Special Reports

With intense longing and veneration, fellow practitioners from many countries once again threw themselves into the arms of their Mommy-Master, flocking to Cambodia to take part in the opening ceremony of Raising Center.

Entering the Center, we could see coconut trees swaying in the wind, with flowers and grass carpeting the earth. There was greeneries everywhere -- so cool and refreshing. The former wasteland had been transformed into a paradise. The first building we saw was a newly built Guest House; on the ground floor was a workshop and on the second floor were some simple but elegant living quarters. They were built in only a few months, yet they have all the facilities of a modern suite. In such a remote location, that was indeed a breathtaking miracle in construction.

Master's latest art creations were displayed in the Celestial Clothes and Jewelry Area. The mannequins, wearing the latest Celestial Clothes, looked as beautiful as heavenly beings; and for the first time, before our eyes were the colorful S.M. bags recently created by Master. The S.M. bags were styled and made in materials very different from trendy ones. The use of colors was so bright and dazzling; each bag has a unique feature, a perfect match to the Celestial Clothes. The magnificence of the Celestial Jewelry attracted the attentive appreciation of fellow practitioners, who were reluctant to leave.

Our dear Master arrived at noon that day. We had not seen Her for a long time. She was wearing a refreshing lavender outfit and merrily greeted fellow practitioners who had come early. To satisfy everyone, despite Her exhaustion after the toilsome journey, Master chatted with them for quite a while under the noon sun. After that, She went to take a rest.

In the evening, after enjoying a sumptuous meal, everyone gathered at the Buddha Bath Hall*, waiting for Master to come to cut the ribbon. Under the watchful anticipation of disciples, Master pronounced, "May God bless you with infinite blessings!" This would surely bring auspiciousness to the innumerable children of the Buddha in this new land in the future. Next, She was invited to inaugurate the different areas of the Guest House. These were the lucky words that She said, "God blesses you! Continuous prosperity! Good profit!" Fellow practitioners answered with a thunderous applause and cheering; their joy was most obvious on their faces.

To satisfy the longing of disciples, Master ascended the red carpeted staircase. By this time, there was a cool breeze, and the sun was setting. Amid such a poetic scene, Master gave a brilliant discourse to the disciples.

To Comply With The Situation Is To Comply With God

Master said that the good and bad situations of spiritual practitioners are arranged by God. Whatever the situation may be, just accept it, and it will be all right. As most people die in bed, Master humorously remarked that, the bed is the most dangerous place. When we are enlightened, we will realize that every person is God to us. When we comply with the situation, we are complying with God. The truth is, while still in heaven, we agreed to come down together and act out a drama. We feel agonized now, only because we have forgotten our previous promise and have become too attached to our roles. Therefore, all situations are what we originally wanted. Life and death are controlled by destiny. Be grateful to God for any situation that comes by. Whether they are good or bad is only a point of view.

Master reminded everyone that, we come here to realize our inner Self. After knowing our Buddha Nature, we will find that we have no need to intentionally learn anything. The greatest importance is to realize our Buddha Nature and get closer to God's quality. It is pointless to keep on playing this game of ignorance.

Reflecting Master's loving advice, and savoring Her blessed food, everyone was satisfied and went into the Buddha Bath Hall to meditate. Master once again gracefully arrived. She was wearing a yellow and green outfit, and gave us another brilliant discourse -- an extra meal for our souls.

We Chose Our Own Life!

Up to now, we have been imbued with a fixed concept about God. We think that God is unreachable, or that Hes will bless us in another form. That is why we worship stones, mountains and rivers, the moon, plants, animals and everything. We starve ourselves by taking one meal each or several days, and even forsake our family and children to please God, hoping Hes will grace us with Hiers light. Master told us that we chose how we will live this life, and that different choices will result in different life experiences. We can choose different lifestyles, because we are God -- we are one with God. Spiritual practitioners have chosen to walk the path of elevating their souls. If we chose not to practice spiritually, God also would not punish us, though different choices will bring different results. She also advised us that spiritual practitioners should always think positively. Think of positive things, then things will become better.

That night in Cambodia the air was soothing with a cool breeze. Fellow initiates pitched their tents under the trees, and quietly enjoyed the singing of insects and the fragrance of flowers, with a bright starry sky as the background. Occasionally a small toad visited them in their tents. Everyone was so carefree, and just embraced Master's love into their dreams.

