So I asked, “Are my tapes more expensive than the ones outside? Or the same price?” And she said, “No, they’re not.” I asked, “How much do they sell it for outside?” She said, “At least 29 dollars for a small tape.” But mine – good-quality, well-made tapes – were only 20 dollars. (And better quality too.) Exactly, even better quality. It’s just like the blank tapes they sell outside. You have to consider the quality too, not just the price. The quality was good, and it was only 20 dollars. Meanwhile, out there, the ordinary ones – short, small tapes – cost at least 29 dollars. And if they were from a famous person, they’d go for 40 or 50 dollars. I said, “Then how can you say mine are expensive?” She basically answered herself – they’re not expensive at all. And she said, “It’s just because I don’t have money.” So I said, “Well, if you don’t have money, then just go take one for free. Tell the staff and they’ll give you one to take home.”
I really wish I could give everything away for free, but I can’t – the world has too many people. If I gave everything for free, where would I get more to make new ones, understand? So we have to charge a bit so the funds can go back into production. I don’t make any profit from it at all. In fact, we lose money – and still give away a lot. For those who truly have nothing, we do give for free. But if someone can afford it, they should contribute so the work can continue. I don’t take a cent for myself. For example, if we don’t have money, we should try to earn it. Sometimes even doing small jobs or handicrafts can bring in something, right? (Yes.) Doing some handicraft work or little odd jobs like that.
In the old days, when I was in Taiwan (Formosa) and didn’t have any disciples yet, I also did handicraft work to support myself. Not to bother others, not to trouble the disciples. If we have little, we use little, and that becomes much. For example, you see me wearing beautiful clothes, but they’re all self-cut, self-sewn, self-made, so they’re cheap, not expensive. And quick too – done in one hour. But many of you buy clothes outside, they don’t look nice, yet cost much more. That’s because we know how to organize our life to make it nice and convenient. We don’t need a lot of money to live well. Being vegan doesn’t cost much, it’s even cheaper. When we practice spiritually, our clothes are simple, just enough. My clothes may look nice but aren’t expensive – just plain cloth cut into shape. They look nice, that’s all. But sometimes one person wears it and looks good, yet another wears it and it doesn’t look good – just like that. (Yes.)
When I got on the plane, some people secretly kept asking my disciples, “Which country is She the princess of?” It’s true! I couldn’t believe they asked that, but one day someone asked me directly, “You look so much like a princess – which country are You the Princess of?” I was so embarrassed! But I wasn’t wearing anything fancier than you all – just ordinary fabric, similar kind of clothes. The outfit was even wrinkled, I hadn’t had time to change yet, that’s all. Nothing special, but it just looked nice, that’s it. See? Nothing flashy or decorated – just simple. Dressing like this still looks dignified. The collar instead of standing out just lies flat, that’s all. If you want to do it too, you can.
For example, sometimes I wear Aulacese (Vietnamese) clothes, and people say, “So beautiful, Master!” Even the Aulacese (Vietnamese) people also praise me. I say, “Oh? Haven’t you worn them before? Haven’t you?” (…) said, “Yes, many people wear them, but somehow it doesn’t look the same as when You do.” Of course – how could I be the same as anyone else? Everyone is different, how could we all look alike. But it’s the same thing – just clothes. One person wears them and they look one way, another wears them and it looks another way. It’s not that mine are fancier or more expensive – they’re not. Mine are actually cheaper because I’m small-sized and thrifty, so I cut the fabric smaller.
Basically, if you know how to organize your life, it becomes peaceful and abundant. But if you don’t, no matter how much you have, it’ll never be enough. (Yes, that’s right.) For example, you can see I’ve only been spreading the Teachings for a few years – three or four years – and we already have so many Centers, and all of them are fully paid for, completely ours – no mortgage, no “50-year lease.” There’s none of that. Whatever we have, it’s all fully paid for, not on installments, all paid right away, for example. Or like the tapes and scriptures we print, those little booklets are printed in millions, even tens of millions of copies. Around the world, disciples help print and distribute them for free. The larger books or video tapes are often given freely too, especially to places that need them for study, to people who can’t afford them, or to refugee camps, things like that. So we give away a lot for free. And I still have enough financial resources to travel and spread the teachings around the world.
It’s not that I’m a billionaire; it’s just that I live simply. Instead of spending money to build grand temples or churches, I use it for spreading the Teachings. So in your life, it should be similar. You should know what your priorities are and take care of those first. As for the other things, secondary or less important matters, you can handle them later when you have enough resources. If we don’t have enough means, we can take our time and deal with it later, or simply cut it off. For example, when you see me wearing nice clothes, actually this style only comes in two, three, or maybe four sets, and I can wear them anywhere. This design just happens to have different colors – four or five shades – so it looks like I have a lot. But whenever I wear them, they still look proper and dignified.
In fact, we don’t really need that many clothes, do we? (Yes.) Also, each person has their own natural grace; it’s not the clothes that make someone beautiful, nor is it makeup that makes one look good. Some people, the more they dress up, the worse they look; the more they decorate themselves, the less charm they have. You understand, right? (Yes.) So we must adapt to each situation accordingly. Don’t envy others just because their life seems luxurious. Even if you wore the same clothes, they might not suit you. And just because your clothes are simple doesn’t mean they’re not beautiful. True beauty radiates from within; that’s what truly touches and moves others. Outer beauty, on the other hand, can easily become tiring to look at because it lacks the kind of inner atmosphere that truly attracts others.
