I heard that sometimes the initiates from the US went to Âu Lạc (Vietnam), bringing with them my videos, and the police at the airport confiscated the videos and my pictures. They took the videos home, their children watched them, and all of them became vegans. “What goes around comes around.” […] So we lose one thing but gain something else. Sometimes, the policemen are secret Dharma guards, but we didn’t know and didn’t have to pay. They [the policemen] worked for us. They could not win!
My God, so you are happy that you could come here, right? Six hundred something [dollars]? Oh man, too expensive. Over there (in Âu Lạc (Vietnam)) you earn in a month and earn just a few dozen [dollars], right? (Dear Master, many [initiates] wanted to come here to see You, but they could not.) They could not go, because they didn’t have money? (No.) They didn’t have money? Is it true? No. It was not that they didn’t have money, (Yes.) so why? (They have money but could not go.) They have money but could not go. (My sister has money, but she could not go.) Still could not go, why? (Because she didn’t know the “way.”) Did not know the way? (Yes.) Yeah, then whoever knew the way should tell that person. Show the way to some comrade, then the whole group will benefit. Some comrade like comrade Hải.
My God, so pitiful! Even having the money, still could not go. She could not find the way? (She tried hard, Master.) Because she didn’t know the right place. (Yes.) Next time, whoever knows the way, show other people. (Yes.) But sometimes, it may not be in time, because you don’t know who wants to go. Sometimes they don’t dare to talk about it, right? (Yes.) Oh man, so hard. Alright, it was her fate. So, you try to practice spiritually more and more. When you have enough merits, I may fly over there by myself, then it would be wonderful. I didn’t say for sure! I just give an example only. You haven’t practiced much yet, so the situation hasn’t improved much. You have to practice a lot more, more people, must have more people practice [spiritually] to be able to change. There are a lot of initiates over there, but it is still not [a high] enough percentage. How pitiful!
For example, a full glass of water like this, if we put in it just a few drops of (vegan) milk, it won’t look cloudy at all. We don’t smell the (vegan) milk inside the glass either, right? We have to pour in the glass a lot more, a lot more (vegan) milk, then at least we can smell the (vegan) milk, right? If we put in the glass one or two drops of (vegan) milk, it would not make any difference. We stir it up, it still looks the same as before, right? We have to pour [the vegan milk] in at least 1/5 of the glass, right? As an example, then we stir it and it would have the smell of the (vegan) milk and taste sweet too. Putting in [just] a few drops of (vegan) milk would not make any difference.
Âu Lạc (Vietnam) has 70 million people, but the [initiates] are not that many. I don’t mean the initiates who came here, but the total number of initiates in Âu Lạc (Vietnam). Even if there are many thousands [initiates], still nothing yet. Many tens of thousands, still nothing yet. Never mind, each takes care of himself or herself, and if you could find the way and come here, it is still better than not knowing the way. [The initiates] over there are very good already. Second Sister could not go back there, but it’s very good already that the “third sisters” (initiated sisters) could come here. Also, the “fourth brothers,” (initiated brothers) see that? Third and fourth, all are coming here.
OK, if you can get here, it is fun, right? (Yes.) So when are you going back? All going back together? On the 26th? (Yes.) Everyone goes back on the 26th? (Yes.) No one stays till the 27th anymore? (Yes, there are.) Who? 27th, 28th? 28th also? Oh, you can stay that long? (Yes.) When going out of the country, you went by yourself, free, and you didn’t have to go with any group, no one was taking care of you, no need, right? (Yes, we had to go in a group. We went together in a whole group.) But there is no one to be the guide for the group. Is there? (Yes, there is.) Yes? So where is he? (He is in a hotel.) He stays in a hotel to wait for you? (Yes.) Did he know where you went? (No, he didn’t know where we went.) He didn’t know? (No.)
