international gatheringwith supreme master ching hai europe, jul - oct 2015 where are you from?what are you doing? this is if you have a sore throat. this is from my garden, all for you. if you put it outside,then the rain will come inside. and when you open it,the rain will go all over you. like this it's more beautiful,more appetizing. (yes.) yeah, like that.
never cover the cherry tomatoes,because they're beautiful. ok, you go call everybody. (ok, ok.) yum, yum, yum, yum! are you happy? (yes.) good food? (yes.) this is your house.my house is your house. wow! he can eat the whole pack. if you help others,your merit will be double, triple, multiplied, multiplied for generations.
originally, all religionsnever advocated violence. they always havethe five or ten precepts. the first one is "thou shall not kill." love you. (love you.) always love you,i could die for you, that kind of love. buddhist stories: "a certain monk" part 3 of 3 september 29, 2015
according to buddhismand the believers and the tradition, when you read sutra and all that, you have to put on incense, flowers, and bow to the sutra first, and thank all the buddhasand bodhisattvas in ten directions all respectfullybefore you read it. and then you cover the sutra alsowith (vegan) silk or beautiful cloth. i just make it more popular,more easy, simple. i apologize to all the buddhas.
i say, "if i have done something wrong according to the tradition, my heart is full of respect. it's just that i cannot always do that. so please, all the sin, whatever i have done wrong,is all on me." at least, other people,when they hear the names of the buddhas, according to the sutra,they will get benefit. this morning, i closed the gate
and i forgot i closed itand he just sat right next to the gate, so cold on the cement. and didn't go back to your soft bed, sofa. no you didn't. come, momma is right here. such a beautiful boy.and you didn't even make noise. tonight, you're not preaching again. understand that? i preach is enough.
he also wants to contribute, wants to tell you good things. or emphasize what i sayis correct, is good. you should listen, you should practice. he also wants to preach to you. he wants to contribute his wisdom, doggie wisdom. but he meant well. you want to sit here and preach.
then, i can take a rest. such a good heart you have. yeah, he's telling things. yes, sometimes he's telling things. sometimes he asks for protection. that's why he makes a little noise. can you do it quietly like inside? i just finished one joband now i start another. it's like some poor people,doing three jobs in one day.
a lot of jobs, not just three jobs. we continue the storyfrom yesterday. this monk,who was very afraid of the lady, lay disciple, who had already attainedsome higher spiritual level than he did. even though he was a monkand she's just a lay disciple, normal people, have a family and that. but of course she had earned merit. it's not that easy,but she had earned merit. she built a house for 60 monks,
and then she fed themthree months long. yes, she did. i love you. i love this guy. i don't know why. he doesn't look lovely. he looks very serious, but i love him. he's trying to emphasize thatwhat i said is true. and he also tells you to practiceand do good, stuff like that. and then you can go to heaven.
he says he will help. you practice, he will help to greet youat st. peter's gate. he's a good heart, very good heart. so the lady, she's too clairvoyant. she saw through everything. she heard everything from afar. every time a monk wished toeat something or do something, the lady immediately either orderedher servant to bring it or to do it. see, so this monk got very scared.
i would be. wouldn't you? "how come the ladyknows everything like this? how possible?" so he was scared. because he knew thateven though he's a monk, but his mind was not yetcompletely positive. didn't always think of holy thingsor positive things all the time. sometimes it would slip into his mindsome mundane desire. so he was very scared.
because he would feel very embarrassedif she knew what he's thinking. so he ran back to his papa,the buddha. "papa, this lady! i cannot stay there anymore,because this lady, she knows everything. she can read my thoughts. whenever i think of something,want something, she brings it immediately. so if i stay there, she will know, sometimes if i think a bad thought,or mundane thoughts,
she'll be very embarrassed. she will know." therefore, he ran back to his papa. so papa, what did papa say now? so the monk came back, and told the buddha why he had returnedto the buddha's residence. because he was afraid the lady will readhis thoughts one day, bad thoughts. so the buddha said, "monk, that is the placeyou should not run away from.
that is exactly the placeyou should go and stay." so he said, "no. papa, i cannot,"like a spoiled kid. "no, world honored one,i cannot, i cannot. i will not reside there any longer. i stay here. i stay here." like some of you. so, the buddha said, "well then,monk, can you guard just one thing?" just one thing. so the monk said, "what do you mean,world honored one,
guard just one thing?" so the buddha said to him,"you guard your thoughts alone. just that. just do that. just do that one thing. that is guarding your thoughts. for thoughts are very hard to guard." yeah, you know that. guard your thoughts. "restrain your thoughts alone.
do not concern yourselfwith anything else, for thoughts are very unruly." so the buddha told him,made him a job, offered him a job. to guard his thoughts. doing nothing else. so that's also a kind of practice. meditation practice. so saying, he pronouncedthe following stanza. we are near the end now.
"the mind is very hard to check. and swift it falls on what it wants. the training of the mind is good. and mind, so tamed, brings happiness." so tame your minds. don't care about anything.just check yourself first. control yourself firstbefore you control everybody else. a mind, so tamed, brings happiness. have you experienced like that?
that sometimes when you tame your mind, say "no" to what it wants, thatyou feel some happiness? (yes.) some kind of victorious (feeling)? (yes.) yes? (yes.) i also have some good experiences. today, it's cold. i felt cold today. and many days i didn't really eat properly. i mean, not like a good meal,
like a normal meal like the aulacese (vietnamese)used to cook for me. i just eat something simple, like rice congee and some fermented tofu,whatever like that. and some (vegan) salad and bread. and today, the aulacese (vietnamese)chef, she cooked something for me. and then the dogs ate some. and my two dogs' keepers ate some. and i also ate some.
then, it's not much left. so i was thinking, when i was sittingwith you, i felt kind of hungry. like cold and hungry. so i was thinking, "oh, i'm going tocall the aulacese (vietnamese) chef to cook me some my favorite soup." i was thinking like that, thinking. then, immediately i checked myself. i said, "no, you hadenough good things today. you just eat whateverleftovers there or nothing."
and then, i did just that. and then i still am alive. otherwise, so convenient just to callthe aulacese (vietnamese) cook and say, "hey, i want some of this kind ofsoup special, whatever special." then, of course, feel happy, too. but why bother her? because i'm busy also. i thought if i came home, i wouldn't have time to prepare and cook.
but i do have time. i'm just thinking like that. but i did have time. you see, so sometimeswhen we want something, we have to checkwhether it's truly necessary or not. of course, she's very willingto cook for me. very happy, happy to cook,more than happy to cook. i know that. but time to save for her to meditatealso better for her.
and time for me to, i don't know,to control myself. also good for me. yeah, it's very nice. so i felt kind of,very proud of myself indeed. after i stopped myselffrom wanting the soup, i came home, just ate whatever. some (vegan) bread,some of the vegan mayonnaise, some leftover stuff. it's ok. i gave him some of the (vegan) cakes,
and some of the stuff. he's also happy. no need for special things. oh man. he always comes here. i didn't tell him to.(i love him so much.) huh? (i love him so much.) you do? (yes.) oh my god! he's my dog. (i love you more!) stop it!
