Use something. Use your intelligence. To help one person return to Original Soul Self is a merit immeasurable. Your job is not only to follow me, to come to retreat, meditate, but your job is to help your fellow human beings, who’re erring.
I made one joke about the photo. I don’t know if it’s on TV or not yet. Sometimes they put my joke on TV, original joke. That is from me. I say the joke like: One of the photographers takes my photo sometimes, and I say, “What, they don’t look like me. You used to make beautiful photos of me. How come it looks so old now?” And then I said, “Yeah, yeah, you know, the camera is old, outdated.” The camera, it must be about 30 years old already. When he took my first photo, I was already 30 or something, so it’s 30 years here. I tried to forget. I blame the camera. But the camera nowadays is even better than that time. So, when you see some old, old video before, when your Master just came out into the public, some are so blurry, so they just put only audio. Because the video quality is really, really below lousy. It’s OK, you still can hear my voice. And sooner, maybe if this object of photography is too old, you will most probably just hear the voice also. And that photo is my own joke; it’s joking about myself. But I just exaggerate a little bit; it’s a joke. You must make it more dramatic and the punchline must be more exaggerated, more shocking, so people laugh. You will see that joke. They probably will air it soon.
So, our lives are shorter than we even think. When I was younger, a child, my mother told me she was 40 already, and I thought, “Wow! That’s very old! Very, very old!” And when I was 40, I thought, “Oh, it’s still OK.” And quickly you become 60, and quickly you pass 60 even! And then you don’t know how long I will stay here, next time you come.
Really treasure your time and your opportunity, your wealth, your house, your happiness. Not because you need, not because we’re greedy for these things, but your house, your wealth afford you to have a good safe place to meditate, afford you to come here to see me sometimes, to ease your longing, and maybe to take home something that you need. Maybe my words, maybe my love, maybe something that we cannot prove. Take home something. So, if you don’t have wealth, then it’s not good, is it? Right? (Yeah.)
So, it’s not to look down upon money or wealth, position, or your comfort in life. Treasure it, appreciate it. Without them, we won’t die, of course. It’s just less convenient, less comfortable; that’s all. So, if you can afford it, you have wealth, you have health, you have a good home, happiness at home, then you are very lucky people. But just use it, use it for your own advantage; not cling to it, because it will be your master, then you will be in trouble, you will not be free. To free yourself; only that.
But everything is good for you, everything in this world is good, if we know how to use it. Like a car, you must know how to control it; otherwise, it will be harmful to you and other people. And like electricity, you must know how to channel it, to install it; otherwise, it will shock you and may kill you or others. Everything in life is good for you. I’m not saying, “OK, we’re practitioners, we don’t need anything.” It’s for sure. We don’t need anything inside; inside you put down. You don’t care, inside only, but outside you still need.
Don’t think, “Master lives in a cave. I’ll also go live in a cave.” That doesn’t make you become a Buddha. It just makes trouble for you; you are not used to it. The cave’s leaking; you don’t know how to do it, and you might not be healthy. I live there because, I don’t know, I just like it there. Not because I copy you, or because that makes me become a Buddha. It’s not like that. It’s just the situation here, or situation there.
Like before in Hsihu, we could not build anything, so we just made caves. Because a cave is legal, it’s OK. The cave is only two-meters by two-meters, and there is a little porch outside, another meter, or half a meter, depends on the landscape. Because the situation is like that. Not because I make a cave, so that I become a Buddha, or I become like an ascetic practitioner; it’s not. You just live according to your means, according to your situation, then you’ll have peace. Don’t try to force things, don’t try to be too much extraordinary, and then you will have no willpower anymore to deal with so many challenges in life. Just let it all be.
I live in a cave here because it’s more far away, more isolated for me. And, so I don’t need to ask the disciples to build a house for me. They have already selected a good place, good Feng Shui. I don’t care about that. Building needs permission, many months, until they’re approved. And build it, and then have to have inspection, and maybe come again and again, checking. Costs time, precious time for you.
Your time is also precious, as much as mine. If you don’t think so, but I do think so. So, I bother you as little as possible, so that you have more time to meditate. You already have family, have work, and have other… helping with the Center and Supreme Master TV. If you spend all your time building a home for me and my dogs as well, it still wastes too much time. So, it already exists, I use it. It’s just a natural thing, and it’s far away from the assembly, so I can have a little bit of privacy and quietude to do my stuff.
