International Reports

During the Spring Festival, to continue the work of helping the homeless which had already been completed in the cities of Westminster, Venice and Santa Monica last time, fellow practitioners at the Los Angeles Center this time organized into two groups. Bring with them Master's divine love and blessings, as well as car loads of hot vegetarian meals, medicine, socks, sleeping bags and Master's sample booklets and magazines, headed toward Hollywood in the middle of a chilly night.

Upon entering North Hollywood, we stopped at a nearby park alongside a freeway overpass. Fellow practitioners scanned the entire area in hopes of finding the needy homeless brothers and sisters. Eventually, they were found in a nearby building. Fellow practitioners briefly introduced Master and gently offered them Her gifts of love. They were surprised and delighted to receive these unexpected gifts. As we were leaving, a couple kept saying thank you.

We continued our search, a man, to our joyous surprise, offered to help us find other homeless people. We followed his car to an abandoned office building and went inside to find half a dozen of them sleeping together under a big plastic sheet. Upon being presented the many gifts, they moved forward to greet us somewhat in disbelief. They repeatedly said thank you in a tone filled with gratitude mixed with a bit of surprise.

Along the railroad, we found a large group of wanderers sleeping together under a big tree as if they were of the same family. When they heard us approaching, many immediately got up and happily received us. They had nothing but a thin sheet of cloth wrapped around their bodies to keep warm. They were overjoyed upon receiving the hot vegetarian soup, Master's gifts of love and the brand new sleeping bags that would help keep them warm throughout the chilly nights. How considerate our Master is!

A man sleeping on a sidewalk bench quietly said, "Thank you!" It was as if he knew and was extremely touched by what had occurred that night -- how Master's warmth was conveyed to the needy.

It was almost 4:00 a.m. when we left the city still in deep slumber. With a smile full of joy and contentment on our faces, we thanked Master for giving us another opportunity to serve those in need with Her boundless love and compassion.

Upon receiving Master's instruction to help the poor Au Lac people who have just arrived in the U.S. under the protection of the Humanitarian Organization (HO), fellow initiates in Arizona immediately went into action.

After the needed items were purchased, we went to each family to distribute blankets, rice, rice bowls, soap, toothpaste, cough and flu medicines, cookies, Master's News magazines.

These families were very surprised to receive these gifts full of Master's love. Some were so touched that they were speechless. It had never occured to them that Master cared so much that She would send Her love to them through these gifts, something which they had never received from any other organization. They kept expressing their gratitude to Master, and wished Her good health.

Some said they already heard about Master when they were in Au Lac. Others wanted to know more about Her teachings, and asked for some video tapes. After reading about Master's life and the News magazines, they believe that Her teachings are very profound and truly represent goodness, beauty and virtue, exactly resembling their beliefs.

Master's arrangement was so amazing! We prepared just enough gifts for everyone! In some areas where only these poor Au Lac families lived, their neighbors also came over asking for gifts when they heard about our visit. Master's far-reaching power of love is truly incredible!

The souls of these people are dancing happily, realizing that they have secured good affinity with a living master. Some people called us afterward, asking us for our address so that they could later making offerings to Master when they have a chance. However, we explained to them that Master's help is unconditional, and She expects nothing in return. Their awe and respect towards Master intensified even more.

Some Au Lac families invited the fellow initiates to stay for tea and to chat with them; but because our time was short, we could only encourage them to study Master's teachings, be vegetarians, and to put morals values above the material things of this world. We also comforted them that we all had language problems and hardships when we first came to live in this strange land, but we overcame them all, just like they will eventually.

After this activity, Arizona's fellow initiates learned an invaluable lesson, a lesson of love and care to those less fortunate. We also felt that this world is truly ephemeral, and witnessed once again Master's power in action. For example, one fellow practitioner who had been sick for three days suddenly recovered from his illness after promising to participate in this activity. He was truly amazed by Master's fantastic blessing power.

Spiritual practice does not mean meditation alone. It is only correct when we adhere to Master's instructions! Many practitioners have wonderful experiences derived from meditation or from daily living; others have them from doing Master's work. However, only fellow practitioners who work for Master can truly experience the bliss of being one with the inner Master. Under Master's instruction to help the homeless people in Boston during the Lunar New Year, fellow practitioners there immediately started with the preparation work. On New Year's Eve, they distributed army blankets, vegetarian food, and hot drinks to these living on the streets.

