Even after enlightenment, I wasn’t allowed to know much about myself until much, much later. (Ah, right.) Like in recent years. (Yes.) The higher I go spiritually, the more I discover, or I’m allowed to know some, but not all. It’s good, no? Good enough. Good enough for me to long to go Home every day, but cannot. (Oh.) Voluntarily stay.
In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), I had a neighbor. She was 60 something. And she never wore the top. In summer, she did not wear it; she just wore the trousers, under. Nobody said anything. She was inside her yard, of course. But this yard or garden was small and narrow, and was next to the highway. Next to the only one national way, where the South can go to the Central. At that time, we didn’t have the North yet. It was still in the war. Even after the war, we were divided. The Âu Lạc (Vietnam) country was divided into North and South. So that’s the national way – you can go from South to the North. And her house was next to it. She had a husband, of course, and children, three.
And they were very kind to me, very kind, very sweet people. I liked them very much. They were very kind. Whenever I went over… and for some reason I went to school together with them, and in the morning, they would give their children some rice soup. Only congee with salt in it. But they would give me one bowl also. (Wow.) Shared with me. And then, if they had one banana for the three of them, they would give me one-fourth of it also. (Wow.)
The family was poor. Not too poor, at least they have the land and the house. And the mother was doing some… making tofu. Making silken tofu. In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), we make silken tofu, warm it and eat it with ginger syrup. A syrup cooked with ginger. (Ah, yes.) And she made that, and her middle elder daughter carried it to the market to sell it. They had three children, and they could still cover them and they went to school. In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), at that time, the primary school was free. It was obligatory and free. So, the eldest son went also to the same school with me. So, sometimes I went there to go together with him, something like that; I forgot most of the time. Whenever I came, if it was mealtime, they’d give me something. (Oh.)
It’s not only this family, another family also treated me so kindly like that in Âu Lạc (Vietnam). In the high school time, it was a similar story. Because I had a friend, a buddy. When I was older, I studied in the female high school. Only females. (Yes, Master.) Only girls, girl school. (Yes.) And, of course, I passed by some houses, so we could go together. (Yes.) Girls. (Yes.) I had many girlfriends. So, if it was breakfast time, and I happened to be there at that time… They ate breakfast before I went to school. (Yes.) I didn’t. Nobody cooked breakfast for me. So, I stayed with my uncle at that time. So, nobody cooked breakfast for me, nothing. I went just like that. I don’t remember how I went home for lunch, or something. Forgot.
In primary school, I walked home for lunch. It’s about one kilometer from my house. (Wow.) But my high school was nearby my uncle’s house. My uncle was stationed in a small medical clinic. (Yes.) He was the chief there. Because in the war, many soldiers were wounded. They brought them there for quick first treatment. And then they called helicopters to take them to a bigger... If necessary, to a bigger hospital. If necessary. Otherwise, we had also other smaller hospitals nearby, where I went sometimes to help with the patients. I couldn’t do much, just like taking away their excrement or... (Bedpan.) Bedpan, and stuff like that. To throw away, wash them, and bring back, stuff like that. Or cleaned the floor, or talked to them, listened to their pain.
And with my uncle, I helped with washing the soldiers when they were wounded; you have to wash with oxygen water. (Ah.) And then, wash so that the medical people, or my uncle can see where the wound is exactly. (Ah, yes.) So, they could dress them, and then we carried them with the patient-carrying bed? Not bed. (A stretcher?) Ah, stretcher, to carry them. We were small, me and some other kids who lived there, nearby also, or lived in the same clinic. We carried them to the helicopter. (Oh. Wow.) I could, I could. They were adults, they were big soldiers, but I don’t know how I could have done that. (Wow.) I carried with another boy of similar age, same size. Because we didn’t have enough people, there were sometimes a lot of soldiers, wounded. So, we children helped out at midnight, or whenever they came in. It was a sad time for kids. (Yes.)
Why did I tell you all this? I don’t remember why. What was it? (Talking about the Aulacese [Vietnamese] story.) The Aulacese (Vietnamese) story, I know. But what brought me to the… Oh, the kindness of the neighbors, of my neighbors, and of my classmates’ parents. (Ah, yes.) They were not all rich, but they were all very kind to me. That’s all I remember, the kindness of the people, the rural people, the non-rich people, (Yes.) or just OK, not…
And the family, the neighbors, were not that rich. They had to sell this tofu, silken tofu and syrup, and the father went to the… like a bus station. Where they park all the buses when they come in and out. When they come from the South to the Central, sometimes they have to stop somewhere? It’s like a stopover. Because they stop somewhere, like where there are businesses. (Ah, right.) Businesses or the market, (OK.) so they can unload their goods. People went there to buy things, to sell things. So, his father was staying there, helping travelers to bring down some goods, if they let him. Sometimes there were many goods, so he helped, if they let him. He helped, and then they paid him something, accordingly. There was no fixed price, of course. Give whatever. And that was how they worked. That was how they made a living.
