With diverse flora and fauna, magnificent natural landscapes, and an ecological biosphere that supports life, this wondrous planet is our earthly home. From our animal co-inhabitants to the lush rainforests and life-giving soil, we cherish all these as gifts from the Creator. It is a common theme in the world’s major faiths that during our temporary stay here, we should be good stewards of Mother Earth. Throughout the years, Supreme Master Ching Hai has shared the message of leading a balanced life while following a spiritual path.

Not only must we nourish our spirits, but we share the responsibility to care for nature and our fellow beings. In light of recent scientific evidence which pinpoint the raising of livestock as the number one contributor to climate change, Supreme Master Ching Hai affirms the important message she has noted for over the past two decades: we must be vegetarian, meaning an animal-free diet, and practice sustainable living. Today we present to you a discussion by Supreme Master Ching Hai titled “Serve Others with Your Heart.”

Thank you for your eco-conscious company for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples. Join us again tomorrow for part 2 of Supreme Master Ching Hai’s discussion titled “Serve Others with Your Heart.”

Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants is up next, right after Noteworthy News here on Supreme Master Television. May the Providence guide us in wisdom and love.

Thank you for your Earth-loving company for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples here on Supreme Master Television. And now, Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants is coming up next, right after Noteworthy News. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television. With Heaven’s grace, may all beings live harmoniously in dignity and respect.

It’s good as long as we can see each other, okay? (Yes.) You can sit anywhere – three, four people on top of each other. If there is no space, then three, four people can sit on top of each other. It’s good as long as we can see Master. Sit on the shoulders, like piggyback. Understand? One person piggybacks another person.

To be stable, the skinny one sits on top, the fat one sits on the bottom. When I’m afraid of getting fat, I don’t dare to eat at night. You don’t dare to eat at night? Are you a woman to be so afraid? No, it’s because the male Westerners have such big bellies that I got scared. Only women are afraid, men shouldn’t be. Men nowadays also want to have slim waists. Even men want to have a slim waist? But moving around is difficult. Oh dear!

I also cook in a restaurant so I have to be fast, otherwise, plodding like that, then… People see you plodding along, they will say, “Eating vegetarian like you, I dare not. It’s tough to wear clothes!” Plodding like that we can’t serve the customers. Very good. I would like to express my thanks to Master because you’ve arranged for my parents... They have been vegetarian for about one month now, long-term vegetarians. I’d never imagined that my parents would switch to eating vegetarian like that.

How come? Why did they change like that? I just kept praying to Master. Did they watch TV? I called home and talked to them a few times. I talked to them with all my heart, with love, and they suddenly switched to eating vegetarian for good. Very good. Bravo.

Oftentimes, if we’re sincere, then we can touch the other person’s heart – if we have true love. Okay, very good. I called home a few times, then I prayed to you, Master. Making me work again. After calling them several times, later I was told, “Your parents have become vegetarian.” Everyone is the same, it’s nothing new. Okay, very good. So we keep ordering food from Hà Nội and send them to the countryside, send them home, and my parents just eat those.

Because my home is in the rural area, and in a remote town, (A little difficult.) there is no vegetarian food. You’re so filial. No wonder your parents were touched! Each week I have to call home four, five times (Really?) to talk to them. I ask them this and that and then eventually show them the ways to eat. It’s because they didn’t know. If they knew, they would eat, no problem. Yes. My parents said that after eating vegetarian food, they feel good now, because it’s good for health. They could feel it right away?

Yes. After one week, they were already saying it. Nowadays, people with heart diseases get cured immediately, to that extent, when they eat vegetarian. (Yes.) Because it’s poisonous to eat meat; it’s poison, therefore the body is damaged as well. In the past, my mom was most against my eating vegetarian, but now… Now she’s eating vegetarian. (Yes.) She’s not against it anymore. Now she says that eating vegetarian is good. Very good. Yes, yes. Everything changes. Possible. Very good. So in the future, more people will eat vegetarian, okay? (Yes.) We’re a little slender, but we can work with ease; we can run faster. I look at the fat men and I’m frightened.

