The
Mongolian people, widely acclaimed as the "glorious sons of heaven,"
are born with the dignified demeanor of a spiritual practitioner.
The national flag of Mongolia is based on the diagram of Tai Chi
which is full of spiritual meaning. I have heard that it is a Mongolian
tradition to send the most handsome, intelligent and healthy son
of the family to a temple to become a lama. A lama is believed to
bring glory to his clan. The Mongolians treat animals well. In the
heavy snow, occasionally we could see wild deer nudging and birds
pecking at the door and windows begging for food, even in the big
cities! Today, these ancient people with a history of beautiful
legends are about to savor the nectar of Truth!
The Supreme Master Ching Hai winter relief activities (please refer to Suma News Issue No. 90)
have evoked positive feeling among Ulan Bator residents. One day, at
the end of January of 1998, the telephone rang at the local Center.
It was Bayinchiruho District Chief Suha Bator calling to say he would
like to pay us a visit. He had, upon reading a pamphlet of Supreme Master Ching Hai and the Quan Yin Method, immediately realized that Master is preaching
the Truth. He visited the residents in his district informing them about
this wonderful method and found that the people were eager to learn
more about Supreme Master Ching Hai's teachings. He was here at the Ulan Bator
Center to invite fellow practitioners to meet with the people in his
district and answer their questions. The Center subsequently held a
series of video lecture seminars, and many people asked for the initiation.
Most of these initiates-to-be had very good experiences. One saw a rainbow
as soon as he closed his eyes, while others perceived indescribable
visions. Despite the not-too-short distance from their community to
the Center, these initiates-to-be often joined the group meditation
in a show of sincerity that was truly touching.
District Chief
Suha Bator proposed to his superiors that members of the Ulan Bator
Center be invited to teach local inhabitants vegetable farming and foreign
languages, and thus enrich their lives. He also planned to offer the
Center long-term use of a conference hall for the purposes of sharing
Master's teachings with the public.
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Arranged by District Chief Suha Bator,
local residents watch in their homes, videotaped lectures
of Supreme Master Ching Hai. Half the attendees come to the
Ulan Bator Center the following day to learn the Convenient
Method of meditation.
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God's Incredible Arrangements
During our stay,
events which first appeared to be coincidental proved otherwise later.
While decorating the Ulan Bator Center, fellow practitioners thought
just how wonderful it would be if they could hang up a painting by Master,
and wasted no time borrowing a picture entitled the "The Night View
of Yang Ming Mountain" from a neighboring country. As soon as it was
in place, a visitor arrived and seemed to be enthralled by it. He looked
at it closely for quite a while before revealing that he had seen it
in a dream six months ago. This was only one of many stories of its
kind.
The first Mongolian
to seek initiation received a Russian edition of Master's sample booklet
while on a train bound for Russia. He was moved to tears by the book.
He later showed the Quan Yin messenger his much-treasured sample booklet.
The cover was a bit worn out and almost every line in the text was highlighted.
One could hardly imagine how many times he must have read it. After
learning the Convenient Method, the initiate-to-be left home before
dawn each morning and walked all the way to the Center for morning group
meditation before going to work. This went on for weeks until the Center
moved to a new location. We might note that the temperatures in Mongolia
could be minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius in the early morning! This initiate-to-be
was anxious to know more about Master's teachings and decided to learn
English in order to be able to listen to Her words. He was always on
the frontline when the Center had work to do, and he showed great enthusiasm
in introducing Master's teachings to others.
A historian
specializing in the history of Genghis Khan received a copy of Master's
sample booklet and read it over and over again that very night, wanting
to learn more. He expressed his joy that an enlightened master like
Supreme Master Ching Hai would be there in Mongolia to show the people the way.
And he shared with us a secret: Genghis Khan also meditated. Before
making major decisions or going to the battlefields, the great conqueror
would meditate and pray to the Longevity Heaven for protection. After
learning the Convenient Method of Meditation, the historian found himself
feeling greatly relaxed, and he looked forward to a future visit by
Master. Thanks to his efforts, many souls in Ulan Bator have found their
refuge.
A lady of Mongolian
aristocratic descent happened to be the relative of a renowned lama.
Due to her family background and extensive social connections, she knew
people from many different faiths and spiritual paths, but had never
been inspired to study their teachings in depth. However, things turned
out differently when she saw Master's eyes. "Her crystal clear eyes
seemed to penetrate one's soul. There is nothing one can hide from Her,"
she said. She also noted that Master's countenance has convinced her
that She must have been a king or royal lady in Her past lives. Finding
much appeal in Master's teachings, she read the sample booklet and was
certain that she had found the ultimate goal of her life. Unable to
contain her excitement and emotions, she came to the Center with her
daughters the next day for meditation lessons. "Master's teachings are
more precious than gold and jewels," she said.
