Story World

A Peaceful Time

By a resident from the Hsihu Center, Formosa (Originally in Chinese)

The following article recounts incidents that occurred during Master’s 1992 lecture tour of eight countries in the Far East and Southeast Asia. After Her talk in Tokyo, Japan Master and a team of monastic disciples went for a rest at a wooden bungalow in the countryside, where the temperature was below three degrees Celsius (370 F). One afternoon, Master took us on delightful stroll over a blanket of deep, glistening white snow. As we walked we listened to the murmur of a pristine mountain stream, which played a dulcet symphony sweet to the ears. Then after tasting the brook’s cold but delightful nectar, we found a place to sit, wrapped ourselves in sleeping bags and meditated in Mother Nature’s blissful embrace. A peaceful atmosphere soon enveloped our group of Earth visitors, and since Master is the noblest of Earth’s guests, as Her disciples we shared in Her glory! It was daytime yet the moon hung high in the clear blue sky, and while viewing it closely we perceived the image of a mother gently and lovingly hugging her baby. It was beautiful!

That evening, Master went to the kitchen to prepare a special treat for Her group of lovely children. The meal included fragrant Japanese rice and irresistible “Good WifeTofu” (see note), which had everyone eating seconds. While we were enjoying this delicious divine feast, Master made an unusual remark: “Now, none of you realize with whom you are eating this meal. When I depart from this world, all the beings of the planet up to its highest realm will welcome, hail, extol and praise me!” This was a private statement between Master and Her disciples, and all we knew at the time was that She was the personification of mercy and love. We simply could not grasp the true meaning of Her message with our human minds. Only now that we have entered the Golden Age do we realize that She is the Grand Teacher of all Masters and Saints throughout the centuries. And only now can we comprehend the greatness of our Master, Who comes from the most glorious realm.

Later that night, we all gazed out of the bungalow’s window and observed the wonderful spectacle of an enormous halo around the moon accompanied by several stars, and at that moment felt that Master and Her disciples were joined by divine love. Then in little more than ten minutes, Master captured this fantastic sight in a pastel painting so that humanity could enjoy it in the future.
The experience in Master’s Japanese bungalow was perfectly serene, true, beautiful and reflective of Her extraordinary grace. So with these words I would like to express my thanks: I am grateful to the Supreme God for bestowing Hiers perfect blessings on all living forms on Earth through You—Supreme Master Ching Hai!

Epilogue: In the evening after this article was completed, the author coincidentally listened to Master’s lecture CD—The Power of Positive Thinking on which Master and Her disciples discuss the wonderful moonscape on that serene night in Japan! 

Note: Master’s recipe for “Good Wife Tofu” is contained in Volume One of the Supreme Kitchen cookbook.