So that is the end of the story, and it’s the end of all the suffering that Lord Mahavira had to go through during His 12 years of ascetic meditation practice. We really salute Him and are grateful - to all that He had to endure for enlightenment, for the sake of others.
“When the two examined Him, they found the tow thorns stuck in His ears.” Still there, He did not even remove it. “Kharak shivered with remorse. The friends then arranged for necessary instruments and medicines. They used some medicated oil and forceps and pulled out the thorns. This caused such an unbearable agony to Lord Mahavira that an anguished cry was forced out of Him.” This was the first time He ever cried. He never did cry or complain before or show any sign of pain. “Blood oozed out of His ears. The doctor dressed the wound with some coagulant.” When he put it in, it was already painful but at least He was in samadhi. Samadhi acted as some kind of anesthetic, so, He did not feel pain. And probably when He woke up, it was time to go for alms, so He went for alms and He was oblivious to the ears’ pain. But then, when it was taken out, the wound opened. And it was so deep in the ears that the doctor had to use some instruments, like forceps to pull it out, and that is when it was painful. So that is the end of the story, and it’s the end of all the suffering that Lord Mahavira had to go through during His 12 years of ascetic meditation practice. We really salute Him and are grateful - to all that He had to endure for enlightenment, for the sake of others. All these sufferings are not for naught. They would benefit the world in some way or another, even without the Lord Mahavira knowing or even without the world people knowing or being grateful for.
I treated you all equally, but some are more equal. Sorry, they have been working very hard and whenever they can see me, they should. Maybe recharging a little bit so they can continue working. At least they sacrifice a lot. I mean they don’t think it as a sacrifice, or do you? You dare? Yes, no? No, good. Good answer. Good. No is a good answer today. We just work, don’t have time to even think whether we sacrifice or not. Work very hard, truly very hard. But I cannot think of any other work better for me or for them. If I have to work, this is the work that I would have chosen to do. But still, we are not made of iron or gold. We get tired and our bodies also need a little relaxing or a little change. People say, “A change is as good as a rest.” So, I let them sit around. So, don’t be jealous. If you want to be treated like that, just come. Do working day and night like us. Eating while punching your computer at the same time or watching other things. I do two, three jobs at the same time. Otherwise, I don’t have time. Lucky I know what to do, so when I do some makeup and dressing, I treat it like a standing meditation. Standing, moving meditation like Lord Mahavira. He stands still, I stand moving; but still try to meditate.
Are you OK, all of you? (Yes.) Everybody happy? (Yes.) Good. I cannot see you a lot. Number one, because I’m very busy in different ways. Number two, you don’t need me to babysit you. The Master Power is everywhere. And when you’re so near, how can you escape? How can the Master Power escape? It will grab you, groove you, pull you, push you. You breathe in, you eat with it and you sleep with it, you meditate with it. You’re in samadhi with it. How can the Master escape? So, don’t worry if I am here or not here. I’m here just for this 30% comforting you; 70% is done without talking. But of course, you are humans; you still have these ears open, so you like to hear things. So, sometimes I appear, but my time is not regular. I’m not like a clock; two o’clock it rings, then five o’clock it rings. It’s not like that. I also have a human body and other human work. So don’t worry, I’m nearby. And you can’t escape. I can’t escape either. We cannot escape each other. Don’t worry.
