Before initiation, I had never contributed any articles. After initiation? because my heart was filled with Master's overwhelming love and untold miraculous wonders, there was always an urge to speak out. After repeated refinements, these feelings became words and sentences, ready to be mailed.
I don't know due to what strange combination of circumstances, but when I hurried to buy stamps at the post office, the iron gate had already been pulled down - closed!
That night I had a dream. Someone said to me: "Your article is not bad! However, like in delicate embroidery, what is stitched is a naked image of Quan Yin Bodhisattva."
When I woke up, I hastily checked my article. Really, I had used conventional, mundane and flowery words to present love to Master in a meanlingless way. I was deeply ashamed.
After a period of time, I was touched by Master's loving concern and great efforts in helping the Au Lac refugees. Unknowingly, I picked up my pen and wrote a poem. Before I sent it, I felt strange in my heart because something seemed to be missing. Nevertheless, I did not want to take out what I regarded as beautiful phrases, so it was eventually mailed.
One day, while listening to one of Master's video tapes, She said: "Practice needs truthfulness. A plastic thing cannot be eaten. Only the real things that come from the inner heart are everlasting."
I searched my heart. I realised that my concern for the Au Lac refugees at that time was not deep enough. Of course, that article was like throwing a stone in the sea. After that, when I continually read more reports on the Au Lac refugee situation and how they were being abused, then I really had an aching heart which felt as if my own sister was suffering.
For a long time, I did not dare to pick up a pen again. But, because there were requests for articles announced at group meditations, I once spoke silently to Master: "If You think it's appropriate, please ask a fellow practitioner to ask me to contribute an article. Only then will I dare contribute!"
That day, when the group meditation was finished, a fellow sister, who hadn't seen me for a long time since we didn't know each other very well, suddenly came to me and invited me to contribute an article.
I replied intuitively, "I don't know how to write!"
She said, "It doesn't matter! We can discuss it and I can record and edit it for you." Then, she took down my telephone number.
After going home, I thought: I have a lot of experiences in practice, even though they may not be shocking super-worldly ones. However, there were numerous stories of how I was educated by Master, and how I and my family members were constantly saved and our sufferings reduced by Her. I didn't know which type would be wanted? How many paragraphs? And I forgot most of them with time. So, I thought I should write clown the categories of those that I could remember, then the sister could choose during the interview.
Writing these categories was really like walking on clouds and running streams of water. The fragments of memories from the past few years of practice emerged like a surging fountain. My inner heart was feeling Master's overwhelming love and blessing, and my mood was uplifted.
When my husband, a fellow practitioner, walked towards me I closed the papers and laughed. Then, when my little daughter, also a fellow practitioner, who is now in Junior High School, saw the thick pile of well-written papers beside me, she exclaimed: "Mom! You are publishing a book!"
My husband searched through many News magazines and finally shook his head and said politely, "There is not one article as long as yours!" (The hidden meaning was no hope!)
After a good many clays, there was no phone call from that fellow sister. When I met her again at group meditation, I did not know what to say. She innocently ignored me. "Hi!" then she was gone.
After going home, I said to Master in meditation: "Master! If You did not mislead me, then it must be my misunderstanding. All this writing has been in vain."
While I was asleep that night, I dreamed that I had the honor of entering a grand and beautiful hall of literature. Master revealed to me in the dream: "The precious thing in writing articles is to demonstrate, through life, the natural and ordinary real meaning!" Then, I used an ordinary and truthful way to rewrite my article and it was really used in that issue of the News magazine! This made me really believe that it is Master who is the real, invisible 'Backstage Chief Editor'!
In the several article contributions that followed, I deeply felt that one need not be profoundly learned and selective with words, or use any special style of writing or paragraphing. One only needs simple, clear cut, ordinary and truthful reports. Every fellow initiate can try! Besides, when one wants to share one's own experiences and learning in spiritual practice, benefiting fellow practitioners, one can recall and immerse oneself in Master's boundless love again. That is the best reward!
Son, We Have The Same Best Mom!