AT INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY by meok kim

I was in India November in 1996. IIT University is one of the most prestigious universities in India with excellent students and faculty. We met and spoke with some of them for 2 hours, from 7pm to 9pm on 19th November. Approximately 400 people, ranging from students to professors, gathered in the student’s hall. What I would like to introduce here is the record of the lecture with questions and answers that I heard.

-Introduction Speech-

I am Enlightened

I say that I am the man who attained the Supreme Enlightenment and I believe that my Enlightenment can be helpful for your life and for the future of mankind.

I am a truly Enlightened being.

I can give you some examples which can prove my claims. I had to undergo through many big trials before I became Enlightened. Nobody amongst you will undergo such trials.

In fact, I had never imagined that I would attain Enlightenment until I obtained it and I was not aware that I would do any special work for this world. I had some period when I was very anxious about my situation in life that I could not do anything for others in spite of my abilities and I questioned myself about what had happened in my own life.

I suffered extraordinary trials from my birth. I was not given any affection during my growing up. I was despised by my parents. I was looked down upon by neighbours. I faced cruelty even from my brother. Later, I was oppressed by people in power. I didn't have any school education nor any help from others. There were lots of difficulties which I had to solve by myself from my childhood. Whenever I came across the problems something mysterious happened and I was protected. I could solve all problems when I wanted.

In the same way my Enlightenment happened. I had no problems for myself or my family at that time. However, the social circumstances prevented me from doing my daily work. Then, I was guided by my consciousness to go to a calm place. I went to a small island, named Yonwhado. I retreated to myself. I was forty-four and it was November 1984. I lived alone in a remote house. One day I had some questions - about what happened in my life. At that moment one question occurred in my consciousness, "Go back to the past".

I had a next question and a new answer appeared from myself, which indicated me to go back to the world where I came from before my birth in this world. And I found myself at the entrance of the world of Enlightenment. I started to count backwards the years of my life, closing my eyes, lying down, 44, 43, 42, 41 ........ When I counted the last one, an absolutely calm world appeared in my consciousness. There was an object emitting light in the empty space. It was the only thing that I saw. Then five desires disappeared from the body, worries and illusions stopped, sadness and hate disappeared from the consciousness. After this I passed into Enlightenment.

After some time I knew what I had to do. So I met and searched for people and I had to tell what is in truth. I looked strange in people's eyes. However, I had to inform the reality of the fact to them. Because of my pursuit my neighbours, relatives and my friends all left me. When people listened to me, most of them did not want to see me again. In spite of all this, I am still trying to tell you the things in Truth. I wonder if you will also distance yourself from me after reading this. In spite of my understanding of people's attitude, I want to reveal the reality in truth because there are some problems in the world that you have to realize and there are some answers that you don't know. It is not easy for you and anybody else to see them with human faculties. If somebody claims that he is Enlightened or that he can tell the truth, you do need to try testing and confirming such claims. He will have to show me the proof for his claims. I do not believe that there is another Enlightened Being in this age except me, that is why my mind is so anxious.

I can't give up my work in despair and discouragement. So I have been explaining repeatedly about my Enlightenment because I wanted to help you and the things about to happen in this world. There is too big a gap between your viewpoint and mine. Thought exists in your words but truth exists in my words. That's why I look a total stranger to human eyes. Truth exists everywhere and it exists in what you are doing.

Knowing truth is to bless oneself.
Revealing truth is to bless this world.

When people understand truth they don't deceive others and don't do anything harmful to others.
When people know truth they can be free from poverty and ignorance.
When people know truth they can find the way to eternal life and the cycle of rebirth. When people know truth they can see how the world works.

However, If they don't have an opportunity to meet the Enlightened Being then they don't find where the truth that they are looking for is. Therefore, to gain truth from meeting the Enlightened Being is like gaining the most valuable and rare treasure in this world because it is very seldom that the Enlightened Being appears into this world. Furthermore, it is impossible for most ordinary people to meet the Enlightened Being in human society.

I had to come into this world as there is a particular reason, because something big is to happen in this world in this age. The world has kept existing until now by Appointment. This world has been existing by the process of things dying and being reborn. We observed many a phenomenon in the matter and the creatures. All these happen by Appointment which makes this world exist. The world and all that is in this world has been existing by Appointment. The present mankind also cannot escape this Appointment. You don't have any solution about this phenomenon. That's why the human world needed an Enlightened Being. Is that why I had to endure such terrible trials after my coming into this world? The reason is that there is an extremely urgent problem in our age. There are some who will die forever ; there are some who will live forever. This will depend upon what is within you and what shall be in you. Your destiny is created by what is within you. Nobody can live or survive beyond and without Appointment. My coming into this world and revealing truth is to fulfill your demands and needs.

I have not demanded anything from the people. The only thing I ask of you is your interest and assistance in my work to reveal the truth. Most people whom I have met have easily denied my Enlightenment and even ridiculed me. I know the Appointment that creates and keeps the world going. I can solve the problem that you must become aware of in your life.

