Media Reports

Princess, Supreme Master Christen New Zone

█The CAMBODIA DAILY July 22, 1996 / By Katya Robinson (Originally In English)

KOMPONG SPEU - Princess Marie Norodom Ranariddh and The Supreme Master of Ching Hai yesterday presided over the inauguration of the organization's 31,000-hectare development zone in Kompong Speu province.

Hundreds of followers including people from Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Europe and the United States-gathered amid light rain at the muddy site where the spiritual group is building the Healing Heart Hospital, the Higher Learning school, and a housing and commercial complex.

At the festivities, Princess Marie thanked, the Master for her "very important contribution to the people of Kompong Speu."

In an apparent reference to concerns from the Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs over the association's adherence to local laws, the Master noted, "I thank the government for explaining their rules and regulations, which we did not know a lot about."

The Taiwan-based Ching Hai group, which is led by a Vietnamese-born, European-educated woman who goes by the name of The Supreme Master, describes itself as a spiritual group that "helps people better understand their own religion."

However, in an apparent misunderstanding with her followers yesterday, the purpose of the Buddhist temple being inaugurated in the development zone was left unclear.

When the Master and Princess Marie arrived at the temple, a large portrait of the Master had been hung behind and above the centerpiece Buddha statue. Upon seeing her own picture at the altar, the Master became agitated and ordered its immediate removal, saying that the positioning of the portrait was a mistake.

But Ching Hai followers remained upbeat throughout the blessing of the temple. They held small balloons and carried tote bags imprinted with the slogan "Infinite light, immediate enlightenment, eternal liberation" and they wore pendants bearing the visage of the Supreme Master.

A woman from the US state of Missouri said she had come to Cambodia to decide whether to move to the development zone. She said after spending the last 10 years in Germany, where she has been involved in the Master's meditation group, she believes the development zone will continue to grow.

"Things have a way of evolving with this group." she said.

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