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Vegetarian
Era 
Master
on Vegetarianism |
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| Ten Reasons To Eat More Like a Vegetarian
Eminent Scientists and Inventors on Vegetarianism
The World Health Organization: Enlightened Goals and Remarkable Achievements
Vegetarian Awakening in the Himalayas
Special Interviews — Film Star Linda Blair on Vegetarianism and Compassion Presenting a New Focus on Health, Environmentalism and Animal Welfare
Victor’s Picnic with the Vegetarian Animals Encourages Children to Be Vegetarian
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We
should respect all life that’s in the creative plan of God.
We can see for ourselves that all life resists suffering, resists
death. If we kill or see an animal killed we notice that they suffer
and try to run away, meaning that God empowers them with the instinct
to want to live. So if we interfere and take their life away, we interfere
with God’s will. Thus, we should treat every being as we ourselves
would like to be treated. Then our lives will be blessed with grace,
longevity and wisdom. From
“Respect all Life and Your Life will be Blessed”
Whatever our faith or belief, we all know that animals have souls for they can move on their own initiative. Any sentient being that can move by itself, has the intent to move and has a mind that commands its movements forms ties of affinity with many other beings, gains many experiences and develops its intelligence, all of which result in attachment. When such sentient beings become attached to their intelligence and accumulated experiences, they become emotionally involved with life and fear death. Because of their fondness for a longer life, more experiences, increased activity and the opportunity to establish affinities with and learn from other beings, their hearts become filled with affection for life, fear of death, and feelings of hatred, kindness and gratitude. If we eat animals, we unconsciously step into their magnetic fields, which are characterized by a strong desire for life and apprehension about death. We get stuck, just as we do when we step on glue and our foot is glued to the spot and loses mobility. Stepping on sand is all right, given its non-adhesiveness. Everything has a different quality. But if we step on the animals’ qualities of life attachment and fear of death, their hate-filled magnetic fields cling to our souls, trapping us, pressurizing us and depriving us of our freedom. Plants do not move without being blown by the wind so they have less experience and intelligence. With this lower level of awareness, they also have less attachment. For plants, it isn’t a grave matter to die and be reborn because they have few experiences and attachments. Animals, by contrast, have more experiences since they can move of their own accord. For example, a dog may go looking for his girlfriend, and then look around further the next day, thinking, “Wow! This one is more beautiful than the last one!” (Master and audience laugh.) Attachment grows from such occurrences , which is why they cling to life. Under the influence of these phenomena, all animals become fond of life and fearful of death. But this is not the case with plants because they have too little experience to cling to. So when we consume plants, their magnetic fields do not become attached to us. Thus, we can’t say that animals and plants are alike. If that were so, then it would be as good as saying that chewing gum, sand and stones are alike, and that’s not true. Sand and stones do not stick to us when we step on them; only chewing gum does. Everything has a different quality so we can’t say that animals are the same as plants. They’re absolutely different. (Applause) We can understand this through observation. It isn’t because Master Ching Hai said so, or the Bodhisattvas said so that we understand it. It’s extremely simple and logical; we know these things just from observation. Everything
in the universe has a different quality. So when we choose our diet,
of course, we should select foods that create less of a burden for
us and allow us to practice more easily and progress more quickly.
Only then will we not be bound or pulled down by very heavy magnetic
fields. From
“From Biological Attachment to the Magnetic Fields of Foods”
If you earn your money by blood, it will weigh down your conscience. It’s not that I forbid you to do so; I’m just telling you the secret behind these things. Any profession involved in killing, directly or indirectly, will hurt you. It will hurt your soul because it’s your own principle that you’re trespassing on or harming, not someone else’s commandment. You yourself wouldn’t like to be chopped into pieces and fed to people or animals. If we take away any life, we take away a portion of our own life. And we have to pay for it in some way or another to make up for the hole we’ve dug or the portion of life we’ve caused to be lost. We have to fill the role that we took away by force. Because if that role was to be played by that animal until a certain year’s time and you just take it away, directly or indirectly, you’re taking part in a crime. So we have to partially play that role somehow, to fill the hole or replace the missing part. For example, in the theater there are different parts or roles. And if you knock down one of the actresses or if the director fires one, he has to look for another person to fill that role. If not, he’ll have trouble. He will have caused the loss of a job, wages and money, and the whole performance will be spoiled. And he’s the one who’ll have the trouble. So if you help the director to do that or if you knock down that actress yourself, then you’ll also have more trouble. Somehow you’ll have to pay for it in some form, either money-wise or by going to court or going to jail or even by playing that role yourself. As for why we should not eat eggs, it’s because the egg represents the cycle of reincarnation; it gives the impression of being able to be reborn. Also, eggs attract negativity. Those who practice voodoo know this. They use eggs to attract entities from people when they want to cast out negative spirits from some possessed person. They break eggs to attract that soul to leave. Because when the deceased or disembodied spirit sees the eggs, it’s attracted; it thinks it can be reborn again in a body. So it goes into the egg. Then they take the broken egg and throw it out. And also the smell is unpleasant, whether fertilized or unfertilized. This
