By Singapore News Group (Originally in English)

In our continual efforts to share Master’s teachings and the Alternative Living message, Singapore Center participated in Book Fair 2006, held at the Suntec City exhibition hall, from May 26 to June 4, Golden Year 3 (2006). Later, on June 11, a video seminar was organized for the public at our Center.

Fellow initiates decorated our booth at the Book Fair with various art creations by Master, including the latest painted fans. Some initiates also took turns to dress up as a cute and lovely duck, sheep and apple to distribute flyers; and Master’s video lectures played throughout the day. It was interesting to observe those whose hearts and souls so obviously resonated with Master’s words. Quite a few visitors stayed for a long time; they simply stood listening to Master’s lecture, smiling and nodding their heads from time to time and laughing like innocent children at other times in appreciation of the enlightening yet humorous gems of wisdom from Master. Some of them would then leave, only to come back again later.

One gentleman, attracted by Master’s photos, visited our booth for two days. He was always joyful and smiling and each time would buy some of Master’s books. He also wrote down two poems from the Tang dynasty, in which he revised some verses to express his longing to follow Master.

There was also a shipyard worker who visited our booth on three occasions. After each visit, he would dream of Master that same night. In one of his dreams, he perceived Master communicating with him through telepathy. In another dream, he saw Master in a photograph carrying an umbrella and Her entire being emitted radiant light, resembling the Quan Yin Bodhisattva, “Very beautiful! Very beautiful!” he said excitedly.

At the other end of the booth, the video entitled “Seeds for a Better World” made available to us by the Vegetarian Society of Singapore (VSS), was also playing repeatedly and drawing huge crowds. One of the clips showed gruesome scenes of how animals were mistreated and slaughtered. The common expressions on many visitors’ faces were that of shock and disbelief. Surely the video touched their conscience and evoked compassion in their hearts. Many visitors requested the VCD to share with friends and family.

A slide show featuring hundreds of the World’s Vegan & Vegetarian Elite was also created and shown on a computer. Many visitors were surprised that so many famous scientists, celebrities, doctors and athletes were vegetarians. Children were especially elated to see that “Spiderman” (Tobey Maguire) and “Batman” (Christian Bale) were also vegetarians!

On June 3, we also presented a program entitled Alternative Living at the Book Fair stage activity area. Three days before this event, we received a call from the program host of 938Live, MediaCorp Radio, asking if we could send someone to be interviewed the very next day. We were delighted and quickly arranged for a brother, a fitness trainer, to be on the show. The interview went well and in a light-hearted manner focused mainly on the reasons a vegetarian or vegan diet can be a healthy choice. The host also brought up the common misconception that vegetarians might be weak, and there in the studio sat our fitness-trainer brother, vegan for more than a decade, strong and fit, and instant proof to the contrary! Scientific facts and other real life examples were also cited to debunk this myth. At the end of the interview, the host announced our up-coming Alternative Living program at the Book Fair, encouraging her audience to attend. We were grateful for the 30 minutes of airtime, and thankful to the “mysterious” angel who had placed a flyer in the host’s hand!

A vegetarian starter kit was also given to those attending the Alternative Living program. The kit consisted of articles on vegetarianism from Master’s News Magazine No.162, the Alternative Living flyer, a sample booklet, articles from other sources and a list of recommended books and web links.

The main highlights of the program entailed the showing of three videos: “Diet for a New America,” “Seeds for a Better World” and Master’s latest DVD - “The Real Heroes.” Combined, the videos appealed not only to the audience’s rational minds, but also struck at the chords of their hearts and souls, making a compelling case for embracing a vegetarian lifestyle. The program also featured a “Vegetarian Kids Parade.” Some of the children have been vegetarian since birth, further proof that a vegetarian diet is a healthy and wholesome one! A few of them, wearing T-shirts bearing messages from Master’s Alternative Living flyer, went on to perform a dance accompanied by the song “Lemon Tree,” which was very well received and given a big round of applause! Lastly, an abridged slide show featuring some of the vegetarian elite was shown, accompanied by Master’s song composition, “I Will Forever Love You,” drawing tears of compassion and joy from some of the audience. The inherent love, blessings and the powerful music of Master’s song brought the Alternative Living program to an end on a high note!

After the Book Fair ended on June 4, preparation work for the video seminar on June 11 got underway. On that day, some of the initiates brought along their friends and family members and some of the guests were familiar faces who had visited our booth at the Book Fair. The program for the day started with the video, “Walk the Way of Love,” a brief biography of Supreme Master Ching Hai, followed by the main video, “Be a Torchbearer for God.”

In the next segment of the program, we briefed guests on the worldwide Alternative Living campaign started by Master. We then played Master’s video entitled, “The Golden Age: A New Way of Life” which was shown recently on the TV program “A Journey through Aesthetic Realms” No.188, followed by the vegetarian elite slide show which was accompanied by Master’s song, “I Will Forever Love You.” Having presented our guests with many valid reasons for adopting a vegetarian diet, it was then time to treat them to a yummy vegetarian feast mainly prepared by fellow initiates.

We also conducted video interviews of our guests. There was a young man from China who came to know about Master about five years ago through a friend, who was an initiate. Subsequently, he became vegetarian; and now that he was working in Singapore, he was determined to get initiation. Another guest interviewed was a Westerner, who was getting to know Master for the first time. She said the video seminar program presentation was informative and helped to simplify many things in her mind. She was also interested in learning the Quan Yin Method of meditation. Yet another gentleman, originally from India, came to know about us at the Book Fair; he said Master’s video lectures were very good! Before he left, he took quite a few sample booklets to give to his colleagues from China. We jokingly told him he was Master’s “delivery man.”

Those with great affinity with our beloved Master, space and time have been arranged for their ultimate rendezvous with the Most High. While for many others, after realizing that many of the world’s elite have adopted a vegetarian diet and learning the compelling reasons for doing so, hopefully, they will recognize that a vegetarian lifestyle, the Alternative Living, is truly a smart, wise and really cool choice! We invite them to join us and be “The Real Heroes!”

Aside:

Coincide ntally, the week after the video seminar, on June 17, an article by Peter Singer – “Food For Thought: The Ethics of Eating Meat” appeared in the Straits Times, Singapore’s main newspaper. The author highlighted the cruel farming methods used on animals and said, “When we confine animals in factory farms, we have to grow food for them… We end up with a small fraction – usually no more than one-third and sometimes as little as one-tenth -- of the food value we feed them.” Peter Singer is a professor of bioethics at the prestigious Princeton University and co-author of the book “The Way We Eat” with Jim Mason.

A week later, there was yet another full-page article – “Soul-searching Food” in the June 24-25 weekend edition of the Business Times, the main financial newspaper in Singapore. The article featured three vegetarian restaurants, Enso Kitchen, Genesis Veget arian Health Food Restaurant and the Yogi Hub.

Enso Kitchen is managed by a Tibetan Buddhist. The menu is strictly vegetarian, following the Buddhist principle of non-killing. Many Christians today may not be aware that the vegetarian diet is advocated in the Bible in the book of Genesis. And Genesis, the restaurant, started by three Seventh Day Adventists and close friends, sets out to share the message of eating the way the Bible instructs.From Zen to Genesis, next comes the Yogi’s way! Yogi Hub shows people more about the healing powers of vegetarian food.

Surely, with the on-going Alternative Living campaign started by our beloved Master, we will see more and more vegetarian restaurants springing up around the world. The vegetarian way is on the move, and planet Earth will soon become a better “hotel” for its inhabitants!

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