So the Buddha actually encourages wealth. But the problem is, so he taught the middle way, not too extreme of something and not too lazy. So don’t be in the like room all day sleeping. That’s like lazy, right? And then the extreme part is that don’t want so much where it affects your homework, school balance, then how I teach it, which is, I mean, there’s people that work so much because they want to be a millionaire. Where is the affected marriage? They never home. They don’t talk to their wife or have crimes.
Before. And then I had an anxiety attack. Cuz I, well, I worked here, so it wasn’t like I wasn’t here, but I was kind of still I was here, but not here, if you know what I mean. Cuz I’m just focused on my own world, right? Alright, why? But then, you know, all the pressures of business and all that eventually had anxiety back in and then it affected my health and all that. So yeah, but anyways, that’s kind of maybe I’m beyond that now, but I never wanna be were, you know, that was to an extreme.
Right? I, I, we all went there. I mean I, I went. I had three jobs, school. It was crazy. I don’t even know why I look this young. You know what I mean? Cuz that, but that’s life in America.
Like there’s a lot of Asian people have, you know, helicopter moms and yeah, that just push them to just kill themselves in school.
That type to you very toxic, very tough. But you know, it’s like it permeates not just Southeast Asia, but also in Europe and here and there, when we analyze the cultural aspect of the push, it’s, I think it’s a good push. I mean, without the push refuse, you don’t know how to adjust. Without the push, we can’t advance as human in society. Highly humanity, the advancements, you know, we, that’s why the advancements of medicine, technology, you know, technology. But people don’t know how to adjust that, you know, and boundaries and assertiveness, especially when companies push you around.
You know, you have to like say, look, I can only do like five hours of this because 8 hours I’m burnt out. And research shows that technically in one day, whatever you focus on, just four hours of it is gonna be effectiveness and efficiency. You be burned out after four hours of anything that you do, anything. You know, that’s why kids are like berserk and resorting the weeds because.
We, when we’re doing software development, we deliberately take breaks in between like so it’s kind of like set a minute, a mini goal that you can achieve within an hour to. Once you achieve that goal, take a break, then sudden, you know, you just have a bunch of little tiny many goals lined up. And then at the end of the day, you’ve accomplished quite a bit. And without, you know, because you’re not overwhelmed with everything, you just focus on one little piece of the puzzle, get that done and then move to the next piece. Right. But, so would you consider your Buddhism a more of a religion or more of a philosophy?
He asked me that today. Oh, he did his life. So it needs to be a religion so that is protected under law. Okay, that’s very important. Cuz.
As Elden maybe rephrase, is it more spiritual or is it more of the world like how you, is it more about this life and how you get through this life or is it about the next life or after?
SO1, and these people by law, No. 2, it is a way of life. It is a choice that you make. No one’s gonna force you. The Buddha even says, whatever I say, don’t believe me. You’re supposed to test yourself for yourself. So it’s, you know, it’s a very chill philosophy. We accept everyone for who they are. I am. I don’t, we shouldn’t give too much emphasis on the next afterlife because we don’t know. What is important is a good life equals a good death. And one needs to examine that right away. That’s what’s real. And also the subject of God. This God exists. I don’t know. I don’t care. This booter actually exists. I don’t know. I don’t care because it’s beyond that. It’s just beyond.
So the most important thing and of clinical concern there is, are we suffering right now? And if, you know, are you sleeping well? Just that clinical question alone. You can’t sleep well if you’re not at peace. Nonetheless, wanna worry about what if god exists or not? You know what I mean? So the Buddha was like, I only teach two things, suffering and the end of suffering. That’s it.
So what if you want to practice a philosophy, but you don’t want to shave the head and you don’t want to wear a rope.
You still, you still can’t, you still can’t. You just take the precept just like they do. Just like we do, but, you know, this just a more rigorous type of practicing, whereas the lay people can still enjoy what you do. This is just one step up. It’s more intermediate in advance. And but for lay people, they can still keep the precept, you know, and try to, and the precept helps you just readjust your life to that middle way. That’s it. Like refrain from entertainment, which is singing, dancing, TikTok, Facebook. Look at how people are addicted to that. You know, my dad’s doing it. And it’s like, and then sometimes you have to snap out of it and be like, alright, well, maybe a little too much entertainment. Are you are.
Like, you know, is that entertainment playing with the boats? My.
Work, it can be two things. Are using it to relax and what is the intent? If you can take that and race and start making it gas, if you injected, then it’s like, okay, I need your homework done. Why are you out there with gas injected boats trying to like.
You know, I mean, so it’s like taking something to an extreme.
And neglecting homework, school balance in modern day apply to results.
Your job or fan jobs.
