So, this is the story that reminds us that there is not just this world that exists. We will leave it. No matter how rich we are, we will leave. Because we’ve been toiling all our lifetime just to earn our comfort living or richness, but then, we will have to leave it with nothing, and alone. (Yes, Master.) And don’t even know what fate awaits us.
“So yesterday, he was a king, but today, he will never find any friend. (Oh.) Even, the lowest level in our country, like servants and all that. No one will be with him (Oh.) in this hour of need.”
I should have talked to you a few days ago when I was having inspiration to do so. But it was too busy. I was too busy. Too much work to do. Today, I saw not a lot of work, so I immediately called you before it’s too late again. And maybe today is my low day. Too much work those days, so today, even if I want to try, it’s different timing already. (Yes, Master.) (Understand, Master.) Already too much physical and mental power has been spent. It’s good that I still have a good mood at least. I’m not beginning to yell at you or anything. You count it as lucky.
Wow! Yesterday, he was a glorious, dignified king. And today, he became a beggar, (Wow.) and exiled to an island. Wild island. Uninhabited island. (Wow.) “Then he has fallen into terrible suffering and dire need situation. No one even cared about him. And the same people and citizens, one year ago, had welcomed him and put him onto the golden throne, and now, they are too busy running out to welcome another one. (Oh.) And to make another one their king. The one that God has sent to them every year.
‘Your Majesty, this is the custom of our country. We don’t remember since when it has begun. But we know for sure that it cannot be changed.’ After hearing thus, the king said to his prime minister, ‘Ah. Hearing you and your attitude, I feel like you are a very loving, caring person. So, taking this opportunity, I ask you where are those kings before me? Please tell me whether or not, those kings before me, when they were still on the king’s throne, did they ever know the final situation of their life or not?’ So, the prime minister said, ‘Everyone knew. All of them knew. But because they were so satisfied, so contented with their present situation, the glory, the comfort made them blind about their future situation, so nobody ever thought of anything about their final days.’
Oh, the king became quiet, thoughtful, pensive, and then, he is completely awakened. So, he said to his prime minister, ‘OK, in that case, I cannot waste precious time. When I am still able to do something for myself, for my future, I have to do all my best, no?’ So, the king continued talking, saying to his prime minister, ‘Because you have told me everything in truthfulness, so I can rely on you and ask you what should I do in order to save myself from that terrible fate awaiting me in the future.’
So, the prime minister said to him, ‘Your Majesty, you should remember well that you came here with two empty hands. And then you will have to go with two hands empty and you can never come back. But there is one thing you could do in order to avoid that situation. Now if you want to listen to my advice, you should dispatch your trusted people, they should go to the wild island, the remote island where they are going to bring you, and tell them to build many storages with a lot of food and whatever things that you think you will need. Build also the house. Please remember that you will not find anything else except whatever you have arranged beforehand for yourself on that remote island.’
Oh, the king immediately agreed to that advice and then he dispatched his trusted people to go to the remote island. Over there they built houses with interior decoration. They planted vegetables and trees, fruit trees and all that. And then after, they transformed that wild remote area into a very nice good residential place with all kinds of food and necessities, and fruit trees as well. Yes, of course.
So, when it’s almost time for the king to leave his kingdom, the king said to his prime minister, ‘Oh, I am so, so, so longing, desiring for my king days to end so that I can go to the exiled area of the wild island that I have built for myself.’”
Nice, hey? (Yes.) Oh, nice, nice. Remind me to tell you how I feel. (OK, Master.) Remind me when I finish. (Yes, Master.)
“And then at the end, finally, one year has gone by. So, he has been kicked out of his throne, of his royal palace, stripped of all of the royal clothing and been given worn-out rags to wear and then forced onto a boat to go toward the wild, remote island. But the king was very happy. Even though he’s not on the gold throne anymore, but he was a slave as well as a king. He went there with a very contented attitude and happy, happy, happy days for him. He lived there happily ever after, all alone even.”
“This story has been told by the great rabbi, Nachman in Horodenka. Horodenka is a city in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in western Ukraine. This story originally came from a book that has been published in Poland, Warsaw, in the beginning of the 20th century. There are many other similar stories in the Jewish and non-Jewish community.” (Yes, Master.) End of story. (Thank You, Master.)
Now you know what it means, the story. It’s a parable, right? (Yes, Master.) Just like we are from Heaven. And then we came slaving into this world, 8, 10, 12 hours a day just for a few bunches of dollars. (Yes.) Then, we are not even preparing for the day when we should leave this world. (Yes, Master.) So, this is the story that reminds us that there is not just this world that exists. We will leave it. No matter how rich we are, we will leave. Because we’ve been toiling all our lifetime just to earn our comfort living or richness, but then, we will have to leave it with nothing, and alone. (Yes, Master.) And don’t even know what fate awaits us.
So, this story is so simple, but I thought it’s OK. I just happened to open and it’s right in front of my eyes, so, I read it. Because if I keep looking again, just like the other book, could not find things, I forgot already what is what. Like that.
So, the practitioners of Quan Yin method, they’re prepared for their future. More lucky than the king, they could even see where they will be. Well, some of them, not all of our (Association) group members can see where they will live beforehand. But some can. Alright? (Yes, Master.)
So, how do we prepare for the day we leave our luxury or comfort life? We have to prepare. Like virtue, moral, practicing the connection with Heavens, then, we will go there, and we will have everything. Actually, it’s not for the highest Kingdom, not for the highest Heaven, but still, you need to prepare. (Yes, Master.)
