Love gives people courage and hope. Love can be developed through learning. Through the interchange of love, both the "giver" and the "receiver" can experience the wonder and beauty, which is like continuously flowing water enriching life's experiences, and elevating the purity of the mind.
Although meditation is the source of love, following Master is not limited to spiritual practice. There are many lessons of love to be learned in our daily life. For instance, the emergency activities in relieving disasters in various places. (Note) Master has taught us that: Saving people is not just a matter of giving them money, but also consoling and giving them faith, which is eternal. That is why the fellow initiates always visit the affected areas, and personally participate in the relief efforts. The fellow initiates also form a relief team, which takes care of the purchasing, packing, delivering and distribution of the relief materials, from beginning to end. At the same time, they extend their most cordial concern and God's blessing to the victims.
Some other activities include: Cleaning the environment once a month, helping the poor and homeless people, and also visiting the refugee camps, etc. All these broaden the scope of our spiritual practice. Now, Master is giving the initiates another chance to further their experiences by getting in touch with those who are staying in homes for the elderly, hospitals and prisons. Some of them suffer from physical illnesses, hoping that someone will come to console them. Others feel spiritually empty and bored, longing for encouragement. Once again, the footsteps of fellow initiates are reaching out to every corner, spreading love to the whole world.
Note: Some major disaster relief activities include: The volcanic eruption in the Philippines, the fire disaster in Southern California and the flood disaster in the midwestern states of USA. Also, the flood disasters in France, Belgium, Malaysia, China, Au Lac, etc... and the recent one in Cambodia where the relief operation is still on going.
Report From Tainan, Formosa
photo:
(1) The loneliness of this blind old lady is greatly relieved by Master's
love and concern.
(2) Material sustenance is not all these old folks need. They crave more
for the warmth and care from society.
(3) Fellow practitioners serving food to the elderly folks at Woody Lodge.
Only after we had visited the old folks homes, then we truly understood why Master told us to do this. We found that there are so many poor old folks suffering from their agonizing illnesses and desperation. Among the sick, there are many former greatly honored celebrities. Now, they are helpless in their wheelchairs, or permanently bedridden. How helpless and ephemeral human life is! It is very clear that no one can escape the ill destiny of karma, no matter how wealthy or destitute, noble or lowly. Consequently, we have become more determined to maintain our faith in spiritual practice.
Upon receiving Master's instructions and inspired by Her compassion, the Tainan branch center immediately set up a schedule to visit the old folks homes. The leading fellow sister said, "Observing their distress, how can we not go?" Therefore, in only two weeks, our "task force" has visited almost two thousand people in dozens of old folk homes. There have been plenty of touching stories in our trips.
The Quan Yin Bodhisattva Instructed The Taking
Of A Vegetarian Diet In A Dream
Master Is Our Closest Kin
When a fellow initiate was feeding a very old man, he pointed at the ceiling delightfully yelling, "Shih Fu (Master) Papa is there! Shih Fu Papa is there!" He saw the manifestation body of Master, so he burst into a smile of an innocent child.
Tears Of Rescued Souls
A Visit To The Veterans Hospital
An old soldier told our fellow initiates that he really did see Master coming. Master was wearing a white robe and a hat. She also had white shoes on, looking so graceful and fine! The fellow initiate told him that that was the manifestation body of our Master who is omnipresent. A very old soldier told us whole-heartedly, "If it was possible for me to relive my life again, I would willing to do this meaningful job that you are now doing, benefitting the souls of sentient beings..." For those old veterans who grieved about their senility and being too late to practice, our fellow initiates sincerely consoled them, "If you believe in Master in your heart, you definitely can be liberated in one life. You will definitely be able to follow an enlightened Master to practice for liberation, should you have to come back again next life..."
The Wholehearted Words
Of Fellow Initiates
Report From Singapore
Inspired and encouraged by Master's instruction to care for the elderly and the sick, we immediately prepared to visit Woody Lodge. It accommodates hundreds of male homeless people. As it was our first time in conducting such an activity, we were particularly thorough in our preparations. The weather was comfortable on that afternoon. Fellow practitioners first gathered at the branch center. Having loaded the food, snacks, gifts and sample booklets, etc. into the vehicles, the team marched off in high spirits.
