“I again entrust to You the gods, the humans, and others who are still in the burning house and have not yet left the triple world. Do not allow those beings to fall into the evil destinies even for a single day and night, much less fall into the five-fold Uninterrupted Hell or the Avici Hell, where they would have to pass through thousands of millions of eons with no chance of escape.”
New? I haven’t seen you. No, not new? How long have you been here? (Sorry, don’t speak English.) (Only two days, Master.) (Two days. Yesterday and today.) Ah, two days. What do you speak? (Czech, Czech Republic.) Czechoslovakia. Oh, sorry I don’t speak that. How do you say “Welcome” in Czech? (Welcome. Welcome.) Welcome? Where are you from? You look like a king sitting there. (He speaks French.) (Togo.) Togo! Oh, welcome, welcome, welcome! You just arrived today? Yesterday? (Today.) Today? (Yes.) If I could stay longer and be with you, I would be happy to. These days we have a very happy time. Togo, you missed everything. You came late, you missed Heaven and hell. OK, welcome. Such a long way, huh? Everything OK in Togo? (Yes.) Big Center, no? Not yet? (No speak English.) No speak English. (English, yes.) French? (French, yes.) Is everything all right at home? (It’s all right, thank You.) And the ashram, OK? All right? (It’s all right.) Bigger now? (Bigger, yes.) Bigger. How many square meters? (I have no idea... It’s about seventy square meters though.) Seventy. (Yes.) Square meters? (Yes.) Oh, it’s really…It’s really big. Very big for you! Because it’s new, huh? (Yes.) Togo, it’s brand new. (Yes.) There are not many people. (Yes, there are.) Yes? (Yes, it’s growing.) You have a lot of people now? (Yes.) A lot of initiates now? (Yes.) How many? (I have no idea, but we are many.) Oh, numerous, that’s very scary. He says we are numerous, the Center. Welcome to our home. (Thank You.)
OK, so yesterday we did not read the poem that the Buddha… We’re talking about Buddhism today. We’re talking about Buddhism. Not just today, but for several days already. There are many stories. Children love to listen to them. I think we don’t have to read the poem that the Buddha makes a short concentration of what He has explained before, about what we could do to protect ourselves in vast sea and forests where dangers are waiting. You want me to read it? (Yes.) Or read another story? (No. Continue.) Continue? The poem? (Yes!) The poem is the one that we read yesterday. I mean, it’s the same as what I have read to you yesterday. It’s just made into verses. That’s all. So, you still want to hear the poem? I mean, repeating of the thing yesterday. Just in verses. (Next one.) Next one, huh? Because I still have several more sutras for you. If you stay. The poem is a summary of the Buddha’s talk, before that. OK, so today is the last chapter. Chapter 13: “The Entrustment of People and Gods.”
I have to say to you, today, even though I’m a little tired, but today is peaceful. I’m happy. but today is peaceful. I’m happy. I hope that we’re going to have many…at least some peaceful days ahead. We could do with some rest, right? Could do with some rest. How are you, Reverends? (Very fine.) OK. (Thank You.) I sent something, you enjoyed? Yes? (Yes.) Good? (He is a resident from Youngdong Center.) From? (He was a Buddhist monk, and after initiation he became a resident at Youngdong Center.) Youngdong Center? (Yes.) Oh, OK. And stay together? (Yes.) Have enough room? (Yes.) Just him alone there? (No.) You don’t harass him? (No. We have five monks.) Five monks? (Yes.) And nine nuns? (Yes, nine nuns.) Yes, yes. (Eight, eight…) Eight nuns. Where is Babier? (Oh yes, he resides in Youngdong Center.) Yeah? (But he…) Too old now. Old? (Yes, too old and the condition is not so good, so…) Cannot travel. (Cannot come here.) Anybody take care of him over there? (Yes. We, together, take care of him.) Buy him some more, like some good supplement, medicine. OK? When you come back. (Yes.) You have enough, right? (Yes.) Give more of the rest. (Yes.) The rest of the money. (Yes.) Can keep it or put it in the bank and then get interest and use it for everyday use.
How come we still have so many people here today? I’ve been saying that we should go. You want me to go first so that you can go better? (No!) No? (No.) So you want me to sit here and wait until the last person ever leaves? (Yes.) Yeah? And then, “Come back again! Please!” Yeah, if you all left, then the Center would be very, very empty. Then how do you think I would feel? You want me to feel like, “Oh, everybody left me.” No? (So we all go.) Hmm? (So we all go.) You won’t go? (No. We all go first.) You all go first? It’s the same. It’s still empty after. Thank you, anyway. I’d also feel rude if the house was still full and I just left. I don’t feel very comfortable doing that.
All right, “The Entrustment of People and Gods.” I need my magical eyes. I can read also, it’s just better. Better with this. And I look more scholarly. “At that time, the World-Honored One extended His gold-colored arm.” Meaning that He has golden Light that is emitting from His body, making it look like golden. Maybe he has a golden Light. Your skin. I love you so much. I didn’t also want to leave you, I really didn’t. I don’t want to. I was supposed to leave already, but I can’t. So I said it doesn’t matter, I will just stay, until you’ve left. (We love You, Master!) Because you came from a long distance. Even just a nearby country, but you had to put down your job, take a vacation, drive here or book a ticket, or go by taxi and then airplane and then taxi, and... It’s not fun, no? It’s not fun. And some of you came from half way around the world. Some came from the other end of the world, like Australian people. Why you call them “down under?” They’re not down and they’re not under. Huh? They’re up and above. If the Earth is this way, then they are up and above, right? They’re not down and under at all.