Becoming More Ordinary As We Become More Enlightened

Generally, Master hopes that we will treat Her with an ordinary mind and a natural attitude. However, we always want to give Her something "special". Conversely, these excessive ego and unnatural thoughts make Her feel very uncomfortable. Consequently, She cannot always work with inspiration to satisfy the expectations of the disciples. If we had behaved more naturally, Master and disciples could get even closer, and then She could have more opportunities to mix with us, to understand our problems, and to satisfy our needs. Master cited the instance when She stayed in the hospital. The doctors and nurses treated Her very naturally, just like an ordinary patient. She was very tempted to stay in the hospital for a few more days, to enjoy the peaceful and free atmosphere.

After dinner, Master especially received the fellow practitioners from all of the countries. Under the arrangement of security guards, fellow practitioners found their seats in an orderly manner. With a delightful light music playing in the background, even the beautiful flowers nodded and sang in chorus. Wearing an orange-colored dress imprinted with a big purple pattern, Master appeared. In Her discourse, She stressed that diligent meditation will make our lives become better. We should meditate on the sound for at least one hour each day, then our inner wisdom and the intangible sound will guide us in our daily life.

That afternoon, several fellow practitioners were inspired to share with us some insights derived from their spiritual cultivation, and some of their external experiences. Their sincere narration of miraculous responses relating to the omnipresent power of an enlightened Master really touched the audience. Shortly afterwards, Master came and amusingly asked whether there were any newly wedded couples among the fellow practitioners. Master advised these 'new couples': Though it is important to keep their partners, but trying to bind them is not a good idea. She even elaborated on how to be a good wife, and told us some husband and wife jokes. The sound of the falling rain accompanied the joyous laughter of the fellow practitioners, who really had an unforgettable afternoon.

After the evening meditation, Master came again. She had a dazzling yellow flower tucked in Her hair and looked extremely charming in a floral western outfit. Apart from taking care of our spiritual and daily lives, She also appears to us in a perfect image to remind us of our magnificent and noble quality within. While being grateful to Master, fellow practitioners also incited themselves to practice more assiduously. As they become more spiritually elevated, their outer beauty will emerge naturally. They also hope to become a perfect being one day.

The Whole World Rejoices At The Grand Opening

July 21st was a very meaningful day. An enormous crowd respectfully waited for the arrival of Supreme Master Ching Hai and the VIPs who came to conduct the Opening Ceremony of Raising Center. The construction of the Compassionate Heart Temple had been completed, the roof installation of the Healing Love Hospital had been installed, and a series of activities had been arranged to celebrate the event. Early that morning, thousands of local villagers amd guests from many countries who came for this occasion gathered at the main entrance of Raising Center.

Members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, dressed in their national costumes, and the local villagers silently stood in two rows along the red carpet to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Marie, Lady of the First Prime Minister, who came to conduct the inauguration. At about nine o'clock, guided by the ceremonial car, Her Royal Highness arrived. Two rows of Cambodian ladies, wearing red trousers and white blouses and holding silver basins, paid respect to the Princess. A representative, wearing a traditional Korean costume, saluted the Princess with the greatest respect. Complying with ancient Cambodian etiquette, delicate white flowers were spread gracefully on the ground before the Princess and her retinue -- ladies of political dignitaries, as they walked forward. The crowd awaiting on two sides greeted the Princess with great respect. Amid a peaceful and solemn atmosphere, the Opening Ceremony was completed following ancient traditional etiquette.

With a ceremonial flower car leading the way, the noble Princess cordially and smilingly greeted the Cambodian people on both sides. Supreme Master Ching Hai accompanied the Princess to the ceremonial stage. When the villagers finally saw Master, smiles appeared on their faces. She continuously introduced the Princess to the fellow practitioners, who respectfully joined their palms to greet Her. The villagers, including the elderly and children, with their faces brightly lit with joy, welcomed the VIPs to the stage. The atmosphere was as cheerful as a New Year's Festival. Innocent children jumped and ran around, yelling and laughing loudly. Everyone was overwhelmed by the joy of the celebration.

