Interview with Supreme Master Ching Hai by Bob Lebensold of Environmentally Sound Radio   
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Hallo.

*Hallo. How are you, Master?
Good, good.
You're still here? How long?
 
*Until Sunday.
Sunday? Today is Sunday.
No, Saturday or Monday? Today is Saturday, right?
*Yes.
 
 
I also forget. Too busy, forgot. I even forgot my birthday. I never remember. Not today, not today, not today. Don't dream about it. Yesterday you had a party already, yes? Okay. Be Veg, Go Green 2 Save the Planet, yes?
 
 
The message is clear, even written in Chinese. No excuse for you, Chinese people. “Be Veg,” see that? “Go Green,” green here. “Save the Planet,” here. Yes, okay, good. They spread it out too much, and you have to, you know, like this for people to see it.

 
It's funny how just a little different dress makes a difference. Yes, just a few bling bling make it looks like big deal. It's not really. It's not a very big deal. It's easy to make, right? Look, so simple. Just cut like T shape and sew it, zig zag, you're done. And buy a few spray, `pssst!': Be Veg, Go Green 2 Save the Planet. Those in a bottle, you squeeze it like a pen, and looks like glamorous. No big deal. Aulacese (Vietnamese)?
 
 
 
How are you, comrades? Where are you from? (From America, Master.) From America, so you're a mixed comrade? (Yes.) A Mixed comrade. Those of you from Âu Lạc (Vietnam), when you're in America, you must speak Aulacese (Vietnamese) properly, understand? I have heard some of you speak very oddly. The Americans are not used to speaking Aulacese (Vietnamese) and that's fine. We're Aulacese (Vietnamese), we need to speak it properly.
 
 
I'll give you some examples. For example, a person's name is “Đặng Bá Lập” and the Americans pronounce it as “Dang Ba Lap” - “Ba Lap” is Bá Láp (talking nonsense), understand? “VỏDa Cừ,” they say “Vô Da Cư”(homeless); “Đặng Thập Thơ,” they say “Đang Thập Thò,” (sneaking around); “Võ Giai Tân” is “Vô Giải Tán” > (not dismissible) understand? (Yes.) There are more. This one, “Nha Dương Thượng” or “Dương Thượng Nha,” something like that, they say “Nhà Dưỡng Thương” (rehabilitation home); “Võ Hiếu Đạo,” they say “Vô Hiếu Đạo” (unfilial).
 
 
Sometimes they pronounce it all wrong. “Võ Duyên,” they say “Vô Duyên” (unattractive); “Khổng Hiếu,” they say “Không Hiểu” (not understanding); “Tô LộTrung” is “Trúng Lô Tô” (winning the lottery). Then the Americans, the flirtatious ones, when they saw an Aulacese (Vietnamese) girl, they'd say, “cô đẹp quá” (you're very pretty), but they said it wrong. The Americans usually say things backward, “cô đẹp quá” becomes “dẹp cô qua,” putting her to one side, getting rid of her, etc. I've talked about this once before, right?
 
 
 
Yes, the Aulacese (Vietnamese) names, you know?
 
Sometimes if you pronounce it differently, it becomes a completely different meaning; sometimes even opposite meaning, understand? So I told them to pronounce it correctly. No excuse. The Aulacese (Vietnamese) who went overseas, they sometimes pronounce it very funny. Any questions? No?
 
Yes, tell me.
 
 
 
*Two weeks ago, I went to a conference in Geneva called, “Global Humanitarian Forum.” It was extremely interesting, with Kofi Annan, Dr. Pachauri, and lots of other important people.
*But you know what happened?
What?
 
 
 
*At lunch time…
*They served no vegetarian food.
No.
 
 
 
*I mean, there was nothing I could eat. And in the evening…
How about Pachauri? What did he eat?
 
 
*I don't know. He wasn't there.
*But in the evening, all the people that were at this conference were invited by the Swiss government on one of the big boats on the lake, and there was a nice dinner. There were vegetables in the beginning, like dips, but after that it was just fish and meat. So Dr. Pachauri was there, and I went over to him and I said, “How come a conference like this about the environment
 
 
*doesn't give vegetarian food?”
*And he said he would complain. (Yes.)
 
 
*But how can we make these people understand? (I know.)
 
 
*The way that they were all talking all about global warming, everything, but they never mentioned meat.
 