Many people are too fat? And they lumber along, heavily. A little chubby is okay. Being a little round is all right, but too fat is tiring. (Yes.) Each day you carry on your body tens of kilograms, it’s unbearable. Just carrying a 10-kilogram bag of rice, we’re already out of breath after running back and forth for a while. Being fat, it’s tens of kilograms more, understand? Every day you…

(Haul the lump of flesh.) Every day you haul the lump of flesh and are still able to walk – that’s amazing. Those people are truly strong. I only crave rice when I’m hungry; otherwise

I just eat a little fruit and it assuages the hunger. I dare not eat rice or much of anything. You don’t get fat from eating rice. Sometimes you get fat from eating fruits; they’re sweet. Eating rice does not make you fat. Food with a lot of oil will make you obese, understand? (Yes.) For example, you eat rice so you stir-fry vegetables, for example, don’t put in too much oil. For instance, usually you put in two spoons, so now just put half a spoon and add 1.5 spoons of water. Then when you stir-fry, it’s similar to using two spoons of oil. It’s less fattening. Otherwise, just eat boiled vegetables, eat salad. Sugar or chocolates also give us a big belly.

Then don’t eat those things. I eat anything. I eat whatever I like, so loose clothing makes it easier to eat. If I wear clothes with a slim waist like those women, it’s troublesome.

It’s all right. Anything is all right. Okay, if you don’t want to get fat, then eat rice with more vegetables and don’t use oil, understand? (Yes, yes.) Oil and vegan butter and sugar and all that (Yes, thank you, Master), those things make you fat. The worse is, if you really still want to eat them, then buy those things that are labeled “diet,” like diet chocolate, diet vegan butter, etc., they seem to also lower the weight.

Sometimes we don’t know what they put in there. Yes, we don’t know if they put anything not good in the diet food, I don’t know, have to check carefully. In regards to reducing cooking oil, that will make you less fat, understand? Reduce the oil, reduce the sugar, reduce all the flour, wheat flour and so on, understand? Products that are made from wheat flour. (Yes, yes.) You won’t get fat from eating rice, because researchers discovered that eating rice is less fattening and it makes you much younger. Therefore, Asian people look much younger, you see? And they stay young longer than Westerners, you see? It’s because we eat rice. Moreover, we eat a lot of vegetables. Take the Aulacese (Vietnamese) people, for example, or the Chinese, they eat less meat than Westerners, understand? (Yes.)

They eat with rice and vegetables, not just meat alone, understand? For example, the Americans, the whole plate is all meat. Sometimes the beefsteak is as big as the plate. There’s fat and all sorts of things in it, toxins, but they still eat it and then get sick, get fat. The digestive system is not balanced. Consuming the poisons into the body, how can you live? The whole world has been deceived until now.

If we can live until the whole world become vegetarian, then it would be great, wouldn’t it? (Yes.) At that time, we won’t need Supreme Master TV anymore. We won’t need it anymore, and every day you go to work and then come to visit me later.

Master, I have a few stories about opening vegan restaurants in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), Master. I returned to the country many times since the beginning of the year, but the thing is, Master, when I was there, I opened the Âu Lạc Loving Hut restaurant. In general, the restaurant is very crowded. Then in June, I opened another Loving Hut in Hà Nội.

Currently in Hà Nội, we are able to sustain it, and there are also a lot of customers. In Đà Nẵng, it’s also very crowded, Master. On the first and the fifteenth of the month, we don’t have enough manpower to serve customers. Overall, many people switch to eating vegetarian, Master. (Very good.) Yes. Moreover, when we received the news from you, Master, then the people in the nation, especially our fellow practitioners and the young people the young people in Hà Nội and Hải Phòng, I noticed that in general there is a huge change, including the people around town or those whom we’ve conversed with previously, and those who know us.

Until now, we have a lot of our restaurants springing up. So I’ve noticed that people in the capital, as well as – I’m not even referring to the South, Master – from Huế all the way inland, everybody eats vegetarian on the first and the fifteenth of the month; some are eating vegetarian four days a month, or some are eating vegetarian more days. It is very good.

But more recently, I noticed that many people are changing, plus the good news from Master, so in general… Which good news? Every day, every hour everybody followed the news about “two years,” and now it has been extended to four years. Overall, a lot of news was shared from fellow practitioners to other people, and people are very concerned about the world, Master… About global warming? About the time being extended? Yes, the time being extended. Very good. Just continue, no problem. Just open any restaurant you can, no problem. It’s to help people to be veg.

