international gatheringwith supreme master ching hai europe, jul - oct 2015 share, share together. so the more we use water, the more … inside. no problem, we have room. and this is very light. we're like family here. yes, master. my secret.
hmm, looks so nice. it's like a dream, master. it's like a dream? (yes.) ok. don't wake up. we have guests in the house,so we cook for everybody. food's ready. yum, yum! delicious. he ate already lunch,he ate his lunch already. he just likes to feel the love.
ok, just a snack. all right? cheers! cheers! cheers! one, two, three. what is that? i cut it anyway. i love you. love you. (see you, master.) master tells jokesand buddhist stories:
"a monk called celestial jewels" august 29, 2015 everybody good? (yes.) oh! your socks look so clean. how? how did you clean it? how did you wash it? why are the socks so clean? new, it’s new. new. so nice to go out shopping like that.
i was thinking … how many people left today? how many people left? don’t know? xiaobi? (no one left.) no one left? how come it looks so empty over there? it’s not? something wrong with me. oh, it’s funny.
just one second, ok? before i forget again. oh, it’s all about dogs. forget it then, thank you, no need. i was thinking some sutras,but they’re not. excuse me. there’s one guy here, he’s left? oh, he’s there. that’s good. every day, i am checking who is not there.
this for you, becausei don’t have something for you today. only two guys, and you didn’t have. just some symbol of love, ok? not the same, of course. aulacese (vietnamese)?(formosa (taiwan).) formosa (taiwan). korea, japan. very good. any problem today? no. (no.) always say “no.â€
no problem is the best problem. how are you? everybody good?(yes, thank you.) feeling happy? (yes.) i saw the faucets are done already. have you used them? (yes.) everybody use it? (yes.) is it more convenient? (yes.) wonderful. you need your mama. it’s very simple.why nobody thinks about that?
why, everybody,must just one person think all the time? here, it’s not fair, this system is bad. one person has to think all the time. one person has to do shopping all the time. and one person has todeal with the government all the time. i mean deal with the paperwork. it’s not fair, what do you say? is it fair? (no.) no, what shall we do about it?
we make them work. they’re sitting doing nothing all day. you cook twice a day, right? still? (yes.) how come i have only once a day food? is it one meal or is it two meals together? one meal because i, this afternoon, i think but i thought master wants one meal a day(ok.) and i don’t know how. one meal, but i pick which one i like. never mind, it’s good. i won’t die, it’s ...
(are you hungry?)no, no. (sorry, master.) a lot of food already, too much. i’m just worried thatshe gives you only once a day. even one meal a day is a lot. we were thinking,but we don’t know what to do. don’t know what to do? i thought about that yesterday afternoon. how can you not know what to do? you are a mother of two.
you should take care of me like your baby. then you’ll know. it’s ok. it’s a lot of food. a lot of food already. i was just thinkingmaybe afternoon better food. and i don’t have anything. i just have the breakfast food. tomorrow (tomorrow?) we'll cook two meals a day.
two meals a day. not sure. now, i’m thinking. maybe too noisy. because normally you cook one time. you bring it there, then i don’t have to always expectpeople coming and going into my place. so it’s good enough, it’s good. if i die, you’ll know. (no.) it’s easy to knowwhen somebody dies, right? normally, you sit there doing nothing.
when a person dies,he just lays there doing nothing. it’s similar. i have a good joke for you. you want a joke firstor you want a story first? (joke.) joke first. what kind of practitioners? only want jokes. ok then, it’s a very good joke. it sounds similar to ... it sounds very similar.
sounds very similarto our situation at home. oh, if i can find it. here. about gardening, about the garden.all about the garden. god and st. franciswere having a conversation on the subject of lawns. you know, grass, garden. and god: “frank.†god “point-point†means god's speaking.
god and two points:“frank,†means st. francis. we call him st. francis,but god doesn’t call anybody st. francis. so god and st. francis,you know st. francis? italy? st. francis of assisi? he was a vegetarian,or maybe vegan even. at that time they don’t use the word vegan. but probably was a vegetarian. at that time, they probablydrank some milk or ate some cheese. in any case,he was an animal protector and lover.
he also knew, he liked trees and stuff,protected them, protected nature. so i guess in this conversation,st. francis had already gone up. so god was talking to him. god said: “frank.†just like i say, “john,†“josh.†“you know all about gardens and nature. what in the world is going on down therein the midwest, or wherever, in the world?†we don’t say midwest so peoplemight think we just pick on them.
so hes said: “what in the worldis going on down there in the world? what happened to the dandelions,the violets, thistles and stuff, etc., i started eons ago? i had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand droughtand multiply with abandon. the nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies,honeybees and flocks of songbirds. i expected to see a vast gardenof colors by now.
