Usually, when I travel to give lectures or hold a gathering, then of course, you have to advertise in the newspaper so the public knows. That’s correct. But even then, we don’t label it as paid advertising. No one puts “paid submission” on an advertisement. Newspapers advertise all kinds of things. People pay to advertise, but do they label it as “paid submission” or “paid advertising”? Why make it special for me by putting “paid submission”? Why make it so cheap? You must not do that anymore, understand? (Yes.) If, for example, someone happens to know about us and they want to post (publish) the Master’s article, then that is a different matter. But you don’t go around paying to publish them and make me look cheap. (Sorry, Master.) I don’t need those things. I am even afraid that becoming too famous would be more troublesome; and here we’re even paying for publicity – that is too much! Nobody does that, only the Aulacese (Vietnamese) do. That’s why sometimes I want to explain this to the working group so that everyone understands.
It’s not like just because you have money you can do whatever you please, even to the point of selling out the Master – cheap or at a high price. Many newspapers, whether English, Aulacese (Vietnamese), or Chinese, want to publish my lectures. They wanted to print five or six copies of Immediate Enlightenment daily, publishing one lecture per day, but I said no. I said, “That’s too much, too cheap.” Many radio stations wanted to broadcast for two hours every day, and I said, “No, two hours a week is the maximum.” Do you understand? (Yes, we do.) You can’t just shove good things down people’s throats. If you force-feed too much nutritious food to a child, the child could die. (Yes.) So when you work, you have to use your brain, use your wisdom. If you’re unsure, then consult with those who have more experience. Consult with the administrative team, for example. It’s not the administrative team, but those who have worked closely with me and understand me a little. [Ask them,] “Is it OK if I do this?”
Not because you have money and you can do whatever you want. You may unintentionally be lowering the value of our organization, understand? Not just my value, but our organization’s value, too. I rarely read newspapers, but when I did, I happened to come across these “paid publication” twice. My own disciples are the ones who harm me, nobody else. (Yes.) Remember to tell the others about this so they know, those who did not come today. (Yes.) You can’t just do whatever you want. If you know anyone publishing like that, stop them immediately, don’t let them continue. (Yes.) The first time I saw it, I thought it was probably nothing. One or two cases, no big deal. But every time I come to the US, I run into this “paid publication” issue. I don’t read the newspaper that much, but I still manage to stumble upon it – and it’s our own people. Please remind others, OK? (Yes.) That’s the first thing.
The second thing is that the social work must continue. Wherever we live, we should “protect the tree that feeds us.” Of course, sending money back to Âu Lạc (Vietnam) to help our people is necessary. We have to help, right? Once in a while, I also send a little money to Âu Lạc (Vietnam) to help my parents, as much as they need. Three, four thousand. Not much. Every now and then. When I gave them ten thousand, my dad was overjoyed. They can fix the whole house, repair the leaks for good, for example like that. But when my sister asked for ten thousand to renovate her house and repair the leaks, my dad scolded her, “Just use chewing gum to patch the leaks.” That’s an example. So I do send money to Âu Lạc (Vietnam). Every now and then, I send a few thousand so my parents can buy medicine because they’re old and can’t work anymore. My youngest sister is a teacher there, but her income isn’t much. In the morning, she teaches, and in the afternoon, she has to sell things at the market to make do, to support her children. And yet the house still leaks. Both of husband and wife are teachers, high school teachers, and they should make decent money. But in the morning, they teach, and in the afternoon, they still have to sell things or take on other jobs, and the house still leaks.
But you know what? Of course, we have to send money to Âu Lạc (Vietnam) to help people; I don’t say anything about that. But living in the US, we also need to repay our benefactors here. We know everything comes from God, but God uses these benefactors to help us, so now we should let God use us to help others. (Yes.) It is not that we thank any individual, or any organization or nation. But they are good instruments, so God could use them to save us. So now, we too should be good instruments so that God can use us to spread love throughout the world. So, for example, if there’s any social work here that is necessary and needs your help and you can do it, you should participate. You don’t need to worry about money – I will take care of that. But most of the time, I can’t physically be everywhere in the world at the same time, meaning my physical body can’t. So you must represent me by going to places where people need help, to offer comfort and support. No matter if they’re Aulacese (Vietnamese), American, Mexican, or anyone else. (Yes.) If there are Aulacese (Vietnamese) people here, if we know them, then we help them.
