| | Faith is the Mother of all Miracles | | What a Smart Wife! | | A Misunderstanding | | The Multi-Purpose Fly Swatter | | Honey Words | | Please come the following web sites to enjoy the original audio and video versions of the joke and you may share the joy of Master's humor with those around you as well: | | | | Concepts in Spiritual Practice Should be Logical | | Maya is Our Own Laziness | | Bring Paradise to Earth | | Every Moment Matters | | The Difference Between a Saint and a Devil | | Quick Enlightenment for the Pure and Simple | | The Secret of Vibration | | Plants Experience Sensations | | Love Creates Miracles | | Evil Brings Destruction | | Spiritual Practice Benefits Sentient Beings | | | | Growing and Preparing Food with Love: A Better Alternative to Genetically Modified Food | | Cherishing the Enlightened Supreme Master Ching Hai | |
Many of you touch me so deeply, with your true faith in the teaching of the Master, not because of my physical body, but because of the
teaching of the Master. And that's how you survive in this world without a scratch; you're always protected by your own faith. It's like
Jesus says, "Your faith can make you whole" ("Thy faith hath made thee whole." Matthew 9:22), and this is like that.
Faith can overcome a lot of things. But it is a gift, also; it's not that you want to have faith and then you can have it. Some people are
so poisoned for a long time; even though they pray for faith, they can't have it. So these people, you must feel sorry for them; it's not
their fault. They have been brainwashed in all kinds of negative influence and thinking, so that it is very difficult for them to stand up.
Oh, for you, these lucky people, I look at you and I feel so happy because you are really Okay. It's not because you believe me, because
there is not a "me" anyway; it's not because you believe me that I am happy, because I'm flattered; it's not that. I am happy because you
are Okay, because you are protected and you are happy and I don't have to worry about you guys. So I save a lot of time, so that I can
worry about some other 'sick' kids. And because you are Okay, you can also help me take care of many other new people, and other less
strong people.
And that's why I'm happy, not because you believe me, you believe me or not; it is good for you that you believe me. Because belief is the
mother of every miracle. Even if your Master is no good, your faith is good, and that's good for you. It really is, because you are so
pure. That's why you can believe a person who's a stranger to you and not related to you. That means you are good. That doesn't mean that
I'm good or not good; I don't know yet. (Master laughs; audience says "Yes you are.")
What I mean is, I may be good, or I may be no good, but if you believe in me that means a hundred-percent that you are good. That's the
thing that you should know. Whether I am good or not is difficult to tell maybe, but if you believe in me that means you are good already.
That is definitely good for you.
Remember I told you the story about the thief who came out? There was a story about a couple who had been without spiritual guidance or
aspiration for a long time, and they decided that now that they're old they'd better go out and find some spiritual Master, but they didn't
know who to find. So they went into the forest, and they sat there and prayed and they made a promise to God that whoever came, the first
one, that would be their Master. And a thief came along (everyone laughs) and made them stay there, and then they did stay, and then God
did appear. It was their faith because God is within you. It is not that I make God for you.
So if you believe in me that means you're so pure, no matter if I'm good or not, you're so pure that you believe, and this faith will
protect you from everything. And it makes you a blessing, a gift, to this world and the next. And that's why I'm happy; it's not because
you believe me that I'm happy. I'm happy to be friends with such pure people. It's an honor for me to have you as a gift in my life. That's
why I'm happy.
A newly married woman was sitting on a chair, looking vexed, when her husband came home. "What's up? Why do you look so troubled?" the
husband asked. The woman replied, "I'm so sorry. I was ironing your new suit and burned a hole in your trousers." And the man said, "That's
all right. I have another pair that is exactly the same."
"Thank God you do. I used it to mend this pair," the wife responded.
An old woman went to a supermarket, to the tomato or tofu stall. She bent down to pick some tomatoes or tofu, and because she was old,
her spine gave her trouble and she felt a sharp pain. So she just shrieked, "Ah....", the way you do when you see a mouse in the kitchen.