but all i see are these green rectangles.†so st. francis: dot dot, point point, two points. “oh, dear god, it’s the tribesthat settled there, my lord. the suburban, suburbanites. they started calling your flowers ‘weeds’ and went to great lengths to kill themand replace them with grass.†i’ll tell you my story laterif you remind me. so god:“grass? but it’s so boring!â€
god said,“it’s not so colorful.†right? not. “it doesn’t attract butterflies,birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. it’s temperamental with temperatures. do these suburbanitesreally want all that grass growing there?†so st. francis:“apparently so, my lord. they go to great pains to grow itand keep it green. they begin each spring by fertilizing grass, and poisoning any other plantthat crops up in the lawn.†that’s correct, right? (yes.)
it’s what most people do. (yes.) god: “the spring rains and warm weatherprobably make grass grow really fast. so that must makethe suburbanites happy?†god asked. so st. francis:“apparently not, lord. as soon as it grows a little, they cut it,sometimes even twice a week.†that is all true. i always wonderwhat the humans are doing all the time. so god:“they cut it? do they then bale it like hay?â€
tie it together or roll it,like the hay after harvest. st. francis: “not exactly, lord.most of them rake it up and put it in bags.†god: “they bag it? why? why do they bag them? is it a cash crop? do they sell it?†poor god. this is all very strange to hirm. “no sir, no sir, just the opposite.they pay to throw it away.â€
(that’s true.)more money, more work. (yes.) so god:“now, let me get this straight.†hes, god is lost. god could not understand humans. so hes says, “now, let me get this straight. they fertilize grass so it will grow?correct? and then when it does grow,they cut it off. correct? and even pay to throw it away?†st. francis: “yes, sir.â€
god: “these suburbanitesmust be relieved in summer when we cut back on the rainand turn up the heat. that surely slows the growthand saves them a lot of work, no?†so god is very, very compromising. whatever, they’re happy, ok, you see? hes just didn’t understand, but hes said, “ok, then in that case,in summer, they must be very happy.†they don’t have to cut then. don’t have to pay to take it away or etc.
st. francis answered:“you aren’t going to believe this, my lord. when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hosesand pay more money for the water, so they can water it. so they can continue to mow it,and pay to get rid of it as usual.†god: “what nonsense! at least they kept some of the trees. that was a sheer stroke of genius,if i do say it myself.†meaning, hes created trees and it wasvery good and hes was proud of hirmself.
“the trees grow leavesin the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. in the autumn,they fall to the ground and form a natural blanketto keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. plus, as they rot, the leavesform compost to enhance the soil. it’s the natural circle of life.†st. francis:“you better sit down, dear lord.†he’s going to have some news for god,that god better sit.
poor god! we are so sorry, my lord. we ignoramus, so sorry. “the suburbanites have drawn a new circle. as soon as the leaves fall,they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away, too.†haul away, right? haul away, hauled away. god: “no! what do they do to protect the shrubsand the roots in the winter,
and to keep the soil moist and loose?†because they rake all the leaves away,so what happens? st. francis:“after throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy somethingwhich they call mulch. they haul it home, and spread it aroundin place of the leaves.†more money, more work. god:“and where do they get this mulch?†“they cut down the treesand grind them up to make the mulch, dear lord.â€
god: “ok, enough. i don’t want to think about this anymore. st. catherine,you are in charge of the arts. what moviehave they scheduled for us tonight?†god wants to relax now. it’s too much for hirm. hes must watch a movie,to detente, to relax. so st. catherine: “the film tonight is called'dumb and dumber.'
dear lord, it’s a really stupid movieabout … †god: “oh, never mind. i think i just heard the whole storyfrom st. francis already.†poor god — can’t watch a movie even. it’s too much. you like the story. (yes.) ok, that’s it. what else? you just sit there? you wanted usto remind you about the story.
the story, very good, thank you. my story is similar,except that i wasn’t god. and i wasn’t talking to st. francis,but some of the hsihu saints. in the former days, i had no house. not even a cave. i just had a tent.we all had tents. then we just put up a tent on top of, maybe a platform of wood or something, or bamboos, or just on the ground,depending on what kind of ground.
so in the beginning, we … i told you already,the disciples kept growing. they chased me up from all the way down, from the mango trees upall the way to the bamboo grove, and then to the international garden. and then later to the persimmon garden. and then laterthey chased me all the way up further. we bought another piece of land. and they call it, i forgot,it’s a white flower everywhere, i forgot.
