PageOneLit.com:
Well, first of all, I'm really excited that these have become
best sellers. It's absolutely wonderful because it's getting out the
consciousness that we're one with all of creation, all the animal
world, and plant world really. Since I agree with the principle,
it's hard to want to ask a question, except that what inspired you
to do this?
Supreme Master Ching Ha: Well, it’s my wonderful birds themselves.
I did ask their permission and I had it. They’re so happy that they
can contribute some joy to human life and to shine some knowledge
about birds and animals to all readers, and every time we look up
into the sky to watch a bird flying they want us to remember Heaven.
Thank you for asking, it was a good question.
PageOneLit.com: Supreme
Master Ching Hai, could you tell me a little bit more about how you
came to adopt so many wonderful dogs and birds? Any secrets that you
might have, for people out there who want to learn and listen more
to their pets and to animals in general?
Supreme Master Ching Ha:It just
happened. Though in the beginning, I could not think that I will be
able to keep any pet as you might well imagine my busy schedule and
my traveling extensively, but you know it just happened because when
your heart is in pain, seeing their helpless situation and their
suffering, there’s no time to think. You will just do it. Anyone
would just do it.
Supreme Master Ching Ha:Yes
sir, definitely they have and they have exactly the same feeling and
emotion that we have. In some case, in fact, they possess deeper
sentiment and profounder sense of loyalty. I hope you are happy with
that.
PageOneLit.com: I love the idea
of communicating with the animals and I was hoping that you could
maybe talk a little bit about the process that you use in which to
communicate with the animals and is it something that we can do in
order to better communicate with our own pets and animals around us?
Thank you.
Supreme Master Ching Ha: All
right, to answer your question about communication with animals. The
number one secret is love, love, love and love. If we have love for
the animals they will respond. Slowly, if we continue in this
fashion you will have a sense of intuition and you will have the
feeling transmitted to you or by a quiet voice and then you will
become like one with the animal and what they feel, you will feel,
what you feel they will feel anyway. Or you can ask them to help
you. Or in the beginning you can sit quietly with them in the night,
or start stroking them, petting them, talk to them inside and then
start quietly, try to listen and picking up the intuitive answer to
your question. Ask them some simple questions and see if they answer
and see if their answer is clear. Otherwise, an animal communicator
can help you. Mostly we have no need for talking - even inside, no
need talking too much. The inner world is the world of beauty, of
silent understanding. There’s not much talking like the way we do,
so just treat them generally as a best friend and enjoy their
presence. You will feel a rapport if even not quite a conversation.
Of course we must be patient have a quiet mind, have lots of time
and practice, and above all lots, lots and lots of love. Good luck.
PageOneLit.com: After
reading these highly communicative and beautifully illustrated books
of yours, I think that many of us have been very, very touched and
also very inspired to want to know more about the inner world of
animals. Would you please tell us more about the purpose of the
animal co-inhabitants of our planet? Thank you!
Supreme Master Ching Ha: As you
can well see, some of them are there to help people with their
physical need in areas that good strength is required. Some of them
are also there not just for physical help but to ward off bad
influences in general, to protect their human companions or their
caretaker or their animal companions, by their presence alone
because they do have divine invisible power because they are
connected with the divine. Some of the animals are there to convey
messages of good news that will be coming to you, or warning of
misfortunes ahead. Well, that’s if we can listen.
Many people are too busy to
hear what the animal friends are telling them, otherwise some, they
just quietly bless their caretakers with good luck, good health,
with fortune, with happiness, even spiritual upliftment, etc.
There’s no end to what an animal can and will do for the near and
loved humans or their companions.
PageOneLit.com: When I
read your books, I was amazed at how each and every bird and dog had
their own unique personalities. And I was wondering, is there a
message that your pets (or animals in general) wish to tell us human
beings?
Supreme Master Ching Ha:Yes
sure, they want to show us that even differences are okay, that we
are all different and we should be okay with that and we should work
it out together, with each other and live in harmony and peace
through our differences and appreciation for the differences.
PageOneLit.com: I’d like to
respectfully ask Supreme Master Ching Hai, if could you share with
us some information about animals qualities and abilities, some of
which abilities that they have we don’t know much about yet, thank
you.
Supreme Master Ching Ha:Yes, as
we have mentioned, they have blessing power, they have protective
power and they have telepathy which most of humans do not possess.
Most of them are in touch with the divine grace and just happy and
forgiving. Their love is pure and absolutely unconditional. They
know their past and your past lives, they know the present life, and
they know the future life and the future that lay ahead for you,
which many humans do not have this ability to know.
Some of them can see past life
over ten or twenty thousands of years span. Some are from very high
levels of consciousness and come down in the animal form to help
mankind and other beings. So they are not what they look, not
always. Good question.
PageOneLit.com: I read
your books and you helped me to love animals more and help them get
closer to me. So I just wonder what is the best thing we can do for
the animals?
