Selected Questions & Answers

Spoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai, Group Meditation, L.A., CA., U.S.A.
July 20, 1997 (Originally In English)

Q: I want to ask about dimensions. There's a law in physics that says that energy, the lower vibration always has to go to the higher vibration. So I'm wondering when sometimes we mix with people that are not initiated and it affects our meditation, if that law is still true, that the lower vibration goes to the higher vibration?

M: No, no. The higher vibration goes down to the lower vibration. The low cannot go up, only the high can come down. Yours is coming down? What are you wondering about? Are you wondering whether it's going up or coming down?

Q: No. I'm wondering if our presence, sometimes because we're meditating, and we're initiated, is it helping the others to come up, or is it also bringing us down?

M: Well, both ways. In order to help them to come up, you have to first come down.

Q: I know sometimes it has affected me in my meditation, but I'm wondering does it actually bring my level down or is it just a natural karmic interchange with people that we mix with?

M: Well, if you talk in terms of business, then you've lost something. But then, you will be replenished again if you are strong enough. Sometimes if you are not strong enough then people drag you down for a long, long time. So make sure your reservoir always has plenty of blessings. That's why you must meditate every day, or else you would have become Buddha already, or you would have remembered that you are Buddha already. You would have no need to come here. No need to see me. You would feel no need whatsoever about anything anymore, if you don't have to give anything to people.

That's why we are here also. We can't just come to this world; take a lot of food; eat; do everything; then grow up until then; meet the Master, teacher, whatever; and then just say: "Okay, that's it folks. You are on your own." You have to do something, automatically. Just like the electric or water bills, they come automatically from your bank account because you've used them. Actually, the things we use from this world are material, but now we can only repay by spiritual. That's okay. We're all brothers and sisters. We give, it's fine.

Q: So sometimes if we feel that we've been pulled down a little bit, we should just meditate more and hopefully we'll go back up?

M: Yes, of course. Meditate more or let go. Let it be. This is the system that is the best system -- that the ones who have should give to the ones who don't have. It doesn't matter whether it's material or spiritual. That's the way it should be in every world. Our world is so depleted, so degraded, has so much suffering, because people don't give -- the haves don't give the have-nots -- even materially. That's why we're so miserable the way we are. So we should change. We can't change the whole world maybe. We change ourselves, at least our environment, so our brothers and sisters, we, live in heaven, heaven inside, knowing that we are good, knowing that we do the things we should do.

As soon as this world becomes the way we are right now, in terms of materialism only, our world will never suffer from hunger, want or disasters anymore. Even if there are disasters, we should help each other, very quickly. No one should be hungry in this world, if we follow the automatic system the way we're doing with our spiritual heritage.

We have blessings inside and we don't even think about it. Automatically, we give it to people. Sometimes, you go to the hospital or somewhere, visiting someone, and just by sitting there doing nothing, they feel better. Because you have the blessings with you, and they just deduct them. That's the system of the universe -- the haves must give to the have-nots.

That's the only way we can be God. That's the only way that God is, because it's love. There's nothing else except unconditional love in the universe. That is the most important. And if we can't learn that lesson, we never can arrive anywhere. We have to come back again and again, feel sorry and feel bad until we really do what we have to do. If we don't know, it doesn't matter. But if we know and we don't do it, we'll feel very bad. You know that.

Q: When I'm around other fellow initiates, it doesn't matter whether I can speak to them or not, whether they're Chinese, Au Lac or whatever, I feel really comfortable, like I'm at home and they're family. It feeds me. So I know naturally, just intuitively that being around disciples is more elevating to my spirit. And when I'm around people who are not initiated, sometimes I feel really drained. So I'm wondering is it harmful to my spiritual practice to hang out with people who are not initiated, or is it instead a natural process of what I'm supposed to be doing here in my practice in the first place?

M: Oh, just let it be. You can't avoid people. Besides, we don't practice to hoard all the blessings to ourselves. So just hang around. [Laughter] Hang with anyone that you have to. Be happy that you don't have only the non-initiates in this world, you have also the initiates. You have to look at it that way. Then you can come together again, comfort each other, help each other, and go out and give to the world, get kicked, get knocked, and come back.

We're lucky. We have a big family; we have people with whom we can share the same ideal, the same common interest, who understand us, who support and help us, and who are really honest and sincere with us. That is a great comfort. Other people out there, they don't have it. So, you should go out more. Let them know what a good person you are. Let them see that there are still trustworthy persons. Let yourself be an example, and they follow you or not follow you, that's their problem. Why hide? It's okay. Go hang around.

I go to all kinds of places. (Laughter and applause) I don't just hang around here. I'm happy to see you, but I hang around everywhere. What do you think? I stay in hotels, I eat in Denny's Restaurant, I go for coffee "n'importe quoi". I go to MacDonald's sometimes, eat chips and apple pie. Actually, I go anywhere. I don't even think that if I go here I'll have trouble or not trouble. I just go. Everywhere is God's place. Everywhere is your house.