Narrated by a resident
disciple from the New Jersey Center, U.S.A.
(Originally in English)
One
day, I went to the New Jersey Center for group meditation. During
the lunch break, a resident disciple shared a delicious dish with
fellow practitioners, and asked everyone to guess its ingredients,
which looked very much like deep-fried vegetarian shredded meat, and
tasted exactly like the tiny fish available on the market. However,
it was 100% vegetarian, and suitable for promoting vegetarianism among
outside people. The fellow practitioners present gave all kinds of
answers, including cheese, fermented bean curd, tofu, and many others.
However, they were all amazed when the real answer was revealed; the
ingredient was the flower of a variety of tiny banana.
It happened that there was a touching
story behind this delicious vegetarian dish that was so loved by everyone.
An Aulacese fellow practitioner invented the dish. He was then very
poor, and even had difficulty feeding his family. So, he prayed sincerely
to Master during meditation, asking for help. In his vision, the inner
Light manifestation form of Master told him to find some banana flowers
at the market to be used in preparing a dish, and then his problem
would be solved.
Following Master's instructions, the
initiate went to the market the next day and saw that the fruit sellers,
after cutting bananas from their stems, would throw away the flower
buds together with the stems. He then gathered some buds and used
them to cook a dish at home. It tasted exceptionally fresh and delicious.
He therefore went to gather more banana flowers that had been abandoned
at the market, processed them into delicious vegetarian food, and
sold them in the market. Within a few short days, his cost-free business
had attracted numerous customers. Even the major restaurants in the
area placed orders with him exclusively. In just a few years, his
family's income improved greatly, and they moved into a big house.
Besides, this fellow practitioner also used the shell of the banana
buds as an ingredient in a delicious vegetarian fish. This fellow
practitioner often uses his true story to encourage other fellow practitioners,
saying that our omnipotent Master forever takes care of Her disciples!
Later, he exported this gourmet food
to North America. And today, in some supermarkets in the United States
that sell Asian food, you are almost always sure to find this product
as soon as you request Banana Flower.