In
the fall of 1994, before ever hearing about Supreme Master Ching Hai, I had
an unusual and auspicious dream about a beautiful and powerful woman. She
was dressed in royal golden robes from some oriental land. Her clothes were
magnificent, with long, tapering lapels that touched the ground, and a circular
gold headpiece or crown that surrounded her head like a halo. She appeared
to be elevated above the ground on a pedestal or throne. I got the impression
that she was regal in stature and "above" the Earth, in a position
beyond the level of ordinary human beings. She seemed to preside over an estate
or compound in a tropical forest where two large panthers were living in a
bamboo pen, and moving toward its edges in an attempt to escape.
After
waking from sleep, I felt a strong affinity with the woman in my dream, and
felt that I was her follower or helper, but could not figure out who she was.
She seemed familiar, yet I could not remember having seen her before in my
present life.
Several
weeks later, I received a call from a professor who had been my advisor in
doctoral studies at a local university. She asked if I would help a Chinese
student who was interested in writing about meditation for her Ph.D. thesis.
The professor contacted me because I had written about meditation in my doctoral
dissertation. Well, the student and her roommate turned out to be disciples
of Supreme Master Ching Hai! The student's roommate seemed especially interested
in talking with me after I arrived at their apartment, because she had seldom
met any Westerners who were interested in meditation.
After
a discussion where I said I had tried various forms of meditation for several
years, the student and her roommate began telling me about Supreme Master
Ching Hai and the Quan Yin Method. At that time I was doing a form of mantra
meditation, but was dissatisfied with it. I seemed especially ripe for a new
meditation practice, and the initiates must have felt my longing, as they
talked with me for several hours, showed me Master's sample booklet and one
of Her video tapes, and fed me a delicious vegetarian meal. I had been a vegetarian
for about nine years and had tried many spiritual paths without success, so
I became quite excited about following Master and practicing the Quan Yin
Method. Upon first viewing Her video, I felt an instant affinity with Master,
appreciated Her wisdom, wit and loving nature, and said that I wanted to learn
the Convenient Method.
Several
weeks later, after I had begun practicing the Convenient Method, I was in
the disciples' apartment again, when I glanced at one of Master's pictures
on the wall. I suddenly realized that the woman who had appeared in my dream
a few weeks earlier was Supreme Master Ching Hai, because the royal gold Au
Lacese outfit She was wearing in the picture was identical to that of the
powerful and beautiful woman in my dream!
I
had found my true Master at last, and She had arranged for me to have a dream
of Her beforehand, so that any doubts about Her power and my affinity with
Her would be dispelled from my mind. The two panthers in the dream seemed
to represent my own nature, struggling for release from my old life at the
last moment before meeting Master. It was an experience that I had never had
with any other master, and it made me appreciate the greatness and compassion
of our loving Supreme Master Ching Hai, who helps aspirants on the spiritual
path through auspicious dreams and visions, so that they might be stronger
in their faith and come to understand Her infinite wisdom and blessing power.
Thank
You, Master, for giving me the chance to meet You in this compassionate way,
follow You toward eternal liberation from the cycle of birth and death, and
attain the ultimate Truth! 
Master's
Wonders
