Q: How do I know when I have become small enough? I am willing to grow and shrink into something small, but where would my strength come from when I need to do big things?
A: There's no big or small in the things that we do. If we do lots of little things, they become big; if we do just a few big things, they are small. There's no clear distinction between big and small. Do however much you can, don't try to figure out whether something is big or small. If you're always doing this kind of accounting, you will not be able to sleep.

(Extending his hand to show both his palm and the back of his hand.) This is wisdom and this is stupidity. Where is the line drawn between stupidity and wisdom? This is my stupid opinion. (The crowd laughs.)

Q: Now that the Venerable Master has shortened, even ended, the distance between the Mahayana and Theravadan traditions, will you please also shorten the distance between Buddhism and Taoism and Confucianism?
A: Confucianism is for elementary school kids. Taoism is for high school kids. Buddhism is for college kids. (The crowd laughs.)

Q: When I first heard about the Six Guiding Principles that the Master talks about, I thought they seem difficult. They're hard to learn, especially true altruism. I believe that's very difficult. Does the Venerable Master have any class or school for us to attend, or some method that could teach us to be unselfish?
A: Although people need to be taught this, they can actually begin with some small things, start from the beginning. If you teach kids how to be good people, how to interact with others, how not to fight to be the best and earn big bucks, then as selfless kids, they would not be crazy when they grow up. Some people say, "I can't learn that, I'm too old already." Some other people say, "I had never learned it when I was young and I cannot learn it now. Now I just want to earn more money or get a promotion. I only know this much." That's okay, though the childhood of those in the prime of their life and those who are senior have already gone, they can still have the mentality of kids. You can start over with your actions. As it says, everything is a test to see what I will do, to see what you will do, to see what he will do. If you do not recognize the situation, you will have to start anew.

Q: Why is it that some monastic and lay cultivators cultivate so that they emit a light, while others do not? Some radiates a light since they have been young. What's the reason behind that?
A: Don't be attached to that. Cultivate whether there's light or not. Don't be full of yourself if you have an aura. The aura disappears as soon as you're attached. People who don't have any light can have that light if they cultivate. Don't be attached to these superficialities, just work hard and cultivate honestly. Proceed boldly and vigorously according to the Buddhadharma. Don't back down. Don't be concerned about light or no light. When the time comes, you'll radiate light even when you don't want it. When it's not yet time and you haven't reached that level, there will be no light even though you want light.

Q (by a disciple): Master, so and so will be leaving the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
A: We don't try to keep them even if they were Bodhisattvas.

Q: The Taipei city government's plan to move the Guanyin Bodhisattva statue at Park No. 7 will not harm the statue, so why does the Venerable Master say this will pose a danger for Taiwan? I really don't understand. Will the Venerable Master please provide us with an explanation?
A: This is because in their heart of hearts, people do not want that statue moved. The government would be dismissing everyone's wish and bring about misfortune. "Citizens are the foundation to the country; the country is at peace when its foundation is solid." The populace is the foundation to the country, so their wish should be fulfilled.

Q: If my friends take drugs, drink alcohol, and do bad things, how do I be kind and compassionate with them when they get angry?
A: Be careful with the kind of friends that you keep. Those who are near rouge become red, those who are near black ink become dark. Tainted by the color brown, one becomes brown; tainted by the color yellow, one becomes yellow. The best way to interact with a friend who is less than oneself, that is, a bad friend, is to respectfully keep a distance.

Q: Is Buddhism a theistic religion that talks about praying to god for miracles?
A: Buddhism is neither theistic nor non-theistic. It also isn't about praying for miracles or gains.

Q: What's the difference between need and desire?
A: A need is something that is required; a desire is something that one can do with or without.

Q: How do we know what kind of practice is suitable for us?
A: You can ask yourself what type of food you like. If you know that, then you should know what kind of practice you should cultivate. This is very simple, there's no need to ask.

Q: How can we cultivate so that we can become liberated from birth and death, leaving behind suffering and attain bliss?
A: Cultivate the practice of entertaining no false thoughts. Ah, you have another question: How can we not entertain false thoughts? Hey, just reflect!

Q: How do those just starting to study Buddhism tame their minds and rest their minds on the net of Bodhi?
A: Bodhi has no net. If you don't cultivate, I can't make you become one of the fish that escapes being caught by the net.