you also love him? he's lovable. right? but he doesn't do anything much,you see. he's not like other dogsthat go wagging tail and ... he doesn't do that. he's just full of love, quietly. and you look at him,you just want to love him. it's amazing. no matter how late i come home,
i always caress him, talk to him first,and then we say good night. he's so beautiful. i don't know. if all the humans are beautiful like this, i'd just stay in my cave foreverand don't have to go out. don't need to consider india or anything. what do you mean, "oh?"(you're right.) right, i'm right. of course, i'm right. i'm the master. but i was thinking india's not bad.
india for sure, nobody will bother us. because they respect practitioners. and once they know what we are doing,like we practice light and sound. and there's plenty like thatin india anyway. so they will not do anything. any police come,they just join for initiation, and any government comesthey just sit there and listen to the buddha stuff. maybe that's a safe place.
the reason i didn't go to indiais it's too easy. i thought europe needed me,asia, china needed me. au lac (vietnam) needed me. that's why i went all over. but now they know already. so i don't have to. europe is big already. it's not a kid anymore. in india, gujarat is alcohol prohibited.
yeah, even. i know. why do you love him? why? i don't know.he looks into my soul and my heart. (yeah?) my heart beats so fastwhen he looks at me. oh, my god!(one time he came in ...) you are in love.(totally.) that's a symptom. i didn't even see him,but i felt him coming. yeah, that's a symptom.
no, he's very powerful. (he is.) spiritually powerful. yes, he's an amazing being. amazing, amazing, amazing. he's the most wonderful beingi know, on this planet. after you. no, i'm different. no, we are very friendly. my god! i wish he lives long.
because if he goes,i probably will be very, very devastated. he's so beautiful. even i don't tell him,he just follows me everywhere. but quietly,not like clinging or bothering. and if i go home,he just goes home. he doesn't want to come back here.i say, "you want to stay here?" no, he clop, clop, clop, goes first. he's afraid i let him stay here alonewith you guys. ok, so now we go back to india here.
i'm in india every day since i'm here. since smc already,i'm always in india. because all these storiesfrom the buddha happened in india. it's funny. life after life,the buddha was born in india until he became buddha again. now, when the teacher had admonished,meaning the buddha, the monk, thus, he dismissed him, saying,"go! go! go monk. go concern yourselfwith nothing else. resume residencein that same place."
and that monk,after being admonished by the buddha, went to that same place, and did not think thoughtsconcerned with exterior things. you see, it's good. it's good that you humble yourself. because if you knowthat person knows your thoughts, then you check, no? you control yourself. every time you think of something,
you say, "no, no, no. she knows it, she knows it. better behave myself." then, it's also a good excuse to practice. right? yeah, very good. and then, the great female lay disciplelooked with divine vision. and seeing the elder, meaning the monk. they also call the monk "elder." just by respect.
just like they call shakyamuni buddha, meaning "the elder," "the enlightened saint"or "the elder saint." she looked within her vision,and seeing the elder, she determined by her own knowledgealone, the following fact: "my son has now gained a teacher, a master who gives admonitionand has returned once more." she knew thatthe monk had gone back to the buddha, and the buddha scolded him and told him. and now he came back.she knew it.
she didn't see him, but she saw it inside,what was happening. and at once, she preparedwholesome food and gave it to him. once having received wholesome food,in but a few days, the elder, meaning the monk,attained arhatship. because he checked his thoughts. there are two kinds of controlyou have to do. the obvious thoughts,that are running around all the time. and another one is the very subtle thought,
that you don't even know you have it. it's sometimes in your subconscious that makes you do things that lateryou realize it is not what you wanted. so he attained arhatship as well. after a few days. with good food, of course, good food, indian food. maybe i should go there then i willalso attain arhatship in no time. just a few days,your wife cook me something.
your wife, your daughtercook me something, and then i will attain buddhahood. right, you translate for her. she doesn't have ...two of you give her half of the earphone. (it's fine ...) all right. she also understands english?(no, she doesn't.) she doesn't understand,then you translate some for her. just the key points. you can watch it on tvor online later at home.
all videos will be uploaded,take your time to watch it. wow! just a few days,control your thoughts. you became buddha. my god! these few days,have you become buddha yet? no. maybe not good food? blame the kitchen? (no.) food's good enough, right? (yes.) the monk ate only once a day. you have twice,with (vegan) cookies in between.
cannot blame anything except yourself. try to control your thoughts tomorrow,from today, anytime you think something bad. but the subtle karma,is difficult to control. the obvious is easy. like if you want to see a woman, or if you want to go and court a man,something like that, then you can see. but sometimes it's so deep inside. you don't even know you're thinking that.
you're just doing that because of habit. it's like many stories we've told. people who have donesuch-and-such things many lifetimes come back doingthe same thing, or similar things. even to the buddha. so the buddha,how come he became buddha? because life after life, he's been doing just that. no, he was a buddhaa long time already, of course.
but then he came backto the mundane existence. but life after life,he has done nothing but concentrate on holiness,buddhahood, sainthood. so that's why he became buddha. because he did the same thing almost all the time,all the time, all the time. and repeatedly, and then he becamebuddha, the master of that. after many lifetimes doing good things, then you're born doing goodall the time, same.
so, after the elder,meaning the monk, passed his days in the enjoymentof the bliss of the paths and the fruits. he thought to himself, "the great female lay disciplehas indeed been a support to me. by her assistance, i have gained releasefrom the round of existence." meaning, because of her supportand her help, and her care, he attained liberation so quickly,a few days. had he not had the buddha as a teacher, he would run away to easy,comfort zone,
where nobody would knowthat he's rotten inside or nobody would know his thoughts, then he would probably take a longer timeto become arhat. that's the reason why ananda had notbecome arhat before everybody else. he was the last. he stayed too near the buddha, every day doing buddha stuff. nobody dared scold him. nobody thought of evenanything about him.
buddha also,of course, never scolded him. maybe very little. because not much. he just went out beggingwith the buddha and came home and took care of him, everything. so there's no need to really scold him. besides, men are easy to take care of. if he took care of me,maybe i would scold him a lot. then maybe he became arhat quicker.
but he served a man. men are very easy. they understand each other so well. especially, not much to do. just went out to beg for food, or went with the buddhato the invitation eating. and then came home. maybe helped the buddhato wash some very little clothes. and no need to white wash it,
no need bleaching, no need special soap, nothing. because it's saffron, brownish clothes. it's easy to wash. so there's not muchthat the buddha could scold him about. and besides, ananda had beenthe buddha's attendant many lifetimes, or acquaintance, or something like that. besides, buddha is a man. he's easier.
