In Taiwan (Formosa), it’s difficult for me to buy any bigger place and even to have permission to build a temple or ashram for the people to come and practice benevolent energy anymore. I’m not all that rich. My money, tens of… I don’t know how much – oh, must be hundreds of millions that I have earned with my work, my business and anything – all went out to different corners of the world to help people in need, to help disaster victims, war victims, animal-people rescuing operations, etc. Worthy causes. So, after 40 years of being a Master, teaching the Quan Yin Method, I could only buy one ashram. That is now the New Land Ashram. Everywhere else is just small, small. You can’t buy big land in Taiwan (Formosa) and build big buildings. It’s very difficult and expensive. I don’t have that much money to keep buying.
I don’t know why I say all this to you. So I just let you know that even all those accusations of anything about me are all wrong. I have difficulty being a Master in the world, in the world which is full of killings and grabbing for murderous business. These are murderous businesses. They have big lands. They can build any big animal-people prison there because they have connections with the powerful people and they make good business and they pay, they bribe and all that. I don’t do this business. I spend only my honest money. I don’t bribe anybody. I don’t use any connections to become this and that or to buy this and that land.
All the awards, all the honorary citizenships given to me, for example, it all came from nowhere. I didn’t even know until the last day when they reported to me that I had such-and-such event from the government to give me an honorary citizenship. I wasn’t the one who’d go around and buddy-buddy with any governments to get anything. Up to now, I don’t know any powerful government leaders or anybody. The first time I ever knew any government officials or workers was when I went to ask those governments to help the refugees, the (Aulacese) Vietnamese refugees at that time, because they were killing themselves to stop being repatriated to (Âu Lạc) Vietnam. At that time, the war was just over, and people were still very afraid of the communist system. So they ran away, risking their lives in the big sea.
Now we talk about refugees again. I have mentioned before, I have talked about that before. I said only if your country is at war or in a desperate situation; otherwise, don’t go to any other country. Don’t be refugees. Least of all, illegal refugees. People look down upon you, and you just build up a kind of dreamland, but it’s not like that. Every country has to fend for themselves. The citizens have to fend for themselves. They have to work hard, just like you in your country. You must use your brain, your power, your willpower, your survival instinct to make your own living. You don’t have to be rich or famous. You just work enough to earn a living for yourself, your family. That would be enough already. There’s no need to run away, sneaking into another country, risking your lives and being humiliated as a beggar in another country. Don’t do it to yourself. Don’t lower yourself to a beggar status when you still have your arms, your legs, your body, your brain, your thinking power. There’s always work anywhere in any country. Maybe some rural areas don’t have enough work, then you may go to the city. There are a lot of jobs.
I told you I have done dishwashing when I was a student, worked in a restaurant, worked in a hotel, as a hostess, as a waitress even, as a cook, anything I did, and then studied at the same time that language, this language. So I know some languages. It’s all for my own earning money, for dishwashing, for example. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t run to any country to take refuge or anything. My family wasn’t all that rich to support me abroad. I had to take care of myself. So do not do anything that is so risky to your life and your reputation as a citizen in the free world. Only in desperate situations, in warlike, in really oppressive systems that you have to run away. But I don’t know if any country is all that oppressive. Maybe some are bad because the government is not strict with their workers, not stopping them from bribing and oppressing people for money. But even in communist countries, they say they are very strict countries, but people still can become millionaires. I saw many of them and they can make a big business if they adhere to the system.
Well, you don’t have to be millionaires to be stared at by the governments or by other envious people. You can just take care of a good family, have a good enough standard for yourself and your loved ones. You don’t always have to make a lot of money in order to live. No, no. A good, normal family style, enough to eat, enough to wear, comfortable to transport yourself here and there or to live a peaceful life. That is really what anyone should dream about, not to be a billionaire, millionaire, or work very hard also, these bosses, they’re very hardworking. They don’t sleep well like normal farmers. Farmers, they tend to their fields, they come home, they sleep well. Next morning, they go out again in the fresh air, in the sun, a beautiful life they have, laborious, yes. But in every work, you need to contribute, either physically, mentally, or time-wise, anything. You can’t just live in this world for free.
And you think being a monk like going out begging for food, that is a very free life? Nowadays it’s not that free. Many people also curse them, look down upon them like they are a burden to the society, that they have hands and feet and a strong body and don’t want to contribute. People don’t look kindly upon such a monk. They doubt their sincerity. Maybe these people are just lazy, just want to live off other humans in their country. So maybe some follow them and have the same clothing or colorful, all that, like a fashion kind of group. But not everybody agrees on that kind of life. So most of the monks and nuns in Buddhism or Catholicism, for example, they stay in their order, in their temple. It’s safer nowadays like that. Also, you can teach people online, on the Internet. Some do that. It’s good like that. And people make offerings to you, and you’re worthy to take it because you’re doing something. You’re teaching people good things, not straying from your own faith, not doing anything to harm people, not abusing people’s kindness for your own luxury. Then it’s OK.
The Taiwanese (Formosans), not only the government and ordinary people, but the renunciated people like I-Kuan Tao monks and nuns, and Buddhist monks and nuns, and priests from any religion, you have to also go out of your way, of your comfortable seat and introduce the people, encourage people to become vegan to save your nation. Because that’s what you became renunciates for. Don’t just sit there in your comfort zone and eat people’s donations and live in comfort and luxury even and do nothing. You have only one life. This lifetime, this is the only chance now, the last chance that you can do something good and to practice the faith that you follow. Not just talking, not just reading the sutras, but go out, tell people to do it. You have a chance. You have a temple, you have your monk’s robe, which is a very good protection and a good advertisement for you.
People, mostly outside, they follow monks and nuns, the ones with the robes and all that. They normally don’t criticize or don’t doubt you. Well, they do doubt me and suspect me because I don’t wear the same. But monks’ robe, priests’ robe, they are very excellent advertisements. People will respect you immediately and automatically. So you use that power to go out of your way, go out of your comfort zone to talk to people, tell people, make a lecture, do anything. You have it all. You can do that just to save your country at least. Not to talk about saving the world through the compassionate way of life. Thank you. May Buddha bless you. May Saints, may the Tao bless you. May God bless you. Amen.
So all of you, citizens of the world, especially those who are in trouble and at war or at the threat of war by other countries, please rely on yourself. Be God-citizen-like, be good, be virtuous, be benevolent, like the way you always pray to God, “God, You’re compassionate, have Mercy on me.” You have mercy on others, on other fellow humans, on other fellow co-inhabitants, animal-people, on harmless, benefactor-trees in the jungles, in the forests, on the pure water in the river, for the fish-people to continue to survive, and for you to have clear water in your land to farm – not full of chemicals, not full of blood of all the living beings. Leave the fish-people in the river, in the ocean alone, so they can benefit you, make you healthy, happy, and peaceful during your life. And make your children healthy, no sickness. Make your elderly live more comfortably until the day God calls them Home. Be the mercy that you ask from God. Be the compassion that you demand from Heaven. Be the benevolent being, like Godlike children.
Photo Caption: Live on Wherever Can Be
