In this episode a disciple describes his spiritual journey to find GOD, his encounter with Master, and the happiness he has felt since receiving initiation.
I’d like to say that I met Master at the end of 1996, and I was initiated in February 1997. It’s now been two years since I became a disciple and I’ve been practicing the Quan Yin Method. I went to the place where the group in Costa Rica meditates, for a conference on extraterrestrials.
There I met the people who work for Her, and I heard them talking about Master. I also asked a few questions, and I was very curious because I’ve always read books on spirituality. What I’m talking about happened two years ago, but first I’d like to go back a little, because my spiritual search actually began ten years earlier. I started reading books on spirituality.
There was an inner restlessness that made me wonder, “But everything this world has to offer… everything my parents had given me – I’m very grateful for it all, and although I was happy with all of it, It’s still not enough for me.” So, I read to search, driven by a thirst for GOD, so to speak.
I began by devoting myself for a while to the Catholic Church because, in Costa Rica, it was the closest thing to the official religion. So I took part in it for a while. Later, the desire to devote myself to GOD arose, but I realized it didn’t satisfy what I was looking for. It didn’t fulfill me, it didn’t nourish me, I wasn’t happy – it still wasn’t enough.
But I did a little bit of preparation, I read the Bible, and it helped. After exploring the Bible and the Catholic Church, I decided to continue reading extensively from various schools of spirituality. I also practiced two or three different spiritual disciplines for the development of the soul, but I still couldn’t find what I was looking for. All of this went on for years – I’d been searching for ten or twelve years... And searching without finding anything was quite frustrating because it went on for such a long time, and I couldn’t find happiness. I found nothing to quench my thirst. I wanted to “drink” from GOD. I wanted to be nourished. It was a kind of anxiety – I don’t know how to put it because it was spiritual, something I cannot describe. It’s like when Master says you can’t describe what it’s like to be in love. It’s impossible – you can’t put it into words. It’s the same thing.
So I kept searching and continued reading spiritual books. I learned a lot, but still found nothing. After some time, I saw this conference on extraterrestrials in Costa Rica.
So I went there and discovered it in January 1997. In February, I was initiated. I began practicing, but by then I had also become rather skeptical of everything I read because I’d spent ten years reading so many things and had almost become convinced that nothing really worked. I began practicing after receiving initiation.
I’ve read many of Her (Master’s) books. Even so, I still had some doubts about Her and about the group. I was also a little afraid because I’ve always been rather reserved. Often, in these two years that I’ve been practicing with Her, I’ve often felt, let’s say, a bit of fear weighing on me, but through Her example, She showed me that there’s nothing to be afraid of. They didn’t convince me of anything – I saw it and I drank from it. And so I believe that after all the searching I did on my own, I found companionship in the group. Now I no longer feel alone. I’m with the Costa Rican group. But it all started from that moment on. To me, it’s a wonderful family. Whenever I travel abroad, I find my brothers [and sisters] – as we say – and I’m always very happy to see them. We’re all the same; we all thirst for GOD. We all want to grow both in our worldly lives and spiritually. We’re all striving to become better every day. What has made me happy isn’t just the spiritual practice – it’s everything. Because I moved beyond intellectualism and reading, and I turned toward practice.
And practicing this method has brought results. I began to see the growth within myself and in my life. The hardship of being in the world and working – because work is hard – and all the worldly torment began to feel less painful. It’s still difficult but the meditation, the practice, makes me happy, and I have found what I was looking for. I can say that meditation has guided me in my daily life. I’ve traveled a lot and gone directly to see Her (to the Master’s retreat). Because being in Her presence is beautiful and so spontaneous. Plus, meditating in large groups is also very beneficial for spiritual practice. Now I know and understand clearly that the only thing for me to do is devote myself to my practice, and to my GOD, and my desire is also to devote myself to serving people. To wrap up, I want to say that it’s hard to explain because words fail me. I just want to say that I’m very happy. Meditation, the group, and Master have made me very happy. I’ve found what I was looking for, as I said, and that’s all. I’d like to ask you to please open your hearts, your minds, and your souls. Don’t let your thoughts get in the way when you hear Master’s Words. Thank you. Have a good evening.
(Now let’s listen to [Supreme] Master Ching Hai.) Thank you. Thank you.
Good. I used to be able to speak some Italian about 15 years ago. Now I can only understand some. Everything we don’t practice, we forget. Same with the quality of GOD. We all read in the Bible that we are the children of GOD. And that through Lord Jesus Christ, we’ll be redeemed, and we will become pure. But sometimes we forget that. And that’s why sometimes we need to be reminded. That’s just by the way. Good evening. And I hope you enjoy your day and your life.
I enjoy very much coming back to Rome again this time. I spoke to one of my friends last night on the phone that it has been so long since I’ve been away from Italy. I’ve almost forgotten how beautiful it is, especially in Rome. Actually, how can I forget all this magnificent architecture and all these beautiful surroundings in Rome? How can I ever forget it? But I did forget. And the people here are so extremely, extremely, I mean exceptionally, extremely, hospitable, and I even forgot that. So it seems like the first time I come here again – the first time. And everything is like surprising, exciting, and interesting.
Of course, enjoyable. I mean, I’m surprised because people in this capital city are extremely busy, like in every other capital town; people are busy because life is kind of more in a hurry. But they take time to talk to you if you need something. They take time to instruct you if you need directions. They take time to take care of your needs until you’re satisfied. You’re a good translator. Born in Italy? Made in Italy? Yeah? Made in Italy? Yeah? OK. And that’s what I experienced when I first landed in Rome, now at this time. Even on a very busy street, the cars just stopped right in front of me, so that I, alone – just one person, a stranger – could cross the street at leisure. And that’s not in a hotel, it’s not in the restaurant, it’s not in a shop, so it’s absolutely not commercial. They did that all the time. It happened to you? Yeah? Oh! Yes, yes. So that’s the Italian people. And a long time ago, when I came to Italy for the first time, I met someone on the train – an elderly lady. And she just invited me to her home and treated me like the highest guest in her house for some days. And the whole family did the same. For nothing. For no reason. They’re just born with kindness and love. So all these things happened again when I came back to Italy. And because I have not been here for a long time, I have forgotten. And it seemed like the first time.
Photo Caption: “The Path Home Is Here and Now”
