When you eat in silence, your food is more blessed, because in silence, you can remember God better. When you eat in God’s Grace, then the food will nourish you better, will uplift your spirit, and fill your health with more vigor and happiness. Not like God is strict, like you cannot speak. God doesn’t care what you do. It’s just whatever we do proper is good for us.
Up to now, it seems like whatever the Essenes taught, we have it here. So, we might call ourselves the Essenes also. Yeah, essen (eat)! Viel essen. (Eat a lot.)! In German it means, “Eating a lot.” “The Eaters!” At least you are good at that. Well, one has to be good at something, no? Alright. But honestly, all their way of life seems familiar, no? Seems like we would live our life – the way we do. Up to now. Well, most of it. Sometimes a little bit different, depends on the situation and the time. But most of it, we’re living like that. Just like when we go to retreat, whoever has money can contribute for the meal, or whatever you like; or not contributing if you don’t have money. So, we’re sharing what we have. It’s truly like that. Nobody forces anybody, to really have to give money for the retreat. So even though you belong to the Essen-ers [Eaters], I mean the Eating Order, you don’t even need to pay if you don’t have. And whoever needs, we always help each other, and help outsiders also.
OK, now. “Then they take off their white aprons, which they consider sacred clothes.” I guess because they go to work in the field and all kinds of work, so maybe their clothes are not that clean or spotless when they go into the meditation hall, or eating hall. So, apart from cleaning themselves a little, they have to wear a white cloth, for hygiene reason also, and for coolness. It feels good when everybody’s all white. It also feels good when you’re all colors. I don’t mind, whatever. It’s just that in that time, they had certain rules, which is also I consider very scientific. Everybody wears the same long garment, and then it also keeps you warm, it’s air-able, breathable, and then you just sit and cover your knees and everything, and meditate, and it’s just very simple, very easy also. I like this kind of clothes. You can eat a lot, nobody sees anything. If you belong to the Order of the Essen-ers, you eat a lot, and when you wear this, nobody sees how much. You don’t need to worry about the figure at all.
By the way, was it good, the breakfast? (Yes.) Was it enough? (Yes.) Yeah, OK. So, if you have a snack, that doesn’t mean you didn’t have enough, right? Enough food for everybody, right? (Yes.) In the morning, yeah? (Yes.) Just if you feel like eating a little bit, it’s OK. There’s always some food there for the latecomers or somebody who didn’t like the breakfast or didn’t eat much at breakfast because too early or wasn’t ready. So, can go out and eat a little bit later. But don’t make it like an Essen-er habit all day long. Their word means the Essenes, means the essence of our being, I guess, not the “essen” in the German language – eating! Alright.
“Then they return to their work, which they pursue ‘til the twilight spreads over the earth.” Means they work from dawn to dusk. They work like the Sun – rise, and go to rest. “Then they go to their frugal evening meal again, during which they observe the same ceremonies as at their dinner…” I mean, “lunch.” It seems like they eat only twice a day. “If members from foreign parts have arrived, they are put in the chief places at the table.” How polite. Here also. You come from different countries, and you sit in the hall. And the French people, they sit out there. I mean, the owners of the Center sit outside. This is the way it should be. OK, very good. We should always be courteous to each other and be polite, and treat each other like God. That’s of course.
“The meal is taken with the most solemn silence and stillness.” I told you not to speak, no? Did you speak a lot today? No, huh? OK, good. I didn’t hear anything. Wonderful! Yeah, it’s the best. When you eat in silence, your food is more blessed, because in silence, you can remember God better. When you eat in God’s Grace, then the food will nourish you better, will uplift your spirit, and fill your health with more vigor and happiness. Not like God is strict, like you cannot speak. God doesn’t care what you do. It’s just whatever we do proper is good for us.
Mostly, we should try to speak less anyway, but of course when I’m with you I can’t make a good example, because I have to talk… talk with you a lot. When I invite you to my room, I share the food with you, I have to ask, “How are you? You like the food? Tell me about your life and your stuff, your work,” things like that. So, that’s exceptional. But normally, within each other, within yourselves, you should keep silence when you eat, so that you can remember God while you’re eating.
If you’re talking to each other, of course, you don’t remember God that very well. We don’t reach that level all the time that we can do multiple tasks and also remember God at the same time. So, it’s better to be cautious. And when you remember God, your food is blessed. You know that. Now, “No noise or dispute disturbs the peace of the house. They talk by turns and in a low tone which will appear strange to those who are not used to it.” What for we have to talk very loud, right? We have microphone.
