The people are always victims of any war. They are just bystanders, innocent victims. That’s why I had to help them. I wasn’t politically-minded, I didn’t care. I had my own corner of the world. I didn’t care about that, but what do you do if your children are in trouble? Won’t you want to do anything to help?
How did he make it all this way here? Very tiny one. What was I saying before the worm? (About the gray hair.) The gray hair. How could he be so busy or so enjoying that in 84,000 years he didn’t know time passed?
So, I wrote a letter. So, in that case, I am really pardoned for forgetting to have more contact with the good friends in the Philippines. We are all busy anyway. They are also busy. So, maybe they understand me, and they forgive me, of course. But still, that is not nice, not to see friends and just work, work. And no fun, no play, just work? So, I wrote, I said, “The time passes so quickly, I don’t really realize it. And I didn’t know you had such a noble organization.” Like apologetic. And I said, “Time really flies so fast.” I said, “It is all my fault that being too busy with things and with demands, so we haven’t been in touch for a long time. But I have never forgotten you and your husband, the Senator.”
I never forgot them. I never forgot the Philippines, the President, and all the people, the Senator and Parliamentary personnel who treated me like a VIP, at least. Not a princess, but VIP. They even had security guards around me everywhere I went. Treated me absolutely with utmost respect and friendship. I wonder, because the Philippines is not one of the most powerful or rich countries. They have to send their people to go out to work in different countries to earn a living for their families at home, separated families.
I always feel very sorry about that. But that is their way of life and maybe it’s their affinity with other countries. Maybe that’s good also. So, they can bring friendliness, diligence and extreme loyalty and nobility, and generosity, even though in their country, it’s not a very well-off situation. So, it’s good like that also, that they spread out in every corner of the world to let people know the Philippine people are really, really trustworthy. They are trustworthy, loyal people. And so generous like that.
I go a little bit further but remind me of the Buddha again. It was his fault; he lived 84,000 years and didn’t know the world was passing by. So what can I do, and then one thing leads to another. Or you want me to talk about Buddha only now, then you tell me. (No, no. Just talk.) Just keep going, just keep talking; as long as I talk, anything will do. Fine, I know that. Over the decades, I know that. Anything, as long as You sit here and talk, Master, just talk. All right, where was I then? (Philippines.)
In order to accept the 5,000 Aulacese (Vietnamese) refugees, they had to change the country’s constitutional law. Because they never had it before, about refugee law, so the Senator, her husband, Senator Alvarez and other officials, all the senate, all the parliamentary people that I met and shook hands (with) and talked to, they had to work to amend the law, you understand that? (Wow.) So, I met two presidents.
The first one was President Aquino. She could not even promise. She said, “I’m Philippine, I’m only working for Philippine people,” and I understand that, because the law was like that. There was no law for foreigners to come and stay in the country. It’s just like every country, we have laws for workers. You can’t just come in; some countries you cannot just come in with the tourist visa and then work, you see, it’s forbidden.
And the Aulacese (Vietnamese) people at that time, they were traumatized, you know what I mean. When the two countries or two parties were at war, they made bad propaganda about each other, to make people already scared to begin with. And then they looked upon each other like enemies, like even evil beings or something. So, when the Communists came to the South, took over, they were scared already. They had to run no matter who, even if they didn’t have anything to do with politics, even if they had nothing to do with the Americans at that time, they ran. Because of all the propaganda also. That is the problem, that’s one reason also.
And of course, everything was new and then they had to take over and control and make more regulations and rules and people were not used to it. That’s another reason, and all this propaganda and fear-instilling tactics before the war ends. Of course, you understand, right? (Yes.) I suppose if the Southern army or government had gone to the North, instead of the North going to the South, then probably the Northern people would also have run and become refugees, you see what I’m saying? (Yes.)
So, the people are always victims of any war. They are just bystanders, innocent victims. That’s why I had to help them. I wasn’t politically-minded, I didn’t care. I had my own corner of the world. I didn’t care about that, but what do you do if your children are in trouble? Won’t you want to do anything to help?
And people who are in trouble, who are in need, are just like children to me; they’re helpless, they are just like children, no? When you’re helpless, is it not like when you’re an infant? (Yes.) When you were an infant, you couldn’t do anything, you had to rely on somebody to help you. The same with refugees or people in disaster-stricken areas or in some unfavorable situation when they have lost everything. And even lost their country, lost their homes. You see what I’m saying? They become like infants. They really need protection and help and comfort, so that they regain the trust in the world again.
You saw some news on television everywhere. One man lost his family members and he just carried his infant, ran into the jungle and lived for 40 years; remember that film? That,documentary about the Aulacese (Vietnamese) who ran with his two-year-old kid, ran into the jungle and he encountered the other people, two, three times he ran even deeper. Even abandoned the whatever new home that he had and began anew with nothing in hand, just ran like that because he was so traumatized, so frightened, so fearful of whatever he saw.
Everyone knows that we die somehow, one day or another, but sudden like that, you’ll be shell-shocked, and you have no more reason left in your heart or your brain, except running away from that. Many people are traumatized like that during a war or any very traumatic scene. Some children, if they see something very traumatic or frightening, they just stop talking, they can’t talk anymore. It’s like that.
Even in Japan, I read it in the newspaper, the Empress of Japan, that one time, some of her servants talked bad about her and the newspaper printed it, and she could not speak for some time. The Queen, the Empress of Japan. Imagine that? Not to talk about the ordinary citizens who have no power. Have just a little roof and the walls for themselves to protect themselves from rain and shine, with his family and suddenly lost everything. His house burned, family members dead. The only thing he wanted was just to protect his son. So, he ran with him with nothing in hand and the jungle fed them, the mountain shielded them. I am just too emotional when I think about people who suffer so much. That it could have been avoided.
