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Panorama
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Report from Formosa
Beach Cleaning in Keelung
[Keelung] On May 18, the Keelung Environmental Protection Bureau held a spring 2002 voluntary beach cleaning activity at the Auti fishing harbor in Waimushan District. Several hundred volunteers from the Keelung Center of The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, along with members of other groups, earnestly took part in the event.
It was a bright, sunny day, as the activity commenced with an introduction to the government's environmental policy by a specialist from Formosa's Environmental Protection Bureau, who recommended replacing ordinary disposable eating utensils with environmentally friendly ones. In response to the Marine Conservation Biology Institute's call on the public to assume beach cleaning responsibilities, the Keelung Center pledged to clean up the Auti beach, where the day's activity was held. The beach is a popular spot for swimming and water sports, even on weekdays, especially during the summer. Therefore, its cleaning and maintenance is important.
The mayor of Keelung thanked the volunteer workers in advance for their enthusiastic participation, and the work began. One sister initiate said that she had refrained from coming to this beach for recreation because it was dirty and filthy. So it was marvelous that she could have a chance to help tidy up the area that day! Hoping to contribute greater effort to environmental protection, fellow initiates not only arrived before the activity began, but also remained until the very end. The temperatures were high and fellow initiates sweated profusely, but when they saw the beach restored to its original beautiful appearance, they could not help but smile blissfully.
Working on "the Road to Heaven"
[Hsihu] On May 19, 2002, a 2-day retreat was held at the Hsihu Center, Formosa. After the morning meditation session and lunch, about 300 fellow practitioners from all over Formosa gathered at the Center's main gate under intense sunshine, ready and eager to take part in a cleaning activity on the nearby Miao 28 Road.
Initiates prepared brooms, dustpans, sickles, hammers and other tools needed to clean up the environment and changed into their work outfits before setting off for their destination. We cleaned the Road, removed wild grass, shoveled soil, dredged ditches, filled holes and removed trash. All of the participating initiates tried their best to contribute to the cleaning effort, and after three hours of work the eight-kilometer Road took on a new look.
One initiate said that before being initiated he had had a special feeling of tranquility the first time he walked on Miao 28 Road, which appeared to him as neat and clean, a sight that brought happiness and comfort to local people. But he had not understood why he felt that way, until after being initiated.
The cleaning of Miao 28 is regularly performed by initiates, and the Road has been under Master's care for years. Many initiates prefer to take this route when they attend group meditation or two-day retreats at the Hsihu Center. Another initiate said that mundane worries disappear as one walks on the road, being replaced by the many beautiful views along the way. Whether in the morning or after a shower, the Road exudes a special spiritual beauty, touching people with its grace and making them forget their worries. Therefore, initiates have named Miao 28 "the Road to Heaven."
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