(white flower forest.)white flower forest. i know, but english.it’s the white flowers everywhere. i forgot the name. (daisy, daisy.) not daisy. daisy is like this.not on the tree. (magnolia.)no, no, no. never mind, never mind. i painted a picturewith some trees of that type. they use it nowadaysto do some of the biofuel. they use the fruit of that tree. never mind.
white flower garden, we just say that. they chased me all the way up there. and in the beginningi was a little lower on the garden. it’s a garden, but it’s also on a slope,like most of the places in hsihu. in the beginningwe had only a few chickens over there, because the chickenswere from the ex-owner, farmer. later, we bought it. it’s just private ground,a very small area up. now, that they made the treasure pavilionand all that,
and my cave behind that. beginning, i was in the lower flat, then they chased me up againto a little bit higher. and then i put up the tentwhere it’s a little bit slanted down like that. almost near where the cave is. if from outside looking in, then it’son the left side of the cave at that time. at that time,it was also slanted down like this. and then many weeds were growingbeautifully together with trees. it was just a perfect picture.
i loved it so much. when i sat in the tent, i looked out, all these natural weeds,and they grew not too big. they didn’t obstruct my view. the trees grew big, yes. but the weeds and all that, just slowly, very low,and some flowering, some not. but just the way it was, was so perfect. but i made a mistake.
when i talked to the residents, i said,“wow, i love my place, all these weedsgrowing in front of my tent. it’s beautiful. whenever i came backfrom lecture or something, i’d sit there, i’d feel so nice, so relaxed. right in front of my tentthe things grow naturally beautiful.†they took notes.they took note of that. the next lecture tour i went. some weeks, some monthsor something later, i came back.
no more weeds, nothing. they made it all flat. they dug the ground.they planted grass. oh, i was beside myself with … you know what, right? with a tiger face. oh, i could not bear it. but what to do? it was too late. they destroyed it already.
they dug the ground, made it flat here,flat there and a tier like that. originally, it was just sloping gently. and all the weeds,even if they don’t flower, but the way it was arrangedwas so beautiful. i can’t describe it to you. it was just beautiful. naturally beautiful. it was not overgrown, it’s not wild. it was just so poetic, so poetic.
so beautiful together with the trees. big trees, small weeds, small grass,little shrubs here and there. oh, i couldn’t wish for a better garden! right in front of my tent. and i told them that. when i came back,they’d destroyed everything. they planted grass orderly. and some little flowers here and there. oh, and what a tiger face i had.
but too late. i can’t say much. and up to now, i still have that picturein my mind, the perfection of nature. and i can only keep that in my heart. i said, “you don’t live there. it’s i who have to live there. whatever i like it, it’s my place. why don’t you plant your place? you have your own cave. you plant in front of your cave.
you don’t mess up with my cave.†just some egos,and i deal with ego all the time. ever since, all the time. not just that, but before that,after that, and still now. either ego or dumb or dumber. so i very much sympathizewith our lord, god. i also couldn’t understand, let alone god. i said, “oh, you cannot understand humans. even i, in the human form,i can’t understand them.
how about you? how would you?†this is the thing. now, we have another story. i say it’s not so bad,but just to erase this memory that … oh, where was the story? this is a little bit mundane,so i choose some good ones. it’s about a wedding. a little girl attended a weddingfor the first time in her life. a little girl.
and then,she was asking her mother, “mom.†this side, right? “mom.†because they’re taking my photoon this side, so i put it on this side. whenever i turn, you don’t take photo. i have some trouble with my throat. the little girlwhispered to the mother and said, “mom, how come the brideis dressed in white?†so mother said,
“yes, because whiteis the color of happiness. and todayis the happiest day of her life.†ha! you bet. that’s the only happiest day of her life. i think, i think, i think. i think. after that it’s another story. we don’t want to tell here.it’s too long. everybody knows already anyway. so it’s boring to repeat.
right. so because todayis the happiest day of her life, and white is the color of happiness. so the child thought about thisfor a moment, and then asked again,“so why is the groom wearing black?†i think the groom knew in advance. from now on, from that day on, prepare. it’s fun. but how come everybody knows,and everybody gets married? why? why? are your marriages happy?
mine was happy. yes. i wouldn’t mind marrying again, because mine was very happy. yours? yours? (no.) no, sorry. no, no, no. some yes. not married. oh, i don’t mind to marry againwith that husband, not with anybody else. i don’t think it would be the same. the children ...
this is another storyabout children and god. the children were lined up in the cafeteriaof a catholic elementary school for lunch. at one end of the table,there was a large pile of apples. and the nun had posted a noteon the apple tray, saying, “take one only.†(sounds familiar.) sounds familiar. “take one only. god is watching.†that’s the note that she wrote. and then the children,moving further along the lunch line,
at the other end of the tablewas a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. so a little child had written a note,put on there, that said, “take all you want.god is watching the apples only.†(such a good one! that’s really funny!)children, children, cute, cute. and a child, a little boy openedthe big family bible, was reading. he was fascinated as he was turning pages. suddenly, something fell out of the bible. he picked it up and looked at it. what he saw was an old leaf thathad been pressed in between the pages.
