Report From Chiayi
A Heart Warming Trip Of
Spreading The Truth - An Invitation To Give A Speech In The Chiayi
Women's Prison
It
is not exaggerating to say that a prison is a place where laughter is
rare. However, this trip to spread the Truth at the Chiayi Women's
Prison was filled with the roaring laughter of several hundred inmates.
Fellow practitioners took to the inmates Master's overwhelming love and
concern, which immersed the whole venue in an ocean of love and bliss.
To
make this prison preaching assignment a successful one, the Chiayi
fellow initiates reached a unanimous agreement to meditate every day at
the local Center. As permitted by their family situations, several
practitioners even held a retreat and prayed for a few days.
Early
on the day of the visit, working members assembled at the home of the
liaison practitioner. They worked with oneness of mind, each executing
their assigned duties. Some of them helped with transporting the
decorations for the venue, others prepared exquisite meals and snacks
for the inmates to enjoy. In perfect harmony, they accomplished their
jobs promptly and reached the prison punctually.
When
a Prison Officer came out to count the number of visitors, he was amazed
to find that so many people had come. The liaison practitioner explained
that many fellow practitioners were eager to participate in this
meaningful activity. The Prison Officer was touched.
Therefore,
in cheerful spirit, practitioners arrived at the lecture venue where the
inmates were already waiting. After a brief introduction by the M.C.,
the fellow brother giving the lecture went on stage to tell the story of
how he previously wallowed in criminal circles, and how the Buddha
eventually appeared to him and directed him to find an enlightened
master. He also talked about some fantastic stories encountered on his
spiritual path after following Master. His speech was lively and
amusing, so inmates often roared with laughter.
After
that, fellow practitioners distributed Master's sample booklets and News
magazines to each inmate, together with a rich portion of a delicious
meal. Then, they started teaching the inmates to sing holy songs. The
distribution went on as they sang, "Tears of the Holy Mother". The place
was filled with bliss, and did not look like a prison at all.
When
fellow initiates asked whether anyone wanted Master's photos, everyone
eagerly shouted, "I do! I want them!" It seemed that everyone had raised
their hand, asking for the photos. Joy and laughter masked the faces of
the inmates, and the whole place was flooded with indescribable bliss
and warmth.
 |
[Let Truth Cleanse The Souls
Of The Prison Inmates]
[Peace And Harmony Pervade
The Lecture By Supreme Master Ching Hai International
Association In Chiayi Prison]
|
All
the initiates who participated in this assignment were very happy, and
were grateful for Master's omnipresent power, which blessed them and
made this preaching trip a great success.
After
the lecture, a fellow brother who is a secondary school teacher said,
"When I was listening attentively to the lecture in the venue, suddenly
I noticed there was a halo above each of the fellow initiates who came
to help with the work, just like the halo we usually see above the heads
of saints. When everyone was singing the holy songs, a great light
appeared on stage, and then went down and spread to each corner of the
venue. A vibratory current of love made it hard for me to hold back my
tears." For several days after the trip to the prison, this brother
excitedly told whoever he met that he was always fully charged with
bliss whenever he meditated.
China Daily New
Reporter Su Tai An from Min Xiong
Fifty
members of Supreme Ching Hai International Association went to the
Chiayi Prison yesterday about 1:30 pm to preach to the inmates.
Practitioner Wu told his story and described his feelings during his
conversion from an evil to a virtuous life, and emphasised that "Doing
good deeds is the greatest happiness".
At
the gathering, a monastic disciple led a discussion to exchange ideas
and insights in life with the congregation, and taught them how to
meditate. Finally, they sang some holy psalms together. The gathering
was full of peace and warmth, and concluded successfully at 4:15 pm.
The
branch Center of the Supreme Ching Hai International Association is
situated in Jiang Tso Dian of Min Xiong Xiang. Yesterday, fifty
practitioner 'bodhisattvas', hoping to uplift society by injecting a
timely cleansing current, entered the Chiayi Prison for a Truth
spreading event. As arranged by the Prison authority, about two hundred
and fifty female inmates gathered at the event hall to attend the
lecture.
To
begin, brother Wu gave a detailed account of his early years in crime
circles. He was classified by the police as a Class-A villain, and had
spent eleven years in prison. Heavily loaded with karma, he was tortured
by agonizing illness. By complete coincidence, he got to know about the
credibility and greatness of Supreme Ching Hai. Eventually, the prodigal
son returned, and put down his slaying knife to follow Supreme Ching
Hai, to practice the Quan Yin Method, and ultimately realized the Truth
about human life.
