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The Supreme Master
Ching Hai News No. 103

Master's Words
The Quan Yin Method is the Most Advanced Science

Aphorisms
Aphorisms

Panorama of Events Japan Formosa Hong Kong U.K. Canada U.S.A. Bolivia Little Message Promoting the Vegetarian Diet with Loving Helpfulness Professions and Spiritual Practice Spiritual Life and Professional Ethics Defend What is Right and Just Small Business, Easy Living Special Reports Supreme Master Ching Hai's 1999 European Lecture Tour - True Treasures Recognized Only by Wisdom Eyes Spain Portugal The Netherlands Poland Russia Armenia Bulgaria Greece Italy Hungary Slovenia Czech Republic Finland Sweden Norway Scotland Ireland England-U.K. London International Three-Day Retreat - Ocean of Love Coming with Great Force and Rushing Infinitely Receipts Helping the Kosovo Refugees in Albania Media Reports Formosa Daily News International Herald Tribune, U.S.A. Renewed-Life Daily, Formosa Notes on Master's European Lecture Tour An Attentive Master Fellow Initiates' Selfless Devotion Pearls of Wisdom Pearls of Wisdom Between Master and Disciples Thus I Have Heard and Thus I Have Seen Drops in the Ocean of Love Learning the Lesson of Love My Mom - A Living Saint Children's Column Ecstasy in Heaven Spiritual Interlude Enlightenment through Shoes Front Line Master's Dharma in Istanbul Sharing Inspiring Thoughts "25 Bodhisattvas' Experiences" in the Surangama Sutra Love in Action Contributions and Help for Lepers Care for Fire Victims Sending Urgent Aid to the Needy Expenditures and Receipts for Activities of Love in Action in Formosa (February - April 1999) Letters of Appreciation From a Charitable Organization in Au Lac from Nicaragua - The Republic's First Lady Elevation of the Soul Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Video Tapes Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Audio Tapes

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A Little Message:
In speaking of God, or the Supreme Spirit, Master instructs us to use original non-sexist terms to avoid the argument about whether God is a She or a He.
She + He = Hes (as in Bless)
Her + Him = Hirm (as in Firm)
Hers + His = Hiers (as in Dear)
Example: When God wants, Hes makes things happen according to Hiers will
to suit Hirmself.

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"God loves you very much and if you want to see Hirm, I have to show you the way."

~ Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai during Her European lecture tour. ~

News No. 103
Contents

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Color Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ★Back to Contents
Supreme Master Ching Hai's 1999 European Lecture Tour -
True Treasures Recognized Only by Wisdom Eyes > height="60">

Color Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ★Back to Contents
Supreme Master Ching Hai's 1999 European Lecture Tour -
True Treasures Recognized Only by Wisdom Eyes >

The Supreme Master
Ching Hai News No. 103

Master's Words
The Quan Yin Method is the Most Advanced Science

Aphorisms
Aphorisms Panorama of Events Japan Formosa Hong Kong U.K. Canada U.S.A. Bolivia Little Message Promoting the Vegetarian Diet with Loving Helpfulness Professions and Spiritual Practice Spiritual Life and Professional Ethics Defend What is Right and Just Small Business, Easy Living Special Reports Supreme Master Ching Hai's 1999 European Lecture Tour - True Treasures Recognized Only by Wisdom Eyes Spain Portugal The Netherlands Poland Russia Armenia Bulgaria Greece Italy Hungary Slovenia Czech Republic Finland Sweden Norway Scotland Ireland England-U.K. London International Three-Day Retreat - Ocean of Love Coming with Great Force and Rushing Infinitely Receipts Helping the Kosovo Refugees in Albania Media Reports Formosa Daily News International Herald Tribune, U.S.A. Renewed-Life Daily, Formosa Notes on Master's European Lecture Tour An Attentive Master Fellow Initiates' Selfless Devotion Pearls of Wisdom Pearls of Wisdom Between Master and Disciples Thus I Have Heard and Thus I Have Seen Drops in the Ocean of Love Learning the Lesson of Love My Mom - A Living Saint Children's Column Ecstasy in Heaven Spiritual Interlude Enlightenment through Shoes Front Line Master's Dharma in Istanbul Sharing Inspiring Thoughts "25 Bodhisattvas' Experiences" in the Surangama Sutra Love in Action Contributions and Help for Lepers Care for Fire Victims Sending Urgent Aid to the Needy Expenditures and Receipts for Activities of Love in Action in Formosa (February - April 1999) Letters of Appreciation From a Charitable Organization in Au Lac from Nicaragua - The Republic's First Lady Elevation of the Soul Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Video Tapes Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Audio Tapes

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eNews
Subscribe
Magazine
Online Subscribers will receive the latest e-magazine, as well as selected aphorisms, "Pearls of Wisdom", etc.

Download E103 Files "God loves you very much and if you want to see Hirm, I have to show you the way."

~ Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai during Her European lecture tour. ~

News No. 103
Contents

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Professions and Spiritual Practice

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Washington D.C. International 4-day retreat December 23, 1997 (Originally in English)

Q: I have a dilemma and it's between me, who I am, and my profession. I'm a lawyer; I represent large companies and corporations. The people we sue are oftentimes injured, either physically or even in some cases, someone has died, and my job is to make it so that the company doesn't pay any money. The dilemma that I have is that many times I look back on what is a success professionally, but for myself is troublesome because I feel like on many occasions there are people that deserved to have received some sort of payment and didn't because of my actions. I am quite troubled by that and I was wondering if you could lend me some comfort.

M: I understand. You are not the only one who has this question. Well, either you have to do it the way that the company wants because you are paid for it, or quit and get your own office. A lawyer often has to do things that he knows are not proper, and if he does it too often, then he may forget that it is not proper, and it becomes a habit. Therefore, it is up to you to do it the way you want, or to do it the way the world wants. You choose between your conscience and your payment and fame. Did you watch the movie "The Devil's Advocate"?

Q: Yes, recently.

M: Good, and did you see "The Rain Maker"?

Q: I haven't seen that one.

M: It is similar. Go watch that and then you will have your own answer. There are many other jobs to do. Also, you can teach in law school, or is that also in terms of breeding other lawyers? [Laughter] A lot of people feel the same way as you do because they started out very idealistic as newborn lawyers. They wanted to fight for justice and to defend the weak and needy, but then situations forced them into doing the opposite. Many times, they come home and do not feel very good; they don't feel the money they earned is all clean. I don't know if there are other choices for lawyers or not. Maybe you can open your own corporation, but there is so much competition.

It is very difficult to be successful in this world and to keep our standard at the same time. It is up to you to choose your way of life; I cannot tell you what to do. As long as you are paid by the company to defend for it, you have done a good job. That is what you are paid for, and you are faithful and loyal to your company. No one can blame you for that.

On the other hand, your conscience will tell you that that poor employee has nothing left. After he dies or has an accident, his life is finished, his family's future is darkened, and your conscience will not rest. That is the problem, and not that you are wrong or the person is right. It has nothing to do with that. As far as your job is concerned, you have done excellently. That is what you have to do because you are paid to do it. You have done well, but it is up to you now to choose between being a successful lawyer and a conscientious human being.

The Best Mansion

There are other jobs to do, like selling tofu outside [Laughter] or delivering pizza. The problem with us is that once we climb the ladder of success, it is very difficult to stop there or climb down. But it's very easy once you renounce inside your heart, knowing that a clean conscience and peace of mind are worth every piece of gold in this world, and then you can decide.

We don't have to live in Beverly Hills; we don't have to live on Capitol Hill. We can live in a mobile home, which is very cheap. A secondhand mobile home costs about $15,000 or $20,000 or sometimes even five or ten thousand dollars. You don't have much to clean, and you don't need servants once a month or once a week. That's what I do; I am living in a mobile home right now, and you can laugh at me if you like. I can afford more than that but at the moment, it's not necessary. If I had a bigger house then I would have to depend on a lot of people for cleaning, mowing the lawn, and all that. There are many unnecessary expenses. It is a privilege and prestigious to live in a big house, to have a name-brand car and all that if you can afford it. If you cannot, a secondhand car will do and a mobile home will be fine.

You will feel very happy when you don't have debts to pay, when you don't have anyone that blames you, and you don't blame yourself for any wrongdoing. That is the best "mansion" that you can ever have for yourself - peace of mind and a clear conscience. That is why many Masters tell you to forsake the world in order to gain Heaven. Whoever clings to life will lose it. Whoever forsakes life will find eternal life. [Matt 16:25] That is the meaning of it.

We are too bound to material comforts and "musts, do's, and don'ts," and we forget to liberate ourselves from all this; we don't need all that. We don't need to go to Beverly Hills to parties; we can forsake them all. We can leave all the friends that are posh and rich, and make us feel competitive and as if we have to be forever climbing to be like them. After awhile you are tired of parties, big friends, names, and all that, and you just like to stay at home in your own room, even a small room would be fine. You just meditate and you feel so good inside; you do not need any material things to show off, and then any job will do. We don't depend on jobs; we don't depend on fame and prestige to live our lives. We depend on God; we depend on inner tranquility and a clear conscience. That is why Jesus said, Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall know God. [Matt 5:8] You have to become like a child in order to enter the Kingdom. That's what it is.

We cannot become like a child if we forever have to strive to be like next door. To go to this and that party because so many names are there, we have to be someone also or else we are no one, and we cannot go there; we feel ashamed. We should not feel ashamed. We should feel ashamed if we do something against God's will. If we are not a morally equipped person, if we are not conscientiously noble, then we should feel ashamed.

We never should feel ashamed if we lack material means, if we live in a humble house, or have a secondhand car. That is what binds a lot of people, making them stick to a position and work against their own conscience and will. They suffer so much internally, all the gold in the world cannot make up for it. Then they will feel sick and later all the sickness will boil up into cancer and those kinds of things. It's not worth it. I am just telling people what binds them and how to liberate themselves. Money is poison. It poisons many people and damages a lot of good persons with its fame and illusionary prestige. >

Spiritual Life and Professional Ethics Defend What is Right and Just
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Professions and Spiritual Practice

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Washington D.C. International 4-day retreat, December 24, 1997 (Originally in English)

Actually, in this kind of situation, it is wrong because the lawyer is there to protect the company whenever the situation demands, not always blindly defending the company even when the company is wrong. That is the purpose of having a lawyer anywhere or anytime, not only for a company, but also in the private sector and for any enterprise or any undertaking.

Suppose someone wrongs us, accuses us of something that we have not done, or deprives us of something that we rightfully deserve, then we need a lawyer to defend for us because we do not know much about the law. He is an expert and can argue for us, then we need an attorney. They should be the ones who defend the weak and help ignorant or oppressed people. In cases where a company is wrongly accused and taken advantage of by the employees or by another company, a lawyer should do his best to defend for that company. Then it is OK; that is the best way to use a lawyer. It is not just to have him there so that you always win, and your company always saves money or takes money from other people. Therefore, it is not the lawyer's fault; it is the company's fault.

A lawyer for any company or any individual should strive to understand all the facts, and then defend for what is right, not defending the client, but defending for justice. Then it doesn't matter. But in most cases, people just make use of a lawyer to win a court case without regard to whether it is right or wrong, and this is no good.

If you are a lawyer or intend to be a lawyer and if you are going to work for any company or any person, you should bear this in mind. If your client is wrong, tell him he is and that you refuse to defend him. Or, you can challenge the policy of the company and say that your profession is to defend what is right and just and you cannot go beyond that. If they fire you, then go do something else, sell tofu or something. [Laughter] I told you yesterday that we don't have to live the life of the rich and famous in order to be human beings. The more we strive for outside richness and fame, the more we are slaves to all kinds of wrongdoing in this world. We should always strive to be righteous and right, and then no matter what we do, we will not fear anything.

Forsake the World in Order to Gain Heaven

You remember the story about Rama in India, when he was nominated to be the future king, he was prepared to be king. Then his father removed him from denomination because the Queen became jealous and talked him out of it. So, he was exiled to a very far away country. He was also prepared to go there, and people asked him, "Are you not sad? Why are you not standing up for your rights?" He said: "What for? If I am given a kingdom, then I will have to fulfill my obligations and do my duty the best that I can. But if the kingdom is taken away from me, good, then I don't have to do it. I will have a lot more time to meditate, to think of God, and to do something else." When we look at things that way, we don't feel so confused and do not struggle inside anymore. We don't care, and that is the right attitude for everyone, especially for Quan Yin practitioners.

Before I came to D.C., I had already bought a ticket and so had one of my companions. When we went to the airport, he forgot that his ID Card had a different name on it and he had not brought the new one. The airline would not let him on the plane, and they made so much trouble, so much fuss.

And this is in America where normally people don't check names; I don't know why they did that. I was ready to curse the whole company because it was at the last minute and they told us that we had to go back to get the ID. We were going to be late, and a lot of people were waiting for us here. We couldn't get in touch with them at that time because the telephones and everything had not yet been connected. But then I thought, "No, don't do that. It may be for something good," and then I just smiled. It makes you feel peaceful when you forgive people, and when you think that maybe it is God's arrangement for something else better, or for someone's benefit. It might not be for your benefit, but it might be for someone else's benefit. Whatever it is, it is God's arrangement; otherwise, it would not happen. That is what I think all the time. Then suddenly another lady jumped in from nowhere and said, "You can buy another ticket with this ID card and get a refund on the other ticket." So, there was no problem and we left on time and arrived on time also.

It is not because of the new ticket or anything, it's just the attitude that makes you feel so good. Before the new arrangement comes, you already feel good; you have already made peace with God and with the whole world within yourself. This is a very beneficial way for us and we can think that way because we meditate, because we are calm in our hearts and we don't feel hostile toward any situation or any people, let alone someone who has not done us any wrong, like the client of the opposition. So, as a lawyer or any defender of justice, you should remember this.

We should rather do ourselves harm than do someone else harm, except in self-defense, and then you should do what you think is right. But normally, I just let God do what is right; I don't even bother to defend myself. What do we have that is worth defending, after all? Should I defend myself so that I live longer in this body, or that I eat more in the few more days or few more years that I live? Or do I need to defend my fame? Why do I have any fame and how does it serve me? Of course, it is good if our group has a good name, then it is more comfortable for us, and we can do many beneficial things for humankind. But if it doesn't happen that way, it is all right. I have less work to do and you have less brothers and sisters in the same group. They are also our brothers and sisters even if they are outside our group, so it doesn't matter; we don't lose anything. >

Spiritual Life and Professional Ethics Defend What is Right and Just
Small Business, Easy Living height="60">
Professions and Spiritual Practice

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai International 4-Day Retreat.Washington D. C., U. S. A. December 27, 1997

If you don't want to have a good position, you can go out and sell tofu. [Laughter] Not in America maybe, but you can sell hot dogs - vegetarian hot dogs. Are you allowed in America to sell hot dogs on the street? [Audience: Yes] Then why don't you do that? If people know how tasty vegetarian hot dogs are, they will come for more. It's very easy. They sell vegetarian hot dogs in the market, or you can import them from Formosa. One kind of Formosan hot dog is very beautiful. I make sandwiches with it all the time. You can make it with soft American hot dog bread, or take French bread, and slit and butter it. Boil the hot dog; you don't have to grill it. Have a pot of water and always have hot dogs swimming inside. Then pick it out, put it in the slit bread, buttered already, and put some tomato, sliced cucumber, coriander leaves (cilantro), and then some salt, pepper, ketchup, and what else? - mustard and Maggi sauce. Beautiful! You can sell coffee or Coca Cola to go with it. That's beautiful! I made that all the time before, and I liked it very much. You can sell them very cheaply in front of movies, the university or schools. You'll make money in no time. All you need is very little capital and a small car, and there are a lot of things you can do.

Some people always look for big business, and that's why they are miserable. You can just sell necessary items, the ones that people cannot go without, and sell them in a crowded place with a small budget. That will make more money than a big restaurant, believe me, because you don't have anything to worry about. No big taxes to pay, no personnel, no tablecloths, and things like waiting on people and people sitting there for a long time. At hot dog stands or in places like McDonald's, they come and go, come and go, and they make a lot of money. That is why the McDonald's kinds of restaurants prosper. You can sell things like vegetarian chicken, hamburgers and all that.

Why do you have to cling to fame, name, and a big position? Big businesses have a lot of headaches and stress; they break up your relationships, break up your marriage. Sometimes your children leave you, your wife hates you, because you are always in conferences and doing business, and you don't take care of them, etc. This is just a joke, a suggestion, but you have a thousand ideas about what to do. Or you can sell things like woolen scarves in winter in front of a big place. Some people forget them, and when they see the colorful scarves, they will buy one or two. These are cheap and quick. Or sell socks and these kinds of convenient things, like hats that cover the ears. Those kinds of hats, you can make yourself, or buy and sell. In summer, you can sell something else and in winter, you can sell something different, some small things, if it's allowed. That's very simple. >

Spiritual Life and Professional Ethics Defend What is Right and Just
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Special Reports

True Treasures
Recognized Only by Wisdom Eyes

The annual exhibition of jewelry and timepieces held in Basel, Switzerland - plays a leading role in setting worldwide trends in jewelry circles. The participating exhibitors must first pass a set of strict screening procedures. The world's best-known jewelry firms and many famous observers attend the Basel showing. The exhibits this year were divided into four showrooms, one of which was the Asian Hall.

View Color Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The unrivalled celestial jewelry designed by Supreme Master Ching Hai attracted both jewelry professionals and the audience, and induced them to linger. Some people even came back to the booth after they had just quickly passed by it. They appreciated each of the art pieces, as if they were digging out a great treasure from under the ground. The more they looked, the more beauty they discovered and the more they understood the meanings represented by the celestial jewelry. One Indian jewelry company came to visit us on the day before the exhibition. They were very surprised and curious about the design of the celestial jewelry. It seemed that they had never seen such unique, sophisticated designs and quality manufacturing.

Before the exhibition we distributed several hundred invitations among famous jewelry designers, political and business people, and the media, in order to reach more people with the affinity to know a Living Master through the fine arts. We held four news conferences on the subject of "Beauty and Its Relationship to the Celestial World," and during our stay in Basel, Master was personally present at each of the conferences.

