Sometimes, if they (Zen monks) just recite Buddha’s Name, then they just go around reciting Buddha’s Name. But if they meditate Zen style, then they don’t recite. They just observe their breathing. Breathe in and out, like that. In, out, in, out, and your eyes have to be open. That’s the rule. In the future, maybe “Ching Hai’s rule” is that if you go into the temple you have to close your eyes. “Ching Hai-ism.” Apart from waiting in the toilet only two minutes, you have to close your eyes also, and cover your head while you’re sitting in the temple. Have to bring a shawl with you too. Alright. But the longer you practice sitting, the more you’ll be adept at it.
How do you feel about your neck? Is it OK? Everything alright? (It’s OK.) If you feel really very sleepy and tired, just go stretch yourself out. Just do not disturb the neighbor. That’s it, OK? Walk quietly out. There’s not a lot of big rules around here. As long as you’re happy and you can sit, and you’re healthy, it’s fine. Because sometimes many people sit together, and the neighbors are all snoring, it’s difficult to keep yourself awake. You tend to blend in, “united we stand.” But you’re alright, otherwise? (Yes.) And after Thailand, you’re OK? Your neck’s still there? (Yes.) It’s really good of you that you keep meditating like that. Even if you sleep sometimes, I feel that you’re incredible. You’re really good.
It’s just like you sit in the airplane sometimes, transatlantic, for many hours, 12 hours on end, sometimes 20 hours. But in the airplane, you can walk up and down, no? Or not? Not really. (Can.) Sometimes. Here, you can also. You can walk up and down every two, three, four hours. Walk out to eat, or walk to the bathroom. It’s not too bad, is it? (No.) But just in case you really feel tired, there are also empty rooms everywhere. Because everybody’s squeezed here, there are empty rooms everywhere. You just go and find an empty place, and then crash. Don’t tell the hufa (guard) anything. And if you want to walk a little bit, there are empty rooms, go in there and circumambulate yourself, or on the staircase or something like that. There’s a lot of room in the attic, you know that or not? It’s very spacious and cool.
So, except for when I’m here, if you want to meditate alone up there, it’s OK. Oh, now they’ve forbidden it! It’s forbidden! (Yes.) Why? (I don’t know.) Don’t know. (It’s too much noise for You.) Too much noise? (Too much for You.) No, I never hear any noise. I sleep! The only noise I heard was the snoring. If you feel like... But I guess because not enough people, so they don’t want you to go up there. But there are always some empty rooms. There’s an empty room behind here, even. Two empty rooms. So, just make use of that. And even they forbid you to go up there, but if you want to go up there and meditate, it’s OK. It’s no big deal. Let them do what they want. It’s rare that we have some empty rooms for some people, so let them take advantage of it. I think they won’t say anything. It just probably means not necessary, that’s all. It’s warmer down here for all of you, that’s all. Cozier, easier to know who’s there, who’s not, and call you for dinner and lunch, and... Or if I am here, it’s easy for you to see, that’s all. It’s not forbidden.
So, when are you planning to move out of here? (Tomorrow evening.) Tomorrow evening? (Yes.) (We are staying.) You’re staying? (Thursday.) Thursday. Some stay longer because of the airplane? No? Where are you from? (From England. I live in the UK.) UK? It’s far from here. How did you get here? Airplane? (By plane, yes.) Oh, so your plane leaves a little bit later. And you go by airplane, all of you? (Tomorrow night, Master, yes.) All of you, airplane? (Yes.) Rich people, man. (Next time we’ll drive.) (We wish we had driven, because it’s so close.) Yeah, why didn’t you? (It’s a lot longer drive, but then someone told us it’s only five, six hours or something.) Yeah, because it’s very near the border of the water. (Next time.) Just swim across, man. (Yes.) I was looking at the map, the ocean is about this big only. What’s wrong with you guys? Walk over! (Walk, yes.)
