in order to treat others’ illnesses.
Their energy is all spent in this mundane world and they can’t
transcend the three realms. Take, for example, an aircraft. Its
fuel capacity and cruising range have all been pre-arranged. But
if it doesn’t take off, and only moves along the runway, or
if it just gets airborne to a low altitude and then cruises around
as in an aerial performance, then after a while, it will fall when
it runs out of fuel. It won’t be able to reach its destination.
It’s the same with our lives. The amount
of time and the number of breaths for each human are pre-destined.
How much time we can use to practice to become a saint is also pre-destined.
If we don’t make good use of that time and energy to practice
diligently to become a saint, then all will be finished for us.
As our time is very limited, we have to make haste in our practice.
It won’t do to say that we can practice at leisure. Slowness
just won’t do! That’s because we don’t know how
much more fuel we’ve got. It’s better in the case of
the aircraft, where the fuel situation can be known. So right now,
make haste and fly as far as you can. Don’t hang around wasting
time. After a while, it will be dark and the road will become invisible.
There will be no more fuel. Then we’ll be in great danger.
At that time, it will be too late for remorse!
It’s because of this that I say we may
not use magical power. We shouldn’t waste our fuel in a performance
for others. After a while when we fall down somewhere, no one will
look at us. Take, for example, the case of a fallen aircraft. Who
would spend a day standing there and looking at it? It’s the
same with us. When our fuel has been exhausted and our time has
come, this corpse of ours will be just lying there, swollen with
patches of white and black. At that time no one will want to look
at you. Even your most beloved husband will not be there to hug
you the whole day. Or your most beloved wife will also quickly bury
your corpse; otherwise, it will stink. Even if in life, you could
perform a million magical deeds, like bringing forth the wind and
rain, and flying on the clouds and fog, no one would be interested
in looking at you after you die!
You should understand why I don’t encourage
you to use magical power. It’s because we wish to be liberated
from life and death, never to return to this world again. So we
shouldn’t play with magical power here. Whoever you hear is
using magical power, that person is being most senseless! You’d
better stay away from him; otherwise, you might be affected. Then
you might play with “hula-hoops” and forget about the
Holy Names. Your time and energy will then be wasted meaninglessly.
We have to concentrate our attention on the wisdom
eye, to allow the soul to fly up quickly. The quicker the better!
If it can’t be accomplished today, try again tomorrow. If
it’s still not possible tomorrow, then try again the day after.
Try it every day, just like the newborn birdie, which is not yet
able to fly and falls down after trying a little bit. But it keeps
practicing every day. After a while, it will be able to fly. It’s
the same with the giant roc (a legendary bird of ancient China,
Arabia, etc.). It can’t fly immediately after birth, but can
eventually fly because it trains itself every day. If a birdie is
placed in a cage, it won’t be able to fly in the future because
it doesn’t understand what “flying” means. Similarly,
our soul has the power to fly, but no one has taught us how to do
so. Now I’ve taught you so you have to try every day. You
have to practice flying every day. When you practice until you’re
able to fly, then your soul will be free. 