At the first conference, many chief editors and journalists from jewelry and fashion magazines were represented, such as Europa Star International Jewelery magazine; news agency, Zurich; "World of Watches and Jewelry" from Lebanon; the Information Center of the United Nations, London; "Jewelry News Asia" of Hong Kong; "Bijoux Magazine" of Brussels; the Italian Federation of Silversmiths; Italian Gold Magazine; HR magazine; "Lifestyle" magazine, Vienna; "Currents" magazine, Miami; Vietnet Television, Switzerland; Miller Freeman Asia Ltd. Hong Kong; "Carat" International Magazine; Vogue" and "Gioiello", Milano.

Dressed in pure white, Master looked very noble and fresh. She attracted everyone's eye with Her kind smile and humorous yet elegant speech and manner. The feelings She generated seemed like a soft breeze under the bright, warm spring Sun. She explained the true meaning of the celestial jewelry. The gold and jewelry are actually just dust to us, and not even worthy of being mentioned, She said. However, in this physical world these shining materials can be used to wake up our true inner self and make us remember our glorious Home.

During the second conference, many dignitaries gathered. The audience also included the ambassador from Israel, Mr. Mayer and his wife, the ambassador from Indonesia, Mrs. Tati S. Darsoyo, and jewelry designers and business people; as well as the organizer of the exhibition. At the beginning, we provided them with a brief biography of Supreme Master Ching Hai and a description of Her recent charitable acts involving disaster relief by showing them a videotape. The tape explained that Supreme Master Ching Hai offers the money that She makes from Her celestial jewelry to needy people around the world. Then we played the videotape that briefly introduces the 9th generation of celestial jewelry designed by Supreme Master Ching Hai. The visitors not only admired the jewelry, but also highly praised its designer, who has such high and noble ideals and a great, compassionate heart.

The wife of the ambassador from Israel is an artist, and also designs jewelry. Before leaving, the ambassador from Israel told us that he loves the 9th generation celestial jewelry very much because it is so perfect. He had the greatest esteem for Master's great love and kept saying that She is a really great Master. The ambassador from Indonesia exchanged opinions and discussed many questions with Master. The ambassador said that this news conference gave her a beautiful and deep impression. She was very glad to have been able to attend the conference. Other jewelry designers and business people also expressed their views that the celestial jewelry was very fine, unique, and worthy of being treasured.

At the third conference, the following organizations were represented: the Hong Kong Jewelry & Trade manufacturers Association; the Hong Kong Trade Development Council; the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry; a geochemist working for Development and Environmental Management in Zurich; and Mr. Yun-cheh Huang, general director of the Cultural and Economic Delegation of Taipei, in Bern.

After watching the video introduction, the audience, to our surprise, asked many questions about spiritual practice, each of which Master answered. An Indian jewelry businessman was very lovely. He listened very carefully, smiling all the time from the very beginning of Master's talk, and frequently nodded his head to agree with Master. He seemed intoxicated in Master's infinite love and reluctant to leave even after the conference had ended.

The fourth conference was held in Geneva. Dressed in a noble white gown, Master circulated among the guests and greeted everyone in a kind way. Her humorous talk made people laugh repeatedly. The ambassador from Albania and his wife (Mr. & Mrs. Vladimir Thanati) came, along with representatives from the Red Cross and "Medicins sans Frontieres". A very nice Iranian lady who had wanted to meet Master for a long time had flown into Geneva from the other end of Switzerland on very short notice. In addition, a "film-star" who had met Master in the hotel lobby, also come along with Master.

Master thanked the delegates of the humanitarian organizations for the good job they were doing and gave them encouragement to continue.

The ambassador from Albania said to Master that he has the greatest esteem for Master's charitable acts. Recently, more than 400,000 refugees have fled to Albania, a small, very poor country that cannot cope with this influx. Organizing the basic necessities for so many people took a great deal of time and effort, as many of them were in areas that were very difficult to reach. The government of Albania thus was feeling much pressure, and he hoped to get Master's blessing and help. After listening to the ambassador, Master showed Her concern about the situation and asked him to provide us with more information. Master said that She would do Her best to help Albania get past this difficult time. (In accordance with Master's instructions, The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association offered US$50,000 to Albania through the Red Cross in order to comfort the refugees. Please see attached receipt and letter 1 & 2). Master said that we'll send more financial help as needed.

Then, many of the guests contended with each other to get an opportunity to discuss spiritual practice with Master. They asked for Master's advice and suggestions on questions that had been hidden in their hearts for a long time. Master answered every one of their questions to satisfy the longing of their souls.

For the jewelry designers and business people, the jewelry exhibition is a place where they present their best designs and display their products. Through the celestial jewelry, Supreme Master Ching Hai not only showed the glory of Heaven and the beauty of the soul, but also distributed the seeds of love and wisdom, as well as cementing many good affinities with sentient beings.

Her love and the longing of sentient beings seem not to allow Master any breaks. Right after the four news conferences, the very next morning, She flew to Spain to begin Her European lecture tour, which included talks in 18 countries in a period of 35 days.

Supreme Master Ching Hai's 1999 European Lecture Tour - True Treasures Recognized Only by Wisdom Eyes Spain Portugal The Netherlands Poland Russia Armenia Bulgaria Greece Italy Hungary Slovenia Czech Republic Finland Sweden Norway Scotland Ireland England-U.K. London International Three-Day Retreat - Ocean of Love Coming with Great Force and Rushing Infinitely >

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Special Reports

In visiting the capitals of 18 European countries, Master brought inspiration to thousands of people with Her message of hope and love and Her shining example of the difference that one life can make. For many years, this great spirit packed into a petite and fragile physical frame has touched hundreds of thousands of lives through Her offerings of physical and spiritual care to the world. As a designer of clothing and jewelry, She has used Her artistic talents to raise funds that have helped victims of disasters around the world. Yet Her aid to humanity surpasses physical needs. The Supreme Master Ching Hai teaches the Quan Yin Method of meditation and guides people back to their own inner God qualities.

On May 5, Master opened Her European lecture tour in Madrid, Spain. The venue for the lecture, the centrally located Palacio de Congresos, attracted many people in a lecture organized just days before Her arrival.

Her message was one of touching simplicity and found a great response among audience members that night. Master pointed out that, "In the universe, and generally speaking, on this planet, God has created many things for Hiers children to enjoy, material things and also very abstract things. Material things bring us comfort, wealth and much satisfaction. And on the other hand, abstract spiritual knowledge brings us bliss, happiness and life everlasting. One who is successful in material acquisition enjoys much in material comfort, but sometimes it has a side effect that he forgets the spiritual blessings that God has saved for all of us. And the ones who are successful only in the spiritual aspect, sometimes don't care about material gain. So sometimes it also has a side effect for people who see them. It makes them form an opinion about them that following God, pursuing spiritual practice is going to lead to poverty.

"And some people who are successful in both the material and spiritual aspects present themselves sometimes in both aspects, and also this has side effects. People will wonder what kind of God-follower is that, who looks so luxurious and doesn't look like a monk, so there are always some side effects to everything. It is because the minds of our people are used to one extreme or another, and really we can neutralize the material and spiritual aspects and make of them a perfect life for ourselves. We are the children of God. We can choose to do whatever we want. But we must know how.

"After being successful in spiritual practice, we also by the way often gain material success as well. That's why in the Bible, it is stated, "Seek you first the Kingdom of God, and all other things shall be added unto you." To be successful in the spiritual world, we have to know the way to contact the source of all spiritual power. In order to do that we just have to be quiet during some moments of our lives, and we shall know how to focus, and then we can communicate with God."

After the lecture drew to an end, a large number of people in the audience received initiation into the Quan Yin Method, or training in the Convenient Method of meditation. Master personally conducted the initiation, which brought immediate enlightenment to these souls who had been longing for liberation in this lifetime. After being cleared of the karmic hindrances that had been gathered through their countless previous lives, these completely renewed souls now started on their journey to the Kingdom of God, the origin of all lives.

Special Reports

In Portugal, over ninety-four percent of the population is Roman Catholic. They are strong in their beliefs and believe sincerely in their Saints. There is a famous legend in Portugal about an apparition of the Virgin Mary to three children.

One day many years ago, three children were tending their sheep in a field. At noon, as was their custom, they knelt down in prayer with their rosaries (prayer beads). After praying, they began to play. Suddenly, they saw a flash of lightning. Thinking that a storm was coming, they began to herd their sheep downhill. Once again, they saw the flash of lightning and on the hilltop appeared a radiant lady of beauty. This legend is known as "Our Lady of Fatima" and a huge monument was erected where she was believed to have appeared to the three children. Every year thousands of people come to Portugal on pilgrimages to this historic site.

On 7 May 1999, another beautiful lady of Light appeared before a large crowd in Lisbon, Portugal. The Supreme Master Ching Hai lectured to a packed audience of Portuguese people at the luxurious Meridian Park Hotel in the center of downtown Lisbon. Prior to the Portugal lecture, many of Her disciples from different countries had come to prepare for Her arrival. They found that the people they met in Lisbon were open-minded and warmhearted and showed great interest in Master's sample booklets and leaflets. When fellow initiates from Brazil distributed leaflets in the chilly wind and rain, a passerby came up to talk with them and asked many questions. He then offered to lead them to a "University City" to distribute leaflets. On the way he showed them subway stations and other crowded places. When Korean fellow initiates went downtown to put up posters, they could not find parking, but unexpectedly a policeman offered to help. Searching for ten minutes, he finally found a parking space and guided our fellow initiates there.

The lecture was held in a nice hotel. We were allowed to enter the lecture hall four hours before the scheduled starting time. Everyone moved around swiftly, soon transforming the hall into a sacred place. The members of the Celestial Clothes and Jewelry Groups made an astoundingly beautiful arrangement of Master's artworks, literally creating a Heaven on Earth.

When everything was in order, the lecture hall had become tightly packed. A short film was first shown giving a brief account of Master's life. After the audience watched the film absorbedly, several fellow initiates talked about the benefits of a vegetarian diet and how the Quan Yin Method improved their quality of life and state of mind. Then our beautiful Master, in a white gown and a white cape, arrived at the venue. Many youths and ladies kept their eyes on Master, smiling. A Portuguese lady hurried away, telling us that she was going to bring her roommate there to see Master. A young man also went off to fetch his girlfriend so that they could together witness the most significant event in their lives.

The wholehearted sincerity of the Portuguese when they embraced Master's teachings struck us with awe. Though they are not rich, they eagerly purchased Master's books for further study. Many of them requested to learn the Convenient Method or the Quan Yin Method of meditation. A twenty year old Portuguese man left his home and had no money in his pockets. As he walked on the street, he saw our poster and was suddenly awakened. He very much wanted to attend the lecture. While thinking about this, he got just enough money to cover the bus fare to the lecture hall. While listening to Master's lecture, he had a feeling that he had known Master's teachings for a long time. During the time for questions and answers, Master's answers came to his mind even before She spoke. In this unsophisticated country, it proved true that material wealth does not stand for richness of spirituality and morality.

Special Reports

The day that Master gave Her lecture in the Netherlands just happened to be Mother's day. She offered Her congratulations and all the flowers She had been given before to the mothers in the hall. The main points of Master's lecture stressed that "Once we know the grace of God, life begins to change, life begins to be the way it should be, life begins to be like Heaven." While answering questions after Her talk, Master told us a little story about Her time with a Muslim taxi driver. When She closed Her eyes and meditated, the driver asked Her, "Are you sleeping?" and Master answered, "No, no, I am praying, I pray five or six times a day." The driver said: "But if you pray, you must go to a mosque, you must do this and that." Master said, "No, our prayer is simple. I have a mini mosque I carry in my handbag. Our method is very convenient."

Someone asked Master whether She expected the future coming of Christ, as many people do. Master answered: "No, I don't. I know He came already. [Audience gave a warm round of applause] Master continued: "The Jews asked the same question when Jesus was alive. They were waiting for the Messiah and killed the one that had already come. Don't do the same again."

While answering a question about what Master thinks of angels, Master said: "Angels are my friends. The Father sent them to help me. They do anything I want, and are very helpful people. And after you are initiated, I also ask to supply some more angels for you, personal assistance, at least five for each."

Master gave many people advice about life: "Only enlightenment will make you happy without having any more desires, will make you understand everything, and will loosen your attachment to all kinds of things."

After Master's lively, loving and wise lecture, many people determined that they would get initiation and walk the way Master has shown us. These new torches have now been illuminated and will make our world brighter.

Special Reports

Polish fellow initiates had been waiting for years for Master to visit our country, and it was with great joy that we received the news that Master was coming to Poland. We were very exited at this news and at the same time we wanted to do our best to prepare for Her arrival in our country. Very quickly we rented a hall for the lecture. We also informed the media about Master's visit and put ads in the press, and on radio and TV. Many initiates from all over the world came to help us with distributing flyers on the streets of Warsaw. The preparations for the lecture took a lot of effort. We worked day and night. We were tired but the delicious food prepared by the disciples gave us energy. We had a very large response. The telephone in the Center rang continuously for days. But we still didn't know how many people would actually attend the lecture, so we were extremely happy when we saw that the lecture hall was filled to capacity.

During the lecture Master said: "Poland is a holy land. Because one of the greatest men on the planet was born in Poland, his Holiness Pope John-Paul II. Master mentioned that in the Bible, it says: In the house of my Father, there are many mansions. These different mansions, or different levels of consciousness or different levels of the universe exist at the same time. And therefore we have the choice to choose one event or another at a lower level or an event of a higher level at the same time. There is a way we can choose. God gives us the free will to choose which event is most pleasing to us. After initiation, because the connection with God which had been severed before, is newly reconnected, we live our lives in peace, in security, and in the immense love of God every second, awake or asleep, because we have the choice to leave the coarse, gross, rough energy, the rough level of energy behind us or below us. And we have the choice to ascend into a higher level of life, which exists at the same time, and to take out whatever goodness is from that higher level.

People asked Master many questions. The atmosphere of the lecture was permeated with peace and happiness. Master's love changed people's hearts. One person who attended the lecture said that he never expected that it would affect him so much......

Special Reports

It was the first time Master had given a lecture in Russia and the fellow initiates were delighted. They made every effort to spread the good news. The warmhearted local residents also helped to distribute leaflets. Master's coming brightened the city of Moscow.

The lecture was held at the Meridian Culture Center, a splendid, modern building. On the evening of the lecture wave after wave of people arrived and packed the spacious venue, evidencing the great interest of the people of Moscow in spiritual development.

In Her lecture, Master said: "God has given me the duty to come to remind my brothers and sisters, to help you to reconnect yourself with your great Father, with our Father." "In order to find Hirm, we have to go step by step upward, not remain here, and not go down. I am here to show you how to go up. I will show you the stairs but you must walk by yourselves." "There is so much suffering, so much war, so much famine, so much disaster in the world and God suffers too. Hes wants Hiers children to be happy. Hes wants Hiers children to make use of the power that Hes has bestowed on them, but that they have all forgotten."

In the question and answer session after Her talk, Master said: "As you can see, our world is progressing very quickly right now. In just a few short decades, everything has sped up very fast and a spiritual atmosphere is pervading the whole planet. More and more people are practicing real meditation, and vegetarians are everywhere. So you can see that the world is going to get better and better, nearer to the golden age. And in the year 3000, no one will eat meat anymore. Everyone will be vegetarian. Everyone will be a saint."

During the lecture, a loving atmosphere pervaded the venue. One audience member said to Master: "While we are in Your presence, we feel that our dirt is removed, and our painful sensations are also removed, and we feel happiness, we feel light." Master's love filled many eyes with tears. One fellow initiate had met Master for the first time. Tears of joy kept flowing down her cheeks. When she looked at a non-initiate Russian girl sitting next to her, she found a mate to share her happy tears. Regardless of whether one has known Master before or not, his/her soul can recognize Her, knowing that the dearest one has come to guide them, the lost children, back to the Kingdom of God, so their happy tears are not able to stop......

Right after the lecture, many people decided to request initiation into the Quan Yin Method. Looking upon their sincere faces and glittering eyes, the Quan Yin messenger asked them whether they could adhere to a vegetarian diet. They all gave affirmative replies. One twelve-year-old boy from China also wanted to be initiated. It was explained to him that, at his age, he could only receive initiation if he had an initiated parent to look after him in his meditation. So he dragged his mother by her hand, urging her: "Mom! Fill out the initiation form quickly! Fill it out now!" At the beginning his mother hesitated about undertaking a life-long purely vegetarian diet. But, seeing her son's earnestness, she finally filled out the form. Afterwards, the two of them came together to group meditation. Even though the child was of a young age, he knew he wanted to be a vegetarian and take up spiritual practice. This impressed us and convinced us that God dwelling within us has nothing to do with our age.

During the initiation, everyone had good experiences. Some saw inner light and beautiful scenery in the heavens. Some described excitedly the splendid inner realms of God. Everyone was in bliss and completely assured. Master also came to give some explanations and lead us in reciting the Holy Names. A solemn and loving atmosphere pervaded the room, making both old and new initiates feel greatly moved and highly elated. Some kept shedding tears and staring at Master unblinkingly.

Looking at the new fellow initiates who had just started off on their journey back to the Kingdom of God, we felt hugely rewarded for all our hard work and prepared for greater tasks ahead. Master embraced every one of the staff members. We all felt Her tender and infinite love. The lecture had ended as many began their spiritual journeys. May God bless and protect these sincere souls, bestow the glory, love and peace of Heaven upon the people of Earth, and make the Earth a paradise.

Special Reports

The lecture was presented at the Komitas House of Chamber Music. The main auditorium and balcony were filled and the aisles held the overflow of the crowd. Children, dressed in traditional Armenian costumes, respectfully stood in front of the entrance hall to welcome the Supreme Master in the traditional manner and then escorted Her through the hall and onto the stage. Master hugged these lovely children and gave them candies and red envelopes that contained lucky money.

Master, captivated by the beautiful buildings in Armenia, commented that the people of their ancient civilization were able to match very different colors in constructing such magnificent palaces because of the power of their tremendous inner spiritual energy. Thanking the people of Armenia for sharing their treasure with the world, She pointed out that God likewise had ordered Her to share the spiritual blessing that Hes has bestowed upon Her with the people who would like to know. God has commanded Her to go out into the world wherever requested to give this message: "God loves you very much and if you want to see Hirm, I have to show you the way."