maybe he had stress with disciples, but the more stress,the more the man feels good. you know that. yesterday, we talked about these hormonesthat are stress-produced. (testosterone.)huh? (testosterone.) testosterone. yeah. whatever "terone"that makes a man feel good. the more "terone"the more he feels like a tyrant. he feels good.
that's what it says, scientifically saying. that's why men go out all in the field. go outdoors. do all kind of jobs in the field, stressful, like political job, for example,oh, that's very stressful. but they do it well. if we women do such a political job,maybe we lose it. but nowadays,we have many women leaders. many. i'm so glad.
but still, if it's for men, it's better. i mean better for them. not for the country. not necessarily good for the country. if women in this worldbecome all presidents or prime ministers, or leaders of any group, i think the world will havea better chance for peace. just my opinion. i am not trying to offend you,male presidents.
forgive me if i do.all right, then. so now, he consideredwithin himself like this: "has she been a support to mein my present state of existence only, or has she been a support to mein other lives as well? as i have passedfrom one state of existence to another in the round of existences." just say as i passed from one lifetimeto another. it's quicker. this man is veryintellectually rich in words. so with this thought in mind,
he recalleda hundred states of existence less one. means 99 lifetimes back,past life, he recalled. now in 100 states of existence less one,means 99. i don't know why less one. ah, i guess less one meaningless than this present lifetime. that is 99. so, he saw that this female lay disciplehad been his wife. and her affections had been set onother men in another lifetime. and she had caused himto be deprived of life.
caused him to die. and when therefore, the monk beheldthe huge pile of demerits she had accumulated, so he thought to himself, "oh, what wicked deedsthis female lay disciple had committed." at that timehe thought some negative things. the great female lay disciplealso sat in her house, considering within herselfthe following thought: "has my son reached the goalof the holy life?"
she was questioning herself. perceiving that he had attained arhatship, she continued her reflections as follows. "when my son attained arhatship, he thought to himself, 'this female lay disciple has indeedbeen a powerful support to me.' then he considered within himself." she's seeing all this. she's seeing his thought before.
"then he considered within himself, 'has she been a support to mein previous states of existence also, or has she not?' " she knew everything. "with this thought in mind, he recalled100 states of existence less one. now in 100 states of existence less one,i conspired with other men, and deprived him of life." she knew also now, past life,
what she did wrong to him. "when therefore,he beheld a huge pile of demerits." demerit, not merit. bad karma. "that i had thus accumulated. then he thought to himself." she's describing what she sawin her vision. that's why she said he thought to himself, "'oh, what wicked deedsthis female lay disciple has committed.'
is it not possible that, as i have passedfrom one state of existence to another, in the round of existences, have i rendered assistance to him?" she saw that the monk had beenseeing her sins in the past lives. and now she wondered whether or not, in some of these 100 lives, whether she had been doingsomething good as well to him. she wondered like that.
considering the matter further,she called up before her mind, her 100th state of existence,and became aware of the following: because they recalled only 99 existences and now she recalled the 100th. not the 99th, or not the 99 before,but the 100th of existences, and became aware of the following. "in my 100th state, meaning life,of existence, i was his wife. and on a certain occasion…"also his wife again. "on a certain occasion,
when i might have deprived him of life,i spared his life. i have indeed rendered great assistanceto my son," meaning ex-husband. and still remaining seated in her house, she said, "discern furtherand consider the matter." she's telling him from afar,like remote control, or maybe telefax. she said inside her, "discern further and consider the matter."meaning, search more. and then by the power of the divine ear, the monk immediately heardwhat she said.
so he did researchfurther into the past existences and then he called upon his mindhis 100th state of existence. just like her. and perceived that, in that stateof existence, she had spared his life. just like now. filled with joy, then he thought to himself, "this female lay disciple has indeedrendered great assistance to me." then and there, reciting the questions relating to the four paths and the fruits,
he attained theremainderless element of nirvana. wow! so cool! all right. good? this story ends here. thank you, buddha and ananda. and all the girls, all the people that have helped usto have this story today. it's kind of short today,but i've been working all day. so please, understand.(yes, master.) last night, i'm sorry i had to quit.
i don't know why i felt very tired. suddenly felt very, very tired. no wonder he kept telling me,"go home, go home." and not because i listened to him, but at the end, i felt really i must go. anybody want to say anything? ask anything? today it's ok. i'm not too tired. a question.when you say the subconscious thought,
how can we control them,if we don't know them. not really. just meditate moreand then you'll realize it inside. (ok.) or you check out your action. (ok.) because sometimesyou do something wrong, but you don't know why you do it. and that is the subconsciousplaying hell. (ok.) oh sorry, playing something.(thank you.) it's not your master speaking. when you realizeyou do something wrong without intention,
then you must knowit is just the subconscious. the karma, deep layer, the alaya. anybody else? (residue of sin?) residues, yes. anybody else? here. master, i have a friend,i mean a disciple. she has been initiated like 10 years back. but now she's still suffering. like when she starts to meditate,she can't meditate for a long time.
she had, like pulling her inside, headache. oh! what kind of gurudid she follow before? she follows you. no, i mean before. did she worship any statuesor any local gods or anything like that? no, i did not ask her. where is she? she's in singapore. oh, why didn't she come here?
she wanted. she had the leave for the first event. after that, when it's cancelledso she can't come. ok, understand. i don't know if she's doingthe correct thing. if she comes back next time. or if she's eating anything bad? or ... no, she's following your path, master. sorry, i don't really understand.
also, she goes for a medical checkup, so the doctor just said to herthat she didn't have anything. just gave her tablets for sleeping. oh, sleeping tablets. (yes.) oh. so sometimes she takes, sometimes she just ... (yeah.)continues to meditate. but still now she suffers. sometime when she talks to me,the hairs move. ears also move like this.
tremble. understand. wow! i will see to that and talk to you later,another time. (thank you, master.) ok? maybe tomorrow. i have to check. ok? anybody else want to say something,talk something, ask something? no? somebody? no? yes, no?
you? ok. all right, good. on the first night,you talked about the illusion. illusion, oh. is karma also part of the illusion? (yeah.) or karma and enlightenmentare also part of illusion? enlightenment not. karma, yes. enlightenment is the inborn nature. karma just depends on where you live,what you do, who you're with,
what you think. so everything under the shadow worldis illusion, including karma,and including the fifth world. it's called the shadow world.shadow. but it's more heavy in the lower here,more suffering. on the higher world,because it's nearer to the sixth level or much nearer to the real world,so it's lighter. i explained that also more or lessin the hungarian retreat tapes. thank you.
the karma, mostly karma is illusion. all appearances here are all illusion. that's why the master can switch it off,can burn it. like television. when we sit at home,you watch some theater. it's not the real person. and whatever happened thereis not really what happened there. it's a copy, it's a transmission of somethingthat happened somewhere else.
you understand that?like the real movies, actors, i mean real acting is in the studioor is in another land. the theater is somewhere else. and you stay home, watch tv,looks exactly like there. but if you turn it off, nothing. because it's not real. you turn your computer off, it's off. you can turn television off, it's off. you cannot turn off me, because i'm real.
