Q: A Dharma Master thinks that "Thus I have heard" in the Sutras should be changed to "Thus I have translated." I wonder which phrase is right?
A: To tell you the truth, neither one is right. When the Venerable Ananda compiled the Sutras, he added "Thus I have heard" to the beginning of Sutras to prove that he had personally heard the Buddha say these words. This particular phrase wasn't said by the Buddha. If you use "Thus I have translated," you don't even understand what this is supposed to mean. Ananda only compiled the scriptures; he didn't translate them.

Q: Is there hope for the conflicts in the Middle East?
A: There would be no war if we were kind and genial. The cause and effect of war are that people are not kind and genial.

Q: Conflicts in Israel and the Middle East tell us that, it's easy to make enemies but hard to unmake them. How exactly do we dissolve this kind of rivalry?
A: They're accumulated bit by bit. During this trip to Europe, I had visited Poland. There, the Germans killed an incredible number of Jews [during WWII]. Each grave has ten's of thousands of people in it. Tens of thousands people in one grave.

Q: China and Taiwan have broken relations for a long time. Now lots of people are afraid that Taiwan will become independent or that Communist China will use force to unify Taiwan and China. Once that occurs, the Chinese will kill their own kind--this is not what the Chinese hope for. Do you think there's a better method to achieve unification?
A: Everything would be solved if everyone were just nice and kind. There would be no need for combat. It's very simple! That political faction for an independent Taiwan or what have you are just about wanting power. They want power and status, and that's why they want Taiwan to become independent. . .

Q: I have a question. Will China be unifying China and Taiwan or will Taiwan be unifying Taiwan and China?
A: This is a question for Taiwan and China. The Taiwanese will say that Taiwan will control China while the mainland Chinese will say that they will control Taiwan. It's not really about control, but about a better way to govern the country.

Q: But their political ideologies are different.
A: Political ideologies are "owned by those who have virtue and lost by those who have no virtue."

Q: Will the Master predict for us as to when Buddhism will flourish in the United States?
A: It's already flourishing. Don't be discontent! Isn't Buddhism flourishing since the number of Buddhists is relatively large in a country that is predominantly Christians and Catholics?

Q: Will the Master please instruct laypeople on how to cultivate at home? What's the best method for cultivating outside of work and our busy schedules?
A: The best method is not being angry! Don't fight with yourself. Don't wage a war in your mind. Don't have one side cultivating and another side declining. Don't fight with yourself, that's the best cultivation.

Q: The "Incense Praise" has this in its lyrics, "Our sincere intention thus fulfilling, as all Buddhas now show their perfect body." Some books say that all Buddhas show their golden body. Is it their perfect body or their golden body?
A: The golden body is the perfect body; the perfect body is the golden body.

Q: The Avatamsaka Sutra says, "To the Buddha I return and rely, vowing that all living beings proliferate the seeds of Buddhism and bring forth the unsurpassed resolve." And yet when we recite the three refuges, it's been changed to "To the Buddha I return and rely, vowing that all living beings understand the great Way profoundly, and bring forth the Bodhi mind."
A: No dharma is fixed. He changed it because he thought it was easier to read, that's all!

Q: I saw on TV that these high school students were asked the question, "Why would you want to be a good person? What's the use of being a good person?" I was really hurt watching that.
A: Why does someone want to become a horse or a cow? Why does someone want to become a cat or a dog? It's the same thing! If one isn't a good person, he can become one of those things!

Q: My son asked me how many preeminent monks have converted tigers and lions and had them take refuge. Also, what would polar bears eat if they were to take refuge? The North Pole is too cold to have any vegetables.
A: Eat ice! Eat snow! What if they were at the South Pole? Eat ice! Eat snow!

Q: How can we make the Buddhadharma flourish in the countries of the West?
A: Cultivate according to the Dharma! Keep the Five Precepts and practice the eight virtues. Do it bit by it, and it will flourish!

Q: Will the Venerable Master please explain samadhi?
A: Samadhi is a Sanskrit word that means concentration, proper concentration and proper reception. Proper concentration is different from deviant concentration, proper reception is different from deviant reception.

