Any method by which we can hear the inner Sound force is the Quan Yin Method, the right method, the true method. This is just like the fact that anyone who gives you water to thoroughly clean your clothes is correct, regardless of the language he speaks or the method he uses. Whatever container he uses, it’s the right one as long as it contains water. He could be using a golden bowl, but if it contained oil, your clothes would be ruined! Or if the liquid he gives you looks like water, but is actually beer, perfume or milk, then it’s also no good! So whatever method or container he uses is right as long as he brings water in it for that’s what you need.

So any form of practice by which we can hear the inner Sound is the Quan Yin Method, the true method! Some Zen masters were purer or had practiced in previous lifetimes so they could also occasionally hear the Sound in their meditation. At such moments, we can say that they were practicing the Quan Yin Method for they then experienced the Sound. The so-called Zen masters might not have had to practice for a very long time before hearing the Sound. Some might have practiced for a very long time, but their spiritual level remained unstable. They experienced the Sound stream on and off, and didn’t know which Sounds were good and which weren’t. They just listened to the Sound without guidance, wasting much time and exposing themselves to danger.

Similarly, if when we’re sick, we might not see a doctor but instead buy medicine at a pharmacy. There we find many supplements, vitamins and medicines for abdominal pain or headache, and randomly buy some and take them. Little do we know that the same headache symptom could have different causes, and it’s the same with abdominal pain. So even when taking supplements we have to pay attention to many things, such as dosage, duration of administration, whether it should be taken before or after meals, and so on. We have to find out about all these details.

This is similar to practicing the Quan Yin Method. If we don’t receive clear guidance from anyone, we may do it in the wrong way. We think that the more supplements we take, the better it will be, but that may not be true. That’s why I don’t ask you to meditate on the Sound all day long. I also don’t teach you to spend two-thirds of your meditation time on Sound contemplation. Instead, I instruct you to meditate on the inner Sound for one-third of the time. I also tell you which side you should listen to, and which side you shouldn’t. It’s just like taking supplements. Should they be taken before or after meals? How large should each dosage be? How many times a day should they be taken? All these details need to be determined clearly so that our body gains the greatest benefit. Otherwise, there may be side effects.

There are others who also teach listening to the Sound. You can find them in Au Lac, in Formosa and elsewhere. However, it seems that they’ve only stolen a part of it, and don’t know the complete method. Even then, however, there are still benefits, but also obstacles, of which I’ve seen cases. Only our Quan Yin Method is clear and precise, just like a prescription issued by an experienced doctor. He knows what dosage is good for each patient. He gives accurate prescriptions so that there will be no side effects. However, there are people who have not graduated from a medical college but who run clinics and cause harm to many people. This is similar to the so-called masters who come out to teach publicly. Their objective is money and fame so their teachings may be incorrect, confusing and harmful. So it’s not easy to pursue spirituality.

Each day, our souls are severely influenced by our habits so we ought to practice diligently, just like filthy clothes that have to be washed many times. A fellow initiate once asked me, “Master, why do You say that it’s good to have a one-day fast every one or two weeks?” It’s because we want to break the cycle of transmigration so that the chain is severed and we become freer. Our own master says, “I don’t want to eat today,” so I just don’t eat. It shows that we’re in charge, we’re our own master. I don’t mean that starvation can make you a saint. No! You should know what you’ll become if you starve yourself to death! (Everyone laughs and answers, “A hungry ghost!”) Right! A hungry ghost! So give up the idea that fasting can lead to sainthood. You should understand the logic behind it instead.

Now we use the inner nectar to cleanse our worldly habits so that we can be free. As a result, we can survive under any circumstances. We just use or eat whatever we have on hand, and the environment doesn’t affect us. We just eat any vegetarian food that’s available, and we’re happy in any situation. This is a truly desirable condition. Having a lot to eat and a comfortable life isn’t really desirable. No! No! That’s a life of slavery. Instead we ought to set ourselves free. If we aren’t free now, we can’t be free after we die and go to Paradise. Though we’re in Paradise, our minds keep thinking about coffee, milk and buns. But what if those things aren’t available there? Naturally, we’ll fall back into the human world. Yes! If you desire worldly things, you have to come back and find them here!

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