Master Tells Stories
Loving Thy Enemy

 

 

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai,
International 5-day retreat, Hsihu, Formosa
February 24, 2007 (Originally in English)

So no matter what the religion is anymore, we should just be an example of divine love, compassion and sacrifice. Then everyone will feel impressed, even our enemies. Talking about enemies, we really have to love our enemies; do you know that? Because they come back, and then you have to love them. They come back as your wife, your husband, your sons or your daughters. That’s the way you have to love your enemies! You can do it now or you come back and do it later. You can do it willingly, or you have to do it by order of the Lord of Karma.

A man died, and he went to hell. And the King of Hades received him in front of his throne, together with another person, and he said, “You, Mr. Johnson, you owe this person, Madame Smith, so much money but you haven’t paid it back. So she’s suing you because you didn’t pay her back. But I don’t think you can ever pay her back if you come back the next life as a human again since you don’t have any merit in your account and you are not going to have any money at all again in the next lifetime. So, I am going to make you become a horse or maybe a buffalo so that you can work all your life. You can pull the cart and keep carrying her all your life until you repay your debt. Maybe it will spill over into the next life even.”

The man, the money-owing person, said, “Oh, King, maybe that’s not a good idea. Even if I become a horse or buffalo or a dog or whatever, I will never be able to pay it off to her. So, why don’t you make me become her father, and I will pay my whole lifetime?” (Laughter) “From her date of birth, I will keep paying, paying and paying.” In that case, he will be paying very willingly, because he will love his daughter or son, whoever that might be or however she might have reincarnated. And in that case, whatever she wants, he will give, willingly, lovingly, and even proudly: “Yes, that’s my daughter. I paid a hundred thousand dollars for her to go to college. Look at what she is now. I’m still paying for her apartment. She wants a helicopter, and I’m going to get it for her.” So, that is really similar to “Love thy enemy”! You must love them now or else you’ll have to come back and love them even more.