By sister-initiate Yuan Yuan, Taipei, Formosa
(originally in Chinese)

Before I came to know Master Ching Hai and practice the Quan Yin Method, I did not understand the purpose of my life. I always thought that it must be a joke that God let me be incarnated as a human being. For twenty-seven years, I wandered around, having neither learning nor skills, and leading a befuddled life. I thought of myself as someone who was an unnecessary person neglected by God. I really did not know why I was living in this world.

Having no courage to face the real world, I used cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs to cheat myself and harm my body. I hated daylight. Only at night did I feel alive. Dancing, gambling, using drugs, and making trouble became a way of life for me. And because of that, I was put into prison many times. Even so, I did not change my dissolute way of life until one night when I awoke from a nightmare. Suddenly, I came to realize that I was standing on the edge of a cliff. A slight bit of mindlessness would result in my falling into the bottom of a valley in darkness without any chance of liberation. I was so frightened that I broke out in a cold sweat; I began crying and praying for God to give me guidance.

Tired of my meaningless, fast life of degeneration, I was determined to end the relationships with all of my friends and say farewell to my old environment that was full of desperation and darkness. There was a strong longing in my heart that I wanted to be a new person, I wanted to find my real self, and I wanted to be my own master. I could not bear any longer to live like a dead person without knowing the purpose of my life.

Fortunately, when I resolved to change my life, God answered my prayer. Under Hiers guidance, I got to know a sister who brought me to the Quan Yin family. When I saw Master, I was so overwhelmed by the love in Her eyes that tears kept running down my face. Afterwards, I became a vegetarian and got rid of my heavy addiction of smoking two or three packets of cigarettes a day and all of my other bad habits, such as drinking, gambling, and using drugs.

On the day of my initiation (September 17, 1995), the sister and I planned to take a train to Miaoli. There were many people in front of the ticket office that day, and with only a few minutes remaining before the departure of the train, we still had not been able to buy our tickets. In the end, we decided to board the train first and purchase the tickets later while on the train.

However, as we were rushing to the train, it started moving. The sister got on, and then I tried to jump onto the train, too. But I failed and fell under the train. As a sharp pain struck my stomach, I called Master Ching Hai for help, "Master, save me! Master, save me!" After dragging me for several dozen meters, the train suddenly made an emergency stop. At that time, my entire shoulder was under the train.

When people lifted me up, they thought that I was dead because, in their experience, under such circumstances, nine out of ten persons would die and the one left would be paralyzed. Fortunately, I only had some minor scratches on my body. To make sure that I was not injured seriously, they sent me to a hospital to have an examination and take x- rays to see if I had any fractures or internal injuries. The results of the examination showed that everything was fine. Surprised, everyone remarked that I must have been blessed by God; otherwise, I could not have survived this deadly accident. They also predicted that there would be good luck waiting for me after my narrow escape from death.

Only I knew that it was Master who had saved my life. I also understood that She was using the little injury I got to burn up some karma that I had to repay. On the other hand, Master was enduring great suffering to clean up the remaining greater part of that karma. Probably, having the opportunity to be initiated by Master was the best luck that awaited me.

After initiation, I found that I learned to love myself, to help others, and to respect others more. As a result of practicing meditation and keeping a vegetarian diet, my health has improved greatly. Because I always focus on the positive side, even if I run into difficulties, I can adjust myself quickly without being trapped in the situation. I feel that I have been reborn. Now I am a completely different person. Those who used to know me are surprised by the changes that have occurred in me. Just as Master says, if everyone practiced the Quan Yin Method, the world would be in peace, and I am a very good example of that.