My God. I have received many of the lands for sale and houses for sale from Spain and from New Zealand. I have studied them all, not that I didn’t. I took time to study and then see if we should, but it’s still not yet… I don’t have a connected feeling yet, so ... They have some with the beach front and all that, but everything has some condition. That’s about the land in Italy, I’m not sure if we could. It’s farmland and they say we can convert it into camping ground, but that involves a lot of building. If we want so many, then first they have to come and tell us; if we want to build toilets, for example, many, many, then we have to ask for permission first and it takes a long time to respond. And then after, we build, if we’re allowed to. But they’re lucky, they’re surrounded by sea. From the inland to the sea, it’s never too far. It’s very long and surrounded by sea. And the weather is nice. People are happy. Italian people are very happy. If you think the swimming pool down there is noisy, you would be more surprised in the Italian area on the beach. Wow! So happy, happy people. Not just children screaming, adults also screaming. They’re happy. They’re very expressive people. And they’re talking like singing. It’s very cute, very lovely. They talk in accents. They’re up and down, up and down like that. Like music. Especially the women. Very charming when they speak. All right. Why do we talk so much about that?
“At that time, the World-Honored One extended His gold-colored arm…” It doesn’t mean He painted it on. It’s just the Light that emitted out. Some people saw it’s like a golden color. “…And again rubbed the crown of the head of Earth Store Bodhisattva,” like this, “while saying, ‘Earth Store, Earth Store, Your spiritual powers, compassion, wisdom, and eloquence are inconceivable. Even if all the Buddhas of the ten directions were to proclaim their praise of Your inconceivable deeds, they could not finish in thousands of eons.’” So immense was His merit, His good doing, all this immeasurable time. “‘Earth Store, Earth Store, remember this entrustment that I am again making here in the Trayastrimsa Heaven in this great assembly of hundreds of thousands of millions of indescribably many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods, dragons, and the rest of the eight-fold divisions. I again entrust to You the gods, the humans, and others who are still in the burning house and have not yet left the triple world. Do not allow those beings to fall into the evil destinies even for a single day and night, much less fall into the five-fold Uninterrupted Hell or the Avici Hell, where they would have to pass through thousands of millions of eons with no chance of escape.’” We have read that already, how horrible that can be. So, I’m glad if Earth Store Bodhisattva and all the gods prevent people going there; then it would be great. Ah, that means all hells are almost empty now. Land will be cheaper. Maybe free of charge. Would you like to try? Should we go there, buy a piece of land? (No. We're fine here. We love it here.) You’re OK here?
There is no translation for French people here at all? I mean, special? (No.) No. Oh, because? (No, because it’s only today.) OK. (And it’s only him.) Oh, OK. Is it OK, the translation? (Yes, it’s OK.) She’s very good. (But this is not very easy to translate.) It’s not easy, I know. Just make it simple. Do what you can. So, you see what I mean? Hell is empty, but nobody wants to go. Heaven’s also empty, but also less people want to go. Wow, that’s wonderful! “‘Earth Store Bodhisattva, the beings of Southern Jambudvipa have irresolute wills and natures.’” Are you French? (No.) That is another problem. (Yeah, but my English is not so good.) That is another problem. Double problems. Where are you going? (Because she is Czech and I am Polish.) Oh! Problem. Problem with translation, everywhere. There are problems of translation everywhere. (She’s also Polish.) If you do not understand, just laugh. Laugh like that. Just laugh. This is how we do it here. He is better. He is French and knows English very well. Like this, you have a private translator. Is it OK? Is it better? (Yes.) Him, he is better. He can speak Chinese if you want. Is it OK? French is better? OK.
- All right. My God! I have to prepare myself for the great reading, you know? OK. I have found… Yesterday, remember we read about the Tenth Ground? (Yes.) I have found it. (Wow!) But it’s a big sutra too. (Oh, wow!) The Buddha’s, like training ground; from the first ground to the tenth. And if you’re certified that you are on the Tenth Ground, that means (you’re) Buddha, I guess. I haven’t read the whole thing yet, OK? But it is the Tenth Ground. Yesterday I told you I didn’t know what it was. When we have a chance, I will also read it for you. OK? (Yes.) Y-y-you you want me, t-t-to ... (Yes!) R-r-read now? (Yes.) My God! What a group of people. Has he ever been in our group before? (He says his first time he sees You.) Yeah. (But inside it’s not the first time). Inside is what? (It’s not the first time he sees You.) Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. (But physically it’s the first time. Spiritually he can see You.) Inside? (The real inside.) Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thank God! But he’s never seen such a crazy group, I’m sure. Inside not. Inside no. No. Now you see outside. You like them? Please take them to Togo. It’s a big land there. People are generous. Why don’t you go with him? That’s not laughing? No? They will make you laugh all day. And they’ll eat everything from your house. Yeah? All right. And they will sit everywhere around your garden. (Yes.) Yes. Then you can’t even walk anywhere anymore.
