Before I was initiated by Master, I was a simple farmer who started working everyday as the sun rose and rested as the sun set. What was usually on my mind was how to enhance my agricultural harvest, and I did not spare enough time to be with my new wife, which was difficult for her to accept.

In addition, we lived with my father, who had a serious and rigid character. My wife, who is a native Formosan -- innocent and out- going -- felt frustrated and upset most of the time. Thus, at the slightest provocation she would raise hell with me or get drunk and make a scene. I was really in agony. I found myself incapable of understanding her thinking and also blamed her for not understanding my feelings.

In order to find inner peace, the two of us often followed friends to temples to listen to Buddhist dharma. Later, I began to have vegetarian breakfasts and tried to meditate on my own. My wife looked at me with indifference, thinking I was going to become a monk. But in fact, my goals were very limited. All my life, I had wanted to find inner peace and have a harmonious family life. But after getting married, I felt that I was not qualified to be either a good husband or a good son. I struggled in the narrow space between my wife and my father.

One day a couple moved into our neighborhood. After my first visit to their home, I learned that they were disciples of Supreme Master Ching Hai. Having heard Her slandered by others, I did not make further contact with them. However, I observed them carefully for more than a year and discovered that they were very kind, honest, and straightforward . They observed the precepts conscientiously and explained Master's teachings only when they were asked. Through my exposure to them, I began to realize that the slander against Master was all fabricated.

One day in early 1993, my wife and I went shopping in Puli, where we saw many posters announcing Supreme Master Ching Hai's lecture at the Sun Yet-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. When my wife suddenly said that she would attend the lecture, I was stunned because she had never had any inclination toward religion before. Being ignorant, I assumed that she was simply looking for an opportunity to visit Taipei. But I said okay to her anyway, stating that she could go. Since I was too busy to go with her, I asked my neighbor to give her a ride.

Immediately after she heard Master's lecture, my wife called from Taipei, telling me that she wanted to get initiation into the Quan Yin Method. At that time I had never read any of Master's books carefully and didn't know whether my father would allow my wife to follow a vegetarian diet. Also, I was uncertain about whether my wife would change her mind in a few days. So, I asked her to return home first, and told her that if everything turned out all right, we might get initiated together at a later date.

After she returned home, my wife had thoroughly changed. Not only had she become tender and gentle in her speech, but her temperament improved greatly. She smilingly listened to Master's tapes each day. Inspired by her example, I also began to read Master's books carefully. Whenever I had any doubts or questions, our neighbors explained everything clearly.

We were not sure about how to convince my father about vegetarianism; we only knew that he believed in oracles and the Jiao-bei (a practice used to communicate with spirits in Chinese folk religion).

We had no choice but to ask Master for help, so we went to a famous temple in Puli that attracts many worshippers. At that time, we had only two questions in mind: 1. Is Master a living Buddha? and 2. Can we practice the Quan Yin Method with Her?

The oracles said Master's level is indeed immeasurable and that the Quan Yin Method is the safest and quickest of all methods for achieving enlightenment.

Later, at home, in the presence of my father, we again threw the Jiao-bei six times to inquire of the gods. Surprisingly, all the Jiao-bei fell in the 'consenting position'-- pow! pow! pow! My father had never seen this happen in his sixty-plus years. Astonished, he asked: "What are you inquiring about? Why did all the Jiao-bei, so assuredly, not move when they touched the ground?"

I explained to him: "I want to follow Supreme Master Ching Hai to practice meditation and become a vegetarian."

After initiation, I began to understand my wife, realizing that she is simple and pure in heart, and very sensitive to goodness and beauty. Now she likes to spontaneously sing, paint, or design small decorations, a quality that I had not noticed in her before. I feel deeply that now she is really being herself. Her previous temper, and so-called love for cigarettes, wine, and betel nuts were only reactions to an inability to identify with the material world.

Now, my wife and I are good companions, both in the spiritual and physical sense. Although, occasionally, we still quarrel, after a while, she apologizes with a smile as though nothing had happened. My father, after switching to a vegetarian diet like we have, has become more vigorous than before. He often praises my wife for her delicious vegetarian cooking. Now I can be both a good husband and a good son. My friends are happy for us, seeing all these changes. I know for certain that all the credit belongs to Master, because She revealed the treasure of my wife's inner goodness, and thus glorified my humble family.