And the seller at the counter said, "Wow, if you think the tomatoes are expensive, you should see the price of the zucchini."
A mother came home from shopping for tea, and saw that some tea had already been made by her 15-year-old daughter. The mother then asked
the daughter, "Did you use the tea strainer?"
Because in England they use chopped tea leaves to make tea, and you have to use a tea strainer to strain out the tea leaves, and then drink
only the liquid. And the daughter said, "Yes, mother, I did filter the tea leaves. But I couldn't find the tea strainer, so I used the fly
swatter." The mother said, "Oh! My God! Why did you do that? You shouldn't have done that!" And the daughter said, "Oh mother, don't panic.
It's just an old one. I didn't use the new one."
A man said to a woman, "Darling! Without you, everything is dark and dreary. The clouds gather, and the wind whips the rain. Then comes the warm sun; you are like a rainbow to me." And the woman asked, "Is this a proposal, or a weather report?"
http://www.Godsdirectcontact.org/video/joke/120
http://www.Godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/light_sound/jokes/120
Once there was a spiritual practitioner who was sitting on the road, when a lot of people ran past him saying, "Hurry and run! A giant
crazy elephant is chasing after us. It may kill someone. Hurry and run!" Then the so-called practitioner said, "I believe in God. God is
inside the elephant; so I am not afraid." After a while, the elephant charged along and killed him.
Since he believed that God was inside the elephant, why didn't he believe that God was also inside those people bringing him the message?
Why didn't he believe in this more normal God instead of believing in that crazy God? So this is the part that is illogical.
There is another story from India. Once a very dangerous plague was spreading around India. But there was one place that still had not been
affected. The government decided to give vaccinations to the people there, but some Indians resisted. They did not know what vaccinations
were, so they resisted strongly. Later, the government, a charity organization and some doctors decided to sneak into their houses in the
middle of the night and vaccinate them by force. This was because even if one person got the disease, everyone in the city might be
infected. You all know very clearly that if one single person were left unvaccinated, it would be very difficult to conduct the prevention
work. Therefore they decided to do it this way.
One night, a group of doctors and nurses went to the house of a family. They forced the whole family outside for their vaccinations. Of
course, the family members resisted very strongly. Despite this, the doctors still had to do their job and gave the vaccinations. They set
the family free only after finishing with the vaccinations. Then the head of the family stood up and said to them, 'Because of our
religious beliefs, we did not want the vaccinations. We tried our best to resist you, but since you used force to bring us to submission,
we were not able to withstand you. However, this event has passed. Now you are my guests. I have nothing in my home to offer you, except a
cucumber.'
This is because, according to their Indian custom, when you come to a person's home, you are God, and he should treat you in the way he
would treat God, bringing out everything he has in order to offer you something to eat and drink. Therefore the man offered them water and
a cucumber, since at that time those were the only things he had in his house. He told the doctors that, according to his religious
beliefs, when God wants someone to be sick, that person will be sick, and we should not go against God's will. That was why he was
steadfastly against the vaccinations. On hearing this, the doctors all felt ashamed and regarded that man as very religious.
However, I feel that this man's beliefs can be compared to a one-way street. He was not hearing what God was talking about, but decided on
his own that God's view was such that anyone will get sick if God desires it to be so. However, God also sent these doctors along, thus
showing that God meant them for them to be vaccinated. This is more obvious, isn't it? Why reject people without hearing what God is
saying? If God had really talked to him and said, "You do not have to be vaccinated, because I do not want you to be sick. When I want
someone to be sick, that person will be sick! "It is possible that it could have been this way. However, God produced some doctors, meaning
that God had another idea. God wanted to help some people who did not want to be sick, and arranged for them to receive vaccinations, etc.
Therefore we so-called spiritual practitioners should not be too stubborn and strong-headed. Whatever the condition, we should manage
according to the situation. If we are sick, apart from meditation and praying hard, we should take medicine if it is available. If there is
no medicine, of course we have to depend entirely on prayer. And then we will see how God has arranged things, and go along with it. If God
has arranged a doctor to come to your house, and you still say no, how do you know that he was not sent by God? Didn't you say that
everything is God's arrangement? So, since the doctor has come, that means God has made Hiers arrangement. Why then take such trouble to
reject him, and be that stubborn?