I nailed it. Great teacher, right? Cool. Alright, I’ll let you guys rest cuz I just wanted to give that to him. Get your charge tomorrow. And we’re gonna do a lot of novice activities this week. Cuz the ordination is a week. Cuz that’s what he wanted was a week. Oh, we lie to your parents, don’t we? A Saturday. Then I’m like, well, how long do you wanna be a mug is like a week. I was like, oh, great. Cuz technically that’s the rule. A day is when someone dies in the family, then you just a novice for two hours to make merit. And then the old rule was three days minimum. Then Thailand change it to 7. So in order for me to avoid praise and blame, then 7 is appropriate. But he wanted 7, but that is also subject to parental consent.
Is you gonna wear that to school?
No. You just live a chill life. The only time you know all the rules that I explain to you, you’re.
In Thailand or wherever, is that where do you. This one.
Southeast Asia, Thailand, Myanmar. Now, if.
You’re living there, be culturally acceptable. The word is this. So probably.
Oh, he’s a saint. He’s got. And he’s wearing this one over there, right? We get on the bus. Everyone has to move. He takes bus priority, free healthcare. Police respects him. People have to bow to him. Alright.
Am I do that? You can shave my head over there.
Then. Oh, okay. So this, oh, I was traveling with a novice and you know how in like gas agent have to like put water bottles, stack the, you know, just restocking, stocking, right. And, you know, she’s busy doing this and not realizing that a novice monk was it. And all she saw was the orange, the tail underneath the feet. And she like, she got scared.
I laugh so long. I’m like, it’s okay. Cuz it’s a grave offense. Spiritually, it’s a grave offense when you just offended because people don’t know if we’re actual saints or not. And the definition of a sainthood, which is an ARRA hunt or one of the four stages of our handshift. If he just has to let everything go, if he lets greed, anger and ignorance of the foreigable truth grow, he becomes a saint like that. He’s ultra mindful what’s happening. So they don’t know us. Why is fear. It’s wise fear. Yeah, they don’t wanna compound karma. That’s another meta physical stuff, right? But yeah, but their belief, their conviction and belief in Buddhism is very high. And we are the living teachings of the Buddha then passed away. If we don’t exist, the teaching can’t continue. We also exemplify that teaching by keeping 227 rules, the holy life, holiness of it.
Yeah, a lot of people today, a lot of pictures, forgot to show you guys. A lot of people thought he was wonderful and cute and wanted to take picture and touch him like you cannot touch novice. Yeah, no, and they respected that. This is Reverend Doctor Kim at. This is a sample at golf for Community. Harold Hair. Harold.
Man. A woman. That looks like a woman. She’s a woman. Yeah, but she looks familiar to me.
She’s a reverend of the golf port community. She have.
A career other than this. She looks, I wonder if you. She looks. She’s.
In a.
Military. Yeah, she’s.
In a military. This is my dad. You guys haven’t meet one day you guys can meet my dad. But he’s a professor, triple discipline professor, law, English, French and law. Or the teacher? No, he’s retired now, but he received his law degree in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, before the war. He. And he was a professor in Vietnam before the war, teaching.
Before the Vietnam or V war, right.
75,1970s. And now he does immigration law here in Pronounce Park, which the office that we always go there for aircraft stuff in TikTok. That’s interesting. Like.
So he you, how are you.
36 in Vietnam on 37.
Lowest like Korea, the you’re one when you turn nine months or three months.
Here. One. Yeah, right. It’s a Chinese calendar.
Time of conception. That’s how they do it.
He not go to jail. We had a police officer there for the event because we’re so big.
Really? Is that many people?
Big guy. What do you ask you?
Yes, like, how does it affect like school? Then you can just clueless, interrogated by the puzzle. Just.
Clueless. And then Eric went over there to save him.
No eating the same. You stand on their smile. No one see what you’re gonna say. He’s like asking him. So he’s like, so how do you not use like social media? You’re, he’s like a literary school. And Stephen’s like, well, I just got coordinated yesterday, so I didn’t have to go to school yet.
We have too much fun when we go, you know, you get stuff like this, you know. And yeah, so it was a lot of fun. Lots and lots of fun.
So how big is the biggest community in this area? Vietnam.
Big. Not just Vietnamese. You have Laos. You have Cambodians, you have Thai, okay, Viet, Laos, Cambodian, Thai, foreign, you have Japanese, and you have Zen, you have Mahayana, Taravada, have three school that serves all these.
People here in the Tampa Bay.
Yeah, here, yeah, anywhere. Sure.
Yes, yeah.
And he’s been with me. Eric’s been with me for almost four.
I had a lot of mien France, in China, Alaska for you.
Everywhere we go, people, you know, hi, how are you? You know, like the, this, the masses of the crowd that comes up and pays the respect in public. So he gets to learn a lot about the culture of Buddhism. Cool. Okay, go change. So I can have my roles back. But actually he. Oh no, I get a watch. Oh, actually, he can hold it and then he can wash it.