He’s a very busy man – the First Prime Minister of Cambodia. He even drives Himself. And last night He drove Her to the restaurant and all that. […] I’m telling you this story, even though it’s Their private life, but it’s nothing private. It’s open, anyhow I saw it. It’s open in the airport so it’s nothing private, […] I just want to give you an example of a very loving couple. Even though They’re Royal, They are prestigious people and busy people, They still take care of each other in this way. And I hope it’s a very good example for you and a very touching story for your heart to enjoy. […]
I’m just telling you that don’t expect “tomorrow.” You never know what the next minute will bring you. So, whatever you have to do, you do it. So, if you come here to sleep, just sleep. Because I know some of you say, “Oh, never mind. Next week, probably they’ll have another retreat and I can come there to sleep.” But maybe next week you cannot, just like right now after lunch you were full and sleepy and you thought, “OK, now it’s nice, we can have an afternoon nap over here.” But suddenly the Supreme Master Ching Hai, She just appears from nowhere. And you cannot sleep! You see that? Can’t sleep, huh? Can’t. Yes, that’s what it is.
And then now after I left the airplane, I saw Her [Royal] Highness off. Oh, by the way, even while walking, we’re still talking to each other, and I said to Her I was very touched that Her husband, the Prince, has come to see Her off personally, even though She left only for a few days. And I feel this is really, really, very, very nice of Him. He doesn’t have to do it. And He’s a very busy man – the First Prime Minister of Cambodia. He even drives Himself. And last night He drove Her to the restaurant and all that. Yeah, He drives. And I feel that… I’m telling you this story, even though it’s Their private life, but it’s nothing private. It’s open, anyhow I saw it. It’s open in the airport so it’s nothing private, but I don’t think They mind. Even if it’s private I don’t think They mind.
I just want to give you an example of a very loving couple. Even though They’re Royal, They are prestigious people and busy people, They still take care of each other in this way. And I hope it’s a very good example for you and a very touching story for your heart to enjoy. Because He doesn’t do it for the press. Nobody, no press over there. And when He’s there, all the cars and all the people stop even. Nobody can even see it, what He’s doing for His wife. Or even that He drove Her last night around to the restaurant. She just told me that by chance because we were chatting on the airplane. It’s not for publicity, not for press, not for proclamation, not for promotion, nothing. And They already have children your age. Not that it’s Their first year of marriage or honeymoon.
And the Princess, I had the time to spend with Her sometimes. I know She’s really a very kind person. And She does a lot of things for people quietly because sometimes when I go with Her, She has no press, no people, just a few bodyguards. And She often buys things, gifts for people, like clothes for the poor people and She throws them out of the window as She passes by. Or She sits down on the floor and gives it to the people in their hands. Some people are old, sitting on the road or beside the temple, things like that. She does it not for the press, because the press wasn’t there. And the way She talks to people, you know that She’s very sincere, and She really cares.
And nobody knows that She, as the First Prime Minister’s Lady of Cambodia, went to the airport many times when people are not there to check up on the condition of the airport. Even She went to the toilet inside to have a look to see whether it’s clean, the way it should be. And She designed the dress for the Cambodian Air Royal staff. The stewardess and all that. And She uplifted Cambodia Air’s business. It makes all the airplanes look different, new, more clean, and very up to international standards, and the stewardesses are much nicer and look better and more up to international standards; more than the first time when I went there a couple of years back. And She didn’t have to do all this. Not personally.
And She doesn’t enjoy as much prestige of the press or anything for what She’s doing like this, because sometimes the press is not there. Also, as just a wife of the First Prime Minister, She doesn’t enjoy the number one limelight. Because I saw She’s really doing things without publicity. So I just want to tell you so that you don’t have the illusion that if you are a princess or the wife of a minister, you just enjoy the privilege, and you don’t work. And if you’re like this nobody will respect you. You can do it. Nobody will force you to do it, but nobody will love you and respect you that much.
I only know Her so I can only tell you about Her. If I knew other people who are nice, maybe your Princess or other people, I would tell you. Don’t ask me why I only tell you about Her because I don’t know too many Royal people. I only know Them because They graciously always invited me to Their place. The Second Prime Minister and His wife also invited me. Also, the King of Cambodia invited me graciously. That’s why I went. Not because I try to go around and look for acquaintances with the Royal people. That’s why I don’t know too many people. And if They invite me, I would go. Just like you invited me to this place, I come. Sometimes you invite me to your house. If I have time, if it’s convenient, I would come too. So, it’s not necessarily that I just go look for these Royal personages.
See, not only did I talk to the Princess with pleasure while I was sleepy, but I’m also talking to you now even when I’m more sleepy! Also with pleasure. So don’t compare and don’t think that I treat everybody differently. You can see now or not? I can prove it to you right now. I’m even more sleepy now. I’m in a worse state than when I was in the airplane. Just after I saw Her [Royal] Highness off, I said to another attendant, “Oh now, OK. Let’s sit here for a few minutes. And I fill in all my papers and then we slowly go to our car, and then I can sleep in the car at least.” And then suddenly I asked her something and she said, “Master, You want to go for lunch with me?” She invited me for lunch, but I paid, I told you already.
And then we went for lunch since we were near, you know, passing by Central Plaza and there they have some vegan food. So we came in and I had lunch. Then I opened my mouth, closed my eyes. But it was not possible because I also had to talk to them. You know. You cannot sit there with three or four people together and you just enjoy yourself and don’t care. It’s very impolite and unsocial and you just don’t feel like doing that if you’re with friends or disciples, or good people. You like to talk. So, another dream was broken.
Photo Caption: This World Is Beautiful, to Remind Us of the Real One!
