Some time ago, when I had to go out and live in a hotel or use a taxi, I treated them all with friendliness and respect, and they really loved it so much. So, they doted on me. The taxi driver, every time he brought me out from the hotel to go to some restaurants to buy some food, I would always also buy one portion for him. I said, “I know your wife already prepared for you something, but you can have this extra later. Because you work until late at night. Maybe you’ll feel hungry before you come home. Or, if not, you can bring it home and eat with your wife.
Anything else? (No more questions, Master.) Tell. (No more questions, Master.) No more? I thought you said, “One more question.” (Because You have answered that question earlier.) I was hoping you’d say, “No, Master. No more.” And you did. Thank you, thank you. (Thank You, Master.)
This is just to tell you some other things, because your question before was, “What do I call the people in my household?” I definitely never call them “servants” anyway. That word never came to me. It will feel very strange if I do that.
One time, one of your initiated brothers, Association member brother, in the New Land… when we first came there, it’s a lot of work already. But the dog-people, I didn’t want them to run out onto the streets of the New Land Ashram because there would be cars coming in and out, and people and all that, and maybe other dog-people from the neighbors. (Yes.) So, I asked one of your initiated brothers to come and help me to make a fence around where they sleep, their house.
I said, “Brother, come to my place, please.” And then when he came, I asked him, “Do you have time now? We are very busy at the moment. But do you think you have some time to help me organize a fence around this yard so that the dog-people don’t come out, please?” And I was asking him, kind of maybe sweetly or humbly, and he said, “Master, You don’t have to say, ‘Please.’ You don’t have to ask me in this way.” I said, “How do I ask you?” He said, “You just order me to do it.” I said, “Why? Why would I order you to do it?” He said, “Because I’m your disciple.” So, I was laughing. I said, “What kind of Master do you want to teach me to become?” And I can’t remember what else he told me or what conversation we had after that. (Oh.)
So now you understand. (Yes, Master.) I always thank you, thank anyone, who helps me. (That’s right.) Even a taxi driver.
Some time ago, when I had to go out and live in a hotel or use a taxi, I treated them all with friendliness and respect, and they really loved it so much. So, they doted on me. The taxi driver, every time he brought me out from the hotel to go to some restaurants to buy some food, I would always also buy one portion for him. I said, “I know your wife already prepared for you something, but you can have this extra later. Because you work until late at night. Maybe you’ll feel hungry before you come home. Or, if not, you can bring it home and eat with your wife.” Because the portion was kind of generous. I ordered generously. So, he was very, very touched. I didn’t know all that. He said thank you, of course. And sometimes I gave some gifts to his children.
Different drivers, not just one. But that one I used more often, because he seemed to know exactly what places I need and where. The others sometimes had to look or say, “Don’t know,” and all that.
So, he was more willing. And one time he had to take me far away from my hotel, and the taxi meter showed some very high amount of money already. He said he will stop it now because it’s so much money already. I said, “No, no, no. Keep it on. It’s not your fault. Keep it on!” And then he said, “But it’s too expensive already for You.” I said, “I don’t mind. It’s my problem, not yours.” He said, “But it’s too much.” “Never mind, you have to work. If you go for three-four customers, then it would also amount to that much and I took up all this time from all of your three-four, other customers, so I have to pay for all that. It’s your duty to drive me where I want, but it’s my duty to pay. Don’t worry. Don’t worry.” So, he put the meter back on, otherwise it would be less than double. (Oh, yes.)
And the next time, I called him again and I told him to wait outside the shop, “While I buy something, wait here, keep the meter on or I won’t call you again.” And he was laughing. He said, “OK, Ma’am.”
Sometimes I bought some things for his wife also, food and stuff, just that. One day, after taking me somewhere, and then he was off work and his wife was also off work, they invited me for lunch. So, of course, I said, “Well, why’s that?” He said, “Oh, we’d love to. My wife wants to meet You.” I said, “Oh. Uh-oh. What did you say? Maybe she’s been jealous, thinking that you are having some affection for another woman, young chick or something? OK. Never mind. Let her come so that she can see you’re only having to drive an old woman, so she won’t be jealous then. Let her come. Let’s go, let’s go.”
