Thanks to an old friend for transcribing a series of questions fielded at Mahachula Buddhist University in Bangkok, Thailand in 1997.
I have been able to translate most of it. Hope it’s enough to give you a basic idea of Tathagata’s teaching. The original Korean is at Nature’s Teaching. Scroll down for this Q and A.
Any mistakes are mine in translation. Please enjoy!
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Q: What is your Enlightenment?
A: The truth of what exists.
Q: What is the meaning of ‘Tathagata’?
A: I have explained that it means achieving perfect Enlightenment and seeing what exists.
Q: Do you mean seeing the future?
A: Tathagata means seeing Truth inside what exists.
Q: What is Truth?
A: Truth is what exists and the things which happen inside phenomena that make what exist come into being.
Q: Are you a Buddhist?
A: I don’t have a religion. My teaching is the same as Gautama Buddha. However the things which Gautama Buddha could not teach which I can accurately prove are the way of Enlightenment and the secret of the phenomena of repetition’s changing period.
Q: Is your teaching Buddha’s teaching?
A: It’s the same as the content which Gautama taught. Even if I say the same things as Gautama Buddha you aren’t able to recognise them properly. The reason is because Gautama Buddha’s teaching has changed over such a long period of time you aren’t able to know what Gautama Buddha’s teaching is.
Q: Do you accept Buddha’s teaching?
A: Buddha taught what exists. You can see his teaching anywhere in the world. My teaching is also simply letting people know what exists.
Q: What is the point of your teaching?
A: The truth about what exists.
Q: Do you have a family?
A: I have a wife, a daughter and a son.
Q: Do you teach these things to your children?
A: So far my children haven’t tried to obtain Enlightenment.
Q: If your children haven’t tried to be enlightened wouldn’t it be more difficult for other people?
A: It was like that for Gautama Buddha at first too. When he went home after his Enlightenment his family didn’t want to follow him.
Q: Will you teach these things to your children in the future?
A: It’s possible if the environment changes.
Q: Is your teaching the same as the person called Shing Hai?
A: How can the teaching of an ordinary person and the Enlightened Being be the same? If you really wonder you can confirm directly. I met nearly all of the famous teachers in the world. I have met Shing Hai. That time she said she would follow me if she got the time.
Q: Did you keep the five precepts before becoming Enlightened?
A: The precepts mean the five teachings people need to keep themselves while they are alive. People with a sound basis are able to keep the precepts naturally even without learning them.
Q: You achieved Enlightenment without knowing the five precepts?
A: I have never learnt the precepts. And i never heard about them from anybody.
Q: Do you believe in Heaven and Hell?
A: I can explain about Heaven and Hell. Everybody comes to stay in different dimensions according to the result in their lives.
Q: You said that after your Enlightenment many people left you. Why did that happen?
A: That’s because the sight which our consciousness’s has is different from each other. I always wanted them to turn out well through what exists, but they never wanted to accept my help.
Q: Why is what you are doing difficult and arduous?
A: I’ll ask you something. Can a blind person see this fist?
Q: It looks like we are unable to follow your teaching as we are blind.
A: That’s it. But I forget that and just keep trying to reveal things of the world. All of the saints did this kind of thing in the world.
Q: Who are the saints?
A: Socrates drank poison and died. Jesus was captured by his brethren, nailed to the cross and died. Lao Tzu wandered and died without meeting one disciple. Guatama Buddha achieved perfect Enlightenment but didn’t have anywhere to deliver it so he died on the roadside searching for people when he was over 80 years old. So I am treated quite well.
Q: Your teaching and ideology seem very easy. We know that attaining Enlightenment and Nirvana is very difficult. Are you a Buddhist Monk?
A: Before I was born into the current world I was the Central Buddha that was in Paradise. Central Buddha means the one who is most central of the Buddha’s. Life must exist for Enlightenment. People who’s life doesn’t, will not understand the true meaning of the Buddha’s teaching even if they are reborn a hundred times. What I would like to emphasize is this: Do you want to learn from somebody who knows? Or do do you want to learn from somebody that doesn’t? That’s the point. That’s what you have to decide by yourselves. If you don’t get truth from what exists, you will be without Enlightenment and you will never meet the Buddha you want to meet.
