Perfect Vision1995.5.5-12 (Originally In Chinese by Thong Kai) | There was an old couple, about ninety years old, who were very bored. They had nothing to do. They didn't know how to kill time. One day, one of them suggested, "Let's do something special today; otherwise, life is too boring. How about taking off all our clothes and going for a walk!" Both of them agreed, so they did just that. Both took off all their clothes and went out. Some old folks living next door, put on their convex glasses to have a look. They looked again and again, and felt strange. They said, "No matter what kind of clothes they are wearing, they should have ironed them." |
In one of the previous incarnations, the Supreme Supreme Master Ching Hai was supposed to be a Golden Snail. One day, just before the Golden Snail died, many of the silver-snail disciples came around Her Majesty, the Golden Snail's death bed just to praise Her, to say good-bye, and to pay their last respects. So, many of the silver-snail disciples made a lot of praises just like, "We have never seen such a beautiful, glorious snail before!"
The other ones said, "Right, right, right!" All the snails clapped their hands.
Another one made a more glorious statement like, "Wow! We have never had such a merciful snail before in our lives!" All the snails clapped their hands. The other ones said, "Yes, yes, yes."
Another one made a more glorious statement like, "Wow! Such a compassionate snail we can never find in this world."
The other snails said, "Yes, yes, yes. Of course, only the Supreme Golden Snail could be so compassionate!"
Then another one said, "Wow! You know what? I think our Supreme Snail is the only one that can get in touch with God in one lifetime, and even give us the opportunity to do so." So, everyone applauded, hurrahed, and everything like that sort!...
The Golden Snail, the Supreme Master Ching Hai incarnated last time (supposed to be,) was agitated and felt kind of restless. So, the assistant snail, which was the color between silver and golden and had two horns a little bit shorter than the horns of the so-called Golden Supreme Snail, she asked, "Master, what is it that is making you feel so agitated. I feel that you are not so restful. Didn't you hear the praises of your disciples, the snails?" [(Master speaking on the aside: Well, I think it is suitable for us because we go at such a slow pace. So, if I called you snails, it's all right, huh? But by the way, I didn't call you. It was the one supposed to be from the previous lifetime (Master and audience laugh) when we had not developed sufficiently.)]
So, the attendant snail asked the Golden Master Snail, "Why is it that Master is so agitated?" Because she knows that the Master Golden Snail loves to hear praises, applause and things like that. So, the Master kept silent for a while. Then the snail kept pressing further, the attendant, "Master, didn't you hear the praises of your disciples? They said that you are compassionate, you are wise, you are intelligent, you are beautiful, you are glorious, you are God-realized, you are the one and only in the whole world of snails. That's great!"
So, the Master Snail said, "How about my humility? They didn't even mentioned it!" (Laughter and applause)
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There was another master, suppose to be the Supreme Master Ching Hai's previous incarnation or something. She was born as a Golden Snail. She was sitting with the disciples one day -- together with the silver snails, the copper snails, the metal snails and the aluminum snails; the various kinds of snails according to their inner development. They were talking in the middle of dinner or lunch, and suddenly there was an earthquake; very, very, very strong -- 9.9 on the Ching Hai scale. Everyone was running as fast as a snail could; here and there, up and down, in and out. They bumped into the glass door, and everything. It was all very chaotic. The house of the snails was shaking like this and all their horns were kind of twisted together. The earthquake lasted about three minutes in these circumstances. After the earthquake finished, everyone went back to their seats and said, "Wow, thank God that's over!" The Supreme Master Snail was sitting there with Her horns up. (They don't have noses, they just have horns.) She just stuck Her two very long and fat horns up in the sky, and was quiet for a while until the disciples could not bear it any longer and asked the Master, "What is it?" Because they knew every time the Master stuck Her golden horns like that, She is about to make a very grand statement, some big lecture of how to become Buddha in one second, things like that. So, they were very, very nervous and expecting. But the Master kept on sticking the horns up and didn't say anything. |
Finally, the half-golden and half-silver attendant said, "Please, be compassionate, oh Master. What is it? Tell us the great thing that You have in Your mind now? Don't hesitate longer for all sentient beings are thirsty for the Truth." So, the Master slowly descended Her horns to an ordinary level of consciousness so that all the disciples could understand. If Her horns were too high, I don't think the ordinary sentient snails could ever have caught up. Now She lowered Her horns up to here, like this and said, "Did you see I was very calm during the earthquake?" (Laughter and applause) All the snails said, "Oh, yes, Master! Oh, yes!" The Master continued further, after a pause so that people felt more appreciative, "Did you see that I didn't run here and there like all of you fools?" The disciples said, "Of course, of course." And all their horns clapped together in unison to praise the Master. Now the Master Snail said, "Did you see that I calmly sat here, sipping tea while you were running here and there like that?" The disciples said, "Yes, we saw You calmly sitting here drinking, but that was the soy sauce that You drink, not the tea." (Laughter and applause) |