Several thousand guests (members and non-members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association) and thousands of local villagers, enjoyed this meaningful day in harmony. The celebration began with the playing of the Cambodian national anthem, and everyone respectfully stood. After that, they paid homage to the high monks, and expressed their gratitude for the Buddha's blessing. After the honored Province Governor finished his speech, and amid the warm applause of all the people present, Supreme Master Ching Hai went to the podium to give a speech to the Cambodian people and overseas guests.

First, She thanked the Prime Minister and his Lady, the Governor of the Province and the local people for their support, which helped the construction of the Raising Center to proceed smoothly. Master said, "People are the same everywhere, with basic needs and love to share. Let's not think of benefitting Cambodia, but just mankind toward each other. Let's remember the Buddha's teaching of the six perfections: charity, precepts, patience, perseverance, meditation and wisdom. Let's try to achieve these golden goals through everyday tasks so that we are the real Buddhists or any other religion that we freely choose to follow..." She also praised Her Highness the Princess, much loved by her people, especially her humility which should be marked by everyone. The Princess thanked Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her contributions to Cambodia. She sincerely welcomed all the friends from various countries, and wished they would have a wonderful time whenever they come to Cambodia, and enjoy a happy stay here.

When setting the roof beam for the Healing Love Hospital, Supreme Master Ching Hai said that the best doctors in every branch of medicine would be employed to provide the best service for the public. When inaugurating the Compassionate Heart Temple, She humorously said, "The temple is small but the Buddha is very big."

Supreme Master Ching Hai had compassionately prepared several thousands gifts for H.R.H. the Princess to distribute them to the villagers. Master also kindly invited all of them to enjoy the specially prepared program. The dances and singing performed by the members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association were rich in national color and won warm applause from the entire audience.

The performance of the Chinese Peace Drums was very high-spirited and sensational. Accompanied by gongs and drums, the rhythm was exciting and powerful. The dance successfully depicted the daring vigor of the pioneers, and the determination and perseverance of the Raising Center in developing the land.

The delicate motions of the dancer from Au Lac were as nimble as colorful butterflies dancing and flying freely in the fields. An innocent girl who had never known the taste of worry, wearing a colorful dress, was chasing butterflies. The blissful scene of a farmer going home at sunset carrying his hoe, and being greeted happily by his family, won the heartfelt cheering from the audience.

Accompanied by the music of "The Spring Flowers are Blossoming," three little fellow initiates nimbly performed the Cherry Blossom Fan Dance. Their childish innocence, enhanced by the blooming cherry blossoms of spring, created a tranquil and leisure picture of paradise, depicting the etherial scene of Raising Center.

With a bright and sweet voice, a female disciple from Austria sang an ode for the Holy Mother of the Earth -- Supreme Master Ching Hai. A Korean fellow practitioner vivaciously waved a flag imprinted with the S.M. sign, while grand and pleasant orchestral music sang out the majestic ideals of spiritual practitioners, and wished the Raising Center would shine brilliantly in the golden era.

The simple and innocent villagers kept praising the performance program afterward. Some Cambodian villagers asked the interpreters, "Can the performance be repeated? When will you give another performance?" The Province Governor and his lady also continuously praised the excellence of the program, and the talents and devotion of the performers. The traditional costumes of various countries from Europe, Asia, America and Australia broadened the view of the Cambodia people; to them, a Cambodian folklore is especially dear to their hearts.

After the performance, delicious vegetarian food was served to everyone. At the same time, a compassionate free medical service was being offered at the entrance. More than a thousand local villagers received timely treatment. Sincerely concerned about the health of the people, Supreme Master Ching Hai provided this free medical service as a heartwarming prelude to the impending opening of the Healing Love Hospital.

Though the opening ceremony of the Raising Center was over, fellow practitioners who could afford the time, stayed for a few more days, cherishing the precious time of being with Master. Everyday, Master received disciples from all countries in groups. At times, She even gave several consecutive discourses in different languages until midnight. The love of the Holy Mother sweetened the hearts of every disciple.

The nights in Cambodia have never been so cool. The nectar-like showers are the infinite blessing of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

*Buddha Bath Hall: The roof of the meditation hall at Raising Center is made of dry grass and always leaks. Master humorously joked that fellow practitioners could sprinkle some soap on their bodies before coming to the meditation hall. Then as they are sitting there, the rain would shower their bodies and wash their clothes and bodies naturally at the same time. This is where the name Buddha Bath Hall originated.