understanding is a secret precept for attaining everlasting life,
not a commandment that I’m handing to you by force or by some
kind of authority. It’s just a secret formula for entering the
Kingdom of God. From
“Ahimsa and Vegetarianism: A Secret Precept for Attaining Everlasting
Life”
Nowadays,
some so-called doctors are still very inclined to the old theory that
people need meat to survive. But you can find plenty of books using
research from other scientific work, and many other doctors who say
that meat protein is harmful, toxic and bad for the body. And they
have proven a thousand and one percent of it. So don’t listen to one
theory alone and be convinced about it. We don’t need a meat diet,
not at all. No one needs it. Actually, many people are cured of sickness
after beginning a vegetarian diet. Is that courageous enough instead
of listening to the other theory? We can be hypnotized into believing
in one type of theory and convince ourselves of that theory, and then
believe that meat is essential to us. But it’s not true. From
“Vegetarianism Makes You Healthier”
Be careful about what you eat so that you do not contaminate yourself, and make the cells and the brain confused. This will consequently hinder your spiritual progress. It’s not that God cares about what we eat, but if we poison our systems with intoxicating things or impure foods such as meat or animal products, then the cells of the body and the brain will also become contaminated and confused. And thus we will not be able to think clearly or sit calmly to find the source of happiness and wisdom. We have to sit calmly. In both our sitting and daily activities, we must practice to be calmer and to focus more inwardly, so that we can contact the real source of our Godlike quality. From there, we can take care of every daily problem and pain, and make life happier. If we confuse our cells, brain, blood, and sentimental condition, we will also be confused. Then we cannot think straight anymore. When we sit in meditation, we will become very restless and agitated. Even if we sit well in meditation, our vision will be clouded with negative influences from the poisonous things that we have taken into our body. So it’s not that God cares what we eat or I care what you eat, or that if you eat a little meat you go straight to hell. It’s not true. It’s just that if we want to be Godlike, we must take care that everything we do and everything we eat is pure so that we will become pure also. Everything you eat here is purely vegetarian and very hygienic, because they use gloves and masks when cooking for you. Even if they carry some bacteria or cold virus, they will not impart it to you. But when you eat outside in other restaurants, of course, we cannot guarantee this. But you can recite the Holy Names to purify the food and offer it to God before you eat! This also minimizes a lot of infection for you. I also do not care what you eat, but whatever you eat will affect your meditation, spiritual practice, mood, temperament, personality and your thinking about value of life. Everything hangs on that also. As long as we are in the material world, every material thing affects us; that’s why we must carefully eat pure food-the food that has less karmic burden and less suffering-for our sake. Because animals fear death and cling to life, they suffer a lot. If they are forced to die prematurely for us, of course, their fear and hatred are retained in the flesh that we eat. That’s why we also become aggressive, agitated, discontented, and sometimes violent, just like how the animals feel before they die. Plants
also have feelings, not really feelings, but reflex reactions, and
not that much, either. Their lifespan also is not as long as that
of animals. Their fear is not so intense. Besides, they can grow again.
You can cut one branch of a tree and it will grow another two or three
branches, sometimes. So if we cut some trees, it’s all right, but
plant three more. Or if we cut a branch, let it grow three more. It’s
okay. We don’t worship nature. We use nature, but we also protect
nature for our own sake. Human beings must always come first. Some
very fanatic people say, “Okay, then we don’t eat plants also,
because they have life.” I say, “Okay, then die.” We
don’t worship fanaticism; we do everything in a middle way and very
mild manner, just the same way we behave. From
“The Importance of Keeping a Vegetarian Diet”
As we all know, most sickness comes from eating meat because of the antibiotics fed to animals, because of the anxiety that produces toxins in an animal’s meat. Because we eat all these antibiotics, our body loses its self-resistance to disease. Our body normally can fight disease, but because we’re fed so much antibiotic-filled meat, our body becomes weakened, and the resistance system goes out of order. Therefore, any kind of disease affects us and ends our lives. It’s a pity. Now, most people think that if we
pray to Jesus or Buddha, that’s enough. But I think we should add
to it meditation and a virtuous, wholesome way of life. Then we speed
up our wisdom and liberation. For example, if we practice together
in our method, which we call the Quan Yin Method, just listen to the
instructions of God within, see the wisdom of God with a Heavenly
eye and keep a vegetarian diet and a virtuous way of life then we
fear no sickness. Many of our initiates overcome sicknesses overnight.