 
What can I do? Okay, we just tell and then whoever listens, listens, whoever doesn't, doesn't.
 
I told you the philosophy, okay? If they listen, they listen. If they don't listen, then…what?
 
The poor Dr. Pachauri, how does he eat? Does he bring anything?
 
* Well, I think he had the vegetables like me. (Yes?)
 
 
*We just had a few dips, a few vegetables.
*He actually looked much better than how he usually looks, more relaxed.
Maybe he needs somebody to go around with him, cooking for him, because he travels a lot and he works a lot, and he needs some nutrition. We need him to be alive.
 
 
*Of course. We need the guy. He is probably the only one vegetarian at that conference, that's why.
 
 
*No, no, no, the princess of Jordan was there, and she is very much involved in humanitarian work, and…
 
 
Yes, vegetarian?
*Well, I asked her if she knew about the meat thing, you know?
*And she said, “I am a vegetarian.”
 
She is? My God.
*Yes, yes, yes.
 
 
She is wonderful.
*And she got your book.
 
 
She got it. Bless her.
*There were quite a few vegetarians at this conference.
 
 
How did she eat there?
Poor princess.
How does she eat?
 
 
*The second lunch was in a restaurant, where we were all invited, and there you could actually ask for a vegetarian meal.
 
 
There is a restaurant?
*We were all invited by some company…
 
 
Okay, you know what, next time tell Dr. Pachauri, at least, whenever he travels somewhere he lets us know, we'll come and bring vegetarian food for the vegetarian people at least.
 
(Yes.)
 
If we couldn't cook for everybody, then at least we cook for those who need it. Because sometimes they travel many days, they don't bring staff, you know? (Yes.)
 
 
Staff are not easy to bring. Sometimes have to go quick and the staff don't have visa. Like, I don't always have staff in my pocket. You think I always have people run around serving me? It's not true. I mostly have to be alone.
 
 
Because the people who help me, mostly Formosan (Taiwanese), and they don't always have visa, or they use up their visa for the conference here. So sometimes you think the important people, they have staff all over them, it's not always true.
 
 
And I don't always have people around me. It's lucky enough that I have a driver. Yes. If not, I just take a taxi. It depends on where.
 
 
My life, I have to continue with or without help. So what do you want me to do about that? Complain to the United Nations? Yes, we write a letter. Who told you to be there? It's your problem.
*I know. It was really interesting; it was worthwhile going.
 
 
Of course, of course.
*I was just shocked that…
 
 
Yes, I know. How did you get in there? They even let you.
*As press, Supreme Master TV press, press pass.
 
 
That's very good already.
*I thought next year you should really come to it.
 
 
As a what?
*As a speaker.
 
 
A speaker? (Yes.)
I don't like to travel too much. You know, you know; I am shy. We'll see. What I mean is, how can even go there to cook?
*You couldn't, because it was in a hotel. I cook at some other hotel and bring it there. There are hotels with apartment, apartment hotel. They have cookers and a refrigerator and everything. Sometimes these kinds of hotels are cheaper than the other hotels even, because they're not always five stars.
 
 
The hotel with apartment, with cooking convenience, sometimes it's very, very good, very convenient and cheaper. But not always that convenient, you know, because if I need sometimes fast internet, then sometimes a 5-star hotel is the best. Yes, I'm the 5-star client, yes. I rent a hotel room and my assistant comes in and out all the time, to send video, send stuff, send news. I'm hardly there.
 
 
Mostly it's them who work. So sometimes the newspapers say I live in a 5-star hotel, that's true, too - a few days, and the rest is the staff. And I say, you guys' names should be on the newspaper, not me, because you use it more often. You come every day, almost every day. Understand? Yes, they take turn to go there, to send email or video, because sometimes to send video takes a long time, no?
 
 
Sometimes only one-hour video takes many days, or one day, or half a day, depends on how fast, how big the file, and how good quality you want it. It's not all that easy. Our technology is not all that good. Not as good as Mars. Not yet. But I'm grateful already. Before we could not have videoconference, we could not send a video file in one, two, three, four days like that. See what I mean?
 
 
Okay, to send just audio is quick, but to send video with images, like a film, it takes a long time, long, long time, if you can even, yes? Some places, they don't have it. Sometimes I travel in some country, they don't have fast internet. You can send email, receive email, okay, but you cannot send video, DVD and this stuff. And you can't, definitely, make videoconference. No, no, no. See what I mean?
 
