Rejoicing In The Completion Of The Work
- The Opening Ceremony Of The Raising Center, Cambodia

◎Summarized By Supreme Master Ching Hai News, Taipei, Formosa

‧ To Comply With The Situation Is To Comply With God
‧ We Chose Our Own Life!
‧ Becoming More Ordinary As We Become More Enlightened
‧ The Whole World Rejoices At The Grand Opening

With intense longing and veneration, fellow practitioners from many countries once again threw themselves into the arms of their Mommy-Master, flocking to Cambodia to take part in the opening ceremony of Raising Center.

Entering the Center, we could see coconut trees swaying in the wind, with flowers and grass carpeting the earth. There was greeneries everywhere - so cool and refreshing. The former wasteland had been transformed into a paradise. The first building we saw was a newly built Guest House; on the ground floor was a workshop and on the second floor were some simple but elegant living quarters. They were built in only a few months, yet they have all the facilities of a modern suite. In such a remote location, that was indeed a breathtaking miracle in construction.

Master's latest art creations were displayed in the Celestial Clothes and Jewelry Area. The mannequins, wearing the latest Celestial Clothes, looked as beautiful as heavenly beings; and for the first time, before our eyes were the colorful S.M. bags recently created by Master. The S.M. bags were styled and made in materials very different from trendy ones. The use of colors was so bright and dazzling; each bag has a unique feature, a perfect match to the Celestial Clothes. The magnificence of the Celestial Jewelry attracted the attentive appreciation of fellow practitioners, who were reluctant to leave.

Our dear Master arrived at noon that day. We had not seen Her for a long time. She was wearing a refreshing lavender outfit and merrily greeted fellow practitioners who had come early. To satisfy everyone, despite Her exhaustion after the toilsome journey, Master chatted with them for quite a while under the noon sun. After that, She went to take a rest.

In the evening, after enjoying a sumptuous meal, everyone gathered at the Buddha Bath Hall*, waiting for Master to come to cut the ribbon. Under the watchful anticipation of disciples, Master pronounced, "May God bless you with infinite blessings!" This would surely bring auspiciousness to the innumerable children of the Buddha in this new land in the future. Next, She was invited to inaugurate the different areas of the Guest House. These were the lucky words that She said, "God blesses you! Continuous prosperity! Good profit!" Fellow practitioners answered with a thunderous applause and cheering; their joy was most obvious on their faces.

To satisfy the longing of disciples, Master ascended the red carpeted staircase. By this time, there was a cool breeze, and the sun was setting. Amid such a poetic scene, Master gave a brilliant discourse to the disciples.

To Comply With The Situation Is To Comply With God

Master said that the good and bad situations of spiritual practitioners are arranged by God. Whatever the situation may be, just accept it, and it will be all right. As most people die in bed, Master humorously remarked that, the bed is the most dangerous place. When we are enlightened, we will realize that every person is God to us. When we comply with the situation, we are complying with God. The truth is, while still in heaven, we agreed to come down together and act out a drama. We feel agonized now, only because we have forgotten our previous promise and have become too attached to our roles. Therefore, all situations are what we originally wanted. Life and death are controlled by destiny. Be grateful to God for any situation that comes by. Whether they are good or bad is only a point of view.

Master reminded everyone that, we come here to realize our inner Self. After knowing our Buddha Nature, we will find that we have no need to intentionally learn anything. The greatest importance is to realize our Buddha Nature and get closer to God's quality. It is pointless to keep on playing this game of ignorance.

Reflecting Master's loving advice, and savoring Her blessed food, everyone was satisfied and went into the Buddha Bath Hall to meditate. Master once again gracefully arrived. She was wearing a yellow and green outfit, and gave us another brilliant discourse - an extra meal for our souls.

We Chose Our Own Life!

Up to now, we have been imbued with a fixed concept about God. We think that God is unreachable, or that Hes will bless us in another form. That is why we worship stones, mountains and rivers, the moon, plants, animals and everything. We starve ourselves by taking one meal each or several days, and even forsake our family and children to please God, hoping Hes will grace us with Hiers light. Master told us that we chose how we will live this life, and that different choices will result in different life experiences. We can choose different lifestyles, because we are God - we are one with God. Spiritual practitioners have chosen to walk the path of elevating their souls. If we chose not to practice spiritually, God also would not punish us, though different choices will bring different results. She also advised us that spiritual practitioners should always think positively. Think of positive things, then things will become better.

