So, don’t have the illusion that the Himalayas are very quiet. I tell you, the most noisy place is the Himalayas. There are some quiet places too, but how will you get there without a guide? You can have a guide, an Indian guide, but then you must know what kind of guide he is. Otherwise, he just takes you to the Shiva temple. Fine. He knows everywhere – Shiva temple, Maya temple, all kinds of things – and those places are very, very noisy. Every day, they put very loud… I don’t know how they have loudspeakers in the Himalayas, but they do. Very, very loud. Yes, they have electricity there. Can you imagine? In some of the places, very famous temples. And then they have loudspeakers, and they have all kinds of things.
And, of course, mantras and puja (Hindu worship ritual), gifts, and all kinds of things. But very, very loud. You can hardly sleep at night even. And every morning, very early, they wake you up, with all kinds of noises; and it’s unhygienic and all kinds of things. You can hardly find any toilet in town. Very terrible, especially in summer. There’s no place you can hide in the Himalayas, except if you go very, very, far away, like Gaumukh. Then you have to walk for long days without food in between. Of course, you can take some with you, but you can’t take much because the road is very narrow and hazardous. And if you miss one footstep, you end up in the Ganges then. Cleanse your karma forever. And then people don’t find you again. Or you become dust. If you fall down one of the cliffs, that’s it, you disappear. Something like that.
It’s very difficult if you want to go to Gaumukh and things like that, those very faraway places. That is not a really very far away place, but it’s at least far away from those very big temples and famous temples where millions of pilgrims come every year to visit. Can you hear me? It’s OK the system? (Yes.) Otherwise, if you truly want to find a Master, it’s not there. You know what I mean? (You.) What? (You.) Oh no. It’s not that. I don’t mean that. You might find one or two Masters in India, yes, for sure, but not always in the Himalayas. You might find one in the middle of Delhi or in the middle of a very busy city.
And the ashrams there, I tell you what, compared to them, we are Heaven. Really. With all the drills, drums, and cranes outside, compared to India, anywhere, we are Heaven. Truly. If you have been in India, you know. Yes. It’s not only the noise; it’s the chanting. Very loud. All day, all night. They think God is deaf. And they made a lot of noise so Hes could hear. Maybe it’s their way, I don’t criticize. But what I mean is it’s very, very noisy anywhere. Even Taiwan (Formosa) temples are very noisy too. You know that. Every morning, you can’t meditate. The best hour, they make noise, and in the evening, too. The best hour is the noisiest hour because they chant very loud. They put [out] loudspeakers so they can rescue all the neighbors. We always have been “rescued” here.
In recent years, until very lately, a lot of people complained or something. Otherwise, from here, you can hear all kinds of religious goings on. All competing with each other in loudness – who is rescuing the most sentient beings’ ears. Especially in the middle of the night. Because they believe that is the time when the soul is weak and they should be rescued. So, they put the loudest volume, and all night long. Through the wee hours of the morning sometimes. It’s very terrible. Especially when somebody dies, oh, they make the whole country know. We share the “joy”. And that sometimes makes people become anti-sympathetic. It has the counter effect. So, they have no sympathy for the religious order that very desperately wants to promote [itself].
So, here even, I, myself, don’t like noise. Even my own chanting, I don’t like. Because some disciples, they think they put Master’s chanting, even the songs, or Master’s Buddhist chanting or Hallelujah chanting, then the Master will like it “because I’m devoted, 24 hours I hear Her voice.” So, every time I catch one, I say, “You put that out, or you are out.” Because if you want to hear, you put on the earphones. You don’t have to disturb other people and disturb me. Because all the noise travels up to my room and I am the one who has to hear all that. I say, “It’s not for me that I chant. I chant only that time, if you happen to record it and if you want it, then you can hear them, but not in my presence.” Some people, as soon as they fetch me in their car, turn on the loudest volume of Master’s chanting for me to hear. I say, “I know it already.” Even if God comes here and Hes chants so loud, I also will scold Hirm.
It comes to some certain extent that if you don’t really like noise, it doesn’t matter how holy that noise is. But I don’t know why people like it. Many people like it, especially Indian people, and the Taiwanese (Formosan) – the louder, the better. Do you like noise still? You like chanting at all? (No.) I mean even mantra chanting. (Not usually.) No? Up to a certain time, we don’t like it anymore, even the holy chanting. I never liked it that much. But I did chant because I had nothing else at that time. I chanted a lot. Before sleeping, in the morning, and things like that. But now, even those things are really disturbing to me. So, I prefer quietness. I mean natural noise is OK but we don’t like to make extra noise. Even the Holy Names, if chanted very loud, it’s very disturbing and has a big counter effect.