 
All right, now, because you mentioned that, I'm telling you, there's, right now, water shortage a lot. Yes? So we have to do some, like preserve rainwater. You can try to maybe buy big tanks or something, put under the gutter and let the rain run in there, also fine. Or, if you can afford it, dig a pool or something, and lead all your rainwater from the roof to go there, and you can use it for anything: washing, cleaning, watering your grass, even drink.
 
 
When I was younger, like 14, 15 something, high school time, I lived in one of the villas on the seaside in Âu Lạc (Vietnam). Very beautiful. And underneath they have a big reserve tank for raining water, and we use that, a lot. Sometimes there's no water from the tap. We have to use that water; it tastes so sweet, and so clear, you know? After the water settles in there, I think even any dirt will go to the bottom.
 
 
And the water on top is so clean, so clear and so sweet. And it stays in the dark, so there are no bacteria or anything like that. In Spain, they do that a lot. I had a house in Spain. Well, I still have it, if you can call that a house. It's like two stories, if you can call that 2 stories. You know, it's like… It's perching next to the mountain, like this, you know?
 
 
So, of course, according to the mountain slope, they make it one room underneath and one room on top. One room underneath is like… There is an open chimney for cooking and stuff. And the other room on top, you can sleep. Yes, small, maybe about 5, 6 meters, something like that, both top and bottom. And there's no staircase; they just carved into the wall, you know, and then you have to tiptoe, climb on the wall to go up to the second floor. It's quite an adventure every day.
 
 
And it's not that, it's the water system. You see, in Spain, they conserve water like that. They dig some big hole or some well under the house or next to the house, and somehow they direct all the rainwater, whatever possible, to go in there. And in there is completely dark; it's sealed off. Sealed off. And they, of course, they make a door. Whenever you want to take water then you do like this, you get a bucket and with a rope, and you go tut tut tut tut tut tut tut tut. Good exercise, no? Okay.
 
 
First, I get the water, exercise for my upper body, and then I climb the wall, very carefully. You have to have power, otherwise you'll slip down. You know? So it was a very good situation, yes, and good for meditation. You don't have electricity there. Not only you don't have water, you don't have electricity, so it's very nice. You go to meditate early, no excuse to watch television; there's nothing over there. Or you can only walk up and down the hill, fetch the water, just for fun. And climb the wall. Climb with one toe at a time.
 
 
Because you don't have enough room for the whole to fit. You don't walk, you climb like a centipede - understand? - like Spiderman? I was thinking “I'm a Spiderwoman.” I miss that place. We were staying there happily ever after.
 
 
I tell you what, the water is all sealed and dark. It has to be dark so there are no bacteria, nothing grows, you understand? That is the secret. The Spanish people, they knew this secret. And over there, they even have this natural sewage system. The toilet will be screened many times until it's mostly clear water, and then it goes under trees and grasses, branches out. So you can use it forever, and it's no harm to the environment, nothing. You understand? They probably clean it out every five or ten years, or something, depends on how many people use it.
 
 
But mostly it just disperses into the ground, watering the plants, the flowers, the grass, the trees. So, you see, it's a very good recycling system. Because the Spanish people in some areas don't have water, you know. They rely on rainwater. Even now they have government water organized, but they still use this ecology system, which is very good. Every house has two systems now - all connected with each other - the rain system and the tap system.
 
 
You can turn one off, turn one on or turn both on, depends on what you want to use, yes, yes. It's very good. I like Spanish people for that So, even now, we are short of water in some of the areas of the world. In your area, even if you have water, you can conserve more rainwater for different use. First, good for the environment, second, well, you take care of yourself.
 
 
Third, less bills to pay, okay? It's very good. Try that. When I live in the cave, I don't have any water; I buy a big tank, you know, not tank but like a big bucket, you know? Something very big like that. And then I put it under some of the “rain way,” from the mountain. There is some crack, there is some rainwater or some water comes in there; I put it there and then it comes in there.
 
 
I'm alone, I can use it forever. Okay, that was a long time ago. I don't have that luxury anymore. I really miss it. It's really the best time. When I can live alone, that's the best time for me. Not a care in the world, yes. I live very simple, you know?
 
 
I could even use canned food. It wouldn't harm me at all. People say canned food is not healthy, but you don't eat canned food alone, no? Now and again you go out and get some fresh vegetables, fruit and things like that and you use it for one week or a few days, and then later you get more. Very simple, actually. Nice life.
 