I am Tathagata.

I am the man who came to the world to reveal things in Truth.

To give up yourself or to save yourself ; that is your own decision and you have to make that decision in this age. My message to you is that you yourself are your own Messiah who will be able to save your own life. The Messiah who some people are waiting for will never come to this world, I truly promise it. If there are some who deny my view, please show me the proof. I have never deceived others and have never done anything harmful to others in the past and will not do so in the future.

I am sure that my Enlightenment could be beneficial for the world. If you need more explanation about my message please let me have any questions.

I emphasize again this point - Try to see what it is, confirm what it is and judge what it is.
This manner will be helpful for your life.
I am in agony as to how I can inform you of such things. I have travelled endlessly these past 12 years. This is already the 8th visit to India. However, there are few who asked questions after listening to my words. As if Indian people also became taciturn as people in other countries did, there were a few people who asked questions of me, and no one answered my questions.

There are so many things that are different between the knowledge that you have, and things that are in Truth that I saw. If you don’t confirm such things you cannot get anything from me and I cannot give you anything either.

Therefore, I would like to ask you questions about 3 terminologies and then I would like to have your questions about the doubt that you have, and answer to the questions. First of all, I believe that you have learned the word of ‘conscience’ since you were young in school and society. Then what does the conscience do to yourself. I would like to hear your opinions first. If there is one who can answer, please do so.

Questions and Answers

Question : When I listened to you, you seemed very strong. Then, why can you not speak English?

Answer : I have never had specific English education. Enlightenment is opening eyes to things of the world, but it is not becoming a master in every functional thing. If you are concerned about a matter of language, I want you to confirm through people in the past. Gautama could not speak English and Jesus Christ could not, either. I would like you to understand I am the same as them.

Question : Jesus and Buddha did not say that they were enlightened.

Answer : Jesus is not the one who accomplished perfect enlightenment. However, Gautama made clear that he was one who was enlightened.

Question : Could you show us the evidence of your claim?

Answer : Which evidence do you mean?

Question : I mean the evidence that you are enlightened.

Answer : I have the evidence of the supreme enlightenment among the people who came to the world for 6000 years. Look at my face. I have a bulge in the middle of my forehead. This is the third eye about which you could hear only from a legend. No body has this kind of evidence up to now.

Question : xx of India also has the same bulge.

Answer : Then you should confirm it with me. If he can say what is as it is and explain what is as I do he must be an enlightened being, too. But it is absolutely impossible for such thing to happen in this era.

Question : What made you have such confidence in the fact that you were enlightened. How can you say that you are helpful to the world? Why should I believe your claim?

Answer : I say that I was enlightened because I was enlightened. I also say to you that I do something useful, because what I do can result in useful things. I say that you should believe because my words are in Truth.

Question : Can people get enlightenment just by counting age backwards? What is the way to Buddha or enlightenment?

Answer : Gautama Buddha did not explain in detail how he could reach enlightenment. However, I know the question how I, myself, could be enlightened. Actually it is almost impossible for ordinary people to get enlightenment in a lifetime. As the evidence, there were only two people for 6000 years who claimed they were enlightened. One was Gautama who was born in India. And I came to this world. Only counting age backwards cannot make you enlightened. In order to be enlightened I had to go back to the world of origin, which is the world before birth. To go back to the world of origin at that time I enlightened, I made such a thing happen in me. I was already an enlightened being in the past world and when I came to the present world, due to things at that time, I could be born as an enlightened being.

Question : How can you know all the people in the world? And how can you say that nobody has experienced and will experience the ordeals that you have undergone?

Answer : It is because there is no one who is burdened with the burden of the world like me and is able to be burdened.

Question : what is Truth?

Answer : Truth refers to things that makes what is exist.

Question : What is the way to make Truth come true?

Answer : It is to confirm existent things and to know correctly existent things.

Question : Could you tell who raises the money for the travel?

Answer : I do not have any sponsors. So it is very hard while travelling and also hard to manage to raise money.

Question : Do you get angry?

Answer : When I see wrong things or my hope goes wrong, I sometimes get angry. However, I do not have such feelings as anger or sorrow.

Question : Why are you so anxious for the fact that you can not give the resolution of problems in the world if you are an enlightened being?

Answer : That is because the future of mankind and you depend on my effort.

Question : What can you see through things of the world?

Answer : It is Truth.

Question : If you can not see everything through your physical eyes, how can you prove the fact that you can see everything with the third eye?

Answer : The assertion of my enlightenment is my words and action. Checking my words out will confirm your doubt.

Question : If you are enlightened why can not you solve problems in Korea?

Answer : Everyone has its own destiny. And that destiny has effects on the society. The people who have the destiny to perish, do not welcome people who do not ruin them. I tried to solve the problems around me, but nobody accepted such as me. Gautama was the one who also experienced the same thing as I experience.

