Special Reports |
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On the first night of the 7-Day Retreat, Master mentioned that Buddha had consecutively hinted to Ananda three times that He had the method to be immortal and always stay in this world. But Ananda heard without listening and did not realize the Buddha's meaning at all. After the third time, the Maya King came and forced Buddha to leave, since no one wanted him. Why didn't Ananda ask the Buddha to stay at that time? Master said that if Ananda had been thinking about the sufferings of sentient beings all the time, he would have asked the Buddha to stay in the world forever, in order to bless the world and lead sentient beings to liberation. But Ananda did not. Because he was with the Buddha everyday, and never lacked anything, he did not realize the importance of the Buddha's staying in the world. Master said thoughtfully that, if Ananda had put himself into the position of these people who had never heard of the Buddha's name or seen the Buddha personally, his response would have been different and the outcome would have been different, too.
On the second day, Master gave a lecture about the importance of being considerate, because of the careless attitude of some working staff. If we are not considerate of others, when the opportunity is gone, God will give us a more painful lesson to make a deeper impression that will last several lifetimes. For instance, we may encounter the pains of being hungry if we let other people go hungry.
★ Be Considerate Of Others
Moreover, Master mentioned that because of the staff members' ego, they did not completely follow Her instructions in doing their work, causing many inconveniences and unpleasant situations for Her and everyone. Master then recounted an instance that occurred just the night before, where one of the staff membersdid not do as She had asked and made the situation worse. During the recounting of the story, Master felt the longing of disciples to be near Her so She allowed us to come closer to the stage to see Her afterward (She joked that this would make up for the price of our tickets). As She walked to a dark corner on stage, She told the brother who was video-taping to turn on the camera lights. Despite mentioning this several times, the brother did not turn on the lights and argued that he did not need them. Later, Master explained that because She saw the longing eyes of the initiates to have one more glance of Her, She asked him to turn on the camera lights to let the disciples have a better view of Her; but he was so attached to his technical skills that he insisted that he did not need anymore light to film Her. Master said that when we first come to work for Her, we want to serve other people. However, sometimes we become attached to the work and think the work is very important. Therefore, due to our ego and inconsideration of others, we cannot comprehend Master's intentions; so we fail to understand others' longing hearts. ★ Master's Love Is As Deep As The Boundless Ocean
Everyday at lunch time, after fellow initiates finished their delicious blessed meals, carefully prepared by the cooking staff, they had a short break. Then, Master came to the meditation area to see us. To refresh us, Master always told several funny stories. They delighted us, and erased any worries. Those humorous, poignant stories were meaningful.
This 7-Day Retreat was held in honor of Shakyamuni Buddha's birthday. Therefore, during the retreat, Master told several stories of the Buddha's previous incarnations, like the Golden Goose King, the Golden Monkey King, etc. Also, Master laughed and said that the Buddha had a very good sense of humor; He might intentionally have made an analogy of Himself as an animal. In fact, He implied that it was very difficult to teach the disciples at that time. When He was with His disciples, He felt like He was with a crowd of animals, in the sense that they were underdeveloped. On the other hand, Master compared Herself with a Golden Snail King because Her disciples' reactions are so slow. So, sometimes after Master finished the joke, the disciples still stared blankly at Her, having no reaction at all (for example). The loneliness of being a Master was conveyed in every single story that Master told about the Buddha. She said that all these stories were to teach us that to become a fully enlightened being, a sentient being has to go through a lot of training, a lot of discipline, a lot of compassionate lessons before he arrives at the stage of complete virtue and beauty inside of himself. To have complete wisdom, complete knowledge of all things and complete compassion, mercy and love, we have to go through a lot of tests and trials and voluntary sacrifice in order to be a noble being, such as Buddha. "So I wish you all will become like that," Master concluded. Since all these stories occurred in India, Master told the disciples anecdotes about when She was seeking the Truth in India. Every time Master mentioned the events that happened, the fellow initiates always perked up their ears to listen attentively to Master's words. Obviously, all are more interested in the present Buddha than the past Buddhas. Master has gone through innumerable trials and tribulations to seek the Truth. After She obtained the Tao, She cannot bear to let the disciples endure all untold hardships that She experienced Herself. Thus, She is always meticulously considerate to us, trying Her best to give us blessings. Our dear Mother's love for us is as deep as the boundless ocean; it is immeasurable beyond our understanding because, as disciples, we enjoy all of Her blessings without any effort. Even so, Her snail-disciples' faith in the Truth was uplifted very much by Her words. Bearing the deepest gratitude in their hearts, they meditated with great concentration, wishing to increase their "crawling speed. ★ The Wisdom Of Living Life
