Front Line


Interview with Special Guests

On the fifth day of the Taipei International Book Exhibition, a Saturday, a happy atmosphere, which continued from the Chinese New Year holidays, was felt at the venue. Endless crowds of visitors came to the event, attracted by its large variety of promotional activities.

Representative Jost Feer of the Trade Office of Swiss Industries in Taipei was a special guest at our booth. Casually dressed, Mr. Feer warmly agreed to an interview with us. He is a philosophical man and is greatly interested in the empirical forms of evidence provided by science. He agreed that the spiritual disciplines of the East can certainly complement the overly materialistic lifestyle of the West, adding that it is important and necessary to balance these two aspects of life in our highly unpredictable world. Mr. Feer studies Zen and has been meditating for four years.

He greatly admires Supreme Master Ching Hai, has attended many of Her Truth sharing activities, and thinks that Her disciples are very active since they not only practice meditation, but also take part in charity work. If more people can be like us, Mr. Feer said, they will greatly benefit themselves and society. Although Mr. Feer has not been initiated by a particular master, he constantly reminds himself to search for the inner supreme Master and to merge with it.

His interview comments reminded us of Master's New Year's message, in which She says, "I love you very much as always, for what you are and what you strive to remember - your noble and highest Self!" We thank Master for again reminding us, through Mr. Feer, of this important message. Master helps us to feel that God's love is always the same, and that all we have to do is totally accept and place our trust in it. When asked if he had a message for the people of Formosa, Mr. Feer said, "I hope that they can set free their minds and have the courage to search for their own Self!"

Another guest at our booth, Products Manager Liu Yu-hsien of Himalaya Records, who listened to Master's music CDs, had a special preference for Her original vocal compositions. Through their melodies, he said, he can feel Her love and desire for world peace. When he saw the program One World of peace through music, he said that it was fantastic the way Master's unselfish and all-encompassing love was expressed through a group of world-renowned musicians, and he supported the activity very much.

In addition, the Exhibition's Russian Classical Literature Illustrations award winner, Mr. Chelushkin Kirill, told us that he pays special attention to the inner meaning of an artist's work. On visiting our booth, he remarked that artists use their creations to communicate with the public. To the world, an artist's works have certain meanings, and although people sometimes may not understand them, these creations nonetheless have a subtle but far-reaching effect on our lives. Ms. Natalia V. Tikhonova, the art director for a Russian company, PIANT, said that she was impressed that so many people in Formosa were concerned about vegetarianism and environmental protection. She added that, to truly love nature, we must start by being vegetarians and practicing the spiritual life. In this respect, fellow initiates are well on their way to showing their love of the natural world.

Serial No. 44 of the A Journey through Aesthetic Realms program includes a detailed report on the Taipei International Book Exhibition and our interviews with special guests. The program may be viewed at http://137.hichannel.com.tw (Chinese).