From Peru, right? You? (Chile.) Oh, from Chile! Sorry, sorry, sorry. Sorry, look similar. I don’t know why. They look similar, the Spanish people. Just like all the Aulacese (Vietnamese) look similar. Sometimes, you don’t know who’s who. I look like one of the Aulacese (Vietnamese) sitting there. Not the man, but the woman. If they wear the same clothes, they’ll look like me. I can have many decoys. There’s another Spanish, he often comes here. Look, look at this. Both of you, stand up. You and you, stand up. Look at them, look at them. Aren’t they twins? You, not so much, but the two of them. Turn around, turn around. Turn around so people see. Turn around. One is from Chile, the other one from? (Argentina.) Argentina. The other one? (Chile.) Chile also, but you see they look similar, right? (Yes.) This one, that’s why I was thinking. There’s another one from Peru, looks like him too. He’s a doctor, a medical doctor. He looks like you. Is that right? There’s one, he hosted on our Supreme Master TV sometimes. OK, please sit down. Sit. Don’t you think so? (Yes.) This one, that one, look like twins. The middle one looks like maybe, not really, like cousin or something. But these two look very much alike. (Yes.) Like the turtle and the woman I was talking about, or the fish. “Fishy, fishy, fishy.”
This week I want you to talk also. So you prepare something, and maybe you write it down. You jot down your main points or you write the whole story, your experience or something you want to ask me about spiritual practice. And make it short, simple. Save time for other better things. Any questions right now or anyone wants to talk right now? Or is your stomach already telling you things? It’s four o’clock. Your stomach will tell you. I don’t blame you if it does, because it’s mealtime. You ate only once today, right? Once this morning, right? (Yes.) Correct or cheating? It’s OK. Now and then, you fast a little bit. At least fast from breakfast till lunch or dinner, to give your body a little rest. I haven’t eaten my breakfast. They brought it but I haven’t had the time to do it. I need to do some urgent work for Supreme Master Television checking some scripts, and some Shining World Award, that I have to sign, that I have to write. I have to write for which we have award. And that is one thing. Another thing is, even good things you cannot take a lot and digest. I bet you have forgotten already what I have just told you, something, just now. That’s why many times I asked you, “What did I just say?” Everybody looks at everybody else. “You tell, you tell.” “He, she, tell Master.” “No. I was just scratching my ears,” she said. You forget so quickly. Therefore, sometimes I also forget. So sometimes, when I happen to see or read or hear my old lecture, I was also laughing and very happy to hear it, as if somebody else spoke it. And then I thought, “Wow, this woman, not bad. Truly! She can talk!” Because sometimes, it’s so punctuated, so to the point and so real and so logical; not just talk, talk, but true experience.
Good translation? (Yes.) Bravo. Thank you, translators, and thank you all of you hufas, everybody. And cameramen as well. Cameramen can also listen? Also have translation? Do the guards have that? No? (Don’t have.) Give it to them in the future. Listen to instructions with one ear and listen to the lecture with the other ear. OK? Then it is not so boring. It’s also very tiring sitting or standing for too long. Thank you, everyone. Thank you.
Remember here, cameramen on the left side. Otherwise, the men feel left out. “Treating us like that! We are men of the house, you know? At home, my wife listens to all of my big decisions. And she only takes care of small decisions, like who’s going to be the president, where do the kids go to school. I take care of all the greater decisions at home.” Don’t get too spoiled. Don’t be too spoiled by your wife at home. Be a man, but not spoiled. Your mother spoiled you enough already since you were born. So make sure you relearn. Be independent. Be good. Learn to cook also. In case one day, she gets mad, she doesn’t cook, then you won’t be starving. Yeah, before, when I still had a lot of monks and nuns together, I forced all the monks to cook also, learn how to cook. And then forced all the nuns to learn driving. And some of them learned electrical wiring. Not very professional, but at least some basics. If we have time, we should learn things – I mean only necessary. Like in the ashram we have to be independent; we have to learn to do many things, not rely on the lay people, because we even have to take care of the lay people when they come. Before, we used to have to take them from downhill up to the ashram. Some elderly could not walk very far and all that, so the monks and nuns at that time worked also very hard. But we had fun, because we didn’t have Supreme Master Television. So, after Sunday retreat was over or after the retreat was over, we made a barbeque and we sang songs and stuff like that. Or sometimes we watched some fun video together. But nowadays, oh, so tired. No time, no time. They have to do other work outside the ashram, and I have to do the other work inside the ashram. So nowadays, mostly it’s the outside normal disciples that take care of all the administration and work. Before, it was mostly only the monks and nuns.