“mama, look what i found!†so the mama said,“what have you got there?†he said, he was very astonished. and said,“mom, i think it’s adam’s underwear.†yeah, possible. (in the old days, that’s what they used.)yeah—no! not old days. in adam’s time (oh, yeah.)they didn’t use anything. just one leaf, to cover where, you know.(yeah.) right? my god! i was thinkingto let the three of them sit here.
because when they sit therethey don’t see me at all. they hardly see mebecause they’ve been out all day. come here, the three of you. the three pillars of the zen.(we can see you, actually, here.) you can?(yes, through the glass of the door... ) really? (yes, yes.) you can sit on the bed. three of you, if you want.(it’s ok, master.) it’s ok. really?(yes, really.)
oh, i forgot the (vegan) candy. (vegan) candy back on this side. there’s another story. “saying grace before meals.â€you know what that means? it’s like before you eat, you say, “thank you,god, buddha, master … †whatever. so this is sunday school. the teacher asked one of the kids, “johnny, now tell me frankly,do you say prayers before eating?â€
“no, sir,†little johnny replied.“i don’t have to.†and the teacher was surprised. “but you should. why? why not?†he said,“oh, my mom is a very good cook.†he thought he has to prayso the meal tastes good. long story. oh, maybe next time. we cannot keeptelling jokes forever, no? we’ll read our serious story
because buddha is watching. this is a story,not so scary anymore. it’s a good story. my god, buddha’s reincarnation, many incarnations are very scary stories. yes. such a scary and extraordinary sacrifice. according to buddhismand the believers and the tradition, when you read sutras 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 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've 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 wrongis all on me." at least other people,when they hear the names of the buddhas, according to the sutra,they will get benefit. this is a story about a monkcalled “celestial jewels.†thus i have heard. one time, the buddhawas in the sravasti country,
in the golden garden ofa charitable noble man and the prince jeta. in this city,there was a noble family, a noble man. his wife had just given birth to a boywho was very, very good-looking. and in the middle ofgiving birth to this boy, suddenly from the sky,a lot of jewels rained down. like gold, silver,semiprecious stones, precious stones, and all kinds of stones, all kinds ofbeautiful tiger eyes and diamonds. all kinds of precious stonesrained down on the yard. full, the yard was full of jewels.
oh, everybody was so excited. the whole village people came to lookand help them to pick up all the jewels. i hope they helped to pick up the jewels. and everybody praised the parentsfor such a good, virtuous family that gave birth to a beautiful childand so meritorious. and they said to themselves,“this is a truly rare phenomena. since time immemorial,we never saw, probably never happened like this.†so the parents were perplexedand worried also, mixed feelings.
he was thinking,“what kind of omen is this?†so they asked the astrologerand the clairvoyant to come to their house and check it out, the astrology of the new born baby. whether or not he was a good person. and whether or notthey could make him into a good citizen. so the astrologer said,“please bring the boy here, out.†so the wife brought the child out. he was checking, the clairvoyant,checking, checking, checking,
looking, looking, look, look.“oh, not too bad.†and the astrologer said to the parents, “noble sir, your son has many good signsof a good gentleman. like his head is round.†is your head round? if not, just cover it, no problem. “his head is round. his nose is straight. his ears are full. his forehead is square.â€
yes, mine too. “and then his feet and his handsare all full.†kind of very full. thick and full. how can they tell? it’s just a baby. all babies have these chubby handsand chubby feet, right? (yes.) yes, never mind. and he said, “this boy is going to bea benefactor to the country, to society if he stays at home.
if he becomes a monk, he will attaina liberated level of consciousness. so both of you have peace. take good care of him. it will be ok.†the parents heard that.happy, happy, happy! who wouldn’t be? (yeah.) so they asked himto choose a name for the boy. the clairvoyant astrologer said,“because when he was born, there were so many jewelsraining down from the sky,
so we call him celestial jewels.†jewels, yeah? jewels. so the noble man and family thanked hima lot and gave him a lot of reward. just as the astrologer told them,the celestial jewels boy, when he was growing up,he was very intelligent and very talented. but nevertheless, he was very much interestedin practicing kind of doctrines, like dharma, meditation,buddha’s teaching, etc. he preferred to do researchinto this kind of philosophical area.