That night in Cambodia the air was soothing with a cool breeze. Fellow initiates pitched their tents under the trees, and quietly enjoyed the singing of insects and the fragrance of flowers, with a bright starry sky as the background. Occasionally a small toad visited them in their tents. Everyone was so carefree, and just embraced Master's love into their dreams.

Becoming More Ordinary As We Become More Enlightened

Generally, Master hopes that we will treat Her with an ordinary mind and a natural attitude. However, we always want to give Her something "special". Conversely, these excessive ego and unnatural thoughts make Her feel very uncomfortable. Consequently, She cannot always work with inspiration to satisfy the expectations of the disciples. If we had behaved more naturally, Master and disciples could get even closer, and then She could have more opportunities to mix with us, to understand our problems, and to satisfy our needs. Master cited the instance when She stayed in the hospital. The doctors and nurses treated Her very naturally, just like an ordinary patient. She was very tempted to stay in the hospital for a few more days, to enjoy the peaceful and free atmosphere.

After dinner, Master especially received the fellow practitioners from all of the countries. Under the arrangement of security guards, fellow practitioners found their seats in an orderly manner. With a delightful light music playing in the background, even the beautiful flowers nodded and sang in chorus. Wearing an orange-colored dress imprinted with a big purple pattern, Master appeared. In Her discourse, She stressed that diligent meditation will make our lives become better. We should meditate on the sound for at least one hour each day, then our inner wisdom and the intangible sound will guide us in our daily life.

That afternoon, several fellow practitioners were inspired to share with us some insights derived from their spiritual cultivation, and some of their external experiences. Their sincere narration of miraculous responses relating to the omnipresent power of an enlightened Master really touched the audience. Shortly afterwards, Master came and amusingly asked whether there were any newly wedded couples among the fellow practitioners. Master advised these 'new couples': Though it is important to keep their partners, but trying to bind them is not a good idea. She even elaborated on how to be a good wife, and told us some husband and wife jokes. The sound of the falling rain accompanied the joyous laughter of the fellow practitioners, who really had an unforgettable afternoon.

After the evening meditation, Master came again. She had a dazzling yellow flower tucked in Her hair and looked extremely charming in a floral western outfit. Apart from taking care of our spiritual and daily lives, She also appears to us in a perfect image to remind us of our magnificent and noble quality within. While being grateful to Master, fellow practitioners also incited themselves to practice more assiduously. As they become more spiritually elevated, their outer beauty will emerge naturally. They also hope to become a perfect being one day.

The Whole World Rejoices At The Grand Opening

July 21st was a very meaningful day. An enormous crowd respectfully waited for the arrival of Supreme Master Ching Hai and the VIPs who came to conduct the Opening Ceremony of Raising Center. The construction of the Compassionate Heart Temple had been completed, the roof installation of the Healing Love Hospital had been installed, and a series of activities had been arranged to celebrate the event. Early that morning, thousands of local villagers amd guests from many countries who came for this occasion gathered at the main entrance of Raising Center.

Members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, dressed in their national costumes, and the local villagers silently stood in two rows along the red carpet to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Marie, Lady of the First Prime Minister, who came to conduct the inauguration. At about nine o'clock, guided by the ceremonial car, Her Royal Highness arrived. Two rows of Cambodian ladies, wearing red trousers and white blouses and holding silver basins, paid respect to the Princess. A representative, wearing a traditional Korean costume, saluted the Princess with the greatest respect. Complying with ancient Cambodian etiquette, delicate white flowers were spread gracefully on the ground before the Princess and her retinue - ladies of political dignitaries, as they walked forward. The crowd awaiting on two sides greeted the Princess with great respect. Amid a peaceful and solemn atmosphere, the Opening Ceremony was completed following ancient traditional etiquette.

With a ceremonial flower car leading the way, the noble Princess cordially and smilingly greeted the Cambodian people on both sides. Supreme Master Ching Hai accompanied the Princess to the ceremonial stage. When the villagers finally saw Master, smiles appeared on their faces. She continuously introduced the Princess to the fellow practitioners, who respectfully joined their palms to greet Her. The villagers, including the elderly and children, with their faces brightly lit with joy, welcomed the VIPs to the stage. The atmosphere was as cheerful as a New Year's Festival. Innocent children jumped and ran around, yelling and laughing loudly. Everyone was overwhelmed by the joy of the celebration.

