Practice is like that. Just stick to the instructions. Stick to the precepts. Just go straight. Don’t try this way, try this way. It takes too long. Our life is short.
Good. What do you want me to do? Sit in front of… in a… My driver got lost. We ran around Spain. It’s OK. I’m here now. Do we have enough? Everybody have one piece of (vegan) chocolate? Or (vegan) cake? (Yes.) If not, you tied it. You break it and give it, like Jesus.
You’re all right? (Yes.) Tired, or not? Tired, huh? (No.) Traveling a lot, no? (No.) Yes? No. I know. It is nice, Malaga. (Yes.) Very sunny. (Yes.) Next time, where do we go? (Germany.) One at a time. What? (Iceland...) Iceland! (Yes.) And who? (Finland.) Iceland? (Germany.) Germany. (Germany.) Germany. How many want me to go to Germany? Raise hand. Woah, woah! And Iceland? Where else should I go? Where else? Thank you. (Mexico.) Mexico. Wow! (Paris.) Paris. (Belgium.) Belgium. (Peru.) Peru. Oh, very far, very far. (Norway.) Norway, far also. Huh? (Austria.) Austria. Austria we have a center. (Sweden.) Sweden. Wow! (Finland.) Finland. (Spain.) Spain. I’m already in Spain. She’s dreaming. She means Madrid, I guess. What else? (Ireland.) Ireland. (Costa Rica.) Costa Rica, very far. Huh? (Poland.) Poland. Very good. Moscow. (Portugal.) Portugal. Oh, wow, cool! (Only one.) Only one. It’s a long way. So, I think German win. No, no! I said you win, because you’re the majority. It doesn’t mean...
Actually, it is not a problem going anywhere. Just we don’t have room. We came here because we have room. At least, we have this white room, the white house. Otherwise, we can go anywhere. Is Austria easy? Austria is easy for everybody? (Yes.) Or not? Easy. In the middle, right? (Yes.) I don’t know if we can house so many people. So, welcome to Spain. You like Malaga? (Yes.)
How many people were driving? How many drove? Drove from where? (Germany.) Germany. Can you come up and sit around here? The Germans? You drove all the way from Germany? (27 hours.) 27 hours. Wow, I know that. Where else did you drive from? It’s a long drive from Germany. Very tiring. I know. I’ve also been there.... almost from Germany, driving all the way here. Not that I drove, but somebody else drove, and they drove me crazy! My God! It was a new car for them, and nobody knew how to set up the GPS, and the GPS said what she wanted, and the driver drove where he wanted. Wow! That was a very, very tiring adventure.
Yesterday, I met some of your brothers and sisters... the brothers of your sisters and the sisters of your brothers. They were also driving from Germany. And so sincere. I’m very touched. Are they here? The one I met yesterday, are you here yet? Oh, they were lost? (They are not here yet, Master.) Not here yet? (No.) Because they were driving together, with me behind. And then, they lost them. My driver lost them and their driver lost us; and I asked him, my driver, to call them, to see if they’re all right, because there’s one who is with baby, you know, pregnant. And then, he said he couldn’t get in touch with them. Where is my driver? Is he here? Did you call them, by the way? It’s still switched off. Funny, but they know you can call them, right? (Yes.) I hope they will find the way. The best is like this.
Two days. Twenty-four hours and plus. How many hours? I don’t know since... I left since ten o’clock in the evening, Thursday. So how many hours is that? I just arrived. Now. How many hours? Thursday, ten (o’clock) and Friday, ten (o’clock). That’s 24 (hours), right? No, that’s 12 (hours). (More.) Huh? (It’s 36.) No, not possible. (36 hours.) No. Thursday night, ten o’clock, until Friday, ten o’clock; how much is that? (25.) That’s 24, right? OK, all right. 25 and a half. How about 25 and a quarter? I win. And then from ten o’clock, Friday night until now, nine o’clock. Another 12 hours, almost. So, how many hours is that? (36.) 36? (Yes.) Oh, you are right! Wow! You are Einstein’s descendants, very smart! If somebody comes late, just let them in quietly, brother. Don’t forbid them, please. Thank you, doc. Are you the doctor? (Yes.) The Iranian doctor. (That’s right.) But your English is so good, I am almost fooled. I thought you’re born in Oxford. So 36 hours.
Wow! I didn’t realize that. I just wanted to tell you that... But they still got lost; have a computer, cannot use... the GPS, the best one I could even get, and they couldn’t use it. I told them to train themselves, but nobody listened. Anyway, nobody listened, ever! It’s a very tiring job. First, I told them to learn it. Nobody bothered to learn with the one who knew. Second one, the one who knew, left; and then they could not learn anymore. I said, “OK, then print it out.” First I said, “Ask the one who knows to write down the details, the most important things about the computer and about... just about the most essential thing: how to open the trunk and all that. Where to put the petrol, and then learn the GPS, that’s the most important thing.” They didn’t learn. Fine. I said, “Then tell the guy who knows, write it down quickly and print it, and everybody can have one in the house, in case.” You never know. There’s not always one driver available. You know, life is not like that. My life is not like that. Today here you are. Tomorrow you are gone and I’m left alone. Nobody even bothered to do that. And before I went, I even told the girl, “Please go and teach him. Everybody, teach the guy, who doesn’t know how to do it quick, just in case.” No, didn’t do it also; and on the road, fumbling all day long, 36 hours long. Oh, so stressful!