that is the thing. you cannot turn off the actors,because they are real. but you can turn off their acting. what? so what is actually the actor,our true self? your soul. the soul. and your soul is a spark of god also. but just because it's ... i told you alreadyin the retreat in hungary. there are different layers.(yes, master.)
here is a heavy layer. but the soul does not exactlyhave to be here. can be in a higher world as well. and if you keep going up,then you go back there in the lighter part of the universe, where you don't have to suffer a lot. you don't have to suffer anymore. in any country,there are different provinces. some provinces, like in the capital,you have everything you want.
conveniences and everything. but in some rural areas, some people have difficulty to geteven a roll of toilet paper or some fancy fruits or somethingthat they never even heard of. you understand? (yes.) so in the shadow universe,it's like that also. some parts of the universe are lighter.in the upper level. if we go there, if we return there,we will feel better. we feel more self.
the soul will be stripped ofall of this illusionary, more illusionary than that,all the clothes, all the covers. and then you'll be shiningin your real self again. real self over there. not real self in the ... you're also part of the real universe. just different. even if you are in the shadow universe,it's better to be in a better position. if you're in the palace,
if you are in the royal family, it's better than if you arejust a guard in the palace, or the secretary in the palace. understand? ok? (thank you.) it's very difficultto explain these abstract things. i only know it but it's very difficulteven for me to explain it. yeah. he knows it, right? you know it, right?
you have a lover here. my god! she's going to be heartbrokenwhen she leaves. you can't take him. sorry. i know you love him because i do. but, you can't. he's the only one. you won't find another one hereon the planet. no. you're tired, huh? no, it's just too much blessing.his eyes keep …
he wants to close,but he doesn't want to close. his eyes want to close, heavy,but he doesn't want to close. he wants to shake your hand.did he shake your hand? (yeah.) oh. why do you like him? your lover is behind you. such a beautiful boy. maybe he can read the minds too,like the woman, the lady. what love? maybe he can read the mind, too.
(yeah, he can.) like the lady.(he can.) yesterday the first time i saw him. can you speak like this,so people can translate? ok. yesterday the first time i saw him, i felt like to touch him. but he never looked at me or anything. just by the way cool, so cool. he felt cool. (yeah.) felt cool. and then?
and then today, so surprised! he gave ... he came and shook your hand? (yeah!) oh. gave paw. (thank you.) yeah, your dream came true. (yeah.) takes some time to have effect. not like we're not easy, right? can't just shake hands with anybody. let her wish for a while, right? let her earn it, right? oh man!
i can't imagine anybody who doesn't seesuch a precious dog like this and even did not accept him. but he was a very difficult dog. when he first came, he was also difficult. just wanted to stay outside. even rain, shine, hot. oh, god! oh, his eyes are heavy. couldn't close. close it, baby,close and take a rest. drop, drop, sleep, sleep. good.
he's meditating. he meditates a lot also. so we go home now, if nobody wants. may i ask this question, master? why didn't you ask your questionuntil i had asked so many times? i'm afraid, master.i would like to ask about this matter. why is it that when i didlight meditation, master, my hand kept beating itself on the flooruntil it became swollen? really? i don't see it swollen at all.
no, it was a month ago, two months ago. just a few times? (one time, master.)only one time, what's the big deal? but it was swollen very bad, master.(poor you!) and it acted very strangely, master.(understand, understand.) i don't know why. then i said, "no, i must ...i follow only supreme master ching hai. do not disturb me anymore." (then what?) after a while ... it lessened. (it lessened.)
next time,place a cushion down there. if you beat, just beat the cushion, ok?(yes.) it's just the negative energy insidethat wrestles with you. once it goes out, you're ok.(yes. thank you, master.) looking at your face i can tell.need you ask? (thank you, master.) practice more. be careful what you eat. if you're not sure about something,don't eat it. right. he said so.
anything more? we just want to say goodbyeand thank you very much. tomorrow?(yeah. tomorrow morning.) everybody leaves?(no, just indonesians.) oh. (yeah.)(i am going tomorrow also, master.) the aulacese (vietnamese) also leave?(that brother and i will leave.) (hawaii.) hawaii. (hawaii.) ah. (eighteen people.) eighteen people. ok, ok. i'm sorry. so what now?
thank you very much for everything. oh, you're welcome. i think you have given us everything. we feel so happy. yeah, we feel so happy, so contented,and satisfied this time. thank you very much,and we wish master all the best. and see you next time.(you're welcome. you're very welcome.) and just now we triedto cook something for master, the indonesian (vegan) cake.
(yeah?) i hope you enjoy it. where? it's in here?(it's in the kitchen.) (we cooked some (vegan) cake.)you cook? i want to see it now. actually, today i wanted to ask her whether we still havesome indonesian (vegan) cake for me. but i forgot all about it. i wanted to ask,and then i forgot about it. because i went about working.
and one work led to anotherand i forgot to ask her. today, i feel like wanting to eatsome indonesian (vegan) cake. so maybe you have read my mind. (ok.) yeah, i was going to ask today,some time earlier. but i had no time. where is the cake?(the sister is taking.) (she is coming.) we also cooked (vegan) gado-gado. (vegan) gado-gado?(yeah, your favorite one.) what is that?
(vegan) gado-gado is likean indonesian salad with some nut sauce. salad? (yeah. nut sauce.) nuts. how do you know it's my favorite? i think in the video before,you mentioned it. oh! did i say that? yes ... i said (vegan) gado-gado? oh. everybody will be jealous. my god! good love.see what i've got there? oh!
oh, if i knew that,i wouldn't have eaten my ... wow! this is all we have?(we have more.) more? can you please bring itso everybody can have? yeah. we start from here first. can somebody bring him waterand an empty bowl, so he can try some of this. you want to try some indonesian. (vegan) gado-gado. gado-gado. (yes, gado-gado.)this is (vegan) gado-gado.
this is wajik (vegan) cake. huh? (wajik cake.)wajik cake. oh, man! this is my favorite. wow! oh! eat by hand, right?or you have a fork? so i can share somewith some of your brothers and sisters. and whatever, bring it all here. wow, we eat all the time now! you want some of this sweetness?
try first. i don't think you like (vegan) gado-gado,because it's salad. oh, i remember in indonesia, they cooked somethingwith the water spinach. oh, water spinach. no? you know water spinach? yeah, water spinach. (on-choy) and then? and they cooked it almost like sautã©or soup. i don't remember.
but it was delicious. (pecel.) hmm? (maybe, pecel.) ah, maybe pecel. bring the rest for everybody. where's the ... no, the rest of the cakes. and this one you eat with the sauce?(yeah.) you made it all yourself today? wow! how did you make it today?
you have ingredients here? one of the sisters was trying to findthe ingredients all over. outside? (yeah.) wow, that's very nice of you.(i hope the taste will be similar like before.) no wonder i was thinking eatingindonesian sweet cake stuff. i was thinking like that today very strongly. but i was too busy, busy, busy. came up and down, in and out. i had no chance to ask.