Entering Raising Center Feels So Good!!

Among the crowds of villagers, a woman was holding a little baby girl. She looked in anticipation at her countrymen who had received gifts from the distribution area. After receiving a towel, sarong, blessed food, lunch box and some fruit that Master had especially prepared for them, she was interviewed.

This woman was about thirty years old, had a son and a daughter, and was living in a village three kilometers away. She received a leaflet about the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association on the street and knew that the temple would be opened on the 21st of July. After returning to the village, she also heard other countrymen talking about it. Very early in the morning, all four members of her family came here to Raising Center by riding on a local cart. She said that it was very difficult to get a cart because all the neighboring countrymen were coming here. Thus, she was late!

This woman was an overseas Chinese who had followed her husband to Cambodia and had lived here for years. She made a living by running a grocery shop. Compared to the average Cambodian person, her living was rather good. However, she regretted that though being a Chinese, she could not even write her own name as she had never learned to read or write. She hoped that she could have the chance to read and write.

Because she was running the grocery shop, she would received information from all directions everyday. Since her village was very close to Raising Center, she had heard about the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association a long time ago. She also knew that the members of the Association had contributed a lot of manpower and financial resources to develop this area. In these three to four months, with the construction going on day and night, it provided many hundred of jobs opportunities for Cambodians who were living in nearby villages. On receiving the food supplied by the Raising Center everyday, the neighboring villagers could have food, a warm home and an income. All were very happy. Her grocery shop also had more business. She thought that all this was due to blessings of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas to the Cambodian people, that the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association members invested and developed here, providing hope for the villagers.

As today happened to be the inauguration of the temple, the whole village had come! They included the elderly, women and children who had heard about this place from their husbands and sons who had worked here but never had the chance to come. She commented that for many years, no one dared to come to this abandoned land. She could not imagined that the feeling upon entering the Raising Center could be so beautiful and calm. In just three to four months' time, Supreme Master Ching Hai had converted this abandoned land into such a nice place. She was very happy and hoped that she could come more often in the future.

She also heard that Supreme Master Ching Hai is building schools and hospital for the villagers, providing free services. She felt that Supreme Master Ching Hai has been very good and loving to them. She plans to send her children here to study. She felt that the members of the Association are very friendly, and that Supreme Master Ching Hai is very beautiful and compassionate. She hoped that she could come to this place again next time. She thanked Supreme Master Ching Hai for everything that was given to her.

Assuming the guise of a tourist, Mr. Manager was among the groups of Cambodian people to assist members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association to translate to the villagers, from all of the villages in Kompong Speu, coming to attend the Opening Ceremony. By talking and making gestures, he expressed to the villagers that the sarongs, scarves and food were especially prepared for them by Master. He asked the villagers to follow the line to the designated area to receive these blessed gifts. Under Mr. Manager's direction, they lined up and happily move forward.

Due to the renting of his buses to the Association, and taking the responsibility of picking up the fellow practitioners and transporting them to Raising Center, Mr. Manager became acquainted with the members of Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association. A native Cambodian, he knows a little bit of English from managing his tourist business. After several pick-ups and taking fellow practitioners from the Center to the airport, he felt a sense of unspeakable hospitality and warmth among the fellow practitioners. By coming into contact with them, he felt that they are very kind and polite. He also knows that we are a spiritual practicing group that have a very wonderful Master. He thought, "Even though the members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association are of different skin colors, speak different languages, their hearts are very generous, sincere and easy to get along with. This must be due to their having the teachings of an excellent Master."

Today, Mr. Manager has come to Raising Center to witness the completion of the Compassionate Heart Temple constructed by the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association for the Cambodian people, providing them with a place to worship and preserving their traditional faith. Apart from that, the Association had also constructed the High Thinking School to solve the serious educational deficiency problems. Furthermore, in the future, the Healing Love Hospital will be established. Then, the lack of doctors and medical care crisis will be resolved. He was very happy for the villagers in this district and felt that they are so lucky to have these kinds of assistance. He was touched and joined the communication working team voluntarily. Although it was a rainy day and his clothes were wet by the rain and sweat, he was extremely happy. On the villagers' behalf, he wanted to say, "O-Cuin!" ('Thank you' in Cambodian.)

