So, yesterday I was thinking of you. I was thinking of you here, while I was seeing the “high spiritual-level practice” here during meditation, that one nod to the left, and the other to the right. And the other to the front, and then knock at the back of the front-row practitioner and both of them have been “awakened.” Well, actually, that is the purpose of our spiritual practice – to be awakened. Especially when you go to Hsihu Meditation Center, headquarters as well. So here you must be “awakened” more often. If you can’t be “awakened” yourself, then the neighbors will help by knocking their heads onto your shoulders or onto your back. You see, that is the spirit of brotherhood, helping each other with no expectations. This is really egoless, offering without expecting reward. Now, if you don’t feel grateful to the neighbor yet, you’d better. After I have left, you’d better bow to each other and say, “Thank you for ‘awakening’ me anytime.”
Now, the joke just comes like that. I didn’t put it in a note. The note is not yet used. Maybe we save it, because every time, it’s a headache for me to find some jokes for you, because you love to laugh so much, and me too. Now, really seriously, I read the note. If I can read at all, because it’s a note. I actually wrote a few words here.
Now, since I have seen your spiritual level here, in the retreat, I keep thinking of you. What happens at home? When I’m not at all present and no other spiritual people to help you to be awakened? So, I was thinking very deeply about this. I meditated on it. And then I was seeing a vision. I wonder if that is a vision or it is a dream, or I am also drifting myself, trying to “awaken” somebody else.
So, I was seeing something like, there was a practitioner, very holy and serious and solemn and very, very, consciously wanting to be awakened, so he sat in his home, in the bedroom, and since it’s more comfortable in bed, so he sat on the bed. The Master says, “You can practice anywhere. It is your heart that counts, not the place or what you sit on.” So, the softer the bed, the better. So anyhow, he sinks inside the bed, the American bed, the luxurious one, [that] I told you [about] one time, about how I sank into the bed and I needed a ladder to climb out. That was in America and Tong thinks that’s the best. She has to offer Master the best, so she went to buy the luxurious mattress for the bed. And once you get in, it’s difficult to come out. Remember? And my room was so small, and the king-size bed occupied all of it. So, whenever I opened my door, I just had to jump in the bed. There’s no alternative, no choice. Remember that story? (Yes.)
So, one of our practitioners was sitting in that kind of bed. But his room is bigger anyhow, so he can afford to have a king-size bed. So, he sat there, and he was kind of trying to “awaken” somebody, even though no one was around there. So, he tried to “awaken” somebody. It’s a good intention, though. Maybe he practiced, so that in retreat he can help. Or maybe during the group meditation, if somebody is sleeping in front of him, he can knock him out and “awaken” him. That is also “spreading the Dharma” in his own way, helping the Master. So anyhow, he was practicing this kind of “Awakening Doctrine.” And so, somebody else caught him. Maybe his father or mother, the elder in the family, so the elder scolded him and said, “What do you do there?” “I meditate.” And the mother, the elder, said, “What? You’re nodding your head like that and you say you’re meditating?” So, the young one said, “Sorry. Maybe I did that. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
So the elder said, “Did you know that Master is watching you, while you stealthily sleep like this during the meditation hour? You know that?” So, the younger felt very embarrassed and very repentant and said, “Yes, yes, I know.” And then the elder with a stern face continued, not scolding, just chastising him, continued chastising him, saying, “And just what do you think the Master would say to you in this case?” So the younger said, “Master would say, ‘No one else here, only two of us, sleep for two.’” Yeah, yeah. Nobody else is looking. So, the Master and me, only two of us, let’s sleep. Master is also very tired. Always have to be a good, shining example. So, when nobody else is looking, let us sleep. OK. That’s one of my notes. Is there anything else? All the jokes are not spiritual jokes.