So, we went to have lunch, and they wanted to pay. I said, “No, no, no. You are joking. You’re joking.” I said, “I paid already. They already took the money.” You know, the waiters, quietly. (Yes. Yes, Master.) I went to the bathroom and called them, and I paid. So, when I came out it’s all done. And they wanted to pay. They called the waiter to pay, and I said, “No, it’s done. You’re joking.” They were very happy.
And the wife told me, “Oh, he talks a lot about You.” I said, “What?” And she said to me, “Oh, my husband told me that You’re very, very kind, very nice and very, very respectful.” I said, “Of course. Of course, he looks older than me, no? I’m young.” I was just joking. I’m older than him. Of course. I said, “Look at him. He’s older than me. I have to respect the older people.” I was just joking. And they were very happy. Very, very happy.
And all the hotel people also – from the reception, to the security man, and to the cleaner of the room – I also treated them all very well, gave them good tips. And before I left, I even left tips for the room cleaners. I said, “Please give this to my room cleaners, because I did not see them. I am leaving now and I can’t see them. I don’t know where they are, so please give that to them and tell him that I very much appreciate it. I very much appreciate their work and keeping my room clean and tidy, so, it makes my days feel very, very comfortable.” (Yes, Master.) And I’m so nice to all of them that even one of the janitors… I don’t call them a chambermaid or room maid, nothing. I called them janitor or cleaner, housekeepers.
And one of the man janitors, he was about, more or less 40, or 40- something. He was even jealous with the other one. At my age. My age. Imagine. In that hotel, there was him and another man about a similar age and there were some other young boys, young men. I don’t know how old they were, maybe 20, or something like that. And one of them was very skinny. When I talked to them, I didn’t say, “Hey, you!” and all that. I said either “sir” or I looked at their name tags on their chest. And I called them by name.
And some names I’d remember, some names I don’t, so then I’d look again. Otherwise, I’d say, “Hey, beautiful.” Or, “Hey, genius,” if they helped me with some Internet stuff in the hotel. I called them, “Hey, you genius, you.” Something like that. And then that became his name. Whenever I saw him, I said, “Hi, genius, how are you today?” For example, like that.
Because it was not easy to help me with the Internet. For me it’s difficult anyway. So sometimes they helped me, and I’m very grateful for that. Otherwise, I could not catch up with your work that you’ve been piling up for me. So one of these persons helped me with the Internet. He’s young and he tried different ways. I had to pay, of course, for the Internet. And he’s very skinny, and I asked him, “Ah. You are little bit less plump than I expect.” I didn’t say, “You’re too skinny.” I said, “You’re less plump.” And I said, “Do you eat well or you just work, work?” He said, “Ah, yeah. I eat enough.” I said, “Did you eat breakfast today?” He said, “No, no.” He doesn’t eat breakfast. I said, “No. But you work very hard here. You know, even this vacuum cleaner, I could hardly lift it. How can you work if you don’t eat? You must eat breakfast before you go out.” He said, “Don’t have time.” I said, “No. Simple. You put like different cereals in a big bowl, and you put soy milk on it and just gulp it down quickly. It doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes.” He said, “Oh God, I can’t think of that.” I said, “You have to. Or if you don’t want, you just buy a big bunch of bananas, leave it there, and every day take one or two before you go to work. Or an apple, or a banana and apple. That’s enough also. And you can eat that on the road even, while you ride on the bus or drive the car. OK? Do that next time, ‘his name.’”
So next time, there was one older man – the one I said was 40-something – he helped me clean up the room when I was still there. So, I came down with him on the escalator.” Are you interested in these things? (Yes, Master.)
You are with me only for Buddha stuff and here I’m talking about janitors. The Buddha’s stuff, you have to find out yourself during meditation. I can only talk to you about this stuff. Buddha stuff is difficult to explain how it looks. (Yes, Master.) In that kind of Heaven.
