On the Path Center Events Protection from an Impending Calamity  
 

Center Events
*An Exotic Retreat at the Wonderland of Hsihu
*The Heavenly Rainbow Garden
*New Heavenly Playground Shines With Master’s Love
*Birthday Celebrations For An Enlightened Master, And The Inauguration Of The Korean Youngdong Center
*West Africa Retreat
*Paradise in New Jersey
*A New Spiritual Lighthouse in France
*Continuous Surprises at the New Budapest Center
*A Journey to Heaven — Helping to Construct the Budapest Center
*Marulan Initiates Joyfully Celebrate the Opening of a New Center
*Precious Spiritual Lessons Learned through Selfless Service
*Protection from an Impending Calamity
*Sincere West Africans Hasten to Learn the Supreme Teachings
*The Love Ocean Arts Center Opens in Taipei

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News 125, Center Events

Protection from an Impending Calamity

By a Quan Yin messenger

[Benin] Fellow initiates from Benin, West Africa recently launched a meditation center and book circulation office in their capital--Cotonou. Last December, they also formally established The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association in their country, whereupon they began to broadcast Master's teachings on the radio each day to convey the message of the Quan Yin Method to their compatriots. The Cotonou Center is open Monday through Saturday for fellow initiates and visitors interested in watching Master's videotapes, or reading Her books and News magazines. Each day, visitors and would-be initiates come to the Center to ask or learn about Master's teachings. In addition to attending regular group meditation sessions, fellow practitioners also come to the Center in their spare time to recharge themselves by meditating at additional sessions.

 
 
Before their instruction in the Convenient Method, local fellow initiates
and guests are absorbed in Master's videotaped lecture.

The Center is permeated with wonderful spiritual vibrations, which often make people forget the time. One would-be initiate, a businessman, used to ask materially related questions when he first began learning the Convenient Method. Thus, his financial problems hindered his spiritual growth. However, after several months' of practicing the Convenient Method, he changed considerably. Master's love deeply attracted him. Once, after watching Master's videotaped lectures at the Center, he seemed to be purged of all his worldly troubles and sorrows. He wanted to return to work but was reluctant to leave the Center, which is very tranquil and peaceful. So, he sat on the steps outside for a long while and felt so good that he could not help stepping back inside to read one of Master's books. When he finally decided to leave, he sat down on the steps again, silently enjoying his inner spiritual delight and his first experience of liberation and contentment.

Fellow initiates' countless spiritual experiences within and without are the pillars that build their confidence. This fact is demonstrated by the example of an initiate who practiced the Convenient Method before the Benin Center was established, and used to attend group meditation at the Togo Center each Saturday. When his wife decided to follow Master as well, he took her to learn the Convenient Method at the Togo Center. By the time group meditation ended that evening, it was already nine o'clock, and the couple could not find a taxi at the local station. There happened to be a mini bus leaving for Cotonou, so they got on, but the bus driver kept everyone waiting while arguing with a colleague. Eventually, the passengers lost their patience and got off the bus. But because they couldn't find another bus to take them to their destination, they finally returned to the mini bus. The couple had to squeeze into the front seats beside the driver, for they were the last to board.

However, the driver refused to take them and ignored their reasoning and persuasion. The couple was forced to get off the bus, and waited for more than an hour. They began to complain in their hearts, as they had two young children waiting for them at home. After another long stretch of time, a taxi finally showed up. On their way home, the couple saw the mini bus that they had originally intended to take. It had crashed and the front seats had been destroyed. At that moment, they suddenly realized that Master's incredible power had protected them from this predestined calamity.

The Most Amazing Firefighter

 
 
Front yard of the Kpalime Center.
 
 
Back yard of the Kpalime Center. The mango tree in the photo, despite being scorched by the fire and having its branches shorn off, now has lush green foliage and bears much fruit.
 
 
Fellow initiates fill the pits in the road leading to the Kpalime Center with waste soil and cement. Then they turn up the soil and grow sweet corn on the land.

[Kpalime, Togo] The Kpalime Center was the second center to be established in Togo, West Africa. Located to the northwest of Togo's highest mountain, Pic d'Agou, it is a secluded, serene place with sufficient water but without the hubbub and disturbance of the city. Outside the Center is a large, lush forest and a view that extends far into the surrounding mountains, making one feel delighted and relaxed.

This house at Kpalime was once in ill repair and the weeds around it grew densely from a lack of proper attention. Some of the trees around it were scorched and the road in front of the house was bumpy. The local fellow initiates thus decided to show their "human magical power", and transformed the dilapidated structure into a prosperous looking place. After a thorough cleanup, the fellow initiates also beautified and "greened" the Center with fresh and lively plants. A new paradise for spiritual practice was thus created!

During the renovation period, an accident occurred, but fortunately, through Master's blessing, a disaster was averted. Two brothers were living at the Center, where they cleaned each morning, and gathered dry grass and leaves for burning on the ground outside. One day, as usual, they finished their morning cleaning work and burned the collected garbage. Then, they went back to the Center to watch Master's videotapes. The rainy season had passed; the air was hot and the land was dry. About fifteen minutes later, the brothers suddenly heard the crackling sound of a fire. They rushed out and were so shocked that they couldn't help sweating upon seeing the blaze, which had almost reached the neighbor's house. The fire spread quickly in the strong wind, nearly extending to a nearby farm office and wooden utility pole. The brothers were terrified and hurriedly threw buckets of water onto the fire, but it seemed to be out of control. There was no fire brigade in the area, so they had no choice but to call the police for help. The policeman who answered, however, kept inquiring about trivial details. They did not know what to do because the only things in the area were a lot of grass and trees. One of the brothers, feeling anxious and guilty, rushed into the meditation hall, knelt down in front of Master's photo, and with tears streaming down his face, prayed for Her help. (The man seldom cried, but when he described the situation to the Quan Yin messenger, his eyes became teary again.)

A while later, he went outside to check the situation, and was astounded to find that the fire had been completely extinguished. The flames had stopped three meters from the neighbor's house, the farm office, and the utility pole. Dozens of pineapple plants, mango trees, banana trees, and a huge lawn had been burned to the ground. A sheep had been tied to a pole in the lawn at the time, but the fire had merely circled around it and left the sheep and the surrounding grass untouched. The two brothers sincerely thanked Master for alleviating the disastrous situation in time. Otherwise, the results would have been terrible.

Now the Kpalime Center is neat and beautiful. The local fellow practitioners and would-be initiates come there regularly to watch Master's videotapes and attend group meditation. New Truth-seekers continue to visit the Center as well. In addition to the luxuriant flowers and trees around the Center, various fruit trees have also been planted. It is the mango season now, and the luscious fruits make one's mouth water. We do believe that, with the "irrigation" of Master's love, the spiritual seeds we sow will soon bloom and bear fruit in the near future, like the fruit we grow at our Center.

   

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