Happy New Year to you, kids. […] You don’t have to put your pot and pan right in the middle of the big ring of fire. […] See, you can cook like this. You can cook anything on it with very few pieces of small fallen twigs from the tree. […] I used to sit next to this kind of cooking in the yard of my house, waiting – waiting droolingly for the cake to finish cooking. And so we could eat it at New Year’s Eve already, after it’s cooked, and continue until the next three, four days. […] Please continue watching to find out more about foods Master enjoyed during Lunar New Year as a child, how to quickly start a fire for cooking, ways to use coals to keep warm outdoors, etc…
Our Most Cherished Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) graciously took time from Her busy schedule to send loving Lunar New Year’s greetings to the lovely children of the world. Master also kindly reminded them how to keep safe while preparing dishes over an outdoor fire.
This was recorded before the Lunar New Year, spontaneously, as I just thought of doing it. Otherwise, who knows if I could make it during the New Year time. You see, we don’t need a lot of big wood or a lot of them in order to start a fire. But you need something to start a fire. I mean, a fire starter or some old newspaper, a carton, stuff like that. And you don’t need a big place to make a fire. See, when the fire is on like this, you can put the pot on one side and your tea kettle or another pot on the other side. Then there you can cook. It’s very fast to boil. I just put some symbolic vegetables and tomatoes in it. But you can cook anything with it. And you don’t need a lot of wood. This is the thing. I’m sorry, in my area there has been rain and snow for the last couple of days. So it’s kind of smoky. But it’s burning because the way the wood is arranged.
This hole is a V-shaped hole that I have been telling you about many times, but I didn’t have the instrument to dig the V-shaped hole at that time. So, your brothers and sisters, they made kind of a big fire, awfully big. Like this, it’s easier to cook. It doesn’t burn your pot and pan too hot. And you don’t have to put your pot and pan right in the middle of the big ring of fire. Because this V-shape is very small. You can see it – smaller than the bottom of the kettle, smaller than this pot. It’s maybe about 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) or a little bit more or less 10 inches. A little bit bigger if you want, but that should be enough already. See, you can cook like this. You can cook anything on it with very few pieces of small fallen twigs from the tree. They’re dry. They’ve been dried. And I put them under a cover. So, at least they’re not wet through, just still damp. It still can burn, because the wood is slanting downward into the bottom of the V. So this position will make the wood burn very easily – easier than the flat one on the ground, if it’s flat. And like this, it is very safe to cook, so the fire doesn’t fly all over.
And if you have a few wood sticks around it and span a piece of canvas around your fire, and then the wind doesn’t come in and doesn’t blow anywhere, except in your fireplace like this one. See how little wood it is? And it burns so fast, and it cooks very fast because the fire is kept contained, covered in the small environment; it’s warmer than if exposed on the flat surface. It still has a lot of fire under there, just from a few pieces of small twigs. You can see it very well. I’m glad I have something to dig the hole into the ground. And I cover around a little bit with a plastic sheet so the wind doesn’t blow the little flying timber anywhere except in here. It’s safe, very safe. You can put a bigger pot so that it covers the fire more, but it’s still burning. And you can just sit here for a long time.
In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), before Tết (Lunar New Year), the Aulacese (Vietnamese) people in the countryside would dig a big V-shape in the soil, place a big wok on it and cook all the night, non-stop, with wood fire. We, the children, loved to sit around for warmth and listen to the adults telling us fairy tales. There is a fairy tale, the story I will tell you now, about the two special cakes dedicated solely for the parents.
