Don’t put on a show. Just be natural. You know I don’t ask you to bow or prostrate before me because I don’t like too much trouble. However, in Thailand, when they bowed to me, I didn’t say anything because they did it beautifully. I admired their way of… Really, that kind of demeanor. The way they crouched down was like dancing. The movement was so gentle and natural that you wouldn’t think they were bowing to you because you were good or something. You just felt appreciation for that kind of custom.
Usually, I wash my hair every day. Regardless of any type of hairstyle, I definitely wash it when I get back. But yesterday I couldn’t stand it. As soon as I got home, I washed my face like the way cat-people do. Cat wash. I washed and washed and washed. And I went to bed in less than five minutes. I meditated a little, symbolically only, and then I went to sleep immediately. But then, I slept less than… Maybe I was too tired or something. I slept for a bit and got up. And I didn’t feel well the rest of the night. Why did I talk so much? Ah, the hairdo. So I woke up this morning with my hair looking like a straw hut. Because I didn’t like that hairdo yesterday. It’s not that I didn’t like it. I’m not saying that her work was not good. She did a very beautiful job. How could it not be beautiful with 15 years of experience?
It’s just that my build is so petite. The hairdo was like a mushroom, as I told you. So, after the guests left, I went up right away to undo it. Then I made it simple like you saw yesterday. Did you see it? And you still said it was beautiful like that because I pulled it down and tied it in the center. I couldn’t flatten it, so it was best to just make it like that, similar to the way it is now. There was still the “whoosh, whoosh” thing inside, but I squashed it. And then I pulled it and tied it up. It became a little flatter. But I still couldn’t flatten it completely or make it straight because of the way she made it. I tried. Even God couldn’t make it straight. Unless I had gone back later and spent maybe half an hour washing it with hot water, using softener and hair conditioner, and combing it tuft by tuft with that big thing Zhu Bajie used – what is it called? (Rake.) Rake. Using the rake to pull them out one by one.
So, because the hairdo was like that yesterday, this morning, I had no choice but to let her do my hair because I didn’t know how. It was popping up in all directions, looking like a jungle. All messy and so big like this. So I didn’t have a choice but to let her do it. And then, she made it so beautiful. Of course, I had to put on something nice. And I’m so small with such a big hairdo, I had to wear high heels to balance things out a bit. Oh, then I felt I didn’t look like myself anymore. But it was OK because I knew you would love it. That’s the kind of style you like. Well, you liked it, so it was alright. It’s just that I felt it wasn’t me. I didn’t like it that much. That’s why I went up to change my clothes, to be more comfortable. Why have we come to this? What else? Hmm. That was all. Because I’d like to have you go home smiling. In the past three days, the first two were good, but not the third day. What a loss. Some people paid a lot of money for airfare, it costs US$700 to come here. If they went home with a face like this, it wouldn’t be good for the whole year. So it’s better that they go home with a smile. On my way up, I said to myself, “No matter what, even if I have to kill myself doing it, I must make everyone smile before they leave.” I felt better after loosening my hair.
But that person. He was making so much noise that the whole group woke up. So boring. If he loved me, he should have put an ad in the newspaper to let more people know. Why announce it here? Did you give him a microphone? No? But his voice was loud enough. No need.
Don’t put on a show. Just be natural. You know I don’t ask you to bow or prostrate before me because I don’t like too much trouble. However, in Thailand, when they bowed to me, I didn’t say anything because they did it beautifully. I admired their way of… Really, that kind of demeanor. The way they crouched down was like dancing. The movement was so gentle and natural that you wouldn’t think they were bowing to you because you were good or something. You just felt appreciation for that kind of custom. The Koreans also bow beautifully. They seem to have that custom. They’re more used to it. Maybe you Taiwanese (Formosans) are new learners. Or maybe your bodies are more rigid. I wonder what you eat. I knew, so I told you that you’d better not crouch.
Thai people have been doing it since childhood. So they also learn… They learn to dance as children; that’s why their bodies are soft, and their movements are beautiful. So, I didn’t say anything when they bowed down. It was natural, very natural. I didn’t feel my ego was acting up or that they were inferior to me. It was just their custom, and it’s very beautiful. They move very beautifully. Have you seen it? No? Have you seen any of it when you went to Thailand? (Yes.) Some of you have seen it. They do it naturally, don’t they? Except for a few Chinese who went there and learned from the Thai people – they were different. You can tell who is who at a glance. One is the original; one is the copy. Of course, the copy was not as good. Otherwise, the way Thai people bow is beautiful because they have had the custom for a long time. I didn’t want to stop them. I couldn’t do that either. Understand? I just went with the flow. It was OK for them to keep their beautiful custom.
It’s just that in Taiwan (Formosa), we don’t have that. Do we? (No.) It doesn’t seem so. You don’t bow to people, do you? When do you bow? Are there times when you bow? Like bowing to your parents or something, do you? Yes? (Yes.) When do you bow? (New Year.) You bow for the New Year? (We bow to the so-called masters.) One time? (Yes.) Only once a year. That’s why you can’t do it well. They are trained daily from a young age, you see? Every day, each Thai youngster since childhood is taught to dance at school. Although not every one of them can dance when they grow up. They don’t practice it. But they have a natural way of moving. Thailand is a Buddhist country. When they see monks, they’d definitely crouch down to bow or make offerings. That’s why since… They’ve been doing that since they were kids, so they’re used to it. We only do it once in a while. Our bodies are all stiff, half crouching and half standing. It looks terrible.
