Before the Lunar New Year, because it was busier, this brother initiate especially worked extra time, lengthening his normal working time a great deal. Early New Year's Eve morning, his daughter needed to go to school, and his wife wanted to go shopping at the market. So, the brother initiate dragged his exhausted body out and started his car again, to provide a service for his family. When his wife said good-bye to the brother initiate, she especially asked him to come back for her in half an hour. So the brother initiate parked his car by the alley, and listening to Master's Buddhist chanting tape, he closed his eyes for a rest. A little while later, someone knocked on the car window. Normally, the brother initiate would explain to the customer the reason why he could not take him. However that time, not only did he not have any thought of refusing that customer, he was more than willing to accept him. Everything seemed to have been prearranged by God so that he was there waiting for him.

As soon as this customer got in the car, he said to the brother initiate, "You are lucky that you can give me a ride today!" With many years of experience, the brother initiate knew from one glance that he was a gangster. Although he was not frightened, he wondered why this man made such a statement. The customer continued, "You might witness something very unusual today." Upon hearing that, the brother initiate intuitively thought that the man was going to kill someone. The man continued, "It is good that you have me as your customer today. You can name any price for your time." Then he took out a bundle of money and said, "My purpose today is to take revenge. I was wrongly jailed for decades, only because I was betrayed by a childhood friend. Today I want justice to be served!"

At first, no matter what the brother initiate said to him, the man did not want to listen to a word. However, it happened that he could not find the person he was looking for at the several places they went to. So, there was more time for the brother initiate to talk to him, but all he had was a determined reply, "I understand everything you've said. It's just that I can't let it go. Unless you can totally convince me within ten minutes, I won't give up what I want to do today." Then he said to the brother initiate, "What is the greatest thing in life?" The brother initiate thought, "He is a gangster, and I am a businessman. What if what I say is not proper, I will increase the burden in his mind. Wouldn't I have misled him then?" Facing the awkward situation at that time, the best thing he could do was pray in his heart to Master to dissolve the man's hatred. He also continuously played Master's Buddhist chanting tape. Suddenly, an inspiration came to his mind. The brother initiate said straight forwardly, "The greatest thing in life is to be able to forgive others and love your enemy! I still can't do that. I am working hard on it." The man agreed with that completely. They continued with their conversation, but the man only agreed to what the brother initiate said initially, and insisted on keeping the remainder of his views.

When the car arrived at the next destination, it happened that the customer just missed the person he was looking for. So, he asked the brother initiate to drive faster, and perhaps they could catch up. The brother initiate felt that all was Master's wondrous arrangement, so he purposely drove slower. The man said helplessly, "Alright. If you can untie the knot in my heart in five minutes, I will turn back at once and will no longer have that intention!" The brother initiate knew that he was neither an intellectual nor someone who was eloquent and very good at judging people's minds, but at that time he

immediately and spontaneously said, "I feel that there are some ties in your heart, and all this time you have been struggling whether to let them go. If you don't forgive, you have to take action. Once the action starts, a dreadful fight is unavoidable. Eventually the victims will be your wife and children. Frankly, the action you want to take will only satisfy you for a moment. It cannot cure your wound. You choose to do it today so that the other party can't have a happy New Year. But likewise, your wife and children can't look forward to a happy future. Your family is waiting for you to return, to have a New Year's Eve reunion. Once you make your move today, you can't go back for your reunion, because either you will have to flee or you die with injures. That is why you have been struggling in you heart."

"Right! Right! Right! It is indeed so!" The man totally agreed with what the brother initiate said. Then he asked the brother initiate, "Whom does a person live for?" The brother initiate replied, "If it is an ordinary person, he lives for himself. A person who has attained Buddhahood lives for other people, for example, my Master - the Supreme Master Ching Hai." Once the man heard Master's name, he interrupted and said, "The Supreme Master Ching Hai! I read two or three books of Hers while I was in jail." The brother initiate continued, "My Master, the Supreme Master Ching Hai, has attained Buddhahood. She is an extraordinary person. Everything She does is for other people. She lives for sentient beings. From an ordinary person's viewpoint, we have no blood relationship with Her at all. However, She still transmits the dharma to disciples like us...." "Master has attained the Tao, the perfect enlightenment. She deeply understands that every person has a Buddha nature. We come to this world to learn different lessons, and you are learning yours. They are difficult, aren't they? What you are facing now is a big test. If you can be tolerant today, it is like the saying: 'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha at once.'" All through the journey, this friend had been blessed by Master's loving power, and now he heard these sincere words from the brother initiate. Suddenly, he broke out in tears like a child. He said to the brother initiate, "It's strange! How did I end up riding in your car today? I was going along fine driving my car. Once I made the turn near the market, my car suddenly broke down!" After hearing that, everything was clear in the brother initiate's mind, "This is Master's arrangement. You should cherish the affinity! Today we met for the first time. You were able to share with me what was on your mind, and I tried to answer you with all I know. I ask you please not to think too much...." The customer cried louder and louder, and his suppressed feelings flowed out along with his tears. . . .

