<San Jose>With blessings from our loving Master, a three-day retreat was held recently at the San Jose Meditation Center on the last weekend in February. About 130 Quan Yin practitioners, including those from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno, Philadelphia, Georgia and Canada, participated this time. A Quan Yin messenger also attended. This retreat provided spiritual practitioners a much cherished opportunity to turn inward in a pure and supportive environment, away from the hustle of their daily activities and accompanying demands.

Although it was still winter in Northern California, the weather could not have been more perfect. Under the sparkling sunlight, the verdant hills were glorious. Nine deer came from the surrounding area, grazing leisurely in the Center. Although the deer were only a short distance from their human cohabitants -- Quan Yin practitioners who were having a picnic lunch -- they did not seem to be afraid or even timid. These creatures of God, so magnificent in their beauty, brought simple joy to our hearts. At night, we were accompanied by a full moon and stars which decorated the clear sky. As it got cooler, we built a bonfire for warmth. True to the caring spirit of Quan Yin practitioners, the kitchen staff prepared a huge pot of porridge to help keep their brothers and sisters warm.

During the retreat, we also had the opportunity to learn from Master via some of Her videotaped lectures. As always, Her spoken words reflected Her wisdom and compassion. It is indeed our great fortune to have affinity with Her, to live in an era of civilization when technology is readily available to transmit positive, spiritual messages.

Master often uses parables and stories to teach Her disciples. In one of Her lectures viewed during the retreat, Master told the story of the Spirit of Cholera, which claimed 25,000 lives in one town. An additional 25,000 people had also died, not from cholera, but from fear of the disease itself. Supreme Master Ching Hai often encourages us to live without fear, which only befits our dignity as God's children.

The three-day retreat was followed by an initiation on Sunday afternoon, the 23rd of February. That evening, we celebrated Ching Hai Day -- an honor bestowed upon Supreme Master Ching Hai in 1994 by the governors from the six Midwestern states in the United States for Her humanitarian contributions. The festivity was complete with beautifully decorated vegetarian cakes and a raffle drawing with three lucky winners. In our hearts of heart, we thanked Master for being a selfless teacher and for showing sentient beings the way Home.

Sharing Master's Teachings

The San Jose Center has been engaging in efforts to share Supreme Master Ching Hai's teachings, which have brought tremendous benefits to our lives.
Beginning on the 16th of February 1997, a radio program in the Au Lac language can be heard from 5 to 6 every Sunday evening on AM 1450. The English language broadcast is aired Monday to Friday at 5 in the morning, starting on March 3, 1997. At 5 every Sunday morning, there is a broadcast in the Chinese Mandarin language.

Furthermore, Supreme Master Ching Hai's lectures in English can be seen on Cable TV Channel 15A every Friday at 5 in the afternoon, beginning March 1, 1997. There is also a broadcast on Channel 25 (Concord, Northern California) of Supreme Master Ching Hai's teachings in English, every Wednesday night at 8 o'clock.