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[Long Beach]
After receiving Master's gracious permission, Los Angeles
fellow practitioners were privileged to organize an evening
of music and poetry recitals after the Long Beach International
5-Day Retreat in December, 1996. The main objective of this
event was to introduce Master's exquisite poetry and a selection
of musical compositions by Au Lac artists.
From
5 o'clock in the afternoon of the 29th of December, group
after group of formally dressed people made their way to the
main entrance of the theater. Fellow practitioners joyously
invited family members and friends. Lovers of poetry and those
who were just curious, also came in large numbers. Soon, the
Terrace Theater, located inside the Long Beach Convention
Center, was packed. It is one of the most elegant and luxurious
theaters in Southern California with a capacity of over three
thousand people.
It
was around 7:30 PM when Master arrived in a simple lavender
Au Lac traditional "ao dai, Her hair loose down her back,
resembling very much that of a literary muse. She shook hands
and greeted people on Her way in, and spared about fifteen
minutes so that photographers and reporters could take pictures
and ask questions. The program started shortly after.
Au
Lac musicians, artists and writers performed, including: Professor
Tran Van An, musicians Pham Duy, Thu Ho, Le Dinh, Trinh Lam
Ngan, the Nguyen Dinh Nghia family, singers Khanh Ly, Duy
Khanh, Le Thu, Mai Huong, Duy Quang, Thai Hien, Tuan Ngoc,
Thai Thao, Phuong Vu, My Huyen, Xuan Phat, Van Son, Hoai Linh,
and others. The Masters of Ceremony for the program included
actor Tran Quang, actress Mai Phuong, and singers Le Uyen
& Phuong. The Los Angeles Center's dance group also performed.
The program
consisted of three parts. The first part introduced Master's
poetry accompanied by music composed by well-known musicians
like Pham Duy, Le Dinh, Trinh Lam Ngan, Phuong Vu and, of
course, Supreme Master Ching Hai. The second part or the program featured
Au Lac love songs composed by Pham Duy, Thu Ho, Van Cao, Le
Uyen & Phuong. The third part was an instrumental presentation
of Au Lac and Western music with traditional Au Lac and tribal
instruments played by the Nguyen Dinh Nghia family.
In his opening
speech, Professor Tran Van An said: "If reading the spiritual
poems from a female spiritual practitioner is an unusual thing,
then reading love poems of one is quite an interesting discovery."
Musician
Pham Duy also added: "Supreme Master Ching Hai's poetry not only
"breaks the rules" for a spiritual practitioner,
it's also the poetry of the spiritual journey; the journey
of human life on the waves of the spiritual path -- the "baggage"
is an open heart, the destiny is the realization of the Self
and peace." Their sentiments was perhaps the same as
the majority of the audience, securing their interest for
the entire performance.
Master's
poem recitals consisted of five CDs: Vo Tu I and II, and Traces
Of The Past I, II and III. All poems were composed before
or during Her spiritual journey. Although the gracious, elegant
verses carried all emotions -- happiness, anger, love and
resentment, just like the life of an average human being --
but they were written in a very light, elevated style, with
not a trace of resentment. The famous artist, Pham Duy, observed
that Master's poem is "a departure with no binding and
a return with no partiality" This talented artist also
commented that: "...in a rendezvous such as tonight,
in this musical gathering, even though She has not preached
anything, She is already with us in the journey back to the
innocent time, back to the legendary land as mentioned in
the poem."
Some in the
audience extolled their praises: "It was quite exquisite!
She is very talented," and "The poetry is very beautiful";
"No wonder She has so many disciples!"
Although Master had paid very close attention to the program,
and was touched by the appearance of artists She had long
admired, She did not forget to spare a few minutes to briefly
address foreign disciples about the objectives of the performance.
Naturally, She expressed Her admiration of these truly talented
Au Lac artists.
Ironically,
if the political situation in Au Lac had not driven these
performers away, it would have been very difficult to see
them perform together. However, there are still artists who
remained, and today many live in poverty. Therefore, Master
allowed the event to be organized to introduce these performers
to the public and the proceeds from the performance will be
sent back to Au Lac to help the artists there. In this way,
She can express Her gratitude to all the artists who have
contributed to the Au Lac culture through the years. After
Master's speech the theater was filled with a thunderous,
enthusiastic applause. The performances ended at 3 AM. (7
and a half hours of performance)
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Special Reports 
Retreat
On Christmas-Long Beach, California, USA