Several thousand guests (members and non-members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association) and thousands of local villagers, enjoyed this meaningful day in harmony. The celebration began with the playing of the Cambodian national anthem, and everyone respectfully stood. After that, they paid homage to the high monks, and expressed their gratitude for the Buddha's blessing. After the honored Province Governor finished his speech, and amid the warm applause of all the people present, Supreme Master Ching Hai went to the podium to give a speech to the Cambodian people and overseas guests.

First, She thanked the Prime Minister and his Lady, the Governor of the Province and the local people for their support, which helped the construction of the Raising Center to proceed smoothly. Master said, "People are the same everywhere, with basic needs and love to share. Let's not think of benefitting Cambodia, but just mankind toward each other. Let's remember the Buddha's teaching of the six perfections: charity, precepts, patience, perseverance, meditation and wisdom. Let's try to achieve these golden goals through everyday tasks so that we are the real Buddhists or any other religion that we freely choose to follow..." She also praised Her Highness the Princess, much loved by her people, especially her humility which should be marked by everyone. The Princess thanked Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her contributions to Cambodia. She sincerely welcomed all the friends from various countries, and wished they would have a wonderful time whenever they come to Cambodia, and enjoy a happy stay here.

When setting the roof beam for the Healing Love Hospital, Supreme Master Ching Hai said that the best doctors in every branch of medicine would be employed to provide the best service for the public. When inaugurating the Compassionate Heart Temple, She humorously said, "The temple is small but the Buddha is very big."

Supreme Master Ching Hai had compassionately prepared several thousands gifts for H.R.H. the Princess to distribute them to the villagers. Master also kindly invited all of them to enjoy the specially prepared program. The dances and singing performed by the members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association were rich in national color and won warm applause from the entire audience.

The performance of the Chinese Peace Drums was very high-spirited and sensational. Accompanied by gongs and drums, the rhythm was exciting and powerful. The dance successfully depicted the daring vigor of the pioneers, and the determination and perseverance of the Raising Center in developing the land.

The delicate motions of the dancer from Au Lac were as nimble as colorful butterflies dancing and flying freely in the fields. An innocent girl who had never known the taste of worry, wearing a colorful dress, was chasing butterflies. The blissful scene of a farmer going home at sunset carrying his hoe, and being greeted happily by his family, won the heartfelt cheering from the audience.

Accompanied by the music of "The Spring Flowers are Blossoming," three little fellow initiates nimbly performed the Cherry Blossom Fan Dance. Their childish innocence, enhanced by the blooming cherry blossoms of spring, created a tranquil and leisure picture of paradise, depicting the etherial scene of Raising Center.

With a bright and sweet voice, a female disciple from Austria sang an ode for the Holy Mother of the Earth - Supreme Master Ching Hai. A Korean fellow practitioner vivaciously waved a flag imprinted with the S.M. sign, while grand and pleasant orchestral music sang out the majestic ideals of spiritual practitioners, and wished the Raising Center would shine brilliantly in the golden era.

The simple and innocent villagers kept praising the performance program afterward. Some Cambodian villagers asked the interpreters, "Can the performance be repeated? When will you give another performance?" The Province Governor and his lady also continuously praised the excellence of the program, and the talents and devotion of the performers. The traditional costumes of various countries from Europe, Asia, America and Australia broadened the view of the Cambodia people; to them, a Cambodian folklore is especially dear to their hearts.

After the performance, delicious vegetarian food was served to everyone. At the same time, a compassionate free medical service was being offered at the entrance. More than a thousand local villagers received timely treatment. Sincerely concerned about the health of the people, Supreme Master Ching Hai provided this free medical service as a heartwarming prelude to the impending opening of the Healing Love Hospital.

Though the opening ceremony of the Raising Center was over, fellow practitioners who could afford the time, stayed for a few more days, cherishing the precious time of being with Master. Everyday, Master received disciples from all countries in groups. At times, She even gave several consecutive discourses in different languages until midnight. The love of the Holy Mother sweetened the hearts of every disciple.

The nights in Cambodia have never been so cool. The nectar-like showers are the infinite blessing of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

*Buddha Bath Hall: The roof of the meditation hall at Raising Center is made of dry grass and always leaks. Master humorously joked that fellow practitioners could sprinkle some soap on their bodies before coming to the meditation hall. Then as they are sitting there, the rain would shower their bodies and wash their clothes and bodies naturally at the same time. This is where the name Buddha Bath Hall originated.