Truth-Sharing : Observation And Growth

By Sister Initiate Youle Huang, Tainan, Formosa

When we prepared for Master's 1993 lecture in Hong Kong, we did not have a separate room in which to display Master's paintings and artistic lamps. We had to display them in the lecture hall; however, since it was crowded in the hall and Master's works of art were suspended from iron stands, it was very hard to keep people from touching them as they walked by. And when the paintings were touched, they swayed. After the lecture, Master exhorted us, pointing out that the paintings and lamps should not be displayed in the lecture hall and that when displaying them, we must show their artistic value and not be perfunctory about it. (In fact, Master had already endured our poor work for several lectures. Since that was the third to the last lecture and we still had not improved, Master was forced to correct us.)

Upon hearing Master's admonitions, sister Chen and I, who were in charge of arranging the art in the lecture hall, felt ashamed. We were also surprised that Master had been so omniscient and sharp. She knew that we were capable of exhibiting Her art works in a good light, but we were not working wholeheartedly. Sister Chen, who had been engaged in an import-export business for many years and had often exhibited products at the Taipei International Exhibition Center, was very good at designing an exhibition hall. And since I had worked as a teacher of interior design for more than a decade, I too should have done a better job of displaying Master's paintings and lamps.

To earn a living, both sister Chen and I had worked very hard at our worldly jobs, but we were doing only a perfunctory job of exhibiting Master's art work during the world lecture tour, using the excuse of short manpower and time. Also, thinking that the emphasis should be on the lecture stage, we neglected to consider that people who appreciate works of art would feel an affinity with Master through this medium and hence be provided with an opportunity for liberation. Master's words jarred us from our slumber. Earlier during the lecture tour, Master had said, "When you work with a Master to share the teachings, it is like sharing an office with the Master." We were very fortunate to be able to work with Her, so how could we not try our best and thus waste the merit that God had bestowed on us?

Malaysia was the next to last stop on the lecture tour. This time we were determined to exhibit Master's art work to perfection. We leased some professional tools such as exhibiting boards and projection lights from an exhibition company. It so happened that a fellow initiate who was an electrician had just joined us and this brother assisted with the installation of the projection lights. The lecture hall in Kuala Lumpur was in the style of a Chinese "Goddess Palace." Master's works were displayed in the covered corridor around the temple. At dusk, when the projection lights were turned on, all the paintings looked more stereoscopic and the colors became brighter. The whole corridor around the Celestial Empress Palace resembled a high-class art gallery.

After this experience, when working on numerous subsequent lectures, we were always well aware that the exhibition of Master's works of art is also an integral part of sharing the Truth and deserves our best effort. By analogy, we must try our best wholeheartedly in anything we do if it is for the benefit and liberation of others. I have benefited greatly from Master's teachings on the 1993 World Lecture Tour.