After the Roof-Installation Ceremony of the Healing Love Hospital, many Cambodian villagers flocked to the medical service area to receive free medical treatment. The Center had invited Chinese and western doctors from Korea, Hong Kong and Formosa to service the villagers. Though the medical facilities were not perfect, and interpreters were few, fellow practitioners still adhered to Master's teachings, and served the people with true love and concern.

They treated over a thousand patients that day. Old or young, male or female, most of them were barefooted, and were quite ill. The doctors (fellow practitioners) were very sympathetic to their situation. The poor villagers lacked medical care because they lived too far away from the cities, and for most of them, malnutrition is the main problem. They looked so helpless as they anxiously waited for medical care. When waves of patients entered the consultation area, they behaved very orderly. Benign and honest in nature, they would neither push nor jostle each other; that was a touching scene. Though removed from the villagers by the language barrier, fellow practitioners could feel their wholehearted gratitude. Very often, they joined their palms to express their feelings. Many overseas Chinese living in the vicinity also earnestly volunteered to act as interpreters. When fellow practitioners offered them some blessed food from Master in appreciation, they politely and humbly expressed that they dared not receive it.

Not able to bear seeing these brothers and sisters having problems even in feeding themselves, and having to use the rain water for drinking and bathing, Master came here to develop the area with Her greatest compassion. She hopes that Buddha will pamper them. When the construction of the Healing Love Hospital is completed, Master will employ the best doctors to work there, to provide further medical service to the villagers.

We have heard about the 'eternal' legends of accumulating sand to built a tower, and collecting tiny drops of water to make a river. We have also heard of the holy miracle mentioned in the Bible, when God created the whole universe in seven days. However, we may doubt them because we haven't seen them with our own eyes. In the saga of the reclamation of Raising Center, each footprint and each tiny incident tells a story of God's endless and greatest holy creation.

To attract foreign investment and to further develop their agriculture, the Cambodian Ministry of Defence leased 30,000 hectares of land in Kompong Speu to the Tri Star Company. As the company lacked human and financial resources, one of their shareholders, a disciple of Supreme Master Ching Hai, respectfully invited Master to help with the development, because She had been earnestly helping Cambodia in these few years - drilling wells; building schools, temples and hospitals; and donating rice to aid the disaster victims.

Many members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association in many countries are talented people and experts in many fields. All the while, they have been eagerly supporting Supreme Master Ching Hai's charitable deeds: Helping the sick, the poor and disaster victims throughout the world. Moved by Supreme Master Ching Hai's sincere love for all people, they came from all parts of the world to Cambodia.

Children Of The Great Earth

In April 1996, a group of fellow sisters, bringing with them their inherited agricultural knowledge, came to Kompong Speu to join the reclamation work. When they set foot on this land, all they could see was a vast and boundless plain, covered with tall grass. As they looked further, the clear blue sky matched perfectly with the beautiful green plain, so pleasant to their hearts and soothing to their eyes. It was truly a paradise on earth. They couldn't help admire Master's fantastic foresight.

The memories from American sagas of developing the west -- coaches, horses and cowboys, were still deep in their minds. Today, relying on a pious heart, they came from far away to this strange land. Just to walk once around this 30,000 hectares of land would take them a whole day, or even longer, so how could they restore this land with their hands and hoes?

The working members were divided into many groups, including building construction, road construction, carpentry, electricity and water works, painting, vegetable growing, horticulture, art design, information service and kitchen. Regardless of whether they had experience or not, they worked in cooperation. Each fulfilled their duties, and strived hard for their ideal.

Having been assigned to the farming group, each members put on their bamboo hats, and used their hoes and sickles to clear the wild grass on the wasteland that was as tall as a person. In April and May, the scorching Cambodian sun was unbelievably hot. Even before noon, the sun would generate a current of hot air that swept across the land. The sisters were completely wet with perspiration, which dripped upon the yellow earth mounds that had just 'shown their faces'. Then they realized that a piece of land filled wild grass had been revived. On this yellow earth that had just made its 'debut' would grow many fresh and green vegetables, and fruits in the future. Bearing this hope in mind everyday, a large plain of yellow earth was eventually recovered with their cooperation and efforts. The ecstasy of that is really hard to describe in words.