After
him, a close fellow disciple went on the stage to expound the benefits
of practicing the Quan Yin Method, and the greatness of Supreme Ching
Hai. Through a question and answer session, he exchanged ideas with the
inmates, and then taught them a meditation method. After the
instruction, the place was stark silent as the inmates started to
meditate in their seats. The meditation has benefited them greatly.
At
the gathering, members of the International Association distributed free
booklets and Master's photographs. Finally, they sang the song, "Tears
of the Holy Mother" together. Both parties melted into one, and the
atmosphere was incredibly touching. Upon leaving, the association
members served each inmate with some western snacks. After over two
hours of edification, silent gratitude was present in the eyes of the
inmates as they reluctantly bid farewell.
Report From
Taoyuan
Rejoicing The Move To The
New Center
The
Taoyuan group spent five years trying to buy a piece of land for the new
Center, but without any success. Just when the number of new initiates
quickly grew and the hired venue was no longer big enough, a miracle
occurred. They succeeded in buying a piece of land next to the downtown
area of Chungli, and at a much cheaper price than the market value.
Fellow
practitioners immediately volunteered to join the construction work,
reinforced by many initiates who had professional skills. Within a
hundred working days, the main hall, publication circulation office,
children's room, recreation ground, kitchen and gardens sprouted up from
the vast wasteland of grass and reeds.
Each
initiate who participated in the work was equipped with the 'magical
power' imparted by Master - concentration and a serious attitude to
learn. In a short time, they learnt work which was totally unfamiliar to
them, and even excelled the professional fellow practitioners. The more
work they participated in, the greater was the enlightenment that they
derived. Therefore, they deeply recognized the almighty wisdom power
that Master has helped them open from within is truly omnipotent.
Making
use of the summer vacation, a fellow sister came to help at the Center's
kitchen, where delicious meals were prepared for the working members
every day. She had a deep apprehension: despite very detailed plans, it
was not certain that she could buy the required food at the market.
However, acting according to her own inspiration and prevailing
circumstances, the outcome was always perfect. Subsequently, she could
better utilize her latent abilities in creating unique dishes, which
very often met the exact demand of the fellow practitioners on that day.
Whenever
a new task is being launched, Master always makes fantastic arrangements
for some relevant professionals to appear at the right time.
Furthermore, the number of professionals is always just enough for the
job. It is clear to the fellow practitioners that Master is the chief
engineer behind the scenes coordinating everyone. Each time when
set-backs or obstacles are encountered in the work, some timely and
professional opinions will always be available. During these
discussions, Master always gives them the best inspiration, helping them
to accomplish every job perfectly and efficiently.
The
boss of a steel-plate company had seen Master's videos on Channel Four,
and coincidentally he was helping with the construction of the local
Center this time. Deterred by thunderstorms and rain for several days in
succession, progress of the work was behind schedule.
One
afternoon, he decided to stay behind so that he could resume the work
immediately when the rain stopped, because he firmly believed that
Master would give him enough time to finish it. Eventually, the rain
completely stopped, so everyone grabbed hold of the opportunity and
worked at full speed. Just as they had laid the last piece of steel
plate, the rain poured down again.
On
one holiday, environment-cleaning day, more than a hundred fellow
practitioners came to tidy up their 'new home', the new Taoyuan Center,
and cleaned the vicinity as well. Fellow initiates, including males,
females, the elderly and children, swept and cleaned the streets. Some
of them cut the obtrusive tree branches and some picked up litter. In a
short time, the streets assumed a new clean look. Neighbours came later
to express their gratitude. Fellow practitioners told them it was
Master's teachings of love that brought such a pleasant and blissful
atmosphere.
In
the past, when signing-in at the group meditation sessions, fellow
practitioners had to fish out their names amid a crowded list of names
and numbers. This was a difficult task for illiterate or elderly fellows
whose eyesight is bad. Even if they managed to find their names, they
often marked the wrong date. However, it is all different now; only a
small table and a digital code reading machine are required, saving time
and space, while improving accuracy. The tiny digital code reading
machine can store thousands of bytes of data, saving the heavy record
papers and conforming with 'green' ideals.
The
new method can also accurately handle the enrollment and screening
process for retreats in a very short time. All the complicated problems
of the past are all solved by using this digital code reading machine.
International Reports
Formosa