oh, very good. you read my mind. oh, my god! maybe arhat already. no. for everybody, my love, everybody. did he eat the sweet?(no, no, he didn't want it. maybe later.) don't touch the fork, ok? it's public. don't touch the fork. give to everybody. any more left, or just that?(anymore?)
no? ( ... no more.) no more?then you have to cut it half-half. break it into half. share, share. share, if their hands are clean or not. you eat all already? too bad. you should share half with the sister. half, half. half only.
maybe not enough even in half. anybody? you two. share. cameraman also. translator also. my god! what's the use of eatingso little like this? might as well eat nothing. this is for the cameraman. still have? (yes.)
really? (yeah.) does everyone have it? then give to some of the peoplebehind there. and the cameraman.if not enough then come back here. here, yang. you have? you have? eat your food? did you put salt? yes. the salt is not very salty here. oh, no? (indonesian is more salty.) then put a little bit more salt.
the ingredients maybe a bit different. different. so, it's the ingredients (fault). bad ingredients, you. bad salt. (even ... ) bad fork. what? even the color is also different. the color is more brown. bad color. brown sugar. you have everything? a little bit?
the indonesians also have? (yes.) did you feel it's different?or am i wrong? yeah, it's a bit different. it's a bit different. (palm sugar is different.)yeah. this is palm sugar they use? in indonesia you use palm sugar? yeah. coconut sugar. here is coconut sugar? yes. but in indonesia it's different.
oh. everything is bad. bad sugar. why not palm sugar? yeah, i scold them already. you feel happier now? yeah, it's all your fault. i try one more,and everybody, (the rest is) up for grabs. leave it for the westerners and indians. it looks like (vegan) halva. right? here. go ahead and share.
it is similar to the aulacese sweet soup. sticky rice sweet soup. and the older people behind there,they don't have it in italy. yeah, blame everything. is it good? yeah, of course! you know nothing. the westerners say, "very, very good." only i am a bad one, picky, picky. oh, i miss halva. vegan.
when i was in india, because they have a big congregationall the time, so they give you on a piece of newspaper. but it still tastes like heaven. the philippines,they also cook very nice, similar stuff. but kind of a purple color. i don't know what they cook. beautiful! the problem is because i ate already, also. but they say it's very good.
they don't know anything better. never been in indonesia. never eaten the native, real ... (native food.) yeah, the real indonesian food. that's why the first time they brought here, all the way from indonesia, real thing, it tasted so good. you cooked in the afternoon. right? (yes.) oh, yeah. that's when i wanted to askthe aulacese (vietnamese) cook
whether she still hadsome of the festival food for me. looks like you know my thoughts.or i know your thoughts. i don't know. who knows? not me. the credit is the sister's. yeah. i mean you people. suddenly i sat thereand craved for indonesian sweets. next time, you cook those, whatever you call that. teng. wajik. (wajik.)
wajik? yeah. wajik. right? (wajik.) wajik. next time. i like that. i don't know, the family kind of cooking. i don't have that. i didn't have it for a long time. and then after that,you can give me (vegan) gado-gado. wow! it's a whole meal here. can i save it and eat it later? (yes.) i mean tomorrow?
because if i eat now, i might not enjoy. it's a waste. tomorrow, it may be spoiled. it won't be spoiled! you want to eat? because they cooked it for me,so i want to eat it. otherwise, i'd give it to you. i will eat it so they feel happy. i will eat it for sure, all by myself.
and this guy can drool tonight,in the dream. just salad and peanut sauce. but it will be nice when i'm ready. no eat? he doesn't eat the sweet? oh. today, he ate some alreadyof these (vegan) moon cakes. do you want to ask anything else? if you don't want anything else,then i go. trung, do you want to say anything else? want to say something?if not, that's fine. you want? (yes, master.)
microphone. wow! my god! if we keep having this kind of gathering, i think i will have new clothes. i feel it already. i slim down a couple of dayswhen i don't eat the aulacese food and i don't eat with you. and then, boom, moon festival came! and, everything changed.
what do you want to say, honey? respected master, respected brothersand sisters who are present today. with master's permission,and as master's family member, i would like to tell you a few storiesabout master when she was young. i heard them from my parentsbecause at the time of these stories, i myself either wasn't yet bornor was still very young. (oh, she told you everything?) yes. mom and dad told you everything? yes, i heard it from them.and i can tell one story at a time.
she's my sister, my younger sister. the tallestand the more beautiful in the family. i'll begin with the story when masterwas about two years old. at that time, there was a war going on.our country was under french rule. because of the war, our familyhad to move up the mountain to live. that mountain looks like this one, but we could plant treesand a lot of vegetables. at that time, master was two years old.that was what i heard. wow, i didn't even know.
and this story, my mom and dad told memany times, and i was very surprised. at that time, master was two years old. every night, around 1:00 am,my mother and sister ... tell only what is good, don't tellanything that is bad, all right, honey. in the morning at 1 o'clock,they began to carry the vegetables from the mountainto the lowland to sell. they dared not go during the daywhen the fighting was going on. so, at about 1:00 or 2:00 am,they set out with their vegetables. while walking, they carried a bellmade from bamboo
like the wooden bellused by the monks in the temple. they struck the bell,"coc, coc," so that ... do you have translation? tell only what is good. i don't know anything about two years old.i don't know. mother told you? she never told me. maybe some, but, maybe, i'm not surewhat you are going to say now. i don't know what she's going to say. everybody has already? yes or no? (yes.)
does everyone have translation?is it done? testing. so, good? (yes.) all right. ok, go ahead, honey,before you lose the inspiration. respected master,respected brothers and sisters, i'll tell the story which begins like this ... it was war time, and my motherand sister went out to sell the vegetables that they grew in the gardenin the mountain. every morning at 1 o'clock,meaning at midnight,
they carried vegetables downfrom the mountain to sell. they always carried a bamboo belland struck it to scare away the mountain animals such as tigers,panthers, or wild boars. at that time, there were lotsof tigers and panthers, so they must havethe bamboo bell to strike. my sister probablyhasn't yet heard this story. (i didn't hear about it. not yet.)she is just hearing about it now. yes. my mother kept telling this storyagain and again. so they carried vegetables to sell.(one second, everybody can hear well?)
yes. translation ok? (yes.) all translation ok? (ok.) when the buying and sellingat the night market was over ... usually the market opened at night, because in the daytime, there was a lot ofgun fighting. it was very dangerous. bomb, bomb. bombing.at that time, the fighting was very fierce. after the selling, my sisterand my mother went home.
on the way home, they continuedto strike the bamboo bell "coc coc coc." my sister was only two years oldand she lay ... this sister, not the other one ... this sister was inside the house. hearing the sound of the bamboo bell,she knew that mom was coming back. she was so happythat she crawled outside. at two years old, she couldn'twalk much, just toddling. she crawled over a bamboo bridgemade of one bamboo tree. the bamboo tree was like this,about the size of my arm.