one day, he went to another cityto visit one of their family clan members. and this person took himto pay obeisance to the buddha. when he came, he saw everybodycircumambulate the buddha three times. and he also did the same. and then he sat down on one side. then he looked at the buddha. he saw him, so majestic, so dignified. looked like no one on earth or heavencould compare to him, in such an appearance,a beautiful appearance.
and then in his heart, suddenly he became very fond ofthe buddha, very admiring. and then he just wanted to forgetthe whole world and everything else, follow the buddha’s footsteps,and become a buddha. at that time,the buddha went up to the high dais, so that all the people could see him,of course, normally. and then he talkedabout the twelve affinities. and then about the transmigration,suffering, and all that. after he finished preaching,everybody prostrated to him and left.
and the celestial jewels boy,after listening to the buddha, he was so happy,his heart so open, so pleased. and then he already decided right thereto follow the buddha’s footsteps, to be a monk with him. so as soon as he came home,he knelt in front of his parents and said to them,“obeisance to both my beloved parents. to be able to attain a human birthis really, truly very, very rare. but to see a living buddha physicallyin this world is even much, much more rare.
yesterday, i had a chanceto see the buddha. and then i have heard him talking, preaching the dharma, the truth,the precious truth dharma. so i observe that only buddhism,â€at that time, “the buddha’s teaching is the bestthat can liberate you. no other preaching, no other teachingat this time could do thus. so please, please allow me to leave home.†the parents saw that the boy hadsuch a tendency for spiritual practice, they were very pleased.
so they said, “yes. if you would liketo become a monk, a renunciate, we are very pleased.†so after getting the permissionfrom the parents, he prostrated to them. and then he leftand went to find the buddha. he went to see the buddha, and he also prostrated nowin front of the buddha, and said, “obeisance to the world honored one. since time immemorial, we are transmigratingin the sea of suffering,
birth and death, and old age,and a lot of pain, and sorrow. no one has helped us. no one could have helped us. now the buddha is like a ship,a boat that comes on time, and rescues all of us. today, i came herewith all my utmost sincerity. please accept meas your renunciate disciple, so that i can find liberation in this lifetime. please have mercy and accept me.â€
then the buddha of course said,(welcome bhiksu.) “welcome bhiksu. welcome monk.†so now there must beone thousand two hundred (sixty.) fifty-eight or something. not fifty anymore? no. maybe sixty-something or,we lost count now. they just came one by one like that. make trouble for us to keep count. if they came all together,it would be easier for me.
after the buddha said that,his hair suddenly all fell off. (yes.) i told you already, mind you, be careful. if you see the buddha,and if you don’t want to be a monk, don’t go too near. don’t say anything. because if you sayyou want to become a disciple, he thinks you want to be monks. and then your hairwould just naturally fall off like that. then it won’t grow back again.
that is the thing if the buddha says that. if you shave it with your knife,then it may grow back. but if the buddha says,“welcome bhiksu,†then your hair won’t grow back. so be careful.if you see any buddha, tell him first. nowadays,many living buddhas. yeah, for example, many tibetan monks, they say they are living buddhas,living tulku, for example. so if you go near any tibetan tulku,you would say,
“please, i like my hair. i want to keep it.†just in case. if you want to be a disciple from someof these tibetan living buddha reverends, you have to tell him first,“i’d like to study with you, please, sir. but i’d like to keep my hair, and my clothes i keep also.†because here, suddenlyall his hair fell off to the ground. and then the clothesthat he wore changed into kasaya, means the monk’s robe.
and from then on,he followed the buddha everywhere. and because he was alreadyoriginally very intelligent, so it was not very longbefore he attained ... ? (arhat.) arhat. oh, you are so good.how do you know? magical power? normally, i should give youone of this kind of lecture once a month. it’s enough for you to have timeto digest and to practice it. but because of many others outside,i read them all. i read a lot every day. (yes.)
and slowly, you go home,you have to check it out again. (yes.) assimilate it and truly think about it. bring it into practice. (yes.) now we make it funand happy, happy and joyful. (yes.) but at home, you shouldseriously consider each lesson as if it’s the only one before you die. so you have to study it well. (yes.) really, really try to understand itand practice it, ok? yes. thank you.
learning from the ancient practitionersand ancient buddhas. their teaching is stillso very valuable, anytime. these teachings are timeless. (yes.) yes, the same with the teachingof mahavira. (yes.) he taught people vegetarianism. and the same with jesus. many mentioned about vegetarianism. they edited it out at a later time, maybe. but the mahavira teaching, not.
in hinduism, they don’t cut it all out. they don’t edit it. but even then, jesus’ teachinghas helped countless beings, since the time he appeared until now. after he went back to heaven, his teaching is still valuable,still helping a lot. and the same with the greatprophet mohammed, peace be upon him. it’s just that not everybodystudies it well and practices it, that’s all. and misunderstood.
