Before that, I went to Halifax because there’s one man, he has frostbite with his fingers. (Oh.) He has no gloves. And he had to go to hospital and bandage all over, and his feet also. And so I heard that, oh, my heart sank. So I brought him stuff.
When I went to Halifax afterward, we had a problem. The snow was so bad that the airplane returned to the airport. (Whoa.) And we had many pets there and other things. So that I could not leave only one guy alone at home. (Yes.) And new. Doesn’t know how to feed dogs and how to wear warm dog clothes before going out in the snow. The snow was so deep. I had to go back. From Halifax back to St. John. So the airplane stopped, doesn’t go. The airplane said, “OK. We have a hotel for all of you, you stay here. And tomorrow the weather will be fine, we’ll take you back home.” All of the customers stayed except me. I said, “I have to go.” So I went out. They didn’t refund, because I volunteered to go. It’s not their fault. I didn’t ask either. I said, “I have to go.” And then they told me, “But You get nothing.” I said, “OK, never mind. Don’t worry. Just let me go.” And then they said, “But the weather is so bad, You cannot go. You cannot go.” Before that, I went to Halifax because there’s one man, he has frostbite with his fingers. (Oh.) He has no gloves. And he had to go to hospital and bandage all over, and his feet also. And so I heard that, oh, my heart sank. So I brought him stuff. Originally, I wanted to send by post, but nobody knew where he lives. (Oh.) Nobody knows because he’s a homeless man. (Yes, Master.) I said, “Then, I have to go to Halifax. I am sure somebody must know.” Because the TV reported about it. So maybe I have to go there and ask. They probably know something, or some charity somewhere. Somebody must know him.
So, I went to Halifax by airplane but came back by taxi. The taxi driver, she’s the only one who dared to take me because nobody wanted to go in that weather. (Oh.) You can’t even see the road in front of you. But I said I had to go. My pets. So, she agreed to. I said, “I’ll pay you double, triple.” And she agreed to go because of the money. I said, “Oh, thank God. Very good of you.” And then she drove just maybe half a kilometer, a few hundred meters, and then she bumped and then buried herself and us into a snow mountain. (Oh. My goodness.) And luckily, we all got out and dig, dig, dig, and then we came out. So, I said to my attendant at that time, from Costa Rica. I said, “You drive. I cannot trust this woman” Maybe she’s too tired driving all day already. In this time, she’s supposed to not drive anymore, rest. But because of us, she felt sorry for us, so she took us. Also, we paid her well. But I could not blink my eyes because I had to drive with him. (Yes, Master.) “Left. Right. Straight. No, no, no! Slow. Slow. Now OK, OK, OK. Go, go, go, go, go. Go, but slow, slow, slow.” All night. I don’t know how many hours from St. John to Halifax. It was the night even. (Yes, Master.) At night. And what did the taxi driver do? She sat in the back, I sat in the front. (Wow.) I have to watch, (Yes.) and keep him awake as well. We had to talk and keep him awake. I sang, I talked, I directed the traffic. Him only, nobody on the road, at least. Thank God. And it slid and it slipped and it veered left, right, etc. I should not have done that. But I had confidence.
But before that, we were successful in asking people and found that homeless man, gave him some money. (Incredible.) But I told him, “Don’t tell anybody. It’s better for you. Just for you. Don’t tell people that you have money, cash. It’s dangerous.” I can’t give him a check, can I? So I gave him, I think some thousands of dollars in cash, and then clothes and gloves and hat and muts (caps) and socks and shoes. (Wow.) Boots. He’s a homeless man, but somebody gave him a storage room to live in. And a church charity knew that. So asking, asking, asking, one person said to another and another and another, and we landed in there, and we asked somebody to please call the church’s father and his wife. They came. A very humble couple. They do charity. They help the homeless, so they know where he is. They took us to that storage room where he lived. It’s not a room at all. He had a broken sofa, they gave him. It’s better than nothing. And all around him are chairs and all kinds of furniture. He had only that sofa and a few meters to go to the toilet. That’s it. A few meters but zigzag. (Yes, Master.) And a warm stove or something to cook. That’s all. And he lived there but at least he’s warm. Why he had frostbite? Because he went out to look for a job, for work. Even work for food. But he didn’t have anything to cover himself. I remember it was 40 degrees minus. (Oh!) Some days 30 (minus), but some days less. Some days more than 40 (minus). I remember something like that. Thirty is a warmer day. But I remember it’s 40 less degrees. I said, “I can’t believe people live in such weather!” I said to my attendant. And I can’t believe that I could even walk from the car to the shop. I thought I would freeze to death in such weather. Before I imagined, 40 minus, it is unbelievable to live in! (Yes.) And you can’t even go shopping and go do my hair even!