They found a piece of land in the tent area, and then planted the seeds that they had brought in various experimental areas. From sowing the seeds, irrigating them, to weeding out the wild grass, they watched the seedlings emerge from the soil one by one, which were as delicate and feeble as new born babies. When the sun was too hot, they had to water them quickly to quench their 'thirst'.

The watermelon vines were full of blossoming flowers; the bitter-gourds, pumpkins and cucumbers were yielding fruit; the long green beans were growing longer; the bright yellow melons beautifully covered the entire field. Everyone ran around in excitement telling each other the good news. The fellow brother scored the first 'goal'. Nourished by a torrential rain, the sweet potatoes in the fields had grown lots of green leaves, and the sweet potatoes leaves were ready to be eaten. There was also a harvest of water convolvulus, which were served for din

Driving along Route 4, you will find that an imposing, unrestrained and rising intricately designed archway stands on the golden open country, and the square-shaped solid buildings on both sides serve as a foil to the highlight of the intricate archway. This is the main entrance of Raising Center Developing Zone. Being simple and natural, it has preserved the traditional Cambodian style, appearing solemn, dignified and peaceful.

Standing on Route 4 while facing the main entrance of Raising Center, you will see everything in a glance: The Healing Love Hospital, the Compassionate Heart Temple, the High Thinking School, three Guest Houses in the model of the Cambodian high-leg house, and the meditation area all in Cambodian taste. They have appeared on the vast yellow plain one after another and are very eye-catching.

If you passed by this place three months ago, you would have seen only tall grass the height of a man, vines and uncultivated land, desolate and uninhabited. In the short period of three months, this wasteland has become cultivated and build upon, new buildings have appeared from the loess one after another. This is a miracle of God's creation.

Looking at the intricate archway, which seems very natural and was not painstakingly carved, an expert architecture would admire the design and making the one-piece construction. Seeing its graceful lines and sharp corners on both ends bend into the air, displaying a leisurely, carefree and unrestrained mood, no one would believe that under its gentle, fine and graceful external appearance is steel hammered into shape and finally welded together. Even more so, the pillars that support the archway are an application of a high technology of structure and mechanical theory. If the reinforcing bar structure of the pillars supporting both sides were calculated incorrectly, it would not have been able to hold the crossbeam made of steel, or withstand the strong winds coming from all direction of the plain.

If you take a walk on the Cambodian loess plain, especially after a rain or during a rain, you will feel a softness under your feet, and sink into the mud if you are not careful. You can not see any stone in the Cambodian loess, although every walkway in the Raising Center has been paved with crushed stones. (These crushed stones were bought by Master with US currency in order to prevent people from slipping and allow them to walk safely. Therefore, these walkways with the crushed stones should be named "The Golden Walkways.") It truly was not easy to build the reinforced bar structured archway, the Compassionate Heart Temple, the Healing Heart Hospital and the school on this clay loess land.

A resident fellow brother who was responsible for building the main entrance was originally only skilled in carpentry and had no experience in this area at all. After he was assigned this task, he consulted expert construction architects everywhere and humbly discussed with workers about how to build it. On the blueprint, two pillars were placed outside of the crossbeam. However, during the construction of a wooden model, he unknowingly forgot about the two corners. After more than ten days when the construction of the archway had already been completed, and after comparing with the original design, he found that the two "horns" were missing. When he added these two pieces to the wooden model, the more he looked at them, the more he felt that they did not match; other people also felt that they were unnecessary. Looking again at such a delicate, graceful, gentle and carefree archway as a whole, they felt: Why did they want to destroy the mood that God has created? Maybe this was the order that God wanted to pass on -- let all sentient beings in Raising Center be nourished by God and grow leisurely and carefree.

God has revised the design of the main entrance without leaving a trace. Other construction sites have similar stories to tell and their experiences are lessons learned from God.

The construction of the first Guest House introduces the architecture technology from Formosa, plus the Cambodian native high-leg house modeling design. Starting from working out a blueprint, purchasing construction materials, to constructing on the spot -- building the foundation, constructing the sewer; nailing the wooden attic, the stairway and the floor; installing the bathrooms, equipment and mount railings on the long corridor, the participating fellow practitioners all felt that "everything was hard in the beginning" just like the difficulty of "the loftiest towers are construct from the ground." However, from impossibility, a dormitory with twelve rooms already stands before their eyes. In less than three months, many such new buildings have appeared from their strength in unity.