or using his teachingfor their own personal benefit. that is a different story, understand? (yes.) ok, now,so from now, after that, this celestial jewelsnever had to go back to transmigrating in these three worlds again. liberated. one day, when it was a little bitmore relaxing, and not too much work, i, ananda, “i†means ananda, would like to know this backgroundof the celestial jewels.
so i came in front of the buddha,prostrated to him and said, please tell us what kind of good deed that celestial jewels bhiksusowed in the former life that now, when he was first born, he already had a lot of jewelsraining down from the sky for him. and then whatever he likes to eat,it will appear in front of him.†he didn’t even need to go shopping. how convenient! how convenient! (yes.)
“so please, could you explain to us?†you see, it’s always ananda who asks.(yes.) nobody else asks anything. rarely, rarely, or in other sutra, yes. like maybe manjushri, or sariputta,but rarely. most of the time it’s just ananda who asks. so i was wondering,but these are simple questions anyway. they’re not very highly spiritual.so, ok, he can do it. because i was wondering if he knowshow to ask such good questions,
then why was he not enlightened,before the buddha’s nirvana. but i guess now this is kind of similar, very simple story and simple question.it’s easy to ask. so the buddha told ananda, “ananda, in the former period of life,of time, long, long, long time ago, there was a buddha whocame to this world named tinbatti.†similar buddha.wow, that buddha is famous. “he came to rescue many souls.you cannot count how many. one day, many monks,
the whole sangha, came out into the villageand city for alms, to beg for alms. a lot, a lot of people,they were vying with each other, means, they are tryingto be first to offer, to compete with each otherto make offering to the monks. at that time, there was a very poor person. he saw them doing that. he was very, very happy. glad that they did this. supporting mentallywith his pure heart and generous spirit,
even though he was very poor. he would also like to earn some meritby offering to the buddha and the sangha. but he didn’t have any, what?(possessions.) ah? (any possessions.) yes, he had no money, nothing.he had nothing. but he was so pleased, or happyin his heart. he didn’t know what to do. so then reluctantly,he took out a piece of stone. it looked like a jewel, kind of,round and beautiful.
a handful of those. you know, those pebbles sometimes,they look beautiful? (yes.) round and shiny. (yes.) so he took a handful of those. and then he spread them on the roadwhere the sangha was walking. and then he left, but withall his sincere heart and respectful heart. and then at that time, he said again,like everybody else before, “please give me the blessingso that life after life, i will have a long lifeand be born in noble and rich families.
and then alsohave a liberating way of practice, just like all of you reverends.†it’s always rich and famous firstand then liberating after. that’s what he will get, i think. “ananda, you should know, the poor person who made offeringwith the pebbles at that time, with all his heart, had faith in the three jewels,†means the buddha, the sangha,and the dharma,
“had the utmost faith in the three jewels.†don’t get confused with the jewelsthat he got. the three jewels means the buddha,the sangha, and the monks. they’re likened, in the former time,people likened, this is like jewels. so three jewels,that means the three pillars of buddhism. the buddha, the sangha, and the dharma. “because of that, it’s 91 eons passed, he has always derived a lot,a lot of rewards. always, wherever he’s born,always has peace and richness.
and everything he needs,he always has. and even nowadays,he has good affinity, enough to meet me, and attain arhat, the liberation.†so at that time, all the peoplein the assembly, hearing the buddha thus, they all aspired to make more offering, and really appreciate the meritthat any offering brings to them. and then because of that, many people attained different levelsof consciousness at that time. i guess he was not just saying that,but he gave initiation, too.
just like whenever i give initiation, different people will see different light,different levels, and like that. i don’t just talk, talk, talk;afterwards, i give initiation. that was before, when i wentaround the world and did that. so everybody was happy, happy,bowed to the buddha, and got out. i mean went home. all right. every day one story, good enough. more or less one hour. not bad.
any good questions? yeah, but you know,the story about the grass is familiar to me. just if you live in the communityor something, your grass has to be trimmed all the time. even one time, i bought a trailer. the trailer, we had three, four rooms in it. we made many telephone conferences,teleconferences in that trailer. so squeezing,because room was very small, very small. and the living room in the frontwas too exposed.
so when i talked, people might hear,or they’d see two big lights inside. so we’d have to squeeze in the back room. the back room was normally usedfor dogs, some of the dogs. but they were everywhere anyway. but when i had to make conference,they all had to squeeze in the front. there was another room, a side room in front of the kitchen,and the living room. and they all had to go in there, in front of the kitchen, in that side room,and in the living room.
