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[Question] If there is an invisible world in the universe, are there really heaven and hell? Where does the soul go after a person dies?
Teacher Weng:
In Christianity, the dichotomy of Heaven and Hell is relatively simple: those who believe in me go to Heaven, and those who don't go to Hell. Which do you think is better, Heaven or Hell? Where is Heaven? Where do people's souls go after they die?
Different religions have different ways of distinguishing between different realms. As far as we know, there are many spaces in the universe, and your destination depends on your level of spiritual cultivation. Following the principle of "like attracts like," you will gather there. Heaven is similar; it is one of the heavens, one of the spaces. Wherever your cultivation reaches, you will be drawn to that space. Some people may be drawn by external forces, but if you cultivate to a high level, you will know where you want to go and will go there yourself. We know for certain that the soul exists; the soul or spirit is a representation of energy. However, the energy depends on whether it is concentrated or dispersed. When it is dispersed, or even if it is divided too much or too little, it will dissipate—this is certain.
[Question] When practicing Yuanfu Gong, everyone can feel the real sensation of pulling Qi with their hands, but this seems to be all external Qi. How can one cultivate internal Qi, and how can external Qi and internal Qi be transformed and combined?
Teacher Weng:
圓福功開始練筋骨，再來練外氣，會感受感應於肢體，那是氣的轉動。而要練內氣，一定要做靜功，要定下來，靜下來才能感受應用，你動功在做的話是外氣在走，你要做到定靜以後，才能感受內心內氣的轉動，內氣強、外氣夠，才能去互化，也是需要很常練的。
[Question] People often say that this person has a bad aura, making others feel uncomfortable. What is aura? Besides helping to improve physical health, can practicing Yuanfu Gong also change one's aura and improve interpersonal relationships?
Teacher Weng:
It's true, you can sense whether a person's aura is good or bad, including other things—animals, plants, objects—each has its own magnetic field, but whether it's good or bad is uncertain. How do you tell? The most important thing is your heart. Where your heart is, whether it's good or bad, it all comes down to your thoughts and how you change your mindset. That's why we practice Yuanfu (a Buddhist practice) to change our constitution. Changing our constitution is about transforming the bad into the good. When your body is clear and your mind is good, naturally people will see you as kinder.
How do you tell? By looking at your face. If you have a sour expression, people will naturally be less willing to approach you. You should have a cheerful and smiling face, indicating that your internal energy field is better. Therefore, practicing Yuanfu Gong can change your constitution, cultivate your Qi to the point where it becomes strong and transforms into positive energy. This positive energy radiates out as a good energy field, and it can change and transform the magnetic field. This function is called influence, and it takes a lot of effort to achieve.
[Question] Temples are everywhere in Taiwan. How can one know their true function? Can learning the Yuanfu Gongfu practice bring them positive improvements?
Teacher Weng:
Who should improve this? It's so serious! This is a very serious and important issue, because in Taiwan, there are temples everywhere, and we inevitably come into contact with them. But temples also have their benefits; they possess positive and negative energy, not because of their size or the size of the deities. It depends on the earth's energy itself and the energy of the spirits. If it's good, it can help people a lot, but if it's bad, it won't do them any good.
With so many deities, are all the houses occupied? They are all like outward appearances; are they actually living there? We say that deities are works of art, and also houses of intangible spirits. Are all the houses occupied? Do they all live there themselves? Are others not allowed to enter? Therefore, what did temples represent in the past? They were a spiritual refuge, a place for salvation and moral persuasion, all established to help improve people's hearts.
But now people's thinking is different, their hearts are different. They're more inclined to operate for personal gain and fame, even if they're still a con artist with good intentions. That's not wrong, because that's how people are—conning one another. But you can choose, and there should be restraint and limits to conning!
Therefore, a high-ranking deity does not necessarily represent strong spiritual power. It's also crucial that the abbot acts with righteous intentions and helps others; this is something we must assess ourselves. We say that spiritual energy comes and goes; sometimes, by chance or when the opportunity arises, we can sense spiritual energy. Knowing how to transform and utilize it can be very helpful. However, if you sense negative spiritual energy, and you lack the power or authority to intervene, you should avoid it and protect yourself. Not everyone has the means to improve or handle such situations.
[Question] Does being vegetarian represent spiritual practice?
Teacher Weng:
We seem to have answered this question in "The Blessing of the Perfect Circle," which means this person has read the book, right? Many people are promoting vegetarianism now, but from our observations, is a completely vegetarian diet healthier? It doesn't seem so! A vegetarian diet doesn't seem to make people healthier or less prone to illness.
