[Tokyo] Early this year, the
Tokyo Center moved from the
Ohmori in the Shinagawa-Ku
district to Ohtsufa in the
Toshimr-Ku district. However,
this Center was not big enough
for the steadily increasing
number of fellow initiates and
would-be initiates. Furthermore,
in order to make it more
convenient for fellow initiates
from the neighboring province,
Kanagawa, to attend group
meditations, they found a new
location in Kanagawa Province.
Aside from regular group meditations, the new Center is also open during holidays for fellow initiates from other areas such as Tokyo, Gunma and Osaka to hold retreats in the serene outskirts of Kanagawa. The early days of May were holidays in Japan, so fellow initiates who live near the new Center, as well as those from Kumamoto, Gunma and Osaka, joined new initiates by seizing the opportunity to get far away from the hustle and bustle of city life and held a three-day retreat at the new Center. Those who could not attend the international retreat scheduled in Australia in May due to work, family or financial reasons, especially treasured the three-day retreat in Japan. Having been charged spiritually, they organized a vegetarian dinner party after the retreat at the Cultural Center nearby to promote vegetarianism as a means to purify society. Guests from various fields, as well as friends, relatives and would-be initiates were all entertained. During the retreat, fellow initiates especially missed Master, the "Mother of the land," reminding us of the saying, "the hearts of a mother and her children are linked together". Thus in order to satisfy Her children's longing, Master disregarded the long journey time and graced the new Center with Her physical presence on the day the retreat ended to officiate at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. As nothing was announced beforehand, all the fellow initiates were greatly delighted when they suddenly saw Her appear in front of their eyes. At the vegetarian dinner party, Master mentioned that although the Center in Japan was small, as spiritual practitioners, we should be broad-minded and not be restricted by the size of the place. Master believes, due to fellow initiates' diligent practice, Japan can look towards a better future. Since Japan is a highly intellectual country, if Japanese fellow initiates practice earnestly so that spiritual practice becomes a common practice, then happiness will be brought to even more people. |
After the vegetarian dinner, there were entertaining performances by Japanese, Au Lacese, Chinese and Formosan fellow initiates, to express their joy and to welcome Master. Despite their limited rehearsals, which meant the quality of their performances was no comparison to those at the international retreats, their one-mindedness and honor to perform for Master was no less than that of the fellow initiates who perform at international retreats. Mr. Akita, especially made time to attend the vegetarian dinner party. Mr. Akita is a well-known specialist in China, and his wife is a fellow initiate. Therefore, when he first saw the photograph of Master that his wife brought home, he immediately treated it as a precious treasure. Mr. Akita now practices the Convenient Method and has had some good spiritual experiences. He especially went on stage at the party to express his reverence for Master, and proclaimed that our group is truly "a group of light". He also sang a Japanese song, "The Moon Over a Deserted City," which he sincerely dedicated to Master. It won loud applause from those present. Being Mother's Day eve, fellow initiates especially prepared a vegetarian birthday cake, and wished our "Mother of the land" a happy birthday and a happy Mother's Day. Even though fellow initiates knew that Master was tired due to the trip, it was very hard for them to part with Her since they love Her so much. Understanding Her children, Master gave a brief talk at the end of the dinner party. She said that there was no time to lose, and that everyone should pick up the pace of his/her practice so that the world would be blessed by even more positive power. She also reminded fellow initiates to show more love towards their families and friends. One is only on the right path when one has more love for others as he or she practices. Otherwise, one easily strays. Love should be practiced, beginning with one's family. Only when one has a loving family relationship can one have a peaceful mind to practice. The fellow initiates in Japan are truly grateful to Master for making such a long journey just to be with them. They were inspired to be even more diligent in their practice, and to train themselves and work together, in the hope that their island country, through their group efforts, will be blessed by Master's supreme love.¡¹ |
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[Seoul] Seoul Center recently
attended the International Book Fair held in mid May at the
Korean Exhibition Center (KOEX)
in Seoul. From the first book
fair until now, fellow initiates
always set-up a booth to spread
Master's teachings in every book
fair.
