Where's
a video camera when you need one? It looked just like a setup for a TV commercial!
At the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Vegetarian House food booth
at the San Francisco Whole Life Expo, voices repeatedly asked, "Is that meat?
It looks just like meat!" Then upon their free sample taste.... Wow! "Mmmmm,
it's soooo good!" How their eyes and faces lit up with joy! "I didn't know
vegetarian food could taste so good!" A small crowd of people were constantly
in front of our booth, buzzing with curiosity and surprise.
Due
to our speedy service and efficiency (thanks to Master's teachings), the customers
excitedly carried off their vegetarian dishes shortly after their free taste,
otherwise the crowd would have gotten too big, and fast. Dishes right off
the restaurant's international menu such as Mongolian Beef, Chow Mien, Indian
Dharma Over Rice and Couscous had them consistently returning to say, "That
was delicious!" and eagerly asking, "Where's your restaurant?" It was definitely
a you-had-to-be-there moment, for sure. If I wasn't aware of Master's blessing
power, I would have thought they were all over-acting. Next time -- the video
camera.
On
the entrance side of the Expo, another surprise took place. San Francisco
radio station KEST, which airs Master's lectures between five and six every
morning on 1450 AM, had a booth where they invited program holders to promote
their shows with flyers and information. When I came by to refill a quickly
diminishing stack of News magazines and sample booklets, the KEST representative
shared with me that people came by, exclaiming, "Oh! KEST, I listen to your
station." When she happily responded, "Oh really? What show do you listen
to?" she told me, "The first thing that came out of their mouths most often
was, [Supreme Master Ching Hai!] The show is on so early in the morning, it's
amazing!" Then she went on to say that when they saw Master's booklets, their
faces would light up and they would ask, "Is that Her?!" and with disbelief,
"Are these free?!" Hence, the quickly disappearing stack.
Had
I brought a video camera to the food booth, I would have caught how some workers
of the other food booths repeatedly came by for a plate, even though they
themselves sold vegetarian. I might have caught how, for several days in a
row, many of the exhibitors would happily line up with joyful comments about
the food; and the practitioners, then later, often bringing friends. I might
have caught the memorable blind, old woman who came to the Expo each day and
asked a passerby to lead her specifically to our booth. (Word had it that
she came to the Expo every year just for our food!) And maybe, just maybe,
I would have captured the loving exchange -- us happy to work hard to share
Master's love, and customers unknowingly recharging us with their joyful responses.
The more we focused on being loving, the more love we got back, exactly as
Master has taught us.
Thank
you, Supreme Master Ching Hai, for helping us feel like joyful participants,
even though we know it's Your love all along.
Quan
Yin Quick Shoot 
