By Sister Initiate Lei, Mainland China

I was very lucky to be initiated recently. It is my honor to be able to follow You in my spiritual practice. What I'm trying to say is, whatever people might say, we should do what we think is right, because it's from our inner wisdom which is correct and the greatest thing.

In the past, my whole family had been practicing the Pure Land Method. One day I suddenly discovered both of my parents had been initiated into the Quan Yin Method. That made me wonder, how stubborn Buddhists like them could be so easily converted to the spiritual practice of another method, while I, a believer that every religion guides people onto the righteous path, still clung to the Buddha statues and wouldn't let go. I read the Supreme Master Ching Hai News magazines that my mother brought to me, only to discover that all the teachings in them were the ones I already knew. The path was not another religion; it was essentially the same as Buddhism or Christianity. However, hesitation and uneasiness followed. In the social environment here, nothing new is allowed to happen. Although I knew very well that it was not anything new but instead the origin of everything, other people and society as a whole could not accept it. Also, I had to work during the day and study at night. How was I going to have time for meditation? What would people think about me, such a young girl, if I became a vegetarian? With my mind occupied with all these questions, I began to pull back.

One day, my mother went to group meditation. I lay in bed doing nothing. All of a sudden, Quan Yin Bodhisattva appeared to me in white. She was so clearly visible and so bright that I got excited. For the past ten years or so of my practice of the Pure Land Method, I had never seen Quan Yin Bodhisattva; but now, I saw Her when my mother attended the group meditation! Everything dawned on me in an instant. My mother kept telling me Master's power was omnipresent, which I had never believed; but that day, I really experienced it. No wonder mother said that only when I experienced it would I believe it. Soon I felt I had been such a fool. The problems that kept me back were actually not problems at all. Master renounced such a beautiful marriage for the sake of seeking the Truth, but I was only afraid of what other people might say. Could my problems be compared to that? Mother had already told me that as long as we sincerely entrusted everything to Master, things would get better by themselves. Now I understood. I'm glad to have such a good "Mother" and my good mother as well. There were a few things that I had known, but because they were not applicable to this society, they gradually passed out of my mind. Now it's You, Master, who made me remember them again and restored me to the simple, lovely and understanding little girl that I used to be. Thank You so much!

There is one more thing I'd like to tell You. Last week, a woman who was considered quarrelsome by all of her colleagues told me that her former work place made her feel oppressed. But after she moved into our office, she felt joyful from the bottom of her heart. That's true. What could I say to her? Master's photos and magazines inside my desk warm up the whole office -- of course she would feel joyful. However, I am still not strong enough. Sometimes I get upset for no reason at all when I get home after a day's work. I know it's the negative atmosphere that has influenced me. Sometimes I even feel overwhelmed by the negative power. I pray for Master's blessing to protect me from the negative atmosphere, which is still too strong for me to resist. There were times I wished I could run away as far as possible, but when I remembered Master telling us to "peacefully accept whatever circumstances we are in," I felt much better. It would be good to leave, but if it's impossible for the time being, I should not give up on myself either. As long as I work harder and do spiritual practice diligently, everything will turn out favorably. Master is inside all of us, so there is no need to pray to the Buddha's statue. By praying to the real Master, I'm sure things will change for the better.

There is one thing I want to tell everyone: Do what you think is right, no matter what people say. A chance like this doesn't come every day. We are extremely fortunate to be able to live in such an era and meet a Master like this. Thank You, Mom.