I had maybe 500 plus monks and nuns before. Slowly it dwindled. You guys, women and men outside, so much attractive power. And all my monks and nuns slowly go with the flow. So, I don’t have many monks and nuns nowadays anymore anyway. And I have to dispatch them to go do other work: The Loving Food company, Loving Hut restaurants in different countries. It’s OK also if they don’t see me often anymore. Before, they see me every day almost. Now, no. They have to take care of the job. They have seen me enough. That’s what I said. The lay disciples, they don’t often see me, so now it’s their turn; they can see me more. That’s fair. Before, the nuns and monks saw me all the time. At least once a week we barbequed; and I took them everywhere. Now it’s time to grow up and to do some work. Monks or not, nuns or not; we all have to work. So, I’ll see you later, maybe, or tomorrow.
By the way, I have been warned, that if I come out to see you today, your karma will ruin my reputation, but I still come. I said, “Oh, my reputation is already ruined long ago, in the different parts of the world, to different people. So, I don’t care if it’s ruined a little bit more. As long as I can teach one or two people left over, that’s OK with me. I feel it’s worthwhile. So, I don’t care. See you then. What is this for? Scratch it? Ah! Yeah, yeah. It’s for scratching! I have to use it because they put it here already. Whether I’m itching or not. Because if you don’t use, it’s a pity, right? OK, see you. I can’t believe it. I only scratched once, last week, right? Over all these years, and then I have the scratcher already. Lucky I don’t complain about anything else. Amitabha Buddha.
Very good. Help please. Is that you? (Yes, Master.) You can come? (Yes.) Not busy? (I have been, but I…) You had to come, right? (I had to come, yes.) OK, my love, welcome. I was thinking of you the other day. When you were reading something, doing some show, and then I was thinking whether or not you can come. Because you have children and are single and all that. (Yes. That’s taken care of.) They’re OK, your parents, right? (My mom, their nan’s looking after them for a few weeks. I’ve come for two weeks here.) Very good. Two weeks? (Yes.) Good. Everything OK? (So-so…) We survive. (Yes, we survive.) You know what, just trust in God. (Yes.) And do our best. (Things are good though, but thank You.) Physically, we do our best. (Yes.) Mentally, trust in God. That’s all we can do. (Yes.) Nothing else we can do in this world. They just trap us everywhere. (Yes.) Normally, we are free and no care in the world, even with little money and little studio, we’re happy. And we come to retreats often, see Master whenever we want. And suddenly, there’s a beauty passing by and then everything else begins anew! New history, or vice versa. I don’t mean just women, men also. Suddenly a handsome… I am here, man. When I turn here, he puts there. Your girlfriend didn’t teach you well. So, we were free, and very happy until a handsome face just, even just a split-second, passes by, “Huh! Who’s that?” And then we begin anew again. And even one time, is not enough. Next time, same stuff again. No, never again! Never, never, never fall in love again. And then it begins anew again. I don’t know, how stupid can humans be? I’m telling you, men and women alike, including myself. Of course, I fell in love before, what do you think? Luckily, I know. OK, ciao. OK, guys. I need some handsome muscle. Anybody? Are you big enough there? I’m very weighty nowadays. I am not that skinny anymore. How big is your girlfriend? Did you practice at home? OK. No matter what, men are always stronger. OK, now. Go have some food. I’ll see you soon.
(We love You.) Love you, too. (Love You. We love You. Love You.) Love you, love you, love you. (Thank You, Master.) Love you. Love you. (Master, I love You.) I love you. (Hallo, Master.) Love you. I love you. (Hallo, Master.) Any Thai people here? I love you. Thank you. (O Master! Beautiful! Master is so beautiful.) Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. (We love You, Master.) Thank you. Thank you, comrades. (We love You very much.) Maybe next year, we can let everybody come.
