OK, guys. We call it quits for now. (Yes.) Is that OK with you? (Yes.) Wow, I feel hot. How about you? (Yes.) You OK? (Yes.) If we continue, it will be at least another hour because we laugh, we joke, and we comment in between. We picked up a husband and picked on a guy, picked on the wife and the husband, and laughed at the bachelor. And we took so long just to read straight and if we laughed for only two seconds after, then it would have been OK. But we laugh so long, and we talk nonsense. We stray from the jokes; we make our own all the time. But it’s nice. It’s fun, no? (Yes.)
You’re going in the morning? (Yes.) Now? Soon, right? (Yes.) (No.) How many more hours? (Three hours.) In three hours you’re going, all of you? (No.) (No, I go in the evening.) You’re going in the evening. How many go in two or three hours? Wow, a lot of you. Where are you going? (Hawaii, Master.) Hawaii, you told me yesterday, I forgot. How many in Hawaii? You are the contact person there? (Yes. Just recently, only a couple of months.) How many people? Do they still meditate? (Yes, consistently about 30 people.) Wow. (Wow.) (There are 30 people for the entire state.) Cool. Why did they even choose you? (I asked that too.) How old are you? (Twenty-six, turning twenty-seven next month.) Wow. Twenty-seven? (Next month.) What kind of sign is that? (Monkey.) Monkey. Oh, that’s why, jumped very high. High position.
The ones who have not had (vegan) cakes and are going, please take some. (OK.) So, they’re OK, regular? Everybody, OK? (Yes, very consistent, Master.) How many contact persons, or just you? (Just me.) And how do you manage the 30 people? (They take care of themselves.) Oh, it’s simple. (Yes. Nice group.) That’s good, that’s good. And how is everybody else, everywhere else? I can’t believe I met all the contact persons all in one room. It’s a very close contact. Everything OK, chez vous? (Fine yes.) (Yes.) Anybody has more “contact” ever since? I mean, did you grow or just stay the same? (Slowly.) (Yes, grow slowly.) Grow, huh? (Yes, slowly.) Growing? (Yes.) Grow? Grow? Grow? (Still finding out.)
Grow? Grow? (Smaller because everybody moves to a warmer climate.) Oh, they all moved to Hawaii? (Yes, we’re in Ottawa. They’re moving out to Vancouver, and…) Vancouver is warmer than Ottawa? (It’s warmer.) (Yes.) How much warmer? (Oh, a lot warmer.) (Oh, much warmer. Much warmer.) (Yes.) Like, how much? How many degrees? (20 degrees.) (Yes, we get lots and lots of snow, and they get almost no snow, actually.) (We get rain.) Vancouver is near, like Seattle, Washington? (Yes.) Oh, it rains a lot over there; (Yes.) but it’s much warmer, for sure. (Yes.) I think because you’re near the volcano? In Seattle, no? Seattle has a volcano, no? OK, never mind. It’s a sleeping volcano anyway. It’s an “absent-minded” volcano.
Hawaii is nice. Whoa! (Yes!) Just to hear that name. (Yes.) Wow. I remember I was there. Swimming, swimming. It’s so warm, and the sand is so beautiful. (Yes.) The sand never burns you. (Yes.) The sand is never hot over there because the sand is made of shells, ground shells for over thousands of years. So, the sand is not like stone or something. It’s from the shells. Therefore, it’s very cool. The Sun is very hot, and the sand is very cool, so it never burns you, and it’s so white. (Yes.) Have you been to Hawaii? (Yes. Yes.) (We had the retreat there.) (There was a retreat.) I know, I know, but how many of you have been? But during the retreat… (You didn’t see much.) (You didn’t come…) (You didn’t come the second time.) (Two times, but on the second time, we swam.) First time I was… (Second time…) No, I was thinking, maybe we talk too loud, or something. (Yes, maybe.) We OK? Because I heard someone from outside. I was worried. (Yes, yes.) (I think they are doing translations…) (Translations.) I worry the neighbors were talking. OK, good.
But during the first retreat, we were just in a park. Right? (Yes.) We had not gone to the beach. I was on the beach. A couple of times I was in Hawaii, and I was on the beach. That’s how I know that the sand’s beautiful. It’s a nice place to stay. (Yes.) But they have volcanoes, no? (Yes.) (But it’s very slow going. You can walk faster than it chases you so…) You walk faster than the volcano? (Yes, it’s very slow. It’s not eruptive, like an explosion. It’s just very smooth, kind of like a bubble going but very slow-moving.) I understand. (So, the only reason you can die from it is if you just let it come at you and you don’t walk away.) Oh, so you could walk away and no problem? (Yes.) But how about sometimes, like last time in the Philippines, they say something like the ash spilled out of it and it’s covered everywhere? (No, no, because that’s… ours is like a dome-shaped so it doesn’t shoot up like it explodes.) Oh, it depends. (Yes.) It depends on what kind of shape. (Yes.) Oh, that’s cool, that’s cool. But in all the islands they have, or just one island? (Just on one.) Which one? (That’s Hawaii. They call it the Big Island.) They have it there, (Yes.) in Hawaii?
