Master Tells Stories
Enduring
Humiliation is
a Saintly Quality
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Hsihu, Formosa, January 8, 1995 (Originally in Chinese) Videotape #466
The title of this story is “Enduring Humiliation is a Saintly Quality,” meaning that a person with great tolerance is a saint. For me, all the people in this world are saints because they can bear such living conditions! Every day they shed tears and sweat, just to earn a few bowls of rice and a few sets of clothes. People rub elbows with each other and put up with one another. They put up with their bosses and colleagues, their spouses and family members and their friends and enemies. Oh, to be able to endure all this is truly a saintly quality! If I were God, I would appoint all the people on earth as deities (audience applauds) because I feel that it requires great endurance to live in this world. But let’s see how the Indians view this. Many Indians engage in spiritual practice but their views may not be the same as mine.
One day an Indian man who wanted very much to find a spiritual path called on an enlightened master and asked the master for initiation, imploring him to impart a method of practice that could allow him to see God quickly. Since the man was so eager, the master granted him the initiation and then instructed him to meditate for a certain period of time each day, follow a vegetarian diet and observe the Five Precepts. The master also told the man that if he wished to advance more quickly in his spiritual practice, he should find a cave in which to meditate and only eat one or two simple meals a day. He also told the man to avoid mingling with worldly people so that he wouldn’t be distracted. If he continued to work in the mundane world, he would have lots of trouble, and would not be able to concentrate on his spiritual practice.
Life was simpler for the ancient people. If they wanted to find a cave to meditate in, they could just go, unlike us modern people who have too many things to worry about: “I haven’t paid off my car loan or my mortgage yet.” “My credit card payment is due soon.” “I haven’t paid my utility bills! Oh, it’s impossible!” In the olden times, if people wanted to go off to a mountain cave to meditate, all they had to do was tell their spouses, “I’m leaving. I’ll return in six months or a year. Please bring me some food every day during this period.” It was so simple!
Today if we want to go anywhere, we have so many things to deal with. Also, there’s so much red tape that entangles us. It’s not only the rich people who get tied down. Any ordinary person, as long as he has a house or car, gets tied down, too. And as long as he lives in this world, he has to fill out countless forms. If the forms aren’t filled out properly, he can’t go anywhere. That’s why people aren’t free. It’s the same in every country. The government has your visa information so they can track you down very easily.
Now back to this man in India. His master told him, “After one year, when you’ve meditated very well and have gotten good results, come back to see me. But before you come, first bathe yourself three times in the river. Come here only after you’ve cleansed yourself thoroughly. Then I’ll have a look at the results of your spiritual practice.” So the man followed his master’s instructions well. He found a small cave in the mountains and diligently meditated there daily, eating only one simple meal a day.
A year passed by very quickly, and one day the master knew that the disciple would be coming to see him the next day so he told the attendant who swept his room, “Tomorrow that disciple will come here from the cave. Go and wait for him at the gate. When he arrives, dump all the garbage you’ve collected today on him.” Of course, the disciple had to follow his master’s instructions so the next day when the man came, he had already bathed three times and his whole body was scrupulously clean. Besides, after a year of meditation and eating only one meal a day, he had become very holy. One could sense his saintly smell from miles away. He was anxious to see his master and tell him about his spiritual experiences. But as soon as he came to the gate, the attendant dumped the garbage on him.
Whoa! Do you know how the disciple reacted? He was furious! He shouted at the guy, “You, of fathomless karma! Don’t you know who I am? I just came back from one year of seclusion! Don’t you know I’m a saint? How dare you dump garbage on me?” (Master and audience laugh.) Then he snatched the broom from the attendant and went after him, but the attendant hurriedly hid behind the master so the man couldn’t catch him. The disciple could do nothing but go back to the riverside to clean himself up. Afterwards, he came back to see his master and said, “Master, I’ve meditated for one year. I’ve done everything you told me to do so when can I see God?”
And his master replied, “Good! But you still can’t completely control your mind and heart. You lose your temper and want to beat people up. Yes, indeed, my attendant acted foolishly but look at you! You acted like a tiger, a viper! You chased after him and tried to beat him. There’s no way that you can see God like this. You have to return to the cave, do penance and meditate for one more year.” Then the disciple said, “OK, I understand. Thank you, Master, for enlightening me about my ignorant behavior. I’ll surely amend myself.” So he went back to the cave and meditated very seriously and diligently.