OK. There’s a person who was going together with a group of tourists, or kind of a researching group to Africa or something. And of course, over there, there’s no transportation, and the communication is very difficult. So, they had to use, sometimes, helicopters. So now, there’s one person who was supposed to help them with translation, or the native guide was going together with the scientists, research group. And then as soon as he got in the helicopter, he complained, “The helicopter’s too noisy. The people are talking too much. They are smoking too much, and the seat’s too narrow, the space too tight...” And he kept wailing and complaining and moaning and shouting, all the time. So, the crew member took him out, hung him on the wing or something, hung him on a rope and dangling around: “Here you are, you have a lot of space.” And then at that time, he shouted even louder, “Please let me in!”
So, this is the problem with us too. Sometimes we don’t appreciate the good situation, or a good friend, or a good companion, until we lost him or her, until we lost the situation, or until the situation became worse, became more unbearable, and then, we’d be happy just to have what we had.
Similarly, in life, if we complain too much, too, unreasonably, then God will put us through a lot of trouble until we stop our mouth and then probably, we pray at that time, “Oh, please!” That’s how people pray every day just because they used to complain before and then get into trouble. And then they rethink what they had, and then they appreciate it more. You understand now? (Yes.) That’s why you have to sit on your bottom for so long now, because you used to complain to me that two and a half hours is too long. Now, after any retreat, you come home, you’re just happy to sit two and a half hours. Is that not so? (Yes.) Yeah.
And then sometimes you went to group meditation, and you complained that the toilet is not modernized enough, the bathroom is such and such and such... And then after you come to the retreat and go back, you’re just happy to use any available... my God... facilities! Yes, yes. That’s the problem that you don’t come often and speak English to me. You let me “blah, blah” Chinese all day long, every day. How can I even remember English? That’s a wonder. I don’t speak English here, and I only see you twice or three times a year. And you expect me to speak beau-beau-beau-beau-beautiful E-E-English. It’s im-im-impossible. No? Poor Master.
So, anyone who complains about facilities and everything here? I’m sure you do. But that’s the purpose, so that when you go home, you accept your life and feel more peaceful at home. Then you appreciate your peace at home and everything else. Now I know why not many people want to come here and become a monk, because then they appreciate better their home. I got it now.
OK. There’s another note I put here for you. Sometimes I read the whole book and nothing. So I have to scan my mind and write my own story for you. But it helps sometimes. It helps at least to let me know that I’m better than all the authors whom I read.
Just like here, even though you are offered all the “lousy” facilities and sit for a long time, at least it helps you to settle down at home and to feel more peaceful at home and more appreciative, more happy and contented with whatever God gives you at home. Thus, you don’t give me a headache and don’t pray too much. Or, “Master, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me. Give, give, give, give…” And after many retreats, you never ask again. “No. No more. OK, enough, enough.” So, at least the retreat helps you in this aspect. So, thanks, thanks Master.
There is some tourist who went to Africa for sightseeing. Actually, I forgot to tell you, Africa is a very beautiful continent with many beautiful countries. Of course, the people there, their mentalities are much different from yours or maybe from us here in Asia. Maybe they don’t think that much. They don’t try to work pretty hard because perhaps it’s a little bit hot there in some places. But many places are very beautiful, cool and green, and just like one of the Asian countries. There is no difference. So the picture of an Africa with an ape(-person) jumping around everywhere, this is not true. Or you expect to see a lion(-person) who’ll come out and say hallo to you anytime. This is also not true. It’s very difficult to find lion- and monkey(-people) there, because they are all captured and brought to the West for people to look at. So, there’s not much left in Africa.
Elephant(-people) and all that now are rare species there. That’s why they have to organize many organizations to protect these endangered species, as you know very well. Why is it so? Because they have been exploited and killed or kidnapped for their precious tusks or their teeth, or their horns, their skin, or whatever reason. Maybe for medical purposes or maybe just for curiosity, or maybe just for their rare (animal-people) meat for the few wealthy people who had everything already and want something more that they did not know. So, Africa is not the wild jungle the way all the films portray.
Photo Caption: The True Light Can Never B Covered, Though Worldly Agents Want So Much To Obscure It!