I am very happy to have it, truly. I am not like punishing myself or doing it for ascetic reasons. Even if I do it to save merit, even then I’m very happy in it. When I go in there, and I work a lot already and come back, and if I can have time to crawl into my tent and be alone, zip it down, I feel, “Wow, such a blessing!” I really appreciate it very much.
So, do not do what I do if you cannot; don’t do that. Don’t abandon your family or girlfriend/boyfriend, or husband/wife for me, because I did that. It’s not necessary. You put down inside your heart. Not everybody has affinity to be a monk or nun. And not everybody can be a monk as a monk.
Look at me. Do I look like a monk? Even I became a monk, look at me, look at this. I don’t look like a monk at all, but who cares? Do you care? (No.) You care what I wear? (No.) No, OK. It’s your karma. Look at your karma. Don’t look… They are not clothes. They are dirt, green dirt, karma, your karma. It’s OK, or maybe my karma. Maybe I have to do it, so I can earn more money to help some people who only need money and don’t need spiritual help yet. Need money, then I can help them. We have different kinds of help. All right, then.
I thank you for being enlightened enough to look through the dirt to see my soul, and to see my sincerity and my spiritual attainment. I thank you for that. I am really proud of you. I thank you. I am very touched. I am really touched. Thank you. Thank you very much. It’s very rare. It’s rare. Because I came out as a nun, and then I changed ten thousand times, and different things, and you still are with me. So, that’s not about me, it’s about you, that you have really progressed, you have really improved. Your soul improved, your spiritual elevation has really gone high. And I am very proud of you and I am very glad to have you as my so-called disciples. Thank you so much. You make me proud. Thank you.
Especially the monks and the nuns who follow me, I mean the real monks, real nuns, long time practicing before they came to me, I really thank them. I really admire them. Because monks and nuns, they’re mostly, normally fixed in their own belief. I don’t look like anything worthy of their belief and their trust, and they still trust, and they still believe me, and they keep coming for retreats and seeing me. That means they are high. Not just because they are monks or nuns; because they are high, highly developed.
That’s why I tell you to leave them alone, protect them, respect them, so that they can be more developed in their own way. Do not try to be too near, because you don’t know what your level is, you might contaminate them. I am sorry if I offend you. I tell the truth all the ways, all times. I don’t want to be famous in the world as a sweet-talk lady, as a gentle Master, as a very polite Master. No. I am here for the truth. I am here only for you, for your good. And if I have offended you ever, in any way, forgive me. But I won’t change. Don’t look for change. I won’t change. If I have to kick you out sometimes, so that your ego will run away, then I will do that. If I have to yell at you so that you wake up, I will do that. Don’t expect any change from your Master. She is like that; She will always be.
Take care of yourself. Look inside, don’t look outside. Be humble, always be accepting, so that you can progress. Don’t listen to your mind, your ego. I don’t ever want to do anything harmful to you, least of all to the good practitioners, least of all, wanting to offend you. For what reason? It’s only not good for me. But I ask for your forgiveness. In case you get angry with me, please don’t. Don’t be.
To practice our way is very difficult. It looks easy though. If you listen to my advice, my experience, it’s easy. If you listen to your ego, to the world, your habits, then it’s difficult. First of all, how many people can eat vegetarian (vegan), even? So simple! Many drop out because they cannot be vegetarian (vegan), because they cannot be strong enough to stand for your belief. The wife obstructs, the children even obstruct, the friends even talk you out of vegetarianism (veganism), and you listen to all of them. I am one only. I cannot go against all of them. They’re near you every day. So, you have to be careful, no?
You have to stand up for yourself. Because after all, you’re born alone, and you will die alone. If you don’t stand up for yourself, nobody else really does. Wife can divorce you anytime; husband can leave you for another girl, anytime. Boyfriend, girlfriend, same stuff. But you have to stay with yourself, with your own conscience, with your heart, all the time. It’s difficult, I know that. I know it’s easy for me to advise you, standing here.
I know outside is difficult. But you tell your friends or ex-disciples, have to be strong because you don’t know if you have next life as a human. You don’t know if next life you’ll see Master again, any Master, not just me, for example. You must take it now, this time, this life only. Learn to cook from Supreme Master Television, internet. Be independent. Cook for your wife instead of letting her cook for you. Cook for your husband instead of being spoilt by him or go out eating. Cook, show them how beautiful, tasty vegetarian (vegan) is and how easy it is. Cook simple first, like I teach you on TV. Simple, very simple.