Another year passed by and his master again called his attendant and said, “Tomorrow the disciple will again return from the cave and come to see me after taking a bath. Go and wait for him at the gate. When he comes, pour the contents of the night pot over him.” So last time it was garbage and this time night soil. The ancient people had no toilets so they used night pots. The attendant dutifully obeyed and waited for the disciple at the gate. When he arrived, the attendant poured the whole pot of night soil on his head with nary a drop left! (Audience laughs.) The odor of the night soil was so strong that it overpowered the man’s saintly smell. (Master and audience laugh.)
Again, the man was outraged and shouted, “If I catch you, I’ll turn you into dust! How dare you pour such foul stuff on my holy body! Don’t you know I’ve already meditated for two years? I’ve been meditating twenty-three hours a day and eating only one meal a day! How dare you do such a thing to me!” His face turned crimson, and he ranted and raved at the top of his lungs, but since he couldn’t catch the attendant he gave up and went back to the river to clean himself up. Then he returned to his master and said, “Master, I’ve followed your instructions and meditated for another full year and I’ve kept the Precepts strictly.” (But since there was no one else in the cave, there was really nothing to cause him to break the Precepts.) (Audience laughs.) Then he continued, “Every day I had nothing but sesame powder, brown rice and some river water. So, when can I see God? Master, you promised that I could see God after another year of meditation. Now I’ve already meditated for two years. Why can’t I see God yet?”
The master said, “Child, you still can’t control your mind. You’ve just behaved like a mad dog. The attendant only poured a little bit of stuff over your body. It’s nothing but yesterday’s chapatis (Indian pancakes). (Audience laughs.) And you chased after him, screamed at him and threatened him. Do you think a saint would behave like that? Can you see God that way?” So the disciple was very ashamed of himself and said, “I understand now. Thank you, Master. I’ll surely make amends. What should I do now?”
The master replied, “I’ll give you one more chance. Go and meditate for one more year but if you don’t pass the test next time, I won’t teach you anymore. Neither will God give you another chance so be vigilant! This is your last chance.” Then the man returned to the cave again to meditate. Every day he prayed and meditated earnestly, and followed all his master’s instructions. So, this man was really pretty good; he truly wanted to see God.
Soon the third year was over and his master was up to his old tricks again. He always taught others to do good deeds, but he himself would do such mischievous things to challenge his disciples. The disciple had just finished a one-year retreat with great difficulty and thought he could now be free so he happily left the cave and took a good bath. But the master had garbage and foul night soil poured all over him again. What kind of master was that? The master always taught his disciples to be good, polite and gentle, not to challenge people, to take care of others and to make others happy. Doesn’t every master teach these things? But this master himself would do such bad things! He caused his disciple so much trouble! He was truly one of a kind! (Master laughs.)
This time the master called his attendant and said, “Tomorrow that disciple will come back from the cave. Take the garbage and night pot to the rooftop over the gate. When he enters, pour all the dirty stuff over him again.” And so the attendant did as he was told.
But by then the disciple was able to control his mind and didn’t blow up. I wonder if he was really able to control his mind or it was just that he had already had two prior experiences so he wouldn’t get mad anymore. (Audience laughs.) Perhaps this master wasn’t very enlightened himself. If he always gave the same test the disciple would have been prepared, but maybe not. If a man is very ignorant or possessed by demons, he won’t understand anything. He’ll forget everything, including his own good qualities and kind nature. Luckily, however, the disciple remembered. Maybe he had strong determination and a good memory. He knew that he’d better not get angry under any circumstances. He knew that if he got dumped on again, all he had to do was take another bath. That was all! So maybe he got smarter. But could he truly control his mind? We don’t know. Nonetheless, this time when the attendant poured the dirty stuff all over him, not only was he not angry; he even thanked the attendant. (Audience laughs.)
Doesn’t Supreme Master Ching Hai also teach the same trick? When others scold us or beat us, we have to thank them. Does She teach you this? (Audience answers, ‘Yes.’) I remember hearing Her say that a couple of times, but have you applied Her teaching in daily life or do you still feel like beating people up? This time the Indian disciple thanked the attendant. Perhaps he had indeed gained control over his mind. He said humbly, “Brother, you just did me a big favor. If you hadn’t treated me this way, I wouldn’t have been able to break away from my own anger or the negative power that bound me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart!” He then bowed to the attendant three times and went to see his master.
Right after that, his master gave him the real initiation. Perhaps what the man had learned earlier from his master was only the Convenient Method, and only after he had changed his attitude toward the attendant did he receive formal initiation from the master. Indeed, during his initiation he immediately saw the inner Light and heard the inner Sound. He saw God! So he was exhilarated.
