But keep the faith. Keep it all the time, OK? (Yes, Master.) Keep it all the time. Do not lose it. That is the best protection you have, apart from the Holy Names, because it gives you a big percentage of protection. (Yes, Master.) Because you share the protection from your Master. If you have faith in your Master, then you share it.
And all the food, you have enough? (Yes, Master.) Because when I was in India I hardly had enough food. When I worked for the Masters of the ashrams, then I came out, they all ate and then it’s all gone, and just left a pile of dishes for me to wash. I was almost always hungry. The money, I gave away to the ashram and I had nothing. I couldn’t buy anything for myself. So I just want you to have everything that I did not have. You have everything you need? (Yes, Master. Thank You, Master.) Over there I had to buy my own clothes. Except the food, they only cooked or served once or twice a day and it’s never enough. So many people were coming and going and they didn’t plan for enough food, nothing extra like here.
For example, even though after the meal is served to you, if you want something extra, they will still have it in the kitchen. I mean, maybe not cooked, but maybe you have it or maybe some instant noodles or something, (vegan) cheese and bread and… you have all that, right? (Yes, Master.) Just in case you are extra hungry that day. Or you did not feel like eating the main food because you don’t feel well or you don’t feel good that day, then just eat something else. OK? (Yes, Master.) Or ask the kitchen if they have, if they can cook something special for you. Like sometimes you don’t feel, the stomach…
For me, if I work outside, if I’m… Not outside, but I mean if I’m with the so-called disciples then I often have a lot of problems. Right now I don’t have any. Since I stay away from them and do my job, our job together, and then I just stay alone, with dogs, I have no problem. (Yes, Master.) But before I have one thing after another all the time and… In case you do have it, then you need some like congee. Like stomach, loose stomach, or stomach pain, you have some congee and some simple vegetables. Understand? (Yes, Master.) If you need that, you ask the kitchen. (Yes, Master.) Do you ever need that? (No.) Good. That means you’re healthy here. Me too, thank God. Thank God. So, I’m only sick when I’m out there. (Yes, Master.) And I’m only lonely when I’m out there. When I’m alone, I feel great.
Of course the retreat is sometimes a battlefield. I have to do things. And in order to achieve something, I have to exchange something. (Yes, Master.) Exchange from my worth, or exchange from my spiritual merit or whatever is demanded. Exchange for the worthiness is the worst case. Well, not really, I mean one of the worst cases. Like for example, if I want something… Not for me. For me, I absolutely need nothing. I don’t really need anything. If anything extra, fine, but I don’t really need it. But if I want something for someone else or for the world, then I have to exchange. You understand? (Yes.) Exchange for worthiness, worthy power. That means people will look down upon me. People will slander me or even disciples they’ll be outraged, rude. So everything is not like: OK, on retreat, or being a Master, everybody respects you. It depends. It depends on what you want.
So don’t be hurried to be a Master. I’m telling you. And don’t envy me because I’m on retreat. It’s not that. I have to do it. OK? (Yes, Master.) The hardest part is to leave the dogs because they’re still puppies. But I feel better now because the people now are more suitable. And one has been taking care of them with me since they were babies; since we adopted them. So I feel more peaceful.
Even then, I have only a few hours now, a break, so I talk to you. Understand? (Yes, Master.) Then I have to go back to contemplation and doing all kinds of things. Fighting. Fighting without fighting. And it’s hard sometimes, it’s hard sometimes. You have to really keep your mind still. It’s very hard for me because I have so many responsibilities. Understand? (Yes, Master.) Very hard just to leave all that behind and just concentrate on what I want. Not for myself even. It is not that easy.
Any of you want to do a retreat? One week, two weeks, sit alone in the cave? Sesame, brown rice. Some fruit. Actually, last time I told you I don’t know if you can last. Truly! You’re so used to working. You’re active, and young. I don’t know if you can last a few days. And last time I told you I eat only sesame and brown rice, yeah? (Yes, Master.) Actually I cheat sometimes. Because you guys brought me something like potato chips in the box. And I remember it tasted good before. So I… because I sometimes get tired of cooking brown rice and sesame. Even that you have to wash the rice, and then cook it and wait and eat. Or I thought I’d eat some potato chips. Also simple. But it doesn’t taste as good as I remember. I cheated to eat the potato chips and the potato chips cheated me. You know? They don’t give me the good taste like before. So, I opened this long box, and for one week, or ever since the beginning of the latest date of retreat, it’s still there. I ate just a few and it’s still there staring at me every day, challenging me. I said, “I am not taking you anymore. You cheated me, don’t taste so good anymore.”