In addition, Master cares about the way we conduct our daily lives. For example, She taught us some good camping tips, like opening up the sleeping bag and covering the tent with it to keep it from getting too hot inside. Another camping suggestion was to put a plastic sheet over the tent to keep the rain from seeping through the seams. Aside from the camping tips, She reminds us of hygienic practices like wearing a mask over both our nose and mouth upon the first signs of sickness. Master emphasized that we should be especially cautious in the tropics due to the abundance of insects, so we need to keep our surroundings clean in order to prevent infestations and contaminations for the whole group. Master always pays attention to the hygiene of the cooking staff to make sure it is up to par. In the kitchen, staff members must wear gloves, masks and hats; and whenever the gloves tear they must be replaced immediately. The kitchen staff must also always recite the Holy Names silently and not to talk unnecessarily during their work. She also inspected the kitchen for cleanliness and reminded them to be more aware in order to contribute to the overall hygiene of the kitchen. We are such fortunate children to be under Her benevolent care. Furthermore, She taught us the advantages of using our natural resources such as rain for making tea and vegetarian cakes because of its purity and natural flavor. She also encouraged us to take this opportunity to enjoy the taste of the tropical fruits.
Master's supreme wisdom washes away all obstacles and can transform any place into a holy place for practice. When one steps into this meditation center, one can see both the primitive and sophisticated facets of creativity. In creating the basic facilities for the Center, the natural beauty of the surroundings is maintained and nurtured so it is in keeping with Master's teachings. The facilities that were designed were of simple, classic and practical architecture, using stones, wood and dried plant leaves. For example, the meditation hall was floored with small pebbles and the surrounding is consisted of lush green trees and small bushes. When you sit in the meditation hall, you can look out and see the beautifully transformed panorama throughout the day. In the morning, the sky sparkles a brilliant blue with billowy white clouds that flow in between the branches of the trees. At dusk, the sky is filled with the glorious rose-colored sunset that blends with the dark outlines of mountains and trees as if they have come together for the purpose of composing a magnificent painting. When night falls the meditation hall is filled with all kinds of insects and together, human beings and the insects, dwelt in harmony. This is a rare scene on our Earth, especially when you wake up from samadhi and look around -- you think you are in Shangri-la!
During the morning break between meditation sessions, we worked together on the incomplete projects at the Center, such as paving the roads or making ditches to control the water flow. Fellow initiates from different countries took responsibility for different work areas. These activities were, indeed, good exercise for the practitioners who meditate for the greater part of the day. Because of the perfect cooperation between everyone, we were united like brothers and sisters during our work. After working hard, both in body and spirit, we had better experiences. In the afternoon, while we were meditating, Master came. She asked us whether our tents were okay after yesterday's heavy rain. Master jokingly said that this was our karma, because it was too hot and some people were praying for the rain. Master also said that like the rain that leaks through the roof we should check our own practice for leaks. As Master was lecturing, heavy clouds gathered above the meditation hall, and the whole sky turned dark, warning us that a heavy rain was coming. However, Master appeared as if She hardly noticed it at all and continued teaching us the supreme wisdom in a peaceful manner, at times looking up serenely to praise the beautiful scenery around the meditation hall. The disciples were so intoxicated in Her sweet nectar and light that they paid no attention to the thunder and lightning outside either. Seeing that no one could be scared, the God of rain went elsewhere and left us alone. Suddenly, the darkness disappeared with the sky becoming once more clear. Only a few drops of rain fell, enough to wet the flowers, and the grass and cool down the afternoon heat. Inhaling the fragrance emanating from the unknown wild flowers and listening to Mother Master's sweet voice, we were truly in heaven!
