Today’s Enlightening Entertainment will be presented in Chinese and English, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Greetings gracious viewers!

On today’s Enlightening Entertainment, we are delighted to present to you part 3 of the four-part spiritual drama, entitled “Love & Enmity,” which was adapted from the Buddhist story as told by Supreme Master Ching Hai and performed by our Association members from Taoyuan, Formosa (Taiwan).

During an August 2010 teleconference in Los Angeles, California, USA, Supreme Master Ching Hai again mentioned this story during a discussion about the justification of war and vengeance.

There was a king and he was so virtuous and his country was so peaceful and rich, and everybody loved him. And then the neighbor king was very envious because the king had so many precious things, so he wanted to take over his country, the virtuous king’s country. And the virtuous king, because of wanting to avoid the suffering for the people at war, so he gave up his kingdom to the new king and he just left; he went into the forest.

Remember? (Yes, Master.)

After abdicating his throne to the neighboring King Wei Mu, the compassionate King Longevity then went deep into the mountains with his kind son Prince Eternity to pursue spiritual practice. However, King Longevity was captured and sent to the capital, leaving his much saddened son alone.

The prince was very sad. His father left the palace for the sake of his people. He forsook wealth and glory and left his throne. He only wanted to concentrate on spiritual practice in the mountains. Why would people still want to chase and kill him?

So pitiful!

King Wei Mu was so vicious!

After King Longevity was caught, King Wei Mu ordered to have him put to death by fire.

What?! Burn him to death??

Yes, the news spread all over the nation. Everyone felt great anger over the treatment of King Longevity.

Didn’t anyone try to rescue him?

Who dared to rescue him? They couldn’t even protect themselves. How could they rescue him?

That was too much! King Wei Mu was too cruel!

On the execution day, the people all went to the execution court.

Did the prince come?

He did. Another person also came.

Who was it?

It was the guard.

Why should he be burned to death? King Longevity did not commit any crimes. King Longevity! King Longevity!

Silence!

Why should he be burned to death?

Silence!

King Longevity did not commit any crimes!

Silence!

King Longevity…

Silence!

King Longevity…

It is a quarter to noon. Proceed with the execution!

King Longevity! Please spare King Longevity! King Longevity!

Be quick with it. Any delay and you’ll get punished too, so be quick with it!

Killer! Killer!

Father!

Eternity, put down your hatred. Do not seek revenge by violence means. Be compassionate and loving like a Boddhisattva.

Father!

Eternity, go back to the mountains. Remember: overcome your hatred with love!

King Longevity!

Silence!

King Wei Mu occupied my kingdom and killed my father. I swear I’ll revenge his death!

Later, to seek revenge, Prince Eternity came to the city and tried to befriend the royal family, in order to find an opportunity to enter the palace and kill King Wei Mu.

Sir, we got a handyman. Here he is.

Okay.

Come over and greet the manager.

Sir.

What is your name?

My name is Eter…no, no, my name is Zhang Peng. Zhang Peng.

Where are you from?

I am from another province. I came here to find my relatives, but I couldn’t find them, so…

Do you know how to run errands and do garden work?

Yes, I can. I do this kind of thing every day.

You need to be smart and quick to work at the royal residence.

Yes, sir.

Get him to change his clothes.

Thank you, sir.

It’s your lucky day. Let’s go!

Your Excellency, please watch your steps.

Wow, so beautiful! Oh, so beautiful! Wow! Wow! I never expected the scenery, even in the rain, to be so beautiful.

Zhang Peng, what is this grass called?

This is called beggarticks.

Beggarticks? I’ve never heard of it.

This is Zhang Peng, the new servant I mentioned to you. Everyone likes him very much.

Zhang Peng is doing a good job tending the garden. Now all the flowers are blooming.

Your Excellency, Zhang Peng is very quick and smart. He is not only good at gardening, but also good at the art of tea.

Oh? Good. Get him to make some tea for me.

Yes, Your Excellency. Go and tell Zhang Peng to make some tea for his Excellency.

Yes.

Your Excellency, this is a new variety of very rare orchid. I hope you like it.

So fragrant! It is really beautiful!

Thank you, Your Excellency.

Good!

Your Excellency, I made a pot of “Fragrant Healthy Tea” for you. This kind of tea can cleanse your throat and lungs, protect your liver, and strengthen your body. It also helps you gain longevity.

It smells very good! It tastes so fresh and sweet. My whole body feels so refreshed.

Here are some desserts.

Yes. Your Excellency, I made this hawthorn cake for you. It will enhance your appetite. Please have a taste.