Question : Could you tell us how to see life. You said that it was very difficult for ordinary people to be enlightened. If so, isn’t it a waste of time that we listen to your teaching?

Answer : No, it is not. It is very important to get the way to enlightenment from an enlightened being. The reason why I said that most people cannot attain enlightenment is that it is rare that an enlightened being appears in the world.

Question : If the way to enlightenment is so hard, what should people do?

Answer : People should learn from an enlightened being how he could attain enlightenment.

Question : Could you explain about death?

Answer : The question about death is the same as the question about the world after death. In the posthumous world there exist a few different dimensions. The dimension which you come to reach is determined by what was in your life. Most of the people who I know went to the most miserable world after they died. If you want to know this kind of thing in more detail, visit the place where I stay, ask questions in that area and listen to my explanation for a couple of hours. Then you will understand a little.

Question : Are you born again after this life?

Answer : I cannot promise when I should come back to the world again. I did not have to be born in this era, but it was because there wasn’t any alternative plan in order to reveal things that are in the world.

Question : You do not have any logical evidence which can back up your assertion. Can you demonstrate your enlightenment logically?

Answer : What do you mean by ‘logical’? My words are not incorrect at any parts.

Question : What is the truth of this world?

Answer : The truth is existent thing itself.

Question : I hope you know the fact that you are in the country which has high spirit and philosophy. Our philosophy taught us that no one is selected.

Answer : Hypocrites have made a lot of words and instilled them into people in order to grow their power. Someone spoke about philosophy to me a few seconds ago. The person who questioned should know what he asked about. So after listening to my answer he can confirm whether it is correct or incorrect. Therefore, I will confirm what the questioner asked about. You are using the word philosophy. What do you mean by ‘high philosophy’? If you ask questions without knowing, my answer will not match your thoughts at all. Who indeed can answer my question about philosophy in India?

Attendance : Philosophy is the way to Truth.

Tathagata : Then, what is Truth?

Attendance : Truth means that things are in the world is one.

Tathagata : Then, I will ask you a question about ‘one’. Why do you live?

Attendance : One becomes all.

Tathagata : What you are saying is too difficult. What is the ‘one’?

Attendance : The ‘one’ is inside of everybody.

Tathagata : What is it that is in everyone? Explain it in such a way that people can understand.

Attendance : It can not be defined.

Tathagata : If it can not be defined, that means you are not aware of philosophy. Let me ask a question. What is the answer of ‘1+1’?

Attendance : Gautama said that an enlightened being wasn’t born again. However, you said that you don’t know.

Tathagata : The meaning of getting a perfect enlightenment is Salvation. Salvation means the state of being free from all Karma. However, I regret to say that I had to be born in this era. In this era, someone had to come and reveal Truth but nobody wanted the work. So I had to be born.

Question : Instead of proving your enlightenment, could you explain your philosophical opinion?

Answer : I have never told you to believe in me. I am just asking for your interest in things that are in front of you. Then, let me confirm briefly. Is there anyone who knows why you live?

Question : You seem to be a liar. In what way can you give conviction to us?

Answer : When you see something you see them through your imagination. When I see something I see them through existent thing. The reason why people do not accept what I say is that there is the wall between us which both of us cannot climb over. You gave me a very good question today.

Question : Please reveal the truth?

Answer : I am revealing things existent things in us. Our conversation is being recorded. Whoever takes this tape and confirms what we talked about with this tape.

Question : When are you going to leave this world? Can you live as long as you want?

Answer : I will stay in the world for 18 years from now on. I will do my best in order to make eye of human consciousness open. This work will be very important to you. My physical body cannot live forever but my soul can live forever.

Question : What does enlightenment means exactly?

Answer : Enlightenment means opening eyes to Truth. Easily speaking it means seeing what it is. There are a lot of universities. All the universities teach anthropology. However, no one knows how mankind has been created and changes what process passing through. If I want to know such thing, I am able to know it right now by looking into existent things.

Question : What do you mean by ‘special work’ in this era? And who gave you name ‘one who see’, Tathagata?

Answer : It is because I opened eyes so I only told you I am the one with open eyes. You should not compare my life with that of Gautama or Jesus Christ. This era is close to changing period and I have to present a hope for you. Mankind has existed through change. In a religion they call such things ‘conclusion’. However, I say that such thing must exist in order to make the world itself to exist. As far as you are not aware of things are in Truth by yourself, it will be difficult to understand such thing.
If you cannot believe my words, the only way is confirming. I can answer any kind of question in any area. How many people can explain about any kind of Truth like me? If there is someone who can do so, I want to confirm the fact right now. I came to India for you. This is my love. Whether you can have good results or not is up to your actions and judgement. Since you are not accustomed to Truth, if you compare my words with your thought, nothing will be correct.

I will stay in India for a month from now. I hope that I can have chances to meet you again. At that time if you ask your questions more exactly that you are in doubt over, it will be very helpful to you.

Thank you for your listening to the end, I hope that you can have blessings