Ah! Cockroach! Cockroach. Cockroach! It’s coming this way! Cockroach. Ah! Amazing! That’s scary! You may look small, but you’re really good at catching cockroaches! So that’s why you get to stay here. Anyone from Âu Lạc (Việt Nam) who wants to stay here has to catch cockroaches first. In the old days, there were young attendants, novice monks, called “Sa di” whose job was to chase bird(-people) away for the monks. Because bird(-people) ate the rice crops. (Yes.) Now we don’t have rice, instead we chase cockroaches. I’m really scared of cockroaches.
Why haven’t you gone back there yet? Why are you still sitting here? (Yes, we will go.) You’ve fallen in love with Cambodia already? There is no sound of gunfire or explosions over there that you came here to listen? It’s because Âu Lạc (Vietnam) has been peaceful for a long time, so there’s no sounds of guns. Did you hear it clearly last night? (Yes, we heard it, Master.) (We heard it and then overslept.) You didn’t hear anything while sleeping? Oh, my God! What a waste! Over here, we only hear gunfire about once every two or three days. It’s not like you hear it every day. But the one day they actually fired shots for you to hear, you slept through all of it. Oh, my goodness, how can you sleep so much? How can you sleep so deeply like that? Did anyone hear it? Raise your hand. (Yes, I did…) Then why did you say you were sleeping? Ah, you must have been woken up by the neighbor lady, right? “Oh, my God, wake up! Dear, listen to the gunfire.” Just like Âu Lạc (Việt Nam) in the old days.
Not scared? It’s OK, they were probably just shooting for fun last night, nothing serious. Maybe they were just shooting at bird-, or stork(-people), or something. What kind of bird- and stork(-people) that eat in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, and invite the shooters. Bird- and stork(-people) usually come out to eat during the day, what bird- and stork(-people) that are active at night, around 11 or 12 o’clock? (Yes.) It was 1 o’clock last night, right? (12 o’clock.) It was around 12 o’clock something, right? Midnight? Roosters crowing “o-o,” the bird- and crane(-people) crawling around to play or something? So they made noise, and the soldiers probably heard some rustling sounds. Thought it was something, so they just fired a few shots for fun. And then nothing happened, nothing else to hear after that, right? You had the neighbor wake up to listen to it so that you could go back to sleep. One woman hears it and wakes the other, “Hey! Wake up, sister. Please listen for me, I have to sleep.” Âu Lạc (Việt Nam) is peaceful already, but you wouldn’t stay.
So? Have you made any progress practicing here? (Pretty good, Master.) Pretty good, huh? With all that gunfire and if you still don’t improve, then not even Buddha can help you. Right? (Yes.) Just listening to gunfire, you’d realize: “Oh, my God, this world could fall into war at any moment.” (Yes.) What was it? People say human life is impermanent. (Yes.) Like an illusion, like morning dew, like falling snow, like dry leaves. Like old age and teeth falling out. So everything that is here also helps us practice. (Yes.) Or maybe, while wandering around, you might stumble upon a landmine – that would also be a reminder to practice self-cultivation. All that shooting, day and night, it’s meant to remind you to practice. If you can’t practice here, then there’s nowhere else you’ll be able to practice. Therefore, spiritual practitioners can practice in any circumstances. (Yes.) Whatever happens, if we think that it is to remind us to practice, then we are no longer afraid.
If you had already practiced before, you wouldn’t have run anywhere. Running back and forth, you still end up running to Cambodia anyway. You see it? Is it clear or not? So, coming here, you still hear gunfire, just like before you left. These people went to America, to Germany, to Taiwan (Formosa), to the Netherlands, France, and everywhere else… all sorts of places. And now they’ve run back to Cambodia just to hear gunfire. See? “You can’t escape the sun by running from it.” Running for nothing. But that’s also kind of good. (Yes.) Run over there, make a lot of money, then bring it back here to spend.
It’s easier to come here from overseas. (Yes.) But from Âu Lạc (Vietnam) to here, sometimes it’s a bit difficult. But this time they managed to come. (Yes.) People from Âu Lạc (Vietnam) managed to come, right? (Yes.) Why last time they couldn’t come? Too many? (They came too early.) (There were many and they didn’t have documents, Master.) Ah. They did, they did have documents, but it was only valid up to the border. (Yes. Documents only up to the border.) They just stood there and then went back; they were not allowed to crawl over here. So if they sneak over here and get sent back, I also won’t stop it. When I come here, I must obey the law here. (Yes.) I came here not to break other people’s laws. (Yes.)
Whoever has documents can enter, whoever doesn’t have documents goes back. (Yes.) That’s how it is. But don’t expect me to do shady or improper things. (Yes.) There are still many other people. (Yes.) We shouldn’t cause trouble when we go into someone’s country. Sneaking in or slipping in secretly is not allowed. This isn’t a temple, so there’s nowhere to sneak into. (Yes.) I do things properly. I asked for permission to enter – if allowed, then I enter; if not, then so be it. That’s our fate. (Yes.) No matter which country you’re in or what system it is, as long as you respect the law, there won’t be any problems. (Yes.) You’ll be alright in the end. (Yes.) Just go back for now; you’ll be able to come again later. (Yes.) But if you sneak in once, next time, before you even step across the border, you’ll already be sent back.
