Pearls of Wisdom

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Seven-day Retreat, Hsihu, Formosa
September 28 ~ October 3, 1990 (originally in Chinese) MP3-9

When we’re in the higher dimensions, we see everything in the innumerable worlds emerge and disappear in a fraction of a moment, just like bubbles! We can’t even say it takes place in a moment. Things disappear almost as soon as they emerge. It’s the same with all the illusory worlds we see in the higher dimensions.

We seem to go through long periods of suffering because of our ignorance. We’re trapped in the cage of time and space; that’s why it seems to be a long time. In reality, it’s not that long. To God, it’s even shorter than a second or a fraction of a moment. It can’t be considered time. It passes really quickly! But since you’re trapped in a corner, you can’t see the whole and you think that you’re just there. This isn’t true! You’re omnipresent. You’re just stuck there and can’t fly out. Then you consider yourself to be there, and you’re just that one or this one.

Sometimes little birds or insects get stuck on our windows. Since the windowpane is transparent and the room is lighted, they don’t realize that there’s a window and they crash into the pane. Their heads become swollen and their eyes blinded, and in a short while they unconsciously fall on the floor. They don’t enter through an open space, but fly right into the windowpane.

We do the same! We should renounce everything, even our happiness, and then we’ll be fine. We shouldn’t even ask for peace, health, success, reputation, riches or family. We should ask for nothing at all. Then we won’t suffer! It’s just that we ask for too much so we get stuck here and there, with our nose caught in there, too. And then we cry out for help.