Besides this, there are many similar stories. This world is like that. Many people regard themselves as having very great faith. However,
it is very simple just to talk. When encountering real situations one tends to cry out loud. Like that family, if they had not gotten the
vaccinations and had gotten sick afterwards; they would have been in great agony while dying. At that time they would surely have cried out
loud, and then would have complained about why God had not saved them, had not taken care of them, and had allowed them to get sick.
We spiritual practitioners should be quick and efficient. We should not say, "I believe in God, so then it's okay" just because we are lazy
or stubborn. If this is the way, then why bother to eat food or to dress up! You believe in God, so then it's okay; people will not be able
to see you naked; you believe in God, so then it's okay, you will not feel hungry. That is too illogical! It is just too convenient to use
our mouths to talk. We like to talk in whatever way is convenient for us, because we do not want to act otherwise. So we say we believe in
God, and then blame God for everything, using God as a shield for everything. Therefore spiritual practitioners should be careful!
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Q: Can you explain about Maya, please?
M: Oh, No! I'd rather explain about God. Maya is nothing but our own laziness. We give up, we give in, and we don't want to strive.
It's too hard. It's too long. It's too difficult -- all these kinds of things. We don't worry about it. There are two forces within us. One
says, "You have to do what is good." The other says, "Oh, why bother. Just sleep!" That's Maya. There's no outside Maya. It's in us. So
fight with it yourself. But of course, there are some outside influences, like the place or the people we interact with, and the atmosphere
which people create, and then we tumble in, and we get affected and we are affected by that, too. But it all comes down to our laziness; we
don't want to struggle to get out of it. We don't want to better ourselves. We don't want to think that we are strong.
You should never give up, but just continue and then you will get the reward, really! You will feel better after you achieve something,
after you struggle and stand up for yourself. It's nothing impossible. We might be miserable. We might cry, but stand up; we must, in the
end. It's our own laziness. No Maya can beat us, really. Because we are saints, we are Gods incarnated. (Applause)
Maya is just a test, an examination that we have to take now and again in the school of life. There is no school here except us training
ourselves. Every situation is for us to be stronger. There's no Maya, just tests! We test ourselves. Before we came down into this world,
we vowed to do this, do that and do others. But there are also obstacles in our way, so that we will know what we can do, how strong we
are, how determined. So there is no Maya; don't worry about it! It's just us! Maya is us!
Q: Relating to what you just said, sometimes a test gets very difficult, and I feel like I have to be very strong and break through
obstacles. And then sometimes people say to me, "No, no, take it easy! God will do it." And I should just relax and let it happen. So, how
do you know the balance between what you should do and how much you should relax?
M: Okay. Do your best, and the rest God does. (Applause.) After you do your best, then Hes has to do the rest. That's it. And if you
succeed already, fine! Then you should be proud and happy. If you have done your best already, there's nothing else you can do. It's not
always leaving it to God, of course, because you are here to do things, to learn your own strength. You can always leave it to God, too,
then do nothing. But how do you live a life doing nothing? Would you like that? No, it would be too boring. So there are challenges for you
to overcome. So, to do it is for you, to do or not to do, to be or not to be.
Try to have some consideration, not for other people, but for yourself - to elevate yourself to a much higher sensitivity of
consciousness. We cannot always remain at a very coarse level with rough ways of handling people's emotions and the environment. If we are
sensitive to other people's feelings and needs, it doesn't mean that it's good for that person only, or good for other people only; it's
also good for us. It means that we are highly developed souls. We are very sensitive. We understand before people speak. It means that we
have reached the level of Amitabha's Western Paradise. As the sutra says, "In the Western Paradise, people don't need to speak, and each
understands perfectly the other person's desires and expressions." We have to bring paradise to earth, and not wait until we die to be
there. It is a wrong conception to run to some level somewhere and then forsake the world. We have to better the world as much as our
ability allows. Otherwise, not only can we not elevate ourselves, but we also damage the world. We make it worse.