We all die but such tragedy could be avoided. That’s why I was so overjoyed to see North and South Korea make peace with each other, and now they took away the bombs and demolished the control post at the border, and no guns at the border even. Now just security men. You didn’t see that? (No.) Oh, you didn’t see it yet, no? Yesterday, no? Or the day before, that was the news. Anyway, that’s why I’m so happy about it, and they really mean peace, you got that? (Wow.) Really, yeah. They took away all the land mines and demolished the control buildings between the borders, and now no more guns, no army there, just security men with no weapons, security men only.
I came out of the retreat, I mean every month or… if every month I can, I do a retreat for a few days, just to balance it out or to recover. I have to recover, that’s why I can’t just see you every day, I must recover in order to continue. And I have to recover for the world, you see what I mean? (Yes.) I just came out of retreat, a few days, four day retreat, working retreat, invisible.
And then I saw the news and I was so happy. I saw it before you, of course, I was so happy. I was smiling from here to here. I said, that’s the way, that’s the way. And then Ethiopia also made, similar time, Ethiopia made peace with their opposite parties, opposite revolutionary armed forces, etc. Oh, I was so happy, happy! I said, whatever, it’s all worth it, it’s all worth it. The world is going in a peaceful direction everywhere. And then the Israel Prime Minister went and met the King of Oman, who tried to patch up the peace accord again with Palestine. I’m so happy, happy, happy! I said to my staff, I must go on retreat forever. I should. Oh yeah, I really wanted to, I really wanted to do retreat forever. I told them I have to, I should, I must, but I can’t. You know I have to do work also, outside in the world. It’s different work, in retreat is different work. When I am with you or I do paperwork and take care of everything, it’s different work. I have to, both, I have to do.
It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault, I told you already. Here, my love. The Indian, or Sri Lankan, yeah. She’s still crying, my God! We are laughing now, why are you still crying? I’m not crying. I think my nose is sensitive, always the left side. It’s the side of taking in the karma, always the left side. Somehow, always happening on the left side. My face also changes because of that, on the left side only. Anyway, I’m much better off than many other people.
You see? Many people are more handicapped. Even a brilliant scientist like Dr Stephen Hawking also in such a situation, that you would not want to put your feet in his shoes. Such a brilliant mind, brilliant scientist of our world, still had to suffer like that. This was his price to pay also, just to be a scientist and being helpful to the world, you also have to pay something.
Where was I before? Where was I before that? (Peace.) Peace. (Refugees. The peace.) The refugees. Ah, yeah, OK, OK. I just want you to know why I’m so grateful to the Philippines because they had to go through a lot of work, extra work that just invited itself to their country. They did not invite any more work. The Aulacese (Vietnamese) came by themselves, because of the situation of the world, of the war also. So, they had to work extra. They had to take care of their country. Every government that takes care of their country already has a lot of work. You don’t think they just sit in the office and always signing papers or receiving guests and that’s it. No, they have to work much more behind that.
Behind the scenes there’re always some people who don’t like their policy. There’re always some complaints, there’re always some poor people, some disaster, some other diplomatic, maybe unfavorable situation with another country. Always very busy already, taking care of a country, millions of people. Therefore, some people always criticize the government. I say don’t do it. Don’t do it. If you come up to be a president or prime minister or any minister, you’ll do worse. You wouldn’t know what to do to begin with.
I told you a story about a woman who went into a temple and prayed for the present king. He was a very bad king but she kept praying for him to live long and people ask her, “Why? He is a wicked man. Why pray for him?” She says, “Yeah, but before him was a wicked king also. And before him there was another wicked king. I always pray for them to go down, and then another king comes up, same or worse, and another king comes up same or worse. So now, this king, I just pray he lives long, forever, so we don’t get worse.” You remember the story I told you? (Yes.) That is a wise thing to do.
So now, I’m telling you that because the government of the Philippines, they also already have their problems, their population to take care of. They often have disasters, you know that, because I ask you to go take care of them. We do a little, what we can, until they get back on their feet. Everybody helps a little bit.
I feel ashamed that I don’t have more financial wealth. I should but I’m too busy; also, I can’t just keep earning money. We could invest and earn money in different ways with the bank and all that, but I don’t feel like taking other people’s money. Even though we invest in the bank, you have the right to have it, interest, but I don’t want to. I don’t know where all this interest comes from. Therefore, I just give whatever I have in my hand through my work. We don’t borrow from the bank, we don’t invest, so that we have more money. We could do all that. We have connections and we have ways to do these things, but I think whatever God gives is OK.
Anyway, so even then, the Aulacese (Vietnamese) are there because I kept going and begging and pleading. They had to change the law in order to accept the Aulacese (Vietnamese). And that’s not easy. They had to meet together and some pros, some cons, you know? It’s not like everybody would agree with the President or the Senator’s ideas. They had to discuss, and they had to negotiate.
Any system, when many people are together, there are always some pros and some cons. You look at the Americans, then you know, right? They have two parties only and they have so much work to go through. The same, every country is the same. Because every free country, they don’t have a dictating system, they have free vote. So even the ones who oppose you, your party must also accept them in your parliament or in the senate. So, because of that, it’s good and it’s bad. It’s good because the government cannot be…
You listen to Chinese? (Oh, no, no, no, I’m listening, I’m just listening...) OK. You forgot, huh? OK, never mind. (It sounds louder.) It’s OK, I also forget. Sometimes I put my glasses on my head and I keep looking all over because I came and took care of the dogs and then when I come back, oh, I look for my glasses everywhere. And now I have a couple more glasses. I’m smarter. I put glasses here, glasses there and it still happens because I took them from here and I work there and I don’t know where they are anymore. I am getting old or something. All right.
