OK. What have you been practicing all this time, making all kinds of noise and singing on and on? Yesterday, you already sang all kinds of songs, and now still want to sing? Keep singing the same songs? I think Hòa may have to create his own music band then. He is feeling “itchy” to do it. (His forte.) Right down his alley, so he keeps at it. The only person who does the same exact thing every day and people don’t get fed up with is Madame Ching Hai. And yet, it’s kind of strange. That’s why I worry they will get bored; every now and then I hide away. I hid in the desert for a few months, hid in the mountain for a few days, few weeks like that. Tried it to see whether they really get bored, whether they truly like me or not, but it turns out that’s not the case.
Sometimes, I think it is a little strange. Every day, they see the same person, see that one person often, but they don’t get fed up. And when I am talking, there are only a few topics. Sautéing the same “vegetables” with different spices. And yet they don’t get tired of it; they like it, eat it over and over. Every day they come to the same restaurant, meet that same person, who keeps talking over and over. Isn’t that strange? Huh? How strange? Sometimes, I am surprised. But you climb mountains and cross rivers to come here, you must like it, that’s why you came. (Yes.) Why would anyone be stupid enough to come here? There’s nothing to see anyway. No tiger, no monkey, only clay deer. They’ve only got this one person locked up here, yet people keep coming over to look again and again.
But for example, if you take a vacation in the summer and enjoy traveling, then I wouldn’t say anything. That’s fine, I like it. But in this case, you have to take time off from work, ask for some days off, and spend your money on air tickets, yet you still do. No, I mean, you could sort of count it as going out for fun too, but coming over here there’s really nothing to do, right? It is cold even. In the summer, it’s still OK. But this season, forget it. It’s truly so cold, it sends shivers right down to the bones. Rain during the daytime, cold at night. Don’t see the Sun anywhere. The Sun was afraid, so He went to sleep. So, seeing that you are so sincere, I think maybe you do like to hear me talk, right? That’s why I walk with the cane to come down here. I wouldn’t deliberately do this every day. So you should understand that. The art of advancing and retreating is like that. You don’t have (translation)? Do you understand Aulacese (Vietnamese)? Oh, you have? OK.
The art of advancing and retreating is like that. We shouldn’t overdo it, otherwise people will get fed up. Yeah, there was a singer who was kind of older. She had never been that famous. Maybe she was famous as a lousy singer, the lousiest singer in the country. But she still sings, and there are people who like that kind of singing. She is a type of singer like me. Singing like me, and people still like it. Each person has a different taste. So, she was kind of old, then she sang at a nightclub. Just half the song in, they threw so many tomatoes at her. And one guy, he was the one who threw the most tomatoes. He brought in a box of tomatoes. He stood there and kept throwing the tomatoes. But when she finished singing, she bowed and went inside, that same guy was the one who yelled the loudest, “Bis, bis, bis. Encore, encore.” to ask her to come out to sing again. Do it again, do it again. So the guy next to him became annoyed and asked, “But you were the one who protested the most, threw the most tomatoes at her. How come you want her to come out again now? The guy said, “I didn’t finish the other half box of tomatoes.”
So Hòa, watch out! We don’t know who still has half a box of tomatoes left there. Don’t be tempted to sing; if they throw tomatoes, I can’t protect you. What do you want to sing for? Let me see if we have anything interesting. We only do what people want. If they don’t want, we don’t do. That’s what I meant.
Ah, there was a guy, who was a professional magician. Normally, there was also a young girl who accompanied him to help him. He was doing all kinds of magic. A lot, a lot, a lot of magic. Sometimes, for example, suddenly the pigeon(-person) would disappear. But suddenly he pulled the pigeon(-person) out from his sleeve. We often see the magicians perform like that. One day, both the guy and the girl went overseas to do the magic show. They went by plane. And about halfway in the air, the plane engines went kaput and the plane hit a mountain. The plane shattered into pieces and fell into the sea. The two of them were swimming. Fortunately, both of them could reach a shore, and survived. Then the young girl asked the magician, “Now, can you make the plane reappear?” She thought he was joking by making the plane disappear. She said, “My God, I’m so tired of swimming all this time. Please make the plane reappear, OK?”