When we are a good person, good in action, speech, and thought, every second of every hour, then all the past, present, and future saints from the ten directions are by our side. All the angels and spiritual guardians support us. When our actions, speech, and thoughts are clean, at that moment, the whole universe is ours, supporting us, and a throne is prepared for us to sit on. But when we have one single inappropriate thought, we attract all kinds of hindrances, as well as different, bad atmospheres, bringing suffering to ourselves.
With power but without love, one changes into a devil. There is little difference between a devil and a saint. Both have similar power, except that the saint has love and the devil doesn't. The devil is very selfish, demanding and taking away everything. The devil gives only criticism and has no tolerance. The saint also gives criticism, but he also has tolerance. The saint criticizes at the right time to encourage people to make progress and understand their shortcomings. He exercises tolerance where appropriate, so that people can live on, be encouraged, and not feel too guilty. So to be a saint is to possess multi-faceted qualities.
If you want to be fully enlightened, your heart has to be like a child's. Everything is then pure and simple. In this way, you will attain enlightenment sooner. If you are very complicated, struggle too much, argue too much, get too involved in rights and wrongs, and take gains and losses too seriously, then do not blame Master if you are slow in getting enlightenment, for you have brought all these troubles onto yourself.
An experiment was once conducted by some scientists, who measured the vibrations of the leaves and stems of plants before burning them,
at which time it was discovered that the plants shook very violently out of fear. They also did another research study and discovered that
whenever a kind-hearted person who loved plants approached places where trees and plants were grown, the trees and plants would appear to
be very happy. However, when someone who disliked plants or had unkind thoughts entered those places, the plants would tremble violently,
and generate resisting instead of welcoming vibrations. Scientists have experimented on both resisting and welcoming vibrations. Because of
this research, they know that trees also experience sensations. That is why some people can grow trees and plants while some others cannot.
Now I'm going to tell you my own story. Since childhood I have liked trees and plants. Before I became a renunciate, our house had a huge
garden. The lawn was green and the garden was filled with green plants. It was very beautiful and comfortable. I watered every day and took
very good care of the plants. And I disliked it the most when someone would harm them. I got very upset, because I could feel their pain,
and that would hurt me, too. I don't like that. We really shouldn't harm plants without any reason.
When I was in India searching for the Truth, I lived in an ashram, where there was a tree, the kind that grows in the desert. Its leaves
were full of thorns. It had been chopped so badly that it could no longer grow any roots. Some plants will grow roots if we cut them a
little below the leaves and then put them in some water. But if you cut above the leaves, the roots will not grow. At that time I felt
sorry for that desert plant. It was very pretty and I thought it was such a pity. But other people didn't want to plant it because its
roots would not grow and it wouldn't be able to revive. One fellow practitioner at the ashram said to me: "If you wish, why don't you take
it back and have a try? You have the power." I said: "Okay. I'll give it a try." I planted it in the soil and it came back to life. It was
alive all the time when I was there, even though it had no roots at all. It was able to come back to life! Seeing its new leaves grow, I
knew it had come back to life wit! h jo y. Because each day I had been there meditating and reciting the Holy Names, it was affected and
didn't feel anything bad, so it started to grow again.
When I was in the United States, I stayed in a Chinese temple. Originally, there were no potted plants there, only one or two tiny,
yellowish things, which had been planted for several years already but were still tiny, looking rather sickly. Perhaps they did not have
enough nutrients, or perhaps nobody ever took good care and watered them. I didn't think twice and began to water as soon as I saw any
trees. I watered them every day. Two months later, they had developed very quick, my room was filled with potted plants and there was no
room for me to sit anymore. People were very surprised. At that time I didn't have any money to buy fertilizer for the plants. I was not a
professional tree grower, either. All I had was love. I meditated and watered every day and didn't think much. I watched the leaves grow
bigger and bigger, and the plants multiplied. By the time I left, I was afraid that there would be no one to take care of them, so I gave
them away to the devotees. They wer! e so happy that they grabbed them right away.
