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Front Line
T he mere mention of Mongolia
would bring to mind the vast
grass plains, cattle and sheep
feeding on the pasture, and the
exotic scenery. However, never
in my life did I dream that I
would one day visit Ulan Bator,
the capital of Mongolia, in the
cold, snowy winter. Looking down
at the Gobi Desert from the
airplane, great indeed is the
wonder of creation. A white
blanket of snow completely
covered the towering mountains
and deep valleys, dissolving
time and space into eternity.
The holy and serene atmosphere
awed the passengers on the
plane.
The Mongolian people, widely acclaimed as the "glorious sons of heaven," are born with the dignified demeanor of a spiritual practitioner. The national flag of Mongolia is based on the diagram of Tai Chi which is full of spiritual meaning. I have heard that it is a Mongolian tradition to send the most handsome, intelligent and healthy son of the family to a temple to become a lama. A lama is believed to bring glory to his clan. The Mongolians treat animals well. In the heavy snow, occasionally we could see wild deer nudging and birds pecking at the door and windows begging for food, even in the big cities! Today, these ancient people with a history of beautiful legends are about to savor the nectar of Truth!
Supreme Master Ching Hai winter relief activities (please refer to Supreme Master News Issue No. 90) have evoked positive feeling among Ulan Bator residents. One day, at the end of January of 1998, the telephone rang at the local Center. It was Bayinchiruho District Chief Suha Bator calling to say he would like to pay us a visit. He had, upon reading a pamphlet of Supreme Master Ching Hai and the Quan Yin Method, immediately realized that Master is preaching the Truth. He visited the residents in his district informing them about this wonderful method and found that the people were eager to learn more about Supreme Master Ching Hai's teachings. He was here at the Ulan Bator Center to invite fellow practitioners to meet with the people in his district and answer their questions. The Center subsequently held a series of video lecture seminars, and many people asked for the initiation. Most of these initiates-to-be had very good experiences. One saw a rainbow as soon as he closed his eyes, while others perceived indescribable visions. Despite the not-too-short distance from their community to the Center, these initiates-to-be often joined the group meditation in a show of sincerity that was truly touching. District Chief Suha Bator proposed to his superiors that members of the Ulan Bator Center be invited to teach local inhabitants vegetable farming and foreign languages, and thus enrich their lives. He also planned to offer the Center long-term use of a conference hall for the purposes of sharing Master's teachings with the public.
During our stay, events which first appeared to be coincidental proved otherwise later. While decorating the Ulan Bator Center, fellow practitioners thought just how wonderful it would be if they could hang up a painting by Master, and wasted no time borrowing a picture entitled the "The Night View of Yang Ming Mountain" from a neighboring country. As soon as it was in place, a visitor arrived and seemed to be enthralled by it. He looked at it closely for quite a while before revealing that he had seen it in a dream six months ago. This was only one of many stories of its kind.
The first Mongolian to seek initiation received a Russian edition of Master's sample booklet while on a train bound for Russia. He was moved to tears by the book. He later showed the Quan Yin messenger his much-treasured sample booklet. The cover was a bit worn out and almost every line in the text was highlighted. One could hardly imagine how many times he must have read it. After learning the Convenient Method, the initiate-to-be left home before dawn each morning and walked all the way to the Center for morning group meditation before going to work. This went on for weeks until the Center moved to a new location. We might note that the temperatures in Mongolia could be minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius in the early morning! This initiate-to-be was anxious to know more about Master's teachings and decided to learn English in order to be able to listen to Her words. He was always on the frontline when the Center had work to do, and he showed great enthusiasm in introducing Master's teachings to others. A historian specializing in the history of Genghis Khan received a copy of Master's sample booklet and read it over and over again that very night, wanting to learn more. He expressed his joy that an enlightened master like Supreme Master Ching Hai would be there in Mongolia to show the people the way. And he shared with us a secret: Genghis Khan also meditated. Before making major decisions or going to the battlefields, the great conqueror would meditate and pray to the Longevity Heaven for protection. After learning the Convenient Method of meditation, the historian found himself feeling greatly relaxed, and he looked forward to a future visit by Master. Thanks to his efforts, many souls in Ulan Bator have found their refuge. A lady of Mongolian aristocratic descent happened to be the relative of a renowned lama. Due to her family background and extensive social connections, she knew people from many different faiths and spiritual paths, but had never been inspired to study their teachings in depth. However, things turned out differently when she saw Master's eyes. "Her crystal clear eyes seemed to penetrate one's soul. There is nothing one can hide from Her," she said. She also noted that Master's countenance has convinced her that She must have been a king or royal lady in Her past lives. Finding much appeal in Master's teachings, she read the sample booklet and was certain that she had found the ultimate goal of her life. Unable to contain her excitement and emotions, she came to the Center with her daughters the next day for meditation lessons. "Master's teachings are more precious than gold and jewels," she said. |
