I think “How amazing that they look outside all the time, and they forget to look within themselves. They’re so great in there! They know everything. They don’t need anything. They’re absolutely perfect and happy. They are strong enough to withstand any, any obstacle in this world. They’re strong enough to laugh at problems, and they’re strong enough even not to feel the suffering! Why [do] they keep looking outside for any solution?”
You’re OK? If you want to continue [to] meditate, it’s OK. If you are still… meditating well, it’s alright to continue. I’m sorry I didn’t come before, I had trouble. All of you guys alright? No problem? No sickness of any kind? Except [for] a little cold sometimes or coughing because of the cold. You have no stomach problem? The food is good? (Yes.) (Healthy.) Huh? (Healthy.) Healthy. It’s fine. Funny, you’re all healthy. I want to know who made the cucumber salad this morning for my breakfast. I’ve been sick all morning. I couldn’t come down because I was so sick. I took medicine and still didn’t feel better. I’m trying to control my sickness right now. I don’t look sick, but I still am. I just hope it stops for a while so that I can stay with you.
Any questions, babies? Any more last questions from the white flakes, snowflakes? (Happy Birthday!) (Happy Birthday, Master.) What is that? (Happy Birthday to You...) Oh, thank you, thank you. (Happy Birthday to You...) I forgot. (Happy Birthday, dear Master, Happy Birthday to You.) Thank you. (Happy Birthday to You.) Thank you so much. Thank you. I’d forgotten. I had forgotten – too busy being sick.
I have told you to wash the raw vegetables very carefully and soak them in salt water for like five minutes to avoid any possible viruses, bacteria, as well as insecticides you call that? Pesticides? The spray? (Pesticide.) Pesticide? OK. Because sometimes you forget or something. Or I guess it’s my sensitive stomach. Or I am sensitive to karma! (Are You sick because of us?) No, I don’t know. I don’t want to say anything. Maybe, possible. I don’t care anymore. What’s the difference whether I’m sick because of myself or because of you? We are all one. So what’s the difference, right?
And you guys are OK? You really like retreat, huh? I think. (Yes.) (I really do, Master.) You really do, huh? Aulacese (Vietnamese)? Aulacese (Vietnamese)? There, Aulacese (Vietnamese). Do you have any questions, comrades? Do you want to mess up or revolution... No questions, huh? That’s good. (We wish You get well soon.) Oh, I’m OK – just a passing-by cloud. I’m very strong! It’s just a passing-by cloud. I’m always springtime! So we have little clouds sometimes, but it’s always spring, eternal spring.
Oh, yeah, tell me something: which country... There is a Hungarian, where is he? I forgot. The Hungarian from yesterday... Are you still there? (Yes.) No. You are the one who talked about the retreat? I have no problem with your country about a visa, right? How about the Taiwanese (Formosan) and Chinese? (Before we came here, we were looking at this visa problem, and they can get visas, no problem.) They can. (Persons who come from other countries, for example, Poland, and have a Chinese visa or an Âu Lạc [Vietnam] visa, they can come also. This is a vegetarian [vegan] meeting there, and for that reason, we can get a lot of visas, no problem.) Ah, we get vegan visas! Yeah, yeah. Good excuse. This is cool. It’s cool. Well, I’m still considering your proposal. Thank you very much!
Any time you give me some request for a retreat or lecture, you give us also more information about your country, please. That would help, like, who needs a visa, [and] when. I love the countries that have landing visas. I love those countries. Even Cambodia – we went there because they have landing visas, which is good. It’s convenient for everybody. And if the persons are suspicious or no good, they can always be kicked out from the airport. Yeah, really! Because nobody can go through the airport if customs there don’t let them. So, what’s the problem? Because requesting a visa in advance is very inconvenient for many people. They are busy.
Also, like us, we don’t just have one country to go [to]; we have many countries. And if every country needs to wait for a visa for two, three weeks, it’s very inconvenient for a lot of brothers and sisters. I don’t approve of these kinds of countries nowadays anymore. I might approve if your country has war, has a lot of problems with criminals or things like that. But if your country is prosperous and doesn’t have much population, and is very civilized and well-controlled, I don’t approve. I don’t see any excuse, for example, for Australia. I don’t see any excuse. I really don’t. I can’t find any excuse.