Oh my God, who is that guy, so brave like that? He dared to let you wander like that. My God, how could he trust you guys? What if you don’t come back? (He kept all of our passports, Master.) He kept your passports. But sometimes people come here, and they don’t need the passports anymore. Is it true? For example. (Yes.) We could run away if we want. But we don’t want to run away, what for? (Yes.) What for do we want that? They kept your passports, so you can’t not return home. (Right.) So over there, did they keep anything else? (No, Master.) No? OK. It is very good already. Now you can go out like that, then it is quite good. Before, you could not. So, it is improving more and more. You went out with hundreds of people, and came back home with the same hundreds of people. Then the government trusts you more. In the future, it will be easier for other people to go out. (Yes.)
So, do I look different? Same? Same as in the picture? (You are more beautiful. More beautiful outside.) More beautiful? (Yes.) Where? (You are more beautiful than in Your picture.) More beautiful than in the picture? So strange? (You look very young. You are younger.) Many people only saw me through my picture, and they came to ask me, “Well, Madame Ching Hai, where does She stand?” I answered, “I am here.” So the guy said, “Where, She is beautiful. Her picture is so beautiful! But You...!” There are some photographers who can take beautiful pictures, then it is like in that story. But there are some bad, lousy, low quality cameras, such as the automatic one for kids to play with, then they take very ugly pictures. Then the guy came close to me and asked, “Where is Madame Ching Hai?” I also said, “I am here.” That guy said, “No way. The other lady is so ugly. But You are so beautiful! Don’t joke with me!” That’s why taking photographs is not easy.
At home, do you have television to watch videos? (Yes.) You have videos to watch, right? (Yes.) That’s why when you came here, you can recognize Big Sister. Otherwise, you would just wander around, and not know Her, right? When you saw me yesterday, you knew me right away, right? (Yes.) For example, if I walk on the street around here by myself, would you recognize me? (Yes, we would.) Would you? Even if I wear kind of ragged clothes, you still could recognize me? (Yes.) Yeah. Why is this funny? (We are Your children, Master.) Children. So your wisdom eye can tell right away? (If we come here often, we would know.) So strange! You’d look and you’d know? (Yes.) Even when I cut my hair short, or long, you would know it all? Even when I shave my head, you would still know? Even when I wear loose clothes, you still know. Even when I wear tight clothes, you still know.
How come you are going back and forth and wearing my photos, and those guys don’t say anything? Do you wear anything [Master related]? (No, we hide them, Master. We don’t dare to wear them.) You hide them? (Yes. When going out, we hide them.) You should leave them at home, what for do you wear them? (We brought them with us, so we can wear them here.) That is OK? (I can bring them here.) Yeah, but they don’t ask about these things? (This one [ID card] we make them here.) You just make them here? You can only make them here, but could not over there? (Right.) Wow! Then how could you go to group meditation? (We still go to group meditation normally.) You all know each other’s faces? You go to group meditation by using fingerprints? Do you know each other? (Yes.) Knowing each other’s faces then it would be OK, right? (Yes.) Oh, that is also good.
So pitiful! Who told you to practice spiritually and make you suffer. They say, “Spiritual practice is the source of happiness; romantic passion is karmic debt,” but we are suffering so much when we practice spiritually. Suffering outside but having happiness inside. (Yes, Master.) Our happiness, no one knows, (Yes.) and we cannot even share it. (Yes.) Once in a while, we share a little bit, but we share invisibly. People will know. Over there, there’re many initiated comrades, right? (Yes, many.) Uncle Hồ has gone, so they follow Auntie Hải.
I heard that sometimes the initiates from the US went to Âu Lạc (Vietnam), bringing with them my videos, and the police at the airport confiscated the videos and my pictures. They took the videos home, their children watched them, and all of them became vegans. “What goes around comes around.” Then there were some policemen who confiscated the videos, took them home, but didn’t know what to do with them, so they just left them there. Later, when the initiates wanted to buy those videos, the police copied the videos and sold them to make money. Then people outside didn’t know, so they bought those copied tapes and then they also became initiates. So actually, the policeman sold them for us. So we lose one thing but gain something else. Sometimes, the policemen are secret Dharma guards, but we didn’t know and didn’t have to pay. They [the policemen] worked for us. They could not win! (Yes.) They worked for something for a while but finally worked for Auntie Hải.