because in front of my house,there was a stream, a small stream ... (a river, not a stream.) it was a stream. (a stream?)yes, in thanh lam, lo ban, an tho dam. (oh, ok.)there was a stream running across that one had to cross to enter the house,and the bamboo was the size of my arm. at that time, master crawled over,from inside the house, all the way outsideto greet her mother and sister. my father was inside the house,unaware of it. when he ran outside to look for herand didn't see her anywhere, he panicked.
then my mother screamed,"oh, here she is. she is out here already!" oh god, the whole familywas scared to find out that ... later, everyone who heard this storygot goose bumps. no one knew how she managedto crawl over that bridge. my parents kept tellingthis story long afterwards. as i grew up,i was told this story many times, and i also felt it's unbelievable.(unbelievable!) i wonder how a two-year old childcould crawl over that kind of bridge. bamboo. one bamboo.just for a woman to walk on.
isn't that spine-chilling to you?she was so good and so ... that's bravery. (bravery?) bravery. i think that's bravery.(too young to know about bravery.) only two years old, and so braveto crawl out at night like that. hearing mom coming home, she was so happythat she crawled out to look for her. yesterday ... two or three days ago,master told a story when she was in india, she jumped into that river three times. (cold river.) cold river. three times. no one would dare to jump in.
people would just splash itover their face or wash their hands, but master jumped in three times. so for her crossing that bridgewas no big deal. you understand? it reminded me of this storywhen master was two years old and crossed that bridge (thank you.)as my parents kept talking about. even after i grew up,they still talked about it. so by the way, i'd like to remind and tell you this story abouthow brave our master is. (thank you.) from a very young age,she was already brave.
no, honey.she was too young to know. she was too little to understand anything, so she crawled across that bridge. now that she's older, even if you forced her,she wouldn't dare. no. now you're older, if you are askedto jump into the river, you would do it. that is one story. and now i will tell you the second story, which you probablyheard from master already. but i myself heard this story the mostas it was passed from one to another.
the story goes like this. when master was 10 years old,i was just born. my mother gave birth to me at home,while my dad was in jail. (how old are you now?) i'm 57 now. fifty seven, then i was just eight or nineat that time. yes, ten years old.(not ten yet. that's if you count ... ) about nine, ten years old. nine, ten.(nine, just nine.) about that age, yes. and my father was in jail.
my mother just gave birth to meand had a very difficult time. she got a disorder that no one could treat. my sister knew my fathercould treat my mother's condition. my mother said,"our family now has so few people, and the neighbors can't help us. so, try somehow to go to the prisonwhere your dad is and ask permission for him to come homeand treat my condition, so i can live. otherwise, i'll die ..." (it's far.) she just gave birth to mea few days earlier. (a few days.)
my mother had postpartum disorder which they call postpartum hemorrhageafter a woman gives birth. you cannot stop the bleeding. and she was lacking medicineand all that. (she couldn't urinate either.)no. she just lay there. so my sister, your master, said,"let me go then, i will try." you know, nine years old is very young. it was a long distance,and the war was going on. it was a very backward time,not as civilized as it is now.
there wasn't any means of transportation. i don't know how master did it but she finally got towhere my father was imprisoned. she went to the prisonand asked to see the warden. the warden asked my sister,"what are you doing here?" she said, "my sister" is me. "respected sir, my mother just gave birthto my little sister, and she is now very ill. no one but my fathercan treat my mother's condition." my mother didn't knowwhat master had said
but it touched him so deeply. because he found this girlso small and adorable. (because i cried also.) yes. (i talked and cried at the same time.)she talked and cried in such a ... i sat outside and waited all afternoon,waited the whole day. (yes. you remember.)i just remember a little now. master cried a lot to the wardenand waited all afternoon until he felt pity for such a small girl,so lovable and so affectionate. so after much consideration,
he agreed to let master's father go hometo treat her mother. so my father went home. before he left,the warden told master's father: "do you know why i let you go home? it's because i am movedby your daughter." (he said that?) "i am moved by your daughter'ssoft-spoken and loving words. that's why i let you go hometo treat your wife. but when you go home,you must remember to name your newborn daughter after me,in remembrance of me."
oh, he said that.they didn't name you on their own? no, master. he told us to. mom and dad told me this storymany times. i had wondered why i was named"quang trung", which is a boy's name. it's a boy's name.her name is a boy's name. so dad said, "that's why i named youlike that. it's not for no reason." before dad went home, the warden said,"first of all, i'm touched by your daughter's intelligentand lovable nature, so i let you go home. also, when you go home,
you must name your newborn daughterafter me in remembrance of me, then i will let you go home." dad said, "ok, i agree." you see, so young like that, yet master managed to get towhere her father was imprisoned to ask permission for him to go home. (going by car.) by car, right,but at such a young age, who would dare go into the prisonto ask for such a thing? (yeah.) who has enough courage to do that?
so young, yet master managedto get to that place to see the warden and ask for dad to come home. no, i remember i was sitting outside. they made me wait for so long, because the prisoners had to go somewhereto work, not always in their cells. (yes.) and even if you wanted to see the warden,he wouldn't come out to see you right away. the warden. and the jailerstanding outside was just the doorkeeper. they wouldn't let you in. (so master just sat there.)yeah. sitting there a long time,
so long that i worried mom would die,so i cried. (yes. crying.) i was afraid that mom would die. no onewas taking care of my baby sister at home. the baby needed to be breast-fed. no breast-feeding. mom didn'tbreast-feed me after i was born. no one to breast-feed you. (yes.) no one at home.(that's right.) so i worried mom would dieand my baby sister would die, too. no one to take care of you,so i cried. seeing me sitting there the whole daycrying, the doorkeeper took pity on me,
so he went in looking for the warden,then he allowed me to come in to talk. before i went home,i remember the warden said, "now before your father can go home,you must be in custody here." (he was teasing.)yes, he was teasing me. (he was just teasing.)he sat holding me and teasing like that. then i said, "oh, no sir, no." he said, "why not?" i said, "i must go hometo take care of my mother. you let my father go homefor only one or two days,
after that who would take care ofmy mother and my baby sister?" so he said, "ok. good reason."and he let me go. he was just joking.he was very kind, very kind. (yes. that's the story.)you remember a lot, huh? wow! yes. i lived with dad and mom, so they told me this story many times,while you went afar to study. so, sometimes when we missed you,we would recall these memories. that means dad and mom praised youvery much for this. they never told me anything.
yes. they told me this storytime after time, so i know it by heart. but they never told me anything.they thought i knew it already. yes. and the third story that i'd like to tell youis also about your master. (more? there is more?) yes. (wow!) this story iswhen master was about 13 years old. yes, 13 years old. this story is when master was 13 or 14. i was older then.