 
My God, I really love that life. I don't have that luck to have a quiet life in this lifetime. Actually, I didn't plan to come here. I didn't know you guys were here, either. I mean, not physically. I was informed that “some people like to come for holidays," “Okay, why not? It's empty, let them come. It's their home. They come whenever they like, whether I'm there or not." But I just happen to be here. You know the story, right? Okay. And then you're here and I'm here. How about that? What a coincidence.
 
 
There's another tip for the environment when you're talking about the environmental gathering in Switzerland We can always gather all the garbage together in one bag, okay? Because mostly you put another garbage bag in the toilet and other garbage in the kitchen and another garbage bag in the living room, etc., etc.
 
 
 Don't just every day collect every bag and then… Even if it's only half empty, it's better you collect all, put all the garbage into one bag until it's full and take it out, yes. Yes, here, yesterday I told you, don't talk over the food. Do the same at home, okay? Yes, in case you're sick, you don't give it somebody else.
 
 
Also it's nice to keep quiet to remember the Holy Names inside, and you maintain your samadhi all the time, even while you're eating, understand? Take advantage of the time, so can use it for blessing, for inner realization, instead of wasting breath, energy and spiritual merit just to talk; we talk, things come out - energy comes out also, leaking something. If you have to talk: brief, quick, quiet, yes?
 
 
Also, not to climb over the food just to get the salad over there, in the meanwhile your clothes dip in all the (vegan) sausages and soya sauce - also dusty and dirty for other people. It doesn't look appetizing. Understand? Maybe some of your beautiful hair falling in there. That's not vegetarian, is it? Understand? (*Yes.)
 
 
And then we have to say, “Maybe there are some traces of non-veggie in our food.” There are some foods in the supermarket, like maybe chocolate or something, they make it vegan. Normally, they don't make milk in that branch, for example, but they say, “May contain traces of nuts or milk” - “contain traces,” you know?
 
 
So if you do this kind of thing - the food is all over here and you reach over the river to get the salad or your favorite something - then some of your hair - beautiful may it be - falls in there. Yes? Maybe some little little insect or something that you brought with you illegally, that the immigration office did not check out, maybe drops in there as well. Then, we have to declare, to be honest, as we have five precepts.
 
 
One of them is honesty, “Don't tell lies.” So many rules already here: “don't talk,” “don't stand,” “don't sit,” “don't lie down” already, and now, the food have to put slogan all over, “May contain traces of `human souvenir.'” Understand me?
 
 
That is more complicated, especially as we are international group. It has to be, like, 128 languages, you see what I mean? Then we don't have time for meditation, just sit there, translate forever. And there is never enough translation, because there are some remote-area people… Even in China, they have like a thousand and one different dialects, for example.
 
 
So we'll be busy forever, okay? So please don't shake your beautiful “souvenir” into the food by climbing over it. Just take whatever you have in front of you, and if you want something else, go around it, wait your turn. Just like in a buffet, no? They make you go around, no? Like in the airport or in a buffet restaurant, you don't jump over like that. Behave yourself. You're good. You are good, it's just your personality sometimes, your character sometimes, is no good. So if I sometimes tell you something, it is just your character, or your personalities or your upbringing.
 
 
But you are good, yes? At least you eat vegetarian. Thank you very much! Yes, and you feel like you are saints already. Well, thank you again. How good are you, anyway? Eating vegetarian, don't kill people, don't steal, don't tell lies, don't gamble, etc., don't take drugs.
 
 
All these are good? Yes? Good for what? Just good for you! Nothing good about it: everybody should be like that to begin with, no? Now I have to return you to your goodness. Normally everybody should be like that. Vegetarian is good for your health, right? And “don't take drugs” is good for your…?
 
*Health.
 
Health. And “don't gamble” and all that, good for your…? Health also. Yes, mental health, physical health. If you lose money, you get angry, you get sick, you die also. No? And leave your families behind. And “don't take drugs” and all that, good for you; “don't drink alcohol,” is all good for you. “Don't tell lies” is good for, for who, for me? Sure? Thank you.
 
Yes, the five precepts, if you keep them; the vegetarian diet, if you keep it, is good for whom? For whom?
 
*Ourselves.
 
For me? Yes, for you, yes, for me. Me, you, yes. The you-me, yes. Okay.
 

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