The more we practice, the less serious we become. We do not see things as either right or wrong. We think that everything is all right. We become more and more relaxed. It is not that people have stopped performing good or bad deeds, but that these deeds, good or bad, have nothing to do with us. This is because we think differently now. We are not contaminated or influenced by them, so we become more and more relaxed. Even if we sometimes do not treat our family members or friends well, or we make mistakes, we can still forgive ourselves, and thereby become relaxed. That's why we speak of one-life liberation.

Otherwise, we are influenced by this physical world. We are bound here and there, and we tie ourselves down. Of course, we feel bored the whole day. If we go on like this every day, we will never get out of this boring atmosphere. Spiritual liberation is like this: We become liberated when we are alive; we feel relaxed and happy; we are no longer worried and burdened as before, when we could hardly tolerate others' actions.

But let me tell you something, I am not so liberated! (Master and audience laugh) I just stepped on an insect and my heart aches over it. I told the guard that it wouldn't have mattered so much if it had died. But it was wounded, I don't know where it was hurt because it can't talk! So my heart aches terribly. I said sorry, but I knew it wouldn't help. So I put it on the wet grass, sprayed some water on it, and baptized it. I hope it will be better. Maybe it will, but when it was wounded, it must have felt terrible, and I don't know where it was hurt. Although it can still move, it must hurt. Its feet may have gotten hurt or its nails may have been broken. Maybe it had been manicuring the whole day and I broke its nails. Maybe it had just had a manicure and was beautifully dressed for a meeting, but was wounded by me. I heard a "crack!" And it hurts my heart! I have been apologizing to it until now.

Therefore, I don't know if I am really liberated. It seems that I am not liberated. I am still attached! (Audience laughs) Right? Gee, I am not liberated from this sort of situation: I feel hurt when others hurt; and especially when animals suffer, I suffer more because they can't talk. If we are injured, in most cases we are sent to the hospital and we can tell the doctor where we are wounded. He can treat us at once and we will feel better, or we can get some injections and take some pills and the pain will be alleviated. But the animals really hurt terribly! (Master sighs) This is the price we have to pay in this world.

Can you imagine how boring our world would have been if God hadn't created the animals, such as deer, bears, rabbits, and cats? God created many things, both for us and for embellishing the world. But the price is high. Animals suffer, because they too have a soul, life, and feelings, which let them stay active and appear alive. Because of this life or vital energy, they feel pain when they get wounded or die. This is the price we have to pay for this body and this life.

We have to pay this price in order to live or feel. Otherwise, we will feel nothing when people kiss or touch us. Cold or hot drinks, or food will not taste good to us. We enjoy this world through sensations. Only through sensations do we know a flower's fragrance, sweet fruit, great tea, and delicious food. Therefore, we pay a very high price to have these good feelings and sensations. The same goes for animals.

We pay the price to have the feelings of life. Actually, there is nothing in this world that doesn't have a price. A robot can do many things, quite like we humans, and sometimes it can even "think", almost the way we do, but it has no emotions or perceptions. It doesn't know the taste of good food, the warmth of the sun, the coolness of the breeze, or painful sensations. Without this life, there can be no feelings. Where there is feeling, there is pain.

We often ask why God created such a world of suffering. Actually, we should know that this is the price we have to pay for free will and feelings. Only in this way can we enjoy this beautiful and wonderful world. It is no fun if the animals are like machines and have no feelings. It is no fun if we are like machines. Nevertheless, since we have fun, we have pain as well. But we don't like pain. Again, if God benumbs our feelings, we cannot enjoy the world. Therefore, the more we practice, the more we identify with our fate. We realize that we made the choice to have fun here. We have all these tools that give us many feelings. When pain comes, we cannot escape, we cannot just feel nothing.

This same theory applies to karma. Some time in the past, we had everything-money, power, and free choice, but we got lost in them. We chose to indulge ourselves in them. We did not treat people well; we had no consideration for others; and we wasted our talents, money, and property. As a result, we lost everything. This is how the world works: There are ups and downs. When we reach the downside, we have nothing; we are poor, sick, and agonized. So, we turn to God and ask why we were born into such a life. Actually, it's not God's fault, because there are always the bright and the dark side. There are always ups and downs, good things and bad things. We will be rising to the upper side, anyway.

The saints and good spiritual practitioners understand that the good and bad things in this world are no big deal. But the worldly people cannot see beyond the brief present moment. They cannot see the past or the future, so they suffer and dislike it, and thereby create more suffering because they are not peaceful or balanced within. They keep seeking more, but the more they seek, the more they suffer and struggle. They make the situation even worse, and they suffer more. Then, they turn to killing, robbery, or feuds. Or they are bullied or put into prison, and their suffering grows even greater and they can't escape. Therefore, we are responsible for creating the good and the bad in this world. Because of our own preferences, sometimes we unconsciously do things on purpose. This is the way of life we enjoy in this world.