Our true birthday is the day of our initiation. As the Bible says, “Unless we are born again, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” And in the Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way by Lao Tzu, the major philosophical work of Taoism) it is stated, “If we cannot become a child again, we will not be able to understand the Tao.” In this sense, the time of initiation is our true birthday. However, since we possess the physical form, from the standpoint of secular customs, our birthday is the day when our material body enters the world. If we’re born on an auspicious day, we’ll grow up to serve the world and become a great person like Jesus Christ or Shakyamuni Buddha.

We have two great annual festivals: The first is the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha and the second is that of Jesus Christ. Each year we celebrate the birthdays of these two greatest and most renowned enlightened Masters in the world. When celebrating the anniversaries of Their births, we should remember Their grace. They took great pains just to edify this obdurate world, sacrificing Their private lives, moments of comfort and youthful bodies in the process. And we must strive to practice diligently so that we can become like Them, or at least become able to follow in Their footsteps. Each of us can become as great as They are. The choice is ours to make. If we consider ourselves to be very weak and small, we will be weak and small, but if we think that we’re very great, we will become great.

Master Your Thoughts

Thoughts are of paramount importance while faith is the mother of all paths and merits. If we have no faith in ourselves, all the Saints from all the dimensions and all times can’t save us. Even if Jesus Christ came again, He wouldn’t be able to do anything for us. Thus, we need to understand that if we want to progress and attain the great wisdom, we have to work hard; no one can help us. If we spend all our time worshipping a certain great Buddha or great Master, but forget that we too have the same great wisdom within ourselves, we’re wasting Their efforts. We’re acting contrary to Their teachings.

Shakyamuni Buddha said, “I have attained Buddhahood, and you will also become Buddhas in the future!” Jesus Christ also told us, “The works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.” (John 14:12) We should take Their words to heart for they’re very important. If we don’t remember them, there’s nothing else in the world that’s worth remembering.

Life after life, we’ve been brainwashed and have followed many systems that haven’t been beneficial for us and have belittled us. We even prostrate ourselves before a piece of wood, a tree or even a rock. I wonder how much lower you can degrade yourselves! Even going to hell isn’t as terrible as having an incorrect concept. Most people in the world immerse themselves in decadent lives and concepts because they don’t want to change this kind of thinking. They don’t want to accept the Truth, to stand tall, fight for themselves and regain their own rights. That’s why they suffer life after life.

However, our Earth isn’t the worst; there are even worse planets in the universe. In this world, we still have the freedom and right to change our thinking. We aren’t poisoned to the extent that no cure is possible because all the ignorance here is of our own choice, but we’re too lazy to change. In contrast, the inhabitants of some planets have virtually no chance to change because they’re controlled by beings from other planets who employ many different kinds of horrible weapons, which are more a kind of technology, to manipulate the inhabitants of these planets and make them live like zombies.

It would be very terrible and miserable if our thinking were monitored like this. It might be all right if only our bodies were controlled, but if our thoughts and wisdom were restricted, we would be in grave trouble. Many people are being influenced constantly, but they’re oblivious to it. For example, when we recite the scriptures or read books, if we don’t understand what they mean and yet make no effort to understand them, we might trust someone to explain them to us. However this may not be what they really express. That person may not understand them either, yet we place our trust in him and let him guide us in our thinking and religious beliefs. Eventually, the two parties may sink together to the same ignorant level, and this will be really troublesome.

Many people in the world believe blindly like this, accepting many things that haven’t been verified or have never benefited them. Not even our ancestors, parents or elders benefited from them, but just because everyone believes them we just join the group. It never crosses our minds to question whether these systems or philosophies are true or not. Will we be able to get any verification of them? This is how many people pass one day, and then a lifetime.

Spiritual Practitioners Brighten the Whole Universe

I believe that in recent years, as the number of fellow practitioners has increased, our world has become more comfortable and purified. Many wonders are occurring in places around the world. In fact, so many unimaginable things have occurred that even our fellow practitioners are amazed. However, we really shouldn’t be surprised because as I’ve said before, for we who practice the Quan Yin Method, the Light within us is infinite, and our inner peace and love are inconceivable. There’s no wall that they can’t penetrate and no boundary that can block them out.

When we cultivate ourselves spiritually in Formosa, it not only benefits the Formosan people, but our Light permeates the whole world. Let’s not mention the intangible benefits; just talking about the tangible benefits is enough. Do you know how many fellow initiates we have in the whole world? In how many countries can we find our fellow initiates? Let’s not mention their invisible energy and infinite love power, but first look at their lifestyle: They’re vegetarians, they don’t kill or steal and they love their neighbors.

Also, they’re truthful, reliable and peaceful; they’re very good citizens of the world. This is enough already. Just observing the tangible results of meditation and personal cultivation is enough. There’s no need to mention the invisible potential or intangible benefits that we bring to the world. .....Next Page