In this book, Chuang Tzu also tells another story about a man who was crippled and hunchbacked, yet many people came to learn from him. Some women even said, “I would rather be His concubine than the official wife of some nobleman.” And when men met Him, they wanted to become His lifelong friends. They were willing to leave their families just to live with Him and be His companions. Because He had attained enlightenment – He was a true Master, not someone who relied on outward appearance to charm others.
Many enlightened Masters are not beautiful or handsome, some are old and wrinkled, yet countless people still love and follow Them with devotion. Follow what exactly? It’s the inner Beauty of that person, the invisible attraction They carry within, the oneness with Their True Nature. That’s what draws people to Them. Clothes are only the outer shell; you can wear anything you like. If it looks nice, all the better. It’s like a car. When the engine is powerful and runs well, and the outside is also beautiful, of course we prefer that. Why buy an ugly car if we can have one that’s both strong and nice-looking? And if it’s beautiful, reliable, and inexpensive, wouldn’t we choose that? Naturally.
So in our daily life, we should know how to adapt to different situations. We should use our wisdom to make our life better, that’s all. Otherwise, if we can remain peaceful and content within, that’s already enough. We don’t need to be flashy, because true beauty comes from within. When we feel complete inside, that’s what it means to be a genuine spiritual practitioner. Otherwise, even if we dress simply, it doesn’t necessarily mean we are truly cultivated. And whether we have money or not, that does not necessarily bring us happiness. You should think of a way to make everything balanced. Inside, you feel peaceful and practice spiritually, while outside, your daily life also is calm and free. You must use your wisdom. Having it but not using it would be such a waste.
Now, back to that man. His back was hunched, his head bent down toward his stomach, and his spine curved upward toward the sky like that. Yet, he could still make a living for himself, support ten other people, and do small odd jobs here and there. So, as ordinary people, we cannot use any excuse to say, “I don’t know how to work” or “There’s nothing I can do.” There are always things we can do if we try to find a way or ask around. In the old days, when I went to France or Germany, sometimes while studying there, I also had to work to earn extra money. There were plenty of small jobs like that. Or doing handicraft work and bringing materials home to make things. Although it pays less, life is simpler that way. I didn’t go out much, didn’t take the bus often, so I also saved money, for instance.
Now that we are practicing spiritually, we no longer go to the movies, watch shows, go dancing, or drink alcohol, so our lifestyle has already become much simpler. Very simple indeed. Eating a vegan diet is also easier to digest, and it helps reduce the need for medicine as well. Actually, you don’t realize how wealthy you are. You are very rich. Truly abundant. Sometimes people have a lot of money, but they spend so much on medical treatments, right? (Yes.) And they spend it here and there to show off. In the end, it all evens out, yet they still feel unsatisfied. For example, some people may have big houses or large temples, yet they keep running around because of money issues. But I don’t worry. I use what I have, and if I don’t, that’s fine. I don’t lie under a blanket to sleep. No, I sleep in a sleeping bag. I sleep in a sleeping bag, inside a tent. When I have something, I get up and do other things; that’s how it is, so I don’t worry.
Our daily life should also be like that. We should live within our means, spend only what we have. And clothes, sometimes we don’t need to buy expensive ones. We can find a way to sew them ourselves so they look nice, fit well, and feel comfortable. As for food, we don’t need to buy expensive things to make it nutritious. That’s not true. Fresh foods that are in season are cheaper and even more nourishing. So we find ways to manage our lives without being slaves to material things. That way, we have time to practice spiritually, and our mind stays peaceful, as we don’t compare ourselves to those who seem wealthier or happier. In this way, our heart feels very joyful and peaceful wherever we live. We’re happy with whatever we have, and if we don’t have, that’s fine too. In truth, after practicing for a long time, we no longer desire anything, right? Or am I being too extreme? You see, as time goes by, we have fewer and fewer desires, don’t we? (Yes, that’s true.) Sometimes we sit there and wonder if there’s still anything in this world that could bring us a bit more joy. Because we see that nothing is really worth it. No matter how much we try to think, we can’t find anything.
For example, traveling around the world giving lectures about our method of liberation. Sometimes I happened to visit very famous cities with world wonders, yet there’s no desire to go see them. Last time in Mexico, they said there was a pyramid about an hour away. Pyramid. But pyramids should be in Egypt, why in Mexico? (There is.) They’re different, aren’t they? (Yes.) Oh! Many disciples from other places went to see it in large groups. For example, many people from Costa Rica went there, one or two of them visited it. And there were also people from other countries who went to see that place. It sounded very lively and noisy, everyone was eager to go see it. But even though I was sitting nearby, I didn’t feel eager to see it at all until now. I stayed there for five or six days, and still didn’t go. I didn’t even know where that place was, and I didn’t feel like seeing it at all. The people who were with me, I told them if they wanted to go visit or go have some fun, just go ahead freely, but they didn’t bother to go either.
Meanwhile, so many people around the world spend money, time, and energy, exhausting themselves just to visit those kinds of places. Then they take pictures, stand there awkwardly posing, snap three or four shots, and bring them home to show off everywhere. So we can see that after practicing spiritually, this world no longer has anything that attracts us. (Yes.) Today, while sitting on the plane and looking down, I saw houses packed tightly together below, with cars moving one after another. I found it quite strange. Why do we live in this world, yet feel that we don’t belong to it? Even after 41-42 years, I still feel I’m not a person of this world. There’s nothing here that binds me. When I stay, I just stay; and if I leave tomorrow, then I simply go.
Photo Caption: Dry Twigs from the Forest Are Useful for Many Things. Weaving a Basket Can Be Very Relaxing! (all no pain materials)