Supreme Master Ching Ha:Well,
first of all love them, yes, love them with your real heart and if
it’s your pet, of course you treat them as you would like to be
treated. You study what your pet should eat and what are their needs
and how to take care of them. You study all of that in advance with
the expert, from books, from the internet or from the people who
raise animals. Also during the time you’re with them you study their
behavior, you know each one demands what attention from you and
their habits also. You have to treat them just like the best of your
friends or yourself.
Yes, for example, my dogs they
eat from my bowls even. Of course they have their own but just when
we share some snacks they eat anything from my bowl. If it’s not
your pet or if you don’t have any pets you can support the animal
shelters. It doesn’t have to be always money, you can support them
by doing some volunteer work or support them mentally or call them
and encourage them, or help them in any way you can and if it’s the
wild animals then help how ever you think necessary. Feed them, for
example, protect them, protect their environment so that they can
live safely and learn with the expert to know how to treat the
wildlife, or how not to harm the wildlife at least. Study what to do
for each species that is around you and that you are fortunate to
encounter under your care etc. and watch out for them. If they are
wounded you take them to the specialist, take them to wildlife
center, but you have to know all that in advance. You have to know
where the wildlife sanctuary or where the vets are in case you need.
But at least do not disturb them, do not harm them, just let them be
then mostly they can take care of themselves. Just love them all.
PageOneLit.com: How do animals
perceive their world different from the way we do and since you
communicate with them I’d like them to tell me how they feel, what
they think. Thank you.
Supreme Master Ching Ha: Good
question, good question. Although they look different from us, they
also have similar outlook as we do. They want love; they want
happiness just like we do. But their world is simple as you can
observe, their needs are few, they depend absolutely on divine grace
and they thrive on love. Love to them is the most and the only
important thing to them. Love from God, love from human companion,
love from each other. That’s why you can see, for example in the
dogs, no matter what you feed them or how much you feed them, they
love you like no other. No matter how you treat them before they
worship you like a king just a few seconds later if you call them,
and no matter how long you have been gone they never forget your
face. They never forget you and they show their happiness beyond
words whenever they see you again, at any time, even just a few
minutes that you are apart.
However in a way animals think
that we live in a disorderly fashion, as we are so disconnected
ourselves with the source of our strength and intelligence. They see
that we pay attention to the less important aspects of life. They
feel that we need more help in this, to awaken our sleep, to
recognize our divine self. Because that’s the most essential purpose
in life if we want to live, even as a human life, of real
fulfillment and happiness and in turn bringing joy to all around.
That’s what the animals see and think about our self, about us and
about the world surrounding us.
PageOneLit.com: I was
wondering if you could share some stories of your animal friends at
home, that, maybe some little funny stories that makes you laugh
when you think about them. Thank you.
Supreme Master Ching Ha:Yes,
there is so many, there is so many that, you know, on demand I
couldn’t remember it all. But there is some, a lot of warm moments,
and funny moments. You can just spend all day with your pets and you
feel happy beyond description. You forget all your sorrow and
trouble. I just maybe can think of something about the dogs or/and
the birds. Okay, for example, you know Boyo, the one of the latest
adopted dogs? Even though he was scared to death of thunder and
blizzard and rain, but, if I’m not in the house, and if he can
escape from the house, I mean the house that he loves and attached
to every time, he’d never want to leave that house, you know, I mean
my house, the main house, but if I’m not in that main house, I went
elsewhere, if he can escape, he will go and find me. And he’ll
surely find me. No matter where I am, and he knows exactly where to
find me, even though it’s raining, thunder and you know, oh, if it’s
very loud, even I have to plug my ears, but he is very afraid of
that, if it’s thunder and rain, he doesn’t want to leave the house
and he don’t want to eat all day long until the thunder stops. But
if I’m not home, he will just run out and find me. And he will find
me exactly where, no matter how far. That is the thing very touching
about dogs, that’s just one of it, huh. (applause)
And, you know whenever I find
myself in a sad situation or some unhappy circumstances or feelings,
the dogs and the birds are always there to comfort me. They just
come by themselves, you know, either licking toes or sit around or
jumping or playing fool you know, playing stupid, drop dead, or you
know, playing how you say, chasing each other, do any trick just to
make me happy. And the birds maybe just grab me by my hands or my
clothes even and want to kiss me and tell me that I’m beautiful,
stuff like that, you know. They are very, very touching, very
sentimental, extremely sensitive to your feelings. And of course,
you know, every time I think of these things, it makes me happy.
Thank you.
PageOneLit.com: Would you
kindly explain as to how a loving relationship between humans and
animals would affect our planet? Thank you, Master.
Supreme Master Ching Ha: Well,
that will be a big peace on Earth, I mean capital PEACE, yeah? And
Heaven will bless humanS beyond measure. I hope we will live to see
that day.
PageOneLit.com: With so much
success from the first two books, all of us are very excited to hear
that there is a new book coming out called The Noble Wilds.
And we’ve heard that you took some of the photos yourself. Could you
tell us about that new book?