There is a folktale in China that goes as follows: Once upon a time, a practitioner on retreat in the countryside was cooking and ran out of salt. Since his salt box was empty, he decided to go to his neighbor's house to borrow a spoonful of salt. Unfortunately, his neighbor was out, but he thought that it would not be a big deal if he borrowed just a little bit. However, he forgot to return the salt.

Later, while meditating, he saw a large hill in front of him, and was puzzled. Looking at it carefully, he realized that it was a hill of salt. Searching his mind, he finally remembered his mistake of 'taking without asking.' Immediately, he went to a salt shop where he bought dozens of bags of salt, which he gave to his neighbor. His neighbor was confused, but when he understood the reason, he accepted the salt. The next time that the practitioner was meditating, the salt hill disappeared. This story demonstrates the importance for spiritual practitioners of observing the precepts.

Brother Guan, who was a taxi driver before his initiation, once had a passenger leave NT$300 in his taxi. Since it was such a small amount, he spent it without thinking too much about it. Afterwards, however, his income was not ideal no matter how hard he worked.

After a period of time, it so happened that his wife lost NT$300,000 in someone else's taxi. This lesson was so striking to him that he immediately realized his error and repented. This was the last time that he ever unmindfully spent a customer's money because on this occasion he had to repay it a thousand times over. He was shocked and awakened by the Universal Law of Cause and Effect.

Before initiation, brother Lee often borrowed money or goods from his friends. He was ignorant at that time, not thinking that there was anything wrong with this habit. The only problem, however, was that his business at that time was not going very well.

After initiation, when it became necessary for him to keep the precept of refraining from stealing, he had to struggle to change this persistent habit overnight. He promised himself that he would strictly observe the precepts and never accept money or gifts from others.

He stopped using the company's telephone for personal use; instead he would use the public phone with his own money and call only during office breaks. He never again took free trial books or food in stores. Furthermore, he stopped wasting other people's time by talking nonsense. He was determined never to steal anything -- tangible or intangible -- from others. Eventually, his monthly salary sometimes increased many times over.

Although it is not the purpose of spiritual cultivation to look for worldly wealth, from the above cases we can understand further the great power of the precepts. Who could ever say that it is not necessary to adhere to the precepts in our flexible and relaxed spiritual cultivation? It is only to help us avoid the unnecessary impediments that Master urges us, the initiates, to observe the precepts. Observation of the precepts should be seen as protective apparel for our progress in spiritual cultivation rather than a restriction.

After practicing spirituality, I came to understand more deeply that whatever thoughts one gives out to other people, one will soon receive them in return.

Each time I attend retreats, I always believe that Master will offer me some special revelation about my practice, and I always strive to learn it through the heart.

During the New Year holiday, I went to Hsihu to attend the three-day retreat, where I noticed some changes in the camping area. Being exhausted and busily trying to prepare the spot for my tent, an old sister asked me if I would let her use the tools I was working with, which I had spent a great deal of effort trying to borrow from other people .

Hearing her press me, "Sister, are you done? Let me use them first for a while, OK?", I became inwardly agitated, and my natural human character began to cause trouble for me. I thought, if I had finished with the tools, it would be no problem to lend them to her, or even to help her work on her tent area. So after refusing her request with sternness, I did not lend her the tools until I had finished with them. Although I felt an indescribable guilty feeling in my heart, I was reluctant to truly scrutinize my actions.

It must have been a case of 'instant karma,' because during the rest of the three day retreat, whenever I asked others if I could borrow something I was always refused with great sternness; and this happened again and again. At those times, there were always voices emerging from inside of me: "You are selfish; you deserve it!"

I had seldom experienced being refused anything before, so I could not help thinking of the old sister whom I had refused with the same tone. In my heart, I felt extremely bad and realized my ignorance and selfishness.

That night, after I sincerely repented, my mind became clear and bright. Therefore, I find that all the experiences Master grants me are inherent in the events of my daily life; and all of them provide equally good spiritual lessons.