As Master spoke, the audience members listened attentively and frequently expressed their appreciation and understanding by resounding applause. During the question and answer session, someone asked Master if She had seen God and if so, what does Hes look like. Master replied that God appears in whatever form we want. "God has two attributes: form and formless. And even within the attribute of form, Hes has two forms. If Hes wants to materialize in this world, Hes becomes like this. [Master pointed to the people in the audience.] All of these are God's materializations. That is why the Bible says that God dwells within you." Laughingly, Master said, "It's really funny how you don't know that you are God. And there's another form, an invisible form in which God also manifests to communicate with you when you meditate within. That is a little higher level. In the highest level, God is formless; God is only bliss, light, happiness, and indescribable ecstasy - indescribable! And when you see the invisible form of God inside, you feel so exalted that you don't know what to do! In the Bible, it is said, In my Father's house, there are many mansions. That means there are many different attributes of God that we must know one by one."

Another person's comment that he thought Master's presence in Armenia was a great event drew thunderous applause from the audience. After the lecture, Mr. Sarkis Nadjarian, a noted television reporter, presented Master with a beautiful clock on behalf of the Komitas House of Chamber Music in appreciation of Her visit, and by arrangement of its director Mr. Robert Sahakian, the famous Armenian opera singer and recipient of the International Music Award, Ms. Vardue Khachatrian sang two songs dedicated to Supreme Master Ching Hai, "Ocean of Love" and "Suma Ching Hai."

The next evening, after a press conference, Master took part in an occasion entitled "Musical Art - an Evening of Love" convened by Ms. Nadezdha Sarkisian, Congresswoman of Armenia and President of Hayer Cultural Foundation, together with the Sharm Company. After the evening's event, Master met with the new initiates to satisfy their intellectual queries and their longing to be with Her longer. An elderly lady told Master that she had been a doctor for 45 years but now was displaced from her home. Master said She was very sorry that this late in her life she has to go through all this and that She understood her feelings because She was also a refugee. Master continued to say that we are all refugees in this world because this is not our real home, but rather we should seek always to return to our eternal Home and there we will always be at peace. Later, Master taught the new initiates the Holy Names and meditated with them for a while, and when the initiates were deep within, She quietly took Her leave.

(Editorial remark: As arranged by Ms. Nadezdha Sarkisian, Congresswoman of Armenia, and the Sharm Company, Master visited many places on May 15 and 16 during Her sojourn in Armenia. Please watch for more reports in upcoming editions of the News.)

Special Reports

Bulgaria is a country with strong spiritual traditions, but it is currently in a very difficult economic situation. Consequently, many Bulgarians live a poor life and worry about their futures. The war in Kosovo adds to their fears. In this difficult and uncertain time, many are asking themselves why there is all this suffering in the world and how to change things for the better. Supreme Master Ching Hai not only brought the answer to this question, but also brought them a solution to the problem.

The lecture hall in Sofia had about 1500 seats. We all thought this would be too many, and made plans to put people only in the first rows. To our surprise, there were so many people, we had to put them sitting cross legged around the small podium where Master was going to sit. Many also didn't have seats and had to stand up during the lecture. Afterwards, one newspaper wrote: "3000 Awaiting Enlightenment in Universiada Hall".

When Master arrived, She saw some elderly people sitting cross legged on the floor and kindly invited them to sit next to Her on the couch. She also asked people to sit next to Her on the stage, which really warmed up the atmosphere. After the lecture, one elderly lady who sat next to Master told us that it had been the best experience of her entire life.

The message Master brought to the Bulgarian people was simple but powerful: "Only if we find God, will we find true happiness, true peace, everlasting bliss, even in this life and the life-after." Master offered everyone the way to go back Home and merge with the Truth.

Many asked about the cause of the Kosovo war, and how to help so that peace is reestablished. The answer was very simple: "As long as people forget God, there will be war again, not only in Kosovo, but anywhere possible. We have to truly know the God inside, contact with Hirm in order to know the other person is also God, and then one God cannot kill another God, then war will stop. When we don't know this, we just look at each other as another human being, we just look at personality, character, habits, national traditions, and we forgot that there is a God within that person, and that is the main thing."

Master's words were full of Love and power and someone said that She was like a Sun of hope in Sofia, amidst the Kosovo crisis and fear of war. After the lecture, many people asked for initiation and to learn the Convenient Method, and many had wonderful experiences right at initiation.

Special Reports

Greece is a country with a very long spiritual and religious history that has produced many great, world-renowned philosophers, including Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, and many others. Athens, the capital city, has a population of over 4.5 million, and each year many thousands of tourists go there who are keen to learn more about Greece's unique culture and to visit the many truly monumental historical sites that the country is proud of, such as the Acropolis.

On the evening of May 20th, the fortunate people of Greece packed into a centrally located venue, the Park Hotel, eagerly waiting to be graced by the presence of the Supreme Master Ching Hai. Elegantly attired in an orange dress, Master received a very warm welcome as She stepped onto the stage.

Master began Her talk by reminding the people that Greece is a great country full of mythology regarding gods and goddesses. Master further explained clearly: "Knowing God is the only virtue that we must acquire. Ignorance is the only sin we must avoid. Ignorance makes us kill each other, hate each other, damage each other, and compete with each other."

"Ignorance means we don't know that we all are God. Because all the scriptures say that God lives within this temple, so all we see here and everywhere else are God's manifestation in the physical realm. Because of this ignorance, we make war with each other and we acquire greed of every kind because we are not satisfied with the world. Because we came from the Kingdom of God, where we never lacked anything. When we are here we miss that kind of absolute comfort."

"The only thing to stop this is enlightenment, is knowing our true self, which means we visit the Kingdom of God, we visit our true home whenever we want every day in order to know that we have something better and everything here is just temporal and we lose interest in these fake things because we know the true glory. Master said further: "Seeing God is like this, [Master snapped Her fingers], easier than getting a taxi in central Athens." "Enlightenment must be transmitted, a living force from being to being, from soul to soul, directly inside."

On the completion of Master's lecture, the crowd had the opportunity to ask for further information about specific topics. Many questions came flooding in and Master patiently spent time answering and clarifying further to the sincere seekers of Truth. Master stood up throughout the entire lecture and question and answer period, because many people would have been unable to see Her if She had been seated. Fatiguing as that must have been, once again we were reminded of Master's unconditional sacrifice for other people and that She always considers them first and Herself last.

On completion of the lecture, many people rushed to the front of the stage to receive the fruit, candy and flowers that Master kindly distributed. Some people, realizing how rare and precious this occasion was, handed Master their sample booklets or flyers to be signed, at which point She remarked that She was not a movie star. Many people, looking to quench their spiritual thirst, requested initiation into the Quan Yin Method of meditation.

Special Reports

Rome has been called for a very long time "The Eternal City". Thus it wasn't just by chance that Supreme Master Ching Hai decided to deliver a lecture, "Immediate Enlightenment: One Life Liberation" there.

On May 22, people of all nationalities came to the cozy "Teatro Bracaccio" to listen to Master speak. The stage was nicely decorated with antique statues and columns next to Master's seat.

Master mentioned that She had almost forgotten how beautiful it was in Italy, with its magnificent architecture, especially in Rome. She used to be able to speak some Italian, but now She can only understand a little. Why did She forget? It is because everything that we don't practice we forget. Master said, "It's the same with the quality of God. When we are introduced to heaven again for the first time, we will also think it is the first time."

During the lecture, Master coughed often, due to the fact that many Europeans smoke in public places. While talking about this topic Master said, "So some of us, even though we love God, we want to know God, we don't know how to find God directly, and in the hunger for spiritual knowledge, for divine love, we grasp everything that makes us feel a little satisfied, a little intoxicated, or a little blissful for a while because these are the substitutes that we can get at hand, like alcohol, drugs or cigarettes, which are actually poison and just make us even less close to God."

"War and troubles, misunderstanding, anger, and hatred are all the outcome of this frustration of not knowing God. All evils that we think humankind is capable of doing come from this thirst for the knowledge of God. It is ironic, paradoxical, but it is true. It is a desperate call for help. Because they just don't know what else to do, they have to resort to violence, just like when you scream out loud."

"So the people who make war are the people who really are the most desperate for love and for help. But because they are so fixed in this desperation, it is also not very easy to bring love, wisdom and understanding into their state of being. Just like when someone is so sick already, he doesn't even recognize doctors, least of all even being graceful to them. So before we fall into this desperate state, we had better take care of ourselves and take care that we can find the love of God so closely, more practically, so that we don't ever need to experience this kind of helpless situation of deepest desperation."

Special Reports

This lecture was organized to take place in the Congress Center, the largest and most elegant meeting place in Budapest. Although we had worked as hard as we possibly could, we had no idea how many people would come. But reality surpassed even our most ambitious dreams: More than 2000 people came, some having traveled several hundred miles, even from neighboring countries.

Master wore a simple, elegant pink suit. To one question Master made the very clear and unique statement that She has been traveling in Europe since the first of May because of the Kosovo war. She has been going through many different nations, trying to raise the collective energy of the planet to a higher level. The positive energy will overcome the negative energy, and the result will be known to you inside.

Master also mentioned, "I am here not to teach you anything new. I am here just to bring you the key to the Kingdom. The Key is yours, I will just hand it over, because you have forgotten... When Jesus left this planet, He entrusted the key to Saint Peter, and that key has been handed over and over from one generation to the next. Therefore, it might appear in some very unexpected area and with some very unexpected person. I have the key. It just happens that God wants me to have it. And Hes has commanded that I come and inform you. So whatever you have within your beings will be revealed to you after the key has been used to open the treasure within yourself."

When, during the question and answer session, Master mentioned that people interested in initiation could go out and get their names registered, suddenly the whole lecture hall started to move. Many hundreds of people chose to receive initiation, and over five hundred decided to learn the Convenient Method.

Since the lecture in Budapest, we have hundreds of new brothers and sisters, whom we will try to help. With Master's help we know we will succeed!

Special Reports

Slovenia, a small country in Eastern Europe, has a prosperous economy and a population that is pure at heart. Fellow initiates printed several thousand leaflets and distributed them in crowded shopping malls, supermarkets, and railway stations. Many passersby received more than one leaflet, and some happily accepted more for their friends. One earnest person stopped his car close to the initiates and rolled down his window to offer them mint candies, and to tell them that he would come to listen to Master's lecture. Posters were posted in several places, and there were ads placed in local newspapers, spiritual journals, and public buses. Almost everyone in Ljubljana knew about Master's coming.

The lady mayor of Ljubljana wanted to meet Master. Although Master's tight schedule and health condition made it impossible, She sent a Quan Yin messenger and some fellow initiates to visit the mayor on Her behalf. Deputy Mayor Anton Colario received us in the city hall, where we presented him with Master's books, videotapes and magazines. In our half-hour conversation, Mr. Colario told us that he understood Master's ideals and was delighted to have Her deliver a lecture in his city. He also wished that Her lecture tour was a great success. Reporters from several radio stations and magazines wanted to interview Master, but again, Her health condition prevented Her from meeting with them.

On the evening of the lecture, the venue was packed with an audience nearly twice the size of the seating capacity. People who could not get in squeezed up in front of a projecting screen in the lobby outside the lecture hall. Out of compassion, Master invited members of the audience to sit on the stage, while She stood during the lecture. She also offered Her seat to two guests. Master spoke in a husky voice and coughed often. Fellow initiates could hardly contain their tears when they saw Master working so hard, and knew that there were many more lectures to follow.

Nevertheless, the hard work bore fruit. At the end of the lecture, requests for initiation into the Quan Yin Method outnumbered those at any other previous venue on Master's European Lecture Tour. More than half the audience requested initiation either into the Quan Yin Method or the Convenient Method, which overjoyed Master. She had known that Slovenia was a spiritual country even before She came. She complimented the country in Her lecture, saying that She felt as though She was in Heaven. Master affirmed that the world will be much better in the next century as more and more people become enlightened.

The following day, Delo, the largest local newspaper, devoted extensive coverage to Master's lecture. Although it questioned why Master was called a Living God, it reported the event in great detail. Reporters from a radio station also covered the lecture and aired their report the following day.

Special Reports

The Czech Republic is located in the central part of Europe, hence it is often called "The Heart of Europe". The country has a population of about ten million. It came into existence in 1992 when Czechoslovakia was divided into two independent nations, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

Master's lecture was given in the capital city of Prague, and attracted about 1,500 listeners. The main lecture hall was packed, and many guests had to see Her speak on large screens in two smaller halls. Master entered the lecture hall dressed in a white outfit and wearing a simple hairstyle. She smiled and put Her palms together in greeting, giving an impression of peace and harmony. The message that Master delivered to the audience was clear and powerful: "We are the children of God. We must reclaim this glory." "Every one of us can see God in this lifetime and see God right away. As soon as we want it, we will see Hirm, only if we know how." "God always sends someone to us who is directly from Hirm, or ordered by Hirm or empowered by Hirm, in order to show us the way."

Many guests learned about the lecture during a book exhibition held the preceding week. Some learned about the event from posters that appeared almost everywhere in downtown Prague. Others had learned about Master as far back as 1993, when sample booklets were first published and distributed in Czech. They immediately recognized Master on the posters and wanted to see Her in person. Before the lecture started, many people came to inquire about initiation and after the lecture, several hundred were initiated into the Quan Yin Method or learned the Convenient Method of Meditation.

When the initiation was in progress, Master briefly visited the book exhibition hall several times. The working staff immediately gathered around Her. A citizen over seventy years of age, who had requested initiation into the Convenient Method, tried to make his way into the crowd while holding high a sample booklet to prevent it from being crumpled. Master asked the initiates to bring the booklet to Her and when She signed it, everyone cheered for the elderly brother. A ten-year-old half-initiate came forward to offer Master a glass of water. Master took a sip and sprinkled the rest of the water on the people around Her. Her blessings delighted everyone present. Two days later, this young girl received an unexpected surprise - a big package of Master's books and children's story books. This was a thank-you gift from Master for her love and concern. The child was elated.

Special Reports

It was 2 P.M. on May 30 at the Hall of Culture in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. This was the first stop on the Scandinavian leg of Master's European lecture tour. As soon as the sun had traveled halfway across the sky, the quiet streets around Helsinki's Hall of Culture took on an unusual hustle and bustle. Huge crowds flocked to the venue. Many halted in their tracks as soon as they entered, their eyes captured by the magnificent display of Master's artworks, Celestial Clothes and Jewelry. Each one took his time to appreciate the exhibits, which conveyed in many different ways, the message of Truth, virtue, and beauty from a superlatively talented Enlightened Master.

Truth aspirants soon filled the one thousand seats of the Hall of Culture, and greeted Master's arrival with thunderous applause. In Her lecture, Master spoke about the true meaning of freedom. "It's lucky that we live in a free country such as Finland," She said. "When we can use things in abundance, we feel free and very happy. Similarly, if we can make use of the blessings of God, which are inside us, we will be very, very happy. We will not have to pray for God's blessings, they will always be there automatically. And that's what I want to talk to you about: the freedom, the freedom that is not known on this planet unless we know God, unless we know the freedom inside." "This freedom is the greatest possession, the greatest merit, the greatest treasure that we can ever wish to have." "Every one of us can attain and have this freedom."

Master explained that we will have a little taste of this freedom when we first become enlightened, but it will take some time before we can attain complete freedom. "It's just the limitless freedom of expansion that you can be anything you want, you can do anything you want, yet you still remain virtuous, you still remain in God's love, you still remain in perfection, yet, no one will ever be harmed, killed, or suppressed in any way by us obtaining our freedom."

Master brought attention to the fact that She had no difficulty keeping a vegetarian diet during Her recent solitary travels through many countries. Therefore, She invited the people of Finland to join Her in becoming vegetarians and practicing the Quan Yin Method.

Master received an overwhelming response from the audience during the question and answer session following the lecture. When inquiries were made one after another regarding initiation, Master asked those who were interested to leave the hall and fill out application forms. That caused a sudden commotion as people quickly moved toward the reception counter.

After the lecture, hundreds of people stayed to receive initiation into the Quan Yin Method or to learn the Convenient Method. It was past nine o'clock in the evening when the initiation ended, but in this country located in the high latitudes, the sky was still bright. And so on this bright evening, many newborn souls began their journey back to the heavenly kingdom!

Special Reports

On that early morning in May when news about Master's tour through Europe reached local initiates, (not only to Europe but specifically to Scandinavia), a panic - like enthusiasm and joy exploded among us, for our deepest wish had become true.

Although it was the first time for us to arrange all the practical details of a visit by Master within such a short frame of time, things started rolling well after the first few days' chaos. Everyone contributed in his or her own best way and in times of challenge we would meditate, and the answer was there. Yet without the slightest doubt, the biggest help we received was from the incredibly efficient and professional visiting working teams from many other countries. Their experience, practical example, selfless devotion and guidance built a foundation for it all.

The location of the lecture was City Conference Hall in the center of Stockholm, with its large courtyard and rainbow-colored fountain outside. After much preparation, the scheduled lecture date of May 31 finally arrived. The weather was wonderful with a clear blue sky, and at night there was a full moon. At 6:00 PM the lecture hall started filling up, and by starting time the hall was full to capacity. More than 1200 people sat silently, while the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of flowers and a highly positive vibration. Then She appeared - our much-loved Supreme Master, dressed in light colors, like an innocent spring flower. The applause generated at that moment was warm and intense.

Relaxed, genuinely present, simple and beautiful, Master had such a grace around Her. In a sweet voice She talked to us, and every word was like a dewdrop of divine nectar, waking up the God consciousness in the context of our ordinary lives. Many people at the lecture seemed to have known Master for a long time, having followed the five precepts naturally, and were now ready to receive initiation. There was a lovely buzzing sound around the initiation booths both before and after Master's loving lecture.

This marvelous evening ended after midnight and we initiates understood that our small lake of practitioners was now expanding into the big ocean of the Quan Yin family. So it was time to expand our Center.

