The worst thing you could carry around: ego. That makes a lot of trouble, a lot of trouble. Stirs up trouble everywhere. But even with all your egos around, I also feel your love very much, I’m surprised. How does your love squeeze inside together with the ego? It’s a funny thing. So, love is even stronger than the ego, and that is a good thing. So, slowly, love will eat up the ego, and make him surrender or out. That’s a good thing. […]
Anybody want to talk or ask anything? No? No talk? No itchy mouthy? No? OK, then it’s good. Have a little tea break like that. Anybody else want tea or something? If technically possible? No? No need. Then you have to go to the bathroom a lot, also don’t like. But the people who have a little cold, maybe they need it, a couple of them. You OK? The people who cough a lot, maybe go to a different room, so you don’t spread it to people and don’t make noise also. People need to sleep here. With you coughing away like that, who can sleep? (That’s the sleeping room.) Yeah, sleeping room over there, snoring, coughing, sneezing. I sit very far away from you, so you’re OK. I will not transmit anything, except the invisible stuff which you like very much – voluntarily taken. Yeah, what is? You have the tea already? (The tea is all ready.) OK, then you go. Like that, it’s not too bad. You give to the people who raised hands before. Give them a little bit. Not too much. Because they’ll have to go to the bathroom; it’s inconvenient.
But you guys don’t have to wait too long for the bathroom like in Thailand, no? (Yes.) I am really sorry (No.) (It’s OK.) about Thailand. Well, it happens only once in a while, so you can bear it, huh? (Yes.) You had enough time? It was good, huh? (Yes.) Very powerful. It was just inconvenient because the physical arrangement was not always very good, but everybody was happy though. I don’t know why you were so happy. Waiting three hours for the toilet, four hours for the elevator, go sit there half an hour, get “kicked out,” changed to another group. But you were happy, huh? (Yes.) You are such good kids; or are you crazy? (Crazy.) Crazy, huh? (Yes.) Yeah, crazy people, they’re happy. Or not? (Yes.) Maybe. Only the ones who raised hands. Don’t cheat now, we don’t have... Just a little for them to warm their throats. This is a “cold tea” – tea for a cold. I don’t know if it helps. Just it helps the company, I guess.
Actually, you are not the only ones sitting, eating, and sleeping all day all night in the meditation hall. In the old times, there was a story like this. There was a Zen master who had a lot of students going to his place, and meditating of course, also all day, all night like that. And one of his assistants was not allowed to go in, he was just working. And then one day, he peeped through the window, and seeing all the so-called monks, all the meditators, “just sleeping,” he felt very bad, jealous, envious, and he complained. He went to his master and said, “They are only sleeping, and I have to fetch them water, wash the hall, clean the yard, cook for these lazy monkeys.” Not monks, but monkeys. “I don’t like this a wee bit.” So the master said, “These monks in that meditation hall, they can digest gold, they can digest stones. Whatever little service you do for them, you should be very, very happy, feel very blessed that you have the privilege to do it. But because you complained, you have no more merit left now, you have to go.” So, he gave him a little bit of money and told him he had to go. He had to go far away until his money finished, then he’d settle down wherever that is. That’s what he said. “But don’t come back anymore.” Just one complaint and you burn all your merit.
He was a young monk, just came in and didn’t have enough wisdom, and didn’t have enough understanding of what is what. He just saw the outer things, and he was thinking he was very important. He took care of all these 50 or so monks alone, while they were “just sleeping.” They took a nap or something in between. And the master already told him, “Don’t go into the meditation hall, don’t look in there.” Because he was not really fully initiated at that time. In the old times, the master didn’t initiate the disciple immediately like that, not even after three months, no. You have to do a lot of things, labor, and go through a lot of tests to see if you’re worthy. He wasn’t initiated, so he was not allowed to even look in. But he did look and saw them “sleeping.” But what did he know about sleeping? Maybe they just covered their head and did the Quan Yin. Anyway, he complained just one time, and the master threw him out. First, because he shouldn’t look into the meditation hall. You know that, huh? Maybe that’s why the master didn’t trust him anymore. What if he kept looking again? He was not initiated; he shouldn’t look. So, he betrayed the trust of the master also. He shouldn’t.