It was extremely cold that night. The Boston practitioners divided themselves into three groups, reaching out extensively to the gathering places of homeless people in Boston, Worcester, Lowell and Springfield-the four major cities of Massachusetts. Without any prior on-hand experience in relieving the homeless, the Boston practitioners could only recite the Holy Names and pray to the inner Master. Soon enough, inspirations poured forth continuously, and their mission was accomplished smoothly and perfectly. Only those who participated in the work realized: we are only Master's tools, and the indescribable feeling of being one with the inner Master.

Words cannot describe this blissful feeling. The more we work, the more abundant are Master's blessings. I wish to share these egoless experiences and my insights with fellow practitioners.

Following Master's instructions, we visited poor families in our local areas during the Lunar New Year. Fellow initiates worked together with social workers to help find the poor, needy families.

We received wholehearted support from the social workers who were in charge of helping the poor families and the newly arrived refugees in Ottawa. They told us that they had been wanting to do this kind of things for a long time, but the financial situation had prevented them from doing so. They felt very honored to be able to work with us to bring Master's love and help to the poor. The social workers also told us that due to government cutbacks in the past few years, financial assistance to the poor and needy families in Ottawa was also affected. Families with many children, in particular, need more support from charity organizations.

Besides the practical gifts of rice, noodles, milk, soy sauce, sodas and other necessary items for the Lunar New Year, fellow initiates also made delicious Au Lac rice dumplings, especially for Asian families. These small gifts brought back memories of their homeland, as well as communicated Master's precious love to them.

Through a telephone conversation with one family, we were told by the householder that this was the first time in many years that anyone had come to give New Year's greetings. There were moments when the householder felt so touched by Master's love and compassion that he became speechless. The next day, he told us that he couldn't sleep the night before and that he would like to know more about Master and our organization. He wanted to read Master's sample booklet and News magazines.

When we came to families with small children, the children were delighted to receive the gifts of Master's love. They shouted with joy, knowing that they would have rice dumplings for the New Year's celebration. Some families told us they had heard about Master's charitable deeds while they were in the refugee camps. Others said She had helped them in the past. They all wanted us to thank Her for them.

When we brought the gifts to one family, the woman was so touched that she was utterly speechless for a few minutes. She was even more touched when we, on behalf of Master, wished her a happy and prosperous New Year. As we were leaving, she still stood there in the cold with the front door wide opened to see us off. Master's love and blessing power kept her warm.

When we think of Master, of Her love and concern for sentient beings, we pray that these poor families will one day be awakened from this long dream, find the true purpose of life, and return to their homeland in heaven.

The more we know about these families, the more we realize how fortunate we are. Materially, we have enough food to eat and clothes to wear. Spiritually, we have an enlightened Master who has taught us the Quan Yin Method, a method of liberation. What great blessings we have! We thank the Almighty, our Master, for taking care of our lives, and for giving us a chance to learn the lessons of love through interacting with these unfortunate people. Each lesson from Master is practical and valuable to our spiritual development. Because of this activity we are determined to practice meditation more diligently. Thank You very much, Master.

Most of the fellow practitioners who were initiated this time in Vancouver had been vegetarians for decades; some were even life-long vegetarians who kept the precept keenly. Due to their faith and sincerity, they obtained Master's permission for initiation within a few short days, and were smoothly initiated.

Two days prior to receiving the notice for initiation, a lady already knew when the initiation was to take place; she even saw the scene in the Center beforehand. Some people experienced high levels of light and sound while practicing the Convenient Method. Others experienced Master's great unceasing love that inspired them to write some touching poems, as well as become more loving and magnanimous toward others - their attitudes toward family members changed for the better, and even moved the family members to pursue the Truth. Consequently, there were several couples among those who were initiated this time.

Fellow practitioners knew it was Master's loving power at work. The new initiates said that while reading Master's sample booklet, they truly believed that they could return to their original source just by following Her footsteps. Let us hope that, through Master's love, the old and new initiates will together elevate and beautify the world.

		   Many of us
	   Clouded by the dust,
	 Mistook our training ground
	  For a fantasy playground.

	   Therefore linger here
	   For a thousand year,
	 Even when hungry and alone
	 We still refuse to atone.