at that time i was 3 or 4 years old. i could understand a little. my father got a serious health challenge, they called it nasal hemorrhage. the french hospital during that timewas also very short of medicines. it's non-stop nose-bleeding. it bled continuously, non-stop,hour after hour. my mom and my sister took my dadto a major hospital to treat him. (the big hospital was rather far.)very far.
and i stayed home alonewith my grandmother. i was told that every evening my sisterwould do the cleaning in that hospital such as emptying potties and helpingthe patients who had no relatives. she would empty potties, help with laundry and all thatin the hospital. and after that, every evening, my sisterwould go to the hospital's radio station to sing for the doctors there. the doctors enjoyed it so much. who would sing songs at such a timeand how could you sing in the hospital?
yet my sister volunteered to sing. every evening after helpingthe hospital and patients, she would run to the radio station to sing. and finally they could treat my father. they put him in a special room,not the one outside like other patients. they continued to keep him thereuntil he recovered. at home, my father kept saying thathe owed his life to his daughter. he didn't tell me anything. he told me, "i can live until this daythanks to your sister. she is so good.
she tirelessly took care of everythingin the hospital and helped anyone with anything. then when she had some free time, she'd go to the hospital's stageto sing for the doctors. the doctors thereadored your sister so much, because she was well-spokenand could do anything, all kinds of things." i had to change needles, change ... yes, change needles, change dressings. (ivs. what needle?)serum (iv bottles).
(ah, serum.)change everything. the whole night, i had to goand take care of these things, replacing iv bottles,increasing or reducing the rates. and whatever they asked,i had to run and do it. and the nurses in the hospital,day or night, they were very relaxed. they trusted me so muchthat they let me do everything. taking care of the patients at night, and changing the serum,the ivs, or regulating it, walking around,looking which one ran too fast,
which one ran too slow,i regulated all that and i changed it. i could even do the iv myself. and because my fatheralso taught me already at home before. i had to do it sometimes for him. because he could not do it for himself. you can do many things, you can puta needle into your arm here maybe, but it's better if somebody else does it. and if it's iv, it's more difficult. some medicine you have to put itin the vein, here,
then you have to be more precise. otherwise it's hurting peopleand it doesn't come into the vein. or behind the butt here, it's more difficult to do it yourself. so sometimes i had to help to do itfor my father. he couldn't do it by himself. so he trained me a little bit like that. so, over there, in the hospital,i did all that for all the patients. the nurses just relaxed or slept.i did everything.
so they liked me very much. they let me stayin the intensive care room even. because i was so clean. i cleaned all the stools (bedpans)from the patients. because they were all lying there,they could not walk to the toilet, so i had to clean all their toilets. (bedpan.) bedpans. all the time. clean and wash,sterilize and bring it back there. and whoever wanted, just called me.
the nurse didn't do it anymore. so they kept me thereuntil my father was better. (yeah.) even though it was so full,hospital was full. because it was war time. very difficult to lay there for months. no, more than a month,maybe two months. they wouldn't allow it,just for a bleeding nose like that. then later his bleeding stopped. you see that?
for example, if you ever go to the hospitalto take care of a family member, would you run aroundand do all these things? but master did everything. no. i had to do thatso they'd let me stay. so they let our fatherstay there long. and let me stay beside him,sleeping by the foot of his bed. they let her sleep there, although usually they wouldn't letany family member stay with the patient. because that was the intensive care unit.what do they call it?
special-care unit. yes, special-care unit.i slept by the foot of my father's bed. (yes.) i slept there overnight so i could callright away in case any problem arose. after my father recovered and went home,he kept telling that story. i didn't hear him say anything. he kept talking about itto one person after another, so much that i know itby heart now. really? no wonder. so i kept thinkingwhat a good person master is!
singing and diligentlydoing all these things. from a young age, my sister wasa very smart and outstanding student. until now, her classmatesstill ask about her, and say: "your sister did so well in school. she had many recognitions, and honor roll certificateswere posted all over the house." excellent student.(you make me embarrassed now.) everywhere she went,people loved her. they missed her very muchand kept asking about her.
mother sings and her child claps. my own sister praises me. i feel like, i don't know ... i told you these storiesjust for your enjoyment, something for youto think about. i finish here, master. speaking well of your own sister is likethe mother sings and her child claps. i feel a little embarrassed,that's all. but how can youremember everything so well?
it's the truth. i didn't exaggerate or anything. didn't spice it up. no. talking to the buddha,one can't spice it up or tell a lie. no. of course not. (yes.) i was just joking. i know you'd never tell lies. she's very, very good. so sweet.
very lovey-dovey. she's a real aulacese (vietnamese) girl. she is an english teacherin au lac (vietnam). and now, many of her students became this official and that officialin au lac (vietnam). high rank. so whenever they see her,i heard that, they carry her up and hoorah. and they love her very much, the students, the elder students.
but she looks like, still very young. she retired already. can you believe that? so young and no wrinkles, nothing. i said that you still look young,no wrinkles at all. you must have very few worries. having a devoted husbandand obedient children. not much sadness or worries. and i have no husband,and my children are not so obedient.
too many children. so you know some of my secrets. that some of the detailsi did not even know. but i heard aboutthe crawling over the bamboo bridge. because in the old time or in the rural area, over the small river or ... i remember it was like a riverbecause the water ran very fast also. maybe stream, but big stream. you get your ears back,
because i speak aulacese (vietnamese)to my sister. get your ears back. so never mind. i talk in english. you got all your ears up already? (yes.) i'm going to speak english now. it's troublesome. i'm sorry we are not so equippedlike the united nations. ok, everybody can hear now? yeah? ok.
i forgot. i heard about that. but not so detailed like the waymy parents told my sister. maybe i heard it only once. but she heard it again, again, and again. because i was not home, and theyprobably missed me, so they kept talking. that's why she remembersmore details. it's just that wasa special station for intensive caring. and normally they did not want ... but after they kept my father thereuntil he was better, until he was good.
and i was allowed to stay insidethat ward. not outside in the hotel. i slept next to my father's bed. on the floor, on the cold floor. i don't rememberhaving a blanket or anything. lucky over there is warm weather. and then, at that time, i was eatingjust vegan actually. no vegetarian. yeah, pure. and then sometimesmy father woke up, and asked me if i ate.
i said, "yes, i did eat outside." there's a small restaurantoutside the hospital, next to the gate. i think i told you some of this story. yeah? no? maybe in chinese. oh, no? maybe i just talked to some ofthe group without any official microphone. i told one timebecause of the poem i wrote. "the wild angel." "the wild angel," yes. that is … that's my first love.
the boy, also, he was ... i think i was 14 and he was 13. he was one year younger than me. but he's very going on toward me,very strongly, very manlike. invited me for coffee and all that. and i said, "you look likeyou are the boss everywhere. are you a kind of bossy type?" he said, "yeah,especially in a coffee shop."