At the end of the evening a surprising message was given by Master: She would stay for another day for the next day's group meditation, and a new opportunity for initiation was given to those who missed it the first time.

The next day, Master surprised us again with Her overflowing Love. During the light meditation She came to each one of us and blessed us. Many of the initiates cried out of sheer joy and a sense of connectedness. It felt like a crystal within our hearts had been hidden under piles of dust, and suddenly it was out, open and alive again!

Special Reports

Norway is a very open country. The customs officers were so friendly, they just stamped our passports without asking any questions. All they said was: "Did you have a nice flight?" That was all.

The venue for the lecture, Konserthus, was a concert hall. More than a thousand seats were filled during the lecture. First, one of Master's videos was shown. Afterwards, a Norwegian initiate gave an introduction to Master and the Quan Yin Method. Master's message to the audience was that their country is peaceful, secure, prosperous, and highly civilized, and has a good royal family and government. Since they have all their physical material needs satisfied, Master was offering them spiritual food: the choice to meet God directly and receive God's direct teaching in order to go Home, if they were ready.

Many people asked for initiation, most of them Norwegian. Master came to the initiation room twice. She recited the Holy Names Herself and later, reminded the newly-initiated about the sounds of the different levels. On the afternoon of the next day, there was a group meditation and another initiation was held at the Oslo Center. Master took a taxi by Herself to the Center to be with everyone. She did not stay long but gave everyone some truly precious moments seeing Her face to face.

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Special Reports

The lecture began at 3pm. When Master first appeared inside the lecture hall, a Scottish initiate greeted Her with a traditional Scottish bagpipe tune. Master and everyone else really enjoyed the performance. She said that it sounded like "Home" (Heaven), because the bagpipe sound is the highest one in the Kingdom of God. She continued saying that the Scottish ancestors must have known this, and that's why they came up with an instrument to make a sound similar to that of the Kingdom of God.

She said that we were with God "before" creation. After we descended to this physical world, stayed here too long and reincarnated over many eons, we lost the telephone line that is connected directly to God! Master offered to repair our phone line for us to reconnect us to God again, if we sincerely wanted to know God and were ready to go home.

After the lecture, the initiation and Convenient Method training were given in the same room. The would-be initiates waited patiently for the Convenient Method training to be finished. When the new Convenient Method people walked out, one lady, who had enjoyed the bliss of a half taste of enlightenment, decided to stay behind and ask Master to let her be initiated fully, although she had not registered beforehand! What a lucky one! Since Master was present, She gave her the permission to stay.

Master said that the new initiates could come to Dublin or London to ask Her questions or even attend the 3-day retreat, because She didn't know when She would be back in Europe again. Master agreed that at the end of this century, due to the tremendous grace of God, there seems to be a push to make people look for more spirituality in their lives, especially among Westerners who love "beef" so much, but are willing to sacrifice to practice the Quan Yin Method.

Special Reports

Master's European lecture tour was nearing an end, and the highly energized working teams had become experts in the many aspects of lecture promotion. The first thing that amazed the local people was that fellow initiates who had come from around the world to work with devoted cooperation could distribute tens of thousands of flyers and put up numerous posters around the city in just a few hours' time. Overnight, Master's photos could be seen almost everywhere around Dublin.

On the morning of the lecture, the selected venue, the Royal Dublin Society grounds, looked like its normal self. However, by the afternoon, fellow initiates had given it a completely new appearance. They employed all kinds of skills, ranging from artistic design and lighting to other decorative artwork in rearranging things and making new installations. Certain spots were selected for the display of Master's paintings, publications, lamps, Celestial Jewelry and Celestial Clothes. As the time of the lecture approached, more and more people came despite persistent thunder and rain. At about half past three, the weather turned fine and the guests grew in numbers. The venue was fully packed.

A videotape was played in the lecture hall showing the many generations of dazzling Celestial Jewelry and amply demonstrating the fabulous artistic talent of an enlightened person. There was a sensational stir in the venue when Master arrived wearing a long, blue gown and white cape. The audience listened attentively to Her discourse, and a positive atmosphere graced the venue. We could feel the presence of many Truth-seekers in this country who were looking forward to the last leg of the journey back to the Kingdom of God. We are sure that the number of Irish initiates will grow rapidly in the near future.

Special Reports

Master's last lecture in Europe was a tremendous success. Fellow initiates vacated the lecture hall in deference to the guests and sat in two other rooms with large video projection screens. When waves of people poured into the lecture hall, the initiates immediately gave up one room to the guests, which was fully occupied in no time. Finally, the initiates withdrew from the last room. Although they had no seats, their hearts were filled with happiness.

Dressed elegantly in pink, Master mounted the platform and invited some of the audience members in front to sit on the platform beside Her. Two lucky young girls sat side by side with Master. During Master's lecture, She assured us that we can see God in our present lives. In fact, seeing God is not difficult. Even children can communicate with God. During the question and answer period, question sheets streamed up to the platform, including piles of questions from the other two rooms. When Master had answered the questions from all three rooms, the audience continued to ask more, verbally. Even when the lecture was drawing to an end, audience members were reluctant to leave. Then, those in attendance closed their eyes and prayed for a few minutes, and Master gave them blessed food. This finally concluded the lecture period.

Next, when Master stepped out of the hall, She greeted the people standing near the stairway. One guest requested initiation even though he was the owner of a non-vegetarian restaurant. Due to his sincerity, Master approved his initiation anyway but advised him to change his restaurant to a vegetarian one. He was so delighted that he repeatedly thanked Her. One Catholic priest and two nuns also attended the lecture and sat in the first row. The humor in Master's answers to the audience members' questions moved all three of them to warm-hearted laughter. Later they received initiation into the Quan Yin Method. Hundreds of people were initiated in London, which had the highest total of new initiates among all the lecture stops. It was a great success to have so many new fellow initiates join us in the capital of the United Kingdom, and the perfect conclusion to Master's 1999 European Lecture Tour!

Special Reports

Reported by USA News Team (Originally in English)

Immediately after Her lecture in London, with Master's merciful permission, a three-day international retreat was held in England at Pontin's Hemsby Holiday Center in Norwich, a small town on the southern coast of England, east of London. The Center is a quiet and beautiful place in a lush country setting, with numerous two-story buildings and much greenery. About 1,600 fellow initiates from around the world participated in the retreat.

On the morning of June 10, 1999, when the working team was preparing for the retreat and fellow initiates were beginning to arrive, our beloved Master came to the retreat site by Herself, which made us all feel a great sense of warmth in our hearts, although the weather was chilly. Master then walked around and greeted everyone present. Although we knew She must have been tired from Her tightly scheduled and demanding lecture tour, all we could feel was the immense loving power radiating from Her merciful eyes.

In the afternoon, Master walked around the retreat site again, including the exhibition area for Her Celestial Jewelry and Clothes, the bookstore, the kitchen, the meditation hall and the registration desk, and kindly said hello to fellow initiates.

In the evening, as initiates were meditating in the meditation hall, Master quietly came in and meditated with us for a while. Then She silently walked around the hall and blessed the fellow initiates. After the meditation, Master told us that we had finished our lecture tour the previous night and the warring parties in Kosovo also had signed a peace treaty that same night, (and same hour!) She continued in a joking tone, saying that otherwise the world could not have lasted to the year 2000, just as Nostradamus had predicted. "Of course, it would not matter to us, but we did this for others. So I am glad they signed the peace treaty. I hope they will keep it."

Master also said that She was very proud of the fellow initiates. Many went into a deep level of consciousness during meditation. After initiation, we cannot run away from the light of God. She added that She was very happy to see our progress, especially the newcomers, who also meditated very well.

A sister initiate from Slovenia then expressed her gratitude to Master for helping her country uplift itself spiritually. Master said that the Slovenian people are very pure, and that many of them had received initiation.

Master then told us about some of Her own experiences during the lecture tour. In order to concentrate on preparing for the lectures, Master had done many things by Herself, including booking airplane tickets and hotels and renting cars. When She arrived in Slovenia, She found that Her rental car had a manual gearshift and thus was very difficult for Her to drive. Although it was the first time She had driven such a car, She finally made it to the hotel after some strenuous effort. Reflecting on this experience, She said that we have to do things independently because we are born alone and we die alone.

Then Master left the stage and walked joyfully among the fellow initiates. She thanked the people who had helped Her during the lecture tour. However She also reminded us again that the more we help others the more we help ourselves. The quickest way to progress, besides keeping the precepts and meditating, is helping others to get enlightened.

On June 11, 1999 at four o'clock in the morning, the international three-day retreat officially began. Fellow initiates were grouped and took turns sitting on the stage. Master quietly came to meditate with us during the second session. She blessed the fellow initiates on and near the stage. After meditation in the afternoon, Master made a short speech, reminding us that God will come when we meditate. Sometimes we think that we have not progressed, but actually we have. We cannot escape from the light, as long as we keep the precepts. She felt that the disciples, especially the newcomers, were very strong, and explained that natural disasters and wars can make people become more concentrated and grow up spiritually.

Then Master told a story about Kabir: A spiritual seeker went to see Kabir, but Kabir was not home. Kabir's wife told the seeker that he had gone to a funeral with some people because a local person had just died. The seeker asked her how to recognize Kabir, and she said. "Whoever you see who has light around him is Kabir." Then the seeker went to the graveyard. However, he saw that everyone there had light around him, so he could not tell which one was Kabir. Then he went back to Kabir's wife and told her that everyone there had had light around him. Kabir's wife said, "Go to look again, because now the funeral should be finished. If you see a person who has light around him now, that person is Kabir." The seeker went back to the graveyard and this time only one person had light around him. So he knew which one was Kabir. Then he asked Kabir why this had happened, and Kabir explained to him, "Ordinary people have light around them when they think about the ephemeral nature of life and death during a funeral, but they forget about this topic right after the funeral and lose the light, but a Master is always concentrated, and hence always has light around him."

During the last session of meditation on the first day of the retreat, Master answered fellow initiates' questions. One brother initiate said that he had problems when meditating, because he often slept or lost concentration. In response, Master said that actually we don't have problems; the mind has them. The mind plays tricks on us. When this happens, we should tune our minds gradually. We should make meditation a fun event. Add some social flavor to the meditation. For example, invite other initiates to come and meditate with you, or go to other initiates' homes to have tea and meditate together. Each initiate has a different situation: Some may be able to do meditation well and quickly and some may have to take time to make it go well.

During the early morning session of the retreat's second day, Master came to join the group meditation.

During the lunch break that day, Master again toured the retreat site, greeting working team members, telling jokes to them and thanking them for their selfless service to others.

Master left the retreat site on the same day for another part of the world that needed Her urgently, to carry on Her mission. Although She left the retreat site, Her love and blessing were still with us during the rest of the retreat.

The London Three-Day Retreat ended at noon on Sunday, June 13th. At the end of the last session of meditation, the retreat announcer conveyed Master's note of congratulations to us on a successful retreat, and Her wish that everyone had a happy journey home. Indeed, the London Retreat was very successful, and the most memorable thing everyone experienced was the strong uplifting power that Master transmitted when She blessed fellow initiates one by one. All the initiates who participated went home glowing with Master's boundless love, which will bless us forever and ever.

Receipts from the International Red Cross Committee

LE PRESIDENT
Geneva, 18 June 1999
Dear Mrs. Ching Hai,

I have pleasure in acknowledging receipt of Your remittance of USD 50,000- representing a donation from the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association towards the humanitarian activities of the international Committee of the Red Cross in favor of the refugees from Kosovo.

Despite the late dramatic events our organization still provides assistance and protection for the most vulnerable groups. Thousands of men, women and children, forced to flee, have left all their possessions behind and are living today in total fear and deep confusion. The ICRC delegates are working hard, in difficult security conditions. They supply hospitals and first aid posts with emergency medicaments and they distribute relief material.

Your donation is particularly important for us at this moment. It will be directly assigned to the most urgent needs.

Thanking You again for Your generous support, we remain,

Yours Sincerely,

Cornelio Sommaruga

Attachment 2 (Originally in English)

Geneva, June 15, 1999

A Letter to Mr. Vladimir Thanati, Ambassador from Albania

Re: Donation of Supreme Master Ching Hai to Kosovo refugees

Dear Mr. Ambassador,

We would like to thank you and your wife again for having participated in the meeting between Supreme Master Ching Hai and Humanitarian Organizations on May 4, 1999, at the Hotel Intercontinental in Geneva.

We have the pleasure to tell you that Master Ching Hai gave instructions to donate the amount of $50,000- to the Kosovo refugees living in Albania. This amount has been transferred on May 19, 1999, to the International Red Cross in Geneva, with instructions to use it to comfort the Kosovo refugees in Albania.

Master Ching Hai left the day after the meeting in Geneva to start a European lecture tour, visiting eighteen countries in Europe, bringing a message of peace and love to all of them.

The last lecture of the tour was in London, on the evening of June 9th, 1999, and we are all so happy that the same evening the peace agreement between Serbia and the NATO troops was at last signed!

We all wish you and your country peace and prosperity and we hope, that the Kosovo refugees may soon be able to return to their home-land. Your country, by so generously opening its frontiers and homes to your Kosovo brothers and sisters, has been an example to all of us.

Yours Sincerely,

The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association contact person in Switzerland. > << Media Reports >> height="60">
Formosa Daily News, Republic of China Monday, May 10th, 1999 By Yan-Chun Chen

Jewelry from Formosa
Reaches International Arena

S.M. Celestial Jewelry Shines through Its Style

The Messe Basel Jewelry Fair, held in Switzerland, has long been regarded as a leading show in jewelry circles. This year, among the exhibitors was S.M. Celestial Jewelry Co., LTD, from Formosa. The preeminent designs of the Company's jewelry filled people's eyes with delight.

The fair is held every year in early May in Switzerland, and is such an important event that none of the famous jewelry houses ever miss it. The fair not only showcases the latest designs of the various leading jewelry companies, but also sets the newest jewelry trends of the world. This year, the renowned S.M. Jewelry Co. had been invited by the Jewelry Society of the Republic of China to be one of the four companies representing Formosa.

Supreme Master Ching Hai, designer of the S.M. Jewelry, stated that the theme of the S.M. celestial jewelry exhibited at this year's show was "Beauty and Its Relation to the Celestial World". The original intention behind the designs was to reveal the inner spirit of the human being, and, thus, to unlock the door to supreme wisdom while one is appreciating the beauty of the jewelry.

Four series of S.M. Jewelry were exhibited at the fair. Each has a matching necklace, earrings, ring, bracelet, and tie pin. The series' distinctive designs contrast sharply with current jewelry fashions, reflecting the Designer's styles and ideals.

In the "Chuang Tzu's Dream" set, tanzarite, emerald, garnet, and topaz are used to form the colorful gemstone wings of a butterfly with a diamond body. Eight pairs of wings symbolize that a soul tempered through spiritual cultivation is soaring freely to a glorious new world.

"The Wisdom of Solomon" group uses sapphires and diamonds to form a hexagonal star, representing the supreme wisdom of King Solomon, who lived thousands of years ago. It is noteworthy that the sapphire in the East is a "guiding stone", and in the West it is a "stone of wisdom", which meaningfully coincides with the theme of this ensemble.

The "Saint Peter's Key" set combines gold with diamonds and rubies. It is the holy key to open the gates of Heaven, which was passed on to Saint Peter from Jesus. Saint Peter represents solidity and thus symbolizes the churches on Earth. The holy key symbolizes the authority that rules both Heaven and Earth, is capable of defeating Satan, and thus symbolizes passing through a series of barriers without being hindered.

"The Ancient Beauty", another unique design, symbolizes the Golden Age to come. It is mounted with diamonds to highlight the radiance of the Golden Age and is permeated with a glorious, mystical beauty.

Formosa Daily News International Herald Tribune, U.S.A. Renewed-Life Daily, Formosa
> << Media Reports >> height="60"> International Herald Tribune, U.S.A. Monday, May 10, 1999

A Media-Violence Link?

Washington Seeks Answers After Massacre

By Lawrie Mifflin
New York Times Service

New York - In response to the Colorado school shooting, President Bill Clinton is to meet with entertainment industry executives and others at the White House on Monday to discuss youth violence. And on Capitol Hill, Congress is considering a bill that would require the surgeon general to conduct a comprehensive study of the effects of media violence on American youths.

But most academic researchers say they believe that the evidence is already at the president's and the surgeon general's fingertips. Hundreds of studies done at the nation's top universities in the last three decades have come to the same conclusion: that there is at least some demonstrable link between watching violent acts in movies or television shows and acting aggressively in life.

Proving such links irrefutably is almost impossible, and many studies have been criticized for methodological or other flaws. But the entire range of studies, taken as a whole, has convinced most social scientists that there is a link.

"The evidence is overwhelming," said Jeffrey McIntyre, legislative and federal affairs officer for the American Psychological Association. "To argue against it is like arguing against gravity."

The surgeon general's office has already done two comprehensive overviews of existing studies, the first published in 1972, and the second a 1982 update. Both called television violence a contributing factor to increases in violent crime and antisocial behavior.

The research does not demonstrate that watching violent acts in films or television shows directly and immediately causes people to commit violent acts. Rather, the scholarly evidence cited by Mr. McIntyre either demonstrates cumulative effects of violent entertainment or establishes it as a "risk factor" that contributes to increasing a person's aggressiveness.

A few scholars object to this research, saying the links do not prove cause and effect and are therefore relatively unimportant.

"There's no question there's a correlational link, that children who watch television violence tend to be more aggressive," said Jonathan Freedman, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. "It's a very small correlation, but it's there."

But Mr. Freedman said correlative links could come from many factors, including the likelihood that children who watch a lot of violent television shows are often children who are least supervised by responsible adults. "My reading of the research is it's pathetic in terms of showing the link to be causal," he said.

Still, from 1990 to 1996, major reviews of scientific studies on the subject were conducted by the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the National Institute of Mental Health.

"All of them said that television violence contributes to real-world violence," said Dale Kunkel, a professor of communications at the University of California at Los Angeles, who also led a three-year study (1996-98), financed by the National Cable Television Association, documenting the amount of television violence and its contexts.