It’s a beautiful story, the story about bánh chưng and bánh dày. In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), we even have these two cakes called bánh chưng and bánh dày, which are very, very special because they express the deep gratitude from the children to their parents. Bánh chưng is kind of square. Bánh chưng we cook in a big wok, I told you already. And the other one is bánh dày. They steam it with the banana leaf underneath and half of the globe-like shape in white. That symbolizes the mother, and the bánh chưng square, wrapped in green that represents the Earth, the vegetation on Earth. And that is the symbol of the father in Âu Lạc (Vietnam). And the half-round cake, white round cake, is a symbol of the mother. Meaning the father and the mother, their merits are so great, the way they raise and love the children unconditionally, as great as the Earth that gives us many, many things to survive on. And the bánh dày symbolizes the mother’s love, as great as the sky. Before Galileo, we have only believed everywhere in the world that the Earth is square, and the sky is half-round, the emptiness of the half-round is the sky, which kind of covers the top of the Earth. So the parents are the greatest beings for all the children on Earth, and we could never measure their love and their sacrifice for us.
It came from the fairy tale. It was a fairy tale, like a long, long time ago, when it was almost the beginning of the Aulacese (Vietnamese)’s establishment, of their country. Their country was smaller than now. It was far north, next to the border of China. And one time, the sixth King of Hùng, named His Majesty Hùng Huy Vương, or before He became a king, His name was Long Tiên Lang. The King wanted to test His children to see which one was more uplifted, more enlightened, and also more filial in their heart, or maybe at least in their expression. He had 18 sons. In the old times, some Kings had many wives. It’s a tradition, so that the royal family and the kingdom can spread all around by marrying or by establishing friendships and relationships with other tribes or other countries nearby, to propagate this kind of unification and friendship, and helping each other as well, to keep the country or all the countries or all the tribes become stronger, to go against any enemies who come and try to kind of bully them, or try to invade their country or take possession of their country or their tribes, etc. Because a marriage, that means another family, and many families will be stronger in power. That was in the old times. You don’t have much more protection than your own families and clans and tribes. So this was the tradition like that. Whether the king likes or loves any of them or not, that doesn’t matter too much. The main point is the country; they have to keep the country strong and protected by many strengths and powers united together. So in times of trouble or need, they can unify their strength and protect their own people.
So Hùng Huy Vương had 18 children. So he asked them to try to find the best thing in the world and come and offer it to him. And whoever brings back the best, that will be the next king, the successor of King Hùng Huy Vương. So everyone of the other 17 went everywhere, from the sea to the mountains and rivers and lakes and the remote villages or faraway towns, or mysterious land, anywhere they go, to try to find the best thing that nobody has ever had before, precious things. Only the last one, the last son, his 18th son, his name was Tiết Liêu, or Lang Liêu, before he became king – he was helped by a Deity in a dream. And then the Deity told him what to make, to offer to the King, that the King and the Queen will be very happy to receive. And he will himself, Tiết Liêu, will receive the throne to be the next king after his father.
He said to Tiết Liêu, or Lang Liêu, in his dream that, “Rice…rice is a very precious thing that God has given to you, to the people, to sustain themselves and become strong. It’s a very precious thing, rice.” We have two kinds of rice in Âu Lạc (Vietnam) and in other Asian countries as well. One is the glutinous rice, and another is the normal rice that we eat every day. Because the glutinous rice is very sticky and the fragrance is so incredible. And the normal rice also has many types of rice, of course. One of them, they modify it and make it into the jasmine rice, for example, that’s delicious. The fragrance, you can smell it from many hundreds of meters away if somebody is cooking it outside under the open sky, in the fresh air, or inside with the window open. So, the Deity told Lang Liêu, “Rice is very precious, it’s given by God. And now, you use this Celestial substance to cook something special. Then your parents will be very, very happy, and you will be chosen to be the next king of your country.”
So, He told him how to cook it. He told him to go get the banana leaves and the sticky rice. But the sticky rice had to be soaked first overnight, and then drained, and then put inside the banana leaves and make it into a square cake that we call “bánh chưng.” We eat mostly during the New Year time, but people also sell them anytime nowadays. It’s just more appreciated and more eaten during the Lunar New Year time. And the bánh dày is made into a round shape with powder, flour of the rice, not the full rice like bánh chưng. And then the bánh chưng will be cooked in a big pot for very many hours. It depends on how big. It takes long, long, long hours, and as I have already described to you. And bánh dày, they steam it. They put banana leaves underneath so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the steaming kind of device. Then they steam it for maybe one hour or 40 minutes. It depends on how big you make it.