Well, this morning or afternoon, I let them invite a couple of new people to come in to have lunch. Because they watch Supreme Master TV, and they’re so eager to want to learn our method and all that. And they asked whether they could come and visit the Center. You know, today was New Year, so I said, “OK, we let them have lunch and that’s it.” And then they wanted to come in and look at the meditation hall after. You see, you never stop at one thing. First, can come and have a look or so, and then want to look at this and want that. And later if they looked at the meditation hall, they’d know I’m here: “Can I look at the Master as well?” And then, “Can I stay? Can I, can I, can I?” You see? So I said, “Well, that’s enough, let them wait.”
The Grace period is over, I told you already. Whoever I initiated before, they should be happy. And if they don’t continue to follow the way, well, that’s also their choice. It’s not that easy anymore. So they should just continue to be vegan and all that for three months, and learn to know the teaching first. It may be better that way, so they stay more stable. Even if they’re not initiated immediately, if they are sincere in their heart, they’ll be saved if they die tomorrow; it doesn’t matter. They won’t go anywhere now, not so fast. I will help them anyway.
It’s just that they should learn to train their brain first, train their ego, because that’s the worst thing you could carry around: ego. That makes a lot of trouble, a lot of trouble. Stirs up trouble everywhere. But even with all your egos around, I also feel your love very much, I’m surprised. How does your love squeeze inside together with the ego? It’s a funny thing. So, love is even stronger than the ego, and that is a good thing. So, slowly, love will eat up the ego, and make him surrender or out. That’s a good thing.
But I really feel very amazed that you could sit all day, all night. I mean, except when you go eat and all that. It’s really amazing. And you can sit like that, huh? I mean, sometimes you doze off a little bit, but it’s amazing. You never did that before, right? Not until you saw Master Ching Hai, whoever that is, you’d never done that before. And we’ve started it since Hungary (retreat). (Yes.) And then you think you could do it. (Yes.) Wonderful, that’s cool. You are really amazing, you know that? How do you do that? I mean how do you sleep sitting? (Practice.) Practice makes the master. (Yes.) Incredible. You didn’t even do that at home, no? (No.) (Yes.) Some of you did. (If I lie down to sleep, my back is really bad. If I lie to sleep for any hours, my back is so painful. I’m better sitting up, sleeping sitting up.) Wow! So, that’s some kind of cure. (Yes.) If I sit too long, my back hurts, I have to lie down.
Sometimes you can make a bar between the door, and you hang a little bit and stretch the back. It feels very nice after meditation, but the bar better be… (Strong.) pretty strong for you guys. For me, a little small bar is enough. But right now, I cannot do it yet because of my arm, I’m afraid. That’s the thing I love to do, and now I can’t. So another thing is you could alternate between (inner Heavenly) Light and Sound, like this you don’t feel too tired. Or sometimes I lie in the hammock. It’s also convenient.
And how is the Quan Yin chair? Is it helpful anyway? (Yes.) It is? You won’t fall down, will you? (No. It’s good.) It has a bar in front? (Well, this chair here, you can’t fall back.) Not that chair. (No, the Quan Yin chair.) The Quan Yin chair is taller. (It’s the other one.) (The Quan Yin Throne.) Did anybody fall down off the Quan Yin chair, ever? No? (Surely not.) You’d better not. In that chair, you’d better not sleep, that’s what it is, then you won’t fall down. Well, you have so many choices to be a saint.
Wow, what a lucky people. In the Buddha’s time, you had to bring a bed only that high, that small or a hammock. In the old times, they used... They still do it. They still do it in India and Âu Lạc (Vietnam). They use coconut fiber from the tree trunk, and they weave them together and make the hammock. And that hurts, I’m telling you. Maybe they did it on purpose in the old times, so the monk could never lie down too long, had to sit in the hammock. It pinches you. Because the fiber of the trunk of the coconut is very hard, it’s like wood – like some small, small needles, weaved together. So, when you lie down, it pinches your body, unless you put a thick blanket. So, in the old times, that’s the hammock that the monks lay on. And there’s another, like a rope bed, also made from coconut trunk fiber. Oh, it hurts. But that’s how they did it in the old times. In India, it’s very hot. So, if you don’t lie down on that kind of bed, it becomes too sticky and wet, too hot. Hummingbird-People Pool Party!
Photo Caption: Similar Outside, Might Not Be Similar Inside. Look With Wise Eyes!
