You can see many different religious orders, people copy the Masters and do all kinds of rituals and all kinds of ways, just to entrap people in there and make them busy with just rituals; useless, all kinds of useless things, wasting their time and obstructing them from finding the real Master, to be liberated. The reason He tells all this, we also have to thank the Reverend Bodhisattva, high-soul Ananda also. Many things the Buddha taught because Ananda asked. So, he had great compassion also. If Ananda had not asked, we would not have all this. Maybe Buddha did not think about it. And if Ananda had not asked on behalf of the mother of Buddha, then we would not have any nuns, Buddhist nuns, nowadays.

Don’t worship anyone except God. Even if you don’t find any Master, if you don’t believe me, just worship God only. God Almighty only, or Buddha; I mean truly Buddha, in your heart. You just ask for the true Buddha to worship, maybe Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha，or God Almighty, or Jesus, in your heart. You hold on to that. If you ever doubt me, or got out of here, or got out of my circle, believe in God, believe in Buddha. Don’t go worship any lower god or even gods from heaven. They might mislead you and you’ll be in trouble.

“You should be aware of this,” in advance and not get caught up in the cycle of transmigration. It's better than pushing it. Because if you are so greedy in such a way, or so fanatically seek for union with God when you are not ready, then “demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as a mouthpiece” to come to you explaining, “lf you follow me, you will get union with God,” etc. Same like if any Master would tell you. The Maya tries many ways to enchant you, to make you stray away from your noble high purpose.

If the Buddha were to use that, then He’d have subdued all, the whole world already, no need for anybody else to come behind Him. You see, that’s the difference between a Buddha and a demon. The demon, he uses power just to control people. The Buddha, He had to use reason. If He used His power at all, it was because that person needed it, maybe needed to heal at that time, needed to be awakened from some trouble, like Ananda for example, and to use it to help His disciples in time of need. Otherwise, if the Buddha had used all His power just to bless this person, control that person, then the whole India at that time would’ve knelt at His feet already.

Rotten ghost and has so much power. I feel ashamed as a human. He’s just a rotten ghost and he has so much power to sway people’s minds and cheating them into believing in him that much. And we’re so powerless. We’re supposed to be God and Buddha. How come we have no power? Imagine that? That’s the price to come into this physical body; that’s the price to pay. You have come here for some reason and you also had to make a contract before you came; you have made a contract. Maybe also intended to do good, but then, when we come down here, they make us forget everything; forget and just go with the flow.

So, precepts are the basement, are the foundation of our spiritual progress. Don’t forget. If somebody preaches to you against all the precepts, against all the moral standards, and says “everything is illusion anyway, you do what you want, there’s no sin,” then you must know it’s wrong, and that person is possessed. Stay away quick. Don’t try to convert him; you can’t. You might not be strong enough; you will fall instead. If you happen to feel like you’re possessed or maybe fell into some bad influence, call the Master to help you. Recite the Five Holy Names, recite the Gift, call the Master if you’re helpless; it’s safer that way.

It’s so difficult to discern between a ghost and a Buddha or a Saint, because the Saint, normally, They don’t even use any power, don’t predict much. Even just to want to know past lives, you’ll be in trouble too. There was one Master in Korea a long time ago, He didn’t teach much to his disciples. He said, "Whatever happens or turbulence goes into your mind, you just say, ’Don’t know.’ " He wanted to break all of the trains of thought of his disciples，which was also maybe helpful. But don’t just “don’t know” anything, all right? You know you should be good, keep the precepts, meditate, eat vegan.

I said our road sometimes has maybe a little pebble on the road, or some little tree, fallen down, but we just move it and then we continue going. Because we want to reach our Home. Same, same when we practice, a little obstruction, no problem. Continue. Everything is good. We have to keep the positive mind, and everything will be better. Always remember Buddha, God, blessing from Heavens, then everything will be OK. Heaven is touched by your sincerity even. Heaven and Earth know your purity and good heart. And I’m also very, very touched, and appreciative of your dedication to the noble goal, the best goal, the only goal that’s important in your life, practicing.z