Today more and more people around the world are seeking a return to the natural ways of living pursued by earlier generations, including humane, healthful diets. This trend is reflected in the growing popularity of vegetarianism. For example, the Vegetarian Resource Group recently estimated that in the year 2000 there were six million vegetarian adults living in the United States. And as reported by Stanford Magazine, one of four Stanford University students is currently either a vegetarian or a vegan. Nowhere is vegetarianism more popular than in Hollywood, where film stars such as Tobey McGuire, Natalie Portman, Dustin Hoffman, Christy Turlington and Joaquin Phoenix have enthusiastically adopted vegetarian diets. Moreover renowned athletes such as Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, tennis star Martina Navratilova and many others are also “turning veggie” as society becomes aware of the moral, spiritual, physical, environmental and economic benefits of a meat-free way of life.

In line with this trend, the non-profit group Towards Freedom, whose members are strict vegans, has been organizing the Worldfest Vegan Festival to promote vegetarianism since 1999. Each year, thousands of visitors turn out for this special event, with the majority being vegetarians or vegans. Prominent vegetarians who have attended the Festival in past years include actors Alicia Silverstone, Woody Harrelson, James Cromwell and Linda Blair, and author of the ground-breaking book Diet for a NewAmerica John Robbins.

In Her lecture “The Six Buddhist Perfections,” Supreme Master Ching Hai states that the most important spiritual precept is that of non-violence, which encompasses all the others and involves compassion and love for all sentient beings and adherence to a vegetarian diet. Thus, on Sunday, September 28, 2003, Los Angeles initiates again participated in the WorldFest Vegan Fair to share Master’s teachings on non-violence and the Quan Yin Method of meditation with the public, along with delicious vegan gourmet cuisine lovingly prepared by LA Center chefs.

A framed picture of Master’s loving countenance warmly greeted visitors to the SMCH Association’s booth and sample booklets were available to everyone. From the beginning of the Festival, a swarm of visitors filled the venue, creating an atmosphere of great excitement around the Association’s booth As many initiates rushed about serving food, others were answered questions about Supreme Master Ching Hai’s teachings. One vegan man from San Diego, who attended with his wife aand children, expressed the following thoughts about Supreme Master Ching Hai: “I read the speech She gave at the U.N. and believe what she says. I also support what She does. It definitely changed my wife and me. We would like to contact people in San Diego to pursue a more peaceful life.”

In order to share with people many appetizing recipes and the ease of cooking vegetarian, over 400 complimentary copies of the video The Art of Vegetarian Cooking: Flavorful and Nutritious Cuisine were distributed to Festival attendees, who were excited to receive such a quality product and happy that vegetarianism was being promoted in a practical way.

Younger members of the SMCH Association helped out by dressing up in animal costumes representing cows, buffaloes, a chicken, a fish and a monkey with charming signs that read “Love Me, Don’t Eat Me.” These adorable characters attracted the attention of many youngsters, who promised their “animal friends” that they would not eat them, had souvenir pictures taken with their favorite animals and laughed with delight upon receiving their photos.

The organizer of the Festival, Ms. Sheryl Peppel, was very happy that our Association participated, frequently checked to see if we needed anything and offered the assistance of her staff. Ms. Peppel also invited John Salley, four-time NBA champion and current co-host of a Fox sports show to our booth to taste the vegetarian food and bring some home for his family.

Later, Ms. Peppel, a long-time vegan, had the chance to sit down and try the dishes prepared by the fellow practitioners herself. She later returned to the booth and told Association members how delicious the food was, saying, “I felt like I had died and gone to Heaven. I’ve never eaten anything so tasty. Each dish was more delicious than the next. I’m so happy that you could be here today and hope you’ll join us next year. I’ll reserve this same spot for you now.” She also congratulated our Association on its success and told us that she noticed our booth was the most crowded with the longest line. But truly, it was Supreme Master Ching Hai’s power that brought the initiates together to work with love and devotion, in the spirit of sharing Her teachings and promoting vegetarianism.

Although the festival was scheduled to conclude at six in the evening, at the request of the organizers, the initiates stayed until 7:30 so that people could continue to have a chance to visit our booth.

After a day warmed by radiant sunshine, the sun began to set, and we sincerely thanked Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her infinite blessings, which flowed in abundance during the beautiful, harmonious WorldFest Vegan Fair 2003. As we move further into the 21st century, we can clearly witness the dawn of the Golden Age through such events, wherein, enveloped by Supreme Master Ching Hai’s love, thousands of strangers can unite as brothers and sisters in the noble ideal of compassion and kindness toward all beings.

 

A Wonderful and Appetizing Thai Vegetarian Food Exhibition