Planting the Seeds of Clean Living in the School Campus

[Taoyuan] In response to Master’s discourse concerning adolescents and drugs during the New Year’s holiday season, fellow initiates from Formosa’s Taoyuan Center participated in an Anti-drug Fair held at Jhongli Senior High School in Taoyuan County. Here, they shared a message of environmental protection, good health and love with visitors, parents, teachers and students.

On May 20, Golden Year 3 (Year 2006), Taoyuan initiates planned a series of activities for this fair, including a vegetarian food bazaar, a quiz with prizes, a flea market and Alternative Living flyer distribution. They also prepared and put up at the venue many posters promoting healthy vegetarianism and campaigning against smoking.

To strengthen its effort to share the vegetarianism concept, the local Center first arranged for fellow initiates proficient in vegetarian cooking to pass along their culinary skills to the younger and less experienced practitioners. For the fair they prepared a wide variety of foods, including jelly, pancakes, sweet corn soup, organic nutritious cool noodles, stewed foods and peanut tofu. At the booth, a number of teachers made very large purchases. Some returned several times for more, saying, “These foods look clean and tasty!” Students also kept coming to make purchases, finding the food so delicious that they invited their classmates to come and taste it as well.

For the quiz, several questions were prepared based on the latest scientific reports. Prizes included folders and shopping bags printed with the Alternative Living message, magnetic clips bearing a picture of vegetables and fruits and stuffed toys. Fellow practitioners were most impressed by a high-school senior who spent a couple of hours quietly and carefully reading the contents of a poster at the booth. When the quiz began, she was able to answer the questions correctly, thus winning several prizes. In addition, fellow initiates distributing Alternative Living flyers around the campus found that everyone who received the flyers read them with interest.

Fellow initiates also brought good books, educational toys, and small home appliances from home for the charity bazaar. Since these items were sold at low prices, students were delighted to discover books they liked. It was clear that these were considered invaluable treasures. A father brought three little girls, who were able to find toys of their choice. A picture of the little girls’ happy faces while holding the beloved toys in their arms remains in fellow initiates’ minds. Although the charity bazaar yielded little revenue, the meaningful activity brought much fun and joy to the Fair.

Director Lin from Jhongli High School (left) accepts the revenue contribution from the charity bazaar.

Before the activity ended, the Taoyuan Center contributed its revenue from the bazaar to Jhongli High School’s encouragement fund for students from needy households. The contribution was accepted by the Director of Studies, who had originally accepted and welcomed the fellow practitioners to participate in the Fair. Despite his busy schedule, Director Lin found time to visit their booth that day. He presented each initiate with a best-selling book, his sincere attitude touching their hearts. When he learned that the initiates were from The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, he immediately said, “This is exactly what the society needs at this time!” Director Lin said that about twenty students at the school receive the encouragement fund on a regular basis, so the financial contribution made by the initiates would be very helpful to them. He felt deeply touched and grateful for the initiates’ devotion and loving actions. On the other hand, the local practitioners also felt inspired to meet an educator with such great noble ideals. They ended the day, hopeful that the new generation will be able to grow up in a clean social environment with “zero pollution.”

Panorama of Events

Formosa

Planting the Seeds of Clean Living
in the School Campus

By Taoyuan News Group (Originally in Chinese)

Director Lin from Jhongli High School (left) accepts the revenue contribution from the charity bazaar.