Disasters and Catastrophic Illnesses

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: As we approach the 21st century, what would You wish for humankind and the world?

M: I wish whatever you wish - peace, prosperity and love between brothers and sisters.

Q: Do You think that there is a message in all the human tragedies that we are witnessing, one event after the other - the hurricanes, the floods, the fires, the earthquakes?

M: Yes, definitely, I think you know. I think all of us know.

Q: What are we missing? Are we doing something wrong? Are we doing something to displease the universe or anyone?

M: We are doing it all the time. And we have been doing it for thousands of years; that is, being unkind to each other; killing and suppressing each other, including our younger brothers and sisters, like the animals. I know I will displease many people by saying that, but since you've asked me I have to be absolutely frank.

Anything in the universe will return to where it began. Since we are in the Western world, in the Bible, it is said: As you sow, so shall you reap. And if we believe in the Bible, we have sowed too many things that unfortunately will yield undesirable fruit for us. Sometimes, it has accumulated to such a great intensity that individual cleansing or purification is insufficient, so there has to be a kind of great cleansing action, like disasters, earthquakes, fire, floods and hurricanes, etc., as you have mentioned.

So the only thing to avoid this, to avoid the fruit, is to avoid the sowing of the seed. We have to start to be more God worshipping, God-loving, God-fearing. It doesn't mean we go to the temple and blah, blah, blah all day long about how we love Hirm; but we have to love in action, love Hirm and love Hiers children. In the Bible, it is said very clearly, I think it is Psalm 78. If I'm wrong, please forgive me because I'm not good at scholarly statements. But it's something like: Who told you to kill all these she-goats and he-oxen to make offerings to me. Repent your sins because your hands are full of innocent blood. If you do not stop all this, then I will never listen to you when you pray. And, When you seek me, I will turn my head away. God doesn't permit us to kill even to make offerings to Hirm, how much less to kill to satisfy our very temporary physical appearance. So, this is the cause of most of our disasters and sickness in this world.

Scientifically speaking, we can prove that. In America the majority of the people love red meat and eat a lot, so their rate of cancer is number one in the world. In other, poorer countries where they don't have so much meat, the rate of cancer is very, very low, just like nothing, as compared to America. That is all according to the research of the doctors and scientists; so, don't scold me. Therefore, you can see the connection between the facts of science and the religious statements. I'm not saying that we all have to be Catholics or anything. We just have to be loving, and that's the only religion there is.

Q: Is there any way that our faith can assist us in trying to combat diseases such as AIDS and cancer? Is there some strength to be found in Your spirituality, in knowing and focusing more on your soul as opposed to your physical temple, your body?

M: Yes, there are ways and means, provided people want to listen. Last night some people talked to me about how beneficial they have found our meditation practice and my advice, how their lives have changed, and how many sicknesses have left them. Even if they have sickness, it's reduced into half size or nothing, sometimes instantly. So I thought, "Yes, it's a pity that not many people listen to me." And they said, "If they all listened to you, the world would be peaceful long ago." I said, "Yes, if only they'd listen, then no more suffering ever in this world. We would turn it into paradise in no time."

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