and then we, three of us,were squeezing in that small room. the backest of the house. and the poor people,they could not even sit. they could not even cross legs. there was no room, so they’d sit like this. the boys sat like thiswith their computer over there. it was very cute. i also sat in the corner. i had the better place.
i had to be seen. a good excuse. and even then, we have just kind ofa square patch of grass in the front. and some little flower busheshere and there. but even then, you’re supposed to trim it. if you don’t,then the manager might kick you out. meaning you can take your caravan,go somewhere else. because the land belonged to them.
every year, we had to paythe landlord money. the caravan belonged to me,but the land not. in that caravan park,i think you cannot. you can buy some if it’s private-owned. but the caravan i hadwas not privately owned, the land was not privately owned. even then, private or not, if you are in their big communityof that trailer park, then you have to trim your grass.
i saw my neighbor. i wasn’t all that strict. but my neighbor, truly,i’m not making it up, he used scissors. he cut every … every day just one little, one little blade shot up,he’d immediately go cut, cut, cut. but his house was better than my house. it was like a wooden kind ofready-made house, white and clean. my house was so old. i bought it from an old lady.
because that was the only onethat i knew at that time for sale. only 13,000. it was not much. and immediately we moved in. so we were happy. i was happy to have a place. otherwise, how? how do we doall these conferences? time is kind of pressing, pressing. i was so happy to get it. i don’t live there anymore.it’s all sold now.
it’s a colder country. it was in belgium. but in winter it’s beautiful. it’s near the beach though. near, near, you can walk. about one kilometer from the beach. i could go with my bicycle. i went with my bicycle at that time. even then, just a patch of grass,not even one square meter.
just that rectangular, just like that,and then he trimmed it. and then he saw my dog hally, after he peed, he scratched grass,trying to cover up. and he said, “what is he doing?look at what he’s doing!†like, wow! i said, “i’m sorry.â€like a big crime. so, “i’m sorry, my dog, i adopted him. i can’t teach him very well. i adopted him when he’s too old already. it’s very difficult to teach him.
please forgive us. i will cover it back.†tomorrow, he digs it up again. and he said, “what is he doing again!†every day, until the neighbor was fed up. so he looked to the other side,and the dog also looked to the other side. didn’t care anymore. every time, i’d see the neighbor come out,i’d humbly try to cover it. and he feels, i guess he feels satisfiedthat i really am scared. that i am scared of himand i do this humbly.
so he feels not too bad. but if you argue with him,then it would be worse. he might report to the manageror something. so he feels good that i confess my sin, and that i beg for my dog’s mercy. and then he’s happy. but they were good neighbors. then i’d cook (vegan) curry and all thatand bring it over to make offering. and when i baked some (vegan) cakesor something,
or i bought some vegan chocolate, make offering to the buddha next door. then we had a very peaceful neighborhood. not just him, but the neighbors around. eating my (vegan) cakes,and they’re all very peaceful. lovely, lovely. it’s just that over there,i cannot have all of you like this. surely not. but at leastlife was peaceful, peaceful, peaceful. talking about grass.
we humans do many nonsensical things,right? (yes.) work a lot for nothing. but you have to; it’s the law. because if you don’t cut your grass,that means somebody will report, and put you in jail even. yes, it happens! i looked on tv, a long time ago,there was one lady, she was too old. she didn’t cut the grass in front ofher house or around her house. and the neighbor kept warning her. and then she couldn’t do it.
she was alone and old. so they reported to the police. and the police really cameand put her in jail. imagine that? really! and then when he came,but all the kids in the neighborhood felt sorry for the lady. so they came thereand mowed the lawn for her. so when she came back,oh, it was a happy house!
so that, after that, the police sawthat the grass was mowed and cleaned tidy. so they let her come home. and she came hometo well-manicured grass. my god, imagine! god, do you understand? it’s a serious thing. it’s serious. lucky, we don’t live there. because my grass is not all that trimmed.
i mean, we trim now and then,when the residents feel like doing it. or i send them. but sometimes they do,sometimes they don’t. sometimes they cut a patch here,a patch there ― it looks even worse. but at least they don’t put me in jail. oh, what a world! for a piece of grassy garden, you go to jail. it’s true, this story, a true story. in germany, it’s true, master. germany also?
even if it’s our own garden,our own home, if we don’t trim the grass, and don’t trim the trees,the neighbor gets angry. (yeah.) they look all the time. (yeah.) this is so. (i know, i know.) yeah. some places are like that. when i was in germany, the grass was always mown,so it’s ok. it’s ok. just that it's a lot of work. it’s nice to have grass,but this is too serious, no?