As long as they eat vegetarian.

We also try our best to work, Master, and carry out the more immediate tasks like letting our loved ones know about the vegan diet and everything else; these things help us a great deal. (Okay.) Then we can open vegan restaurants everywhere so that people have a place to eat, Master, because if there are no restaurants, then people can’t eat. There has to be a place that cooks and sells, then it’s convenient for people and people will eat, Master. But I noticed that there’s a change, a huge change. (Very good.) But in the South, people are very relaxed about eating; however, in Hà Nội, they are more fastidious, Master.

Anywhere you go you have to do it according to the local taste, okay? (Yes.) “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” (Yes.) Thank you.

Whoever can open a restaurant, then do so. Loving Hut is okay, if not a Loving Hut, it’s also no problem, okay? (Yes.) As long as you serve people so they can eat vegan. Be hygienic, understand? (Yes.) Cook good food, then it’s okay. The purpose is to serve the mass, understand? (Yes.)

Whatever you do is fine, no big deal. It’s just eating vegan food, that’s all. If you want to cook a lot of dishes that are similar to Loving Hut, (Yes.) then just ask them for the recipes, that’s all. (Yes, the recipes.) But if you cannot cook the same…

Because in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), they sometimes eat differently (Yes.), but if you want to have tasty international fare, if you want to try to see if the Aulacese (Vietnamese) people would like it or not, (Yes.) then ask for their recipes. If you can sell them, then it’s okay; if not, then don’t. Make other dishes, okay? I also think the same. But we are determined, Master, to try to learn to do it, (Whatever is fine.) so that we can serve more people. As long as there are people eating vegan, then it’s okay.

In business, you have to base on the customers’ preference. Therefore, I’ve already said earlier: as long as people are able to eat vegan, then it’s okay. It doesn’t matter if it’s Loving Hut or any “Hut.” Any “Hut” is okay. As long as they come in and they “drink” (“drink” in Aulacese sounds like “Hut”) then it’s okay. If not, it’s also okay to change it to Loving Drink, slurp on vegan phở (a popular Aulacese noodle soup), drink some vegan congee.

As long as there are people eating vegan, then it’s okay.

In business, you have to base on the customers’ preference. Therefore, I’ve already said earlier: as long as people are able to eat vegan, then it’s okay. It doesn’t matter if it’s Loving Hut or any “Hut.” Any “Hut” is okay. As long as they come in and they “drink” (“drink” in Aulacese sounds like “Hut”) then it’s okay. If not, it’s also okay to change it to Loving Drink, slurp on vegan phở (a popular Aulacese noodle soup), drink some vegan congee.

Master, I noticed that the Westerners are more simple in eating. One day, it was so busy that we ran out of chili pepper when we cooked phở, so I added red bell pepper. (They were okay with it?) Yes. Some regular customers asked, “How come today the spicy flavor is somehow different.” “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s because we ran out of chili pepper; our restaurant doesn’t have any more, (I ate them all up!) so I put red bell pepper.”

It’s still tasty, no problem. It’s fine. In the future, you have to buy a warehouse, understand? so you can store chili pepper. Rent a warehouse (“kho”), a so-called “chili pepper warehouse (“kho”),” not cooked (“kho”) chili pepper! (In Aulacese, the words “cook” and “warehouse” sound the same.) Whatever you do is fine. Regarding Loving Hut, if anyone wants to open one and make it the same like in Formosa (Taiwan), then it’s okay. (Yes.)

But if you don’t do it in that style, then a different style is fine. Okay? It’s just a guideline, understand? It’s a general guideline, understand? Anyone who wants to use that name, and learn to cook that way, it’s also okay. If not, you open any kind of vegan restaurant is okay, understand? As long as people eat vegan, the food is flavorful, and they eat a lot, it’s already okay. Understand? (Yes.)