If we do things properly, then people will welcome us and be open to receive us. (Yes.) But if we do bad things or break the law, then people won’t like it. (Yes.) Everyone is the same. They don’t know what we come for, so why should we sneak in like that? Do you understand? (Yes.) Their country is still at war, it’s still… very nervous. So it’d make them even more nervous. They also have to worry about us. “He sneaked over here – what if something happens?” (Yes.) Sneaking over is easy, sneaking back is hard. So whoever comes here has to know the laws here. (Yes.) You must ask permission properly before coming over. If you are not allowed, then forget it – just accept your lot. Practice more; later it will change. If it doesn’t change, then never mind – we will meet later when you go to the Pure Land. What’s the rush? (Yes.) I can’t run away from you anyway, so what is there to be afraid of? Sooner or later we will meet again. If we don’t meet while alive, we will meet after death. I can’t escape from these “creditors” anyway. Debts, all “creditors” here. Wherever I go, they follow to collect debt.
So Âu Lạc (Vietnam) is already peaceful. There is still a bit of conflict going on here. (Yes, I know.) You know, right? (Yes, we know. Yes.) Anyone who doesn’t know is foolish. It’s a country at war and you don’t know. Right under your nose and you don’t even know. Actually, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have come all the way here. Just to hear gunfire blasting your ears deaf. In Âu Lạc (Vietnam) now, it’s very hard to hear gunfire. (Yes.) (Yes.) So you have to apply for a visa, for travel documents to come here just to hear it. Over there, even setting off firecrackers is not allowed, right? (Yes.) Why is that? Afraid of burning houses? Afraid of setting a house on fire or what? Do firecrackers ever actually set someone’s house on fire? (No.) (Yes.) No? Yes? Have to be careful.
Anything that involves fire is not… So when we were in Hsihu lighting firecrackers, we’d do it in an open space, and everyone would keep their distance. (Yes.) Because the dust may get into our eyes, smoke gets into our eyes and so on. Then the eyes get dreamily blurry, and you think it’s something romantic. Dreamy completely. Eyes dreamy and blurred. It’s just like you all sitting here meditating, everyone is in the Fifth Realm. The Fifth Realm of lying down. The Fifth World is called the world of sleep. “Ngũ” means five, you know? (Does “ngủ” mean five, Master?) “Ngũ” in Chinese, “ngũ” means five. So everyone ended up in the Fifth World. Last night, the shooting was so intense, yet no one heard a thing, that also means you all ascended to the Fifth World already. You’ve all became Buddhas already. Lying-down Buddhas, sitting Buddhas, slumped-over Buddhas. Snoring Buddhas. That’s joyful already. (Yes.)
Everyone who comes here is all smiles. Then why are you complaining so much about being poor and miserable? You even write poems to me, complaining about everything. But coming over here, everyone’s grinning, and nobody looks poor. Feeling pretty good, huh? (Yes.) If only the Aulacese (Vietnamese) living in Âu Lạc (Vietnam) had three or four more Madam Ching Hai’s springing up, things would be so much better… Alright then, go back and plant some. Take some seeds and bring them back to plant. A few dozen more Madam Ching Hai’s popping up all over the country, it’d be so much more lively. (Yes.) If everyone’s all smiles like that, that’s a good life. Go back and plant them quickly, alright? (Yes.) Bring the seeds from here back and plant them. Have you managed to grow anything over there yet? The Ching Hai plant, that is. (How could we plant that?) Have you planted any yet? Has anyone practiced spiritually and become like Madam Ching Hai yet? (No, not yet.) Not yet? (Not yet.) Why are you so bad at it? The country is poor right now as the war has only just ended, so it’s still struggling. Under these conditions, if you still can’t practice, that’s really not good. If you wait until you go to clean, dry, civilized, peaceful, and comfortable countries, then how could you possibly practice so quickly? (Yes.)
You have to understand that difficult circumstances are there to help you practice faster. It’s when things are tough – when you’re worried, nervous, on edge – that’s when you make the quickest progress in your practice. So, big or small Bodhisattvas from countries like Taiwan (Formosa) progress very quickly. They progress at lightning speed. They even carry food at lightning speed, see that? Over here they say there isn’t a single day they dare forget the Master. They carry the Five Buddhas with them every day, right in their pockets. Because they don’t dare forget. Oh! One wrong step over there, it’s landmines; over here it’s gunfire; over there the locals misunderstand you. And all sorts of things on top of that. You may even get kidnapped, taken into the jungle for a few days. They ask for money, and if you don’t have any, then they just let you go. Just as an example, everyone’s nervous, constantly on edge, and still they like being here.
Some people actually like living a dangerous life like that. They like living in a state of constant tension and fear, that’s what gives life its flavor. (Yes.) It’s like people who eat bland food they can’t stand it. They add sour lime, spicy chili, bitter ginger, and then they say it’s delicious and satisfying. And for some people that’s still not enough, so they drink alcohol too. You see it out there? You see that outside, right? Alcohol is bitter, right? Cigarettes are spicy, yet they like them. (Yes.) Without it, they would “die.” They’re addicted to things that are bitter and spicy like that. But people who aren’t into it would say, “Oh, my God, what is this? Eating that kind of junk… How can anyone stand eating and drinking such things?” And then they call them (the addicts) alcohol demons, cigarette demons. For example like that. So that’s how you get these so-called “great heroes.”
Photo Caption: “Lean on the LOVING PROTECTOR”