And they eat them in the Tết New Year, Lunar New Year, in Âu Lạc (Vietnam). They eat them like that to remember the parents’ unconditional love and immense merit, as big as the sky and as big as the Earth, so the children will be reminded to be filial to their parents. So on the first day of the New Year, they would come and visit their parents. If they lived far away, they would even have to come. They would like to come to see their parents on the first day of the New Year. And if they live together with the parents, they bring gifts and go there and bow to them or prostrate to them. And then prostrate to the altar of the ancestors as well. And then, if they are already adults and have earned money, they give their parents money also, as well as any very expensive or precious gift to the parents, or maybe include the bánh chưng and bánh dày as well, to express their gratitude and their love for their parents.
This is a beautiful story and it’s one of the fairy tales. We might hear it while sitting around the fire that is cooking the bánh chưng and bánh tét in the Lunar New Year in Âu Lạc (Vietnam). So now you know. And I hope this story will remind you how precious our parents are and how we should always treat them with utmost gratitude, respect, and visit them often, helping them with whatever they need, and share with them your earning salary, to keep your parents healthy, happy and have sufficient – whatever they need – sufficient things they need to continue to live on healthily, till God calls them Home.
There are, of course, the fillings inside these two types of cakes and even bánh tét also. That also has a symbolism. It tastes delicious, of course, together with the rice cakes. The filling inside makes the rice cakes even more beautiful, more tasty. And when you cut it into slices, bánh chưng, the square ones, they just use a knife or even use some kind of a sturdy thread to divide them. Bánh tét, in the older tradition, they use a thread, like a cotton thread, but stronger thread than the thread that we use for sewing machines. And they use that to cut the bánh tét into slices. Some use it also to cut the bánh chưng as well. But nowadays, I think they just use a knife to cut it into slices and share it with the whole family. And give it to the parents first, of course. Everything on the table, the meals on the table, they always offer it to the parents first. And then, everyone else eats together with the parents during the New Year days. Maybe one day, maybe three, four, five days, maybe one week, maybe two weeks. It depends how much time they have for their parents. And, of course, the grandchildren also come together to visit the grandparents at that time. And if they live nearby, then, of course, they come visit more often. Otherwise, they would try to come no matter how far the children are and how old they have grown.
They still come home to visit the parents on special days like Tết in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), Lunar New Year of Âu Lạc (Vietnam). And on some other special days like the memorial days of the ancestors who have passed away, or the parents who have passed away, or grandparents who have passed away. They come and gather together to remember them, to give thanks to them, to bow to their altar and offer food and fruit and all kinds of things. And after that, they will eat the food that has been offered already. Of course, during the New Year time, they offer also to God Almighty, to Lord Jesus, the Son of God, and to the ancestors as well. And there will be a lot of food and different kinds of fruits, but a special fruit in some of the southern areas that I know. In some of the southern areas that I know, in the south; I don’t really know the north if they have the same tradition. They would offer three kinds of fruits, very special, three kinds. Of course, they have other fruits also, but the three kinds of fruit they offer to the altar – that is the coconut, the papaya and the mango.
Because in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), especially the south, they pronounce coconut like “dừa” in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), in the southern accent, “dừa.” And papaya in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), they call it “đủ,” “đu đủ.” And mango in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), they call it “xoài.” But it’s similar to the word “xài,” meaning “spending.” And “đu đủ” means “sufficient.” And coconut in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), “dừa,” means “just fine,” “just enough.” Meaning they wish God or their ancestors, or both, to bless them with their wealth, with anything they need to use in life, like “dừa” means “just enough.” And “đủ” means also “sufficient.” And “xài” means “spending.” Meaning they have everything: enough money, enough financial means, enough economic means, enough possessions so that they can live well. Meaning enough, sufficient to spend.