But we should also help the Americans. Because you can see very clearly that they’re struggling a lot too. Earlier, I was talking about when I went to the hospital to see a doctor and bought a box of (vegan) chocolates to give to him. Have I told this story yet? (Not yet.) Not yet? OK. So I intended to give the doctor the (vegan) chocolates, but in the hospital, I saw an elderly man, a veteran, being pushed around back and forth, not knowing where his room was. It was that kind of bureaucratic situation, you know? (Yes.) This side pushes you to that side, and that side pushes you to another place. When I go see the doctor myself, I witness that too. Sometimes they don’t know where the doctor is, so they keep pushing you back and forth. And sometimes one room is hundreds of meters away from the other, really far, yet you’re made to keep running back and forth. He was sitting there, looking tired and worn out. I kept seeing him being pushed back and forth in front of me, without actually going anywhere. He was sitting there, looking despondent, while two policemen inside were quarreling with the office staff: “You’ve been making us go back and forth all this time, and we still haven’t been checked in anywhere!” If those two policemen were that frustrated, I could imagine how much worse it was for that old man, sitting there suffering, just being pushed around in a wheelchair.
As I walked past him again and again, I thought about giving him the box of (vegan) chocolates, but I hesitated. I had bought it for the doctor, and now giving it to him might seem insincere or fake. But seeing him sitting there like that, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I went over and asked him, “Do you eat candy? Can you eat sweets?” I was worried he might have diabetes or some condition where he couldn’t eat sweets. You can’t just force things on people; you have to ask first. Because I only had that one box of (vegan) chocolates, I didn’t have any other food with me. I asked, “Can you eat sweets?” He said, “Yes, yes.” “Do you want some chocolate?” He said, “Of course, I do! I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.” And by then, it was already almost one o’clock. He’d been pushed around the hospital all morning. The two policemen in the other room were already making a big fuss from being sent back and forth, so imagine how the sick patient must have felt. Poor guy! So I said, “Here, let me give you some (vegan) chocolates.”
But he couldn’t open it himself because he only had one working hand; the other hand was paralyzed. So he was there, what was that? He couldn’t even pick it up; just kept rubbing and fumbling with it. I said, “Let me open it for you.” So I unwrapped it and gave it to him, and he was so happy. He said, “I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.” Poor guy! (Yes.) No wonder when I passed by, I could sense his hunger immediately. Normally, I wouldn’t interfere in such situations. Why would I suddenly go up to someone on the street and ask them something? There were plenty of people in the hospital, so why did I ask him? I had bought the (vegan) chocolates for the doctor, but after giving them to the old man, I confessed to the doctor later, saying, “I bought it for you, but… well... I’ll get you another box next time.” The doctor said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. You did the right thing by giving it to him.” That hospital was a free clinic, where people without money go. Afterward, when I asked the doctor, I learned that the people who come there are poor.
So those places, we should go to offer comfort and help. It’s not about going just once and then disappearing. Every now and then, you change it up and go to different hospitals. For matters like that, if the working group doesn’t have enough manpower, then you all need to step in. Because many of you don’t do this often, maybe only once every few months, for example like that. You can take turns and share the work. You need to know how to work, how to comfort people when you’re there. It’s not about going in there and making a big commotion. You should ask the previous working group how they did things, what I advised them to do, and what they gave to people, for example. Because sometimes sick people can’t eat sugar, and you can’t just throw a bunch of candies at them and end up feeding the ants instead. You need to ask carefully, ask how they work. Find out how many people are there, then give accordingly.