But that’s normal when you meditate a lot. Nothing tastes that good. But sometimes I do feel hungry, but then it still doesn’t taste good. Not because I’m not hungry. Even the brown rice and sesame, it used to taste great before; it doesn’t taste so good anymore. I just eat to calm the stomach.
What else did I want to tell you? OK, that is that, almost about it. Any questions at all? (No, Master.) Actually sometimes… It’s different. This is a different kind of retreat. It’s not like you sit for three months doing nothing. Also in Buddha’s time, it’s easier, because the Buddha didn’t have Supreme Master TV. (Yes.) And all the people surrounding Him were all monks. (Yes, Master.) Or maybe very dedicated spiritual practitioners. Leave everything, just go there just to practice with the Buddha and they take care of themselves. I mean the food wise. Everybody goes out and takes alms, you see? (Yes, Master.) So the Buddha doesn’t have to worry about food or storage or doing business, nothing. They have it better.
And nowadays we cannot do that. We cannot go out and beg for food. People will put us in jail or in a homeless area, if there is one. That kind of life is also very, very free. So free. People give you food and clothing, and just enough to live on. Then you are free of every worry in the world. I really envy that kind of life. Sometimes, I thought I should try. But the thing is nowadays it’s different. We have to work more because of the modern time. Modern times are different; for the world also. And this is a different kind of retreat than that kind. Not like every summer you should do a retreat because it’s raining. It’s not just that.
It’s for some different purposes. I mean deliberate purposes. It’s harder. And sometimes, you are not allowed to eat also. Sometimes you have to eat more than you want, and sometimes you cannot eat. It’s crazy. Not just sometimes, some days! Some days, and not even water. Yeah! So it’s a crazy type of business. Not only do they want all kinds of exchanges, but even food, sometimes cannot. Some kind of retreat cannot eat, cannot drink. Not even water, not even raw water, cannot! And for days on end. And then some days, you don’t want to eat and have to. Some other days, other retreats, just drink water. Cannot eat! And some cannot eat much, just sesame and brown rice. No fruit is even allowed. So I don’t think you should feel envy. (No, Master.)
Would you want to try? (No, Master.) You are wise. Leave that business to your Master, huh? Let Her be. She is a busybody. Who told Her to do this job, right? Now you know a little bit of what I am doing. Otherwise, you have a question in your mind, but you don’t ask. I know that. Or maybe outside people, they want to know. So I tell you some of this stuff. OK, now. Your good stuff is coming now.
You work here; you have a lot of merits. Understand? (Yes, Master.) The best merit you can have for yourself, and for your ancestors, and your parents. So, you are the most filial sons or daughters of your family. Even though you don’t earn money or give them material comfort, you do the best. Like the Buddha, like His monks. Understand? (Yes, Master.)
Even one of His monks rescued his mother from hell. You remember that story? (Yes, Master.) Just because he was a monk, he had enough spiritual power. Also with the help of other monks. Even the Buddha said He cannot. Remember that? (Yes, Master.) He told this monk that he has to do this, do that, and do it himself and ask other monks to help. Then his mother was rescued from hell, because she was very disrespectful to Buddha and cheated some of the monks. Made them eat meat, telling them it is not. So, that was a very heinous, heinous crime. So, she was supposed to be in hell for a long time, or forever, but then because he is a monk and disciple of Buddha, he can rescue her. That is a very difficult job. (Yes, Master.)
Your parents are not like that, so it is easier. Easier for the Master power to help them. Even if they don’t practice the way you do. And your ancestors as well. Now, but to have the best position and privilege, you also have to try your best. (Yes, Master.) The Maya is always after people who dedicate their lives to God and help the world. So you have to always be vigilant. (Yes, Master.) Check always your thought, your speech, and your action. Never lag for one second. (Yes, Master.) It’s just like if you have to do some difficult job, then you have to have some special equipment. Like if you want to fly an airplane, then it’s a different requirement than driving a taxi. (Yes, Master.) Well, I guess you know. I just want to remind you.