The Mongolians have followed a vegetarian tradition since ancient times. Even today, they continue to observe a vegetarian diet during the summer months on the pasture. Their principal foods are dairy products. (For details, please refer to the Media Report in this issue -- Mongolian Shoulder Post.) When asked what comprises a vegetarian diet, fellow practitioners kept up the good tradition of the supreme family, rolled up their sleeves, and volunteered to "cook you well!" These clumsy chefs greatly impressed their guests, including a university chancellor and his wife, with their culinary "skills". The chancellor suggested that we hold a vegetarian cooking class at his university and provide the students with nutritious vegetarian meals, because he was concerned about the health of the whole university. This miraculous invitation was a great encouragement to fellow practitioners. If we act purely out of the sincerity of serving others, and pray to Master for help, the results will definitely be satisfactory. Knowing that the method imparted by Master can revitalize the souls of the people. He recognized the importance of spiritual practice and found time to bring his wife (a doctor) and a doctor from the university to the Ulan Bator Center to try the vegetarian food and learn the Convenient Method of meditation. He also offered to help to speed up the translation of Master's books into Mongolian. The Mongolian people, warm and romantic by nature, were impressed by Master's work of art. A fashion designer showed a particular interest in the generous use of the color gold in Master's collection, which in his opinion was in accord with their "great desert culture". The sample booklet in Mongolian showed on its cover a photo of Master wearing a golden robe and a snow-white cape. This brought many comments that She looked exactly like a monarch of the desert. No wonder Master has attracted the attention of so many sons and daughters of the desert!
On the first visit to a lama temple, the chief lama and deputy lama received them personally, despite their busy schedule. Chief Lama D. Dambajav was a religious consultant to the Mongolian president, and was known for his open attitude toward other religious sects. Knowing that Master is teaching the Supreme Method as indicated in the Buddhist scriptures, the chief lama invited us to deliver a lecture in his temple, and even volunteered to act as interpreter. He also offered to do the same for Master if She came to Mongolia. Fellow practitioners commended on his openness and asked him jokingly: "Aren't you afraid that your followers might run to Supreme Master Ching Hai?" The chief lama answered with a sense of humor, "It'd be better then for all of us to build an ashram so we can practice together." The evening before the video lecture at the temple, fellow practitioners worked throughout the night preparing hundreds of vegetarian buns for God's children the next day. When Sunday (Feb. 1, 1998) dawned, a huge crowd gathered in the grand hall for the lecture and all the lamas in the temple took their seats. After the Chief Lama D.Dambajav and Deputy Lama Ch. Tsedendamba had introduced Master, we showed a videotape of Her lecturing in Thailand in 1993. When the dignified and magnificent Master appeared on the screen in a brilliant gold-colored dress with Her right shoulder exposed, it seemed as though the Buddha's statue in the hall had come to life. Subdued exclamations of admiration could be heard in the hall. The audience listened very attentively to the translation; some people even jotted down notes. At the end of the lecture, members of the audience came forward at the instructions of the chief lama to respectfully receive copies of the sample booklet and buns that had been offered to the Buddha. Very humbly they prostrated before Master's photo, while fellow practitioners talked them about how to cook vegetarian food. Outside the hall, people lingered, eager to ask questions and learn more. Several days later, the chief lama accompanied fellow initiates to the 109 Children's Home in the suburbs to distribute clothes and gifts to the orphans. Holding colorful balloons imprinted with Supreme Master Ching Hai's name in their hands, these little angels sang a song to express their gratitude for Master's love. The director and teachers happily received the sample booklets. News of this event of love and compassion was broadcast on the Ulan Bator Radio that evening.
We left Ulan Bator early in the morning when the city was asleep. As we approached the airport, we saw a white city gate built in ancient style. Up in the blue sky above Mongolia, the moon and stars looked especially misty, as though taking people back to their age-old memories. It is the same old moon shining above the modern city! Innumerable souls have come and gone, transmigrating for centuries in the cycle of birth and death. We pray that the Longevity Heaven would bless its children and steer them away from hesitation toward the gateway of liberation.กน |