So I said, “Oh, that man, he must suffer so much if he doesn’t have any gloves and socks.” I had to go. If I don’t go, I would suffer, mentally. (Yes, Master.) Imagining how much suffering he has to endure. I would suffer more imagining it and not doing anything. So, I left. And that’s how it happened. So, luckily, we went back on time, paid the lady the money, got her a hotel room so she could rest until morning. Then she could drive. I said, “You’d better sleep. You don’t go back now. You’d better sleep until the weather’s better, safe, then you drive.” She said, “OK, OK.” So, we booked her in a hotel, paid for it, and then left her there. Then we said goodbye. Somebody came and got us. At least could have telephone contact.
I thought I told you all this story already, but I’m not sure. Anything else you want to know? (Master, it was just so touching that You traveled all the way to Halifax just for one person, and in that dangerous weather,) Yeah, never mind. (and it’s like in the article. It quotes the store manager,) Yeah. (who was watching Master fill up the carts, and he said, “It’s unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like this, never, and I’ve been here five years. Even our business accounts, nothing like this.” So even like the businesses who do charity, it was not comparable to what Master was doing. So, it’s really remarkable.) That was not a charitable shop. They are different shops we are talking about. The church in St. John is the Salvation Army, (Yes.) they do a charitable shop. And the one that I bought from, they are a top-class clothing shop. (Yes, yes.) So I also donated because originally we just wanted to give the clothes and go, but the major of the Salvation Army, he told me about the land next door. That if he could buy it, they would be good for something. Maybe he can have a shelter for the homeless or something, I forgot. So I gave him money to buy the land. It’s quite cheap. I’m surprised. (Wow.) Maybe because his is a charitable organization. So they probably gave him a cheaper price or something. And then there’s another, it’s a different organization, and I gave them also cash because I cannot get much more money out. Whatever I could get out that day, I gave to them or more, more than what I got out. I think I could get about only 20,000 Canadian dollars per day.
I never needed so much, so I never asked for more. And lucky that I had a credit card already; before I never had. I was in America without anything. And my money − my disciple had a big bank account there. And when I said I wanted to join her, they said, “You want to take her money, don’t you? That’s why you want to join.” (Oh.) Then they didn’t let me. They didn’t let me make a joint account with her. It was my money and she took it from Taiwan (Formosa) for me some time ago. All disciples have money. My business they control. They are manager of this and that. I hardly had anything, before. Now I do have some, just so that I can show to the world that I’m not here or there to eat your food. I’m able to take care. Sometimes for aufenthalt, residence. For bureaucracy, for paperwork. Otherwise, I don’t see any money coming. Of course, but I’m not lacking of anything. If I need, of course I can ask. But I hardly need anything. I don’t like asking. Anything dependency is really against my nature, against my religion. They say that. If I ask and don’t have, then I don’t ask anymore. (Yes, Master.) Or if it’s not done automatically, then I don’t ask. (OK.) I don’t need much. All you see, my clothing and beautiful and all that, I just wear it for work. It’s like a uniform. Special uniform. The rest, I don’t need much. I can wear cheap clothes, simple and comfortable. (Yes, Master.) So, I don’t really need much.
Even when I was not a Master, I was starving for three days in Paris, without a job. (Oh, my goodness.) No job, looking for a job. I still didn’t tell the people that I didn’t have money, the people who took me in to work there. And when I quit for some sentimental reason, they asked me if I wanted some money. I said, “No, no, thank you. It’s OK.” (Oh.) I didn’t want them to misunderstand. I was in love with the house man at that time. (Oh.) I told you this story already. (Yes, Master.) Because his wife is very ungentle to him. (Oh.) He’s a doctor; he’s busy already and go home, have to do this, do that for the kids. And she could do it. But it’s not like she told him nicely. She said, “Hey, do this! Hey, go do that!” Like ordering. So I felt sympathetic with him, and then that turned slowly into like romance but I didn’t know. But I could control until he broke it and then I had to run. (Yes, Master.) Because now I knew that he also had feelings for me, then I cannot stay. It would be dangerous. If me alone, then I could control, but I was young. So, I said I had to go. Because I quit immediately. I don’t have anywhere to stay and no money at all (Oh.) − because student. Just have a few dollars to go with bus, but not enough to buy bread. If I buy bread, I’d have no money to go anywhere to look for a job. So three days, I had nothing. And I was walking in the park looking for a job still, and a man came and offered me 800 francs, French money at that time. I don’t know how much US dollars, maybe half of it. (Oh wow.) Eight hundred to go with him. So I said, “If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.” (Oh wow.) Then I looked serious, so he left. At least he’s decent. (Yes, Master.) Very decent. Even when I was younger, still. In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), I went to some area and I had not much money – you know, student – and the owner of the house is a friend of a friend, let me stay. And they prepared the food and left it for me. I didn’t know if they left it for me or not, because they left before I was out of my room. I did not dare eat it. So I went out, just ate bread and drank water. (Oh, my goodness.) So to ask something for me is very… I don’t feel comfortable. (Yes, Master.)
