Spoken by Suma Ching Hai
during a Sunday Group Meditation
in the Forest Meditation Hall,
Hsihu Center, Formosa
Sept. 10, 1995 (Originally In Chinese)
When Ludwig II, the King of Bavaria (Germany), was alive people said that he was insane. Therefore they locked him up somewhere, and a few days later he died. After taking a stroll by the seaside, he died! I feel that he was assassinated but history has recorded that he committed suicide, and even his doctor also committed suicide. It's strange! If he committed suicide, why were two gun shots heard?
If a king really was insane, how could he build such beautiful castles with the interiors decorated as beautiful as in heaven? Not only did he build castles, he also built theaters so that the musicians whom he highly respected could play there. All the buildings were very glorious and highly artistic.
He was a man of great wisdom, and his words and behavior had the air of a spiritual practitioner. He said that one day we would be able to fly in the sky, that swans would pull our carts, and that we would not have to drag along our heavy body and so would not get tired. He talked about what is in heaven. His castles depicted the heavenly realms. That is why people later called him the fairy tale king.
Due to the political situation at his time, Ludwig II did not like to cooperate with others in Germany. So people could only say that he was insane. When the doctor declared that he was insane, Ludwig II asked the doctor, "How do you know whether I am insane? You have never seen me and you have never had conducted medical cheek-up about me. Is it not strange?"
Because he desired neither fame nor fortune, it did not matter whether he was seated on the throne or not. He felt that he was in prison. Therefore, he often moved his abode. He did not stay in the splendid palace but went to places very, very remote.
Can you imagine in the nineteenth century, he going to a very remote place. One had to cross a lake so big that it was like an ocean to reach the place he lived. He went to a very remote mountain. In the nineteenth century it was not easy to travel by road. The boats were not very advanced either. It was really inconvenient to ship building materials there. But then he often looked for such remote places. It would still be very difficult to go to see him nowadays - could not wear high heels if one was going on foot. (Master and all laugh.) One would have to climb mountains and so forth.
Therefore at that time, some people said that he was a king who retreated to practice. I feel that he might not have been insane. Only the politicians had to say that he was like that in order to get rid of him. Then they could find another person to be the king who would listen and cooperate with them. It was all politics.
Ludwig II was a very good-looking person. He seemed intelligent and beautiful and never treated others badly. He was very good to his subordinates. According to the historic records passed down by his subordinates, he was a very nice person. Maybe Ludwig II fell in love with a princess, but the princess married the King of Austria; so Ludwig II could not bring himself to marry another person. He stayed in solitude and then built castles. He longed for 'home', and talked about the things in heaven everyday. People said that those things did not exist and that he must be insane to talk about things such as carts pulled by swans. He liked swans very much because he felt that swans represented purity and beauty.
We know that also. When someone has attained the fourth realm, people in the spiritual world call him a swan (hansa). When someone reaches the fifth (pronounced "Wu" in Chinese) realm, of course he is Wu Shang Shih ("the Supreme Master" in Chinese) the Fifth Realm! (Master and all laugh.) I am not talking about you, I am referring to that Ching Hai. (Audience laugh and applaud.) It's just a joke.
Ludwig II was very fond of swans. He practiced spiritually. While he was dying, he still told the people beside him that if they were to make requests to God, to find God, they must not indulge in materialism. He said that the majority of people lived like animals - without noble ideals and without noble wisdom. How could someone who said these words be insane?
Also, he was very fond of music. He liked many wonderful things. He had enough wisdom to build such beautiful castles with the interiors decorated like fairy palaces . However, I would not want to live inside them. Once inside, it is so bright and shiny. How could you close your eyes? If I lived inside, I would quickly cover everything with black cloths, then I could meditate better. (Master and all laugh.) When it is too bright it is not easy to find the light within us. (Master and all laugh.)
Perhaps it was because he was depressed - having lost his lover - that he kept building material things like houses and all that in hope that perhaps one day the princess might come back and stay with him. He felt that since she was a queen and very beautiful, he should build the kind of castle that would be worthy for her to live in. Ludwig II always told her that. But that queen was also a very responsible person. Being married and having her country somewhere else, she could not return.
Because they grew up together and perhaps treasuring such a deep love for her, Ludwig II was not able to have any kind of relationship or whatever with any other girls. Once he was engaged to be married to her sister, but he kept postponing the wedding to tomorrow, to the day after tomorrow, to next year. Eventually, being pressed by people, he said no (Master and all laugh) and canceled the engagement.
A Person Must Attain
Therefore, records in history and the facts are not necessarily the same all the time. When we read history, some stories, or the scriptures, we should judge carefully for ourselves. Otherwise, we will mislead ourselves and then mislead others because we feel that our understanding is right. Then it becomes even worse. It is best that if we don't understand then we remain quiet. Wait until we are truly enlightened and have gained a complete understanding, then we can explain or teach others. Okay! (Applause)
The Mystical Tale About
The Human-Headed Fish
By A Resident Disciple, Hsihu Center, Formosa
During a casual chat with Taoist Hu (a fellow initiate) one day, he mentioned an incredible incident which he had encountered several days ago. He said: "A few days ago, the son (a Taoist priest) of a former fellow brother in the Kun Lun Immortal Sect came to visit me in Wushe. He told me that a friend of his was suffering from serious mental shock. As he could not help him, he wanted me to go and take a look. His friend went fishing with some other friends last week, and one of them caught a big wu guo fish. They immediately roasted the fish and ate it. Suddenly, they heard the voice of an old woman asking: "Is the meat of the fish tender and delicious? " Searching for source of the voice, they found that the roasted fish was speaking. They were frightened to death, and one of them really died of fright the next day!"