Luckily, our place is not a temple. Otherwise, I’d be even more annoyed every day. Because at the temple… I remember the custom in Âu Lạc (Vietnam) is that when you go to a temple, you bow to the Buddha, the wooden statue. You bow, and then a nun would stand by holding a stick, observing how high your buttocks are… She would hit you, saying, “Don’t raise your buttocks so high!” Bang! Until you lower your butt to the ground. That’s how it is. Sometimes, that kind of custom isn’t good either. Don’t force it on yourself if you don’t have it, understand? It’s just a wooden statue, no big deal. Right? (Yes.) Originally, it was only a piece of wood. We carve it this way, it becomes like this. We carve it that way, it becomes like that. If humans could create Buddhas, everyone would just go and make One. Why make wooden Buddhas? Right?
Alright. Do you understand more after you’ve practiced spiritually? You understand some aspects? (Yes.) Or you understood in the first place? You already knew it all. (After practicing spiritually.) (After practicing, we understand.) You understood after practicing spiritually? (Yes.) Really? (Yes, really.) Did it really help? (Yes.) (It helps.) Are you trying to make me feel better? (Master taught us.) (Really.) It really helped? (Really.) I’ll continue doing it if it really helps. Or else… Otherwise, at least once every day, I want… to find a place to hide. I think about it at least once a day. There’s not one day that I don’t think about it. I only think. I don’t do it. It’s alright.
Maybe our spiritual practice is helpful somehow. Even if your personality hasn’t improved, it’s still useful for many things because the Positive Power can help reduce the world’s suffering. However, you see, every time you read the newspaper, there are constant calamities. Sometimes, I feel frustrated, thinking I haven’t done enough and wondering if it really works. Oh, it’s so annoying, isn’t it? Every day when I open the newspaper, fighting here, killing there. It’s like that everywhere. When things subside in one place, they flare up somewhere else. And then they start fighting again and there’s another war starting. It’s always like that, right? (Yes.) Do you read the newspaper? You just went, “Yes, yes.” (We do.) Do you? Do you watch TV? (We watch a little.) You watch a little? Do you? (Watch a little, yes.) OK. Then you know. (Yes.)
Therefore, sometimes I think it’s better to leave the world alone. Sometimes, I think it’s just a few thousand people here, and you already make me so tired. But it helps, huh? (Yes.) Does anyone know that it helps? (Yes.) Raise your hands for me. OK. What about the others? What about the others? You don’t know? (It also makes Master happy.) (Master is happy.) Happy? (Incredibly happy.) I am incredibly happy? Not really. If you are not a Master, you’ll continue to be happy like that. Yes. And you will die happy. That’s the way it is. I was like that before. I was so happy that I was willing to be an enlightened Master. Then later, I realized: “Ah! I made a mistake.” It’s like that before you take up the role of enlightened Master. The mountains are not mountains, and the waters are not waters to you. After you become a Master, mountains are mountains, water is water, and garbage is garbage. I saw garbage radiate Light before. Truly, it was like that.
It’s OK the translation? (Yes.) I don’t see you laughing. Maybe something’s wrong? It’s no good? (Volume is too low, I think.) The volume is too low. (Yes. Very hard to hear.) They always do that. I believe you. They always do something like that. For example, when I need to speak to people, the microphone they turn to the lowest so that I have to… shout at the top of my voice. And then later, when they realize it, I’m already kaput. And this morning, when you were just saying something between you here, they put the volume the highest, that on top of the mountain, I nearly burst my ears. Seven o’clock in the morning – woke up the whole village. And if people come here and scold us, you won’t be surprised. That’s the problem. They always do things when not necessary.
Can you hear it? Turn the volume higher. They can’t hear very well in the earphones. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? It’s OK now? (Yes.) OK now? (I can hear.) Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You should. OK? (OK.) My God, such an easy thing. Next time, you do it. Take care of yourselves. I cannot do everything. Because you can just quietly go to them and say, “The volume higher.” That’s all, finished. And then everybody’s happy, and I’ll be so grateful. Because they always do this kind of thing. When they should do it big, then they do it small. When they should do it small, they do it big. I’m used to it, but I still get mad now and again. Ah, trouble, trouble. I tell you, that’s why I’m mad. You only come once in a while. You don’t suffer much because, for you, easy to forgive.
Anyhow, we have to put up with all this kind of negative power. Yesterday too many people came during our retreat, and the guardian angels worked very hard, but they broke down. Too tired. That’s why today so many negative influences since morning. Otherwise, we had nothing wrong for many days. And I nearly thought Miaoli was perfect, that I could stay here forever, or something like become Taiwanese (Formosan). It’s good, it’s good for me. Sometimes, they do this kind of thing, then I flee. Then I know, it’s illusion only. And then I will go to another country sometimes. Otherwise, I will just sleep here all day long and all my life, and then you’ll never have a chance to see me in another country. That’s just to comfort me. Otherwise, it’s no good for anybody, no good for my nerves. Did you understand me? Your English is very good. No problem. No problem.
Photo Caption: Leaning If Need, But Growing a Must
