Narrated By Fellow Initiate Huang, Taipei, Formosa
Recorded By Fellow Initiate Wu, Taipei, Formosa
The New Year was approaching, and fellow practitioners were inevitably wondering if Master would allow everyone to celebrate the New Year with Her at the Center? Perhaps, Master would play some "new tricks"! I was dreaming and expecting the same, but I was also a bit worried. What if my non-initiated husband refuses to come? Shall I leave him at home alone during the New Year? Before I could sort out my thoughts, Master's wisdom sword struck. She announced that fellow initiates should stay at home for the New Year! It was all right, whatever Master says, Her disciples do accordingly.
Complying with Master's instruction, I followed my husband obediently to visit his parents family, and those of my own mother and my foster mother. Household by household, we paid respect to the elders, and the younger relatives and friends. One thing special about this year, I set out bringing along Master's love, so my steps were nimble. At the dining table, they remarked that I was absolutely correct to have insisted on using vegetarian offerings when my foster mother passed away. When my own mother died, my sister-in-law knew that I would definitely not allow anyone to interfere and use meat offerings, so she did not bother asking me, thinking that it must be correct to use vegetarian offerings. She even told me with amazement that my mother's body was soft after she died.
Returning home on New Year's Day, I was totally bewildered when my husband reminded me to attend the group meditation in Ta Zee! He never acknowledged Master, much less listen to my introduction of Master's teachings or watch Her video tapes. What was happening now? Forget about it. Perhaps it was only a momentary blossoming of the flower. Just let things happen naturally, and leave everything to God! The group meditation is more important. However, the same thing happened before the several other major and small group meditations that followed, which proved it was not just a passing phenomenon. It was Master's power that caused such a drastic change in my husband.
Master, Your child is so grateful for Your immaculate love, Your wise guidance, which encompassed my family in a circle, and also all my relatives and friends in a large circle. Master, Your child is also grateful for helping her to understand one thing - act entirely according to Your instructions, and then we shall celebrate the harvest in the forthcoming year!
By Fellow Initiate Liu, Taipei, Formosa.
On the Lunar New Year's Eve, I went with some fellow initiates to the Vegetarian House at the Taipei Center to do some shopping for the Lunar New Year. For the spiritual shopping, I went to the book circulation center to choose some of Master's lecture videos. I also hoped that I could watch more of Master's videos over the New Year holiday, to solve the problems in my heart.
Faced with so many lecture videos, I really didn't know which to choose at that moment. Eventually, when I paid for my purchase, the amount was exactly the sum of money in my purse, not a penny more. From the contents of Master's lectures on the videos we purchased, all of us received exactly the revelations and answers that we were looking for. We could not help highly praising Master's wondrous arrangements!
Master's video tapes are the best assets in the world one can possess. They are also important spiritual food during the New Year holidays. Besides benefiting ourselves, our families, friends and relatives, and filling our lives with bliss, the tapes also enable us to understand Master's teachings. Indeed, several objectives can be achieved with this one gesture.
Observing other people going home to rejoice in their family reunions, I was also looking for a temporary abode for my lonely self. With a sudden inspiration, I decided to go to my brother-in-law's house!
There was not a single vegetarian dish on the dining table, but never mind, I made myself at home while I was there. I took out the vegetarian food that I had prepared in advance and enjoyed the meal, as I quietly watched Master's video tape. Master's unexpected arrangements are truly wonderful. We can be Master's vehicles without saying a word. My eldest nephew, watching me eating the New Year's dinner alone, felt that this Auntie was very pathetic. So now and then, he would chat with me. He asked me, "Why do you have to be a vegetarian? What does Master mean when She says "guaranteed liberation"? Does transmigration truly exist?" He even mentioned that he could hear the sound current.... Then, I was enlightened! I understood why I had to be alone during this New Year. It was his longing that dragged my footsteps.