Some religions believe that being vegetarian is beneficial to their spiritual practice and is also an expression of compassion. However, being vegetarian does not equate to spiritual practice. If you cultivate your heart well, have compassion to help others, help and love each other in the community, and use social resources in this society, you should also give a little to help people in this world.
Spiritual practice cannot be separated from humane mutual assistance, symbiosis and mutual support. In our Yuanfu, we talk about "service and spiritual practice". When you serve others, you are also practicing. It is a transformation of mindset. The purpose is to serve and help others, and to help each other with social groups.
[Question] Is accumulating good deeds related to wealth?
Teacher Weng:
How do we categorize wealth? How much wealth do you consider sufficient, enough to be considered truly wealthy? A student said, "Enough is enough; you can't take more with you when you die. It varies from person to person!" Oh, very good. Yes, wealth is immeasurable; there's no quantitative standard to define it because everyone's needs are different. In daily life, if you have what you need and can afford it without lacking anything, you basically have wealth.
Does that have anything to do with accumulating merit? We say absolutely yes, because, according to the theory of cause and effect, the causes you created in your past life lead to the effects you continue in this life, and the accumulated merit you accumulate forms the wealth, health, and happiness you have in this life. This is related to accumulating merit, and this will continue through many lifetimes.
If you want to be reborn as a human in your next life, you should accumulate good deeds and build positive relationships in this life. This will make your next life easier. Just as some religions emphasize cultivating good karma in this life so that you will have land and wealth in the next! This concept encourages people to do good deeds and is the beginning of accumulating merit, using specific methods.
[Question] Destiny: is saving the world destiny? Is being president destiny? Is being an entrepreneur destiny? Even monks and beggars have their own destiny. Humans! Is everything destiny? And how can we know if it is destiny?
Must we always comply? We'd like to ask Professor Weng for an answer.
Teacher Weng:
Destiny! Destiny! We know everyone has a destiny! Everyone has one life, right? So-called destiny is what you are born into this world to fulfill your duty. Perhaps his duty is to be a beggar, then he should earnestly do his best as a beggar, that is his destiny, that's how it is.
We answered each question one by one. He said that the presidency is a matter of destiny. Of course, the destiny of a president is different from that of a businessman or someone of higher status. What is the president here to do? He is a regional leader, someone who comes to help people lead and govern a region well. Of course, the presidency is a matter of destiny, but the president is not necessarily here to do it well. Sometimes he comes to a time of chaos, and sometimes he comes to lead a region to peace. He is born with his destiny, and if he doesn't cultivate himself according to his destiny, sometimes he will use up his blessings and it might actually be bad when he becomes president.
The so-called destiny is what one is destined to do. Of course, this is more apparent in a broader context. Generally, those below the middle class are destined for a life of hard work, which is also their destiny. This is because people are born into this world with certain abilities; without such abilities, they could not have come into this world. Even if you are a beggar, if you do your beggar job well, that is the fulfillment of your abilities and a good spiritual practice.
So we say entrepreneurs are born to help more people. They themselves eat very little, are very frugal, yet their businesses grow so large, working tirelessly day and night. That's their social responsibility, their destiny. They were born to manage and help people in the world. Everyone needs someone to support them. We talk about mutual help and love in our society. Everyone should find something to do and do it well for the community. That's it. Just commit to your destiny. Otherwise, while most entrepreneurs eat three meals a day, they might only eat two. While most people sleep eight hours, they might not even get five or six!
So, people come into this world to fulfill their potential. People often say, "How would I know my destiny? Why should I follow this path?" Destiny refers to what you believe you should do, a certain stage in your life, making the journey easier and smoother. Everyone has their own position, and they diligently fulfill it—that is their destiny.
Monks have their own destiny! Monks, too, have their own destiny. They are there to help people's hearts and spirits, to resolve these matters, and to bring them greater peace of mind. For example, if someone builds a temple but doesn't act according to its destiny, and instead only seeks profit, things might go well for the first few years, but then things will go wrong. If they do it properly, things will go smoothly! They should act according to their destiny. That's why people often ask: "I'm being sent to save the world, but I don't want to. What should I do?" What will happen if you don't follow its path? You'll be afraid! Ah, how do you know you've come with a destiny?