There was another plant that had been there for several years and didn't grow much. After I came, more branches began to grow on the lower
part. It also grew taller and bigger. When I left, the abbot said, "This is too big to give away. But after you are gone it just might
die." I said: "It will probably live for another two years." And my words came true. Two years later when I returned, the plant had just
died. I came back too late. The abbot told me: "It just died." He asked me, "Has it been two years since you left last time?" I said,
"Yes!" At that time I remembered what I had jokingly said, and it had really died after two years. Therefore, we can tell that trees have
feelings. Because I took care of them every day, they grew very big and green. Their leaves grew so big that they became different than
other ordinary plants. I didn't give them much except water every day. Sometimes when there was some leftover tea, I would give it to them,
too. I would also dig some soil! from outside and put it in the pots. Because they grew bigger and bigger, I gave them more nourishment. As
a result, they grew too big.
At that time there was a person who created heavy karma by taking a monk home to be her personal possession. People there discriminated
against her. Even though nobody liked her, she would still come. One day she came and slept in the room where all the potted plants had
been stored. At that time there was no seven-day retreat, so I put all the plants outside, close to my room and the other room. She only
slept there for one night. When I got up the next morning, many leaves had turned a coffee color and died, as if someone had burned them
with fire, or as if they had been too close to the cooking stove and looked burned, even though they were not really burned. My heart was
hurting very much. I collected them all and showed them to the abbot, who said, "There were too many people and not enough oxygen" I said,
" There weren't that many people." He didn't understand, so I didn't want to say too much. Shaking my head, I put all those leaves in the
garbage. You see how formidab! le i t was! We were both humans, but I slept with the plants every day and there was no problem at all. How
come she came and slept for just one night and the plants became like that? You know, many people slept here and they didn't destroy our
plants overnight. We meditate a lot here every day, and there has never been anything wrong. Many people used to sleep here and there was
never any problem. So it wasn't because of too many people.
Heavy, evil thoughts and karma from humans can affect plants. You see, those plants were affected very badly and it was evident. It would
not be hard to imagine how much more human minds can be affected. That's the reason we have to be very careful. That's why most masters
like to hide in the mountains, as do their disciples. They don't like to leave the mountains. The real masters are reluctant to leave the
mountains. If they live in the city, they also hide themselves and will not advertise that such and such a great master lives here. The
more famous the master becomes, the more he wants to hide. The more people know about him, the more he hides. If he were not known to a lot
of people, maybe he wouldn't care much. If he were known to too many people, he would try harder to hide. He really dislikes it. The human
magnetic field is terrible. A person with heavy, evil thoughts and who doesn't practice can burn other people to death.
Therefore, our minds affect others. Don't think it's good enough for us to be vegetarian. It doesn't do us any good if we eat vegetarian
food but can't stop evil thoughts. We should meditate more. Shakyamuni Buddha said, "Don't make friends with evil people. Don't get close
to them." He was speaking to beginners in spiritual practice. Because they didn't have enough strength and their spiritual power was not
strong enough for self-protection. More spiritual practice will help. The more you practice, the more influence you have.
When we recite the Holy Names silently, many people will benefit. When you are used to reciting them, wherever you go people will be
benefited, while you might not know. Even when you don't know them, you still benefit them. The power of reciting the Holy Names is that
great! The more you recite them, the more benefit there is and the more people will benefit. If a person completely understands the Truth
and reaches full enlightenment, the level of the whole world and all of humanity will be elevated. Even if other people don't practice,
they still make progress.
M: If you love your vegetables, they grow. Really, you must love them. There is a true story about a farmer in Scotland who loved
his potatoes so much that his potatoes grew very big. It was in the newspaper. That is exciting, better than cheap cheating and quick
profits. If you really put your heart into doing it and if you really love it, your plants will grow very big. In Maoli, I gave each
resident a piece of land to grow different things. But for the other ones, who didn't care and just threw them there and planted them, who
did it just because Master said they had to plant something, who planted them cheaply and quickly, and felt there was no need to take care
of them, all the worms came and ate them. Later they made an excuse: "Well, we have to be compassionate and let the worms eat our stuff."