I think it’s very cute. I think they are very pure with that kind of thinking. Because the words themselves are blessed by Gods and by the ancestors who are enlightened and very liberated already in a higher realm, it’s possible they look down to see their children and hear what they’re praying for, then they might bless them. It doesn’t hurt. At least you remember God then, you remember the parents then. And with this positive thinking in your mind, it may work. I can’t guarantee, it’s just our tradition. If you believe, you can try.
So, these are the things, some kind of special things that happened and are believed in the Aulacese (Vietnamese) Lunar New Year tradition. I hope you enjoyed this story and enjoy your Lunar New Year wherever you are. Wherever you are, may you have peace, and may God bless you. May your ancestors bless you and keep you well, keep you protected, keep you safe, and keep you sufficient in everything you need in life. Amen.
The wok is filled with bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake), bánh tét (cylindrical sticky rice cake), made with sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves with inside filling, with vegan protein, and spice stuff in it. And they wrap it very precisely, square shape or long shape, very precisely with four corners, very, very intact, very beautiful, very precise. And then they eat it for New Year, during New Year time. The first three days of the New Year are very important. At least they eat it in these three days of the New Year, with many other things, of course, delicious, pickled vegetables and many other delicious vegan things. I used to sit next to this kind of cooking in the yard of my house, waiting – waiting droolingly for the cake to finish cooking. And so we could eat it at New Year’s Eve already, after it’s cooked, and continue until the next three, four days. And whenever too many are left over, we can kind of cut it into slim slices. Well, this size, very slim, and then fry it. And it tastes very crispy and it’s fragrant.
That’s what my family used to do. My mother used to do that and give us kids a lot. And also, some sticky rice pudding. Oh, delicious! With the black beans or red beans and many other delicious cookies and spring rolls, with delicious garlic sauce: garlic and a little pepper, hot pepper, soya sauce. And we dip the spring rolls, which are already wrapped in salad, in lettuce, and like some herbs, like coriander, basil, cucumbers, and some of the pickles, the carrot and white radish and root pickles, and soya sauce. Oh, delicious! Don’t drool when I talk about it. I just ate; otherwise, I would drool on myself. Alright, have a very, very pleasant, happy, lucky, peaceful, vegan, new, Lunar New Year. Hurrah! Love you, love you, love you! May God bless us all. Amen.
Actually, I forgot to tell you something. The way the so-called oven [is] – we dug that and it’s kind of long – you can cook something and put the cooked pot of rice next to it, just like where you put the kettle, and every couple of minutes you keep turning it around, so that the rice will cook evenly, without electricity. It’d be perfect. All the food you cook will have a smoky kind of flavor, and it’s more delicious. My grandma used to give me food, smoky kind of meal, of food, and it lingers with you all your life, then you’d like to do the same.
But kids, especially kids, please don’t go to the forest all alone by yourself. It could be dangerous. So if you go for a picnic, make sure you have adults with you, just to be safe. And make sure you have like a fire extinguisher with you and always be around the adults. So if anything happens, they can always help you. If you go into the forest with family or friends, I wish you the highest enjoyment, the way I have. Whenever I can do this, I feel very happy, feel independent – independent, but I feel like I’m young again, like when I was a kid, doing these things with my parents or my grandma. That’s the best memory I have of my childhood – feeling the love of the family and the joy, the peace, watching the fire dancing with all the love around you. I wish you the same or even better, hey, kids?
Happy New Year to you, kids. I hope, if you are Asian, like Chinese, Aulacese (Vietnamese), you will get a good and thick red envelope, and you can spend it on something you like at New Year or after New Year. During Lunar New Year, the parents or the grandparents or the elder relatives will give red envelopes for the children. Inside the red envelope, there will be some money for them to spend. It’s for Lunar New Year. And they’d also have new clothes and probably new toys or new whatever for their age. Maybe new bicycles or new motorcycles, even. So Lunar New Year is a very, very happy time for the children. I’m happy too to know that many children will have very special treatment during Lunar New Year. Enjoy! Pray to God all the time for your enlightenment, your wellness, and your happiness. Pray for the world also to have peace, prosperity, and happiness, and above all – above all – for the souls’ liberation. Ta-da! Love you. God loves you, kids. I love you always.
