Special Reports The Love of Centuries: Love is Eternal --Celebrating Supreme Master Ching Hai’s Poetry By Los Angeles News Group, USA (Originally in English)
On April 10, Golden Year 8 (2011) over a thousand guests attended “The Love of Centuries – Love is Eternal” concert at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center in California, USA. The event was an international celebration of love, communicated through song, dance and art. Many of the evening’s performances were based on works from Supreme Master Ching Hai’s poetry collection The Love of Centuries. Walking along a golden path over flowing water to a dome at the Center’s entrance, the guests were transported to a realm of beauty filled with Master’s artwork, including paintings, jewelry, lamps and clothing designs. Also, outside the venue, vegan hors d’oeuvres and cookies were served under the warm California sun. The Cerritos Performing Arts Center thus welcomed visitors with celestial creations reminding them of their true home. VIPs in attendance included Westminster City Councilmember, Tri Ta, Bob Linden of Go Vegan Radio, author Richard Greene, named one of the Greenest Heroes at the Cancun Dinner Gala, and Chris de Rose, founder of the animal-welfare group “Last Chance for Animals.” Many dignitaries from around the world also sent congratulatory messages via video, including Mr. Jaime Hernández Zaragoza, the Mayor of Cancún, Mexico and Mrs. Maneka Gandhi, Indian Member of Parliament, former Minister of the Environment and creator of the Indian Department of Animal Welfare. As a guest speaker, renowned vegan filmmaker and author Lionel Friedberg gave a moving speech entitled “Love and Poetry.” Regarding Master’s poems, Mr. Friedberg said, “The Love of Centuries is filled with tenderness, with concern, with compassion. There’s great depth in what she writes. Her words carry messages of happiness, of the vastness of the universe, of glad tidings and of inner serenity.” And speaking of meeting Master in person, he fondly recalled, “She exuded love, love in all its forms: warmth, kindness, understanding, affection, and a deep connection to the very pulse beat of Mother Earth. The Love of Centuries is the work that stands as a tribute to the elevated soul who wrote it.” Animal communicator Dexter Del Monte also described her experiences with the divine nature of animals and their role in helping humans move from the darkness to the light, saying that animals want to help humans live in the present, surrender and trust: “They do not judge us, even when we kill and eat them, and they offer pure, divine, love. If we treated others like animals treat us then the world would be a wonderful place.” In addition, Aulacese scholar Mr. Ly Kien Truc offered his insights on The Love of Centuries, and animal communicator Billie Dean discussed her interactions with animals, which reveal that our fellow beings are far more intelligent and telepathic than we realize. Ms. Dean conveyed a message from the bluebirds and hummingbirds who came to her while she was drafting her speech. She said they wanted to thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her tireless work to create a change in humankind’s awareness about animals, and said that a new light is shining on Earth, but humans are taking a while to catch up. The animals also have a vision of profound peace for all species on our planet. The audience was then mesmerized by inspiring musical performances by talented artists from around the world. South Korean songwriter Excellent Soo sung “A Puppy’s Heart” accompanied by the vegan Rainbow Dream Chorus. Dancers dressed as puppies provided a joyful background for the song. Composer Robin Chiang wrote and performed music for Master Ching Hai’s poems “Precious Stars” and “Moon of Mine,” sung in Chinese and “Song 4 the Sun,” sung in Spanish. Soaring music and celestial singing were the highlights of “The Love of Centuries” composed by Grammy Award winner Bill Cunliffe, and performed by soprano Giorgia Fumanti, who presented another song, “A Word with the Buddha Stone-Statue.” Mr. Cunliffe said that the words reminded him of the people of Japan who had recently suffered through the tsunami, particularly the line “Cry no more.” He prayed that things return to normal for the Japanese people, and that the Buddha can smile again. Also gracing the stage were singer Marie-Josee Rose Lavoie who performed “To Prince” in French, with guitar accompaniment by the song’s composer Sylvan Lamy, and Tony Award-winner Karen Ziemba and Emmy-nominee Doug Katsaros who sang “It Is Not So, My Love” and “Old Lover,” two original compositions by Oscar winner Al Kasha. In addition, the dance “Dreaming of Dunhuang” was brought to life by the Asian Arts Talents Foundation; “A tribute to past Poets and Musicians” was performed by Robin Chiang and Jung-yi Alice Hsieh Daugherty on piano and flute; soprano Kerry Walsh sang her own compositions “The Ideal Beloved” and “I Am,” and the Korean Three Drum Dance “Sam Goo Woo” was performed by the Hiza Yoo Korean Dance Institute. Master Speaks of Poetry and Reveals Secrets of the Sun Supreme Master Ching Hai joined the concert via video conference to the sound of thundering applause and cheers. Dressed as a Native-American girl, Master spoke about the nature of poetry, saying, “We don’t make poetry, we draw it from the air, the atmosphere, our hearts.” She explained that not only is love vital but also love poetry, because it brings us together on the planet. Love reminds us that we are all from the same essence. She emphasized that we can never have too much love in the physical domain, and that for this world the best thing is love. While answering a question from Ms. Janice Belson about the love of the Moon, stars and Sun, Master revealed a secret of the universe: If a person who is good at heart, who does no harm and who keeps a vegan diet looks up at the Sun every day and asks for spiritual blessing, he will reach a high spiritual level, possibly the Fifth level; while a person who is not vegan will only reach the Third level. She added that being a vegan means we have less burden and our God nature is less covered so it’s easier for the Sun to lift us to the Fifth Level. Raw-food advocate Chef BeLive Mr. Brian James Lucas asked Master about all the political unrest occurring in the world, particularly in the Middle East and parts of Africa. With deep sympathy, Master said that leaders are always in danger of going astray due to flattery, being told the wrong things, and not having a strong spiritual foundation. But to have good leaders we need to be good ourselves. In regard to acts of vengeance, Master emphasized, “Vengeance is never the answer. Vengeance will create more suffering in the long run. When God declared that ‘vengeance belongs to me,’ Hes meant do not take matters into your hands. Let the universal law take care of it. So peace is the only way. Forgive each other so that God will forgive us. Make peace with each other so that peace will prevail.” She also sent a powerful message to all those involved in war: “Please stop for a moment and consider. Do not be fooled by the negative force, which seeks to control our mind and stirs up hatred between us so that the war game will start and never end. Do not stay trapped in the madness of all that, which was meant to enslave our souls in the dark realm. It will never take us to Heaven if we kill, no matter what. Get out of war; get out of cruelty; get out of all that is not love and kindness.” Finally, Master recited Her new poem “The Real Love,” and reminded everyone to do whatever they can to bring peace to this planet. The closing song Go! Go! Go! was highly inspirational and compelling. The song’s lyrics and music and the voices of the singers caused the audience members’ spirits to soar as they applauded, stood and participated in singing with the performers to take action, “Go for it!” and save planet. The venue was then filled with love, joy and a sense of hope. Afterwards a beautiful vegan dinner was served to the guests who lingered late into the night enjoying conversation with friends both new and old. Guests and Artists Share their Concert Experiences Vegan telepathic animal communicator Dexter Del Monte, USA: “Just walking in that dome that was built with all her designs and books, I could just feel her energy and it brought tears to my eyes. She is a loving presence and I would just love to meet her. What an inspiration!” Puerto Rican-born pop singer and vegetarian Elisa Meri: “I feel honored to be performing a song that just gives back to the Sun, something that we take for granted. There is a line in there that says when you are feeling down, look up at the Sun. I love that line. So I will be definitely tuning in on that.” Art director for the Assyrian Aid Society Paul Batou, USA: “I love her poems, I love her message, the message of love. That’s what the world misses these days, like we see nature is destroyed by wars, and human beings. Supreme Master Ching Hai, her message, I wish everybody could hear it and honor it.” Tony Award-winning singer Karen Ziemba, USA: “I think she’s an enlightened human being. She has had a calling, and she is fulfilling that. And the rest of us are benefitting from that and learning from that, and wanting to take her lead.
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