OK that’s just about Koh Samui? (That’s all.) OK. Is it easy to go and buy boats there? You know I could do something. (Well, you have to fly into Bangkok, then fly one hour south.) And then buy the boat? (No, the plane lands on Koh Samui now.) What? (The plane will land directly on Koh Samui now.) Oh, what I mean is, can I buy boats (Oh, yes.) and make tourist business like you, next door? (Yes, yes, yes. As long as you got money you can do whatever you want there.) All possible? (Yes.) But I mean can I make business? (Yes.) Oh, good. Because now you work seven days a week. If you just have three days off, then that would be mine. (OK.) You work too hard, no good for you.
(You wouldn’t have to buy the boats, you could take over the business three days, I could take it over for four days.) Oh, yeah, OK. We share half/half right. (Yes, yes.) Good, that’s better. Not a bad idea. Yeah. How about retreat there; cannot, huh? It’s a beach. (Well, you could have one, but it’s not a quiet place on the beach.) Noisy, huh? OK. (Yes, lots of music.) OK, then I’ll consider. Not a bad idea. Who told you to do this? It’s good. (I was over there in 1980 or so, and I liked the island, so… Finally…) Yeah. Everybody likes it. (Yes, yes.) And then you combine, business with pleasure, (Business with pleasure.) every day on the beach and [make] money, money, money, honey. Wow, that’s very clever. Very clever.
(But it’s much more work than I expected.) Huh? (It’s much more work than I expected.) Oh, really? (Yes. Not too much sitting down.) Not too much sitting down. ([…] can sit down; she’s the cashier.) Lying down. Right? (Yes, yes, lying down. We have a hammock, a nice little place.) Wow, poor thing. Can’t sit, just lie down on the hammock. Oh, wow, poor thing. That’s not bad, I could lie there all day. I’m very good at lying down. I’m not very good at sitting, but I can lie for days, hours. I don’t even stir, if the flies don’t come. The fly, bzzzz.
(No, at nighttime, [there’s] mosquitoes. In the evening, after five or six o’clock, mosquitoes come out.) Oh, really? But you have a net. (Well, that’s when we go home.) Oh, you don’t bring a net with you? (No, no.) Why not? (Because we’re working most of the day, and then at five or six we’re putting the boats away, then we just go home.) Ah. You can wear a big hat, like those in Miaoli, (Yes.) and then they hang the (Yes.) mosquito net around. (Yes.) It is quite graceful also. People will think you’re Quan Yin Bodhisattva. Quan Yin Bodhisattva is connected with the sea, you know that? So, they might think you are Quan Yin Bodhisattva. Mister.
And what else do they have there? How about food? Nothing good, huh? (Lots of seafood which we don’t partake of. But lots of fruit.) But fruit is not all there is. (Yes, it’s OK.) And then what else? You don’t have tofu and all that? (Yes, we have tofu.) Easy to buy food? (Easy to get tofu, but it’s not always fresh tofu.) Oh, nothing else, except tofu. (Sometimes it gets old, yes.) Oh, I know. I know what else I’ll do except being competitive with you. I import vegan food, just for them, it’s enough. Next door, next door. This would be nice. Now I know what to do, if I’m bored. I’ll go there and make business with him, 50/50, huh? (Good, yes.) 50/50. OK everybody hears that? (Yes.) You witness the promise? (Yes.) Yeah, OK. If five years later, I come back to America without a stitch on my body, you’ll know he cheated me. OK, good.
Anyone else has some nice story? I feel sorry for the Aulacese (Vietnamese), because they don’t understand. Why are you sitting there and fiddling around with that? Not done yet? Not yet. This whole time, we’ve been talking and laughing. And you’re still sitting there? English is too difficult to learn, huh? The more you listen, you get used to it. Turn on the radio and listen to this and that all day. You’ll speak like Mrs. (…).