But they were so kind, so generous like that. One banana, gave me one piece of it. (Wow.) Tasted like Heaven, (Yes.) with all the love. (Yes.) I never did anything for them. I was just a neighbor’s kid, who happened to pass by to go to school together with their kid. Same, in another city where I attended high school. Everywhere, they’re so kind, so good.
I feel so touched, even now talking about it. They all went to Heaven. (Aw. Wow. Good to hear.) (Wonderful!) Even though they didn’t know anything. I didn’t know anything either. Kids, teenage. Teenage or even under teen, didn’t know anything much. Just something strange in me, but I didn’t know much, clearly. I wasn’t allowed to know much, until later. (Yes.)
Even after enlightenment, I wasn’t allowed to know much about myself until much, much later. (Ah, right.) Like in recent years. (Yes.) The higher I go spiritually, the more I discover, or I’m allowed to know some, but not all. It’s good, no? Good enough. Good enough for me to long to go Home every day, but cannot. (Oh.) Voluntarily stay. (Yes.) Not that I cannot, just voluntarily… Just like now, I volunteer to be like under house arrest. I can’t go anywhere, (Yes.) can’t do anything (Yes, Master.) much more than just this and Supreme Master TV.
But I don’t mind either. I don’t mind, as long as this can help the world. In a strange way, it does. (Yes.) More than even if I go out and talk. Because I talked, I went out and gave lectures and seminars and all that. How many people listened anyway? So, like this, many more people can listen. Before, I went to lecture only at a location. (Yes, Master.) Maybe some thousands of people came to listen. Like this, at least many millions or billions of people can hear, if they want to. (Yes. That’s right, Master.) (Yes, Master.) It’s spread louder through television, (Yes.) and wider. (Yes.) And I do the retreat so that I can conserve my power, so my talk will be more powerful. It’s not just the talk, it’s the energy (Yes, Master.) to go with it. (Yes, Master.)
Any questions concerning these incredible stories or the Prophet Muhammad’s, Peace Be Upon Him, Hadith records? Or you just listened and you forgot to think even? (Oh, I have a question, Master.) Please. (When the palace of the princess and her husband flew up, where did they actually fly to? Does it say, Master?) It just says, “Flew into the sky.” I wasn’t there, I don’t really know. (I wonder what happened to them?) Yes. I wonder myself.
I guess they just went to Heaven. (Yes, most likely, I think.) Their time was up. (Yes.) They just wanted to live simply, in a hut or something, and then all this was a manifestation. (Yes, Master.) So, if the things went up to Heaven, or not went up to Heaven, it’s just our interpretation. (Yes.) Probably there was a palace, everybody saw it, and the next day no more. (Oh, OK.) So, the husband and wife probably went to Heaven. (Ah, yes.) Some people just flew up and then disappear. (Yes, Master.) It depends on how they choose to die. (Yes.)
Maybe the storm carried everything away. Just like some time before, I lived in a tent, sometimes the storm wanted to carry me away in the tent. (Oh.) I just didn’t let it. (Oh.) Because I tied it very well onto the trees and stuff. (Yes.) Then I told the storm, I said, “I’m not afraid of you.” I did. And some disciples at that time, because we camped together nearby, next to each other. Before, like in the Persimmon Garden, for example. Or in the Bamboo Grove down there. And they heard me. They said, “Whom are You talking to, Master?” I said, “I talk to the wind.” I said, “He’s very strong, shaking my tent.” (Wow.) And I said, “I’m not afraid of the wind.” “I’m not afraid of you.” That’s what I said to the wind, the storm ‒ stormy wind. (Yes, Master.)
Before, I lived in Hsihu and we didn’t have any buildings or anything, just had tents. So, the storms just sometimes showed off their strength to us. But the tents did not fly away, none! (Wow.) We tied them to the tree root or the tree trunk, (Yes.) and somehow, it’s OK. Somehow the wind heard me, because I told him, “Get lost, man.” Because it was so powerful, blowing around leaves and everything, tree trunks and tree branches broken everywhere. (Oh.) I was so mad. I said, “I’m not afraid of you. Get lost.” I said, “We’re living in tents already. You’re making trouble for what? Go pick on your own size.”