Q: What is the difference between nature, consciousness, thoughts, and mind?
A: Newborns are vivacious, free from the marks of others, the marks of self, the marks of living beings, and the marks of life span. At this point, it is "nature." Once the baby begins to drink milk, his "consciousness" is strengthened. After drinking milk, he learns to dress so that he will not be cold or embarrassed. He understands hunger, thirst, warmth, and cold. That would be "thoughts." When he is grown, he wants this and that, that would be the "mind" working. These are actually four types of mental states, but they could be said to be one too because they are inextricably connected. They all belong to the same family. Although there are four terms, their fundamental quality is the same. The offender that has created them is "karma."

Q: Recently I read that a province in Canada is developing curriculum on morality. However, I find that there's something dangerous in their content, which is that although they discuss self-respect and self-love, they have basically forgotten that the most fundamental value: filiality to parents and respect for family values. My personal difficulty in teaching is that I have discovered that many kids live in harsh environments. How? Their families are broken; they may only live with their father or mother, or with their homosexual parents. So when I talk about being filial to parents, the kids have a hard time with accepting this concept in their heart of hearts and applying it at home. Some parents even reject this idea when their kids try to put it to practice at home. Will the Venerable Master and other instructors please tell me how teachers and elders can make a deep impression of the basic moral principles of filial piety and respect on the minds of children?
A: Every teacher needs to use wisdom. One should know how to apply skillful means. For instance, everyone has a different kind of family; some families are functional while some are dysfunctional. We cannot treat bad families the way we treat good families. This requires expedient means and compromises. Don't wait to try different expedients though we may not be at that stage yet. Everyone could get together to study these issues and to solve it by using collective wisdom. These are not difficult issues. Filiality is for the average family. We have to use other means for families that are different and complex. There are the typical methods and there are the expedient methods. The typical methods are more common while the expedient methods are skillful means for a particular time and situation.
The Tao contains both the typical and the expedient,
and they should both be used;
Phenomena separate into substance and function,
and they should both be understood.

Q: What's the difference between Sutras and mantras?
A: What do you think the difference is? Mantras include vows, oaths; it's about getting what we want. Sutras is one of the ways of cultivation that we must learn. Once you understand the principle, you must do it. In addition, the meaning in the Sutras has been translated from Sanskrit into Chinese. Mantras are not translated from Sanskrit into Chinese; only their sounds are transliterated. These are the mystical true words of all Buddhas.

Q: Master, what is the difference between Buddhism and theistic religions?
A: One is ultimate while the other is not.

Q: I had a friend whose soul left his body when he lied down. He even saw his body lying on the bed. What is going on there?
A: This type of situation occurs often. His soul leaves and then comes back. Cultivators must have the right type of knowledge and views. We don't need to pay attention to whether our soul leaves our body. Taoism describes how one has a midget that leaves one's body and then returns. [Taoists] such as Lyu Dongbin cultivated this type of primal immortality. It is not an ultimate route though. That's why he later took refuge with the Triple Jewel and requested Meditation Master Huang Long of Song Dynasty to be his master.

Q: At the moment that the deceased is about to depart, will his enemies and debtors show up?
A: It would be his karma. With the magnetic power of karma, certain forms appear. Without [offense] karma, nothing appears. Therefore, we reap what we sow. We reap good things when we do good thing; we reap bad things when we do bad things. It's not that there's some ghost that comes to haunt the dying, it's a creation of his karma, not his mind. Karma refers to the offenses that he has committed in the past.

Q: How should we rescue the mid-skandha body? Is that different than the Secret School?
A: The best method is to rescue people and help people. It's better to save people than to save ghosts.

Q: Although there are three sages in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, how come it seems as if Great Strength Bodhisattva doesn't have much to do with us?
A: People don't have much affinities with Great Strength Bodhisattva. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is extremely compassionate while Great Strength Bodhisattva is extremely powerful. The great earth shakes in six different ways when he moves one of his arms or legs, so people are too scared to be near him. People in the Saha World are afraid of earthquakes, so they're afraid of Great Strength Bodhisattva.

Q: Will there be no earthquakes if we recite the name of Great Strength Bodhisattva every day?
A: It would be a false attachment of ours if we were to recite the name of Great Strength Bodhisattva every day. Whether the earth quakes or not doesn't depend on whether we recite his name. Earthquakes occur because of everyone's karma and not because of the supernatural powers of Great Strength Bodhisattva. Great Strength Bodhisattva may make the great earth shake in six different ways with one move of his arm or leg, but he doesn't hurt living beings.