But at least we have the map. The best is not just to follow the computer, the GPS, because you might not hear well. He says, “Turn left,” lightly left, and then you turn too left, and you go to Madrid. It happened to my guys. We went all the way and came back again, and went again, came back again. Because, if you make a wrong turn, the computer corrects you, correct to try a new road for you to go back to where you want, to the destination. But it could go forever, to Paris, London, and then you still can come back to Malaga. The more mistakes you make, the longer the journey, because even the satellite can correct you, try to bring you back to where you are, to where you want to be. First, bring you back to where you were and then go again. That’s how it lasted 36 hours. It shouldn’t last that long, maybe 20, 22, 25 hours.
But I had only one driver then. I wanted two drivers, but the second driver missed the airplane... could not come. And then the one I have doesn’t know how to listen to the computer. And the one knows how to listen well to English, knows how much a mile is, doesn’t know how to use the computer, doesn’t know how to use the GPS, so one blind man after another; and so the Master does everything and is very tired. I am glad that I still am alive for you!
It is just like us, just like practitioners. I’ll come to that later. If you don’t practice well, it takes longer. Or you stray to a different path, or you don’t do exactly, what the Master tells you, then it takes a longer time. You will arrive, but, like me... like my driver, go all the way to Madrid, come back.... And the thing is, I wanted to stick to the coastline. It was very easy, but he wanted the shortest way. The shortest way took 36 hours, and the coastline, maybe only 20. Never mind. They have their experience. Not everybody believes the Master. I expect that already. I am used to it. And have to learn such a hard way, all the time. They don’t pay attention to what I say. If I say bring water, then just bring water. I don’t want this. It’s also liquid. It’s OK. But I don’t want it. Just water. It serves the purpose, for example.
So, if we practice, we have to stick to our direction, destination; and whatever is not good, whatever is not in our destination, we don’t do it! Otherwise, it takes too long. Can arrive, but it’s long and suffering. Suffering a lot! One thing leads to another. Just like, if you make a wrong turn, then the GPS will correct you, to make you go to your destination. But then by that time, you're already on the other road, and then you have to go in the other direction, in order to get to the destination which is longer. That’s all. Same. Practice is like that. Just stick to the instructions. Stick to the precepts. Just go straight. Don’t try this way, try this way. It takes too long. Our life is short.
So back to earth. If you want to go somewhere, you had better have the map of that country. It’s easy to buy. You just get to that country first by your own country map, or European map, and then in that country you buy that country’s map. The best is like that. And if you could buy the map of the city that you are going to, it would be best. It’s the best. Not just always the satellite, because sometimes the GPS tells you the old construction of the city. Sometimes the road was like that, and now it becomes one way, or it becomes built with something else and the road is gone. Sometimes like that. Or they lead you to some place, but that place is closed, because no longer available. So you should have a map, the current map of the country that you are going to, and the map of the city that you are going to, if you can. Otherwise, you get to that city first and then ask the locals. If you can have a map, then you can know approximately how far it is from where you are, to the place where you want to go. At least you know how far, and then you can ask the hotel or restaurant to get you a taxi, if you don’t speak the native language. Mostly, in hotels, they speak English. Or restaurants. Even the waiter’s English is good enough for you. You say you just want a taxi or you get the number and you dial the taxi, but you don’t speak the language so you ask them to help you.
The best way is... you know, give some.... show a little bit of money first, and then it’s easier. Doesn’t have to be a lot, maybe ten Euros. “Can you please call a taxi for me?” It’s for a coffee. This is only for coffee. This language is a very universal language. Don’t forget. But sometimes people are very kind. They don’t accept it. But it’s fine. If you want some service, you pay for it. It’s quicker. Sometimes they just do it, but it depends on whom you meet. If that person is kind, he will do it for nothing, but it’s better if you are willing to pay for what you get. This world is like that. It doesn’t have to be much, maybe five Euros, just to show your honesty, appreciation. And then they will call you a taxi, and your car follows the taxi. It might be expensive, but if you run around the city, spending time and petrol, it’s also very expensive and tiring. And you might be very, very tired when you get to your destination. Get to the city.... Find out how far it is if you can, or you can ask a local. Any hotel would know how far it is from where you are to the destination in that city. So I go in a hotel and ask them how far it is. He says: “About half an hour maximum.” I say: “OK, could you please call me a taxi? Thank you!” And then he does it. I don’t speak much Spanish. This speaks for me. This is my dictionary -international language. I carry it all the time. It speaks all kinds of languages. It works everywhere, around the clock. Not always everywhere, but mostly. People like it. Even if they don’t take it, they like it that you are very polite, and that like, you speak their language.
We have to understand, everybody works for a living. They don’t have time to stand there and worry about your problem. If you get lost, you get lost. It doesn’t concern him. He’s tired. He’s been working all night; he tends the whole hotel. His wife is waiting at home. His kid has a fever. His dog has to go to the vet. He has no time for you.
So if you want his service, you have to appreciate his time. Not that people are not kind, but they are also burdened with their problems, just like we are. Everyone works, you see. Some people work only eight hours, the lucky ones. Some people work ten hours. Some people work a second job, third job. I know many people out there, when I’m mixing with them, most of them have a second job. Because of their children...their children have to go to school, and if they go to a special college, it costs more. And they have insurance for the car, insurance for the house, or the rent, the mortgage... Whew! You tell me! All kinds of things. I just tell them the same with the practice, meditation. If you go straight, it’s easy. If you go zig-zig, zag-zag, it takes a long time and you suffer. Understood? Everything understood? Yes? Good.