Fellow practitioners who participated in the construction of many of the buildings told me, "When we do things, we always rely on our previous knowledge and experiences, plus external information. However, during the process of building these structures, we felt that our original designs were only some kind of concept and were not necessarily what God wanted; so Hes would use external or inner power to adjust or revise them. During the construction, a hand of the Creator joined the operation to complete these perfect structures, often in some strange combinations of circumstances. God never painstakingly requested us to do so. The accomplishment of everything was to not to be known beforehand when we first came here in early April. Witnessing that one structure was finished in about twelve days and another building was also completed in about the same period of time, we know that we built a miracle of the world with the determination and willpower of our "Heavenly Soldiers". Let us and the dear Cambodian villagers share this joy! This is an order of God. This is a compassionate and loving offering of the Master of the era!"

As the construction work of the Raising Center began towards the end of April, many fellow practitioners from all over the world came to join the reclamation work. To ensure that the various working teams could work without worries, the kitchen team gave them full support by meticulously preparing all sorts of delicious meals and snacks for them.

At first, they had only three rice cookers, so they had to start cooking continuously from seven-thirty in the morning. When one pot of rice was cooked, they had to quickly scrap out the rice, clean the cooker, and then cook another pot. Over twenty pots of rice were required for each meal. Sometimes, several members would work together to clean a pot, and even before the pot was cooled, it was on the fire again cooking another pot. With God's blessing, the water boiled very quickly, and the next step was to control the heat of the fire. It had to be turned down to medium, and then low heat. If the heat was not properly controlled due to the slightest neglect, there would be more crust. It would be a reckless waste of God's grace -- the Buddha's rice.

In this way, the cooking sequence began from seven-thirty in the morning to half-past six in the evening -- continuous cooking, scrapping, and washing the rice. New construction sites appeared everyday to expedite the work, and the number of workers involved increased from a hundred to over seven hundred. Now, thirty-seven pots of rice were required for each meal -- a spectacular sight.

To increase the endurance power of fellow practitioners, and to help them adjust to the climate of a strange land, one fellow practitioner lovingly suggested everyone to drink more brown sugar water with lime. A fellow sister was assigned particularly to boil the water for the workers and fellow practitioners on the construction sites. While watching the big pot on the stove attentively, she cleaned the tiny limes one by one with her hands. Then she would carefully put the limes into a basket, and cover them with a piece of white gauze to keep away the flies. She worked with extreme care, because each unit had to do their best, so that the whole group could exert its greatest power. Each worker, each fellow practitioner contributed their greatest effort to develop the Raising Center.

The rain pattered on the tarpaulin of the temporary kitchen, creating a light tapping rhythm. Several fellow sisters, 'armed to the teeth' with caps, gloves and masks, and under the blessing of Master's Buddhist chanting tape, chopped taros and cabbages. The chief cooks concentrated on their big wok spades, shovelling the food in the woks. The aroma of the food pervaded the entire kitchen. The assistants quickly and skillfully took the cooked food to the preparation tables. There were many big bags of cooked rice already placed on a long table, while the fellow sisters, two in a group, divided the food according to the number of workers at each site, and then put them in the big bags along with the rice. Around ten o'clock, many huge bags containing the rice and food were ready, waiting for the workers and fellow practitioners from various sites to take them.

After that, they prepared the snacks and dinner. To satisfy different tastes and demands, the chief cooks had to keep praying to Master for Her blessing. One of the chief cooks -- sister Heng Zheng Chiu told us, "Here we cook whatever the purchasing group can buy. Sometimes, we cannot come up with a new dish, so we use some available additional ingredients to vary the dish a little bit and offer a different taste. We always silently recite the Holy Names and pray for Master's blessing. Thanks to Master's help, we often have some delightful surprises." Sister Chiu-Xiang Shu said, "I abandoned my cosmetic career and came to do my part here. Before I came here, I had never carried things that weighed tens of catties. Here I do it everyday, and I have developed the strength of my arms in this way! When we are short-handed, one person has to do the work of three. All we know is that we must accomplish our work quickly to let everyone have enough to eat, because they need the energy to work. Sometimes, when there is insufficient food, we have to imitate the Monkey King, and 'manifest' something with magical power." Sister Jin-Ying Lo said, "We didn't have enough working hands when we first came here. I seldom did any heavy chores before. Going through the tempering here, my fingers were so tired that I would feel pain just in lifting a spoon. However, when it was time to lift the pots or baskets of food, I could do it immediately and forgot the pain."