Supreme Master Ching Ha: Sure,
sure. I took most of the photos myself, including the scenery to
match, the beautiful nature. It’s about the beauty and noble
qualities of the wild animals that I have the fortune to encounter
and befriended. I also love to show you some of the beautiful
scenery of nature that sometimes you might be too busy to look. It’s
on your roadside, it’s on your backyard, so it’s in my roadside,
it’s on my backyard, it’s on the neighborhood, it’s everywhere, yes?
So, I would like to remind all of us about this natural beauty, and
of course the noble quality of the wild animals, or any animals at
all, but through the wild animals, maybe we will understand more
about other animals. I would like to show in the book their
sentiment, their intelligence and their invisible help to human,
even thought most of the human are not aware of it. But they are a
tremendous help to the world, they just help by their presence,
because they are bringing divine power, pure power, undiluted,
unpolluted power into this world.
So, well it’s a pity that most
of humans do not listen to their pets, not to talk about the wild
animals even. But I hope this book will shed some little light into
this mystery; and the beauties, and the friends and the helpers, the
benefactors. The divine beings that we often take for granted. Even
the fish in the river, or the fish in the lakes or the wild ducks;
they bring blessings to your house, to your life. They bring some
inspiration invisibly to your knowing, but their presence will evoke
in you something more than just a mundane occupation about food and
clothes. And you will just get inspiration about something, or an
answer to some question which you did not know before. And I hope
that you guys will enjoy it, and I have asked their permission also
and they were very happy that I am writing it.
PageOneLit.com: Maybe you could
share with us some of the experiences of writing this new book on
the wild animals. If you can, seeing as it’s kind of a peek preview.
Thank you, merci.
Supreme Master Ching Ha: Yes
fine, I guess you want to know what kind of animals. I cannot tell
you, you will see. But I can tell you. It’s not about tiger and
lions, ok. Because probably most of us don’t have a chance to
encounter these kind of animals, but many other animals; they can
speak for the whole wild kingdom as well. And, well I want to tell
you that, the experience while I was writing this book, sometimes I
fall into the water because of taking a very delicate photograph of
the bird nest, for example. Or sometimes the swan just tell me, “Get
away, get away, you are too near the nest.” Something like that, and
we have to take a quick U-turn, and run away from it before he take
further action. We have to respect wildlife as well, eh!
When we go so far, they will
tell you to stop and if you don’t stop, by their very gentle action,
like they’ll run around, circle around in front of your boat. Circle
around and keep going back and forth, back and forth in front of
your boat. They are very gentle, but if you don’t take it, for quiet
and gentle advice they would do something else. They’ll fly on top
of you, for example.
That can be very unnerving, ok.
But never mind these are just some simple incidents, but the value
of the experiences I have lays elsewhere. For example, they told me,
ok. By the way I discovered by asking them, that some of them, some
of the wild animals do have names and some do not. It depends on how
much noble quality they possess. Humans are an exception, humans are
an exception, even if we have every low noble quality, you know the
NQ; we still have names, because we just grab names or our parents
just grab a name and give it to us. But in the wild, in the real
animal kingdom, you don’t just do that. Your names will be given to
you individually according to your lineage. For example of your
lineage have a very high NQ then the siblings’ will be also given
names depending on that lineage. But it depends on which lineage
also. You will be given name one year after you’re born or two years
after you’re born. It’s very interesting. They understand English
very well, or German or French for that reason.
You can try any language, they
understand everything. If they want to show it to you that they
understand. Sometimes they just ignore you, it depends if you are
lovely, if you are kind, if you’re good or not. Because they can see
your karma. They can see your past life, and they can see your
future. Thy can see your present, they can see right through us,
like through a glass door. There is nothing hidden from them. Not
all the animals are like this, some are so psychic to a higher
degree, some are less. Some can see more into the future and past
lives, some can see less. Some have a lot more very noble and
courageous qualities, some have less, of course. And I have
discovered that they are extremely, extremely grateful to every
little help that you give them, even if they need it or not need it.
Even every morsel of food you give them, they will never forget, and
they will always try to repay you if you need it. Whenever they can.
And I also discover that even the fish in the lake are at divine
levels. You must read it yourself, I can’t tell you everything and
then you won’t buy my book, no! I am just kidding, thanks for
asking.
PageOneLit.com: Is there
any closing words you would like to share with us?
Supreme Master Ching Ha:You are
very welcome and well, just be happy, be happy like the animals and
rely on God’s grace and we will never go wrong and peace will be
there soon.
PageOneLit.com: We hope
that your books The Dogs in My Life and The Birds In My
Life continue to help people change the way that they view
animals and we also really hope that your new book The Noble
Wilds also becomes a best seller.
Supreme Master Ching Ha:Heaven,
we all do hope so. Thank you, thank you. Have a good day.
artist, author and spiritual teacher, who sets a brilliant
example of selfless service for millions around the world.
For any reader who loves animals and believes in their
rights to live a happy and healthful life, this book is a
beautiful and compassionate compliment to anyone’s home.
Written in simple language and beautifully illustrated, The
Birds in My Life can be enjoyed by young and old alike,
regardless of their language ability. It will inspire anyone
to connect and to celebrate the diversity and innate loving
kindness of all Creation.