My nephew loved studying the earth and science phenomena, black holes in the universe, nebula, etc. So, naturally I told him somethings about the theory of evolution, extraterrestrials, flying saucers, UFOs and other phenomena in the universe. He kept nodding while listening. After I explained to him the terrible consequences of eating meat from the viewpoints of science and compassion, he now takes the initiative of asking his family for vegetarian meals. Although he is not eating vegetarian food at every meal, it seems that the vegetarian diet is not difficult for him.
When I gave him a necklace and pendant with Master's photo on it, he wore it without any hesitation. Once, he even told me in a very confident and serious expression, "I am safe as long as I have Master!" Observing that he had not the slightest doubt towards Master, no unnecessary struggle, or you could even say he was so very natural and at ease, I told him, "If you wish to follow Master to practice and become Her disciple, you may decide to take the initiation or not, when you grow a little older." He said happily, "Auntie, I will soon be old enough for the initiation!"
I am so grateful for Master's fantastic arrangement, which, in the chilly winter, delighted me unexpectedly with the trace of a beautiful green new shoot announcing the arrival of spring!
Narrated By Fellow Initiate Liu, Kaohsiung, Formosa
Recorded By Fellow Initiate Shih, Taipei, Formosa
The Chinese always cherish when family members gather together during the traditional Lunar New Year. Yet after initiation and beginning to practice, due to various reasons I have not gone home for a long time to celebrate the New Year. This year after being earnestly reminded by Master, my husband (also a fellow initiate) and I went back to his family in Taichung. We did not expect that our appearance would give my mother-in-law and the other relatives great surprise and joy. Only then did we realize that they very much longed for our return.
I cooked the feast on New Year's Eve. Within a short period of time, a number of delicious dishes were placed on the table. The whole family enjoyed the vegetarian feast and offered unending praise. They were surprised that vegetarian dishes could be prepared so deliciously and easily. This experience also changed their idea that vegetarian dishes are unpalatable.
The few days of getting together with family and friends during the New Year holidays moved me deeply. Seeing that they are influenced by the world's usual conceptions, constantly seeking impermanent happiness outside, and not knowing how to seek the inner, true source of bliss, I could only feel sorry for them. I realize even more that I, having the chance to meet an enlightened Master who transmits the dharma, and being able to practice the Quan Yin Method and become liberated from the bonds of worldly fatigue, am very fortunate indeed!
Narrated By An Initiate in High Island Refugee Camp
Recorded By An Initiate in Hong Kong
This Chinese Lunar New Year was a happy one indeed. The past few years in Hong Kong, I have spent the Spring Festivals in various detention camps, Chi Ma Wan, Shek Kong and High Island. Only this year did I taste the joy of the Spring Festival (New Years). All of this was due to Master's care and concern.
Every boat person in the camp received a gift from Master for the New Year. They were touched by Master's impartial generosity. They could hardly believe that each of them received such an abundant gift and this made them feel very excited and beam with smiles. All the sad faces disappeared.
Even though they are confined in the camp, the boat people still think a great deal about Spring Festivals. However, because they are limited by poor material conditions, they have not been able to take delight in celebrating the New Years' Festivals. This year in particular, some of the supplementary supplies had been cut down due to the forced repatriation. But now they were all saying, "It's so good! Everyone is rich for the New Year. The contents of each gift package are so abundant: tea bags, melon seeds, lotus seeds, chocolates, ginseng candy, preserved tangerine, candies, biscuits and a towel...." Youngsters could not wait to fill their mouths and then went everywhere to pay New Year visits. They all said that the towels were both practical and beautiful. They were ideal for washing one's face. Many people tried to guess the reason why Master sent the towels. The most popular opinion was: Master knows the suffering of the refugees, so She sent us towels to wipe our tears!
Master's New Year's gifts brought them a happy and relaxed festival atmosphere, something that has never been experienced in the camp before. The whole camp area was peaceful and calm, like a baby being intoxicated in its mother's embrace, whose love is as deep as the sea. I have lived here for many years, and have never enjoyed such a feeling. Even the camp authorities seemed to have been affected, in that the routine camp search before each New Year was canceled this year, thereby greatly reducing the inconvenience to the boat people. They could enjoy the festival more peacefully.