Sister Lo had joined various working teams as a temporary supportive member, so she deeply understood the laborious task of these teams, who really needed the supply of good food and drinks. Therefore, having returned to her kitchen post, she thought hard to produce a rich variety of dishes and snacks to replenish their energy, and satisfy their needs. At times, she was physically exhausted, but Master's tremendous blessing of love helped her to carry on. She is very grateful to Master for giving her this opportunity to work here. She is very contented, because she often realizes the meaning of God's intentions through many incidents. In the reclamation saga of the Raising Center, she might be a nobody, but her devotion is touching. "Selling fried soup buns, I can only sustain and benefit myself. Why don't I do something that benefits everyone?" This was the thought that motivated her to come here, and this is also the hearty voice of innumerable pioneers developing the Raising Center.

In order to prepare food for six to seven hundred workers and one hundred fellow initiates, a sister responsible for buying groceries had to get up very early in the morning and drive more than forty kilometers to shop for vegetables and fruits at a country fair market.

Initially, the sister was a stranger to local folks and could not communicate with them because of the language barriers. It was really time consuming and exhausting to rush back and forth among the vendors' stands in the market to asked the price and to check out the quality of the commodities. One day, preoccupied with the thought of having to make six to seven hundred lunch boxes before nine o'clock, she tried to communicate with vendors by using hand signals and a little bit of English. Surprisingly enough, they could understand each other tacitly. In addition, they used a calculator to bargain for prices without even needing any language. Thanks to Master who helped run everything! With just punches of the calculator keys, they agreed on sale prices quickly and happily. Thus the sister easily purchased reasonably priced high quality vegetables and fruits.

Tacit Communication

There was a Cambodian-American-Thai currency exchange station at that country fair market. The owner of the station knew a little bit of English. The sister asked him to teach her the pronunciation of the word "tomorrow" in Cambodian. Immediately after learning that word, she went to the vendor's stand from which she had made purchases several times before. She pointed to several kinds of vegetables and said, "Shi-Ah, Shi-Ah", (sound of the word "tomorrow" in Cambodian), then she displayed the required amounts to the owner of the stand by using the calculator. Through heaven's help she was able to communicate with the sister tacitly. Next morning, she had prepared each kind of vegetable in the required amounts for the sister, thus saving her a lot of time. The vendor owner is also diligently learning Chinese, so they are getting more and more acquainted with each other. Because of this the sister mentioned to the vendor about our association and introduced to her the head of our family - Supreme Master Ching Hai. She was also invited to attend the grand opening ceremony of Raising Center. Invited and able to participate in this opening ceremony, she was very happy.

Sisters who frequently make purchases from that country fair market made the following remarks: "Cambodian people are very pure and kind in nature. After we had decided to buy from one vendor, the other vendors, seeing that vendor was very busy, would come to help us pack the vegetables on their own initiatives. They would help load vegetables onto our truck with smiles on their faces. Sometimes we made a purchase from a vendor but discovered that the quantities and selections were not enough, so the vendor would then lead us to other vendors and help us to select vegetables and fruits. They helped us to select beautiful and fresh ones, frankly telling us which of them were tender and fresh and which of them were not." Interacting with them, we truly experienced what Master said about "the kindness of the Cambodian people".

A Handful Of Coriander

Once the sisters had finished shopping, they had other duties to do, so they loaded the vegetables into the truck in a hurry and drove back immediately, without taking with them several handfuls of coriander that they had purchased. The sisters remembered the coriander only after they had arrived at the Center. At that time a note came from the front gate: "There is a merchant who brought back the coriander you had forgotten." Just for several handfuls of coriander, worth only one Taiwanese Yuan per handful, that merchant left his stand, caught a "motorbike-taxi", and chased the sisters all the way to the Center, forty-five kilometers away! The merchant told the gate guard by using hand signals that he would like to give the coriander to the sisters in person, so his mind could rest. His honesty and pureness amply reflected the kindhearted nature of those folks in the Buddhhist's kingdom. Interacting with them we realized what Master has taught: "Being honest to yourself is being honest to everyone."