The superintendent of the center was delighted and welcomed us. After discussing our arrangements with him, he instructed his staffs to assist us. The fellow practitioners unloaded all the items and carried them to the cafeteria, while others were placing the food on the paper plates. In the mean time, the old folks slowly gathered and sat down in the cafeteria as invited. Happily and patiently, they watched us work.
The elderly people there were mostly fifty to seventy years of age. The majority were Chinese, others were Malays and Indians. With life-long suffering written on their faces, some even marked with traces of loss of memory, we really sympathize with them. We played Master's tapes, and put up Master's posters. Some of them curiously asked our fellow practitioners about Master. We then explained and talked to them in Chinese, English and other dialects.
Then, we served them snacks and drinks while they remained seated. They seemed quite fond of our vegetarian snacks. We were deeply touched to observe the compassionate way some of the old people cared for the other disabled residents, even by feeding them the snacks.
While they were enjoying the food, we distributed to each of them a gift pack containing some snacks and daily necessities. Master's sample booklets were also provided to them to take if they wished. While they were delighted to receive the gifts, they were equally interested in Master's sample booklet. Most of them got a copy and stared at Master's photograph. One thing worth noting was that, after they had left, after the meal, there was some food remaining on the table, but not one single sample booklet was left behind. It seemed their souls were still very alert.
Having bid farewell to the old folks, we went on to say good-bye to the superintendent. We both showed our appreciation toward each other. Just as we were leaving, we heard someone yelling thank you from behind a fenced area. In this area were some old folks that required special attention. Although they could not come out and join the others during the meal, they also received the food and gifts from our fellow practitioners. Therefore, they were extending their sincere gratitude to us.
Superficially, our trip was one of giving love. In fact, we received much more than we gave. Besides learning how to extend our love and concern in serving others, the old folks were also reminders to us to practice diligently while we are still young. Furthermore, we realized that Master's instructions are arranged lessons for Her disciples to learn, too precious to be missed.
Report From Munich, Germany
After receiving instructions from Master to visit the sick in the hospitals, it so happened that an initiate was hospitalized, hence everyone took this opportunity to carry out this activity.
Arriving at the hospital, our first visit was to the initiate there. She was very weak and pale. When she saw the Quan Yin messenger and so many fellow initiates, she could not control the tears of joy rolling down her face. Everybody expressed concern and encouragement. She was wheeled to the lawn outdoors and we meditated together in the warm sunshine. Her face gradually turned to a better color.
There was another old lady sharing the same room. Since surgery her recovery was very slow. She constantly made strange hoarse groans, looking as though she would not live long. Even though our fellow initiates wanted to take care of her, unfortunately, they were unable to communicate with her in her disorientated state. Later, before the ill initiate took her meal, someone turned on the tape of Master's "Offering Before Meals". To everyone's surprise, when the song was on, the old lady suddenly stopped her strange groaning, and then went into a peaceful and sound sleep. After a while, when she woke up, she even asked repeatedly for sweets! So with the consent of the nurse, the initiates shared with her some of the candies blessed by Master on an initiation day.
The next day, everybody returned to the hospital again. Miraculously, the patients were totally different from previous day, with obvious improvements in their conditions. The hospitalized initiate had recovered her strength. She could walk normally and her face had become rosy. Everyone was astonished that the old lady in the next bed had become mentally clear and alert. All those strange noises yesterday had totally disappeared. After helping the initiate with her meal, we found that the old lady had gone back to sleep again. Together we meditated in the room. After the meditation, we chatted with the old lady who had no visitors there. We observed that this patient, who was delirious yesterday, was much more alert in her responses today.
On the way home, everyone was talking about the incredible, miraculous changes in the patients within one short day. To that old lady whom we encountered by chance, we expressed our utmost sympathy and blessing. Through this, fellow initiates experienced that following Master's instructions to visit patients in hospitals, not only sends brotherly love and care to mankind, but more importantly, in this way, spreads Master's blessings to another corner of the world, so that those suffering can share Master's love.