One of the most academically reputable researchers, Rowell Huesmann of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, told a Senate hearing recently:

"Not every child who watches a lot of violence or plays a lot of violent games will grow up to be violent. Other forces must converge, as they did recently in Colorado. But just as every cigarette increases the chance that someday you will get lung cancer, every exposure to violence increases the chances that some day a child will behave more violently than they otherwise would."

Network executives have been reluctant to talk about the subject, either fearing to appear insensitive in the wake of the Colorado shooting on April 20 or fearing high-profile political attacks on the day of the White House meeting.

But network and movie studio executives, as well as producers and writers, have repeatedly bristled at the academic findings, arguing that the link found is far too small to warrant the attention paid to them. The executives also accuse social scientists of looking for easy solutions - censoring or restricting entertainment media - to avoid confronting more difficult solutions, like reducing poverty, improving child-rearing skills and child care services, or restricting the availability of guns.

Formosa Daily News International Herald Tribune, U.S.A. Renewed-Life Daily, Formosa
>

<< Media Reports >> height="60">Renewed-Life Daily, Formosa March 3, 1999

Representatives from
the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association
Pay a Visit to the After-care Association

{By Journalist Thaishan Leu} To show love for society and to care for parolees who have been released from prison but have found difficulties in making a living, the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association in Hualien, Formosa, contributed clothes to parolees housed by the Training School of Hualien After-Care Association. It brought warmth to these forgotten people who had made mistakes and paid the price before but had now repented.

Yesterday morning, accompanied by Mr. Songmao Zhong, Director of the After-care Association in Hualien, representatives of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association visited a training school of the Renewed-Life Parolees Society on Fu-Shing Street in Hualien. They asked about each of the six parolees' health and welfare, and presented them with clothes, quilts and other necessities, which conveyed love from the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association.

Mr. Songmao Zhong stated that the majority of parolees currently in the training school are middle-aged or older. They have no one to rely on or are rejected by their family because of their previous misdeeds. Though the fund has enough money to feed and house these parolees, anything more than that relies upon help from society.

The After-Care Association hopes that people from all circles will give the parolees a hand and accept them with open hearts, giving them a chance to renew their lives.

Formosa Daily News International Herald Tribune, U.S.A. Renewed-Life Daily, Formosa
> height="60">
By sister initiate Liu Feng Li, Switzerland

Supreme Master Ching Hai's European Lecture Tour not only allowed us to feast our eyes on Her graceful form, but also granted us a chance to be close to Her, which truly delighted us. I find it very difficult to describe my feelings about Her boundless love with my limited earthly language.

I had heard of the heavy load of Master's work before. But this time, I saw it with my own eyes and realized what a great selfless sacrifice a Master has to make. Master worked day and night during the tour. With Her supreme wisdom, She attended to numerous affairs, large and small. She carried out what others neglected; She moved on when others fell back. Through Her, we came to understand omniscience and omnipresence. Her love permeated every cell of our bodies. She knew our hearts. When She threw us a glance or a word, which was always exactly what we needed, She actually gave us a key to open any strictures or knots in our hearts.

Busy as Master was, She perfectly attended to each of us. When it was time for breakfast, the immediate thought that came to Her mind was to invite the driver who had delivered the meal to have breakfast with Her. When taking a group picture, Master did not forget to have another one taken with the fellow initiate who had served as photographer. After driving for hours Herself on freeways, and hurrying to a consulate to apply for a visa to the next country on Her lecture tour, She first thought of arranging a place for fellow initiates to rest and eat. She, of course, had not even grabbed a bite of food, which was already cold. Such incidents were too numerous to record completely. Master, like an attentive mother, took care of us in all aspects.

Since my initiation into the Quan Yin Method, I have been in the best care of Master. Every time I have stumbled, She has forgiven me with Her understanding love and helped me to regain my footing. When I have run into small obstacles, I have lost my faith, made complaints and wrapped myself in ego, severing my connection with Master and the universe.

In striking contrast, Master, with Her petite, delicate body, took up the challenge of the world. Through self-sacrifice, She brought comfort and hope to humankind. From this, I have learned a lesson. We are bound to succeed and to walk on the correct path as long as we persistently hold a positive attitude in any circumstance, treat others with genuine love, and remember that we are vehicles of God. Then we will become one with Master and the universe, thus finding tranquillity, satisfaction and absolute happiness. This will also be what people perceive and share with us, the blessed, anywhere we go.

An Attentive Master Fellow Initiates' Selfless Devotion > height="60">

Combined Report from The Netherlands

The week before Master's scheduled lecture in the Netherlands, fellow initiates from various countries got into the full swing of preparation. The largest number of initiates came from Germany. Among them was a couple who ran a vegetarian restaurant. They closed it for a month to follow Master, to help with Her European Lecture Tour.

One sister initiate from the USA was bringing video equipment to Spain for the taping of the lectures. On her arrival, she was told that help was needed in the Netherlands. So she handed the equipment over to a local initiate and transferred to another flight to the Netherlands without even stepping out of the airport. When she got to the Netherlands Center, a Quan Yin messenger said to her: "A translator is needed for the lecture in the Czech Republic to translate between Chinese and English. Without hesitation she promised to go there right after the work in the Netherlands was completed.

Many of these initiates came to help voluntarily at their own expense and plunged into the preparations for the lectures immediately upon their arrival.

Two sisters from the Celestial Jewelry Group arrived at the Dutch airport at noon the day before Master's lecture. Since the required paperwork had not been completed, the whole case of jewelry was detained in customs. After going through all the procedures and they were finally able to take out the jewelry, it was already midnight. In the early morning of the next day, they rushed to the lecture venue to prepare the display of the Celestial Jewelry. Then they explained each piece of jewelry's meaning and implications to the visitors. After Master's lecture and the initiation, it was midnight again when they started to pack.

The selfless service and devotion of the initiates from many countries inspired the local fellow-initiates who had also worked wholeheartedly, some on 24-hour standby. "This is the first time I have participated in this kind of work," an initiate said, "I have learned a great deal from the old initiates from different places. They are mirrors reflecting my shortcomings. They are truly a great help to me."

An Attentive Master Fellow Initiates' Selfless Devotion > height="60">

Pearls of Wisdom

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Indonesia,
February 28, 1992 (Originally in Chinese)

What is God? God is the benevolent power that exists in our hearts, in humankind, and in the universe. Both God and the devil exist in this world because humans simultaneously possess benevolent and malevolent qualities. In superior worlds, only the benevolent power exists, because there we have only God's quality.

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Pingtung, Formosa,
December 24, 1992, (Originally in Chinese)

People who pursue spiritual practice and those who don't are using the same resources. We use the mind, the body, and our intelligence. However, spiritual practice brings us happiness, and brings peace to the world and stability to our families. Using the same mind, we could destroy the world, ruin the Earth, or endanger all of humankind. Therefore, nothing is really good or bad in this world or universe. Things are bad when we use them in the wrong way, and they are good when we use them in the right way.

> Between Master and Disciples height="60"> By You Zi

Not long after I became a monastic disciple, I once felt enraged with a brother over a trivial matter. I refused to listen to him, telling myself that I had good reason to do that. (Such behavior is common among new monastic disciples who understand little but believe that they are right.) Master, however, had instructed us that new monastics should listen to the senior ones. I knew in my heart that whether I was right or wrong, it was that brother who was in charge and responsible for the work, and that I should not argue. "Yet, I'm not convinced," I thought, "Master is a Buddha. She is fair and treats all people as equals, no matter who they are." Nevertheless, I felt uneasy and was afraid that Master would learn about this incident.

After group meditation that evening, Master delivered Her lecture as usual, and made no mention of it. I felt relieved. Then, just as She came down the stage and passed by my side, She pointed at me and said, "I'll tell you what it means to be fair. God and the Saints give people just the right measure according to their needs. Not everyone receives an equal share. That is true fairness and equality." The truth struck me with a great impact and my face turned pale from the shock. How direct it was! She knew everything that was in my mind. This is only one of many such stories that I could relate about Master.

Master is a Mirror

Many fellow practitioners have had this experience - that of old bad thoughts coming back when we do not recite the Holy Names, which we should, when we are with Master. The mind ignores us even when we ask it not to think that way. When we are not busy while in Master's proximity, She becomes a mirror that reflects our inner world and lets us see clearly who we are. Her magnetic field cleanses away our dirt. It took me one whole year of being with Master to be able to hold my mind in check and feel at ease. The closer I am to Master, the more comfortable I feel, and the easier it is to enter samadhi.

Master is Eager to Let Us
Know the Truth

Looking back, I think that the happiest times the monastic disciples had with Master were in 1990, during a retreat in Haocha village in southern Formosa. Master was with us every day of the retreat. We meditated as we wished during the day. At night, we lit bonfires, sang songs, performed dramas, and listened to Master tell stories. How beautiful those times were! Master said, "If anyone asks you why you became a renunciate, you can say you came to be pampered by Master." At the retreat, we forgot all our troubles and our hearts opened up. Actually there was more to this than met the eye. Through playing games, we became totally relaxed. Our hearts opened up completely, so that Master's love could easily permeate and purify our souls. One evening, Master invited us to join Her voluntarily to have a bonfire. Some disciples did not come but meditated by themselves instead. "I play a clown to make you happy so that you are open enough to receive the Master-power in your hearts, so that your consciousness can be raised. But you do not come," Master cried.

During the retreat, many of us realized what being empty meant. Sometimes we call emptiness by other names - the Truth or the God nature. We can see and hear it during initiation. We know its existence from meditation. But we cannot distinguish between the mind and the real self when performing daily chores or making decisions. We were so happy then to realize this "emptiness." Our view of the world changed completely. We became more self-confident and could think more clearly when making decisions. However, most of us were not ready at the time. I, for one, was not diligent enough and sometimes did not listen to the inner power, so the power weakened gradually. It was just as Master said, "It is easy to become enlightened. But it is difficult to remain enlightened."

In June of 1994, we were in Thailand. Late at night, Master asked us to accompany Her to a nightclub. We were surprised. Thinking that She must have some new ideas, we went with Her, eagerly anticipating something unusual. After we arrived, we ordered some drinks. A waitress in a black and white dress came to serve us. "That's like the black and white angel (from hell)," Master remarked. I glanced at the waitress casually and was immediately attracted by her beautiful looks. I warned myself, "How can you behave like this? You are here with Master!" I tried to turn my attention inward. But Master seemed to have noticed it and invited the waitress to have a drink with me. I was very embarrassed. Fortunately, there was a rule at the nightclub that waitresses could not sit with guests. I was relieved. This was the lesson of constant vigilance that I learned we should maintain when we are with Master.

We had arrived late at the nightclub, and it was near closing time. When the singers had finished singing, Master chatted with them. They came from different countries, such as the USA, Canada, and the Philippines. One of them seemed especially close to Master. They talked like old friends. Master took off all the jewelry She was wearing on Her hands and presented it to the singer, who then asked for Master's name. "My name is not important," Master replied. We laughed and thought, "How can You say it is not important when one can contact God through Your name?" Master had come that night especially to see that singer. We do not know what kind of special affinity she shared with Master or what she had prayed for that Master had to come and see her personally. Only Master and God know.

In 1989, Master went on Her first public lecture tour. In one of the countries She visited, Master and some initiates (most of whom were lay disciples) went to a theater. I had been a monastic disciple for less than one year at the time and thought that Master needed to reduce stress in mind and body by rest and recreation just like most ordinary folks. I was totally lost in the singing and dancing, and was transported back to the imperial courts of ancient times. I became an onus for Master. When the show ended, the performers wanted to learn with Master, and some requested initiation. It was then that we realized Master had not gone there for the show, but to deliver the people.

These kinds of examples are many, such as when Master wears beautiful clothes in order to attract sentient beings, to remind them of the visions they have seen in their dreams or the scenes they were familiar with in previous lifetimes. It is so She can awaken our inner power. We are totally ignorant if we criticize Master for this. How can Master's heart be bound by these material things? If so, She could not be a Master. It is we who use our human minds to measure God's will.

It was my first year as a monastic disciple, and my birthday was approaching. I wanted to transfer the merits derived from a whole day of meditation to my parents. When the day came, a fellow brother came to me and said, "Master said that She does not want to see you today. Go and hide yourself. Make sure She does not see you." Surprised, I hid in my tent and meditated the whole day. This was what I had wanted, wasn't it? But to tell the truth, that was very stupid and selfish of me. I had lost the chance to serve the public. Master had reason to be angry with such a stupid disciple.

Everyone learns different lessons with Master. She once emphasized, "The main point is to have the right concept." She said that usually it takes thousands of years or several lifetimes for a person to learn a right concept. But we all know from experience that by learning with Master, we can shorten our training process by many lifetimes. > height="60">

By Sister Chiu Shui, Taichung, Formosa

My husband and I did not plan to have children. However, after my return from the Australian retreat, I dreamed that I had a big belly and was standing on top of a mountain. I woke up with a fright, wondering if Master was telling me that I'd soon become pregnant. A month later, a pregnancy test proved positive. I couldn't accept the results. My husband and I had always been very careful with birth control. As I walked out of the gynecology clinic, I burst into tears. I had no idea about what I should do. I rode home on my motorcycle, thinking that the result must have been inaccurate. Suddenly, just before I got home, my whole attitude changed. "Maybe this is the best gift from God, so let me learn from it." I couldn't believe the sudden change that had come over me. In a short 20-minute ride, I had gone from depression to excitement. It must have been the power of God and the child!

During my pregnancy, I couldn't adjust to the changes in my body. My husband was very understanding and took me out for meals; but almost every time, I would vomit just as we were about to enter a restaurant. I just couldn't eat out. I had to cook for myself during my pregnancy. Obviously, the fetus was very sensitive to food from the outside.

When I was in my fifth month, I went abroad for a retreat. Up until that point, I had felt no fetal movement, which everyone thought was strange. On the first day of the retreat, Master said She would walk around to see us. Immediately the fetus began to kick very fast. When Master walked close by, she kicked so hard that it was like the beating of a drum. The baby's eagerness touched me. On the last day of the retreat, Master made another round. I watched Her quietly and, unexpectedly, She stopped her car right in front of me. At first, She looked at me, then at my stomach. I sensed an incomparable and immense love.

From the beginning of my pregnancy, I had loved to talk to my child. In my spare time at work I would read Master's articles, and during work I would play music for her. Coming back from work I would read one of Master's stories. During this time, it was my pleasure to participate in Master's work (writing abstracts of Her videotapes). It benefited me as I watched the tapes repeatedly. My whole body and heart were in absolute joy, and I deeply sensed my child's contentment.

One time my husband wanted to sleep in. So I took his hand, put it on my stomach, and then said to my child, "Daddy is sleeping in. Kick him and tell him to get up!" She immediately kicked several times, and my husband and I smiled with tacit understanding! Then I had a dream in which my child was saying to me, "Mommy, I'm very intelligent and I want to come out earlier." I said, "No, you can't come out this early. You are not fully developed yet! Go back into Mommy's tummy." Indeed, I delivered her in the 35th week of my pregnancy. Her appearance was exactly the same as I had seen it in my dream. Although her weight was a little on the light side, the doctor said she was very healthy and there was no need to put her in an incubator. Oh, I'm so thankful to Master!

Now my baby is seven months old, and she is growing faster than other babies. She has four teeth and likes to talk. She seems very understanding. As I recall, Master once said that many affiliated beings are born during the lifetime of a True Master, so they can practice and become liberated. They especially choose to be born in disciples' families, and to be vegetarian even as fetuses, so there are no complications during their spiritual practice. Therefore, we should wholeheartedly accept God's best arrangement and do our best to learn the lesson of love. >

Learning the Lesson of Love My Mom - A Living Saint height="60">
Drops in the Ocean of Love

My mother was a "breakfast vegetarian" since the days of my earliest memory. I heard that when she was young, she listened to a discourse on Buddhism in a temple in Dah Jiah. Then she immediately decided to forsake meat, and subsisted on a vegetarian diet until she got married; thereafter only her breakfast continued to be vegetarian. During the last decade, her children became vegetarians one after another and received initiation from Supreme Master Ching Hai. Finally, my mother realized her dream of practicing Buddhism, and we became a family of fellow practitioners of the Quan Yin Method.

I never knew what time my mother got up each morning. When it was close to the time of my school entrance examinations, I always stayed up late at night and got up early the next morning. After worshipping Quan Yin Bodhisattva, I would recite an English text. Then I found that my mom had already boiled porridge for me, and packed my lunch box. When I returned from school, my clothes had been cleaned, folded and placed by my bed. When I felt most helpless and lost my self-confidence, my mom was always there encouraging me and teaching me to stand on my own two feet. She often said that she was very glad to see that a woman nowadays can also go to school, have a career and hold an outstanding position in society. She urged me to cherish the opportunity and contribute more to society. Later I became a vegetarian and learned to walk the way of Buddha, which is not free of obstacles. Fortunately, my mom was always beside me, silently protecting me.

My mother's self-cultivation was exceptional. I never saw her scold anyone. She always spoke softly to her husband and children. When we did something wrong, she never blamed us. She only worried about us, fearing that our wrong deeds might bring about unfavorable consequences to us. She would sometimes analyze the situation with us and give us advice, but she always respected us in making our own decisions. She treated her in-laws, relatives and neighbors nicely and with sincere love. In her eyes, everyone was good. She humbly took care of all the beings that came across her path. Under her care, flowers and plants lived in health and flourished. Her love could even cure sick plants.

I have been practicing Buddhism for twenty-seven years and following Master's teachings for ten years. I have maintained a vegetarian diet and meditated. But my temperament is not as good as my mother's. Is that because my mom had always lived a smooth life? Actually she had not. I heard that my mother's family was affluent when she was young. They were not short of food even during the Sino-Japanese war. But after she got married, she lived in a state of worry and poverty. She often had to borrow food and money. To feed her hungry children, she went to the markets to collect discarded vegetable leaves. She preserved, dried, cleaned and cooked them for us. But she never complained or gossiped about others. She was always gentle, polite and thrifty. About a decade ago, Supreme Master Ching Hai came to Formosa teaching the Quan Yin Method. Because of my whole family's affinity with Master, over twenty members have been initiated and are now practicing the Quan Yin Method. Among them my mom was always our model practitioner.

