You’re just like another person observing another person. Just like that. Or looking at life from another angle, somehow. Like it doesn’t concern you that much. (Yes, Master.) It was really nice. I would like that again. This time of the world, I don’t like. I worry about people, I’m agonized about the animal-people when I see them dying and being tortured like that, and about the war and all that. All this is disturbing me too much. (Yes, Master.) At that time, I was not in the world, man.
Sometimes, I told you already, like you didn’t have that white sofa in your old office and I saw it. Standing in front of it, I thought, “Oh, this is what I want. This is what I meant. You should buy this kind of sofa for yourself.” And you were thinking I was talking about that ugly sofa that I did not like. It wasn’t that one. It was a very beautifully made, white color. And it had a little curve even, and it was a long- stretching sofa. Beautifully decorated and beautifully designed. I don’t remember seeing that kind of sofa anywhere before. (Oh.) I thought, “Oh, you bought this one, so beautiful, and you bought that ugly one for me?”
And later I described my sofa, because you told me, “You have the same one, Master.” I said “No way, no way.” And later I told him, “It’s the green one, the same one that you told me before.” And he said, “No, no, we had the same. We don’t have any white there.” And you looked all over every other office for the white one, you didn’t have. Remember? (Yes, Master.)
And one time, I sat in my office in Taiwan (Formosa) and was looking out and it looked like Europe to me. (Oh.) So, I called many people. I said “Where am I?” Remember that? (Yes, Master.) I told you that story. And then the next day, it looked the same – same as before, not like Europe but same as Taiwan (Formosa). Then I realized I was really in Taiwan (Formosa) – at that time, a long time ago.
Sometimes illusion allows you to live in a little different country, a different kind of environment just for a while, quicky. Sometimes it’s difficult to discern where you are. (Yes, Master.) If your mind doesn’t interfere, then you are in that situation. But you didn’t know that it’s an inside situation, because at that time you don’t feel that you are inside or outside. (Yes, Master.)
Never mind, never mind. I’m just talking about things that you don’t understand, do you? Someday maybe you will have a similar experience. Doesn’t matter. We’re still here, on Earth and it’s almost 2:30 and… are you sleepy or not? (No, Master. We’re OK, Master.) How long did I speak now, half an hour? (Almost 40 minutes.) Forty? (Yes.) Already? (Yes.) I can’t believe that. Really? (Yes, Master.) I just said a few words, man. It is your good news and bad news that makes it long. Not that I broke my record and that’s all.
So, take care of yourself with the coming heat. (Yes, Master.) August is coming, it’s the hottest month. (Oh.) Mostly, everywhere, August is the hottest month in the year. (Yes, Master.) July is also hot, but just four weeks. (Yes, Master.) And just keep yourself cool with cold water and be happy that you have cold water. (Yes.)
Now I remember, I tell you what. In India, at that time, when I went to the Bodh Gaya, I was already overheated. And then I could not really walk very well, and I went to Varanasi. The deer park area. (Yes.) I went there for a pilgrimage as well, to pay respect to the Master.
And I was really already at my end, when I just saw a temple. It looked like a Chinese temple, but inside there was a Tibetan monk. Even though he was a Tibetan monk, he ate vegetarian. (Oh.) I mean it’s truly just vegan. He didn’t eat anything else except non-animal products. I don’t know if he drank milk or not. I didn’t see. And I went there and collapsed. So, he took me into his room and covered me with the… No, that was afterward. He let me stay in one of the small little corners somewhere.
Then I went to take a shower and the water was boiling hot. Oh, I almost burned myself. (Oh.) It’s not hot water, it’s water from the pipe because they made the pipe all open. (Yes, Master.) And the sun heated the pipe up and I didn’t know. (Oh, wow.) Oh my God, it felt like burning all over. There was no other choice, I didn’t know. It was a new place, I just arrived and I didn’t know whom to ask or anything. I didn’t think of how to ask. I normally don’t ask anybody anything. (Yes, Master.)
And then after that, I got a fever or something and the monk saw that I was sick, so he put me on a bed outside, not in his room, outside in the corridor. I guess he didn’t want people to think anything bad about us. (Yes, Master.) He was really a good monk. Truly a good monk, like a father. He put me on the couch, on a cot. In India they’re made with coconut fiber, coconut string. (Yes, Master.)
He put a blanket on it and he laid me on it. And then, he put a cover on my whole body. The cover is like a mosquito net. It has some kind of wood sticks around to make it stand up like a tent. But it’s empty at the bottom. It’s not like a tent that is covered. (Yes, Master.) It’s like in Asia, sometimes people use some smaller ones to cover the food so mosquitoes or flies don’t come in. (Yes, that’s right. Yes, Master.) This one is bigger. I don’t know where he found it. It just covered my whole body. He just like capped it on me. I laid down there and then he just covered with that. Just like people cover the food with these anti-fly nets. (Yes, Master.)
The structure is like that. It’s like an umbrella without any middle stick, but it’s not plastic, it’s just a net, mosquito net. (Yes. Yes, Master.) Just like that. And in an oval shape, made for humans. I don’t know how he got that. I never saw it anywhere else. We could do that and sleep outside.