meaning he pays. he ordered and he paid. he didn't let me pay my part. that's what he meant. he was very mature. but because he was one year younger,so i was feeling very guilty. that's why i neverlet him know my affection, nothing. and so when i went back,my father was better already, i didn't write a poem therebecause i was too busy,
but when i went back to another place,near my school. i went to schoolat that time in high school. i think it's senior or junior? the junior high is ... (8th grade.) 8th grade? (10th grade.) i think senior. oh, 10th grade? senior high. higher high school,not lower high school. and then, because my father was sick,i took off. so i missed the semester,the end of the year exam.
but later, the teacher let me do it alone,when i came back. only me alone, nobody else. everybody else alreadyfinished school and went out. summertime already. done. but, because i said my father's sickand all that, so they let me have the exam. it's ok. and, during the time i took care ofmy father, i was always inside there. and i also took care of his father. his father was, i don't know,some problem that he ...
i think he cut his wrists to die. he was a doctor, his father. but then he committed suicide. but at that time, when i was there,he was not dying yet. he was ill. but i don't know.and then later he died. during that time, because i was alwaysthere and he came to visit his father, so he knew me. he invited mefor coffee and all that stuff. and then coming on, very strong.teenage love.
it was my first love, if you can call that love. i never even held his handand never even talked any lovey-dovey. nothing. i was very introverted at that time. my sister is very open, expressive. she's good, she's good. i was never very expressive. and then he's younger,one year younger,
i felt like he was my younger brother. i felt very guilty, embarrassed. so later i wrote the poem, they made it into a song,an aulacese (vietnamese) song. i don't know if you heard about it, if it's translated in smtv or not. and then, because of that, they collected this poem and thenthey wanted to translate it into chinese. maybe that's why i told themabout this poem.
maybe that's why i mentioneda little bit of how that poem came about, and where i met him, what is the background. maybe i told like that,but maybe it's never recorded. i did remember hearingsomething about that. you remember?yeah? in chinese? i don't know, but i saw it on a video. no, the story or the poem? (the story.) oh, yeah. then i told.
your father was in the hospitaland you were taking care of him. yeah, my father was in ... my father asked me if i ate.and i said, "yes, i ate." and he asked me what i ate. he worriedbecause i was the only one there. and he loved me. i said, "yes, i ate vegetarian food." he said, "why? we have money. our family has money.
why eat vegetarian?" he felt sorry for me, like as if i worried thatwe didn't have money. he said, "take money.go eat something proper." i said, "no. i'm eating vegetarian. i'm praying, because i prayto the buddha to bless you. so that you recover quickly, not because we don't have money."
he didn't tell you this. huh? he didn't tell you this?did he tell you or you forgot? did he tell you that i ate vegan food? i don't know,i forgot about this ... (ok.) (that one too.)yes, that one too. because normally i ate vegetarianwith my grandma sometimes. but over there i ate (vegan) the whole timewhen my father was in the hospital. and he felt likei didn't have enough nutrition because my father and mother at that timedidn't know what vegetarian was.
he said, "but why?our family has money. why?" he felt like it's a poor thing. so i explained to him,"i'm just eating (vegan) to pray for you to have the merit, to give it to you so you can recover quickly." so he invited me to eat some phá»ÿand all that. i said, "no." you know, the boyfriend. the lover boy invited me to eat some aulacese (vietnamese)with the meat stuff.
i said, "no, no, i'm vegetarian." because my father was sick. so i remember that as well. and then i remember,i heard that after, i was not home, but he came one time,visited our family. no? you know that, or not? he visited. but i was not there. i was probably already in england. i heard my mothermention it quickly like that.
did you meet him ever again? no. he came again? no. he probably was in the army. and by the way, passing by the houseand asking for me. i wasn't there. that's it. there's not much in our family. and now you know. huh? because i knew buddhism, at that time. if you are vegetarian, you have meritand all that stuff even already.
my grandma, she ate vegetarianalmost like convenient method. and she recitedthe buddha's name every day. i don't know how i know aboutthis buddhist vegetarian stuff, maybe from her. but he didn't tell you that, huh? he told? did he tell you? you forgot? he didn't say that, but grandma wasvegan until the last minute of her life. my grandma ...
she always held beadsand recited the buddha's name. she ate vegetarianuntil the day she died. and she recited the buddha's nameevery day with the beads. telling beads. every day. she lived until 105 years old. and all her life, she didn't really eatmuch of luxury stuff or nothing. even before that, mostly she ate vegetarian. it's not the way we eat, even.
very simple. some, like maybe some mangowith soya sauce and rice or some roasted crushed peanutsor sesame, or water spinach together. or somethingfrom the garden or fruit. that's it. and she lived until 105. so maybe if you want to live long,eat like that. master lives ...(huh?) master lives long life. i live long life. oh, thank you. who knows?
if i'm of any good use,then i should live long. if not, then it's useless. the body is useless.live long or live short, right? it's not how long you live,it's how you live, right? any more things? you know the story of my life. you want to tell themsome stories of my life also. thank you, my dear. thank you, thank you.
she's beautiful, huh? (yes.)so young looking. i saw her in hong kong 30 some years agoor 20 years ago. she looked the same. she looked the same.only i look different. i and my elder sister,we grow old quick, but she doesn't. she and my motherdon't seem to grow old. they have beautiful skin,and very young looking. ok, nothing else? no? yeah? no? then i'm going. thank you very much. ok.(thank you, master.)
thank you very much [in korean]. thank you very much. thank you very much [in french]. thank you very much [in german]. thank you [in aulacese]. thank you [in taiwanese]. ah, yeah. every party has to end sometime. nga, please bring this there. (yes.)
no more questions? no more stories? nothing? is the storymy sister told you good? (yes.) thank her. ok. don't think nonsense. remember to practice mindfulness. ok. my god, i love you, but i have to go. i really love you guys. some people stay until when?
when is the last one going? the aulacese are staying until the 2nd? or until when? (the 3rd.) the 3rd. you can stay until the third, because somebody staysuntil the third anyway. if you can change your ticket. i don't know. third or fourth. ok? (ok. good!) if you want.
tomorrow is what, the first? (no, thirtieth.) thirtieth. oh. you could stay, three, four more days because my sister wanted to stay,two, three more days. by the way, if some can stay,then some more can stay. doesn't matter.(thank you, master.) but don't stay longer than that, becausenobody will be here to cook for you. they have to go because of visa, because they have to room up or whatever.
but later, if we have a better place, if it's safer to stay longer, or bigger place,then you can stay as long as you want. if you behave. later, maybe, who knows. if you practice well, we have more blessing, collective blessing. not my blessing. i am blessed everywhere. i have a lot of houses.
it's just we cannot stay long. but it's good for you to stay here. not bad, right? (yes.) love to stay in such a place, so small. ok, i love you, too.(we love you, master.) can stay until three, four. no more after, because they have to go.i mean, the staff. is everyone ok? (ok.) everyone's ok? (yes.)
no questions [in cantonese]? no questions? (no.) i'm leaving. everyone take a rest.