Be happy. Don’t criticize the poor people who are uneducated or homeless and all that. Just be happy with what you have. And don’t criticize people who don’t have even that. But we never know. Most of the things we see are not truthful because it’s our mind that sees things, that makes things not clean, that makes things not pure, because we’re not pure, we’re not clean. And the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Remember that. So, whenever you see somebody “impure,” check yourself. Whenever you see somebody “bad,” check yourself. Whenever you see somebody “dirty,” check yourself. And if you’re really clean and pure, then be happy. Be proud. And walk your beautiful way and pray for the one who is less fortunate or pray for me. Well, I don’t need it, but you can.
There’s something that’s not OK with you. That is number one. And number two: If you bring all that garbage in the Center, you damage the beauty of this holy place, where people come here, expect the best, the most uplifting Blessing, so that they can carry on with their duty, with their heavy-laden burden when they go back home. They can deal with problems, with the garbage at their house. So, they don’t come here to deserve the garbage that you throw around.
If you ever have a poisonous thought in your mind, then pray to God, to the inner Master to cleanse it. Don’t blame it on anything else and don’t believe in that. A negative thing is never true because God is not negative. How can God create anything negative?
Everything negative comes from our devil-mind. Everything God creates is perfect. We just make everything topsy-turvy, turn everything into bad because we are taught that way. We accept other people as our own opinion. We learn it from other books saying, “This is no good, that’s no good,” and then we believe in it, and we make it into no good. So be careful what you read. Be careful what you take into your system and make it your own. Be careful what you believe, whether it’s really good. You have to examine it. Examine even everything I say whether it’s good for you or not, whether it’s logical or not. If not, you just reject it. Really. Just tell me that what I said is “garbage.” You have to examine everything before you take it into your own system and make it become yours. Otherwise, it will be damaging.
If some garbage you take in, if some bad system you take in, and you make it into a belief and make it become yours, then it’s fixed, and it’s forever, and you die in there, you’re trapped in there, you cannot be free. The thought, the system, the conception, all these can trap people. Don’t you know that? How many families are unhappy because the husband, the wife, believes sex is sinful. Meanwhile, they cannot help it. They’re so unhappy and they inhibit each other and they make their life hell. Does God want you to be like that? Does God want your marriage to become hell like that? Does God want two people who love each other to feel guilty, sinful all the time like that? What for? What does it serve God over there? For example. All these conceptions do a lot of harm to people. I’m just citing one example. Every other thing you have to examine yourself. I can’t just chew all the food and feed it to you. It is no good for you.
But you have to be clever. You meditate. You polish your wisdom so that you can be more clever, and then you can judge yourself what’s good what’s not. But you have to examine carefully, honestly, without any judgmental attitude, without any preconceived ideas, so pure as a child, looking at a flower as it is, without judging, “Oh, why is this not red? It should be pink. I like pink. I don’t like red.” Why? Red is OK. Pink’s also OK. OK or not OK is your own mind problem. You soul doesn’t discriminate.
So we have to be very careful how we live our life. Because everything we think generates something. If it’s negative, it generates a negative atmosphere and it attracts bad luck to us, to the people around us; everywhere we go, we bring it with us. Like if you carry a bag of poison and it’s leaking. Anywhere you go, will it poison you? And will it poison anybody who comes near you? It will. Right? (Yes.) Same. Poisonous thoughts are more poisonous than poisonous films or any substances. Be careful what you think. If it’s really no good, discard it right away. Recite the Five (Holy) Names. Keep yourself centered. Purify yourself. Enjoy the Blessing that God gives you every moment that you’re living. Be thankful that you’re healthy, you live. You have a good place to come and relax. And you have good friends like this. And you have a good friend like me.
I have never asked you to do anything for me personally. Everything I do for you is free, willingly and lovingly. And you always ask me, “How can we repay You, Master?” Don’t. You don’t have to repay me anything. Just clean yourself, mind your own business, and let me do mine. That is very simple. Because if you keep looking at my “garbage,” you cannot improve. And if you’re looking at the neighbor’s garbage, you’re doing yourself a disservice. That’s all. I don’t forbid you to do that. I don’t forbid you to look into the neighbor’s garbage or to do anything that you like to do. But you have to think whether it’s good for you or not. Every time you think negatively about some people, is that comfortable for yourself? First, is that comfortable? (No.) No. Already no good, immediately. No need to believe my word, you examine it. Every time you’re angry with somebody, think bad about them, whether true or not, who is the one who’s most uncomfortable? The first, number one: ourselves. Yeah. So very simple, very simple. It’s very easy to keep ourselves in control. Just look straight inside, recite the Five (Holy) Names, and pray every time that the Master helps you, helps you to give you loving thoughts right now, or replace the bad with a loving one.
That doesn’t mean sometimes you don’t get angry if it’s rightful, you believe like that. Just express yourself if you really believe like that. But then you have to examine, or like if you’re angry with that person, then tell him the reason. But you have to examine first whether it’s true, whether it’s logical, whether it’s worth it. And if you’re angry because he makes you angry with him, tell him. At least give him a chance to clarify it with you, or to clear the air with you. And don’t just think, judge that person by your own personal experience, a low-level or high-level of consciousness and then fix him there, and then go talk to somebody else about him without him even knowing what you’re talking about. And the third guy is even more helpless. He just sits there and listens to all the garbage. He doesn’t even know anything about it. And then maybe that third guy goes to talk to the fourth guy. Oh God! Then the whole Center is full of garbage. And sometimes you don’t talk about it, but you think about it. Also, no good. You better pray to God any time at that moment, and say, “Take away this poison from me.” Or else you poison everybody around you. Because thought and deed, and speech, they’re all the same. They’re all powerful, very powerful, especially when we have concentration.