Do you see that? You only do when they ask, understand? (Yes.) Why did I recite so many poems yesterday? Because it only happens once; you only come by once in a while. If I didn’t do it now, I won’t do it in the future. For example like that. Too much trouble. By the way, you requested and liked it, and we had a good crowd, also some spare time. And at that moment, I had some inspiration, so I just recited the poems. Otherwise, I might not be able to do it in the future. But Hòa, he has inspiration every day, so we don’t have to worry about that. Whoever wants to see him direct a program, just dial his home line, but don’t call his wife. If you want to call, then ask your husband to call, don’t talk with your feminine “high-pitched” voice, then you would “kill” him. And that guy also did something… Ah, that girl also did a lot of things…
There is a girl, I’ll tell this also. A girl was swimming with a bunch of her girlfriends in the ocean. Then suddenly a big wave came and pulled her out, or she couldn’t swim, or deliberately faked it, we don’t know… Because she saw a bunch of handsome guys standing on the beach over there. So we don’t know if she was faking or truly in trouble, but her head was bobbing up and down, but she was not drowning. She was yelling for help. Then one guy swam out to rescue her. He saved her and brought her back to the shore. She pretended to wake up, and blinking her eyes, said, “Thank you!” Then she asked his name, and said that she didn’t know how to repay his favor… “Such a great debt of gratitude – how could I ever repay it?” she said, blinking her eyes and making flirtatious gestures. And the guy looked down at the girl’s face for a while and said, “Never mind! You shouldn’t think that I ever saved you.”
Another young girl was walking on the street and pretended to drop her handkerchief so that some man would pick it up. Seeing a handsome guy, she dropped her handkerchief close to where he was standing. But there was another man who picked it up for her. Seeing that this guy was 70 years old, she said, “I dropped it for the other guy to pick up, not for you!” Just picking up anything like that? That’s what happens when you’re being nosy.
Remember that, Hòa? My God, I took notes last night, now I can’t even read my own notes. Whatever we do, we should do it at the right time, in the right environment, then it would be good. Otherwise, if we do… You cannot see me? Is that right? I’m so shy to sit on a too high place; that’s why. You bare it for today. (Yes.) I prefer to sit here, that’s why. Yesterday, I requested that I sit here.
When we do things at the wrong time and at the wrong place, it’s quite uncomfortable. Sometimes, the result is not the same. There was a guy who loved a girl. He loved her earnestly, passionately, romantically, sweetly, deeply, ecstatically, crazily, and all that. But he was shy, because he was still very young, didn’t know what to say to the girl. And the girl was very beautiful and from a rich family. She was also an excellent student. So the guy didn’t think that he was qualified, and didn’t dare to say anything to the girl. And he was so sad, walking up and down, back and forth, with his two hands folded behind his back. Seeing that, his friend asked, “What happened to you? For many days now, you are like a lost soul. Where did your soul go?” And he said, “My soul went to that girl’s house.” So stupid, right? So stupid! It would be better if his soul went to Madame Ching Hai, why to that girl’s house, what for?
So his friend said, “Why did your soul go over there?” He said, “Because I love her but don’t know what to say, how to express it. I don’t know how to tell her.” His friend said, “So easy! You just go there and tell her, otherwise, how would she know? Who knows, she may love you, too.” This guy said, “Oh, my God, too difficult! She is in a very high position, many people respect her. I have nothing, how can I say anything.” His friend said, “Oh, just try, sooner or later. If you don’t say it, you will lose her. If you say it, maybe you can have her. So, go over there and tell her.” This guy said, “What can I say?” His friend wrote a script for him, told him to say what and what. His friend said, “Tomorrow, you go and knock on her door, then kneel down on one leg. Buy a rose bouquet, red roses to offer her. And you tell her that you love her earnestly, you’d will die if you don’t have her. Then you ask to have her hand in marriage. Just that and you don’t know?” This guy said, “Alright, you write those lines out for me.”
After his friend wrote the script, this guy recited, reviewed it again and again. He also knelt down in front of a mirror to perform very seriously. After practicing for a few days, he went to her house and rang the bell. He had to select an auspicious day, such as the 1st or the 15th of the month. On the 1st or the 15th of the month, he went there and rang the bell, and performed exactly what he practiced. Then three to four days later, the friend who wrote the script for this guy, asked,: “So? What’s going on with your beauty and your wedding?” This guy said, “Forget it, man, it’s all over!” So his friend asked, “How can it be over? Did you do exactly what I told you?” He said, “Yes, I did exactly what you told me.” His friend said, “So how did you do it?” This guy said, “I bought a very fresh rose bouquet, then I went over there to ring the bell. When the door opened, I knelt down, and said exactly what you told me.” His friend asked, “Huh, then what? What was her answer?” So this guy said, “No, her mom opened the door.” He talked to the wrong person. Pitiful, pitiful! Right? Just doing things with his eyes and nose closed like that, exactly like how my disciples do it here. Wow, sometimes, it was exactly the same, just the story was a little different.
Photo Caption: “The Beauty Is Just as Heavenly as the Taste!” (All what shows here are no pain)