Q: Some people say that Dharma Master Yingguan is Great Strength Bodhisattva. Is that right?
A: That's a guess on the part of busybodies. Do people who say this actually know? These are all estimations based on their imagination. They don't have anything better to do, so they pretend to be know-it-all's, saying, "Oh, he is actually Amitabha Buddha; he is actually Great Strength Bodhisattva; and he is actually Guanshiyin Bodhisattva." What kind of evidence does he have? His so-called evidence is no evidence either, anyone can be anyone else's transformation body. Ordinary people cannot fathom the states of Bodhisattvas.

Q: Should I concentrate on reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, or both?
A: If you enjoy reciting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's name, then you have affinities with Guanshiyin Bodhisattva. If you enjoy reciting Amitabha Buddha's name, then Amitabha Buddha will welcome you. It's better to be reciting at least one rather than none at all. I'm just afraid that you'll recite and recite, then forget Guanyin Bodhisattva or Amitabha Buddha. To me, Bodhisattvas mostly don't have much to do, so they look for jobs to do for living beings. They don't have any money for you, so they tell you to recite the Buddha's name. They don't waste any money and you don't waste any energy. This is one way by which Bodhisattvas save living beings.

Q: Is a demon that appears during one's meditation a creation of the mind? If it is made from the mind alone, is that the same kind of demon that you talked about earlier?
A: When you have offended demons outside of you, the demons in you will also act up. There's not just one kind of demon and not just one kind of ghost. There are heavenly demons, earth demons, spiritual demons, ghostly demons, demons who are people, demons made from the mind, and demons that are created by external states. There isn't just one kind, but many kinds.

Q: Earlier you talked about a past disciple who had the Five Eyes and the Six Penetrations, including the penetration of no-outflow. What exactly is that? From what I understand, that means he has already certified to arhatship.
A: Do you know what is the penetration of no-outflow? The Five Eyes and the Six Penetrations that I talk about are not necessarily the same either. There are approximate penetrations and ultimate penetrations. He had attained approximate penetrations, so he understood very little; he only knew, for instance, others' thoughts. Most people can reach that level. On the other hand, someone who has ultimate penetration knows not just the thoughts of one individual but the thoughts of each and every individual in the entire world. Not only does he know the thoughts of human beings, but the Thus Come One knows the thoughts of all kinds of living beings.

Q: Venerable Master, when you were in Northeast China, the Japanese had invaded there. However, the Japanese, even today, refuses to admit that their behavior had been invasive. Do you think they will repeat such moves?
A: They will eventually become extinct if they don't set a limit on their greed. If they haven't learned to change from past lessons such as their unconditional surrender after being hit by atom bombs, their future spells danger.

Q: Should someone who works in an occupation that is related to national defense switch jobs because they're actually indirectly killing people?
A: Wouldn't it be even better if you weren't born during this time in history? Wouldn't you have avoided all these problems? It would be good for you to change your occupation, but if you can't then you can recite the Buddha's name while you work. That way, national defense will not be less effective in killing so many people.

Q: Master, are the reasons for eating one meal a day recorded in the Buddhist scriptures?
A: The Buddha ate one meal a day.

Q: Does the Master encourage us to eat only one meal a day?
A: I don't encourage it. People who have left the householder's life under me must eat one meal a day. But things are made more convenient for those who are over sixty years of age. I don't mind. For young people who have left the householder's life under me, however, their first requirement is to eat one meal a day.

Q: Is it better to be a monastic or a layperson?
A: I don't know which one is right or wrong either. Both are right and wrong. Each has its advantages. What one wants is right and what one doesn't want is wrong.

Q: After we've counted 108 using the recitation beads, could we skip that larger bead that is meant as a divider? Some people say we can't.
A: The longer an article, the better. The less one talks, the better. The recitation beads are meant to help people be mindful and prevent false thinking. As far as whether to skip the divider bead or not, that's too minor a point to be mentioned. It's insignificant.

Q: When will there be a third world war?
A: I don't know about that, but you are still not sincere enough when you recite the Buddha's name. If you were sincere, why would care whether there would be a third, fourth, or fifth world war?

Q: May I ask where Amitabha Buddha go once Guanyin Bodhisattva becomes Buddha in the Land of Ultimate Bliss?
A: To his mind.

Q: When we're born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, are we there until we realize Buddhahood? Or do we go somewhere else after we have been there for a period of time?
A: You become a Buddha there.