I mean, maybe, OK... suppose like Hungary or any country... Suppose for some troubled country, because they also restrict their own citizens, and they probably request your country to restrict them also. Not giving their citizens a visa, those troubled countries. Or maybe they have war... Or maybe Taiwan (Formosa), for example, because their status is not very defined at the moment. Some countries are reluctant to give them visas because they don’t know what to do with Taiwan (Formosa), for example. If it’s just a special, very, very special case, a very special citizen, due to their country’s problem or their country’s status, OK, I understand.
But restrictions for the British, for Americans, for Canadians – this is nonsense! We British people or Americans don’t try to go to Australia to make a fortune or sleep there. We’re just passing by a few days, and they make so much trouble. I don’t approve. I don’t feel like going to such a country. If they’re “too good for us,” we humbly stay away. You don’t want to go to such a “too good country.” We’re not up to it! That’s what I mean. So the brothers and sisters in Australia, please understand and forgive me. I have a very good reason – to be humble, to humbly decline your invitation.
But Hungary, I have no problem that I know. (No.) But they can have visas, right? The Taiwanese (Formosans) and all that. (Yes, yes.) That’s OK. It’s alright if we go to only one country at that time. Then the brothers and sisters have a lot of time to apply. And they can run around from one embassy to another for fun since they have nothing else to do except a big work to take care [of], money to earn, a big family to take care [of], and a lot of responsibilities, and nothing else they can do. Except they have to meditate for two and a half hours a day and go to group meditation. Yeah, yeah, they are really free. They have a lot of time, so they can mess about with all this paperwork. That’s what I hate – paperwork, unnecessary paperwork. If we go to only one country at a time, it’s not so much inconvenience; we can do it. But still, I can’t understand any country that’s so unfriendly to anybody at all. Not to a special citizen because of their special circumstances, but to anybody at all.
There was a practitioner before, actually a saint. It’s a Jewish story. He was very enlightened indeed, and he thought he was OK. He contacted God all the time, and he could talk to God. But then, at a certain time in his life, God never appeared, never came to his house anymore. And one day, he was so, so desperate to talk to God again that he really tried all means to get God back in his house again. So he begged Hirm, he said, “Even if I have done some great mistake, or any sin at all, please just appear one more time to tell me what did I do, and what can I do to have You back in my house again.” So God appeared to him, kind of the last time. Hes said, You don’t let anybody else into your house, so I thought you don’t want anybody, including me. That’s why I don’t come in.” That’s what it is.
Any country that is developed enough should understand that all of mankind are God incarnate, God manifested – except some troublemakers, one now and again. That, we all know. Of course, there are some crazy gods also, I admit. But to bar everybody and to make such trouble for nothing, I don’t think a civilized country should adopt this kind of attitude.
Maybe we can go to Hungary or maybe not; I don’t know. At the moment I’m very tired, so I can’t even think about anything. Not only tired. It’s just after a lecture; it’s the wrong time to ask me. It seems too much. But after a while, maybe I’ll think about it.
Also, it is very funny for me now. I’m struggling between “to be or not to be,” “to do or not to do.” On [the] one hand, I’m so clear that all of you are God and Buddha. There’s no doubt about it at all. And I have much difficulty trying to teach you anything because, to me, it seems funny that I should teach any God at all. Yeah! To me... I mean, except when you really bug me and cloud my vision and drag my wisdom into somewhere down there, I always am very aware that you have everything you need, that you are exactly where you should be, and that you are the person you should be – exactly the way you are right now. So you have no problem trying to change yourself or doing anything; and you have no problem learning anything or knowing anything because you have everything inside you. That’s what I’m clearly aware of. And that’s why sometimes it’s very difficult for me to bring myself into a teacher position, to tell myself that you really need my answers, you really need me, you really need that, you really need this. It’s very difficult for me to try to convince myself that way, although you make me believe sometimes. On [the] one hand, I answer you; on the other hand, I laugh within myself and say, “Look at all these stupid Buddhas.” I don’t look down upon you to laugh like that.
I think “How amazing that they look outside all the time, and they forget to look within themselves. They’re so great in there! They know everything. They don’t need anything. They’re absolutely perfect and happy. They are strong enough to withstand any, any obstacle in this world. They’re strong enough to laugh at problems, and they’re strong enough even not to feel the suffering! Why [do] they keep looking outside for any solution?” Do you understand what I say? (Yes.)
