“These seraphim, they spread out their wings, big, big wings, to protect all humans so these bad demons and spirits cannot harm humans.” In the Bible, Psalms, Chapter 91, “it says thus: God blesses and protects under Hiers wings.”
It’s not showing what? My… You don’t see me? (No.) (No, Master.) Yes or no? (No, Master.) No? Why didn’t you say anything? Somebody wrote to me now. What? What? I cover the camera! (Now You’re there.) Sorry. (Yay!) I got that. I always cover the camera, it’s just habit. Can you see me now? (Yes, Master.) As beautiful as ever, no? (Yes, Master.) Told you. Even if you don’t see me, you can imagine how beautiful I look. No? (Yes, yes.) Nobody says anything, I have to say it. I have to appreciate my own beauty.
And the second ghost story? Any moral takeaway? Second ghost story? No? Also don’t think of that? Too busy? Me too. But this you don’t have to be very free to think. I think while I’m brushing my teeth. While I’m just stamping my feet in one place or pretend to jump rope, stuff like that, I’m still thinking. I think when I’m asleep.
You see me now. (Yes, Master.) How come you said nothing? (We didn’t want to disturb You.) Didn’t want to disturb whom? What means disturb? Now you disturb me because you didn’t tell me, now I feel guilty. What is more disturbing than that? OK, sorry. Your Master is not professional. You know very well already, forgive me.
The second story, you didn’t think about it also? No? Man. The man with the horse went into the desert and then the snake transformed herself into a beautiful woman, (Yes.) asked him to marry her. No? Don’t even remember. (Yes, yes.) (Yes, we remember.) So, all right. (Don’t go with a beautiful woman.) (Don’t go with a beautiful woman.) I don’t understand. (He said don’t go with a beautiful woman.) Then you should go with an ugly woman? That’s cute, that’s cute. In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), we also say similar. We say something like, the men they say, “Oh, the beautiful wife is somebody else’s wife. Ugly wife is really your wife.” I guess if you have a beautiful wife, all the men envy you. And it seems like they’re always looking at her. And it seems like you don’t have her alone. You see what I’m saying? (Yes.) And it’s also maybe that you worry day and night who is the next handsome coming and sneaking behind your back or loving your wife without you knowing, stuff like that, or try to charm her, seduce her, and you will lose her, etc. That’s a good point. So, if you want to go out and marry, look for an ugly one. Got that, the men? And you women, also the same.
(Master?) Yes. (Can I ask a question? In the story, I mean the ghost in the furnace, does she die, or she is transformed to another place, or…?) What? Which one, which ghost? (The ghost that… The snake, sorry, it’s the snake…) The snake. (Yeah.) What are you asking? (Does she die when it’s in the… so-called the…) Yes, she died already. (Yeah.) (In the furnace.) She died physically and then she became this wreath of flowers. (Oh.) Yeah.
(But is it morally right to kill the snake that way or is there karma involved?) She has to reincarnate elsewhere. (Oh.) Either another snake, go and find another man, or become another animal, depends. (But does the husband incur any karma by killing her that way?) No. (Oh.) He was dying. (Oh.) She was harming him. Maybe a little karma, but the priest was the main killer. (I see.) He’s the one who told him what to do, how to kill her. You are so compassionate, my God. So, just let the snake kill him, right? And then after he died, she went out to the desert again looking for another man. So the moral is this: Don’t ever ride a horse, so she cannot get hold of the reins of the horse. How you call that? The harness, what? For the horse. (Yeah, the reins.) The reins of the horse. And then ask you to marry her. And if you have to ride a horse, then don’t go into the desert. Got that? (Yes.) And if you have to go into the desert, just look straight in front of you. Don’t stop the horse even in front of the beautiful woman. Got that? (Yes, Master.) Then you’ll be safe. How about that for Master’s wisdom? What would you do without me telling you.
Now we go to the next story. Sorry, it’s not a ghost story. You love ghosts, don’t you? You asked me to read two stories, all about ghosts. And now I’m going to read something else, disappointing you. No ghost today. I don’t want to scare the skunk anymore.
This story is… the title is, “The Four Beings Who Take Care of the Planet,” “of this World,” “of the World,” not “the Planet,” “the World.” Means, take care of all beings on the planet. That’s the story. “Four Beings Who Take Care of the World.” “God,” they say here, the Holy Spirit; it’s the same. I say god or Holy Spirit; it’s the same.