because in such a community, you cannot just have your gardenwith weeds growing, with different kinds of flowers, all that. when i was in san jose,i owned a mountain, a little mountain. and we never had to mow the grass. and all kinds of beautiful flowers,wildflowers, weeds. even the orchids,land orchids, all beautiful. and all kinds, i don’t know what name. different colors, beautiful!
and i always walked around and look, look. ah, my heart felt so good, so good. but the neighbors made so much trouble. don’t let us pass through and all that. so later i had to sell it again. i still like, i still remember that place. i love it, that’s almost the only mountainthat still has trees. many other mountains are all nude. they cut them or they’re dead,i don’t know why.
my mountain had big, big trees. eucalyptus and all different kinds of trees. when i was there, we just used the dry wood to barbecue,to cook every day with that. and we have some caravan. and we just live happily. but at that time, i was very busy. i always had to go here and thereto do lectures. so my time there was always short.
always too short. always too short. i loved that place. i loved that time. just a handful of residents,monks and nuns, and cooked homemade stuff. beautiful! every day, we’d sit around the fire. and we ate our food,and we’d talk and we’d laugh. and it was really beautiful. it’s like heaven to me. very difficult to find such a place again.
that mountain is truly untouched. so all the weeds, they grow so beautifully! as if the best gardenerin the world has done it. but i guess nobody can do as good. they just grow so naturally, so beautiful. and not messy and not overgrown,it’s just beautiful! i don’t have good luck. i really never wanted to leave that place. but i wasn’t american.
i don’t have a visa to stay long, number one. number two,i had to go to lecture everywhere. every time i left that place,i felt like i left a piece of my heart there. because it was so beautiful and quiet. and the neighbor, if we wanted peace, we’d have to buy their landand their house down there. but i didn’t havethat much money at that time. i had to use it to buy another piece of landfor disciples. in san jose also, but the other one.
and then also i had neighbor’s problems with horses, and with water, and all kinds, and still have now.(no more. it’s ok.) no more? better now? i said, “don’t bother me. go see the lawyer.†what happened? did they buy it?they bought the land? no, we, no. (no?) just as it is,but just see. it’s just better.
ignore it, better.good, good, good. i cannot keep buying land and then solving problems for youyear after year, time after time. i’m really tired. i am getting old now. look at all my wrinkles. see that? don’t see much because of the good light. now you know everything. somebody leaving tomorrow?
because i see the (vegan) cakes. no? then the (vegan) cake, you can eat. love, love, love! if you are hungry. should we serve you something?some (vegan) sweets? (what?)(vegan) pudding, mung bean pudding. you have (vegan) pudding? yes. it takes me only 10 or 15 minutesto complete cooking. no, i don’t like sweet. how about i make some … (vegan) bread?
or bread with (vegan) silky ham. no, it takes too long to cook. no, not true. ten minutes. it’s ok. thank you.i can eat anything. i was just joking. but it’s fun. (no.) for those who want to eat … may i cook for you to eat, please? no, it’s ok. tomorrow. ok?tomorrow, ok. because i’m getting fat, truly.(no, it’s ok.)
i’m getting fat here only. that’s the problem! if i’m fat all over, then it’s not bad. but i’m fat just here. i feel it. it is a big differencefrom when i was in the mountain. you don’t know it. i know. no matter what you say, i know. i cannot believe you, because i know.
in the mountain, i don’t cook a lot. i don’t cook well, and so i wasn’t that fat. and i feel light. and now ―i feel light, i’m walking like ... but now i walk, feel suffering,like i’m carrying something. so if one day, two days, i was thinkingmaybe one week you cook … maybe two days a week is good enough. i’ll eat anything with them. otherwise, they’re jealous. (no.)
they think, “oh, master (no!)eats something good.†(no.) we sit and sleep and eat two meals a day. you have to work and only one meal a day. good enough. god, what kind of meal? one meal, but what kind? sometimes you cook a lot of,with the frying and stuff, and then it adds on very quickly. we buy something for you to exercise. we work anyway.
crazy, you know? you have to go shopping,cooking, eat a lot, and then have tobuy something else to exercise. it’s like the story of the grass. god, help! good for your knees. how aboutnot cooking the fried stuff anymore? no, they also taste good. tastes good, that’s the problem.
just a smaller portion. i don’t know. what did you eat today for dinner? was it good? (yes.) same like yesterday? because the morningis same like yesterday. different. similar, similar like yesterday. except that (vegan) salad sauce,today she put some oil in it.
normally she saysshe doesn’t put oil in anything. a little bit ok, but not too much.it’s ok also. i don’t know because ... i don’t know. it’s fattening. the aulacese (vietnamese) food,it’s so compatible to me. so i like it a lot, and i eat a lot. all right then.thank you very much. thank you, master. thank you for your love.
tomorrow, it’s no problem. ciao! (ciao!)