It’s very tiring when sometimes the karma comes and you have to clash with somebody. In the morning you look at yourself, your face looks black. Something poisonous inside you releases some poison, makes you feel very, very tired and makes you get old quickly and not so fresh and young anymore. So, keep yourself pure and positive. It’s best for you. Unless you can’t help it like you have to live together with a person and that person causes trouble, or both of you misunderstand it. Then you have to clear it with each other. But that is not like thinking positive about somebody who doesn’t even know anything about you, who doesn’t even know that you think negative about him. And maybe the thing you think is not true. And even if it is true, you don’t even know how karma works. You don’t know what God has arranged for that person or this person for what purpose. You know nothing. So, better just shut up, shut the mind, Five (Holy) Names and think positive. Because you don’t lose anything if you think positive. Every time you think negative, you lose. That’s all. It’s for yourself. It’s not that I forbid you or God punishes you, nothing. You’ll see, you’ll see. Your life will be much, much better if you always try to think positive about everybody.
If you have some problem with your close one then sort it out with him or her alone. You have no right to talk badly about your partner, whether it’s true or not, to another third person. You violate his personal, private rights and honor. Do you understand that? And if you love that somebody then it’s really bad. You really, really disgrace him or her by doing that. Because sometimes you misunderstand him or her also. Or even if it’s true, maybe he did not intend to do that. It’s his habit, or he thinks doing that is good for you, but then it’s no good for you because you don’t like it. But you have to tell him or her alone because that’s who you have to work with; you can’t work with the third person.
If you live together, like husband and wife, you have to work things out together. Try not to gossip about him or her. Because suppose later, he or she heard that about you, your relationship will be gone, finished. He or she cannot forgive you. The trust is broken. If you live together as husband and wife, you must have trust in each other. You must know you can turn to him or her in times of trouble and he or she will protect you, will honor you, protect your honor. Not that he can “sell” you in any moment to anybody and you don’t even know who that is, you don’t even know what they’re talking about, and half of the thing is just in their own head. It might not be true.
It’s difficult, I know that; but try. That’s the only way you have to do. I mean, there’s no other choice anyhow. Any other choice brings you trouble. You can try any other choice you want, but then it brings you trouble. And then you will find that this is the only choice that we have to live with. We have to live truthfully and just take care of whatever it is, our own business. We have enough problems with ourselves, with our partners, with our children. There is no need to take care of his, or the neighbors’. Don’t you think you have enough or not? Or you don’t have enough? I can give you some of mine, free. I have a lot leftover and spare.
Talking about “garbage”, if you really love it that much, come live with me. And then I share with you a lot, a lot. Even voluntarily. You don’t even ask, I will give it. Because if you live next to me, you’ll see it. How can you live next to a person and don’t see garbage? Just follow me and then you’ll know what “garbage” really is. And sometimes you will suffer too, if you wish to know what suffering is. So, be happy that you’re not with me, that your life is peaceful and normal. Really, a normal life is a blessing. Don’t fantasize.
If you have one partner or one lover, try to work with that person. Because it’s workable. In the long run, it will. I know that because, for example, my parents, they fought every day before. And now they’re very sweet together at 80. Finally, maybe better late than never. “Darling!” all the time. And before, “Come here!” This and that. Because of the old man… Anyway, don’t talk about those people. Saying a little like this, you understand, right? (Yes.) Don’t tell them. OK? When you go to Âu Lạc (Vietnam), don’t tell them. No. What I mean is, I don’t see any marriage as difficult as my parents’ was, according to my opinion, now and when I was young. And I don’t see any marriage as easy. Or did you see any that I haven’t? Even the so-called “happily ever after.” Do you see any problem-free marriage or partnership? No, huh?
Today I ate with my teacher, the primary (school) teacher. And he told me voluntarily that he has been observing, since he was young up till now, that no marriage is ever trouble-free. Because he was surprised why adult people – when he was young – adult people were fighting all the time, so, he kept observing and checking everybody, every couple that he knows. He said he has never seen one that’s without rubbing and polishing. And then afterward they’re OK. Maybe it’s still not OK, but then they get used to it. It’s getting better because you get used to it.
Just like a married couple comes to a Master and says, “Oh, Master, our marriage is in so much trouble. Please help us. Can You tell us if it’s really worth it? Should we continue?” The Master says, “Don’t worry, I guarantee everything will be better in the future. You will feel better soon.” So the husband thinks, “Oh, how soon can that be?” He says, “Maybe 10 years, 20 years.” And then the couple says, “Then, You mean at that time we will live happily ever after finally? We will have no more problems, no more quarrels?” And the Master says, “No, no! It will be the same. It’s just that you’ll get used to it and you won’t feel so bad.”
Photo Caption: Spring of the Soul Is Awash with So Fresh Awakening!!!