(Master, go back there and be the king.) Forget it. (You will be the king of eight directions, of the whole world.) To be a king of the world, what for do I have to go back to Âu Lạc (Vietnam)? I could be a king anywhere, no need to go back to Âu Lạc (Vietnam). Being a king is very hard work. Who wants to be one, right? Must wear a heavy crown. (Being Big Sister is happier.) Whatever we do is OK, as long as we are happy and free. What for being a king? What for being a king, who wants to be the king? Who wants to be a king, raise your hand. Only a fool would want to be a king. Some kings end up in hell. Yeah. (Yes.) Because being a king, sometimes you have to make decisions that are not good, and reap a lot of (bad) karma. Go back to Âu Lạc (Vietnam) to be a Living Buddha. I can be a Buddha here, no need to go there.
Now, who is the comedian over there? In the old days, we had Văn Hường. Now he is gone, right? For example, if we go to see a comedian, to see the “reformed theatre,” it costs only some tens of dollars, not so expensive as coming here. If we tell the comrades, they would not understand. Even if Uncle Hồ comes back to life, he would not understand either. No one would know our story. If your husband and children tell you to go [see the comedy], you may not go, right? (Yes.) Yeah, and I didn’t ask, but you still came! I didn’t tell you to come. I do not know anyone, anyway, right? (Yes.) But you come here and become like a family member, right? (Yes.) Yeah, it’s like we knew each other a long time ago. (Yes.) For example, like you normally see my picture or video, then we can say that you have seen me many times, and so you feel close. But I didn’t watch you on TV, nor watch your videos, not even once. Yet, when you come here, it seems like we have met a long time ago, like siblings or close relatives. It seems like we are friends and we can trust each other. We feel like there is no obstacle at all, right? (Yes.)
Same is among initiates, and same between me and initiates. I’m the “Great Initiate.” Taiwanese (Formosan) [initiates] call me “Great Initiate,” all kinds of names, everything. Sometimes, they also call me “A Hai,” because of A Muối, A Mẹo, A Muội; they call me A Muội (virtuous younger woman). The Chinese, they call [people] A Muội (virtuous younger woman). So they call me “A Hai” then. How come you laugh so much? They call me all kinds of names. And they call me “mama.” Many old ladies without teeth also call me “mama.” Calling me “Má” (mom), I said, “No.” She called me mom, that means I become a grandma, because she is already too old. There are some ladies who are great-grandmas and they still call me “Mama, mama!” I said, “Oh no, I beg you. I am still young!”
Huh? What did you say? (Today is so fun, Master.) You sit at the back, how can you be happy? You sit at the back, and still spent many hundred dollars only to look at the ears in the back! Looking at some gray hairs from the back would cost 560 (dollars), right? Not to mention the money spent on (vegan) food and drink, and the taxi. Oh man, those gray hairs cost thousands of dollars. Sitting at the back and still spending thousands of dollars? No wonder these people pay more because they can see the nose!
OK. So you go back there to meditate, or what? Sitting here is too tight and too hot. We can’t sit here too long. (Yes, we can. Master, let us sit longer.) Sitting here too long, others will be jealous? Yeah, never mind, just sit then. Sitting like that, how can you meditate? (Yes, we can, Master.) Can you? (Yes, we can, Master.) Huh? (Yes, we can.) (I am even more happy, Master.) And the other people are standing meditating? OK. Alright. Let’s meditate. OK? Turn off the lights. Meditate. Fall asleep. I said turn off the light and close your eyes, (Yes.) to sleep. We go up to the world of “five sleeps”! If it is too tight, then you go down to the grass or sit a little more at the back. Sitting a little bit, then I go home. It’s been fun. It’s been good, right? (Yes.) OK! Turn off all the machines. I’m going to recite the Five Holy Names. I’m going to recite the Five (Holy) Names.