After the opening ceremony on the first day, KBS TV included a brief on the fair in their evening news. Our Supreme Master Ching Hai book display booth was shown, including a close-up of Master's picture. The next day Ms. Park, Keun-Hea, the eldest daughter of former President Park, Jung-Hee, received a free sample booklet when she visited the fair. She has been practicing breathing meditation, as well as other forms of meditation, so she expressed much pleasure when she received the free sample booklet. The lotus-shaped decorations that were displayed in front of our booth near Master's picture were made with a luminescent and translucent material and the colors kept changing like a chameleon. A visitor commented to us that the decoration was very pleasing to the eyes. Upon hearing that, we learnt how to utilize the lighting artistically so as to add a spiritual dimension to it. Also, another two volumes of the Supreme Master Ching Hai News magazines and the fifth book in "The Key of Immediate Enlightenment" series, all in Korean, were published at the same time and displayed during the book fair, so all visitors to our booth were satisfied. |
On the weekend even more visitors frequented our booth. With the active spreading of Master's teachings by fellow initiates, most visitors to the fair received a sample booklet. Thanks to Master's blessing the atmosphere of the event was like that of a grand festival. After the fair, many people visited the Seoul Center and the S.M Vegetarian House for more information. Some registered to receive initiation immediately. Some began to come to the Center every day to watch Master's videotapes. This international book fair enabled many people to know about Master, and we had a very good response.¡¹ |
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[Jiayi] Mother's Day in May is
also the birthday of our great
Mother - Master. Those initiates
in Jiayi, who could not go to
the Australian retreat for
various reasons, arranged a
special party to wish Master a
happy birthday and to express
their longing for Her on this
day. They also invited friends
and relatives, who are
non-initiates, to enjoy the
holiday together. Initiates
prepared a European style buffet
luncheon for everyone. After
enjoying the food, every guest
put on a carnation to celebrate
this heartwarming holiday. Then
they sat in a hall to watch the
celebration performances. The
first program consisted of a
chorus singing "Mother, You are
Great". Then fellow initiates
performed with their best
efforts to entertain all the
guests. The performances were
new and eye-opening and the
atmosphere was happy and
cheerful. Many performers were
not used to expressing
themselves in front of the
public before, but after
practicing the Quan Yin Method,
they became enlightened and were
able to develop and express
their hidden talents.
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After the performance, there were also many interesting interactive group games, all participants received a gift. People on and off the stage were all involved and cheerful. The MC also told jokes concerning spiritual practice, as well as introduced Master's brief biography to the guests, so they could have a deeper understanding of Master. The party concluded with all singing a revised song called, "Best Wishes to Our Great Mother Ching Hai."¡¹ |
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[Auckland] Since the beginning
of this year, initiates at the
Auckland Center have done a
series of activities to promote
Master's teachings. They hoped
that they could disseminate
Master's teachings to every
level of society, allowing more
people to know about the Quan
Yin Method.
Initiates participated in "The First New Zealand Spiritual Expo" at which many spiritual groups set up booths. The Expo was held at Auckland City's Lakeside Convention Center. In a vast grassland, initiates set up a huge tent. They displayed a large eye-catching banner, which read "Quan Yin Method," and Master's stately portrait that could be seen from far away. Many interested visitors came to have a closer look. In the booth there was a beautiful array of sample booklets, books, News magazines, audio and video tapes, et cetera. People were happily surprised to learn that many of these things, including initiation, were free. Many of them stated: "In the commercialized modern society, everything is for economic gain, and it is incredible to see that such a great method and beautiful books are all free." Master once said, "the Truth is priceless." Remembering this, we were even more moved. |
All the initiates who participated in the activity noticed that in the past, initiates had pro-actively distributed books to people; however this time, people requested books on their own initiative and their eagerness was greater than before. This shows that more and more people are interested in spiritual cultivation. The second activity initiates participated in was the "Asia Festival" organized by the city's ethnic communities. On the first day, they showed tapes of Master's lectures, the "Worldwide S.M Celestial Clothes Fashion Show" and displayed Master's books. On the second day, initiates demonstrated the making of vegetarian dumplings to promote the benefits of a vegetarian diet. The dumplings were served to visitors for free. The atmosphere was warm and many visitors established an affinity with Master. After several consecutive activities, many initiates realized from their experiences that participating in Master's work made them progress quickly spiritually. They also felt Master's strong blessing power. A would-be initiate said that he was unable to calm his mind to do the Convenient Method before, but during the whole week after participating in Master's work, he felt a lot of blessing while he meditated and therefore made great progress. He expressed firmly that he wanted to continue practicing and hoped that he could be initiated soon. Master once said, "To deliver others is to liberate ourselves." Through these activities, we now have a deeper understanding of Her words.¡¹ |
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[Capetown] The Art of Living
Festival held in Capetown
recently drew many people
interested in finding ways to
improve their health, as well as
their mental and spiritual
well-being. During the Festival,
our booth attracted many people
who watched Master's video and
discussed Her teachings. One
lady, who teaches a form of
meditation, found Master's
teachings very pure and said
that she would definitely
investigate the Quan Yin Method.
Many tourists visit Cape Town, and happened to meet this opportunity to contact Master's wonderful teachings. One gentleman said that he would attend the planned follow-up lecture to learn more about Master. |
Through this Festival, fellow practitioners have gained valuable experience in introducing Master's teachings to the public. The reward for doing Master's work is the privilege of having the opportunity to do so. The Cape Town Center will make the best of any opportunity to continue promoting Master's teachings. Media ReportsChieu Duong Daily Newspaper, Australia (The first and only Au Lac Daily Newspaper in Australia -- Issue No.2966, Tuesday 13rd May 1997)¡¹ |