The Mongolians
have followed a vegetarian tradition since ancient times. Even today,
they continue to observe a vegetarian diet during the summer months
on the pasture. Their principal foods are dairy products. (For details,
please refer to the Media Report in this issue -- Mongolian Shoulder
Post.)
When asked what
comprises a vegetarian diet, fellow practitioners kept up the good tradition
of the supreme family, rolled up their sleeves, and volunteered to "cook
you well!" These clumsy chefs greatly impressed their guests, including
a university chancellor and his wife, with their culinary "skills".
The chancellor suggested that we hold a vegetarian cooking class at
his university and provide the students with nutritious vegetarian meals,
because he was concerned about the health of the whole university. This
miraculous invitation was a great encouragement to fellow practitioners.
If we act purely out of the sincerity of serving others, and pray to
Master for help, the results will definitely be satisfactory.
Knowing that
the method imparted by Master can revitalize the souls of the people.
He recognized the importance of spiritual practice and found time to
bring his wife (a doctor) and a doctor from the university to the Ulan
Bator Center to try the vegetarian food and learn the Convenient Method
of meditation. He also offered to help to speed up the translation of
Master's books into Mongolian.
The Mongolian
people, warm and romantic by nature, were impressed by Master's work
of art. A fashion designer showed a particular interest in the generous
use of the color gold in Master's collection, which in his opinion was
in accord with their "great desert culture". The sample booklet in Mongolian
showed on its cover a photo of Master wearing a golden robe and a snow-white
cape. This brought many comments that She looked exactly like a monarch
of the desert. No wonder Master has attracted the attention of so many
sons and daughters of the desert!
On the first
visit to a lama temple, the chief lama and deputy lama received them
personally, despite their busy schedule. Chief Lama D. Dambajav was
a religious consultant to the Mongolian president, and was known for
his open attitude toward other religious sects. Knowing that Master
is teaching the Supreme Method as indicated in the Buddhist scriptures,
the chief lama invited us to deliver a lecture in his temple, and even
volunteered to act as interpreter. He also offered to do the same for
Master if She came to Mongolia. Fellow practitioners commended on his
openness and asked him jokingly: "Aren't you afraid that your followers
might run to Supreme Master Ching Hai?" The chief lama answered with a sense of
humor, "It'd be better then for all of us to build an ashram so we can
practice together."
The evening
before the video lecture at the temple, fellow practitioners worked
throughout the night preparing hundreds of vegetarian buns for God's
children the next day. When Sunday (Feb. 1, 1998) dawned, a huge crowd
gathered in the grand hall for the lecture and all the lamas in the
temple took their seats. After the Chief Lama D.Dambajav and Deputy
Lama Ch. Tsedendamba had introduced Master, we showed a videotape of
Her lecturing in Thailand in 1993.
When the dignified
and magnificent Master appeared on the screen in a brilliant gold-colored
dress with Her right shoulder exposed, it seemed as though the Buddha's
statue in the hall had come to life. Subdued exclamations of admiration
could be heard in the hall. The audience listened very attentively to
the translation; some people even jotted down notes.
At the end of
the lecture, members of the audience came forward at the instructions
of the chief lama to respectfully receive copies of the sample booklet
and buns that had been offered to the Buddha. Very humbly they prostrated
before Master's photo, while fellow practitioners talked them about
how to cook vegetarian food. Outside the hall, people lingered, eager
to ask questions and learn more.
Several days
later, the chief lama accompanied fellow initiates to the 109 Children's
Home in the suburbs to distribute clothes and gifts to the orphans.
Holding colorful balloons imprinted with Supreme Master Ching Hai's name in their
hands, these little angels sang a song to express their gratitude for
Master's love. The director and teachers happily received the sample
booklets. News of this event of love and compassion was broadcast on
the Ulan Bator Radio that evening.
We left Ulan
Bator early in the morning when the city was asleep. As we approached
the airport, we saw a white city gate built in ancient style. Up in
the blue sky above Mongolia, the moon and stars looked especially misty,
as though taking people back to their age-old memories. It is the same
old moon shining above the modern city! Innumerable souls have come
and gone, transmigrating for centuries in the cycle of birth and death.
We pray that the Longevity Heaven would bless its children and steer
them away from hesitation toward the gateway of liberation.
