To do everything for the Master, according to Indian philosophy, it's the highest attainment, it's the highest devotion, because sometimes we have different ideas about how to serve a Master. We think we do this and that and other. Actually we don't do what the Master requests us to do. But what is the problem in this? What is wrong with this that we don't do what the Master requests. Will we go to hell? No! We make the Master angry? No!

Maybe the Master pretends to be angry or scolds you or something like that. Or whatever way the Master uses is to open your understanding, let you know that in this situation where you are wrong? Try to teach you to become better next time. But the Master will not be truly angry inside. Just like loving parents never truly hate their children. They just, sometimes, pretend to smack their bottoms or scold them or give them some kind of reprimanding in order to rectify the children, so make them become better persons in the future. That's all. But parents always love children dearly.

Now, so why is it that if we don't obey the Master, that we are not a good disciple? Not because the Indian philosophy states so. We don't have to believe everything in the religious book. We don't have to believe it just because the Indian scripture says so or Krishna says so, or Buddha says so, or even the so called Master Ching Hai says so. But why? Why do we have to respect the Master and obey the Master all the time? Is that because the tradition says that if we don't obey the Master, we are no good? We are afraid of people who will say we are bad disciples? No! Because we have no more ego. Ah! That's it.

And that not just because Master says you have to obey the Master, so you do it blindly. It's just because your level is so high that it doesn't matter what Master says, you just take it as natural. That's okay. You have no more self. Yourself is so restrained, that you don't even have the ego anymore to argue with the Master. We have absolutely lost ourselves in the unity with the Master. Not because I say so, so you do it. It's just because at that moment your level is very high already, so you absolutely have no more discrimination what the Master says right or wrong, whatever she does right or wrong. You just know it's right, and according to the circumstances, you do it.

In that case, if the Master requests it and if it's truly necessary, you do it. That's the best practice. But in order to be able to do that, we have to have this high level. It's not that because I say you to do it, then tomorrow you do it. No, very seldom! You say, "Yes, yes! I understand. Everything I do whatever you say." And then tomorrow, "But that I won't do. That can't be..." Then your brain, your ego starts to confuse you, starts to make you trouble, because it's the habit, understand? Because since childhood we learned that this is no good, that is no good, and the Master is like this, the Master should be like that, the Master can not wear this, the Master can not speak like that. So when we are confronted with this similar situation, we immediately have this prejudice, this preconceived notion about what the Master should be or the Master should say or what anyone else should do and should say in such circumstances. But we don't consider the differences between the background.

Why do we absolutely obey the Master? Just because we are already in the high level, or at least we have trained ourselves, to restrain ourselves, ego self, until we reach that effortless self restraint, we don't restrain. We are self restrained, but we don't even make effort to do it. That's the best way. And then whenever we are confronted with any similar situation in life, we immediately have the correct answer from our wisdom. We have trained a new habit, that is very flexible. From previous life times and life after life, we have been trained in a very rigid framework, that whenever you see this, you do that.

So, to obey the Master doesn't mean always giving him a lot of food and making his house become a supermarket of all kinds of things, but to do what is requested, what is beneficial to the Master and for the whole mankind, because what benefits the Master will benefit the society, the human beings at large. We always have to be flexible in everything we do. That's why we obey the Master. Just because we want to be trained to be flexible. Understand what I mean? Not because any Master is so dictatorial that whatever Master says you have to do it. It's not true. Because our mind is so fixed in one direction or another, that the Master has great difficulty breaking it apart. And then to retrain us again to become very supple and easy to manage. So that's why the Zen masters or the masters of old, sometimes, they do something very sudden, or shout to your head, making you break your own thinking.

Only when we truly implicitly obey the Master then our mind becomes already very soft. And we can deal with all circumstance in true justice, and not with preconceived ideas, prejudices, because we are so used to flexibility, so used to all kinds of sudden changes, we are so used to immediate action, spontaneous action, not preconceived action. That's the best way.

Now for example, everyone says to you, "The water is very dangerous, don't jump in there. You'll get wet and you'll get probably drown..." But once we're trained, all the time, already, we have taken a few gulps of water, but then later we are not afraid of water anymore. When we jump into water, we know what to do. Right? Just because we have trained ourselves in a new habit.

Everything is a habit. We learn the way of wisdom is the way of flexibility. Learn to use your intuitive understanding for every dealing in life as well as in heaven. That's why we need to learn. Not that we don't know already. We know enough, but we don't know how to use it in a correct time.

An attendant drove Master to Chiang Mai night market to buy some cloth. After driving a short distance, Master was recognized by the crowd, somehow the intensive campaigning of fellow initiates in putting up posters all over the city had taken effect. What followed was a traffic jam caused by the crowd trying to get near Master. The beautiful Master became the focus of the crowd in the streets.

Master, always being wholeheartedly courteous, immediately directed initiates to get lots of soft drinks and candies. She then personally gave them to everyone in the crowd, young and old. As they received the blessed food, all had big smiles on their faces like blooming flowers. Some asked Master to hold their hands and some asked Her to touch their heads to give them blessings.

(Ah huh! Somehow they knew that such an opportunity was truly rare.) The atmosphere was fervent and joyous. Even observing foreign visitors seemed to have felt the atmosphere. One of them came up close to greet Master. When Master grabbed a whole handful of candies and stuck them in his large hands, he smiled widely with joy and repeatedly thanked Master.

Later Master praised the simple-minded and good-hearted Thai people. They know how to respect an enlightened Master, therefore they know to ask for blessings. Even though Master said that She wanted to buy some cloth, She actually created more opportunities for the sentient beings to establish good affinities with Her. Thai people are truly lucky!