As the brother initiate recounted the incident to this point, he was almost in tears. That event still moved him greatly. He said, "Since following Master to practice, even though I have not worked very hard studying Her teachings, She always uses outer miraculous experiences to teach me Her omnipresent love."

Although we all know that after receiving initiation, Master's transformation form looks after and protects us twenty-four hours a day, we often forget to respect at all times the fact that Master is omnipresent. However, once there is trouble and we pray to Master, She immediately extends Her helping hand. Through this experience of his, we once again verify that Master is everywhere and with us at all times.

Not long ago, the father of a close colleague passed away. I knew she was a very filial daughter and wanted very much to help her father elevate to a better realm. However, she did not know what to do. So I suggested she play Master's Buddhist chanting tape next to her father's body, and use only vegetarian food throughout the funeral. Although my friend never recognized Master (and even once slandered Her), she still followed my suggestions to give it a try.

At that time, her family did not approve of the vegetarian food. Consequently that night, a child in the family dreamed that his grandpa was vomiting and asked his relatives to stop giving him meat offerings. It was because he would vomit each time he accepted them, and he felt terrible. The next day, the child told everyone about the dream. Half believing and half doubting, they sought confirmation from a medium. The resulting message was: "The Supreme Master Ching Hai is going to bring your father to the West (Western Paradise)!" After that, the whole family believed the words of the child, and decided to handle the funeral with vegetarian food.

Furthermore, on the forty-ninth day after the funeral, a string of firecrackers had been prepared to be set off that morning during the

family ritual. Before the scheduled time, without any people or inflammable substance around, the firecrackers discharged automatically. Even more incredible was that they were discharging from the top going downwards. The whole family was bewildered and curious, so they immediately consulted the medium again. The answer they received was: "As early as forty-nine days ago, at the time when your father passed away, the Supreme Master Ching Hai was going to take him away. However, he loved the noisy atmosphere here and begged the Supreme Master Ching Hai to let him stay around longer. Just now, the firecrackers were set off by your father, extending his respectful greeting to the Supreme Master Ching Hai who came to take him to the West."

Master once said, "Anyone you are concerned about, whether or not they are your relatives or related to you, just because you have directed a sympathetic thought to them, Master will take care of them." Therefore, even the non-initiated people, who have been eating meat all their lives and have never practiced spiritually, can benefit because they have friends or relatives who are initiated spiritual practitioners.

There is a fellow sister who had great faith in Master even before she was initiated. She had thoroughly studied Master's books, cassette and video tapes. She believed very much in Master's power. Besides silently savoring her abundant inner experiences, she also frequently talked about Master to her very old grandpa. Subsequently, her grandpa also had strong faith in Master, and often recited Master's holy name and looked at Her photos.

One day, her grandpa dreamed that the manifestation body of Master took him to heaven to enjoy himself, and fed him nectar and heavenly fruit. According to his description, the heavenly nectar was extremely sweet, and the heavenly fruit were much greater, in comparison, to the most cherished fruit on earth. After this dream, incredibly her grandpa had no desire to eat for many days!

My father passed away due to illness. In the last few months of his life, my young daughter was the one spending the most time with him, and they become very close to each other. Therefore, she was most upset and felt somewhat frightened by the death of her grandpa. To make her feel better, my husband and I let her sleep between us in bed.

One morning, she told me that she saw Master's form in her dream, and distinctly heard Master asking her, "What are you afraid of? Your grandpa has already come

with me." She then asked Master where grandpa is now? Master said, "Raise your head and look up." She raised her head, and saw grandpa singing and dancing in the sky.

Because of the solace from Master's manifestation form, she is not afraid anymore!

Note: The little girl is now a vegetarian, and awaiting initiation.