(Master, please let me tell You a funny story.) Your story is not funny. OK. Why not? (Yes, it is funny.) Try, try, try. (Dear Master, You also know this funny story. Because when I took the naturalization exam, I didn’t know anything, yet I passed, Master!) You are so good! (Master, I would like to tell You…) How come Master is so good! (…and everyone here. Because I’ve wanted this [citizenship] for a long time, but I don’t know English, so I didn’t take the exam. For example, if I want to go somewhere [overseas] and stay a bit longer, then I need the naturalization paper [citizenship], so I can stay longer.) I know.
(My children told me; I studied for only a couple of days. But I took exam, and I passed. They told me to write in English, so I said: “I love family.” I said: “I go to work. OK?” Because I didn’t know how to write “Love family.” I did not know those words. My children taught me 4 sentences: I go to work. I go market. I go school. I go ‘something.’ Then they said, “OK,” and asked me “marriage,” Master. “Marriage,” “marriage,” wedding. I understood a little bit. I also knew “wedding,” so I said it. They asked me, “How many children?” Children. Children, Master.) Ah, children. Children. Children. (They asked, “How many children?”) OK, then what did you say? (I said, “Six children.”) Wow! (I said that.) Cool! (Yes. I said like that, and it was OK, Master.) Really? (Then they asked me, “Work one month how much?” I answered, “One month, three hundred.”) Three hundred dollars only? (Yes. Three hundred dollars. So, that’s what I said.) OK, you go over there and buy a boat with Mr. (…) then.
(Yes Master, You clearly helped me pass the exam. Goodness, I was shaking after the exam! After I passed the exam, I said, “Goodness! Master helped me.”) Translate, translate. (I said, this is just something that only Master and I know. I prayed to Master, and it’s clear that Master was so miraculous! Whatever I prayed for, I received. But because I wanted it so much. I wanted that [citizenship] so that I would be able to stay somewhere [overseas] a bit longer. Master helped me, so I have the paper now. I am so happy! The other day, I went to Australia.) What paper? (I think it is a passport, I don’t know.) Passport, right? (Yes, it is a passport.) You have a passport already? (Yes Master, I do.) My goodness!
(Dear Master, last time I went through Australian [customs], and they asked me a long English sentence, which I didn’t understand. He [the custom officer] looked at my face. He called another initiate to come and translate for me. Then he shook his head like this, and said... He made a gesture like sleeping, meaning where do I go to sleep.) He wanted to help you, right? (Hotel, hotel. Then he asked, “Sydney?” I said, “OK, hotel Sydney.” Even that, I also... Now that I have the citizenship certificate, I can go anywhere. Master, I am so, so happy! I am thankful to Master for giving me that paper.) OK, you don’t have to thank me. (Yes, it was like that, Master.) OK. (I am happy! Yes, I am so happy.) Ah, why are you so happy about that much? It’s nothing? (Yes, I am happy, very happy, Master.) That’s right, getting your citizenship makes you very happy? (Yes, Master, it helps me to go wherever I want.)
There are many people who take the exam, but don’t pass. (Yes.) They can speak English fluently, but still can’t pass the exam. (Yes.) Speaking English like you, yet... (Yes, Master, please let me finish the story. There was a person also taking the exam, and she graduated high school. She spoke English very fluently, and she said, “My goodness! I failed the exam, but how come you don’t know English and you still passed?) So strange! (I answered, “That’s why it’s good!” I did not know anything, yet I spoke. Dear Master, they came in and gave me a piece of paper. The English words were running together, yet I looked at it and I knew. But if it’s Chinese or Cambodian words, then I wouldn’t know. So I said four sentences. Dear Master, for example, I have learned that if I see the word “president,” then I already knew it means “the president.” Another example, if it is “vice president” then I knew that is “vice president,” like that. Then “how many.” For example, “star,” I knew the word “star.” “Stripes” are the stripes on the flag. And “red,” “red” and blue. I knew those things, so I could read. When I came in, I prayed to Master right away.)