Now, my mom has passed away to another world. In my heart, she is not just an ordinary woman. She is one of the saints who descended to this world by their own will to help the people with affinity to follow a living enlightened Master and practice spiritually. She lived as a daughter-in-law, a wife and a mother in a most ordinary way. She did not have a high position or great wealth, but she had the purest heart. Living a most common life with the simplest relationships with others, she took care of us and protected us in silence. We hope we can live as saints, and become bodhisattvas or Buddhas when we ascend to another world, realizing my mom's wishes. >

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Children's Column

By eight-year-old brother initiate Chen Jei, Taichung, Formosa

One day in my sleep, I had a dream, in which Master took me and five other little initiates onto an airplane and we flew to Heaven to have fun. You can't imagine how wonderful Heaven is!

Clusters of white clouds carpeted Heaven. On the clouds was a giant Christmas tree richly decorated with jewels, gems and stars. Lots of gifts were under the tree; one of them was the national flag of the Republic of China. In Heaven, we also found long and winding slides in gold and silver colors. Master played with us and it was really exciting and joyful. After having fun with the slides, we went on to play on a swing. Master lifted us one by one onto the swing, as it was too high for us. Our next favorite game was a seesaw. We soared high into the sky on it and were then cast down and went up again. We kept on playing on the seesaw a hundred times.

After the games, we went to unpack the gifts. There were trains, robot warriors, storybooks, and all the gifts that we loved best. We were so happy that we almost laughed our heads off. Then Master took us to the moon to have more fun. We arrived there in a wink. On the brilliant moon, there was a huge pit and we played sand castles inside. Two fellow brothers studying in high school left earlier, at six o'clock. Soon after, Master said, "It is half past seven already; you'd better go home quickly." The next voice I heard was my mother calling me to get up and go to school. It was really a day of ecstasy. I will never forget it!

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Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai (Originally in English)

You work as if you are the only one who knows that you are working,
not even God knows. That is perfect work.

We are not the body. And in the true Self, the big Self,
we are all together in one.

Don't expect anything and you will have no trouble.
We should only expect enlightenment.

The more we go inside, the more we understand things without talking.

(Originally in Chinese)

Whether we believe in an Enlightened Master or not depends on whether He/She is truly capable and whether He/She honors His/Her promises or not. We must see if we make progress and develop our wisdom by learning
from the Master, if He/She really has countless manifestation bodies,
and if He/She has really helped people.

Have one hundred percent faith and live to pursue spiritual practice.
Very soon, you will have results. And when you reap a harvest,
you will have greater faith, and hence more fruits.

After we join the practice of the Quan Yin Method, we have only one common language. It becomes very easy for us to communicate because we share the same ideal and the same spirit of serving and offering to others. > News No.103 Contents Master's Words Panorama of Events Little Message Professions and Spiritual Practice Special Reports Receipts Media Reports Notes on Master's European Lecture Tour Pearls of Wisdom Between Master and Disciples Drops in the Ocean of Love Children's Column Aphorisms Spiritual Interlude Front Line Sharing Inspiring Thoughts Love in Action Letters of Appreciation Elevation of the Soul Back to Main Menu

Spiritual Interlude

By sister initiate Karin Ebner, Austria (Originally in English)

One day, on the way to work, I put on the purple plastic shoes I had bought at the retreat in Korea in order to protect my rather worn out leather shoes from getting wet on the muddy path through the woods leading to my workplace. Wearing those light but waterproof shoes, I began to walk gently, taking small but fast steps. I did not feel like I was going to work, but like I was going a bit hurriedly to the meditation hall.

This feeling made me realize something and I burst into laughter. A funny picture came into my mind. I understood that actually my workplace could also be a kind of "meditation hall". If I really concentrated on God and carefully repeated the Holy Names with real devotion in my heart, even my workplace or any other place could become holy land. Just like the day before, I suddenly woke up from my slumber and began to repeat the Holy Names with my whole being. Almost simultaneously, like magic, everything changed. I felt very calm, and people coming into my workplace became very friendly. This made me smile and sometimes laugh. Everything became very easy, smooth, and joyful.

This insight made me really happy and as I listened to the birds' spring concert, it seemed to turn into blissful praise of the Lord's creation. I hope I will remember this lesson, so that at any time the so-called misery of life will turn into a happier scene in my heart! I hope the same will happen to all the serious and miserable Boddhisattvas among us! height="60">
Front Line

By brother initiate Jacky Chantraine, Brussels, Belgium (Originally in English)

About two years ago, several disciples introduced Master's sample books into Turkey, but time did not allow us to distribute all of them. Thus, I decided to return to Istanbul with two other initiates from Belgium, although we were hesitant to go, because our government recommended not going there due to terrorist activities, and the start of the Kosovo war. The first 5,000 Kosovar refugees entered Turkey from Macedonia at the time of our arrival. But we thought that the most important thing was to deliver Master's Dharma, drops of love and peace in a war-torn area, and that Master would protect us.

Istanbul taxi driver reading Master's book.

People in Turkey are not used to receiving free booklets, especially in the Turkish language. We were surprised to see how these little gifts were successfully distributed. In front of ferry boats (as in Hong Kong Harbor), where many yellow taxis were waiting for clients, the drivers were reading Master's sample booklets, and some came to ask for additional copies. The Turkish police came gently to ask what we were doing, and some ferry boat passengers even spontaneously helped us to distribute the books.

A Warm Welcome from Istanbul University Students

Distribution of Master's sample booklets inside the campus of the Istanbul University.

Next, we went that day and the day after to Istanbul University, and then to the Grand Bazaar. Istanbul University is known as the starting point for the circulation of new ideas in Turkey, and there is always something happening there: Its students are particularly open minded and enjoy discussion. Some of the students agreed with the Five Precepts and found similarities with Islamic moral principles. Once again, some people began to distribute sample booklets to others. Employees of the Pandora Book Store (with four branches in Istanbul) accepted Master's sample booklets and gave them to clients at the cashier counter.

Eating Vegetarian in Turkey Is Easy

My first surprise was that in many restaurants, vegetarian meals were listed on the menu, before we asked.

Some famous vegetarian restaurants are listed in the Istanbul guide, including the following:

"Nature and Peace": Istikhal Cad., Buyukparmappi Sokak2, Beyoglu(tel. :252.86.09)

"Mediterrane": Cukurlucesme Sokak 18, Beyoglu (tel.:243.28.38).

The manager of the "Nature and Peace" vegetarian restaurant in Istanbul - Mr. Erdogan Albas.

We went to the "Nature and Peace" restaurant and met the manager, Mr. Erdogan Albas, who was happy to discuss vegetarian food with us. He kindly agreed to display sample booklets in his restaurant, as we explained to him that the books would suggest additional reasons to eat vegetarian.

Burgazada Island

We also wanted to look for new areas with potential truth seekers outside of Istanbul. After an hour and thirty minute trip by ferry boat, we reached the small island of Burgazada, one of the Adalar Islands, in the Marmara Sea. The people of this island have plenty of sympathy for cats, which await boat arrivals and walk in small groups throughout the island. They are a part of daily life; cats and human beings live in harmony. Cars are not permitted on the Island, so the streets are quiet. When the sun began to set, we found a restaurant. The manager, an old Greek man, prepared a vegetarian meal for us. We gave him one of Master's sample booklets to look at, so that he could understand why we were vegetarian. We took the ferry back at night, saying good-bye to all the Island's little cats.

We Will Come Back Again

As we worked, unexplained links began to unfold between the fellow initiates in Belgium and the nation of Turkey. We were helped in introducing sample booklets twice into this country, and had ups and downs, with especially hard times at the beginning. But now we are continuing, and are ready to go back.

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Audiotape Code: CE15 (5 tapes per set)
Language: Chinese
Date: August 11-13, 1986

This set of audiotapes is from Master's early lectures. She compares different translations of the Surangama Sutra and presents us with a perfect interpretation of them.

The Surangama Sutra has long been a treasure to spiritual practitioners.
For more than two thousands years, countless masters and scholars have translated it into different languages and interpreted it. However, the experiences recorded in the sutra are largely inner experiences. Unless one personally practices and verifies them, it is inevitable to misinterpret or miss their real meanings. Now we, fellow practitioners of the Quan Yin Method, have these experiences ourselves, and realize that Quan Yin Bodhisattva turned out to be one of our own fellow practitioners.

What is the correlation between spiritual practice and atomic structure? Is spiritual practice a science? What is the technique of concentration? Why do some have better experiences of the inner light while others have better experiences of the inner sound? Do you know that you can gain two kinds of experiences through practice of the supra-worldly method? Can you guess what they are? Then you may compare your answers with the ones in the tapes. Besides, are you interested to find out which Bodhisattva's experience is like yours?

Should you want to have the answers, you are welcome to discover treasures in these tapes. They will allow you to rise above space and time and return to the wonderful gathering where Master and fellow initiates discussed the sutras. > Love in Action height="60">

<Report from Au Lac>

(Originally in Au Lacese)

▲Supreme Master Ching Hai sending
Her love to Au Lac to take care of
the lepers.

▲One elderly person (squatting on the
ground) rejoices at being remembered.
There are still loving hearts that care.

After receiving a letter requesting help from a charitable organization in Au Lac, Master immediately sent a staff person to assist the group. The lepers there, who are living collectively in a place deep in the forest, and suffering from pain and hunger, received $2,000 USD. They were deeply touched by the compassion and generosity of Master, who was so concerned about their welfare, and offered them help at the right moment. They said, "We will try our best to work as You wish."

They became optimistic when thinking of Master's thoughtfulness and attention to them, from such a distant place. As from a loving mother who takes good care of her children, they received what they needed to give them hope and inspiration.

Contributions and Help for Lepers Care for Fire Victims Sending Urgent Aid to the Needy Expenditures and Receipts for Activities of Love in Action in Formosa

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Love in Action

Fire victims receive money bearing Master's love.

[Ho Chi Minh City] On April 13th, an electrical short circuit triggered a large fire in Ho Chi Minh City. Two hundred fifty houses were burned down, which left the daily lives of the victims in difficulty. In response to a phone call requesting help and in accordance with Master's instructions, the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association immediately dispatched people to the area to inspect the situation and offer appropriate help. Upon their arrival, they saw a large field of scorched earth, around which the fire victims had built some simple shelters with small tables and chairs inside. The local government also sent some soldiers to help.

The day we sent relief coincided with the time that the government distributed clothing, food and other necessities to the victims. On May 6, the victims came to a hall to receive relief from both the government of Au Lac and Supreme Master Ching Hai. When they received our relief money that carried Master's immense love, they were all smiles in gratitude, which in turn affected us. The disaster relief effort was carried out smoothly with Master's blessing and the assistance of the Au Lacese government.

Site of the fire.

Receipts of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association in helping fire victims in Ho Chi Minh City

Contributions and Help for Lepers Care for Fire Victims Sending Urgent Aid to the Needy
Expenditures and Receipts for Activities of Love in Action in Formosa

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Love in Action

<Combined Report from Formosa>

Fellow initiates bring hope to families with financial difficulties through their periodic visits.

Fellow initiates from Hsinchu, Formosa, and the Red Cross in Hsinchu co-organized a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training class in Chu-Ren elementary school to encourage people to learn life-saving techniques and to promote the spirit of "Love in Action". On behalf of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, fellow initiates from Hsinchu presented NT$8,000 to the Red Cross to aid it in its charitable activities.

Mr. Pone, father of a student at Chu-Ren elementary school, recently had a car accident. Both his legs were amputated. He and his family of six had been living barely on basic necessities and could not afford to buy health insurance. The car accident thus put them under immediate stress and they were badly in need of help.

The principal of Chu-Ren elementary school wrote to the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association seeking financial assistance for Mr. Pone's family. In response, the Association contributed NT$90,000 to the family when its representatives paid a visit to them, accompanied by the principal and dean of the school. Chu-Ren elementary school also allocated a "Fund of Love" for the family, granted a tuition waiver to Mr. Pone's children and provided nutritious lunches for them.

In addition, every month Master has allocated a certain amount of relief funds to be distributed to poor families in Formosa. With fellow initiates' persistent loving care and support, the living conditions of these families have improved and the spiritual aspects of their lives have also been enriched, raising new hope in their hearts. From the end of February to April 1999, the expenses related to various "Love in Action" activities in Formosa totaled NT$545,047.

Contributions and Help for Lepers Care for Fire Victims Sending Urgent Aid to the Needy
Expenditures and Receipts for Activities of Love in Action in Formosa

( View the receipts )

Love in Action

Expenditures and Receipts for Activities of Love in Action in Formosa
(February-April 1999 )

City/County Date Description Amount in NT$ Receipt Number Hsinchu 2/15/1999 Contribution to needy and lonely senior citizens 8,000 (1) Tainan 2/26/1999 Lunar New Year gifts to inmates of Mingte Prison 4,930 (2) Miaoli 2/28/1999 Environmental cleaning expenses for Houlung Shiwei Beach, Waihpu Harbor, and Tunghsiao Chiumaoyuan Beach 14,400 (3) Hualien 3/2/1999 Clothes for parolees reporting to Formosa After-Care Association Hualian Branch 7,735 (4) Hsinchu 3/4/1999 Contribution to Formosa Red Cross Hsinchu Chapter 8,000 (5) Changhua 3/6/1999 Gifts for Changhua Juvenile Rehabilitation Center 17,000 (6) Taipei 3/8/1999 Maintenance costs of nighttime illumination at Lungshan Junior High School 30,000 (7) Tainan 3/17/1999 Vegetarian food sampling and entertainment at Kaohsiung Juvenile Detention Center 4,948 (8) Tainan 3/26/1999 Funding for vegetarian restaurant run by Great Awakening Association, which employs former prisoners 50,000 (9) Tainan 4/12/1999 Gifts and lecture for inmates of Mingte Prison 2,635 (10) Hsinchu 4/13/1999 Emergency relief funds and gifts for the family of Peng Chiang Yun 91,377 (11) Pingtung 4/15/1999 Gifts and lecture for inmates of Pingtung Prison 56,700 (12) Chiayi 4/15/1999 Spiritual books for inmates of Yunlin and Chiayi Prison and Detention Center 19,400 (13) Tainan 4/17/1999 Environmental cleaning activity at Golden Beach along Southern Coastal Highway (voluntary work) 0 Taipei 4/29/1999 Funding of vegetarian food promotion activities on Shih Hsin University campus 10,949 (14) Subtotal

326,074

Relief Fund to Needy Households in Formosa (March-April 1999)

March 1999 April 1999

County No. of Families Amount (NT$) No. of Families Amount (NT$) Receipt No. Keelung 1 2,000 1 2,000 A Taipei 8 19,000 8 19,000 B Taoyuan 2 4,000 3 7,000 C Hsinchu 1 3,000 1 3,000 D Miaoli 3 9,000 3 9,000 E Taichung 7 14,000 7 14,000 F Nantou 6 14,600 5 11,400 G Chiayi 6 13,000 6 13,000 H Tainan 1 3,000 1 3,000 I Kaoping 3 6,000 3 6,000 J Ilan 1 2,000 1 2,000 K Hualien 1 2,000 1 2,000 L Taitung 5 14,000 5 14,000 M Penghu 2 4,000 2 4,000 N Subtotal 47 109,600 47 109,400

Total expenditures for activities of Love in Action in Formosa
from February to April 1999= NT$545,074

Contributions and Help for Lepers Care for Fire Victims Sending Urgent Aid to the Needy
Expenditures and Receipts for Activities of Love in Action in Formosa

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Letters of Appreciation

Letter of Appreciation
from a Charitable Organization (I)

March 27, 1999, Au Lac (Originally in Au Lacese)

Dear Master,

On behalf of the Charity Association, which does charitable work among leper brothers and other people in Au Lac, I am sincerely thankful for Your loving care towards the needy, and for that of the members of Your organization. It was these efforts that enabled us to alleviate the pain and suffering of these needy brothers.

We have received Your monetary gift of USD2,000. We will try our best to work as You wish.

We wish You and members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association good health and much success in fulfilling Your noble ideals.

Letter of Appreciation
from a Charitable Organization (II)

April 24th, 1999 (Originally in Au Lacese)

Dear Supreme Master,

Due to the caring concern of Master and friends, we went once again to share the suffering of lepers in Au Lac. Unlike our previous visits, this time we were representing your Association and were able to bring Your greetings, love and valuable gifts. Each gift box cost approximately VN$56,000 and contained 5 Kg of rice, 1 Kg of dry-salted fish, 1 Kg of high quality salt, 15 bags of dry noodles, 1 big loaf of bread, 1 bag of detergent and 1 liter of kerosene.

We were also able to help two hospitalized patients with medicines and give vitamins and other items to malnourished children as well.

The recipients were very touched when they received these special gifts. Some of them could not hold back their tears, they were so happy. They felt comforted and less lonely, because they knew that from the other side of the globe, Master and Her friends had remembered them and sent them special love... We saw rays of hope and optimism on the faces of those patients. It seemed as if they had, for once, tasted true love. They believe that they will now be more optimistic regardless of their lives of sickness.

The patients kept expressing their appreciation and gratitude toward Master and your generosity. They asked us to convey to each of you and your family, their best wishes for your health and for the progress of your Association, so that you can further assist people who are suffering in this society. And we also thank Master and friends for creating this opportunity for us to share in their charity work for the sake of humanity.

Sister An

PS. We are still reading Master's book, The Key of Immediate Enlightenment. How wonderful it is!

From a Charitable Organization in Au Lac
from Nicaragua - The Republic's First Lady > height="60">

Letters of Appreciation

Managua, Nicaragua

December 3, 1998.(Originally in Spanish)

Dear Sirs,

I send you my most special wishes for even greater success in your charitable endeavors.

It is very important for me to express my deepest appreciation both on my own behalf and that of the Nicaraguan government, for your noble humanitarian actions, solidarity, and contribution offered to our dear Nicaragua in these moments of great need.

As we are going through a very difficult and painful time, your cooperation will be of great help in encouraging our brothers who have been affected by the disasters caused by Hurricane Mitch.