The important thing is that people eat vegan food. Understand? If anyone who doesn’t know how to cook, then ask, and then cook the same way, like Loving Hut. If you want, then do it. It becomes like a brand, so the people who come in know what they’re getting. Understand? The concept is like that. If not, you can do it differently, no problem. You can cook anything, as long as it’s tasty. Since it’s Âu Lạc (Vietnam), perhaps you have to make it a little differently. (It’s different, Master.) Make different dishes, no problem. Just try, okay? (Yes.) Respected Master, I have one question, it’s like this… In Europe, they usually like Asian cuisine.

I live in Austria, and the fellow practitioners have opened a very small restaurant, but in my opinion, I think we should sell both Loving Hut food and the different Asian dishes. I’ve already mentioned that, meaning that Loving Hut should have only one, two, or three dishes, and each of the local areas has to add the local dishes to the menu. (Yes.)

Just like my restaurant in Hà Nội, Master. In Đà Nẵng, I cook a variety of noodle dishes, as well as Quảng noodle. I brought all those dishes to Hà Nội, but after one or two weeks, we couldn’t sell them, Master. You can only sell bean sprouts in Hà Nội. No, if you sell water spinach in the South, then no one would eat, understand?

You bring water spinach to the South and bean sprouts to the North, then no one would eat. Sometimes we can make one or two special dishes for the customers to try for one or two weeks. For example, say, “This week we have a special dish, vegan bún riêu (an Aulacese noodle soup), made by some pregnant woman. It’s special just for this week only,” for example like that.

Anyone who likes bún riêu will go in and eat. The following week, we make a different special dish. Understand? That means that aside from all the main items, we can make something special, and if the customers like it, then we make it again. We say we’re rotating. (Yes.) Now and then we have a different dish. We already have the main dishes; the ones that the customers eat often, we keep them on the menu. Understand?

If there is a dish that we want the customers to try to see if they’d like it so that we can add it to the menu, then we try for one, two weeks now and then. This week is such-and-such, another week is such-and-such, okay? (Yes.) Or today we have this, and the next day we have that. We have to change continuously, Master. Every day when cook, we rotate constantly.

Master, I would like to boast to you that we have just opened a vegan restaurant in the Czech Republic; it’s been five months. But it’s because of Master’s blessings, so much blessing. Anyone who came into the restaurant praised how good the food was. Really? You made me work over there, huh?

We don’t know why, but every customer who came in left expressing their thanks, and they really like our restaurant. Although we opened the restaurant, truly the food has Master’s blessings to turn out this way. Anyone who came in to eat said, “Oh my God! It’s so good! I’ve never eaten anything as good as this!” Yes, it’s because you are sincere, you have love for others, and you have a good heart. We only cook with fresh vegetables, fresh and tasty. Our motto is to cook fresh and delicious food (That’s right.) and it will be easy for people to eat. Every day we change the food, so the customers really liked that, Master. Every one of them like it. Yes, fresh and tasty, hygienic; they will eat non-stop.

(Yes. Anyone who came in to eat, left contented. No one has ever complained.) That’s right. It has to be like that, then it’s good. It’s lighter, right? The work is relaxed and you feel light. Why make it so complicated and tough, so tiring that they can’t even eat it.

They haven’t eaten yet but they’re tired already. The customers really loved it. And after they’d read Master’s flyer – all of them read it –(Okay.) they all liked it and brought it home. One person recommended it to another and they bring in more customers for us. That’s right. You must have faith, (Yes.) and business is good. As practitioners, we have the blessing power, there’s nothing to fear. Yes, if they don’t eat the dish we cook today, then tomorrow we cook a different dish, no problem. (Yes.) We have to be flexible, right? (Yes.) At the restaurant in the Czech Republic,

we play Supreme Master TV and display Master’s DVDs and books, and the Czech people happily welcome them. They come in to eat, and whether they know about it or not, or they followed another religion, they are still polite and watch it and find out more about it.

You must have really strong faith, you must have the heart to serve others, you must have compassion for animals, and you must have sincerity and respect, then anyone who comes in will also feel that atmosphere. But it’s okay. Sometimes there are some places that are a little difficult, but it’s not like that everywhere. Any place that is tough, then we’ll be patient, and if the place is worry-free, then we relax and enjoy. If all the work is easy like how we want it, then surely I don’t have to sit here – no need to work anymore, no need to expend my energy to give talks. I’d just raise my hands, “Done! I’ve finished everything.”