“They observe great temperance in their way of living. They eat and drink only what is necessary for their body. In general, do they not act without the knowledge and consent of their elders, but it is always left to their own free will to exercise benevolence and compassion to all in want, of all classes in society.” Ah, sounds familiar also. That’s the only free thing you can do – be compassionate and be a giver, be charitable. That’s the thing you don’t need to ask me about. I told you already, you don’t need to give me money, but if you see somebody in need, you must give. And that, you don’t even have to ask me. Everything else, you come and ask me. Most of the time. Ah, not really. I mean just important things. If they live within the communities, and if they want to act something for the communities, then of course they have to ask the person in charge. Just the same like if you want a retreat, you talk it over with the contact person and the people who take care of the Center first. We don’t just come stomping in here, no? And say, “Here I am! Ha-ha, 100 people!” No, it’s different. When you come visit as a small group, it’s OK. But when we need to organize a bigger group, then of course we talk with each other first. OK, now: “They are free to act in benevolence and compassion toward all who need, of all classes in the society.” Well, it sounds familiar. We also go out and help everybody. We don’t care if he’s a Muslim, he’s poor, he’s black, he’s white, he’s red, he’s yellow. We don’t care. If he needs, we help what we can.
Because to be honest, we are like a small group. We are not a big empire or like a billionaire mogul or anything. Because whatever we earn, we’re mostly sharing it by the way, on the way, or are ready. And we’re not like a professional charity group. I told you already, we don’t have any subsidies from a government. We don’t take anything, anyway, and we don’t ask for donation from our members or anything. So, whatever I have, I give. And whatever you have, you give. All free. You do what you do, and I do what I do. So, in this respect, they’re free: “Free to feed the hungry, free to clothe the naked and shelter the homeless. They’re free to comfort the sick, visit, assist and comfort the prisoners.” That’s normal. We do that all the time.
Huh, surprise! Yeah, it’s the same what we’re doing! Even the prisoners, we also visit and comfort them, because sometimes people become criminals for lack of affection, for lack of understanding with the society or from the society or about the society. They felt left out, they felt rebellious, or they’d been in bad companies, or misfortune befell them and they had no choice, etc. etc. Or they thought they had no choice. Or they were forced into this situation. Or, sometimes they were even wrongly accused by a superpower or by a wrong identification, or by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, for example. All kinds. So, anyway, we always hope that visiting the prisoners in prison will bring them comfort, and turn them around to be a useful and a beneficial person in the society. At least for their life. Oh, it sounds familiar, huh?
I did not read all this before. I read just some of it, and I thought, “Oh, it’s a good idea to share it with you.” And now it’s becoming more and more familiar, all the time. Thank God for that. Because I really like the Essenes, the way they lived their life. And the more we read about it, the more we like it, and the more it seems familiar to us. All this free will: “They’re also free to go comfort, aid and protect the widows and fatherless. They never let themselves be overcome by anger, hatred, vengeance or ill-will. Indeed, they are the champions of faith, truth and honesty.” Yeah. I hope you aspire to all that.
“As the servants and arbitrators of peace…” They are, huh? They are. And we are too. Are we? (Yes.) OK. Honestly? (Yes, Master.) Cool! Yeah, I know you are. “Their ‘yah’ and ‘nay’ were with them as binding as the most sacred oath.” It means if they say yes to you, that’s it, that is a promise, and it will be done. If they say no to you, they really mean no, and that’s that. It means everything about their way of life is very clear, very honest, very respectful. Everything they do is of respect, love and honor. The Five Precepts is for that, to keep us in line in the beginning. Later it becomes natural – you’d be an honorable person without even thinking. It becomes like second nature. It’s the real nature of you.
“Except the oath that they take at their admittance into the order…” They do take oath as well! Five Precepts. Maybe, or Ten Commandments. “Except the oath that they take at their admittance into the order, they never bind themselves through an oath, neither in their public nor private life.” I don’t understand this, really. Do you? What can it mean? (That they don’t swear to…) Ah, that’s right. That’s very cool. So smart.
You don’t use God’s Name in vain. You don’t use a profanity to abuse God’s Name or your honor. Like, for example, if you know that you can do it, then you tell the person, “I will do it.” But say, “I swear I will do it!” “In God’s Name, I swear I’ll do it.” There’s no need for that. They just say, “OK, I will do it. I’ll help you.” Or “I will do it,” that’s it. But at the time of initiation, of course, you have to make a real promise in the name of God, to be worthy of God: “I’m going to keep these precepts for the rest of my life.” Well, if you can. Like no stealing, be honest, no killing, keep vegan, meditation. Live the life of virtue. And that, you have to promise! You cannot just say, “Ah, I’ll try… Maybe.” Because if you’re “maybe,” you can’t sit here. You can only “maybe” outside, but you cannot “maybe” in here. We don’t want “maybe.”
“Oaths and profanity are with them as much shunned as perjury itself.” Now it’s clear – they don’t swear. They don’t say something like, “I swear I go to hell if I don’t do that.” Something like that. There is no need, they don’t do such things, because their words are the words of honor. There’s no need to do this kind of thing. “They consider that the man loses his esteem among his fellow citizens whose word is not sufficient without swearing.” Ah, it’s become more clear now! That’s good.
