You have fruit also. (Yes.) Have you eaten dinner? Yes? (Yes.) Some more? (Thank You. Thank You.) Finished setting up the tent already? (Yes, yes.) You put up your tents? (Yes.) Down there. (Yes.) The land is very big. Give me some space. All around here it’s mine. Give me one acre, enough. One acre, around there. Don’t go around here, don’t shop around, don’t walk around. There’s so much land, you walk up to the end. Forty-three acres, you can walk. For three days, no problem. Just don’t walk around my room. Give me space.
Only once I went to Miami. Only once at that time, because I didn’t live next to the beach. So, I came to the beach in half an hour with the car and then lowered myself down and then came back in. It’s OK. But because we live next to the beach in some other places, I dare not come out because when I come out, people know that I’m there. I’m very shy. So, we were on the beach for the last three days, but I went once at midnight and nobody else was there, at one o’clock, just for a walk. But I don’t want to swim on that… Too many people. Midnight, there’s nobody, but it’s cold then, it’s cold. Therefore, give me some space whenever possible. I welcome you to my private “hotel,” but...
OK? You’re not in Poland? (No.) No? So, it’s alright? OK? The front place here is mine. And behind there is yours. Whenever I come out, there’s always people. That’s the difference. When you’re being watched all day long, you feel tired and shy. So, did you move all the tents to the back? We have plenty of land. All go, invade all the land, no problem. So, welcome and goodbye.
Enough? (No.) See you tomorrow. Yes, enough. (No.) One hour already. Do you know how much you pay for the politicians? Politicians when you have to work with them. They talk about millions, I tell you. They have to work for me only a few hours and they want millions out of it – that’s two private jets. And I work for you day in, day out, many hours, many months, many years. How many jets you give me? At least I want one. So I don’t have to bear the smoke. Never mind, we’ll take care of that later. It’s not necessary now. But sometimes I thought it’s necessary.
If we have a place for the Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees, maybe we will have to buy one and then fly them all over. Fast! Anytime we want, and no need to stop, no need to make trouble. But this is all my dream. But the Americans say, “If you don’t have a dream, how would you have a dream come true?” (Yes.) So first we have a dream and then see if it comes true or not. If it doesn’t, it’s all your fault, because you don’t pray for me. You only pray for yourself. “Oh, can I go see Master?” “Oh, please, I don’t miss this airplane. I can’t get enough money for the airplane. I have to go for the retreat. Three days, seven days, ten days, thirty days.” “I always want to go. Please help, help with the visa. In two days I want to get it, even though other people get it in two weeks.” “I want to get it in two hours. I want to get it yesterday.” “And the airplane already flies, please bring it back for me. If I miss that airplane, I cannot go to Taiwan (Formosa) for retreat. Bring the airplane back.” That’s all you pray, all day, every day; don’t pray for other people.
First, you pray that you have a good job, so you earn enough money for the airplane ticket whenever there is a retreat or permission to go to Taiwan (Formosa) to see me. Second, you pray that you will get the ticket on time, even though it’s only one hour ahead. And then third, you pray that you get the visa yesterday, before you even know where the embassy is. And then fourth, you pray that you get the cheaper airplane tickets. And the fast one, convenient one, and no smoking and all that. I don’t know, endless are your prayers, endless. It’s good that I shut it all out, otherwise it keeps buzzing in my ears all the time. Who prays this, who prays that. Every day, get crazy. My fax machine will go out of order. Inside, receiving all of this endless news. Endless transmission of news.
And then you pray many kinds of nonsense, “Oh please, don’t let my husband stop me.” And all kinds of things. “Please, let my boss say OK, even though I just had a vacation for three months. And now I just came back from the office yesterday, but now I want to go to Taiwan (Formosa) tomorrow. Please, make him say OK.” All kinds of things like that. Who knows what you pray all the time. For nonsense, non-stop prayers. Now you know where to put your prayers you practice every day.
You pray more than you recite The Five (Holy) Names. And more than two and a half hours of meditation a day. I know, that’s what you all do. You talk all the time, wanting things more than you do things. I tell you; you meditate two and a half hours a day, but you pray 24 hours, for God knows what. I tell you to recite the Five (Holy) Names, but you always recite your wish. So, it’s OK. As long as you pray for good things, it’s OK. It will be granted. As long as it’s good for you and it’s harmless to anyone else, you’ll be granted.
OK, so now I leave. (We don’t want You to leave.) See you tomorrow. No? What are you talking about? How old are you? Twelve? (Hallo, Master, I’m 13.) Thirteen only, and you already want to stop me from going? What happens when you grow up? What do you know about Master and meditation and teaching at 13? Try to give me a hard time already. Thirteen years old, make trouble already. Yes, I know many guys like you, crying your heart out, make trouble for me. That’s why I hide away. The children already make trouble. Can you believe it? Not to talk about you, the big-head people. Gray-haired children. Wait until I become a political leader, and you cannot see me anymore. I’ll have bodyguards, dog(-people) inside, outside, and police. And secret agents, CIA, BAC. And you’ll never be able to see me because I’m a political leader.