You see, there’s only a few leftover pieces of wood. It’s still burning, and it’s still very warm. When I hang around it, it feels so warm. And the thing is, after this, if you want to enjoy it, then you put more wood in it. And take the burning coals away to use inside, to continue the warmness wherever you sit – in front of your tent, like that. Or you have to kind of cover it now. Use the soil that you dug up before to cover these parts so that there isn’t any chance of the fire embers flying around. No chance. Any chance, doesn’t happen, won’t happen. I’m going to cover it now with soil, with earth. The earth before, it was in a heap before, and now I use it to cover the whole little V-shaped hole, and then put some dry leaves on it. So it looks like nothing happened. You see that? No smoke even comes out. They will have leaves everywhere. In the forest, they always have leaves. You can use them. You can use the leaves also to put under the wood twigs and use it like a fire starter. If the leaves are dry, they glow up very, very fast. And then all the small twigs will be burned in seconds, and then you can cook right away. It’s quite fun. So now I’m going to room up all these instruments that I just used before and bring them inside and use the kettle of hot water for a cup of tea. Alright, enjoy.
I just put these here temporarily, and then I will bring them inside my living cell area. You see this kind of pallet? That’s the one I mentioned about. You can have like a half size of it. It doesn’t have to be this size. And then you cover it with some no-burning kind of material, and you put the burning coal that I just mentioned before from your cooking area. Then you put that underneath, and it will warm the whole bed or the whole sitting area. I can put a few cushions behind, or on the side to make it like a sofa, temporary sofa. And then it will be very comfortable to sit there to meditate before you go to sleep, or any time you have. Any time you have coal, you can do that. If the pallet is kind of too spaced, too much in between, you can add some wood, a little bit thinner wood. But you always must have a kind of gap in between the wood; between the wood and the wood you must have a gap so that the warmth will come up. And the coal that you took in, put it in a ceramic pot like this, or smaller, or a metal pot. Make sure it doesn’t burn you. If you take it with your hand, you must use an oven glove or something, oven mitt to hold it so that you don’t burn yourself.
What is important is that you have to take in the one that’s already burned – no more wood left on it. Otherwise, it will be more smoky in your room or your camping area. I would not put it in the tent where you sleep, or inside of the wigwam that you sleep, because you might kick it open and it will fall onto your body or onto your bed and will make an accident. Just put it in somewhere where you sit to meditate, underneath the wood pallet. Be very careful with fire, even though it is helpful. Fire is very helpful, very comfortable to use, but you must use it with extraordinary care. You must always do it with adults. Even the adults must have more experience of handling fire in the wild or inside your camping area. Got that? Take care, kids. Love you.
Most Beloved Master, we are so very happy to hear from You once again, especially during such an auspicious occasion as Lunar New Year. Your Love for the children is infinite and so very touching. We join You in wishing all kids the brightest vegan new year ahead as they delight our world with their laughter and innocence. May the Three Most Powerful’s boundless Grace forever be upon our planet and may the Almighty always shield Master and ensure Her health and wellness.
Happy Vegan New Year. Singing songs with joy and cheer. We are all friends together. Cherish every moment here. Wonderful times linger not for a moment. Time flies. Ah-ya ya ya ya. Seize the moment! Thank You, Master for the wonderful gifts and all Your loving care! We love You! Happy Vegan New Year!
To our Most Beloved Master, For this New Year of the Horse, we wish Master and the world to have the most peaceful and blessed New Year yet! May Master’s tireless work continue to bear fruit, as the world embraces peace among all beings. We are so thankful for You each day, for there is no greater Love than Yours. We, Your “horses,” will ride with You until the end. Happy Vegan Lunar New Year!
Happy Vegan Lunar New Year! Thank You, Master.
Happy Vegan Lunar New Year from Supreme Master Ching Hai and the Supreme Master Television team members (all vegans)