 

To greet the year of the Rat, 1996, the Au Lac community in Australia held a New Year's Garden Party at Warwick Farm where a great variety of booths were set up. People from all professions and walks of life joined the happy occasion to celebrate the New Year.

Apart from the stands established by the Au Lac community, other participants of this Garden Party included the Boy Scouts, the Health Club, YMCA, the Senior Citizens Club and many other organizations. Among them was the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association. Our booth served vegetarian food and displayed Master's books, News magazines, video tapes and photos. Of course, the Quan Yin Method was also introduced. Of all the stands in the event, ours was the prettiest, attracting many spectators. A lot of people purchased Master's publications and requested sample booklets from the working members. The video tape of Master giving a lecture in a refugee camp was shown, and everyone loved the vegetarian food that we provided as well.

Days before the occasion, many fellow practitioners worried about the weather because it was forecasted that a storm was coming during the New Year period. They feared that the wind and rain would make it difficult for them to display Master's publications, in which case, the spectators would not be able to benefit fully. Fortunately, God lovingly responded to their sincere prayers, and on the day of the event the weather was fine and bright, enhanced by a cool breeze. It was more than ideal for everyone to enjoy the Garden Party. God's blessing overruled the Australian Observatory's forecast!

The largest international book fair in Asia was recently held in Calcutta, India. Thousands of publishers and book companies from various parts of the world participated in this grand event. It attracted an audience of more than 1.3 million. All the major newspapers in India reported this spectacular occasion. Some fellow practitioners in India felt that it was a precious opportunity to share Master's teachings with their fellow compatriots, so they enthusiastically gathered other fellow practitioners to help prepare for this event.

To have an exhibition booth in this international book fare, one must register at least five years beforehand. Due to Master's blessing, we got assistance from a well-known lawyer in West Bengal and finally succeeded in securing a booth. This lawyer had always been deeply impressed by Master's spirit in spreading the Truth throughout the world and Her humanitarian charitable deeds, caring for the needy. The person original assigned to this booth was deeply touched after knowing that Master's teachings are for the selfless purpose of elevating human souls. He was also willing to assist with us in the next year's book fair.

Fellow practitioners received warm responses from the visitors when Master's teachings were being introduced. Most people were astonished to receive the exquisite sample booklet, free of charge. Some spiritual practitioners from other paths realized that Master's teachings conformed very much with their religious beliefs, so they happily wrote down their names and addresses, hoping to keep in contact with us in the future.

Master's blessing power and Her formless teachings are beyond the limits of human language. Many visitors who saw Her photo for the first time said intuitively, "This Guru (enlightened master) must be very powerful." An interesting story that happened at the exhibition venue was a good indication of this. The manager of a book store wrote: My nephew is only two years old. I gave him a photo of the saintly teacher, Supreme Master Ching Hai. He asked who was the person in the photo and I told him that was Supreme Master Ching Hai. At that time, my nephew had no idea who Master was, but Master's name and photo had already been imprinted in his innocent mind. Now, whenever seeing Master's photo he says without hesitation "Supreme Master Ching Hai".

We believe that in the future, due to Master's supreme wisdom, many native Truth aspirants in India will come to Her seeking the Truth.

Some people who befriended us at the book fair have already been initiated. Many more are practicing the Convenient Method waiting for the next initiation.

Da Ya Zhou is a deserted island southwest of Hong Kong. During the past few years, the government had constructed refugee camps accommodating over six thousand Au Lac asylum seekers. The place is remote and the only means of transportation is by chartered ferries. Due to strict regulations, each person can only visit one family per visit. Therefore, not many asylum seekers in the camps have been able to come in contact with Master's teachings. However in these few years, many people have been keeping the vegetarian diet, practicing the Convenient Method, and are waiting for an opportunity to receive initiation.

For the past few years, during the Lunar New Year, fellow practitioners have followed Master's loving instructions, and brought New Year's gifts to visit the fellow brothers and sisters in various camps. Approval to bring gifts to the asylum seekers from the camp authority of Da Ya Zhou was sought many times, but rejected. However, a few days before the Lunar New Year, our request was approved and we were able to have the New Year's gifts send in to the refugees. Fellow practitioners were overjoyed upon receiving the news. Unfortunately, due to insufficient time, and the camp authority's failure to arrange for the ferry, they suggested that we send the gifts after the Lunar New Year. After a discussion, they consented that each gift pack may contain one pound each of candies, black melon seeds and a packet of tea leaves.