We know that those who are divinely appointed to save the world undergo many experiences, verifications, and trials by demons, rather than simply receiving a decree and being able to save the world and perform their duties. Generally, we need to ascertain whether the person issuing the decree is truly divine and righteous. For example, the Jade Emperor issues decrees, but you need to know which level of the Jade Emperor he refers to. Our temples generally handle official business; saving the world is far more complex.
Those who truly save the world have generally cultivated themselves over several lifetimes, achieving considerable merit, and are then assigned to this task. This requires receiving an unseen decree, even for deities in the central heavens. However, if it's merely a matter of carrying out tasks, then it's unnecessary! Carrying out tasks doesn't equate to saving the world. Tasks are generally more significant, troublesome, or involve karmic consequences, and should not be handled haphazardly, as this could increase trouble. You might try to provoke their karma, which is something the person carrying out the task should consider. Destiny! It's what you're born with; everyone has different abilities and their own destiny.
[Question] How does one cultivate spirituality? How is it different from spiritual practice?
Teacher Weng:
Spiritual cultivation and spiritual practice are often referred to as spiritual practice. Visiting temples and seeking spiritual guidance is commonly considered spiritual practice. It involves directly communicating with spirits and deities in the spiritual realm. Perhaps in a temple or other place, you happen to come into contact with them, receive their spiritual energy, and after connecting and interacting, you achieve spiritual clarity. Generally, we only complete half of our spiritual practice! Reaching the final stage is not easy. After connecting with spirits, you might receive chants or different languages. You might even unintentionally connect and speak spiritual language or spontaneously generate energy.
This is the first step in spiritual contact. The next step is to create further interaction, a flow of mutual transformation. Don't just stay there, merely experiencing a fleeting feeling; that doesn't achieve the goal. The important thing is to use this to inspire, to awaken our spiritual nature and reach our free and unfettered heart. You need to contemplate and reflect: Why do spiritual friends enter when there's "no desire or will"? Where do they come from? Why? I haven't practiced anything, so how could this "powerful" feeling suddenly arise?
At that time, you shouldn't be too happy. You need to think about it and then cultivate it until it becomes something that belongs to you. If you've always relied on spiritual friends, then it's something they give us. It's not bad that they give us things, but you need to interact with them, cultivate it into your own, interact and transform with them, and then work together to improve it, to make it our own "object," to know and understand it clearly. This is called spiritual practice. Finally, you need to realize the right truth, to understand your own future. Perhaps the principles you speak of are the truth, reaching something that comes from your true nature.
When we speak of truth, it sometimes differs from general social norms. How should we interpret this? We should observe whether your physical health improves or your mind becomes clearer after contact with spiritual friends. This will reveal the answer. If you say that after communicating with spiritual friends, your health deteriorates and your mind becomes unclear, then that's not good. You need to think about this carefully!
Of course, if our spirit friends give us things, can we refuse them? Of course we can. Because we humans have lives, we are also spirits, just not fully aware of it. Having this physical body, coupled with acquired knowledge and common sense, makes it difficult to purify our spirits, adding to our emotions and desires, such as the Buddhist concepts of greed, anger, and ignorance. But we humans must have greed; "without greed, there is no true human being." Humans must have greed to progress and have hope. However, greed must have its limits. If greed harms your health, then greed has no value. Because a single thought of greed can create hope and form the driving force for progress, that is correct. So, spiritual practice, simply put, is like this. Let's see if anyone has any opinions to offer and discuss together. (No one asks a question, only long and enthusiastic applause erupts again.)
[Question] Another fellow practitioner asked: Qigong, Qi regulation
Teacher Weng:
Wait a minute! Please wait a moment, I'm only going to talk about half of it. I've just talked about the spiritual part, and I haven't talked about spiritual practice yet!
Next, let's talk about spiritual cultivation. This part might be a bit complicated because it's about cultivating your own spirit, not about worshipping Guan Gong, Mazu, or your master. Spiritual cultivation is about cultivating our own spirit—our true self, the inner golden body, the true sense of right and wrong within us. It's about cultivating our own inner self, not about cultivating for the sake of Buddha. Generally, we know that spiritual cultivation is about cultivating your own being, not about cultivating as a deity. We learn their methods and spirit, not about cultivating their physical attributes. Learning their methods ultimately cultivates your own spirituality. Perhaps your spirit is like theirs, born from the realm of Buddha, or even from the celestial realm.
