In the Buddha's time, there was a person named Vimalakirti. He was a layperson, a lay disciple of the Buddha. But his wisdom was so high, He was a great bodhisattva. Many people were delivered because of him, liberated because of him. Sometimes the bodhisattvas are not born to be monks. But to be a layperson, so that... It's doing a different job. Like Quan Yin Bodhisattva, She/He manifested in different appearances, sometimes as a princess, things like that, for different affinity with beings on this planet. So you laypeople also don't feel despair. Just different choices. If you have an enlightened way, a method, then you will also reach the high level. Depends on sincerity. I'm reading you of a layperson who made an offering of an ashram to the Buddha. I love all of you. And you can always count on me in any time of need, all the time, all the time, 24/7. All your life, and the next life, and the next life, I will always be with you. It doesn't matter who and what level you are.

Now it's Buddha story. In Xá Vệ (Sravasti) country at that time, there was a big official, probably a prime minister. His name is Tu Ðạt (Sudatta). He’s a very rich person, but he is very compassionate. He often gives away his properties, his wealth, to share with other people. It’s not like he’s rich and the prime minister and he’s very arrogant. No. He’s a good, good, good person as well. He often gives things to people who are lonely, or have no one, or are in trouble, or poor. So they called him Cấp Cô Dộc (Anathapindika). Meaning, giving to the vulnerable, the lonesome, to whoever is lonesome, or like widows, and orphans, and elderly who have no one to care for (them). He had seven sons, and six of them were already married. The seventh also was very moral, morally fit and a distinguished person. He was beautiful looking, also. The last one was his favorite. And now one of the Brahman's good friends came one day. "I would like to ask you a favor. Please go and check really thoroughly to see which is a really good family's daughter. Almost equal in status, and good, good, good behavior, good moral standards, truly a virtuous girl. Also have to be clean and pure, and beautiful looking. And then, ask if they'd marry my son for me…."

Lucky for him, he had a son who wanted to marry. Otherwise he had no chance to know the Buddha. So he said, “Vice (Deputy) Minister, who is the Buddha?” Hô Di, the buddy-in-law to be, said to him, “The Buddha was a prince. And then even when He was born, He walked seven steps. Because He observed that humans have four sufferings, like birth, old age, sickness, and death, so He left home. He had been an ascetic for six years. And then later, at the end He became a Buddha. His Light brightens many corners, even brightens the whole Three Worlds. That’s why we call Him Buddha.” “But Vice (Deputy) Minister, why is it called Sangha?” So the vice (deputy) minister told him, “After He became Buddha, the Brahma king came down and requested Him to impart teaching to all beings. And after the Buddha accepted that invitation, He went to the Deer park in Ba La Nại country. And then He stayed there and preached the four marvelous ways to deliver yourself and others from suffering. …All of them, 500 persons, all liberated. And then these people became meritorious enough, and they had enough power to be able to liberate other beings as well. That’s why we call them Sangha, meaning the assembly of saints.”

So, he was so hurried. In the middle of the night he wanted to go out to see the Buddha. “Go, follower, go! Do not retreat. Do not feel worried. Even if you have the whole treasures of all this planet put together for you, it's still not comparable to walking one step toward where the Buddha stays and visiting Him. Even then the merits are even more than that, that I cannot compare and count for you.” The Tu Đạt (Sudatta) prime minister heard that. Oh, happy, happy. At that time, the Buddha then preached to him the four Wonderful Methods of Liberation, etc. The Tu Đạt (Sudatta) prime minister, after he heard that, he attained like one of the middle ranks of spiritual level of consciousness. So the Tu Đạt (Sudatta) saind to Him, “Obeisance to the World Honored One. I will invite You to the Xá Vệ (Sravasti) country. So all the country citizens will cut off the wrong concept, the wrong belief, and follow You.” So He called Sariputra and said, “Sariputra, Tu Đạt (Sudatta) wants to make an ashram to propagate the Buddha Dharma, to lead all beings there to turn to the right path in the Xá Vệ (Sravasti) country, so that he can invite me there to preach for Dharma. But he doesn't know how to do it. So you go there and help him to build the ashram.”

Both of them went through the whole country, and hadn't seen anything, anywhere suitable except the park garden of Prince Kỳ-đà (Jeta). So Sariputra said to the prime minister Tu Đạt (Sudatta), "Oh, this one is good, because there are a lot of trees, a lot of shade, and it's not very near a noisy, dusty city. But it's also not too far. Because if it's too far, then it's very inconvenient for the monks to go begging for alms. If it's too near the city, then it's too noisy. It's difficult for them to concentrate, distracted, so it's very difficult to meditate." So the prime minister went to the prince and said, "Your Royal Highness, I have a lot of lands and gardens, and property, but they are not good enough for an ashram to invite the Buddha to our country to preach, so that all our citizens have benefit. We went everywhere. We saw only your garden is the best, very big, and a lot of trees, and very cool and shady. I would like to buy this garden from you to make an ashram for the Buddha. Will Your Highness agree?"

Therefore the king said to them, “If your Buddha doesn’t win against these six magical masters, then the building of the ashram will stop.” To buy the garden, it’s already so difficult, and now, he cannot even build it. Golden all over, gold plated all the garden already, now, cannot build. And then the prime minister Tu Ðạt (Sudatta) was very sad. Next morning Sariputra saw that the prime minister was very sad. So he asked him, “Why are you so sad today? Is there any obstruction about the ashram?” So he said, “Respected Reverend, I don’t know if we could even build an ashram here. That’s why I’m very sad now.” “The six magician masters of the land want to compete in magical power with the Buddha or the Buddha’s disciples. If we win, then they’ll let us free, let us be, if not then there’s no chance. So I don’t even know if any of you respected Reverends can win (over) them, because I know them. They are very highly skilled in magical power. That’s why I’m so afraid, and so unhappy.”

So the king asked Tu Đạt (Sudatta) the prime minister, "Tu Đạt (Sudatta), the disciple of your Master already agreed, promised to come to compete. How come he's not here yet?" So Tu Đạt (Sudatta) said, "Your Majesty, let me go check it out. I'll go home and have a look." Then Sariputra, wearing good clothes and in a dignified manner then walked out very, very distinguishedly and majestically, as if he was a lion king. And when he arrived, the king, the officials, and even the six magic masters and all the citizens looked at him, feeling his composure, powerful composure. They just automatically all stood up to greet him, including the magic masters. And everybody prostrated to him as well. At that time Sariputra, wanting to change the concept of these citizens of this country, so he manifested more magic power. He flew into the sky, he could sit in the open space, he could walk in the open space, he could fly there. The whole assembly from king to citizens, seeing all this, they were very, very respectful, and then they believed in the Buddha's teachings.

Sariputra and Tu Đạt (Sudatta), the prime minister, went to the Kỳ-đà (Jeta) Prince's garden and measured things. After measuring the land, then they began to build the ashram. They built one special high-level house with the kind of sandalwood, for smelling nice and also avoiding the insects to bite. So, it's for the Buddha, one special house, very high, for Buddha. And then, for the monks, it was a little bit further away, in 20 sections. The king and officials and others all came out with flowers and incense to greet the Buddha. It was so great a number of people. Everybody saw the Buddha and the all prostrated on the ground. And the Buddha came and sat on that dais, and emitting great Light to all directions and to 3,000 great Heavens. At that time the Buddha observed different people, different affinities, and different roots to teach them accordingly, as if a great doctor who knows different patients' sickness and treats them accordingly. So many people gained some benefit, elevated themselves to different positions of spiritual consciousness.