Actually, in Thailand, many monks and nuns don’t go to sleep at night in the temple inside. Each one has a mosquito net hanging on a tree and in the daytime they knot it to tie it up. And nighttime, they unknot it, untie it. And then they cover themselves, and I guess they sit there until morning. (Oh.) They do eat meat, whatever people give them, but they do some ascetic practice. (Yes, Master.) It is also to be admired.
And they don’t wear shoes to go out. When they come home, come back to the temple, there is a long bowl already made on the floor with water. And they just walk in the water to wash their feet and then walk in the temple. Because they went out, with muddy roads and anything. So, they just come back and walk inside that long and deep bowl of water, so that their feet are clean before they come inside the temple.
And they eat once a day, mostly. Most of them are like that. Really strictly keep the precepts like that. So, there are many kinds of lives. (Yes, Master.) People survive, people live differently. I have seen many, it’s also good for me to appreciate whatever I have, and not complain about any difficult situation. Even when I lived in the ashram, often I went hungry. Remember I told you? (Yes, Master.) Because I worked in the office, and I didn’t know what time they would bring the food. Even I lived there for a long time, I never asked what time they bring food. How silly can that be! Your Master.
I should have found out. Then I would come on time. I did come sometimes on time by chance, by the way. When I didn’t have any more work to do, I just walked out into the dining area and I saw some food. Oh, miraculous! I should have asked, “What time normally is dinner or lunch?” Never asked even. Can you imagine what kind of woman is that? Came straight from where? The Moon?
Truly, truly when I was thinking backward, I was really so naïve and like a child. I didn’t even know too much about things in the world. If I’m hungry, that’s it I’m hungry. If I don’t have food, then I’m hungry. And if I’m thirsty, I don’t have water, that’s it I’m thirsty. That’s all I knew! I didn’t think of anything else, how to correct that situation. Didn’t think. My God! Now I reverse my life and think of all that, I think I was really, truly so naïve.
(Maybe You were in Nirvana all the time.) Nirvana! You must be joking. Nirvana people don’t know hunger. (Yes.) I did know hunger. Well, I don’t remember how hungry I felt. No, not really. Not that uncomfortable. Maybe you’re right. I don’t remember feeling uncomfortable without food. (Yes, Master.)
So maybe if I had food, OK, and if I didn’t have food, it was also OK, truly. Sometimes you’re hungry, but now I don’t remember anything about feeling hungry and uncomfortable. It’s just sometimes, when you don’t have enough food, then the body yearns for the sweet things. (Yes, Master.) And all the money, I gave away, I had nothing. I could not even buy a piece of laddu to eat.
Other things, what are they called? The white stuff? White and sweet? Sweeter than sugar. I forgot all that sweet stuff. Tell me something. ([Vegan] barfi or jalebi, that’s another.) Yeah, yeah, yeah. Stuff like that. All these are good things for me. I didn’t learn any of them. But then, you felt like you wanted to eat that, but if didn’t have, then OK, too. I didn’t ever feel so agonizing or so terrible or anything. I even went in the kitchen and washed all the mountains of dishes, and didn’t feel anything.
Oh, man. Truly. What kind of woman was that? I lived in the world, but I didn’t feel like anything is a trouble. (Yes, Master. Must be nice.) I don’t know, nice or not, but just it felt very unconcerned. (Yes, Master.) Like just a placid kind of feeling. Like nothing happened. Nothing happened. (Yes, Master.) You’re just like another person observing another person. Just like that. Or looking at life from another angle, somehow. Like it doesn’t concern you that much. (Yes, Master.) It was really nice. I would like that again. This time of the world, I don’t like. I worry about people, I’m agonized about the animal-people when I see them dying and being tortured like that, and about the war and all that. All this is disturbing me too much. (Yes, Master.)
At that time, I was not in the world, man. Somehow like that. Nothing really disturbed me at all. Hunger, thirst, cold, or heat – didn’t disturb me at all. Not that I don’t know it’s hot. (Yes, Master.) Not that I don’t know that the stomach is hungry, or I didn’t have food, but just it didn’t matter. (Yes, Master.) Didn’t even think about that.
My God! What kind of woman is that? Oh, man. When I was younger. Now if you let me go hungry, I won’t work. It’s good. (We won’t either, Master.) We all know each other.
Any more questions? Or anything? It’s 3-something now. (Yes, 3:10.) It’s about one hour-something. (An hour-twenty, maybe.) Not much. It’s good, it’s good. Like that, you don’t have to work so hard for the Fly-in News. Truly now, good morning, good night. (Yes, Master. Good night.) You still have a little time to sleep before you meditate. (Yes, Master.) So, count that as a blessing. (Yes, Master. Thank You, Master.) Then let’s let you go to sleep. You still have almost three and a half hours, that’s a luxury already. (Yes, Master.) Compared to me. I still have work to do.
Alright then. God bless, God protect you, and protect yourself, keep your faith strong, continue your noble work. (Yes, Master. Thank You, Master.) I have a lot of respect for you for that, no matter why you come, no matter what level, no matter how much heart you put into it. I still have a lot of respect. It’s hard work what you’re doing. Not many people can do it. You can see it. (Yes, Master) You can count on your fingers and then you know what I’m saying. So, you know you have appreciation from me. (Thank You, Master.) Don’t get your ego up, that would be trouble for me, for both. (Yes, Master.) Protect yourself from your ego. (Yes, Master.) May God shield you from everything that is harmful. May God give you all that is good for you. God Love. (Thank You, God. Thank You, Master.)
