By Illinois News Group, USA (Originally in English)
 With God’s grace and the collaborative efforts of our Association members from different centers in the US, Formosa, South Korea and Canada, on August 11, Golden Year 8 (2011) the conference World Vegan, World Peace: A Conscious Choice was held at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Broadcast live on Supreme Master TV, the event featured an interview via video link with the guest of honor, Supreme Master Ching Hai. Speaking with Her were Commissioners Patricia Horton and Frank Avila of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, along with Mr. Avila’s beloved wife Sherry, who is a teacher and award-winning docent for the Loyola University Museum of Art. Commissioner Avila, with over 40 years of experience as a professional engineer, is an elected official of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. He is an active participant of the Water Environment Federation and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. Both he and his wife are vegan and are passionate about issues concerning the environment, climate change and health. Together, they have produced many Chicago Access Network TV (CAN TV) shows with such topics as, “How Does the Environment Impact Our Health?” and “The Future of Clean Water.” Upon learning about Supreme Master Ching Hai and through watching Supreme Master Television, Commissioner Avila came to know of Master’s great love and concern for the less fortunate and all beings in our world and has said that She is like Mother Teresa. The Interview On the day of the conference, the venue was radiantly transformed, thanks to Master’s blessings. In his opening speech, Commissioner Avila spoke of his responsibilities as a commissioner for the district that treats wastewater for the entire greater Chicago area, as well as ensuring the safety of water supplied by Lake Michigan. He said that since God has given us an abundance of precious resources in this Great Lakes region, we have an obligation to protect those resources. He shared from his personal life that his wife encouraged him to be a good example and that with her assistance he became a vegan about seven years ago. Since then his health has improved significantly and now, even in his seventies, he sings and dances quite well – all thanks to the plant-strong diet. In sharing Her insights and abundant wisdom, Master expressed Her admiration for Commissioner Avila’s hard work and high moral principles that She said not only guide his endeavors but have also shaped this great nation of America. Master said, “Loving kindness and virtuous living protect us and our world. The wider we extend our circle of loving kindness, the wider we will be, the wider we will have the shield of protective positive energy around us.” She called upon all caring people to be vegan and to pray and meditate for “World Vegan, World Peace.” During the interview, Master exchanged ideas with Commissioner Avila, Commissioner Horton and Mrs. Avila and answered questions on a wide range of topics that included love, peace, the environment and current affairs in the United States and around the world.  In response to Commissioner Avila’s question about how Master would teach teachers to teach the children so that when they grow up, they already know how to protect our planet, Master said, “Actually, all of us have to be teachers. We are supreme teachers. We have the Supreme Power within us. Our father, God, is the Supreme Teacher.” She further highlighted the importance of children learning and following the Five Universal Peace Principles that are central to all religious orders of this world:
Master suggested that all school curriculums include these uplifting moral values, which will then be reflected back to us, and we will be happy and have true peace. While elaborating on the issue of water shortage and use, Master praised the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago for the wonderful job they are doing in treating wastewater to maintain the health and safety of over 5 million people in Cook County through impressive engineering, high-class facilities, diligent management and hard work. She also saluted Commissioner Horton for her dedication to bringing people safe water and for all she has done to help improve the lives of the less fortunate. Commissioner Horton has been honored with the Presidential Award for her efforts in alleviating poverty and for her work with disadvantaged women in Chicago that helped 5,000 women start their own businesses. Raising the topic of reducing Medicare costs as a way to decrease the US budget deficit, as well as a heated debate occurring at the time about healthcare reform in the US, Commissioner Horton asked Master how we can change people’s focus from sickness and medical treatment to living in a way that prevents sickness as we promote health instead. Master affirmed that it’s crucial for the public to acknowledge that prevention is better than cure. “The government can do a whole lot by giving people references through newspapers, broadcasting, television, radio and Internet to share valuable information about the preventive way to share a happy and healthy life. The vegan diet can reverse and eliminate all kinds of diseases, even cancer, diabetes and heart diseases... The country will grow strong, if you have healthy people.” As a poetry lover, Mrs. Avila was very touched by Master’s poem, “Please Don’t!” from Her poetry book, The Love of Centuries. After reading excerpts aloud from this poem, she asked Master how to make people understand that war is not the solution to conflicts and to please explain the best way for countries to protect their