True love is not possessiveness, but giving unconditionally. When we see that someone is in need and help him spontaneously, we are expressing love. As Supreme Master Ching Hai says, “In your heart you seem to have become him; you can feel his pain. After you give him [the necessities], you see that he is very happy. You feel so warm in your heart, as if you have given yourself something. Then you know what love is.” Supreme Master Ching Hai has always been deeply concerned about the well-being of the homeless and other vulnerable individuals around the world. She not only asks our Association members, including Her personal attendants, to provide aid to the needy and disadvantaged, but also purchases food, daily necessities and gifts in person, and sends them anonymously to organizations such as homeless shelters, orphanages, and animal sanctuaries. This winter, Master has established a special fund to help homeless monastics and other less fortunate people in all parts of the globe. As lovingly instructed by Master, all of our Association’s international Centers again conducted charitable, “Warmth in Winter” activities to help ensure that those in need stay warm during the cold season. Reports on these efforts are included in this issue of the News and more will be published in the future.
Master’s Love Brings Comfort to Indian Monastics and Street Friends
By Formosa Relief Team (Originally in Chinese)
In December Golden Year 9 (2012), temperatures plummeted in northern India. With concern for the plight of local monks and the homeless, Supreme Master Ching Hai immediately made a loving contribution of US$25,000 to help local monastics and street friends stay warm and safe in the frigid weather. Bearing Master’s contribution, our Association members from Formosa arrived in Delhi, India on December 13. With the assistance of local Association members, they purchased over 4,000 soft, warm blankets and contacted the Santosh Puri Ashram near Haridwar, which had helped our Association distribute blankets in 2009. We thank God for the divine love that brings blessings
to those in need. May the citizens of India find much warmth and comfort
during this cold season.
 Italy / Iran / India / Bangladesh / Mainland China
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The
Abbott of the Ashram, (Mataji) Narmada Devi Puri Ma, joyfully praised
Master’s divine love and charitable deeds and asked her son,
Yogacharya Ganga Puri, to help our Association in distributing the
blankets to those in need. Our local Indian Association members also
drove for eight hours to help. With the assistance of Ganga Puri,
the blankets were delivered to four orphanages, three shelters for
leprosy patients, and over a dozen ashrams. Every day along the way,
our Association members also distributed blankets to monastics and
street friends in need in Haridwar and nearby Rishikesh. In total,
more than 3,000 blankets were given out in the area, bringing comfort
to children, patients, monks, and homeless friends. The remaining
1,000 blankets were distributed to sadhus congregating at the Kumbh
Mela religious festival held in January 2013 in Allahabad.
