Feature Reports
Moon Festival 3-Day Retreat -- Grateful To Master For Her Grace By Hsihu News Group, Formosa

A Meaningful Moon festival 3-Day Retreat!

The Moon Festival, one of the Chinese three main festivals, was the highlight of this 3-day retreat. With the full moon gleaming and families reuniting, the children of the Quan Yin family gathered together on this day to hold a retreat, enjoying the fun of being together and moon-gazing.

How lucky we are to have met the greatest and most holy Master in the universe, who has imparted to us the Quan Yin Method, enabling our souls to become truly immortal. And with our Master's blessings, we have been able to gather for group meditations and practice diligently. For these reasons, this mini 3-day retreat was deeply meaningful. Therefore, even though Master did not attend this retreat in person, several thousand fellow practitioners still seized the chance to enthusiastically participate in the retreat, for they cherish every opportunity.

The preparation work proceeded smoothly, as Formosa has had many previous retreat experiences. Every working team did an excellent job, especially in passing on experiences from the old-timers to the new. This training-process transition went on smoothly. In the making of little mooncakes, several dozens of sister initiates gathered together to form the mooncake-making team. In two days they manually made several thousand mooncakes, offering the fellow practitioners the most nutritious and hygienic cakes which were full of love. The Celestial Jewelry, presently on a world exhibition tour, returned to Hsihu Center just as a special interval for an exhibition, with the addition of a pair of "Heavenly Dragon Chopsticks." Master's art pieces, full of love, were timely displayed to the brothers and sisters during the 3-day retreat. The Clothing and Accessories exhibition room was fully open as well, so that the sister initiates' longing to be as beautiful as Master-Mommy could be satisfied.

Starting from the first day of registration, everything proceeded in perfect order. At lunch time on the first day, the MC of this retreat announced the content of a fax from Master, in which She told Her Formosan children the reason why She was not able to return there, and wished everyone a happy festival. In addition, the evening schedule was especially changed in order to give everyone more free time to leisurely admire the moon. The MC also humorously reminded everyone to meditate with a peaceful mind, and try not to think of mooncakes all the time, which would be available soon.

The prevailing clear and crisp autumn sky suddenly changed in the middle of the afternoon into wind and rain. The wind stirred our longing for Master; the raindrops carried Master's love to us. In fellow practitioners' silent prayers, by wind and rain, the heavens and the earth, silently were conveying everyone's endless longing for their true Home.

Even though our Master-Mommy was absent, dinner was still prepared in the traditional style as on every festive occasion; that is, a table full of a vast array of exquisite dishes. Dishes cooked in large woks, symbolizing reunion, were
prepared as well. With Master's loving blessings, the cooking staff did an excellent job in dividing the work and collaborating with each other. As a result, every dish was deliciously prepared and served promptly, winning praises
all around.

When the time for moon-gazing arrived, the Goddess of Rain still did not seem to want to relent. However, our brothers and sisters all came well prepared. Comfortably wearing raincoats made of very thin plastic, everyone gathered together to eat some blessed food -- mooncakes, melon seeds and pomelos -- and sip tea. Opening their portable mini chairs, everyone crowded under shelters and together enjoyed watching videotapes of Master celebrating this festival with us in previous years. The familiar programs awakened old memories. We still remember every lovely expression of Master and Her humorous comments, just as if it was yesterday. Master's age-old love is still freshly new to us.

By then the Moon Fairy finally showed her face. Shining brightly, she casted her silvery rays upon thousands of gleaming hearts. Since ancient times, the moon has shone upon how many heroic souls? Where are they now? Gazing into the moon with our heads up; we came to a sudden realization that Lee-Pai (a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty in China), the banished poet, was thinking of his Homeland in heaven! (In his famous poem "Gazing Into The Moon," he wrote: With head tilted up, I gaze at the moon; lowering my head, I miss my Homeland.) Only if one hurries up to practice spirituality, exchanging one's limited human body for the eternal soul, is one's life truly worth living.

The next day, it rained even harder. Our guards lovingly set up more umbrellas. It was reported that the typhoon had already entered the Miaoli area. Those in charge of the retreat immediately came to a decision regarding the shelter arrangement. Soon after, the guards quickly mobilized and guided the practitioners into different sheltered areas to meditate. The brother and sister initiates simply put on their raincoats and rain gear, and took good care of themselves. Under Master's teachings, everyone has learned to adapt themselves to any circumstances, and feel right at home anywhere and everywhere. Immersed in our inner pleasure, how can any outer situation disturb us? Despite the raging storm outside, it couldn't affect our enjoyment of wondrous lightning, thunder and roaring sea waves inside!

Due to the storm, more people gathered at the Book Circulation Area than usual. The sisters working at the stations eagerly introduced each item of Master's publications. The Book Circulation team is forefront in introducing Master's teachings to the public; all the sister initiates in the work were full of bliss. We, the fellow practitioners also came to realize that Master's physical body can not be with us all the time, that following Master's teachings is the most important guidance in our spiritual practice.

On Sunday, the typhoon grew even stronger. Having experienced the "samadhi in the rain" in Hawaii, the retreat in ice and snow in Chicago, the baptism in Buddha's Bath Hall in Cambodia, and other countless retreats under typhoon weather in Formosa, this storm was nothing more than just one more addition to top off the record for us, the invincible army. We were all very happy, because the "Buddha's rain" cleansed our karma, and purified the atmosphere of the world. Moreover, wherever Master goes, She always brings an abundance of rainfall. So this heavy rain showed us that She was really and is always with us.

Afterward, we learned from a resident disciple that were it not for the rain, we would have had to face the awkward situation of a water shortage. So, it was truly a timely rain. From this, we can see that as long as we think of God all the time, and accept all things with a joyful heart, everything arranged by God is always the best.

Moon Festival - A Night Of Holy Love Moon Festival 3-Day Retreat - Grateful To Master For Her Grace