Also, it didn't grow very big, but it grew to be very tender; it looked good and the worms liked it. Other people who grew their plants
with love, I saw that the plants grew very fast and had a lot of fruit. That's true, too.
I will tell you my experience. When I was in America, in New York, I didn't have money; I lived in a temple. When I first came there, there
was a little plant about that big (Master estimates size of plant with Her hands). They told me it had been there for five years, and I
couldn't believe it! Five years, and it was only that big, and yellow here, brown there, and so small. The stem was very small like the
stem of this flower (Master points to flower). And I said, "Oh, five years; it must be a very funny plant that doesn't grow." So, I just
watered it. And sometimes whatever was left over, tea or whatever, I gave him to drink. Sometimes when I drank tea, he got half or whatever
was left over. And he grew, and grew, and grew: My God, he became very big! The stem grew so big that I had to sleep outside in the next
room, because it had grown into the whole room already. It was in a small pot like that, (Master points to pot) half yellow and half brown.
It grew so much that I h! ad t o cut some of it and put it into another pot that I found outside, or into any plastic cup or bottle that I
found; and then I cut another. And another one grew again! I had to sleep in another room again because two rooms were occupied. And then
later I had to cut it more, and I didn't have more pots to put the plants in. So I moved the already grown plants outside and put them in
front of the temple. Everyone passing by could just take them home, and because I had no more room; I had to sleep sitting up.
I was sitting up to sleep, actually; I meditated all night at that time. I was holier than I am now, believe me! (Master laughs.) So
actually, we were growing together. I meditated, and he grew just from the tea and water; that's it. And the abbot of the temple asked me,
"What kind of fertilizer did you buy?" I said, "What do you mean, what kind of fertilizer? I don't even have money; you don't give me any.
How can I buy anything here?"
I didn't have any pocket money at that time. I just worked for free in the temple. I didn't care. So he knew. And even later when he talked
about it to his disciples, his disciples came and told me. Otherwise how would they have known? Because they were not in New York when the
abbot had asked me about the plants, and they said, "When master talked about you, he said you have too much love and all the plants grow
so fast and so big." Yes, when you have love, things grow, too.
So maybe that's a better alternative than the genetically modified method. Nevertheless, we don't mean to criticize them. They have tried;
they have been excited over some possibility of ending world hunger, or getting more profit. Maybe in the beginning they meant well, and
later on the business people manipulated it, monopolized it, and made it become something else. >From there, they took a step further and
injected animal stuff, just to experiment and make more profits. So it ends up that the process has become devoid of love. And that's why
people protest against it. Because when they eat it, they don't feel good. They don't feel love; they don't feel contented.
With a lot of the food I eat, I don't feel good. And with some food I just eat one serving; I don't want to eat another one and another
one. Most of the food that I eat nowadays is without any taste at all; I keep wondering why. Just now and again, very rarely, do I eat a
very tasty meal, and I say, "This is how food should taste." Actually, it looks the same. But most food I cannot eat at all. It looks so
good; it's prepared with everything, but lately, in the last few years, I haven't been truly enjoying food. Only now and again, rarely; I
don't know why. It's not because I am not hungry! Sometimes I don't eat anything all day long, and the first meal I eat still tastes like
garbage, like nothing; it tastes unattractive, not appetizing at all. I just pick here and there, and then that's it. It's almost like I'm
eating nothing, even though it looks like a lot. And even if I eat a lot, I don't feel satisfied. I just feel full and bloated and lousy.
D1: This isn't scientific or anything, but I know someone who works in a restaurant, and they commented recently that they don't
know why, but for the last few years or so everyone has been asking for aspirins. Everyone's been having headaches all the time, the people
she works with. That could be.