So you live in Hawaii? (Honolulu.) Honolulu is not Hawaii? (Hawaii.) (Because Hawaii has eight islands. One of the islands is called Hawaii, and Hawaii is also the state.) I know, I know. But Honolulu is not on Hawaii Island? (No, it’s in Oahu.) Oh. Oh, so, Hawaii is the biggest island where the volcano is. Right? (Yes.) But you are not there? (Yes.) You are in Honolulu? (Yes.) OK, that’s good to know. Last time we were in Honolulu, no? (Yes.) But they’re all connected. Somehow you can drive from one to the next? (No, there are…) Some? (Before, you had to catch a plane, but now a ferry service has opened up, so you can catch a ferry) OK. (with your car or your rental car.) I think I went to some of the islands where they grow a lot of pineapples. What was that? Pineapples. (Pineapples?) (In Maui, maybe? Or… Oh, Honolulu has…) (Yeah, Honolulu has a lot.) (Honolulu.) (Plantation or something?) No, the whole island became a plantation. (Lanai.) The whole island planted pineapples – all kinds of pineapples in the world. It was amazing. The whole island. (Wow.) And the Dole (Food) Company owns it. OK, never mind. We’re just talking just to drool around.
It’s so far. How far? How long is it? How many hours from Hawaii? (Twenty-something hours flight.) (Woah.) Only, huh? Whoa. How many hours from Taiwan (Formosa)? No, Taiwanese (Formosans) are not here. (Thirteen.) Thirteen hours? (Yes.) Oh, OK. (Yes.) How many hours from Brazil? Thirty hours? (The farthest is New Zealand.) New Zealand is the farthest one? (Yes.) (Yes.) (Australia yes.) Oh. (The furthest is Australia.) Australia and New Zealand are similar. Oh, man. How many hours from Australia? (Twenty-one.) (Twenty hours.) Oh, OK. So similar to Hawaii. (Yes.) Right? (Yes.) Twenty hours is far. How many hours to Bangkok? Same? Similar? Maybe 16? (Sixteen.) Oh, OK. Sixteen. (Sixteen.) Oh, yeah, from the middle of Europe. (Eleven hours.) (Ten.) Ten? (Ten, eleven hours to Bangkok.) Mensch. Everywhere sounds like the Moon to me. I’m so old. I don’t want to move anywhere.
OK. I’ll see you later. We talked about Hawaii. We couldn’t go there, so just drooling around anyway. See you, guys. You can help them bringing these… You like it. You better now? (Yes. It’s OK.) Hey, this is for you guys. (Thank You.) (Thank You.) See you. (Thank You.) (See You, Master. Thank You.) I’ll take my bag, and you take that. Did you have enough photos? (Yes, Master.) Really? With the bag and everything? More photos. (It’s so nice.) Did I walk around already? Oh, you guys keep “dying” on me like that. Oh, this is cool, is it gas? (Yes.) Or oil? (Gas.) It’s warmer, or it’s the same? (Yes. It actually takes…) But this is your book, no? (Actually, before I came here. A sister sent me a copy. I guess You know it probably that belonged to You.) You don’t want to keep it? (Yes, that’s Yours.)
Go and talk a little bit, all prepared already. Little bit sad, all for you. (All for Korean Center.) (Korean Center.) Koreans? All Koreans? (Yes.) So everybody else has, right? (Yes.) Not just for Koreans. (Yes.) I’d like to stay with you forever and we make jokes all the time. Actually, I think you go in there. Not your turn or what? You don’t care, right? You can hear from here. Right? (Yes.) You can hear? (Yes.) OK, good, good. Everybody good? (Thank You.) I love you, guys. You must be so humble to sit on the floor. It’s OK, right? (Yes.) I don’t know what else to do. Maybe in a while, they will change again. And if I feel good, I’ll come back. Your last evening. Merci.
It’s your turn now to come in? (Yes…) OK. All of these can come in together, no matter, like… No, if the other ones come out, you all can come in. I tell you, I think all of you will fit in right now. No matter what person, nationality, just take your… Make sure your ear(phones) are working. OK, guys? Love, love. What do you eat here? Mm, nice. What is this here? Kimchi. Whoa, ginger. You have enough food? (Yes.) Are you hungry now? (No.) No? (Heating.) (Keep heating the food.) (Heating.) Oh, heating, oh, good, good. Then I wait until you all eat. After eating, how long? Just tell me when you’re ready. Just write “ready” and I’ll come.
Photo Caption: “Bring Color Into Your World”
