Child Abuse

An interview with Supreme Master Ching Hai
by Ms. Helen Stone, KLOE Radio Station,
at the Quan Yin Vegetarian Restaurant,Houston, TX, U.S.A.
November 14, 1993 (Originally in English)

Q: We do hear so much about child abuse in terms of us as a society abusing our children sexually or physically with violence and also emotionally. We basically touched on children, and how innocent and free they are, but what would You have to say about abusing children, mistreating them, and not giving them the environment to develop into their highest selves?

M: Well, fortunately, there are not many. Sometimes we read it frequently in newspapers or hear it on the news, but even as frequely as it is, they are just individual cases repeated, so it looks a lot. But actually our society is still okay, still clean. You can't help if some people have mental disturbances and they don't know it. If they knew it, they would go to psychiatrists or treat themselves. These, we can just look upon as disasters, accidents - the individuals' lives which they cannot grow out of, cannot help themselves, or the time has not come for them to realize their mistake. Besides, when we talk a little bit deeper, then there are many things that contribute to these crimes, as well as many other disasters. There is a root cause for all this retribution. So, no one is truly as innocent as we think, except God is innocent, except our soul is absolutely innocent. But we collect so much "not-innocent" information with which we live, through which we grow, and with which we die. We bring it back again, again and again until we are fed up with it, until we learn to grow out of it. That's the negative side of life. Fortunately we don't have that many, I think.

Q: And is that the purpose of reincarnation, to return and conduct unfinished spiritual business with God or with ourselves?

M: Right. Until we find the right way, the right purpose of our life in the universal plan, we always are miserable because we will be doing wrong. We don't do it exactly the way it is planned; therefore, of course, it is chaotic, so we have to come back and redo it until we touch the right "button". Then we are satisfied. That's the way. When we're enlightened, we find God, and then daily nourish this knowledge of enlightenment until we're completely sure and discover all the things that we have to discover, so we don't have to come back again. We can come back as a teacher, a spiritual guide.