★God Help Those Who Help Themselves
When the 7-Day Retreat was in its final day, the rain got heavier. Although it's not yet the rainy season in Cambodia, the heavy rain arrived ahead of time. Master commented that Cambodia is in real need of water, and told us about the drought last year which resulted in a shortage of grain. At that time, Master called on fellow initiates to help by donating grain. Following Master's loving visits, retreats, and other activities, the weather in Cambodia has greatly changed this year and the country now has an abundance of water. This time these heavy rains provided the meditation hall with little rivers and streams. As Master directed the disciples to move to dryer areas, She suggested jokingly that we should bring boats next time, when we come to Cambodia. Later, Master was inspired to award those disciples who had enough common sense to bring inflatable air mattresses. She said that these items do not occupy much space in suitcases, and when the water comes you just float and stay dry. Furthermore, She likes practical people who have high IQs and common sense, and who can take care of themselves and not worry Her so much all the time. Master asked these disciples to come up on stage and get their rewards. The rewards were surprisingly special -- Master gave them Her autograph. Seeing the rewards were so great, it made one felt sorry that one had missed the chance. Several disciples with various types of cushions came up to receive the rewards and to have their chair or cushion personally checked by Master. Some of the disciples even highlighted the features of their cushions -- such as its multiple functions as a chair, a back rest or a luggage carrier, and finally they received their reward. One of the disciples was resourceful enough to find his materials here to make a special chair and Master rewarded and tested him by saying, "You stole my wood to make it. The disciples with the small chairs also received rewards, and the ones with the light, portable chairs got the highest praise. The rewards were a result of spontaneous inspiration, just like a Mother rewarding Her well-behaved children who know how to take care of themselves and not worry the Mother. Finally, Master revealed a Truth, that God only helps those who help themselves. God gave us brains to make full use of them rather than depending on Hirm for even the smallest things. The lucky disciples who were able to attend this 7-Day Retreat fully enjoyed camping in the wilderness. They ate and slept well under our Master's love and care. Thank You, Master, for giving us a chance to see Your magnificent work, leading the world into a new era. ★ A Wonderful Celebration
At the last day of this retreat, a party was held to celebrate Shakyamuni Buddha's Birthday and Mother's Day. The first performance was a Korean fan dance, in which the costumes were rich in colors. The performance was both beautiful and amusing, conveying the bright and blissful feelings after enlightenment. It was followed by a traditional Thai dance of international professional standard. The Thai music, composed of various musical instruments, in addition to the elegant and beautiful movements of the dancer, led us to explore the beauty of classical Thai's art. Master commented that the Thai dance looked simple but, truly, it was very difficult to perform. Also, the Formosan dancers danced with great enthusiasm to express their ecstacy of meeting Master and, thus, getting enlightenment.
Moreover, the Tai-Chi movements conducted by the Japanese initiates were relaxing and gentle. Master commented in amusement that they looked like they were catching insects that had been attracted by the light. Everyone burst into laughter at Master's humorous play of words. In addition, a Formosan initiate then played some romantic melodies on the guitar, dedicating them to our spiritual Mother of superb beauty. An Au Lac disciple from USA recited an Au Lac poem written by himself. His sincere performance won Master's praise. The program lasted about two hours, consisting of different styles from different countries; all were excellent. In the last part of the program, Korean fellow practitioners performed a highly energetic and lively rhythmic sleeve-flipping dance; this dance brought the whole program an infinitely happy atmosphere. Master and fellow initiates celebrated the joyous occasion in the beautiful natural wilderness.
★ The Light Of Love Brilliant Forever
After the performances, Master personally cut the vegetarian cake and shared it with us. Master gracefully declined to blow out the candles explaining that She did not want to blow out the light. She suggested that we should also do the same, because it is not only hygienic, but also keep the light shining forever. Master then blessed the fruit, cakes, cookies, etc, which beautifully decorated the front of the stage. When the music started, signaling Master's departure, fellow initiates all rushed to Master's car, waving their hands to bid a reluctant farewell to the merciful Mother. Many "thank You, Master could be heard, conveying their most sincere feelings. Master also responded to us by waving repeatedly until the car was out of sight. |
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Immediately upon their arrival at Phnom Penh's airport, the fellow initiates who had been to Cambodia before noticed an obvious change: that the landscape had turned into a new appearance, with green color radiating everywhere. Coming out of the airport, they felt a light atmosphere. While waiting outside for transportation, even though the sun was shining and it was hot, we all could feel a cool breeze that seemed to welcome us to this land.
