Several hours passed by without me even realizing it, intoxicated in the beauty of this art piece.

   By Brother Initiate Pad K.R., Bangkok, Thailand (Originally In English)

If someone asked me whether or not I would like to hear poems recited in a language that I did not understand, the most likely answer in my mind would be "Oh, no! I am not interested or "Perhaps not, thank you! Even in layman language I still could not imagine the phraseology in the poems which were carefully selected by the poets, and usually have a hidden sense or some deep meaning. Of course, it could only be a waste of time!

Even though I've heard the Au Lac poems recited by Wu Tze (Supreme Master Ching Hai), my attitude has now become totally different. I couldn't understand any of the language; but the first time I heard these poems, I felt surprisingly calm and peaceful. It was a very light and refreshing feeling which is difficult to describe. Everything that was melted and mixed in this piece of work is just perfect and magnificent, either the clear beautiful voice of Master, the unique art of poem recitation which undulates accordingly, or the accompanying music played by two kinds of instruments, flute and zither. All the components seem to support and blend with each other harmoniously, creating an extremely wonderful masterpiece, not to mention the blessings from the reciter!

Several hours passed by without me even realizing it, intoxicated in the beauty of this art piece. Actually, I have spent four to five years learning how to compose different kinds of Thai poems in school, and have heard a lot of poem recitations performed by famous Thai artists, but the feelings have never been like this. I cannot help beginning to admire the Au Lac traditions and culture, feeling that the people of Au Lac must be very beautiful inside, in order to possess such a glorious culture.

Master once explained to us that the Au Lac language has six different tones, which is quite rare. Other languages that She knows, including Chinese, have only five tones at the most. Therefore, the language that we hear has the character of musical tones and the poem recitation is much similar to singing a song. However, the skill and capability of the reciter is absolutely very important in poem reciting.

Master has been capable of composing beautiful poems since She was young. The verses that She composed in school were quite outstanding and appreciated by Her teachers so much so that they were often read to all teachers and students in higher classes, despite the fact that She was not in the senior class of the school. Therefore, She has been an expert in Au Lac poetry for a long time and Her capability in poem recitation is truly exceptional.

The evidence which clearly demonstrates this fact is that Master never had a chance to rehearse the poem reciting before it was recorded. The first time She read them, She just had to recite them immediately by selecting proper tones for all the words, deciding where to stop between the words, preparing for the ending, etcetera, without planning in advance. She did not recite only the ones that She wrote Herself, but also some other beautiful poems written by other famous poets. Therefore, Her talent on this matter is not to be doubted.

Unfortunately, a lot of Master's poems that were composed and compiled into a thick book when She was young have been lost. The ones that are still left represent only a small portion of Her work. Some of the poems have been published in newspapers and were sorted out from the library by disciples. All these poems were written at the time when She was not yet fully enlightened. They describe Her life experiences, love, and feelings towards things of this world which reflected Her state of mind, and sense of inner beauty and virtue at that time.

Master humbly said that Her voice was not so good because She recited all the poems after the retreat, during which She had to spend long hours each day talking to disciples and more hours for other issues. Even under such circumstance, I still feel that Her voice is exceptionally clear and beautiful. It is so profound and powerful that people become intoxicated after hearing it. Master also admits that She loves to hear Her poem recitations. She said that every time She listens to them She feels happy, peaceful and relaxed. "It's too bad that you don't understand the language. If you did, you would appreciate them a lot more because Au Lac language is the most beautiful in the whole planet! And Au Lac recitation is the most exquisite in the world," said Master.

We have to thank Master and everyone who participated in bringing these valuable work of art to us. They are God's precious gifts to humankind.