And then, even invite them out sometimes, vegan restaurants. See how many people eat vegan, you see, and they are so healthy, happy. All the photos on the walls of the hero athletes, vegan. Muscle men, not just normal like me, small and skinny, but muscle! Handsome, good-looking, strong. Sixty-something, still champion of the world, for example. And doctors, tons of them, are vegans. Beautiful movie stars, men and women, handsome, successful, famous, and compassionate.
Go, tell them. Take them out to vegan restaurants. Don’t say anything. “Surprise, today.” Even if they don’t, “Ah, just one time, please! Today is my birthday, darling.” Do something. “It’s my birthday. Just one time.” Do something. Use your wisdom, if you have any. I am sure you do have, right? If not, you can learn from movies how.
Use something. Use your intelligence. To help one person return to Original Soul Self is a merit immeasurable. Your job is not only to follow me, to come to retreat, meditate, but your job is to help your fellow human beings, who’re erring. They are going to hell; you stand by and look? All the religions say if you eat meat, you drink wine, you go to hell. I never said that before. For me, it’s too strong a condemnation, but it is the truth. All the religious Masters said that. Guru Nanak said that; Buddha said that. Maybe Jesus said that too, but they cut it, they edited it out. Just some little thing left, so that we know Jesus also taught vegetarian (vegan).
If they are going to hell, and you profess that they are your best friends, and your wife, your beloved boyfriend, girlfriend, you let them go to hell? (No.) And you even follow them? (No.) Is that a way of a gentleman or a good lady? (No.) No! Do something. If I can, you can. Do it a gentle way. Do it a smart way, not forcing. Do something. If today you fail this way, you try another way. You are smart boys, intelligent girls, you know how. You cannot just watch your beloved one or your good friend, such as, who are good beings, being misled and then go to hell, not just being a bad boy, bad girl in this life time, or harm the planet, harm themselves, their health only, but go to hell. Would you want that? (No!) What will you do? Do something, right? (Yes.)
I don’t want a lot of disciples; just make me more troubles, of course. But I want them to be healthy, sane, and at least go back to be human, not go to hell. If they don’t go to Heaven, at least, they don’t go to hell. OK, understand that? You try to save them like that. And that’s all I want from you, nothing, not your wealth, not your money, not your worship, your reverence, not your praise, not, “I love You all day Master.” No! I want you to help your friends, your relatives. And they all are our friends, they all are our relatives, besides helping the animals not to suffer so gruesomely in some dark corner, that we have no access to, that we don’t even see, that we don’t even know. You understand what I’m saying? (Yes.)
All the things you learn about compassion, mercy, loving kindness, use it! Anyway, if you know somebody is going to fall or be hurt, and you know it in advance, then you would think of the way to help that person, or not? (Yes.) Think, you must think! Because situations are different. Your friend, your family, people’s personalities are different. I cannot teach you one by one. You have to think. You live with them, you see them all the time, you know their personalities, you know the way to help. I count on you. Help them, please. Help them and help the animals. If you say “thank You,” and you don’t know how to repay my kindness, do that! Then, I will be very happy. Thank you very much.
Tomorrow, we’ll talk again. Go eat. Tomorrow is official, right? (Yes.) Yeah. I will try to read the Surangama Sutra. Surangama Sutra. Thank you. Thank you, all of you. Good appetite.
I wanted to eat together with you, the reverends. But I am too busy now because of some extra work. So, I can’t eat with you today. Usually, I eat my meals and read the documents at the same time. Today I have to do the same because there are a lot of documents I need to review.
I said normally I would invite the monks to eat with me. Not normally, but if I see them, if I have a chance. But I cannot now. I have to eat and look at the paperwork at the same time. That’s how I have to manage. I have dogs even, and they also love me, just like you do, maybe more, and they also need affection. But when you are here, or Sundays or retreat, I cannot even take care of them. Just have to tell them, “Sacrifice, OK?”
All right then. I wish you a good appetite. See you later, maybe. If I finish my work, I may come back. Maybe, I say “maybe.” I love you all. I wish I could hug each of you and tell you “I love you,” but we just take love from the heart. I really do appreciate you and your presence. (Thank You, Master.) Bye. Love you. God bless.