M: That's because sometimes the affect of love-devoid food is not physical; it's not very obvious. You might think you have a
headache or you might think you have dizziness, or you feel like vomiting, but it might be from somewhere. They might think it's from
pollution, or they might say, "I am overworked, and I don't sleep enough," or from many things we do. Because the headaches people often
have, they don't think about.
D2: Some of our brothers and sisters who have switched to organic feel a lot better.
M: I believe you.
D2: They even meditate better. I can feel the difference if I eat very pure food; I can sit still more easily.
M: Yes.
D2: Sometimes I feel agitated when I eat food that is not very good for me.
M: It's true. That I can confirm with you. A lot of times, when I go on an airplane, I cannot eat anything. Even though sometimes I
want to try, I cannot eat; I don't feel like eating. It's so empty. The food looks like food, but it's not. So I just sleep or meditate
through the flight, or just don't eat anything.
Or sometimes you go into a restaurant and the food looks so good, and everything is so impressive: the waiter is so polite, first class,
but still you don't feel like you have eaten anything. You don't feel like eating a lot, and even if you eat a lot, you don't feel it's
worth the effort to chew it. (Master laughs.)
It's the same in our kitchen. If some people in the kitchen love their job, do it devotedly and with love, to offer things to people, the
food tastes better. So sometimes, when the same person cooks but he or she is in a different mood, I also feel differently. Even though I
am hungry, I can't eat the food. And sometimes I am not hungry at all, but the food is very good, and then I begin to feel like I have a
better appetite and I eat more.
But it is rare that I can have a nice meal nowadays. No matter how good it looks and how well it's prepared, seldom can I truly say I have
enjoyed a meal. Once every month, maybe; it depends on my luck. It has nothing to do with my hunger. Sometimes, I am very hungry, but it
still doesn't taste good.
D2: I think it's also important to have things that are very fresh. I have learned that if, for example, flour is just ground, it's
much more nutritious, even if you just keep it for a few hours.
M: Yes, it's true. In India, for example, when I tasted chapatis (Indian flat bread) there, they tasted better than here, because
they had ground the flour with a stone mortar. They do it every day, or maybe every couple of days; they don't do it in big lots. They do
it at home, just a little quantity, enough for one or two days, or one or two meals. And it tastes like heaven.
Also, in Italy, for example, I ate spaghetti there, and it tastes different than what I have eaten here in any pizza restaurant. Rarely can
you find good spaghetti. That's the difference.
In Singapore, I had one favorite restaurant. Sometimes I went there to eat pizza, and sometimes I could eat two or three pizzas, the thin
type, called "margarita". It's very thin and small, but it is very nice. I don't know why it has the same look as the ones in other
restaurants, but in other places it does not taste as good. So I asked them, "What do you do with your pizza? How do you make it?" And the
cook said, "Oh, we don't have this pizza today." I said, "Why is that?" and he said, "Because the flour didn't come yet." They imported the
flour from Italy, the kind that is good. That place is good, and that's why the quality is always the same. It's not just like anything
else. Maybe in that region they grow organic flour, or it's especially good in that region, so they keep shipping it in. And if they don't
have the flour, they don't make that margarita pizza. That's how I found out that it had to be different.
When I was in Germany and was married, my ex-husband and I grew tomatoes. And the tomatoes were just crawling on the ground because there
were so many of them that they had to crawl on the ground. They could not stand up anymore. We gave the plants a lot of 'legs' but the
tomatoes were still crawling there. There was so much fruit, and it tasted so good!
And when I was younger, as a kid, I also grew vegetables for fun. I grew tomatoes, and they also tasted very good. I can hardly find such
tasty tomatoes anymore. Even though, now, they grow them bigger than my tomatoes, they don't taste as good; there is no fragrance. There is
something in the tomato that makes you like it so much. Some tomatoes taste just like water. It could be the organic methods and the love
that you put into it. So you should be careful about what you eat, because it also affects your meditation, according to our experiences.