You can be sure that we'll never forget this great gesture of brotherhood, for which our Lord will know how to compensate you.

With my highest esteem and consideration.

Maria Dolores Aleman
The Republic's First Lady.
From a Charitable Organization in Au Lac
from Nicaragua - The Republic's First Lady

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Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Video Tapes

In English

◎Lunar New Year Celebration, Orlando Center, Florida, USA, February 13-16, 1999

632 ★True Renunciation (Part 1)
633 ★Know That You Are God (Part 2, Tape 1&2)
634 ★An Evening of Sharing Jokes with Master (Part 3)
635 ★Discover the Ashram in Your Heart (Part 4, Tape 1&2)
636 ★Live in the Present (Part 5)
637 ★Performance (Part 6)

◎ International 3 Day Retreat, Los Angeles,USA December 16-18, 1998

639/640 ★Every Soul Makes Its Own Journey (Part 1, Tape 1&2)
641 ★Sharing the Highest Love with the World (Part 3)
642 ★Divine Love Is the Only True Love (Part 4)
643 ★Reveal the Truth from Inside
Group Meditation in Los Angeles, U.S.A. December 19-20, 1998 & January 1, 1999

"In English with Spanish Oral Translation"

644 ★In Silence We Know God
Lecture in Madrid, Spain, May 5, 1999

"In English with Spanish Subtitles"

606/607 ★Faith and Experiences - (Part A) & (Part B)
International 4-Day Retreat (3) Washington D.C., U.S.A. December 24-27, 1997

"In English with Chinese Subtitles"

562 ★God Consciousness is in Everything/
The Purpose of Coming to This World
Group Meditation in Raising Center, Cambodia, July 26, 1996
563 ★The Ideal Partner
Group Meditation in Raising Center, Cambodia, July 23, 1996
571 ★The True Manifestation of a Living Master
International Christmas 5-Day Retreat (2)
Hyatt Hotel, Long Beach, CA, USA. December 28, 1996
579 ★Maya Could also Become a Buddha
Group Meditation in London, U.K. February 1, 1997
593 ★How to Reprogram Our Lives
European 4-Day Retreat (4), London, U.K. August 24, 1997
595 ★The Three Categories of a True Master
European 4-Day Retreat (6) London, U.K. August 24, 1997
598 ★Realize that You Are Perfect In Every Way
International 4-Day Retreat (3) Bangkok, Thailand October 22, 1997
603 ★Entering the Blissful Union Of God
Group Meditation in Singapore April 26, 1997
606/607 ★Faith and Experiences - (Part A) & (Part B)
International 4-Day Retreat (3)
Washington D.C., U.S.A., December 24-27, 1997
608 ★The Methods of Spiritual Improvement
International 4-Day Retreat (5)
Washington D.C., U.S.A., December 24-27, 1997
609 ★Working and Growing Together
International 4-Day Retreat (6)
Washington D.C., U.S.A., December 24-27, 1997
610 ★Do Your Best and God Will Do the Rest
International 4-Day Retreat (7)
Washington D.C., U.S.A., December 24-27, 1997
612 ★A Christmas Eve Celebration
International 4-Day Retreat (1 & 2)
Washington D.C., U.S.A., December 24-27, 1997
618 ★Sacred Romance
International 5-Day Retreat (2), Sangju, Korea
Young Dong Center, May 6-10, 1998
619 ★Reclaim Your Glory
International 5-Day Retreat (3), Sangju, Korea
Young Dong Center, May 6-10, 1998
620 ★The True Master Power
International 5-Day Retreat (4), Sangju, Korea
Young Dong Center, May 6-10, 1998
624 ★Master's Birthday Celebration
International 5-Day Retreat (7), Sangju, Korea
Young Dong Center, May 6-10, 1998

"In English and Au Lacese with Chinese Subtitles"

615 /616★A Journey through Aesthetic Realms (Part 3) & (Part 4)
Live at Washington DC DAR Constitution Hall December 28, 1997

"In English with Thai Subtitles"

402 ★The Exhibition of Heavenly Clothes
International 3-Day Retreat (I) Chicago, USA
February 19-22, 1994
403 ★Grow Up and Be Yourself
International 3-Day Retreat (II) Chicago, USA
February 19-22, 1994
404 ★Life-Giving Spring Sun and Rain
International 3-Day Retreat (III) Chicago, USA
February 19-22, 1994
406 ★A Blessing
International 3-Day Retreat (V) Chicago, USA
February 19-22, 1994
474 ★Follow Your Heart (1) & (2)
Group Meditation in Paris, France, April 28, 1995
538 ★Fulfill the Role of Life (1) & (2)

"In English with Japanese Subtitles"

481 ★Master's Holiday
Group Meditation in Hsihu, Formosa June 19, 1995
493 ★Appreciate the Value of Initiation
European International 3-Day Retreat(I) Hamburg, Germany, August 25, 1995
498 ★Use Meditation Power to Purify the World
Moon Festival 3-Day Retreat (I) Hsihu, Formosa September 8, 1995
502 ★Anecdote in Africa
Group Meditation in Hsihu, Formosa October 15, 1995

"In English with Korean Subtitles"

347 ★The Paradoxical Nature of Things
Group Meditation in Seattle, USA, April 6, 1993
352 ★Enlightenment is the Key for Everything
Lecture in Washington D.C., USA, April 14, 1993
379 ★The More We Meditate, The Purer Our Mind Becomes
Group Meditation in Hong Kong, June 26, 1993
482 ★Forever Young
Group Meditation in Hsihu, Formosa, June 27, 1995
483 ★Maya's Test on a Living Master
Group Meditation in Hsihu, Formosa, June 29, 1995
519 /520★Shiva's 112 Way of Concentration (II) & (III)
Group Meditation in Hsihu, Formosa December 24, 1995
522 ★A Story of the Saints (Guan Zhong and Bao Su Ya)
Group Meditation in Hsihu, Formosa, January 7, 1996
535 ★ The Importance of Keeping a Pure Action, Thought, and Speech
Group Meditation in LA, USA, March 12, 1996
548 ★Cultivate Yourself and Become a Real Human
Buddha's Birthday and International 7-Day Retreat (5)
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, May 11, 1996
558 ★How to Give Without Giving
Group Meditation in Raising Center, Cambodia July 21, 1996

"In English with French Subtitles"

581 ★Blessing the World with Spiritual Practice(1)
International 4-day Retreat, Sydney, Australia May 10, 1997
591 ★How God Replies Your Sincere Prayer
European 4-Day Retreat (2) London, U.K. August 25, 1997
623 ★Recognize Your Own God Nature (Part 1,2)
Lecture at the University of California, Irvine, USA June 2, 1998

"In English with German Subtitles"

396 ★Forgive Yourself
Lecture at the Hindu Temple in Fremont, C.A., U.S.A. November 25, 1993
444 ★Rely on Yourself
Group Meditation in Hawaii, U.S.A., September 6, 1994
474 ★Follow Your Heart
Group Meditation in Paris, France, April 28, 1995
582 ★Be Determined on The Spiritual Path
International 4-Day Retreat in Australia, Part 2 May 10, 1997

"In English with Italian Subtitles"

260 ★The Mystery Of The World Beyond
Lecture at UN, USA, June 26, 1992

"In English with Russian Subtitles"

260 ★The Mystery Of The World Beyond
Lecture at the UN, USA, June 26, 1992
356 ★Let God Serve Through Us
Lecture at the UN, Geneva, Switzerland April 20, 1993
357 ★Perceive the Truth by Inner Wisdom
Lecture at Geneva University, Switzerland April 21, 1993
493 ★Appreciate the Value of Initiation
European International 3-Day Retreat (I) Hamburg, Germany, August 25, 1995

"In Chinese"

640 ★Sacred Communion (Part 2)
International 3-Day Retreat, Los Angeles, USA December 16-18, 1998

"In Chinese with English Subtitles"

308 ★The Poems of Kabir/ The Inner Light & Sound
Group Meditation in Laiyi, Formosa January 13, 1993

"In English with the Subtitles in Au Lacese, Czech, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Swedish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Slovenian"

★Walk The Way of Love

To order Master's publications, please contact:
The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association
Publishing Co., Ltd. Taipei, Formosa.
Tel:(886) 2-87873935 Fax:(886) 2-87870873
E-mail: smchbooks@Godsdirectcontact.org
ROC Postal Remittance Account No:19259438 (for Formosa orders only)
Postal Account: The Supreme Master Ching Hai Publishing Co., Ltd.
Please visit our bookshop's website to download our catalogue and summaries of the contents of Master's latest publications:
http://smchbooks.com/ (in English and Chinese)

Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Video Tapes
Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Audiotapes

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Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Audiotapes
<In English>

(E65)

★The Ideal Partner (1)(2)
July 23, 1996
Group Meditation in Cambodia
★A Modern Master
March 24, 1997
Group Meditation in Singapore
★Entering the Blissful Union of God (1)(2)
April 26, 1997
Group Meditation in Singapore

(E66)

★Our Child Nature is God (1)(2)
September 13 & December 14, 1997
Group Meditation in LA, U.S.A.
★The True Meaning of Ahimsa (1)(2)
November 22-23, 1997
Group Meditation in India
★The Choices of Each Soul (1)(2)
June 7, 1998
Group Meditation in LA, U.S.A.

<In Chinese>

(CR19)

★Eternal Care From a True Master (1) & (2)
International 4-day retreat, Washington D.C USA
December 25, 1997
★ Lunar New Year Celebration,
Orlando, Florida, USA
February 13-16, 1999
★Humans Are The Greatest Being In The Universe/ Bringing Perfection Into This World
International 5-day retreat, Young Dong Center, Sangju, Korea
May 7.9.11, 1998
★SACRED COMMUNION
International 3-day retreat, Los Angeles, USA
December 17, 1998

(CE15)

★"25 Bodhisattvas' Experience" in Surangama Sutra (1~5)
August 11-13, 1986

(Re-edited CL 19)

★The Real Self & The Choice of the Subconsciousness (1 & 2)
February 19, 1992
★The Best Way to Grow in Wisdom (1 & 2 & 3)
February 28-29 & March 1, 1992

Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Video Tapes
Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Audiotapes

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Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Taipei, Formosa
October 25, 1988 (Originally in Chinese)

The Quan Yin Method offers you an incredible power of communication. With it, you don't need a telephone. You don't even have to lift a finger or write a thing. As soon as a thought arises, the line is connected. This is the situation in the Pure Land (High Heaven). Others can instantly perceive your thoughts. You don't need to speak or tell others your name. This is the state of the higher realms. If you want something, others will know right away. If you need something, the Lord of that realm will immediately radiate light to where you are and help you. Hes doesn't need to know your name, because in a higher level realm, names don't exist; and there are no individuals. All beings are one. Though we may manifest in different forms or show different spiritual levels, there is no intrinsic distinction among beings.

It is like a radio station that doesn't need to know your address. As long as you have a radio and tune in to that frequency, you can receive the signals from the radio station. It is the same with a TV station. It doesn't need to know your address, the size or brand of your television set, or when you purchased it. The TV station doesn't care which company produced your TV set, who bought it, or who owns it now. As long as you tune in to its channel, you are connected to the station. Similarly, initiation is like turning on your "radio" so that you can conveniently communicate with the "station" every day. This is our intrinsic "telephone system". No matter where you live, you can communicate with Master whenever you think of me. You know it's true. (Audience: "Yes!") It is not me who goes anywhere. It's just that the frequency of the vibrations has changed. (continued)

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The state of having countless transformation bodies is called Tathagata, which means "neither coming nor going", or "present everywhere at the same time". This is very scientific. It is just a matter of changing vibrations. In a scientific sense, light is a higher form of electronics. The common form is the electricity that is utilized under human control. However, when we touch an electrical device, the light turns on immediately by itself. That is more advanced, but the light is the highest state of electronics. Today, with great scientific progress, many things have become computerized or are controlled electronically. They use some form of light there.

Playing the traditional piano requires much manual operation. But today, we have the electronic organ. It is smaller in size, and can produce many kinds of music, such as that of the flute and the piano. Isn't that great? It is an electronic device. The music of the higher levels is similar, only it is even more advanced. It is so advanced that music comes without an instrument. This is the highest form of music, the highest vibration, and the highest state of electronic device. The inner light and sound are the highest state of electronics that the most sophisticated scientists have long been looking for but have yet to achieve.

Therefore, spiritual practice is the highest science. If you practice the Quan Yin Method with me, you will be practicing the highest science and logic. It is not a superstition or a prostration to deities or spirits for merit. It is not mysterious or ambiguous. One doesn't have to jump up clumsily or talk nonsense without even knowing what one is raving about. That is being possessed. What is Maya? It is a kind of power with little knowledge. What is Buddha? It is the one with scientific wisdom. That is all. The more we practice spiritually, the more we understand science. If we only study science without practicing spiritually, our scientific knowledge will be limited. Spiritual practice will take us beyond science and ahead of scientists. They have been to the moon, but we can go beyond the moon. They wanted to make more discoveries and travel to more planets but without success. The farthest place they can now go is the moon. They brought back some rocks and many scientists gathered together to study these rocks. [Laughter] They cut the rocks and studied them, "Yes! These are really rocks!" [Laughter] Then, more scientists came to have a look. They, too, saw only rocks. Even to the most gifted scientist, they were just rocks. It was no fun. They spent tons of money and mountains of effort. If they had put their effort, money, and devotion into spiritual practice, well, [Master snaps Her fingers] they would have (known lot of scientific things) and become saints in no time.

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Sharing the Spiritual Treasure in Master's Books of Wisdom

The display booth of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association Publications Co.,Ltd. at the Tokyo International Book Fair in Yoming, Japan.

Fellow initiates who participated in the book fair paid a visit to the Taipei Economic and Cutural Representative's Offices. They presented Supreme Master Ching Hai's publications to representative to Mr. Chuang Min Yao.

[Tokyo] In order to share the spiritual wisdom found in Supreme Master Ching Hai's books and artworks with other people, the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association Publication Co., Ltd. participated in the Tokyo International Book Fair in Yoming, Japan. Mr. Chuang Min Yao, representative of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Japan, attended the book fair and came to our booth. Later, the Formosan publishers who participated in this event visited his representative's office. We presented two volumes of The Key of Immediate Enlightenment and two video tapes to Mr. Chuang, who was delighted and said he would definitely read them.

A continuous stream of visitors came to our booth throughout the exhibition, asking for our News magazines and sample booklets.

During the exhibition, a social worker from a charitable organization came to us, saying that she had attended this book fair in the hope that she could get some books for a certain prison, so that the prisoners could also attain some spiritual insight and peace of mind. Our fellow initiates immediately promised to do that, which made her burst into tears, as among the exhibitors, we were the first ones willing to offer books to these prisoners. >

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Celestial Jewelry As Reflected in Children's Minds (View the color page)

Exhibition of children's paintings of Celestial Jewelry at the Hsihu Center.

[Hsihu] Works entered in the children's art competition on the theme "Celestial Jewelry" held by local Centers throughout Formosa were put on display at Hsihu Center on Mother's Day. Through their lovely creative art works, the children fully expressed their perceptions and appreciation of Heaven as well as the Celestial Jewelry. They captured the elegance and splendor of the Celestial Jewelry of their choice in pictures that shone with joy and beauty. This competition was held for children in three school age categories.

Youthful Visions of the Celestial Jewelry

[Hualien] The announcement about the children's art competition on Master's ninth-generation Celestial Jewelry elicited a widespread favorable response from young initiates who rushed to submit their works.

Through their lovely creative art works, the children fully expressed their perceptions and appreciation of Heaven as well as the Celestial Jewelry.

The competition began with grown-up initiates discussing the meaning behind the Celestial Jewelry collection; the children later digested their explanations and amalgamated them into their works. When they submitted their works to the judges, each of the children elaborated on his or her work, and the meaning behind it. One of them drew many little figures of Jesus Christ, and he had this explanation: "Since Master has thousands of manifestation bodies, so does Jesus!" Another child depicted a huge star in a deep sea. "The star in the deep sea represents Master's immense power. She ventures into the deep sea to save suffering beings," he said. In another picture, the background was painted purple to illustrate the darkness of the universe. And lying against this background were countless little planets and the Celestial Jewelry of "The Wisdom of King Solomon" as well as "Saint Peter's Key," both included to represent Master's power, which lights up the whole universe. The young initiates' works and interpretations repeatedly remind us of just how creative children are and how enriching their spiritual experience has been.

At the informal award presentation, the children were allowed to make their own selection from a pile of presents. Surprisingly, each child modestly chose the smallest gift for himself, leaving the bigger ones for those standing in queue behind him. The adults were deeply moved by the children's consideration. The pure hearts and humble actions of these young initiates once again proved Master's words - one can advance spiritually only by acting like a child.

Remembering Our Loving Mother in the Rain

[Hsihu] The two-day retreat in May was especially meaningful, for it coincided with Mother's Day. On the night before this special day dedicated to mothers throughout the world, a light drizzle began to fall in Hsihu. By noon the next day, the rain had given way to a heavy downpour. Like the rain washing away the dirt, our dear mother and compassionate Master was busy cleansing souls and blessing people around the world. We sincerely wished Her great success on Her lecture tour.

Despite the strong winds and heavy downpours, many fellow practitioners in Formosa brought their family members to the Mother's Day celebrations at Hsihu Center. We gathered in the Meditation area around noon, watching and listening to a videotaped lecture by Master. It was as though our loving, humorous, and dignified Master was by our side, imprinting the words one by one on the souls of each fellow practitioner to elevate his or her spiritual level.

Later, a long-time fellow practitioner generously shared his thoughts with us. Before he came to follow Master, he had visited a number of temples and been with many spiritual groups. Once, during a visit to Fokuangshan in Kaohsiung, southern Formosa, he saw an engraving on a stone wall depicting Shakyamuni Buddha delivering a discourse to His disciples 2,500 years ago. The disciples were carved in different postures; some were seated, some were lying on the ground, some were listening attentively, and some were scratching their heads or bodies. This senior fellow practitioner was deeply impressed by the easy and relaxed atmosphere depicted in the carving.