Fellow practitioners earnestly prepared the gifts after their return from the Lunar New Year 4-Day Retreat and the celebration of Ching Hai Day. Following a recent group meditation, more than eighty fellow practitioners worked diligently overnight amidst the sounds of Master's Buddha chanting tape, to pack the candies and black melon seeds into small packets, and put them into big plastic bags together with the boxes of tea leaves. These were then put into carton boxes. The job was accomplished by the next morning.

On the morning of their visit to the camps, fellow practitioners worked together to bring the cartons from the first floor to the roadside, which were then loaded unto two big trucks. They drove to the designated ferry pier as instructed by the camp authority and the goods were then unloaded and put onto the ferry. They were delivered to Da Ya Zhou that afternoon and distributed to every asylum seeker on the island.

According to the information provided by the camp authority, the asylum seekers were all overjoyed to receive the gifts from Supreme Master Ching Hai. For days afterward, the adults were eating melon seeds and drinking tea and the children were eating candies everywhere in the camp. All of them were so happy. The asylum seekers even sent a representative to phone our fellow practitioners to thank Master on their behalf. They were grateful for the care and love that Master had bestow upon them.

This Lunar New Year in the refugee camp was certainly very different from that of other years. The asylum seekers never would have believed that they could enjoy the festive atmosphere in the camp as they had this year.

Aside from the natural comfort of the beautiful spring flowers blooming by the roadside, the asylum seekers also had Supreme Master Ching Hai's boundless love. Fellow initiates in the camp packed all gifts and placed them on a cart which was beautifully decorated with Master's noble pictures. This gift-loaded cart slowly left the meditation center on New Year's Day, rolling everywhere, bringing Master's love to everyone. Here and there, the clattered fire-crackers mingled with the sound of the drums from the dragon dance, enhanced the festive spirit.

Following Master's example and meticulous care, fellow initiates distributed the gifts to each family. This surprise gift out of Master's loving concern caused the asylum seekers' faces to beam with happiness and gratitude for Master. The police and staff at the camp also received Master's gifts to share in the joy of spring.

Following Master's instruction, the Quan Yin messenger and the initiates bought cookies and candies, and made hundreds of kg of jam including ginger, coconut, carrot, pumpkin and custard-apple to be distributed to the 2,300 camp residents. Even though all the food was prepared in only one week, with Master's blessing, the fellow initiates did not feel tired. In addition, they made 500 rice dumplings to be distributed to the initiates in the camp.

Fellow practitioners also prepared many delicious dishes for everyone at the New Year's party. The young initiates also joined in the festivities, performing several animated, cultural dances to entertain the visitors.

In addition, due to Master's versatile nature, fellow initiates were encouraged to demonstrate their talents and skills by turning the surrounding area into a beautiful new world. Attracted by the beautiful scenery, many visitors were given the opportunity to discover the truth of the universe through the Quan Yin Method. This little holy place in the camp truly cannot be overlooked!

On the first day of the New Year, reporters from the Palawan media visited the camp's meditation center. Impressed with the work of fellow initiates and the beauty of the Center, their cameras were constantly clicking, especially on Master's enchanting photos. The reporters also posed many questions about the Quan Yin Method and how to become vegetarian, finally admitting that this was a valuable aspect for them in their search for spiritual attainment.

When Master came to know about the water shortage in the surrounding area of a refugee camp in Thailand, She mercifully made a contribution to start an underground water project. As instructed by Her, we also prepared more food and clothing to be given to the fellow initiates in the camp.

Fellow initiates from Bangkok were warmly greeted by the deputy chief officer when they revisited the Seekew Refugee Camp under Master's instructions (the chief officer at the time was on a trip to Bangkok.). After discussing the underground water project, and with Master's blessings, we were allowed to meet all the camp's initiates. Each practitioners was presented a package of gifts which included soy-beans, dry-noodle packages, vegetarian protein, biscuits, deep-fried seaweed, dried black mushrooms, chili paste, T-shirts, and shorts. All of them were extremely grateful to Master for Her loving concern, and repeatedly said, "Thank you!" Aside from Supreme Master Ching Hai, no one could truly have understood the longing in the hearts of these asylum seekers.

Through this experience, we felt that these people were on their way back to their real home and would definitely have their true freedom in the undiscriminated "Ocean of Love".