Here they say “Holy Spirit has created humans, and thus, in order to make something that’s opposite to humans, the Spirit,” means god, “god has also created demons and other very vicious gods, those spirits.” So, he created demons and deities, but vicious ones. “And then, he also caused the human beings, in their minds, to be afraid of these vicious beings and demons.” So, it’s all god’s doing. Imagine that? (Yes, Master.) What kind of god are you, making trouble?
“If there had not been enough grace, a lot of grace and blessing, also many of the rules that had been established by god, then the human beings definitely could have never stood up to these vicious spirits as well as demons. Also, some of the incredibly strange and vicious animals who are walking around at night, even for one hour, the humans cannot bear, cannot stand up to them, will be destroyed. So, what kind of rules are these?” It goes like this. “Year after year, in the season of Nisan…” Nisan is about the beginning of the springtime. I guess this is the Hebrew language.
“It’s the beginning of the springtime, and the seraphim,” the angel type, “they had gained more strength. They lifted their heads only, like this, and then all the bad and vicious spirits, as well as the demons, were very scared of these seraphim.” Seraphim: angels. Yes. They’re very scared, afraid of the seraphim.
“These seraphim, they spread out their wings, big, big wings, to protect all humans so these bad demons and spirits cannot harm humans.” In the Bible, Psalms, Chapter 91, “it says thus: God blesses and protects under Hiers wings. So you don't have to be worried about the fearful dark night.” I think it's in the Psalm 23. It says that “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not fear. Even if I walk in the death valley, I shall not be afraid because You are with me.” Something like that.
Is that correct? Any Catholics here? All of you are Christian, I know. Except me, I'm Buddhist. And now I’m Jewish because I have to explain all the Jewish things to you. So that’s that.
“God also created many domestic animals, as well as some very sensible animals, very sweet and gentle animals. And in order to make an opposite of these gentle and kind and good animals, god also created lions, tigers, and bears, big bears.” And what else? “Some of these are vicious animals as well, opposite to those gentle or domesticated animals. If there had not been a lot of immeasurable grace and blessing and love, and all the meticulous arrangements, then the domestic animals and those gentle and sweet animals will never be able to stand up and survive with these vicious animals, like lions…” Oh. “…leopards, and bears, and such. So, he had already arranged everything perfectly and completely.”
So let's have a look. “In order to make the opposite force, he also created the great beings, Behemoths on top of Sky Mountain. And during the first month of Tammuz,” fifth, sixth month, May and June, those months, May and June, the beginning of the summer, “god gives power and strength to the Behemoths, these big, giant beings that he created.” Ah, man. As if the demons and ghosts are not enough already. What are you doing, god? And then you scare my skunk like that. He’s only a kid. Just a little tiger scares him like that. Imagine this big giant guy, as big as a mountain and even in the beginning month of summer, he even strengthened him more, gave him more power, and physical powers as well.
“So, this big being, he raised his head and then roared in a very big, huge voice one time. Big roar, one time. Even though it’s only one time, but his roar spread all over the planet, wherever humans lived and all the animals as well. All of them could hear it. Even lions, leopards, bears, tigers and such, all felt so threatened that they were fearful the whole year long.” Imagine if it’s us!
“Because of that, the lions and the leopards and the bears and all that were scared, kind of being frightened all year long. So it was good for the domestic animals as well as the sweet, gentle wild animals. Otherwise, these sweet and gentle animals and domestic ones as well, would never be able to stand up against those vicious animals like lions, tigers and stuff.” Oh, man. Now we know. God is not all that nice is he. This is not Almighty God. It’s a lower god. But in the old times, they just called him one name – “god.”
“So, he also created many clean and pure birds as well as those who are dirty. Those who are clean and pure, they can stay near humans, where humans are, and can even stay in the wild also, as their choice. And in order to make an opposition, an opposite power, opposite balance, I guess, the things like eagles and bigger, and those who are very big birds...” Oh, vulture. The vulture. Those who eat the dead corpse. (Yeah.) Vulture. Why we Aulacese don't call it... It's called “linh thứu.” Oh, that's right. Vulture is the English word.
“The vultures and the eagles, also god created, but they stay in the wilderness, not where the humans stay. Otherwise, if there is not enough grace and loving blessing that god has already arranged and bestowed upon the world, then the birds, the gentle, sweet birds that he created before, would never be able to survive in the presence of the vulture as well as the eagle type of birds.”