Except when people, they gather together, in a temple or some holy place, a very quiet and solemn place, and they sing together in such wholeheartedness, with sincerity, and in harmony. Not trying to show off and disturb the neighbors by loudspeakers; that’s the difference. I saw many such gatherings; it’s very touching, too. But of course, I don’t go and look for that. When I happened to hear them, it was OK, acceptable to me. And sometimes it’s touching, too. But not when they do it for show, this is terrible. The ego smells so bad and so loud that you feel sometimes your head just wants to blow. Alright. So here, if it’s too noisy for you then you tell me honestly because we have other places too. But not as pretty as this place. That’s all. And maybe not as convenient; then you have to rush down here to eat food and rush up again and you’re lost in between, between the levels.
Here is very, very nice. Very nice place. We have other places too, but at the moment, everywhere is working too. Because whenever I come home, I always have to do something, otherwise, nobody does it here. They don’t do it the way I want, sometimes. Or they do it in such a casual way that when I come back, I have to take care of the head and the tail and the between, things like that. Always. You see that now? It’s a big place like that, and they have just like a nose-hole window. You see that? (Yes.) So, now I have to tell them to cut it. And it’s very hard because it’s concrete. Because it’s such a big place, I want it safe. See? So, we put a lot of effort, money, and concrete into it. So now, if you want to cut it, it takes a long time. That’s how it makes noise now.
You see how they work? I trusted the experts. I told them what, and then it’s still like that. So, when I come home, I just always have to work. Even garbage and all that. Just people are people, doesn’t matter what nationality. If in a public place, no one is really strong and responsible and has an idea of what to do. Then garbage is everywhere! When you first came here, you saw everywhere garbage – in the front door, in the back door, everywhere. And now you don’t see it because I came back. Every time I come back, I have to take care of something, but this time I’m strict. Whoever doesn’t listen, out. So, this time, no more trouble. Well, I told them in the beginning, but now they know that I’m serious. No more playing fool, and then just kneel down for two hours and come back again and next time put garbage in front of the place again. Not three strikes, you’re out, but one.
You see, I always have some work to do because we have a lot of people, and different personalities, and different understandings and reactions. Sometimes, to some people I say it, they understand right away, and it’s done. But to some other people, it takes a long time, and they blame each other and things like that. Like in every public place. If I am sloppy also, like maybe many other masters, maybe some other masters don’t care… I’ve seen that. I’ve seen many ashrams that are very sloppy. Not tidy and not clean. But I can’t bear that. I can’t bear that. I can’t bear… You know, at least it’s reasonable. I don’t see it’s perfect here, it’s not; according to my standard, it’s not as perfect. Not perfect enough for you. I mean, I don’t want to bring my friends here and show a lousy and dirty and messy place. Do you? (No.) It is very disrespectful.
So I try always to teach them to be tidy and make everything beautiful, but it takes time, and it takes work. So, you bear with me. Seeing me working along all the time, no problem. Just like a working mother. Sometimes takes the children along and says, “OK, you stay here. I take care a little bit, and then I come back to play with you.” So, besides, if I stick with you all day, also boring and then you have no liberty, you cannot go anywhere you want. Or chat to the people that you want to get to know or discuss something that you just know, or you want to do something in the future for other new initiates, things like that. So, you also must have your time. Because it’s also not often that you see each other in such a relaxed place or relaxed time like this. Retreat is different. Retreat is no talk. No talking. No look. No shake hands, nothing. Just eat, and go straight there, straight to Heaven.
So, this is the time when you can sometimes make friends or discuss some intelligent topics with the people you think you can trust, things like that. Or make plans, make mistakes. Whatever. See what I mean? So, you need your time, too. So, don’t think that I don’t know. I do know. Whatever you have is just perfect. Your time is perfect, and seeing me for just a short time is also perfect. We don’t need to eat too much, you know, indigestion. No good. Right? I’m a handful for you if you want to “eat” me. So, you take care. (Yes.) I’ll be around all the time. Besides, I’m only a few hundred yards away or something like that. (Five levels away.) Five levels away. Higher than that. My level is higher – on top of a mountain. You don’t know I was on so many mountain tops. So many tops: one, two, three, four, five. And I’m in different places every day. (Changes all the time.) Changes all the time. My level’s always changing. No. On a high level, but changing. (Yes.) Yeah. In the Fifth Level or more, you have a lot of things to see. That’s it.