OK. There’s another kind of (vegan) sausage. Inside they have some white stuff, you know? It’s not like a normal (vegan) sausage, all one color. This kind of (vegan) sausage has some white spots in it. (Yes, Master.) This one we have. We have it in my company. You can order some of that. (Yes, Master.) Oh, not for me, not for me. I’m just telling you these good things. And then you warm up the bread, whatever bread that you chose, French bread. And you warm it up until it’s crispy; 100 degrees for 10 minutes in the small oven. And then you cut it and then you put some… you don’t put anything, just put that grilled (vegan) sausage inside it. Halve it so it’s not too bulky. And then you put some kimchi with it, and put a few drops of soya sauce. It’s very good. (Yes, Master.) Have you tried that? (No, Master.)
During retreat last time I had nothing… no vegetables. Only kimchi and some bread that the dogs left behind. Because sometimes I buy the bread for the dogs. I have a couple of bread and then I just have that sausage and with kimchi, and with the soya sauce. And it would be better if you have some basilic leaves. (Yes, Master.) Or coriander leaves. Coriander fresh, yeah? (Yes.) Yeah, try it today. (Yes, Master.) Delicious, I’m telling you. Maybe because I didn’t have anything else to eat. I was hungry and lazy to cook. That’s why, but you try. (Yes, Master.) It really tastes good. It has to have basilic. We call it basil. (Yes.)
Basil leaves, sorry. Basilic is European language, right? (Yes, Master.) I call it basilicum, but no. Basil leaves and a few drops of soy sauce or Maggi, and the sausage and the bread. That’s it. And kimchi. Tastes so good. Do you have kimchi there? (Yes, Master.) The one from Korea, the sister made from Korea? (Yes, we have.) OK, put that, but not a lot. Just one layer, one layer of kimchi. If you put a lot, it will be too sour or too kimchi-like, and it’s no good. OK. If you have nothing else, then, that’s it. That’s the last thing I wanted to tell you.
When I ate that, I was thinking, “One day I will make it for them,” but I guess I’m just dreaming. We work so hard; we don’t have time for that. So you make it yourselves today. Try. (Yes, Master.) In the snack time, or breakfast time. If you have the sausage, you can do it right away. It has to be that sausage. The other sausages are too plain, don’t taste that good. (Yes, Master.) There are many kinds of sausage but most of them are plain, just one color, pink. This one is a little bit bigger and has some white spots in it, white color things in it. That one tastes good.
OK, I say good-bye now. For now, I don’t know when I’ll come out; it depends. Sometimes if I’m feeling fit, then it’s faster. Sometimes I feel tired. Then it lasts a little longer, OK? (Yes, Master.) You take good care. (Thank You, Master.)
Yeah, waking up one time, feel bad or not? (No, Master.) No? I know you work very hard, but people outside, some people work harder. You know that, right? (Yes, Master.) Some people work two, three jobs just to make ends meet because they have a lot of debt to pay or a lot of children to feed. (Yes, Master.) And even your brothers and sisters outside, they contribute with their free time. That’s precious. (Yes, Master.) Because they can’t leave and go and work like you, so free. So actually you’re better off, OK? (Yes, Master.) Be grateful every day (Yes, Master.) for whatever we have, because we really have it good. At least better than many people. (Yes, Master.)
You lack of anything? (No, Master.) The food is OK? (Yes, Master.) OK. If it doesn’t taste good, you wait until later on, and you eat again and it will taste good. No, really, because sometimes you eat but you’re not hungry, yeah? (Yes, Master.) And it doesn’t taste good. Or if it’s not good, you put a little bit of Maggi in it, a few drops and mix it. It tastes different right away. It tastes good. All right, then I wish you well. (Thank You, Master.)
And those of you who stay here are the ones who have strong faith. I know. But keep the faith. Keep it all the time, OK? (Yes, Master.) Keep it all the time. Do not lose it. That is the best protection you have, apart from the Holy Names, because it gives you a big percentage of protection. (Yes, Master.) Because you share the protection from your Master. If you have faith in your Master, then you share it. OK, I don’t know how to explain more, so… All right, I’ll see you when I see you, OK? Or I’ll talk to you again later, soon. (Thank You, Master.) Not today anymore, not so many more days. OK? (Yes, Master.) This is just a quick break. But still, I talk too much. I exceed the limit already. Thank you. (Thank You, Master.) Good-bye. God bless. (We love You, Master.) Be good.