If you need funding, then ask me. No, you don’t have to ask me directly, but you can ask the head of the finance department, in Miaoli. My money is for public use, not for personal use, so asking me or Miaoli is the same thing. If you ask me, I still have to ask Miaoli. I’d have to write a letter, or send a fax, or call to ask for $5,000 to be sent here or $10,000 to be sent there. I don’t carry cash around in my pocket. So don’t think that asking me guarantees a sure solution. Sometimes, yes, if I happen to have it available, because they put $5,000 or $10,000 in my bag. For example, if I meet someone in urgent need, I can give it out immediately. And then the bag is empty and they also put some back in. But for long-term social work, you have to contact Miaoli directly, understand? (Yes.)
But you need to assess where the most urgent needs are, because we’re not a charity organization with unlimited funds. I give as much as I can, and when I have more, I give more. But just because I give a lot doesn’t mean I have a lot. Because normally, my money is tied up in real estate. For example, this house was fully paid for, or some meditation ashram was paid off. (Yes.) [Otherwise], what if I were to die tomorrow, you all would be left with a bunch of debt. Therefore, if I have money, I pay it off; if I don’t have, then I don’t buy. Real estate can’t be counted as liquid money. Dead. That is dead money. Put hundreds of thousands into property, then that money is dead, and doesn’t generate any income at all, and you can’t take it out. So, even though I may appear to have a lot of money, it’s all tied up in those estates. That’s why if I have a little bit of left-over money, then I take out to give. So we can’t possibly take care of the whole world, but we can help in very urgent cases, or when people really need our help. Not just give to anyone we happen to meet. (Right.)
Like the hospital I visited, it’s full of elderly veterans, people with no money, some might even be homeless. Some people, after the earthquake, lost their homes and ended up there, staying permanently because they were already sick. For example, temporary accommodation like that. And if there are similar cases within the Aulacese (Vietnamese) community here, we can find those people and help them gradually. Not just help anyone. There are so many organizations out there making noise, but they don’t know what to do. No, I don’t know what they’re doing, so I don’t know which organization to give to. (Yes.) For example, if you live down there, and know the situation, then you can inform each other, gather information, and talk to the working group. Then decide which cases are worth helping. Like that. Then present it to Miaoli, and they’ll review and handle it. There’s a separate finance team for that.
I can’t do everything by myself. But what I can do is to outline the program. Like who we should help. Then you have to carry it out, keep doing it all the time. You rotate. For example, this time we help this hospital, we go there, perform some entertainment for them. But make sure to ask in advance if they accept such a program. If they agree, then we go and give them just (vegan) candies and cakes only, that’s it. We do it unconditionally. It’s not about showing up with money and just barging in. Now and then, you switch to different places. Because they don’t have new patients in any place all the time, so after helping, you can move on to another place. If we have enough manpower, it’ll be more effective. You need to help the working group, not leave all the work to just a few people.
I know you are all very dedicated to helping society. I know; it’s not that I don’t know. I’m just reminding you all to deepen your understanding a little more. We meditate and we help like that. If you don’t help, that’s fine, no problem. If you don’t help, just meditate, practice spiritually, and no one will say anything. As long as your conscience is at peace, no guilty feeling, then it’s fine.
The thing that has been troubling me most recently – causing me sleepless nights, sometimes feeling agitated, even crying out loud, moaning – is the issue of the Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees. Some people there, [in the refugee camps], have said they would rather die than go back. I don’t want to interfere in international political issues. But these are our people, who are trapped like “bird(-people) in a cage” or “fish(-people) in a bowl.” Now they can’t go back, nor can they stay. They’re “stuck between a rock and a hard place.” That issue makes me very uncomfortable. I don’t dare say, it’s pointless to keep talking about it. Saying this seems strange, like lifting someone’s shirt to show their back.” It makes me very sad to say this. But let’s not blame anyone, I won’t name anyone, even if I have proof, I won’t say. We practitioners should not speak badly of others. In fact, it’s not entirely their fault; it’s the collective karma of sentient beings. So we can’t blame anyone, see?
Photo Caption: The Cloud King Gives a Happy Welcoming Sign. Thank U Sir!
