Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai,
Four-day Retreat in Florida, USA,
February 15, 1999
(Originally in English)
Videotape #635
Q:
I have a yearning to do art.
M:
Then do it; why not?
Q:
But can we become attached to it?
M:
You are attached in your mind right now anyhow so just do it. I don’t
encourage anything; I don’t emphasize anything. If you need something
and you ask me, then I encourage you and you alone. But I don’t
make it a big theme so that everyone has to follow my opinion. That’s
the difference: I respond according to what you ask; I answer according
to what you need. But I don’t make it into a theory, like, “OK,
in my house, in my school, this is good and you must or you should do
this.”
I don’t encourage anything except to live a moral way
of life, one that’s easy and not harmful to anyone.
Q:
I don’t have a problem with doing art, but I do have a struggle
between it and whether I should devote all my energy to sacrificing
and serving other people. That seems to be a nobler thing than pursuing
one’s hobbies.
M:
You can do both.
Q:
It’s hard to judge where to draw the line.
M:
It’s OK. Do whatever you feel. You’re meditating and helping
with the Center in some ways. That’s also helping others.
Everyone chooses their lifestyle. Each person has their own
aversions and attachments. Some people like to work; they feel responsible
like they should work, and some people just enjoy working. But if you
have other interests aside from that, then you’re OK, too.
There are no set rules for anyone. My teachings are meant to set you
free, not to tell you what to do, except the Five Precepts and meditation:
nothing else.
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