He noted that nowadays - 2,500 years later, we are there listening to Master's lecture, sharing the same experience of blissful relaxation and enlightenment. We have also had rich improvement in both daily life and spiritual practice, he said. This proves just how lucky and great our merits are that we have had this chance to meet a living Master, listen to Her teachings, and follow Her!

The celebrations also included a sing-along with a choir. We sang "Hallelujah", "Mother, You Are So Great", "Go! Go! Go!" "Children Who Have Mothers", and "Little Lambs Want To Go Home." The melodies touched our hearts and reminded us of our longing for Heaven and our spiritual Mother. Some sister initiates were moved to tears while singing along, striking a chord in our hearts. After the singing, everyone gathered to share blessed food, feeling greatly contented both physically and spiritually.

Vegetarianism On Campus

Taipei initiates introduce vegetarianism to university campus in Formosa.

[Taipei] A series of "Vegetarian Week" activities were held in April on the Shih Hsin University campus by the university's Savor Society and the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association. This was part of their combined effort to share with young people the benefits of vegetarianism as well as the "no killing, be compassionate" ideal advocated by the Supreme Master Ching Hai. The week's lively activities ranged from food-eating contests and enlightening lectures to fun question-and-answer sessions and vegetarian food sampling.

The "Vegetarian Week" began on April 26 with a "big belly" contest, where students paired up to devour vegetarian beef noodles. On the second day, Professor Su spoke on losing weight and eating healthily with vegetarianism to kindle the young people's interest in a vegetarian diet. The April 28 event included an on-site demonstration of easy vegetarian cooking by Professor Su, who prepared many dishes of savory foods prepared with a colorful combination of vegetables. Students sampled each dish of the naturally flavorful vegetarian food and complimented the culinary skills of the professor with dazzling smiles.

At the April 29 ceremony that marked the close of "Vegetarian Week", participants held balloons in their hands as they made individual prayers and a more universal prayer for a world made purer and more peaceful through vegetarianism. The colorful balloons were then released, their sheer numbers forming a spectacular sight as they floated upward through the air. Participants also sampled several vegetarian dishes prepared by the sisters of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association.

Once the students understood the benefits of vegetarianism and experienced the delicious flavor of vegetarian foods, they fervently hoped that this concept would quickly become part of people's lives and thereby enhance their physical and spiritual health, raise their consciousness, and transform the world into a pure land.

Cleaning Golden Beach with Family Members

[Tainan] On April 17th, fellow initiates from the Tainan Center invited their relatives and friends to the famous Blue Beach on the west coast of Tainan, Formosa. The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association hosted a program called, "Cleaning Golden Beach with Family Members". The help and direction of the Tainan Environmental Protection Bureau included parking lots for the participants, and vehicles to transport the collected trash.

Fellow initiates from the Tainan Center collect garbage on the beach, under the scorching sun.

When we arrived at the beach, our hearts were filled with pain from seeing scraps of paper, cigarette butts, beverage cans, remains of fireworks, bits of broken glass and abandoned machine parts everywhere in the area. It was like a garbage dump. With our youngest initiates included, we immediately began to collect the garbage, despite the scorching sun.

Through everyone's concerted effort, a clean and beautiful golden seashore was revealed in the sunset. Some little initiates flew colorful kites in the sky while Master's soft voice spoke from a tape player. Hand in hand, family members paddled in the water, watching the splendid sunset. Not only did we help improve the environment, but we also refreshed the loving relationship between friends and family members. There was also the revelation that if we could all just make an effort to protect our environment, we could leave a paradise to future generations.>

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Children's Day at the Hong Kong Center - Happy Mountain in Full Spring

[Hong Kong] To Hong Kong fellow initiates, this year was unique, as it was the first time a Children's Day celebration was arranged for young initiates. A simple yet colorful party at the Center left everyone, young and old, with beautiful memories. A two-day Easter retreat preceding the party brought bright faces to those attending the jolly event, livening up the festive spirit.

Little initiates from the Hong Kong Center celebrate Children's Day with a face-painting party.

Little initiates gathered at the Center, playing in joy.

Departing from weeks of cold weather in the mountains where the Hong Kong Center resides, a brilliantly sunny day was taken in through Master's extra blessing and initiates' diligent meditation. The songs of birds and insects rose one after another, making a grand chorus.

While adult initiates were still enjoying their samadhi, half-initiated boys and girls on the first floor of the Center had already started a face-painting party. Adults and children smeared paint on each other and themselves. The heads of the little initiates were topped with crowns woven by their elders with rattan and leaves. It made them really fun guys!

After singing, dancing and playing, Miss and Mister Makeup were elected among the children. Every little initiate was rewarded with a chocolate Easter egg. A wide choice of delicacies was served at the party. The kitchen staff of the Center specially selected a menu for the kids. The foods chosen were all the children's favorites.

Seeing an increasing number of little fellows, the initiates from the Center's garden group recently have considered building a playground close to the entrance of the Center. It will include swings, seesaws, slides and bridges. Previously, most of the activities at the Center were organized for adults. But in the future, more emphasis will be placed on the needs of the young fellow initiates.

At the festival of Children's Day, we thought of those children who had not been properly taken care of. Compared to many other children in society, our young fellow initiates have been living under Master's loving care. How lucky a group they are! Following Master's example of boundless love, we serve and pray for those boys and girls who are less fortunate. >

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Four-Day Retreat in Surrey

[Surrey, England] In the early morning of Friday, April 2, 1999, practitioners from Devon, Wales, Oxford, Liverpool, Birmingham and London arrived to attend a four-day retreat in Surrey.

In addition to following the international retreat guidelines regarding many hours of diligent meditation, fellow initiates also volunteered for the kitchen crew. The cuisines of many different countries were represented on the menu, including Western, Jamaican, South American and Oriental dishes. Even though many were novices in the art of cooking, the initiates enjoyed the learning experience and took to it "like ducks to water". Many brought with them homemade delicacies as a contribution to the meals. With the entertainment on the evenings of the third and fourth days, everyone's body, mind, and spirit was very satisfied.

At the end of the retreat, many initiates commented on the feelings of joy, calm and light that pervaded their consciousness after four days of meditation. One Chinese practitioner said that a year ago, while still in mainland China, he had had a dream that he was meditating in a room with a Jamaican brother. He now realized that the room in his dream was indeed the Surrey Center.

After four days of being nourished with light and sound, the practitioners returned home, suffused with light, laughter and joy. Those who felt the deep spiritual vibrations present at the Center were so reluctant to leave that they stayed an extra day before finally making their way home. >

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April Showers
Bring May Flowers

[London, Ontario] In this season of blossoms, London initiates and Convenient Method practitioners worked hand in hand to share Master's teachings in their community. They held two public video seminars in London and one in Chatham (1 1/2 hrs drive from London).

Master's video seminar in the City Public Library, London, Ontario,Canada.

Mature Fitness Club invites London initiates to introduce Supreme Master Ching Hai's teachings.

The first seminar was held in the city library. Apart from placing posters in public areas, the initiates announced the seminar through the Internet. There was one gentleman who had searched for an herb called "suma" on the Internet, but what "accidentally" came to him was Master's web site home page in Canada. He chose to drive two hours right after work to come to the seminar, even though he could get more information about Master from the local Toronto Center. The initiates were also surprised to welcome a group of teenagers to the seminar. Their attendance reflected their interest in the spiritual path.

While watching Master's mini-biography, the whole assembly was embraced and touched by Master's love. The audience listened to Master's lecture attentively and was delighted by Master's charming and humorous wisdom. Many asked to learn the Convenient Method of meditation during the seminar, while some came to the Center later. After learning the Convenient Method, two ladies told the initiates that they felt the blessing and pure atmosphere both at the seminar and the Center. They also felt very relaxed and did not feel pressured to join our group.

The second shower of love came down in a small town called Chatham. The seminar was advertised on the local cable TV station. Though the concepts of meditation and vegetarianism were new to the local people, most shop owners received Master's poster readily. Many people showed an interest in the posters. Some people said they had known of Master before because they or their relatives had attended previous seminars in London.

In the same month, the London initiates also received an invitation from a mature fitness class teacher who had read Master's sample booklet and eagerly wanted to share the good news about Master's teachings with her fitness classes. They arranged a seminar at their club which was also open to the public. The teacher was very active in distributing seminar posters to all of the classes in their senior fitness club and the surrounding neighborhood. The initiates prepared some light vegetarian desserts for the seminar. The audiences were amazed that such tasty desserts could be made without eggs. After the video lecture, the audience members' "endless" questions showed their high interest in both the Quan Yin Method and the Convenient Method of meditation, as well as their sincerity in understanding the vegetarian diet. An 84 year old lady who had missed the previous seminar at the library had the good fortune to be able to attend this seminar. Even though she could not see the video clearly, she could still feel the blessing energy through Master's loving voice and she is now waiting to learn the Convenient Method of meditation.

Cityfest

[Vancouver] At the end of May, initiates from the Vancouver Center participated in Cityfest to introduce Master and the Quan Yin Method of meditation to more people.

Video presentations are held nearly every month at various libraries in Vancouver to acquaint people with Master as well. The world is becoming more spiritual, so any opportunity to introduce Master to the public should be used. There are ready souls everywhere, waiting for the unfathomable blessing of meeting a True Master.

Master's Birthday Celebration Party

[Montreal] This year, the Montreal Center celebrated Master's birthday in advance after the regular group meditation. Some people practicing the Convenient Method and our family members also come to join us in a warm and loving atmosphere. A couple from Mainland China, who had just arrived in Montreal a few weeks earlier, found the Center and came on time for the celebration. The husband is waiting eagerly to receive initiation and his wife is a practitioner of the Convenient Method. Before leaving, both of them happily signed Master's birthday card.

Master didn't celebrate Her birthday, but instead worked much harder in conducting a lecture tour in 18 countries in Europe on a very pressing schedule within a short span of time. In group meditation, we all prayed for the success of this lecture tour, hoping that it would instill more wisdom and love in the hearts of the European people, so that they could see each other as God and thereby help to restore a peaceful and brotherly atmosphere in Europe. >

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Saving Our Planet
through Love and Meditation

People in Missouri, USA are attracted by Master's teachings.

[Rolla] "Saving Our Planet through Love and Meditation" was the theme of the Midwest disciples booth at the annual Earth Day event in Columbia, Missouri. Our stand, graced with Master's photo and information material on the Quan Yin Method, was a great attraction as one of the only sources of spiritual guidance at the venue. All the sample booklets that we brought were given away to seekers wanting to find out more about our practice and Master's teachings. >

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Spiritual Improvement in Bolivia through Master's Teachings

Teachers and students in a school in Bolivia are highly interested in Master's teachings.

In April we also held a conference in Saint Germain High School, Cochabamba, Bolivia.

In early May, a group of spiritual aspirants visited us and requested Convenient Method training.

[Santa Cruz] A Quan Yin messenger arrived in Bolivia in March to teach the Convenient Method. Many sincere people, who had been longing to learn the Convenient Method for months, finally received what they were waiting for. The Quan Yin messenger stopped in five different cities in Bolivia, including Santa Cruz, La Paz, Cochabamba, Suere and Trinidad.

Local people who received Convenient Method training and attended informational sessions about Master's teachings were not very rich in worldly possessions. But they all showed a high level of sincerity and were very eager to start following a vegetarian diet in order to receive initiation into the Quan Yin Method. Naturally, most of them had wonderful inner experiences once they received Convenient Method training. During the sessions, they also received many vegetarian recipes that they could use for their new diet. Some of them qualified to receive initiation right away since they had been pure vegetarians without eating eggs for quite a long time. Therefore, a program was planned for initiation in four cities.

Among the new initiates was a principal of a school in Cochabamba who has been a vegetarian for ten years. In addition to his teaching job, he also practices Naturopathy. With great enthusiasm, he organized a conference for the students in his school to learn about Master's teachings. The school is divided into two sections, so one lecture was organized for the group of students attending in the morning, and another for those attending in the afternoon. At both lectures, all students were very enthusiastic. Some even helped to prepare materials for the lectures.

Many students and some teachers (including the principal) attended the conference. They watched Master's videotape and showed great interest in knowing more about Master. Many of them asked interesting questions during the Q&A session. Many attendees also filled out application forms. Most of them asked for the Convenient Method while others wanted to subscribe to our magazine. Several directly requested initiation.

At the conference there was a chemistry teacher from another school who was also a leader of a group of University students organized around the topic of spiritual development. He had recently learned the Convenient Method and frequently helps Master's association. Once the University students heard about Master, all of them applied for the Convenient Method. This teacher is also very motivated to look for a place and establish a local Center for group meditation in Cochobamba.>

Japan Formosa Hong Kong U.K. Canada U.S.A. Bolivia

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Promoting the Vegetarian Diet
with Loving Helpfulness

Out of loving kindness, Master called on each Center to collect and make lists of the names and addresses of local vegetarian and health food stores, and the names of vegetarian cookbooks, so that people coming to the Center could have information about where they can buy vegetarian food and learn more about vegetarian cooking. The Centers were also asked to arrange vegetarian cooking classes for people.

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The Best Mansion

Forsake the World in Order to Gain Heaven

Receipts from the International Red Cross Committee LE PRESIDENT Geneva, 18 June 1999 Dear Mrs. Ching Hai,

Attachment 2 (Originally in English) Geneva, June 15, 1999

Jewelry from Formosa Reaches International Arena

S.M. Celestial Jewelry Shines through Its Style

A Media-Violence Link?

Washington Seeks Answers After Massacre

Representatives from the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association Pay a Visit to the After-care Association

Combined Report from The Netherlands

Master is a Mirror

Master is Eager to Let Us Know the Truth

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai (Originally in English)

(Originally in Chinese)

A Warm Welcome from Istanbul University Students

Eating Vegetarian in Turkey Is Easy

Burgazada Island

We Will Come Back Again

<Report from Au Lac>

<Combined Report from Formosa>

Relief Fund to Needy Households in Formosa (March-April 1999)

March 1999 April 1999

Total expenditures for activities of Love in Action in Formosa from February to April 1999= NT$545,074

Letter of Appreciation from a Charitable Organization (I)

Letter of Appreciation from a Charitable Organization (II)

Managua, Nicaragua

December 3, 1998.(Originally in Spanish)

Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Video Tapes

In English

"In English with Spanish Oral Translation"

"In English with Spanish Subtitles"

"In English with Chinese Subtitles"

"In English and Au Lacese with Chinese Subtitles"

"In English with Thai Subtitles"

"In English with Japanese Subtitles"

"In English with Korean Subtitles"

"In English with French Subtitles"

"In English with German Subtitles"

"In English with Italian Subtitles"

"In English with Russian Subtitles"

"In Chinese"

"In Chinese with English Subtitles"

308 ★The Poems of Kabir/ The Inner Light & Sound Group Meditation in Laiyi, Formosa January 13, 1993

"In English with the Subtitles in Au Lacese, Czech, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Swedish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Slovenian"

Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Audiotapes <In English>

(E65) ★The Ideal Partner (1)(2) July 23, 1996 Group Meditation in Cambodia ★A Modern Master March 24, 1997 Group Meditation in Singapore ★Entering the Blissful Union of God (1)(2) April 26, 1997 Group Meditation in Singapore

(E66) ★Our Child Nature is God (1)(2) September 13 & December 14, 1997 Group Meditation in LA, U.S.A. ★The True Meaning of Ahimsa (1)(2) November 22-23, 1997 Group Meditation in India ★The Choices of Each Soul (1)(2) June 7, 1998 Group Meditation in LA, U.S.A.

<In Chinese>

(CE15)

★"25 Bodhisattvas' Experience" in Surangama Sutra (1~5) August 11-13, 1986

(Re-edited CL 19) ★The Real Self & The Choice of the Subconsciousness (1 & 2) February 19, 1992 ★The Best Way to Grow in Wisdom (1 & 2 & 3) February 28-29 & March 1, 1992

Sharing the Spiritual Treasure in Master's Books of Wisdom

Celestial Jewelry As Reflected in Children's Minds (View the color page)

Youthful Visions of the Celestial Jewelry

Remembering Our Loving Mother in the Rain

Vegetarianism On Campus

Cleaning Golden Beach with Family Members

Four-Day Retreat in Surrey

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Cityfest

Master's Birthday Celebration Party

Saving Our Planet through Love and Meditation

Spiritual Improvement in Bolivia through Master's Teachings

Receipts from the International Red Cross Committee

LE PRESIDENT
Geneva, 18 June 1999
Dear Mrs. Ching Hai,

Attachment 2 (Originally in English)

Geneva, June 15, 1999

Jewelry from Formosa
Reaches International Arena

Representatives from
the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association
Pay a Visit to the After-care Association

Master is Eager to Let Us
Know the Truth

Total expenditures for activities of Love in Action in Formosa
from February to April 1999= NT$545,074

Letter of Appreciation
from a Charitable Organization (I)

Letter of Appreciation
from a Charitable Organization (II)

308 ★The Poems of Kabir/ The Inner Light & Sound
Group Meditation in Laiyi, Formosa January 13, 1993

Supreme Master Ching Hai's Latest Audiotapes
<In English>

(E65)

★The Ideal Partner (1)(2)
July 23, 1996
Group Meditation in Cambodia
★A Modern Master
March 24, 1997
Group Meditation in Singapore
★Entering the Blissful Union of God (1)(2)
April 26, 1997
Group Meditation in Singapore

(E66)

★Our Child Nature is God (1)(2)
September 13 & December 14, 1997
Group Meditation in LA, U.S.A.
★The True Meaning of Ahimsa (1)(2)
November 22-23, 1997
Group Meditation in India
★The Choices of Each Soul (1)(2)
June 7, 1998
Group Meditation in LA, U.S.A.

★"25 Bodhisattvas' Experience" in Surangama Sutra (1~5)
August 11-13, 1986

(Re-edited CL 19)

★The Real Self & The Choice of the Subconsciousness (1 & 2)
February 19, 1992
★The Best Way to Grow in Wisdom (1 & 2 & 3)
February 28-29 & March 1, 1992

April Showers
Bring May Flowers

Saving Our Planet
through Love and Meditation