Very delicious! Very delicious! Zhang Peng, it is surprising that you can make such good desserts!

Thank you, Your Excellency.

Zhang Peng, tell me, what other skills do you have?

Your Excellency, I also know how to cook. Oh? Good. Let’s see how good you can cook. Go and prepare a sumptuous dinner for me.

Go quickly.

Yes, Your Excellency.

If he really can cook, I’ll have to show off his cooking skill to the King. And if the King is pleased, he will promote me to a higher rank.

Fantastic!

Your Majesty, did the dishes suit your taste?

They were so delicious! They are perfect in taste, smell and appearance. They’re as good as my personal chefs’ cooking.

Your Majesty, thank you for your commendation.

My dear courtier, you have a great cook. No wonder you always wanted me to come over and taste his cooking. So delicious! Yes, tell the cook to come out. I want to see him.

No rush, Your Majesty. I told my versatile cook to prepare some delicate and nutritious desserts for you.

What are we waiting for? I cannot wait. Bring up the desserts.

Yes, Your Majesty. Send Zhang Peng here.

Summon Zhang Peng.

Yes, sir.

Zhang Peng, come here to greet His Majesty.

My name is Zhang Peng. Greetings to Your Majesty!

Arise.

Zhang Peng, bring the desserts to the King.

Yes, Your Excellency.

Zhang Peng, tell His Majesty what desserts you have prepared.

Yes. Your Majesty, this is Purple Rice Cake. The purple rice is also called the rice of longevity. It is a natural nourishing food that can lengthen your life and make you live forever.

Make me live forever!

Your Majesty, I also made a pot of “Fragrant Bodhi Tea” for you. It not only cleanses the throat and lungs, but also protects the liver and calms the nerves.

So fragrant! Good tea! My beloved courtier, your cook is so good. No wonder you look so healthy. How about letting him work for me?

Your Majesty, it will be Zhang Peng’s blessing to be hired by you. Zhang Peng, come here and thank His Majesty.

Yes. My gratitude to you, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, we are so honored to have you here. I’ve arranged some dance and singing performances for your entertainment.

Good! Good!

Present the performances.

Present the performances.

Zhang Peng then became a security guard for King Wei Mu. Aside from cooking, he was additionally talented in many areas. Thus, he quickly won the favor and trust of King Wei Mu. The King made him his personal guard.

How could it be?

Zhang Peng was in deep agony because this palace used to be his father’s, and now he serves the enemy. But when he thought he would have chances to take revenge, he worked even harder.

Another archer. Sigh! We haven’t had any wars in a long time, and all of your fighting skills are slack. You cannot even shoot an arrow! Zhang Peng, how is your archery?

Your Majesty, my father taught me martial arts when I was young, so I know a little about archery.

Oh? Then give it a try.

Yes.

Great! Show us some awesome skills. Let us see what else the royal chef can do!

My son, shooting arrows is like meditating. You must concentrate well. Concentrate on the red dot of the target. When you feel that you are one with your spirit, you can shoot the arrow.

Good!

Excellent! Incredible! Zhang Peng, you are truly endowed with both artistic and martial skills. You are exactly the talented person I need. From now on, you will be the Imperial Guard Bearing Arms in the Emperor’s Presence.

Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty.

We have just enjoyed part 3 of the 4-part spiritual drama, “Love & Enmity,” adapted from the story as told by Supreme Master Ching Hai, and performed by our Association members from Taoyuan, Formosa (Taiwan).

During the August 2010 teleconference in the United States, Supreme Master Ching Hai explained the wisdom of King Longevity’s decision not to respond to the invasion of his kingdom with war – even at the cost of his own life.

We just always have to act in the principle of love, nothing else matters because… listen: today I can sit on the throne, tomorrow I’ll be gone. Today, I have my country, tomorrow I might not, but love will always prevail. And if we live in love, we act in love, we die in love, we will always incarnate in love, okay? And then, if we don’t have this country, we will have another country; if we don’t have this body, we will have another body. And we have a better body, we have a better country all the time, if not here, then in Heaven.

SM: I repeat again: killing is never right, neither humans nor animals. And war is never, never right.

Will Prince Longevity listen to his father’s last words of forgiveness, or end up getting his revenge by taking the life of King Wei Mu, to whom he is now nearer than ever? We’ll find out when the drama concludes tomorrow, Saturday, January 15.

Thank you for watching today’s Enlightening Entertainment. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Words of Wisdom, coming up next after Noteworthy News. May we always embrace the great principle of love.