Report from Korea

A Cultural Center and an Industrial City Bathe in Master’s Ocean of Love

By the Seoul News Group (Originally in Korean)

[Yeongju/Gumi] In October and November 2005, Korean initiates held video seminars in the cities of Yeongju and Gumi respectively. Yeongju, historically a center for scholarly pursuits, is known for the Puseok Temple, Korea’s foremost wooden temple building, and Sosu Sewon, the country’s original Confucian academy. By contrast, Gumi houses Korea's leading industrial complex and thus has played a key role in the nation’s modernization.

The Yeongju seminar was held on October 23 in a large restaurant, and beforehand the initiates decorated the venue beautifully with many flowers and ribbons and prepared Korean rice cakes and several kinds of tea for the guests. Then about eighty local residents, including the Yeongju Cultural President, Mr.Lee Jong Sun, arrived for the event. Mr. Lee had already been to one of the initiates’ video seminars in Busan and deeply understood Master and the Quan Yin Method. Thus he offered his special thanks to the practitioners by saying, “This kind of spiritual event is very desirable and I appreciate you as Yeongju’s citizens.” Next, during the video presentation, the audience members paid close attention to Master’s words, being completely absorbed in universal truths they had never heard before. Afterwards many asked spiritual questions and several learned the Convenient Method of meditation. So through the seminar many people became awakened and stepped into a new spiritual world.

Then on November 10 the brothers and sisters conducted another seminar entitled “Bringing a Meditative Atmosphere to the City” at a small theater located in the Gumi City Library. Many spiritually inclined guests attended and were treated to beautiful flute playing and a vocal solo by the initiates, which helped elevate the atmosphere at the venue. After the video presentation the practitioners discussed meditation methods at length with the attendees, who were of diverse spiritual beliefs and backgrounds.

Based on the positive results of the Yeongju and Gumi seminars, the Korean initiates strongly felt that the divine vibration of the Light and Sound had led the two cities into the ocean of love. Thus the sisters and brothers vow to continue sharing the good news about Master’s teachings, while thanking God for the opportunity to inform Truth aspirants of the sacred Quan Yin Method. ♥
 

The Wave of God’s Love Reaches Yeongcheon City

By the Daegu News Group (Originally in Korean)

[Yeongcheon] On November 27, 2005, local fellow initiates held a video seminar in Yeongcheon, a small city in Gyeongbuk Province. The sisters and brothers felt deeply elated at the chance to host the seminar because such activities normally take place in Korea’s larger urban areas. And despite the fact that Yeongcheon is a traffic gateway leading to many big cities in the province, few cultural events occur in the town due to its size.

With the help of practitioners from the Busan and Daegu Centers, the Yeongcheon initiates carefully prepared for the event by putting up posters around the town that attracted the attention of many local people, including an officer from the police station near the seminar venue. The man, an expert in oriental physiognomy, the art of reading one’s character and fortune through one’s face, showed a sincere interest in Master and the Quan Yin Method and said, “Supreme Master Ching Hai has a great physiognomy.” As the officer had to work on the day of the seminar he took a sample booklet and some copies of the News magazine to learn about Master; however, he did not feel satisfied just taking the literature and kindly added, “If it’s needed, I would like to offer my help to Master and Her Association.”

The rest of the preparations for the seminar went smoothly and on the day of the event, despite a forecast of cold temperatures, the weather was balmy and mild. In the warm sunshine, the brothers and sisters decorated the lecture hall and its entrance with colorful balloons to welcome the guests, and also exhibited Master’s Longevity Lamps and paintings in a display room next to the hall so that the participants could appreciate Her beautiful art along with the video. Among the visitors were several photographers who viewed Master’s works for a long period and conversed with the initiates, expressing their interest in the pieces and their surprise that a spiritual Master was so active in the field of art.

On seminar day, over sixty people came to the lecture hall, a significant number considering Yeongcheon’s small population. The audience then attentively watched Master’s 2000 Seoul lecture Life Continues Forever, after which sixteen guests learned the Convenient Method of meditation and some registered for initiation into the Quan Yin Method.

Both during and after the video seminar in Yeongcheon, the initiates who participated felt truly happy to share the good news of Master’s message and sow the seeds of Heavenly affinity with their neighbors. They also hope that they can continue propagating the Truth in other such communities so that more of their brothers and sisters will rise above the illusory material world, find the inner supreme power and enjoy the bliss of the Golden Age. ♥
 

One Wold—A Vegetarian Festival of Love

By the Gwangju News Group (Originally in Korean)

A Korean pansori performance

Sri Lankan guests who reside in Korea sing at the Festival.

[Gwangju] On December 11, 2005, local initiates celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Gwangju Center at their city’s Cheongsol Vegetarian Buffet. In hopes of promoting unity with their neighbors, the sisters and brothers entitled the activity “One World—A Vegetarian Festival of Love." Prior to the event beautiful gold-colored invitation cards were created by the practitioners and sent to initiates all over Korea, as well as to Convenient Method practitioners and those who had received the Center’s humanitarian aid such as the Naju Resurrection House, the Milal House, the Nazareth Brothers’ House and Sri Lankan workers living in Korea who had come to know the initiates during the Center’s Tsunami-relief activities in their country.

In addition, the practitioners invited their families and friends, as well as members of the local elderly and disadvantaged communities, who were also given much needed daily necessities such as rice, kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage) and heated floor mats. And through this gift-giving activity the initiates gained a greater understanding of the true meaning behind the Festival.

Guests from various backgrounds enjoy lunch together.

A chorus by disabled guests who have received help from the Gwangju Center for years.

On the day of the event, the Buffet was decorated with balloons and welcome banners and a band performed to greet the guests. Within no time the venue was filled with over 200 people, who greatly admired the array of special vegetarian dishes prepared by the initiates and marveled at their delicious taste. The banquet was followed by more music from the band and a pansori (Korean operatic drama). Then the initiates performed various dance routines and instrumental recitals, the most beautiful and impressive of which was by a brother who is a professional ocarina player. During this piece, a special video with the message “Peace through Vegetarianism” was shown in the background.

After the initiates’ performance program, the guests were given a chance to display their talents. For example, a group of mentally challenged visitors sang a song and the audience was so moved by their innocent demeanor that the singers drew the day’s biggest round of applause.

Then the guests listened to a brief explanation of the Festival’s theme and watched the video Walk the Way of Love, which introduced them to Master’s life and work. Next an initiate explained the Quan Yin Method and The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, and the guests were informed about the benefits of vegetarianism and ways to prepare vegetarian meals.

Overall, the guests said the event was highly elevating and that they were very grateful to have had such a happy experience. In fact, an event specialist who did professional balloon decoration for the Festival said, “I’ve been to many events but this one was very special. It’s the first time I’ve seen an occasion where Buddhist monks, Catholic nuns, Christian clergymen and a mixture of children, the elderly, the disabled and foreign workers came together and enjoyed themselves.”

As the Festival ended, young guests from a welfare facility received gifts of beautiful school bags for the coming school year, which provided an added bonus to complement the food and fun that they experienced.

In conclusion, the Gwangju initiates had a profoundly meaningful time as they shared their happiness and love with the less fortunate at One World—A Vegetarian Festival of Love. And all the guests present seemed to have a satisfying and joyful day as well. Thus the sisters and brothers give thanks to Master as they continue to grow in Her boundless love, and promise to continue sharing Her blessings with others. The value of conveying such unconditional “love in action” for their fellow beings is the lesson they have learned from Master’s shining example over the past decade. ♥