You’re happy? (Yes.) I come now and again and do some silly talk like this, and everybody’s happy. Apart from some of the ideas, I think most of you are OK. I mean, don’t compare. Don’t ever compare with other people, and don’t ever demand what other people have or what Master gives other people. Everyone’s needs are different. And everyone’s merit is also different. What I want to give to him, you can’t take. You’d get sick, you’d have diarrhea, maybe. Or you’d have a high fever, or you’d die. (Yes.) So, don’t ever compare, say, “Master, why do You invite somebody else to Your place and You don’t invite me?” Or “Why the other day they can come, I cannot come?” Or why, this and that and other. “Why do You see them off? You don’t see me off.” They need it. You don’t. Maybe? Or maybe you’re not worth it. So, whatever the situation, it’s you, your problem.
Of course. You know it very well. Children, also the same. You have two or three children; each one’s needs are different. Right? (Right.) Not because you love one better than the other, but it’s just God arranges that you probably have to take more care of this one or pay more attention to that one, than the other one. Do you see what I mean? (Right.) I’m always very generous. I think, I think I’m generous. (Yes.) With my time and everything. But there is something that I cannot always do against. That’s God’s Will. OK. So, be happy with whatever you have. Otherwise, God takes everything away.
Alright. I’m sorry I didn’t look at you. Wow. Wow. All the pretty people sit here, and I missed it. It’s me who will lose. You see? If I don’t look at your pretty faces. When I look at your pretty faces, I also don’t want to go sometimes. So sometimes I think, “Can I think of a game to play with you, or something. We can go and play football together.” We see anybody who is a little bit fat and round, we put him in between, and then we go and “snatch” [the ball]. But too many people. Not fun. Not fun.
OK. Anyhow, it’s very hot, so I can’t even offer you (vegan) barbecue style. Too hot. You want it? If you want, you can [because] we do it in summer sometimes. OK. So, if you want a (vegan) barbecue then don’t eat this afternoon. (Oh!) OK. Then I will tell them to prepare for a (vegan) barbecue here. (Oh!) It’s better here, you have the river. You sit next to the river and (vegan) barbecue, different levels, of your choice. But we have to do it very late. (Yes!) So, you work, you meditate, until the time comes and you’re called. Don’t sit there and say, what (time is it)? What time now? She still has not come? My (vegan) barbecue time. And don’t eat snacks in between. Later you’ll have no appetite. You see what I mean? (Yes.)
OK. So, maybe when it’s cooler, and a little bit dark. You think so, (Yes.) or you prefer it in the daytime? It’s also fine. (In the evening. Evening.) OK. OK. Also, OK. So, tonight maybe we do it in the dark. Or the other day we do it in the light time or whatever. (Yes.) I’m just worried you’re too hot. Because a lot of heat, and when you barbecue, it takes a long time. Or you don’t care? (We don’t care.) Maybe don’t care, huh? You’re better than me, I think too much. OK, so I let you choose: 5 o’clock or 8 o’clock (PM)? You have… (Eight o’clock.) How many eight? Raise your hand. Good. OK. OK. So, I don’t ask again. Alright, see you at 8 o’clock. OK? (Yes!) Around here. (Yes.)
So, maybe about seven or six? You prepare, some of you only. Whoever wants to prepare the (The bricks.) the bricks. They call it… What is that? (Bricks?) I know. Yes. The stove. This you call stove too? OK. Well, whoever knows and is willing, can volunteer with the kitchen [team] later; I will tell them. And you know where the bricks are and then you can put where. Remember don’t put (Right.) under the trees, not too near the trees, because we will make a big fire and then it will hurt the trees. (Right.) Got it? (Yes.) Because they have feelings too. Every time I see a leaf burning, oh, I feel like my skin burns. Really. I can’t bear it. So, make sure that you know what it is. OK? (Yes.) Put it very far away from the trees, in some empty space. At that time, it’s cool already. (Yes. Yes.)
And if you have to make fire, don’t make it too big, with too much wood inside. Sometimes, if you put a lot of wood, one on top of another, it doesn’t burn. Twenty. (Twenty.) Twenty. Because not everybody comes together at once. You can take turns and take your time. OK. Alright, that’s it. You have to meditate a little bit more, (Yes.) before. OK. So, I see you. (Yes!) I go and prepare. I go and arrange it, for afternoon, for evening. OK, thank you. (Love You!)
