So a few years later, my school organized a picnic. We formed a group of five boys. At my age, in my school, there were not enough girls. The vast majority were boys.

It was not fair, but that is how things were in the old days. The majority of young people in my class were boys. There were only six or eight girls. They had their own table.

So we were organized into a group of five boys. We had to walk for hours to arrive at the foot of a mountain called Na Son. It is located in the province of Thanh Hoa, in Northern Vietnam.

And I had learned that at the summit of Na Son Mountain, there was a hermit practicing alone like that in order to become a Buddha.

I was very excited. That is because I wanted very much to meet a hermit. A hermit is someone who practices intensively to be able to become a Buddha. Living a solitary life, he does not want to be disturbed by others. So he looked for a spot in the mountains to be able to practice.

The other boys were very happy to be able to have a picnic with the teachers. But I held this secret desire to be able to meet the hermit at the summit of Na Son Mountain.

We were told to bring rice balls with us. And boiled water to eat and drink during the climb or at the picnic. There was no mineral water at that time. We had to boil water to be sure that it would not contaminate our stomachs or intestines.

We cooked the rice and made rice balls that could be sliced with a knife. We also brought sesame seeds to eat with the rice.

At that time, being very young, I did not know about walking meditation. That is why we all climbed the mountain with all our might. As fast as possible.

We rushed to arrive, which is why we became very tired, very, very quickly. We drank all the water we had brought with us. And that is why when we arrived at the summit of the mountain, we had no more water to drink. Everyone was thirsty.

We received the order to organize ourselves into groups of five people and begin to eat our lunch. I asked about the place where the hermit lived. And I learned some bad news. The hermit was not there.

I was so disappointed. Because it was my deepest desire to meet the hermit, but he was not there. While the others were preparing the picnic lunch, I ventured into the forest, hoping to meet the hermit.

I thought to myself: "What is a hermit? A hermit is someone who wants to be alone in order to practice. Now the hermit has heard that three hundred young people are coming to the mountain. So he must have taken refuge somewhere in the forest; he must be hiding somewhere in the forest."

And I thought that perhaps I would have the chance to meet the hermit in person. To have a private audience with him. I was very optimistic. So I left the group and ventured into the forest alone. And I had a lot of hope.