uniqueness, spiritual and moral values, as well as material possessions. Master said that the best way for all countries to safeguard themselves is by helping fellow nations to grow and develop. Quoting the famed US President Abraham Lincoln, who once said, “I destroy my enemies by making them my friends,” Master went on to explain, “We should use our power and financial privilege to extend humanitarian rather than military help or even aggressive action to those weaker and developing nations. Then enemies would fade.” And with such a policy, Master said, “People in the world will respect and cooperate with each other, or with the powerful nation, not out of fear of strong military force, but out of respect and love.” Commenting on the “My Plate” campaign launched by US First Lady Michelle Obama, Master applauded it as an improvement from the standard diet of the past, because it emphasizes more plant-based eating than ever before. She said it would be best if all governments would recommend recipes based on compassion and for moral, virtuous and God-like qualities as well as health. Pointing out that leaders must be courageous enough to provide correct information and help reverse outdated myths about the meat and dairy industries, Master said that ultimately, the government’s policies “must promote and subsidize organic vegan farming and stop subsidies for the animal industry… Subsidize life and health, not disease and death.” At the end of the conference, with deep emotion and tears in Her eyes, Master shared with the audience Her latest poem dedicated to Her beloved special dog Hermit who passed away just a few days prior to the event. She said, “For all the dog lovers in the world, I know how they feel.” There was barely a dry eye in the auditorium as the audience, deeply touched by Master’s profound love for Her companion, listened to the poem. The Entertainment The entertainment for the conference was spectacular, with performances by many brilliant vegan or vegetarian artists from several different countries. The artists included Chicago Sings for Planet Earth, a newly formed teen choir group; Jāma Jandroković, accompanied on the piano by Mr. Robin Chiang; Alex Arndt, the brilliant young singer-songwriter who lit up the stage along with Ms. Yvonne Smith, lovingly known as The Traveling Vegetarian; Sanoeth Schulze, an award-winning singer-songwriter from Brazil; Moria Greyland, an award-winning Celtic; and Gayung Shin, a young, talented vegan singer from South Korea. Our Association members from Taichung, Formosa performed an inspirational dance. Also delighting the audience in both English and Japanese was the Sipa Baled Clone Band.  With great anticipation, the audience welcomed the legendary Dick Gregory, African American comedian, actor, author and recording artist. Since 1961, he has remained one of the most influential civil rights activists, philosophers, anti-drug crusaders, vegans and advocates of healthy living of all time. Mr. Gregory has been credited for introducing vegetarianism to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s son, who went on to influence his mother Coretta Scott King, to become a vegan. On stage, Mr. Gregory lit up the room with his witty jokes and words of wisdom on the topic of diet. He said, “When you change that diet and you find that real love locked down into here (the heart), fear goes out the window ... When we leave here, understand that we have the power to change this planet.” In his last remarks, Mr. Gregory stated to Master, “Your message is getting through.”  Feedback Master’s message of love and compassion for all beings touched everyone at the conference. Commissioner Horton expressed her admiration, saying, “I’m going to take this message to everyone that I know. And if it just changes one life, one life like it has changed mine, we are moving toward saving our planet, saving our environment and towards veganism.” Commissioner Avila expressed his strong support for Master’s proposal that governments should ban the killing of animals, just as governments ban tobacco right now. Guadalupe Nieves - Assistant Director of the Office of Event Services at the University of Chicago, told our Association members that the conference made her realize the many reasons to become a vegan and that she would start adopting the vegan diet. She also commented that this conference was one of the most impressive collaborations she had been privileged to be a part of. On his way to the airport, Mr. Dick Gregory mentioned to one of our Association members that although he had been all over the world in the past 60 years with every sort of person and organization, he had never seen an organization like ours. He said that our members had smiles, were not selling anything and were not asking for or even accepting donations. Everyone was quietly, efficiently and in a relaxed, happy manner taking care of their own duties. He also said Master’s message was one of only love, informing people about how to be more loving to others, how to do more to help those in need and how to mitigate suffering and save our planetary home. We thank Commissioner Horton, Commissioner Avila and his
wife Sherry Avila for making the conference their top priority. They
spent hours working together with our Association members get the message
out in the best way regarding the critical state of our planet.We wish
that many more people will be inspired toward such collaborative efforts
so that our planet will soon be transformed into a vegan paradise!
To watch the conference coverage by Supreme Master Television, please visit: http://video.Godsdirectcontact.net/magazine/WOW1809j.php
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