I once heard Master mention a library about a half-hour's walk from Her abode in the Himalayas. Each morning, She would prepare a simple
packet of dry food and make Her way to the library on foot. When She was occasionally overcome by fatigue, She would spread out a cloth at
a suitable spot along the way and take out some chapatis. (Indian flat bread) She would then pick wild vegetables from the roadside, wash
them with melted snow, sprinkle some salt on them, and place them by Her side. This would be Master's sumptuous meal - a delicious sandwich
made of a chapati, wild vegetables, and salt. She would also drink newly melted snow to quench Her thirst. Above Her would be the azure sky
dotted with clusters of white clouds, which made the lofty mountain peaks appear even bluer than usual, and their snowy caps even whiter.
Beneath Her were little green sprouts peeping out from the earth, waiting for a chance to grow. From the distance, sincere voices singing
in praise of God floated through the thin air as pilgrims trekked up the mountain paths. When Master hummed the hymns for us, Her sweet
voice, like silver jingle bells, left us so intoxicated that we could not tell whether we were in Heaven or on earth.
Master often tells stories and parables in Her teachings. One of these stories was about a Russian czar named Peter, who once disguised
himself as a civilian and went to Europe to learn ship-building techniques. There, he encountered a group of Russian criminals whom he had
banished. These people had no homeland or relatives, and life was rigorous. Czar Peter befriended and worked with them, and when he had
completed his training and was about to return home, he asked them, "Do you want to go home?" "Of course, we do," they replied, "but the
Czar will not let us return!" Czar Peter then told them, "I am a friend of the Czar. It will be all right for you to return with me." Some
of the exiled men did not believe him, and thought, "He is just an ordinary civilian like we are. How can he make the Czar forgive us?" So
they decided to stay. Others figured, "He is a good man. Why would he deceive us?" So they returned to their homeland and became free.
Similar incidents have occurred involving great Masters through the ages. They could not claim to be Gods, but could only say that they
were friends of Gods, because sentient beings were blinded by their ignorance and deep preconceptions. During meditation, a female
spiritual practitioner once reached a very high dimension and beheld her Master as God. When she woke up from samadhi, she complained to
her Master, "You have always insisted that you are just a very common, ordinary person. But when I went to Paradise, I saw that you are
God! You have been deceiving me all along." Her Master responded, "I am so sorry! But you would not have believed me even if I had told
you!" Only through diligent meditation can we realize how great a Master is, because it may be detrimental for Hirm if Heirs Greatness were
revealed to ordinary people.
In India, there was a very famous Master who had many disciples. As a result, He became a target of envy among other disbelieving masters,
who often caused Him trouble. One day, an Indian prince died of an illness, and the king sought help from all the famous doctors, but none
could revive the prince. A number of evil men persuaded the king to seek help of this Enlightened Master. The Master gently refused despite
their coercion.
"You say that your God is the most high and you are connected to Hirm. If you pray to Hirm, surely Hes will help us!" Enlightened Masters
usually do not expose their magical powers, but this Master was compelled to give in to the men's demands. "All right, I'll do it since you
are going to slay me whether I do it or not!" Saying this, he prayed to God, "Please revive this child with Your merciful and loving
power!" But the boy remained still, so the king and everyone else continued to force Hirm to prove His power. Finally, He said, "All right!
Now I command you to wake up." And the prince came back to life. Those men became furious and complained to the king, "You see how arrogant
he is. God's power failed to save the prince, yet his command succeeded. He wants to show that he is greater than God. This is blasphemy.
He must be executed." They insisted that the Master be executed, and He received the terrifying penalty of having his flesh cut off piece
by piece.
All Enlightened Masters suffer great pain and ordeals. They put Themselves in grave situations and risk great danger coming here to save
sentient beings. For example, Jesus Christ was crucified; Shakyamuni Buddha was framed and stoned; and many other great Masters suffered
similar fates. This is why it is so hard for us to find Enlightened Masters even when They do come to this world, because They must protect
Themselves for the benefit of sentient beings. When we gain this realization, we can only be even more grateful to our Master for braving
great ordeals and enduring heavy toil to teach sentient beings, thus giving us a chance to follow Her and learn from Her.