The plum harvest
by fellow initiate Yu in Hong Kong
Up in the Tien Shan Ashram in Hong Kong, there is a plum orchard. This year there has been an abundance of plums growing on the trees. It is a pity that some of the fruit is already too ripe and has dropped onto the ground! If they are not picked in time it would really be quite a waste. Remember last year that Master told us in one of Her talks that the fruit from the trees are the creation of God, and that if people waste them by not consuming them, then they would receive the retribution of starvation in the future.
One day after group meditation, Master gave us a talk and told us how to make plum jam for spreading over bread and how to make a sour plum drink. She also instructed the fellow initiates to climb up to pick the plums. Early the next morning fellow initiates were busily doing their part, quietly picking the plums. The sight of the plum trees with plums hanging all over them was a delightful one. In a short time, the plums had filled one bag after another, which were almost too heavy to be moved. Later, we into plum jam and the green ones would be soaked in brine to preserve them, so that they would not turn rotten. In the future we would have a few new dishes: Eggplant with spicy plum sauce, bean curd with hot plum sauce, fried vegetables with plum and ginger, etc.
It was really a big plum harvest. As if a fruit factory was founded, we
put the preserved plum into bags and let the initiates take them home to
share with others. We thank Master for the opportunity to appreciate that
"Zen is everyday living" through this plum picking activity. Thank You,
Master.