You see the political leaders, they don’t hang around with you. Right? (Yes.) You just have to vote for them and finished, no more. You don’t see them again until next election. Maybe six years in between. So that’s the “good” thing about being a political leader – you have everything, but you don’t need to take care of people, personally. You don’t have to have them hang around all day long with you and camp in your backyard, and bring in all the children and chicken- and dog(-people) who come to see you. You don’t have to be polite to people because they don’t come.
It’s difficult to take care of people. Each one has a different temperament and different demands. And if you offend them… They have high hopes when they come to see the living Buddha of the Himalayas. They want you to transform them into the Bodhisattva in one second and woe to you if you offend them. Trouble, trouble. Each one is different, and you cannot please all the people. And that’s where trouble starts, that’s where you get criticized and misunderstood and blacken your name and all that. It’s very difficult. Relationships between people are more difficult than anything else, than going to the Moon. That’s why we have wars, we have disasters, we have all kinds of conflicts between nations, between groups of people, between religious sects, between political parties. Because we cannot get on with each other. Very difficult.
Each one for himself, each one thinks he’s right. Therefore, to be a Master is very difficult. Very difficult. On one hand, you have to be strict and to point out to people where their weakness lies and to clean them quickly. On the other hand, you cannot offend them, hurt their ego. Their ego is bigger than the whole universe put together. It’s difficult not to touch because it’s everywhere. The ego is omnipresent. Bigger than God. That’s why we don’t see God, because the ego stays and covers God. You cannot see.
So, I can only pray that each of you understands and forgives me if you think I need forgiveness, and that’s all. That’s the only prayer I have, except for the Aulacese (Vietnamese), I have no other prayers but for the Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees and other refugees in the world. If we are successful with the Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees, we can bring also other refugees. Charity has to begin at home. Because the Aulacese (Vietnamese) people are more desperate. They’re going to be thrown back home, or the Haitians also. If you want to pray, also include the prayer for them. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. But be sincere.
Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow. You can come here tomorrow night again, or you can stay here in a tent. And I think you should stay in a tent and use that room just for chatting, or when it’s raining, you drink tea all together because we have only one kitchen and one living room. Sometimes when it’s cold, then people can go and hide together there. And all of you can stay in tents. I think one side for men, one side for women. Stay a little bit near together, so that you can protect each other, in case. And light a big light. We have to connect some electricity. Can you imagine how the bear(-people) will feel when in the middle of the night you shout like that? When he steps on your tent and then you shout like that, he will have a heart attack. And when you open your zipper, you will see a bear(-person) over there, and you’ll also have a heart attack. So it’s no good for both. Better you take care.
Put a big light on tonight. Now, before they sleep, one or two big lights on both sides. Just one or two. Two is enough. One for the men’s side and one for the women’s side. Put it behind their tents. Because here we already have lights and we have people, and they have a house, they know it. But they are not afraid of us, really, because they came here. The monks, they saw them.
Bear- and deer(-people), they come to the kitchen sometimes, eat vegetables. They’re also vegan, anyhow. By the way, by the way. After three months, they can get initiation. If the Master is here, no problem, immediately. So, they’re not afraid of us. It’s just I’m afraid that you might be afraid of them when you’ve never seen a bear(-person) before. And when it’s about 30-foot (~9 meters) high and 40-foot (~12 meters) long, and his eyes so dark, and so big, and in the night, they glow like a big lantern and then you get scared. And then you will frighten him, the harmless bear(-person). Otherwise, no problem. So, you keep two big burning lights in the night to keep it safe. That’s all. No need to be alarmed of anything. And the old or the disabled persons can stay in the house. The ones who cannot run fast in case the bear(-person) come, then you stay in the house. The young ones, cover yourself with steel armors and then sleep well. Recite the Five (Holy) Names and your prayers, and zip up well, in case the bear(-person) wants to kiss you.
Good night. (Good night.) They cannot see me. Anyone didn’t see me? Sit down, sit down. Otherwise, you don’t see me at all. So, have a quick look, and a long look, and then goodbye. (Goodbye.) Is there any news? (Not yet.) Not yet. Alright, I’m going to eat something. If you’re hungry, go and try to find some carrots or something. There are some fruits here. Help yourself. (Thank You.) See you tomorrow, (See You, Master.) or in the daytime or tomorrow night. (Thank You.)
Photo Caption: Winter Sun, Rare, More Jewel-Like Precious When It Comes