At the beginning of the New Year, everyone went around to pay New Year visits to each other, feeling very happy and relaxed. Youngsters could be seen running wooden sticks quickly along the wavy iron plates on the wall. The resounding sounds and rhythms produced were pleasing to the ear and very much resembled real fire crackers. This is a unique form of fire cracker celebration.
The attitudes of some of the boat people, who had previously been less than polite to the initiates, had also changed greatly. Now whenever they talk about Master, they also call Her "Master" or "Mother". One boat person warmly said to an initiate before going to sleep, "Please send words of gratitude to Master for me!"
Master's love not only made everyone in the camp have a happy New Year, but also brought out their inner qualities of beauty and virtue!
Recorded By Fellow Initiate Hou, Taipei, Formosa
The mother of a fellow initiate did not believe in Master very much. She was fond of visiting temples everywhere to burn incense and perform rituals of worship. Eventually she was troubled by many astral beings and frequently heard them whispering into her ears words such as "Your family is going to be this ...." or "Your neighbors are going to be that ....", which exhausted her mentally. Once, for more than ten days, she could not sleep well, not even for a moment. She was very close to having a breakdown and was almost taken to a mental hospital.
Observing the state of her mother, this fellow initiate played Master's Buddhist chanting tape on her walkman for her mother to listen to. Miraculously, her mother could finally have a good night's sleep!
From then on, her mother's attitude towards Master changed, and she received initiation at the end of last year. The fellow initiate felt that Master had given her the best and warmest New Year's present. This New Years, not only did she spend the holidays happily with her mother, but they also attended the New Year's Day group meditation in Taipei together!
By Fellow Initiate Lu, Taipei, Formosa
On every special day, I especially miss Hsihu Center, the place that awakened us to our mission in spiritual practice. It is a place for us to fulfill our dreams and experience our lives; it is also a courier station for our fellow initiates on the way to the Truth.
Chinese New Year's Day was coming, and with the usual feeling, we longed for Master's return to this hometown of the Quan Yin family to have a reunion with us. Each time that Master throws into the air the colorful blessed candies and gives us lucky red envelopes along with the New Year's blessings, all the toil and hard work of the past year change instantly into millions of golden lotus blossoms!
This year, Master especially instructed us to spend the New Year's holidays at home and treasure the reunion time with our families. That's right! Since when did "home" become a name that is familiar yet far away? It is familiar because we have grown accustomed to having the universe as our home; it is far away because it has been a long time since we have paid attention to the home that created our childhood stories. Through the contemplation of home, our loving and considerate Master skillfully guided me, a careless child, into the time tunnel in search of the threads of self realization.
Once when I was young, after a strong typhoon, an ugly gosling was washed down from the swollen river in front of my house. I took it home, built it a warm nest, and nursed it back to health. Each day after school, the first thing I did was run to the field to pick some young and tender lettuce to feed it. Unconsciously, it grew up into a beautiful white goose, and I was so happy!
One day after school, I could not find my little friend; I anxiously searched all over the place. Finally, I found its pale body on the dinner table. The reason given by the adults was that it would give me extra nourishment, since I was such a small and thin child. Because of this incident, I harbored a kind of hidden bitterness toward my mother for many years until Master's prompting, which helped me realize that I had been wrong! From my mother's graying hair, I sensed the glorious love of a mother. During times of instability and poverty, a mother's worst fear is that her child will be cold and hungry; with no complaint, with no regret, her selfless love lasts for many decades. If we claim that we are the sons of Buddhas, then our parents are the guardian Bodhisattvas that bore and nursed us. How worthy are we to be compared with them even to the slightest degree? I felt ashamed! Without Master's timely, direct and sharp warning and guidance, I probably would not have understood the greatness within the ordinary.