Whatever, I don’t understand anything at all, how come you understood them? You are so good! (Yes, and “flag,” is the [American] flag, Master. When I came in, they gave me a piece of paper, and I read three or four sentences. Then they said, “OK,” and let me pass! My goodness! I was so very happy.) Because when they heard you read those sentences, they were so “stressed.” They said, “Never mind, please leave. It hurts our ears.” (I think this is Master that helped me. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened like that.) Aulacese (Vietnamese) here? You don’t understand? (I would like to thank You, Master.) OK, Chinese, Chinese. No one translates into English and Chinese for people to understand. (I prayed to Master and You responded.) OK. That’s fine, that’s good. Just give me 500 dollars. [Saying] “thank you,” no need. So strange! She didn’t know English, spoke gibberish, yet still passed. Maybe that American examiner had practiced eating vegan and sleeping on the floor. He prayed to have a son, and was so happy he got it, so that day he did you a favor. If you met Big Sister that day, I would have failed you right away. She talked gibberish, but they could understand too.
(I was shaking very much. I came in shaking, and I prayed to Master. I went in, sat down, and looked over the paper that they gave to me. And I prayed to Master for help. If Master didn’t help me, I would not have this citizenship paper, which would be inconvenient for me. Because at that time, I needed that paper.) “If You don’t help me, I would not have that paper.” (Goodness, I prayed so hard! Without this paper, it would be very inconvenient for me. I prayed, then I came in and passed the exam. My goodness, I was so happy like I won the lottery. So happy, so happy! Really happy.) Alright, you are happy now, OK.
Is there anyone else who has a fun story? OK. No one, right? Alright, then sit and meditate. OK. Sorry about this. You know, she just passed her passport exam, and she doesn’t speak more than five words in English. That I understood. The others are maybe Chinese or Kâmpŭchéa (Cambodian), or whatever, I don’t know. And then the American said, “OK.” I’m surprised. That’s it, OK? Yeah. You understand, or Chinese? Oh, sorry about that. That’s it. That’s just about her story; she made it so long. Alright. You see me enough. You can meditate.
What? Question? What? Story. (No. Just a question.) Question? Make sure it’s good, come. (Last time, I asked a question about the book “Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East,” that you introduced us. In the book, talking about the masters who help people to, for example, if they have illness, they go to those places, they help them to recover, something like that.) Yeah. (And I don’t know if I understood correctly, those masters are helping them with basically the love to help them, not really using any magical power to help them?) No, no magic. (So basically, they’re helping to… If you want to help people to recover from their disease, we can use our love to help them without any magic, it’s OK.) Yeah. (Without any karma.) As long as you practice the Quan Yin Method. (OK.) Everywhere you walk, people are benefited without you even knowing. (Oh, OK.) And sometimes, people also don’t know, and that’s the best. (The second question I have is...) Or else, they’ll make a master out of you, like me. (Sorry.) Look at me. (OK.)
(The book said it’s published in 19… and they’re talking about the story in 1894. Is that the correct time they’re talking about or it’s actually 1984?) No idea. Who cares. Who cares about the date? (It’s 1898, OK.) Who cares, who cares. (So it’s…) Its time is not important. (Yes, because that book’s talking about how those masters said that God created America. That God is actually helping people to make the world see God can do everything, people can…) Yeah, of course, God can do everything. What do you think? (I know. But if it’s really like that early – at that time, 1894, America is still not the strongest country yet in the world, in 1894.) I don’t remember really. You must know better. I’m not American. (No, I just feel it’s very…) It’s OK. (great.) Well, you don’t have to take everything so detailed like that. Otherwise, you’ll offend the American citizens and I’m not responsible. I have enough trouble with Americans already, just leave me alone. (OK. Thank You.) You’re welcome. OK. That’s it? My God, not interesting. Close your eyes. See something inside, it’s better. The answer inside is always more interesting. I’m glad you’re here. In the evening, more people join or not? (Yes.) And I’ll be gone. Serve them right. Sleep at noon at home, you know, siesta. OK, we close eyes, and turn off the lights, please.
Photo Caption: “A Minimalist Makes Do with What Still Can Be Used”