Because we haven't reached that level of spiritual cultivation yet, we don't know yet. Only when you reach that level will you realize how high your spirituality is, and then you'll understand how far spiritual cultivation needs to go. Perhaps you'll reach a higher level than the immortals in the celestial realm, and eventually, you'll even reach the realm of the Tathagata. This means you've succeeded in being a good person and your spiritual realm has been elevated. This is the greatest benefit of being a good person.
Spiritual cultivation begins with understanding the fundamental principles of being human, progressing gradually, step by step. Methods vary; some cultivate virtue through acts of kindness, mutual assistance, and love, helping others to achieve a sense of freedom and ultimately, enlightenment. Once this enlightenment is achieved, one gains clarity about oneself, allowing one's own spiritual power to flourish. Ultimately, this spiritual power manifests in one's awareness and understanding, enabling one to quickly decide how to handle matters, big or small. Assistant Yuan, for example, exemplifies this well-cultivated spirituality, demonstrating the ability to soothe both large and small situations and to control and quickly make decisions in challenging circumstances. This cultivation extends to daily conduct.
This spiritual practice is about cultivating your daily behavior. Otherwise, you might ask, if you've cultivated your spirit to such a high level, what are you going to do? Can you see everything, both tangible and intangible? Not necessarily. But if you cultivate to a certain level, you can subtly transform the feelings your heart might have when it's in a certain state, making people feel relaxed and happy. This is what spiritual cultivation is all about.
To put it simply, it's not that easy to fix. Spiritual practice might be faster; a spirit friend might come and suddenly understand everything, but that understanding is only temporary and limited to a certain degree. Spiritual practice might be slower, but you gradually understand as you practice, and eventually you might understand everything. We say that you will become enlightened, which is why we say that spiritual communication and psychic abilities are different.
When we communicate with spirits from the outer realms, we know what's happening, like a spirit medium performing a ritual. When they're there, we know everything; when they leave, we know nothing. That's spirit communication. But true spiritual communication is about your own energy reaching a specific place. You communicate with a particular deity, feeling it from within your own heart. That's spiritual communication. True spiritual communication requires cultivation and practice to manifest your abilities. Like practicing Yuanfu Gong, when you reach a high level, you might have negative energy or a bad aura. You can simply dispel it, and your health will improve! This requires personal practice; it's the same principle. [Enthusiastic applause]
[Question] We thank Teacher Weng for his explanation. Someone here asked: Qigong is popular now, and it seems to be similar to the method of regulating qi. Now you have also proposed Yuanfu Lingqigong and Lingli Qifa. Could you please explain the differences between these?
Teacher Weng:
Okay, our thoughtful friend has raised such a valuable question. Many experts are involved; who can help answer it? (Silence. Teacher Weng's plea for help goes unanswered, so he continues answering himself.)
The Qi-regulating method utilizes spirits to help people expel negative energy from their bodies, generally for health maintenance. We've verified this for over ten years, and it's indeed true! Using spirits for help is very quick. For example, our temple's method of calming a frightened spirit is called Qi-regulating; it's effective for milder cases, like those stuck in the spirit realm, but it's ineffective for higher-level cases. Of course, the methods of Qi-regulating differ from level to level. Spirits act as a medium to assist, while spiritual mediums use them to analyze and help, but they may not necessarily perform spiritual healing or Qi-regulating; sometimes they only inquire about matters rather than cure illnesses.
Qigong, or Qigong practice, is a form of exercise that involves training practitioners, much like traditional Chinese medicine doctors. The main function is to provide you with vital energy (yuanqi). When your vital energy is abundant, your body will naturally be healthier. Helping people replenish their vital energy is similar to taking medicine; it's about supplementing vital energy. Unless you know the specific illness and treat it with medicine, you can use Qi to support your body. Qigong can be practiced, and after practicing, you can use it to assist and transform energy.
Spiritual energy regulation therapy is quite different. Spiritual energy requires you to possess your own energy and spiritual energy. Natural spiritual energy comes from practicing Qi cultivation to a certain level, where your Qi is strong enough. You also need to utilize external Qi, both guiding and transforming it, and sometimes spiritual beings come to help regulate your Qi. This is faster. For conditions like bipolar disorder and neurosis, spiritual energy regulation is particularly helpful because sometimes spiritual beings come to investigate your karma and can naturally help you. If the illness is truly caused by your own karma, they will teach you how to practice and resolve the karmic issues. Because karmic problems must be resolved for them to heal. Everyone has their own causes and effects, and you must resolve them yourself. This may require the assistance of Reiki (spiritual qigong) to manifest its power.