We make jokes all the time. We don’t need laughing yoga. We are automatic laughing yoga. You remember the joke I told you before? There was a guy with a motorcycle driving on the country road, and suddenly he came to a halt because there was a stream to go across. So, he asked the boy nearby, “How deep is the stream?” He said, “Well, it’s about this deep. No problem.” So he said, “OK.” So, he ran the motorcycle and then almost drowned in there. And he was “Ahh!... Fululu...” coming back. “You told me only this deep! You almost killed me!” And the boy said, “Oh, it’s funny! I saw it’s just about up to the neck of the duck(-person).” You got it, huh?
And there was a herd of cow-people in the field, and there were two cow-people talking together. And cow(-person) A talked to cow(-person) B, saying, “Wow, it really makes me worry, all this mad cow disease news going on. I don’t know if we are safe, if it’s already here or not, if we are OK or not. Is there any sign to know when we get mad cow disease? Do you know any sign to know whether we’ve got it or not?” The other cow(-person) said, “I have no idea, really, but I think it is still far away, no?” And the other cow(-person) nearby, the third cow(-person), cow C, chipped in and said, “Oh, that shouldn’t worry us duck(-people).” “Shouldn’t worry us duck(-people)!”
You capiche (understand) so quick. You understand everything? No. (No.) Nothing. Nothing. Oh, my God! Nobody explained to her? The Hungarian? (Actually, she can explain it better because they are both French.) (She’s French.) She’s not French. (I speak English as well.) She said she didn’t understand. I thought she’s Spanish, because she just answered me in Spanish. No? (Because You spoke in Spanish.) So? (You said, “¿Por qué?”) I thought you are Spanish. Yeah, yeah. That’s right. Now and again, I come down and tickle you a little bit like that. You freshen up a little, no need for Zen walking. Any more funny stories or good questions? No? No need, huh? That’s cool.
Have you eaten, by the way? (Yes.) Are you happy with the food, still? (Yes.) Eat too much? (Yes!) I told you not to eat so much. No wonder you sit there and digest your food all the time. I also happened to eat a lot. Like Master, like students. You know what? Maybe New Year we will have more good news all the time. Who knows? Maybe we’ll have a better place to meditate soon. Maybe. We can run around.
We have a place in Austria, you know? But I don’t know; it’s too far. (No!) No? I thought originally we could go there, but we have this place. It’s nearer even, nearer to international airport. That hotel, how many people you think we can squeeze in? (There are 20 rooms, so each room is like two bedrooms, so I think squeezing, like every room four people.) How many altogether? (Like...) Eighty? That’s it? (Forty... Yes, 80!) Oh, misérable! (But there’s this apartment in the basement [ground floor].) Basement, how many more? (There are two bedrooms, and then there’s an attic; there’s this big hall.) So, how many altogether? (The big hall, I think 40 people can fit in.) So, that’s 120. (Like sitting in this room.)
Yeah, and then what else? The downstairs, how many? (Downstairs are two bedrooms for sleeping, I think 10 people.) We have to have staff also. We can’t just... (Yes.) And their clothing and their stuff also, storage. And the restaurant cannot seat many people, huh? Twenty. It’s for eating only, huh? (You mean in the front, the [vegan] ice cream place?) Yeah! (Yes, now it’s a storage, I heard.) What do you mean that you heard? (Because I haven’t been here. I was in LA [Los Angeles]; I just came back.) Why do they use it for storage? (Because they put all the beds, there were… In every bedroom, there were two beds, and old furniture. They put all the furniture in this storage.)
Why do they put in there? (They just cleaned everything, cleaned the floor…) Then they should put the beds back, no? (Yes.) God! It’s never enough. And it’s also far. It’s not really a very international airport over there. (Klagenfurt, yes, it’s not international.) Only for Germany, Berlin and some small… This one is more convenient. Four hundred people can fit in here. (And cheap.) Yeah! Over there, there are more bathrooms and toilets though. Have about 20 or 20-something toilets and bathrooms. (Wow!) Ja (Yes). I didn’t know anywhere else, so I just landed there, and I thought, “Well, this is not bad. There’s a lake nearby. We can go swimming,” (Oh. Wow.) things like that. But in summer! Now, I think you’d freeze. The lake, you can walk on but not swim in.
Photo Caption: The Incredible Does Exist. Find It!