Matters related to this world are not easy. If they come easy, then it’s our merits, okay? (Yes.) If it’s our affinity, then we’re in luck. Those matters that are not easy, we still have to do them.

If we sit there and keep talking, they’re still difficult, understand? I feel that we should just believe in Master and work, then whatever we do, we will enjoy. Regardless of what it might have been, ever since we opened the restaurant, any difficulty we faced, before we even prayed, Master had already arranged everything. It was so miraculous, Master. She is too much in a hurry. She wants to save the whole world, therefore, anything she does is quick quick. Otherwise, if she were slow like you, people would have all gone to hell already. That was your incredibly miraculous arrangement. Each time it happened to us there, we just looked at each other, “Oh my God! It’s Master who has come to bless us again. Master has arranged for us again.” Whenever we need help, Master sends it to us so quickly.

During those moments, we feel that any fellow initiates who open a vegan restaurant definitely will be successful. Why? At every moment, Master supports us 100%, even until now. That is what I want to tell everyone. As for me, Master has always taken meticulous care of me. If we truly want to serve sentient beings, protect animals and all that, then I always help in every moment – the Master power, your inner power. I’ll always help. (Yes.) It’s because we forget, we fear this and that about it.

But, in fact, this world is also a little troublesome and not that easy, understand? However, despite the difficulty, we have to do it. If we don’t do it, it will be even more difficult. Understand? (Yes.) We must be determined, right, Master? That’s right. In the beginning, it’s a little difficult, but it gets easier day by day, you see? The more people do it, the easier it gets. Later on, the whole world will be vegetarian. (Yes.) Then it’s easy, right? Wherever you go, you can always sit down and have vegetarian food. Isn’t that great? (Yes.) In the past, many times I did not have vegetarian food to eat. Oftentimes it was very difficult to find a vegetarian restaurant.

Now, we just open one. For example, if you are too tired and you don’t want to work all day, then just working at night is fine. It means you open for dinner only, for example, or just open for lunch only. Understand? (Yes.) If more fellow initiates can help or if you can hire more people to work all day, then it’s even better. It depends on your ability. If you do it, you’ll be successful, no problem. You’re only cooking, it’s no big deal. If we don’t know how to cook, we can learn from the Loving Hut people. We can create more dishes, according to your local region. Now on our website, there are many dishes, Master. We could try to learn more. Learning to cook from them is also all right. It’s okay. (Yes.)

I learned how to cook from your cookbook, Master, a Thai noodle dish. Now it’s the best selling dish in my restaurant – many people eat that dish (Really?) and it’s the most expensive. I’d say this dish has to be the most expensive one. Really? How is it the best selling dish? Because it’s expensive? Because it has many different kinds of vegetables, nine or ten different kinds (Understand.) and also tofu, (Right, it’s a lot of work.) so it also tastes very good. Therefore it’s the most expensive one. And Master’s dish… Which one is my dish? That dish I cook according to Master’s recipe. No, I didn’t cook that dish. The Thai fried noodle dish. Really, I made that? Yes, in the cookbook. Many people cooked in that book, not just me. “Supreme Kitchen.” I also know how to cook that dish. Thai people call it Pad Thai. Pad Thai, P-A-D and Thai; Pad-Thai is a Thai noodle, but usually the Thai people put shrimp in it and other things. In ours, we put tofu in it.

I just follow the recipe and cook. You just cook like that and it’s the best selling dish. The Czech people are addicted to this dish. (The Czech people are very simple.) They’re not picky. Easy to eat. Easy to eat and sells the best. Okay, very good. But it’s the only so-called most expensive dish in our restaurant. (Understand.) Our price has to be low. Yes, that’s right. It’s affordable. (Yes.)

It’s only the most expensive in our restaurant. (Understand.) Very good. Yes, I’m happy for you. Young people nowadays, about 20 years old, they need to have vegetarian food for lunch, but there’s a lack of sandwiches and such. There’s a need for it because these young people don’t have much money to go eat at a restaurant, therefore, they eat simple for lunch. Many of them want to eat vegetarian. Just make sandwiches. We can make sandwiches. We can still make sandwiches, Master. It’s so easy to make sandwiches.

Okay. I’m going now. You guys meditate. Thank you for the wonderful night. Have a good night. Good night, Master.