By sister initiate Feng Qing, London, UK, (Originally in English)

Several articles about Master's unconditional compassion for all beings were published in the News magazine No. 125. Such examples of Master's boundless love have helped me realize that enlightenment is more than just the inner experience of Light and Sound, and such experience is not the only way to measure one's level of spiritual advancement.

After receiving initiation, I came to misunderstand the essence of enlightenment and was strongly attached to inner experience. I thought that to attain the highest level, I must sit still and think still as much as I could. If anybody interrupted my meditation, especially when I was in samadhi, I would feel very sad, upset, and even angry, for a long time. When I was thus attached to meditation, my external situation changed completely, as I moved into a hostel, living with forty other women in London's night-less Soho Square. Worst of all, I shared a room with a woman who kept the radio on all the time, even when she was asleep. She said she could not live without popular music playing in the background, and her radio had no earphone outlet. So I had to enjoy its sounds in our room, and noise from the streets as well. I could hear the sound of music and dancing and the shouts of drinking revelers until the early hours of the morning. I prayed to Master for help each day, for the constant interruption made it impossible for me to concentrate during meditation. This lifestyle lasted for nearly ten months.

After I left the hostel, I was surprised to find that, although I did not meditate better than before, I had made much progress in my spiritual practice. The reason was that I learned an important lesson - the need to devote myself to practicing unconditional love - in the hostel and the Soho area in general.

When I lived in China, I felt racial discrimination toward black people. And when I first came to the UK, I lived on the southern coast of England, where I rarely met any blacks. However, during my stay in the Soho area, especially the hostel, the majority of the women residents were black. Through close contact (I once shared a room with a black girl), I had the opportunity to learn from them, and found that they are warm-hearted, open-minded, and loving people. Thus, my racial discrimination disappeared and I realized that people of all nationalities and colors are equal. We all come from the same source - God - the Light and Sound; we are all the children of God. I soon made friends with black sisters and showed my love for them. We shared joys and sorrows, and I prayed daily that they would find permanent accommodations and get residence status in the UK. I even gave them material and financial help when I could.

In the Soho area, I also met homeless people every day. This gave me an opportunity to be with them and express my sympathy, compassion, and love. When they asked me for money, I would always oblige them, even though I too was homeless. I had little time to meditate compared to the past, because the circumstances did not allow it. But I nonetheless felt a sense of spiritual elevation. Previously, my love was only focused on my family members, relatives, and friends, the way a camera's lenses frame a scene to bring it into focus. Now my love is extended to strangers, and to people of all different nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, and social strata.

We should give equal love, even to animals, plants, insects, stones, and invisible beings, for we all come from the same source - the Light and Sound of God. Look at Master's unconditional love for us. Regardless of our behavior, as long as we decide to put ourselves in God's hands, Master accepts us as Her disciples and cleanses us of our karma. Master has set an excellent paragon for us in giving unconditional love to all beings in the universe.

Let us contribute to society and express unconditional love for the wellbeing of humanity. This is the correct way to measure our spiritual practice. Just as Master teaches us: "Soon, many, and perhaps all, of you will be leaders in your environment, leading humankind into a new way of thinking and living. We must show a shining example of sacrifice and true love."

"As long as we live, we must dedicate our whole life to the goodness, to the progress of humankind, of the whole world, of the whole universe" (from Master's videotape No. 240, "Leading the World into a New Era in 1992").