Q: Our founding father Sun Yat-Sen had once said, "Buddhism is the humaneness that saves the world. Buddhism is the mother of philosophy. Studying Buddhism can fix the slant of science." Why did our founding father say this?
A: Buddhism is true science. Before science was developed, several thousand years ago, the Buddha had said, "The Buddha sees 84,000 insects in a bowl of water. If one doesn't recite this mantra, it is as if one is eating living beings' meat." From this, we can tell that although the Buddha didn't have a microscope or magnifier, he knew there were numerous microorganisms in a bowl of water. It isn't until today that people have proven this to be correct. So the level of people's wisdom today is far below the level of the Buddha's wisdom. This country's founding father may have said that "Buddhism can fix the slant of science," but my opinion is: Buddhism not only can fix the slant of science, but Buddhism contains science while science cannot contain Buddhism."

Q: Could we get a billboard that welcomes visitors and attracts people who have affinities with Buddhism? We can place it north or south of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas on Highway 101.
A: You can try it.

Q: Many students are worried that they will be drafted to fight in the war. What can students do to help this situation?
A: Students should work hard on their studies and not pay attention to these distractions. This is not something that they can help! On the one hand, the government of this country is trying to administer justice by using force; on the other hand, the people in the country oppose the war. This country is fighting an internal war and an external war. On top of the existing war, the protestors are creating yet another war.

Q: What is the relationship between the United States and the Middle East conflicts at this time?
A: U.S. may claim that it is administering justice, but it's actually afraid that it will lose its stakes. If it weren't for selfishness, they would be victorious anywhere with their military. It would not lose.

Q: Is this blow for the world predestined?
A: Pretty much!

Q: Then we're all finished!
A: That's a retribution for living beings!

Q: Citizens should be loyal to its country. Is there any offense for the pilots who were ordered to bomb the enemy in the Middle East? If so, what kind of attitude should they have [as they face their retribution]?
A: This question can't be cleared up even if you were to go to the international court of justice! This is an issue too huge for an average citizen like me to solve. This has to do with power of countries, individuals, and world leaders. This is not an issue that I can resolve.

Q: The Buddhist Sutras say, "The Buddha is our self-nature. Everyone can become a Buddha." Will the Venerable Master please explain why we're Buddhas and yet not Buddhas, and why we always bow to the Buddha images?
A: Most people think this line refers to our physical body being the same as that of Buddhas. But we're not talking about the body, but our inherent nature. If we want to become a Buddha, we must cultivate to understand this principle. This line means that we have to have certain understanding to become a Buddha; it doesn't mean that one is already a Buddha. For instance, we don't get a Ph.D. just because we want it. To get our doctorate degree, we must finish elementary school, high school, university, and then a doctorate program. Just because I say I'm a Buddha, it doesn't mean that I am a Buddha. If that were the case, then I could just call myself an emperor and I would become an emperor. It doesn't work that way.

Q: Will the Venerable Master please explain what Buddhism means by the purity of the six senses?
A: "The purity of the six senses" means: the eyes are unaffected by forms; the ears are unaffected by sounds; the nose is unaffected by scents; the tongue is unaffected by flavors; the body is unaffected by sensation; and the mind is affected by doctrines. Being unaffected by states is "samadhi," which is concentration. Concentration doesn't occur only in sitting meditation, necessarily; samadhi can occur while walking, standing, sitting, and reclining.

Q: How do we restore our inherent nature?
A: This is easier said than done. To restore the bright wisdom of our inherent nature, we must first decrease our desire. Wisdom manifests when we have less thoughts of desire. Real wisdom doesn't show up with so many thoughts of desire.

Q: How do we make the Proper Dharma live long in the world?
A: To have the Proper Dharma live long in the world, you must not fight, not be greedy, not be selfish, not pursue self-benefit, and not lie.

Q: We don't know how to study the Vinaya.
A: The Six Great Guiding Principles of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas are the Vinaya. To avoid fighting is to avoid violating the precept against killing; to avoid being greedy is to avoid violating the precept against stealing; and to avoid being selfish is to avoid violating the precept against lying. Why do we lie? We go around telling lies because we want our own interests served. To avoid pursuing self-benefit is to avoid violating the precept against taking intoxicants. Drinkers think that drinking is good for their health because alcohol makes their blood circulate faster. When they're drunk, they feel so high that they think they've become gods. Drinkers' false thoughts and self-interests are troublemakers. To avoid lying is a principle already included in the above five items, but to caution everyone especially, we emphasize the liability of lying by adding the sixth principle as a precaution.