I’m not angry with you; I’m not frustrated with you; I’m nothing. I just do whatever I have to do, at that moment only. So whatever poison you feel, give it back to me now. You can go home and you’re free. You’re good, you’re perfect again, and you’re the person you are. When you’re here, I have to correct you, I have to cleanse you, and the process is sometimes very painful for both of us. But it’s OK. It’s done, and you’re free. After the five days, whatever’s bad here or good here, it’s gone. (Applause)

So you’re perfect, you’re loved and you’re wanted, as usual, and during the retreat, too. But other kinds of treatment might make you feel that you’re unwanted or unloved. It’s not true. It’s just that administering medicine was necessary at that time. So whatever you don’t need, give it back; put it back right here and go home free. You’re perfect as usual, even if you haven’t progressed. You’ve just learned another lesson, at your own expense. I mean, money-wise, also. (Master laughs.) You spend a lot of money, coming here and going back for nothing.

It’s not my fault; I sell everything! Everyone has the same sale. I don’t reserve anything for anyone special; everyone can have the same merchandise. If you want to buy it, everyone has a chance.

Now, for the ones who have progressed, you should be happy and proud of yourselves. I don’t have any reward or certificate to give you, but you know you’re rewarded. You have your own certificate. You should be happy. (Applause) And for the ones who have not progressed at all or maybe just a little bit, since you can’t help but progress a little – I hope there will be a next time for you, so that you can undo your mistakes. Next time, if we have any time, if you have any more chances to come ever again for such a retreat, please be one-pointed as if you’re dead. If you’re dead, no one can do anything to you. Put the word “Dead” on your forehead before you go out the door. Take it off and say, “I’m alive again!” when you get out of this retreat. That’s really what it is. (Applause)

Because if you’re not dead to the world, you can’t be alive with God. It says the same thing in the Bible: “You can’t worship both God and mammon.” So we have to be one-pointed. Whatever I did during this retreat was to guard you or herd you into this one-pointedness. Be it loving, be it petting, hugging or scolding, it’s all to help you during these five days only. So don’t think that you’re more special if I give you more tenderness, and don’t think that you’re terrible if I give you a scolding. You’re all equal, equal, equally loved in my heart. (With tears in Her eyes) I love you so much! (Extended applause)

Because even though sometimes you do things I don’t like you to do because I know they’re not good for your practice, or you have something in your heart that’s not good for your practice, I know it’s not your fault. It’s just the circumstances that made you this way. It’s this terrible world that pushes you into these situations.

I have nothing but love for you. I don’t want to give you any harsh words or anything, but I have to. It’s for your own good, but I just want you to know that I love you through all that. It’s just like sometimes you scold your children, but you never stop loving them. And maybe if some of your children aren’t well, you put them in the hospital. It’s a terrible treatment for them, but you want them to be well. So you put them in the mental ward, because you want their mind to be sharper, you hope, in the future. That’s all there is to this treatment, but treatment is never pleasant. Just try to meditate more so you don’t have to have this kind of treatment anymore.

Some of you were more enlightened in Heaven before you came here, but you wanted to be even more enlightened than that. For example, when you were 80% enlightened in Heaven, it means you were in the Fourth World or something. But you came down looking for me because you knew I’d be here. And when you came down, your enlightenment became less than when you were in Heaven. And you suffered and suffered here, and forgot everything that was on the path and in Heaven for you. You’ve suffered more here because you’ve forgotten.

So I’m trying in every way to make you remember, to reach back there and above it, above the level you were on before you came down. So anything that’s possible, I’ll do for you. But you also have to try to remember your real Self. Otherwise, the less we remember, the more we suffer. Anyway, I just want you to know that you’re very much loved and very much respected because you’re good. It’s not because you were bad that you’re good. It’s because the situation makes you so bad, yet you’re still trying to be good. That’s why you’re good. (Applause)

You have so much pressure from home, society, friends, colleagues, jobs, boss, husband, wife and so on. And you still try your best to meditate at home, go to group meditation and also come here on retreat. Even if you come on an airplane, it’s easy and all that, but it’s not all that easy. So for that, I really love you. I know you try your best, and God will know. So anything you want, you should just pray for at home. The next time you go to a retreat, just desire to know God: For just five days, be dead to the world. (Applause)

Postscript: A Humorous Event that Occurred after the Lecture

After attending a group meditation at the retreat during which Master gave the talk presented above, a brother returned to the Florida Center's kitchen to carry out his duties as cook, and a fellow brother who had to stay behind to clean up the kitchen asked him, "What was the main point of Master's talk today? The returning brother thought quickly and responded, "Remember God and you're dead!"

 

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