It seems so long ago, so long that it breaks one's heart. Was it the time of primitive man, or the time of Creation that I had already started seeking the Homeland of the Soul, the eternal paradise?

Where does life come from and where do we go after death? Life is only as short as a hundred years. Rich or poor, we will pass through it eventually. However, the future incarnations extend to infinity. Having no idea about the destination of our souls, how can we endure?

From popular Chi-kong and astrological teachings to traditional Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian scriptures, I have spent countless days and nights searching and contemplating; from various Chi-kong methods and chanting sutras to meditation, I have spent countless days and nights of probing and practice. Yet, I did not experience the slightest hint or light of the Heavenly Home.

I have wasted five years living in hermetic isolation, becoming estranged from friends and relatives, neglecting my parents and brothers, carrying only a sincere heart searching for the Truth, and all resulting in a long sigh of regret. In vain I abandoned my friends and relatives in the prime of my youth, to wander to every corner of the world, practicing in recluse, in thick forested mountains, and the result being only two streams of tears.

This is the greatest agony in life - like a motherless child- not being able to find the way back home.

Luckily, at the time of my greatest fatigue and desperation, the turning point of my life arrived.

One morning in late Autumn as I was gazing out at the East China Sea and sighing, a miracle occurred as if in a fairy tale. I came across a copy of "The Key of Immediate Enlightenment" - this marvelous scripture - the embodiment of Truth - the supreme food - the sparkling light - the ark of wisdom to save sentient beings!

Now I know that my soul's Mother has already come down from the heavenly home; to that beautiful island of Formosa. Our firm and unyielding Mother, carrying Her exquisite and delicate body toiling all around the world, bearing all the storms and rains alone. Her all encompassing love permeates every corner of the world, from the erupting Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines to the burning forests in Southern California, U.S.A.; from flood stricken countries in Western Europe to the blood shedding Au Lac refugee camps in Hong Kong, showing the way home to uncountable longing souls who have lost their way; extending to the innumerable victims inflicted by natural and man-made disasters the warmest support from the Heavenly Mother.

I desired so much to leap over and embrace Her shoulders, exclaiming, "Mother, I am back!" There is nothing more precious than the return of a prodigal son - but the Strait of Formosa separates us. So I can only seek solace with the brothers in mainland China by shedding tears of both sorrow and bliss, whilst holding Mother's picture and calling Her passionately, waiting eagerly for Her news, hoping the day of the Mother's and child's reunion will come soon.

I remember a beautiful but sentimental song called "On the Other Side of the Sea". The Formosa Strait is so deep, and Mother is on the other side of the ocean.

I want to praise You the living enlightened Master. You are the Buddha; You are the Jade Emperor of Heaven; You are Allah; You are the Holy Mother; You are the Mother of all sentient beings; You are the Mother of the Universe; as essential as the Sun is to all living things, yet as inconspicuous as the air.

There is no eternal love in this world, and no omnipotent power - except Yours.

Only through Your wordless and loving teachings do those sentient beings who have been lost since the beginning of time, become enlightened immediately. Only by the guidance of Your supra-worldly light and sound can the suffering of transmigration for innumerable aeons be eternally relieved.

Without You all of us are lost children. No one can go back to the Home of the soul - the eternal paradise. Without You, to be a monk or nun is delusion; practicing is futile. All the toilsome journeys will have been in vain and all the unbearable sufferings will never end.

Now I understand that moving song entitled "Only Mother is the Best in the World", which brings people to tears. This is the deepest call of the soul to the Mother from Her children who have been lost for many lives! This is the purest, highest and most sincere love!

The living Master, Mother of the soul, Your wonders and Your invaluable treasures are - whoever finds You is the happiest and richest person in the world, having attained eternal happiness they own everything.

On Sundays when I come to group meditation, I feel sad when the other initiates can not join us for the most precious time of every week. Every time I listen to Master's audio tapes or watch Her videos, in different places or on different occasions, She always encourages us to come to group meditation. She has said many times that even if we have to put aside a thousand worldly jobs, we should do it in order to attend group meditation, at least once a week - except in very special cases. Last year in Washington, D.C., Master even quoted from the book "Embraced By The Light" to remind us to attend group meditation. In the book, the author mentions that in heaven, the angels see the lights coming from the prayers and meditations on Earth and respond to the strongest lights first. The strongest lights come from the group of people praying together. The bigger the group the stronger the light. So, Master jokingly said, "See, you have to read someone else's book to believe what I've told you all along - that the group meditation is the most powerful."

Some of us usually wonder and ask Master many times why they do not see anything when they

meditate. It is because we do not follow our spiritual duties with total devotion as we had promised, and we do not ask the inner Master to help us to keep the precepts perfectly, to have courage and patience to meditate regularly, and to attend group meditations. Even though we do not "see" anything during our meditation, if we fulfill our responsibilities, we will definitely "see" the growth in our inner qualities. We will "see" ourselves as a better person with more wisdom as time goes on.

I have been through the "ups and downs" myself on the path during the past years, and I can personally testify that if we are patient enough in fulfilling our spiritual duties, things will get better every day, every week, every month and then every year. One of the things that I've found to be very helpful is to listen to Master's tapes every day. Her voice and words of wisdom give us more faith and courage, and therefore obstacles in daily practice are much easier to overcome.

We have only this life left to worry about. Why not be courageous and do it right, once and for all!