Then, I recalled having read this incredible news article published in the Liberty Times (see appendix) several days ago. Taoist Wu continued to say: "I then inscribed some mantras for `overcoming fright and pacifying the mind' and gave them to him. I asked him to advise his friend to refrain from killing and eating meat in the future! Only a vegetarian diet is safe, otherwise he has to eventually bear the retribution from these killings and meat eating. Very often, some unexplained mishaps or incurable diseases happen to us, that are caused by the animosity of slain sentient beings, which we kill to eat their flesh."
Talking about the karma of killing, Taoist Wu told us another real story: During the year he was initiated, while he was meditating one day, the local deity, the mountain god, and a hundred year old gigantic Jin (spirit) snake appeared to him.
The local deity entreated him urgently, "People are using bulldozers to build a road in Mountain Lu. Will you please go there and stop them. They will hurt a Jin snake who has been practiced for a thousand years? Disaster is befalling it. It might be heaven's will, but please try to help and save it from this predestined mishap."
Taoist Wu immediately replied, "Since this is heaven's will, how can I help it escape?"
The local deity said, "Please do your best! Even if you cannot save it, at least save the female snake!"
Coming back from samadhi, the Taoist immediately went to the construction site to investigate. When he reached the site, the workers had gone off duty and only the bulldozer was there. He found out that the workers would rest for a few days and it was not definite when they would resume working. The Taoist could do nothing but go home.
Several days later, a villager came in a rush to tell him that the bulldozer had dug up a huge snake weighing fifty Formosan catties (34 kg). Taoist Wu was alarmed by his words, and exclaimed in his heart, "Oh! No!"
He hurried to the site only to find that the huge Jin snake had been killed - hit by the bulldozer blade on the head. Suddenly, he heard some workers yelling, "There is another one!" Immediately, all the workers charged forward, despite the Taoist's great effort to try to stop them.
Finally, the other snake was also captured. It was a female snake weighing about thirty Formosan catties (20.4 kg). Taoist Wu advised the workers, "This Jin snake has practiced for over a hundred years; you must not harm it."
Most of the workers were oblivious to his words, and saw only the profit from captured snakes before them. Fortunately, one of the workers was more benevolent and believed Taoist Wu's words. He used his own money to buy the huge Jin snake and saved it from being killed.
That day, more that a dozen workers delightfully cooked and ate the huge Jin snake that was killed. The next day, when several workers were driving downhill, their car strangely dashed off the cliff and all of them were killed. Within one month, several other workers were killed one after the other in car or construction accidents; some of them got acute illnesses and died overnight. All the workers involved were killed, except the one who bought the female snake.
The news of this incident was widely spread among the villagers in the mountain area. Unfortunately, though everyone knows the story, the slaughter of animals has not been stopped by this lesson.
[appendix]
Liberty Times, Formosa August 11, 1995. Phenomena of the society
A Fish With A Human Head That Speaks;
Five Tourists Are Frightened To Death.
Three Vomited And Was Sent For Medical Treatment;
One Died Incredible The Next Day.
The Photo Shows The Terrifying Face Of An Old Woman.
[Reporter Tsai Li Kai reporting from Lungtan]
Mystical legends are plentiful. Recently, in Lungtan Hsiang, Taoyuan, a story of a "fish with a human head" is spreading widely. You may not believe that a roasted fish asked the people eating it: "Is the fish meat delicious?", but the photo proves it. Besides, the extraordinary encounter of the persons concerned makes this story even more convincing.
Here is the account narrated by Mr. Zheng, the Neighbourhood Chief of Lungtan Hsiang: One day in early April of this year, five people, including a young couple (the husband is a professional Taoist) from Chiayi Minsang Community, another couple from Tainan, and thirty-four year old Mr. Chen from Jiaxian, went for an excursion to a stream in Gangshan, Kaohsiung, to enjoy fishing and a barbecue.
The five of them drove near to the stream and Mr. Chen was responsible for the fishing. As evening approached, he caught a wo guo fish weighing almost four catties (2.72 kg). They immediately roasted the fish and began eating it. Just as they were enjoying the feast, suddenly, they heard the voice of an old woman speaking in Formosan, "Is the fish meat delicious? Is the fish meat delicious?"
No one was speaking then yet they heard the words: "Is the fish meat delicious?" Searching for the source of the voice, they found that it was coming from the roasted fish; its mouth was moving and speaking. All of them were extremely shocked and frightened. Three of them regurgitated all the food they had eaten. As the phenomenon was so uncommon, someone picked up a camera and took a shot of the fish.
The three who vomited that day were rushed to hospital for treatment. During the examination by the doctor, they told the hospital staff about the strange happening and swore what they had said was true. However, they were reprimanded for talking nonsense.
Another strange thing happened on the next day. Mr. Chen, who was responsible for the fishing, died mysteriously in his sleep, at the age of only thirty-four. The autopsy could not find the cause of death, so the death certificate recorded the cause as "cardiac arrest". The Chiayi man who was a professional Taoist was so shocked by the news that he went immediately to perform the "fright suppression ritual".
They suffered another big shock when the photo was developed. On the body of the fish, at the part cut open by chopsticks, there was the image of the face of an old woman. Her eyes, nose and mouth were clearly perceivable, which was really terrifying to see.