[Auckland] After returning from The Kingdom of Tonga to spread Master’s loving message of Alternative Living, the initiates in Auckland Center devoted themselves right away to preparation for the Auckland Food Show 2006, August 3 - 6, Golden Year 3. Participation included introducing vegetarianism to the public and demonstrating 30 courses of international delicacies to the food show visitors.

The theme of our booth was “Master’s Dream” and “Alternative Living Worldwide Promotion Campaign.” We demonstrated to the visitors by our actions that it is possible to become healthy, loving vegetarians and at same time, enjoy gourmet food. Apart from playing the film “The Real Heroes,” distributing Alternative Living flyers, giving out vegetarian recipes, we also showed people how to prepare vegetarian dishes and offered food for people to taste.

In addition, we explained the benefits of keeping a vegetarian diet, provided information on free vegetarian cooking classes as well as the places to purchase vegetarian ingredients. For those who were interested in Master and our group, we gave sample booklets and readings on the Quan Yin Method. Some guests further learned the Convenient Method of meditation.

During the Show, thousands of visitors were attracted to our booth by Master’s love and the excellent cooking skills of the initiates. Many guests and participants of the Show, even one famous chef’s assistant came to our booth again and again in order to taste our food. Most of them expressed their surprise that vegetarian food could be so delicious. A few long time vegetarians could hardly contain their praise.

On the first day, the Show was only opened to 2,500 VIPs: reporters, restaurants owners and food experts. Our booth was so packed with people on the very first day that when TV1 of New Zealand attempted, several times, to film and interview us, they had to abandon their plan because of the crowds or because our food was all gone.

Instead, they only filmed the scene of our initiate, who dressed himself as a cow, giving out Alternative Living flyers. Another Chinese TV station, “ETTV,” found a time when the crowd was smaller and interviewed us.

There were 300 booths in the Show and some famous chefs demonstrated their cooking constantly. The sponsoring organization of the event did not expect that our booth would be so popular. Nearly all the guests were impressed by our food and many even commented that ours was the best in the Show. The enthusiastic and sincere service provided by our initiates won praises from visitors, Show working staff and other event participants.

Because initiates took every opportunity to distribute flyers diligently and because of the endless stream of visitors to our booth, we distributed 11,000 flyers during the three-and-a-half day event.

At the booth, we played the DVD, “Songs & Compositions of The Supreme Master Ching Hai” which attracted many people. A lady asked us, “Who is the person singing? She is so beautiful!” and asked us to allow her to sit inside the booth to enjoy the performance. Despite the hectic activities of the initiates nearby, the lady watched Master’s singing attentively, from beginning to end as if in Samadhi, and was moved to tears. She told us that she felt Master was singing to her alone the whole time.

One initiate felt Master’s blessing when she was explaining the information on vegetarianism to the guests. She became very confident and full of courage. The feeling continued even after the Show. This initiate said, “After participating in the Show, I became very confident and fearless. Now, I can break through my own obstacles and fears to do and to say the right things. When I was preparing the vegetarian sushi for free sampling, my movements suddenly became very fast and accurate like professionals and the sushi turned out to be exceptionally tasty, they were better than any I have made before.”

On the first day, as soon as the Show was opened, other booths had hardly any visitors, yet our booth was already surrounded by crowds watching the sushi preparation of this initiate due to Master’s love which took us all by surprise. The following cooking demonstrations by other initiates also attracted endless people.

Another initiate revealed her wonderful spiritual experience that happened during the Show. “A few weeks before the food show, I was blessed to be able to acquire one of Master’s paintings with the title ‘Enlightened.’ I love the painting very much. Every time I looked at the painting, I felt as if I and the painting were one, swirling with the light within. On the second day, while preparing the vegetarian cocktail sandwiches for the food show, suddenly, I had many flash backs of the painting, because the tray of sandwiches had similar colors to the painting. When I stepped back and looked at the tray of sandwiches, I had similar feelings that the sandwiches and I were immersed within the paintings. Such light and color and beauty present at the same time were indescribable. At the time all I could think of was, ‘Wow! What a beauty!’ One of Master’s paintings ‘The Beauty’ appeared within the tray of sandwiches. Both paintings kept appearing one after the other. I could not believe my eyes. I was overjoyed with the sceneries. It was so alive! At the same time I could feel that my whole being was being charged with energy. I felt so blissful and blessed to have such an incredible spiritual experience. Thank You, Master, for Your love and blessings.

The people who attended loved the vegetarian cocktail sandwiches so much. We started by making just a few hundred sandwiches a day, however, by the third and fourth day, we increased them to about a thousand sandwiches a day and were still unable to keep up with the demand.”

Even though the challenge of this event was far beyond our imagination, all the initiates involved gained much spiritual progress Since Master started the Alternative Living promotion campaign and encouraged everyone through many ways to join this campaign, we have had many chances to learn to serve the public as well as develop our wisdom and compassion. We realize by our own experiences that apart from meditation, serving people with sincerity and spreading Master’s love and blessings are the best ways to break through our own obstacles. They are also the great channels to develop unlimited potential and wisdom within. We are so grateful to Master’s boundless love, her teachings, guidance, constant blessings and her grace that accompanies us through all difficulties and hindrances accumulated life after life. We hope that one day we can become perfect tools for God in order to serve more people and all other beings in the world.

 

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To keep pace with the planet’s ongoing spiritual elevation, the local centers of The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association are holding more and more video seminars and other Truth-sharing events.

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