I mean dangerous ones normally needing operations or resulting in
death. Some people just come back from the death bed, out of the power
of their virtuous life and the power of the Godhead that protects
them. If we open this power within through a correct technique, then
that power which we call the Buddha Nature or Buddha within us or
God within us will protect us twenty-four hours a day, and will protect
us even after we leave this body. From
“Activate Your Inner Power of Immunity”
Nowadays many sicknesses, different diseases, kill people, about eighteen million a year. Because some of us also don’t take precautions to guard our precious body which has been given to us by God to do some mission on earth for some purpose, and also to realize our almighty power. We do something like smoking too much, drinking too much, eating too much flesh, inviting all these bacteria from the flesh into our systems, etc. All these killing factors make our lives a miserable time. Actually we could live a better life if we organized more, if we appreciated our body more. If we ate just nutritious food for our body, and ate not just because of the taste, and ate just a reasonable amount, then of course, our health wouldn’t be so greatly endangered. You see, most vegetarian people become healthier. Is that not so? [Audience: Yes.] Many of you became healthier after receiving initiation and switching to a vegetarian diet. Is that not so? [Audience: Yes.] Actually, the hospitals are full of meat-eating people (laughter). No problem; we can see the proof there. It’s not only because the vegetarian
diet is healthy in itself, but because the vibration is very harmonious
to our body whereas the vibrations of animals are not that harmonious,
not so peaceful. Actually, it’s very easy to live a simple, healthy
life. There’s not so much need for medicine, no need for so many injections.
Many of us harm ourselves because we put poisonous substances into
our bodies. Otherwise, if we know how to live a simple, nutritious,
healthy life, we really don’t need doctors so much. And the doctor
can have more holidays and both of us can stay healthy. From
“We Can Actually Live a Better Life”
The Crisis on Earth The several years between 1994 to 1996 or 1997 are the most sensitive period of our Earth. Therefore, many incidents have happened. In the last few centuries, we have done so much harm to our planet. Sometimes, the actions looked like we were helping the world, or making the world progress, but the price has been too high! We human beings are too ignorant. Just to earn money quickly in our business, we have disregarded the future consequences. So, now we better slow down and consider our situation, and that of our next generation and the background of the world. We have destroyed too much! For instance, we may cut down trees, but we should plant two trees for every one we cut! We can retrieve used materials for recycling, that is all right! We may also change our meat diet to a vegetarian one, because meat eating has used up most of the resources on Earth. Each year, many forests are destroyed just for raising livestock. To raise the animals and provide beef for our consumption, forests and jungles equivalent to the area of England are being felled each year. Raising cattle consumes a lot of water, forage, time and land, and the land cannot be used again. After the trees are felled and the earth trampled by the animals, you have to wait fifty years to plant things again. Also, with the trees gone, the exposed rich soils are washed away by the heavy rain, erosion is out of control, and the land becomes barren and dry. There will be a chain reaction of one thing affecting the other, and the destruction is not limited, but has many aspects. Pure water sources are used for animals to drink and take bathes, leaving only the filthy water for us, and in insufficient quantity too. We have abused technology and damaged the protective layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. This has also affected our planet, the Earth is getting hotter. If it’s hot then there is no rain, and no shading trees. Without rain, trees cannot grow, without trees, there is less rain. Therefore, the climate is becoming hotter and changing unpredictably. All these end up affecting our body, affecting our children, our business, our mental state and other aspects, and eventually affecting the moral state of our Earth. Without sufficient food, prices would soar, many people could not afford it. Business would be bad which would result in bankruptcy. People without money would resort to robbing and do evil deeds, or become homeless. They might even harm themselves and their families. Everyone is Responsible for Saving the Earth We can change, change our world. We can save our world. We should rebuild our way of life — live a moral life, be a vegetarian, cultivate ourself mentally and physically and there will be immediate results. Our world will be changed at once! If everyone plants trees instead of cutting them down, then we would be saved very soon. Within ten years, the world would not be the same, not have so much problem. Truly there is hope, but only with the cooperation of everyone. If
a vegetarian diet can save the world, then everyone just has to sacrifice
a little. The political and religious figures have great influence
and authority over the people. They are free to use any means. They
have television, radio and everything. They can talk about anything
at any time. They should talk about good things, propagating a vegetarian
diet and environmental protection. This is the right thing to do for
ourselves and our next generation. Note: This excerpt is from the lecture “The Way To Save The World From Doomsday”. For the whole text please refer to News No.38. From
“On The Alert Once Again”
If we did not eat meat, no one would kill, no one would raise cattle, all the food would stay where it was and they could eat it and become healthy and strong. It’d be good for every nation, and it’d be good for our nation as well. We waste a lot of money on arms and on raising animals. Most of the arable land is wasted nowadays on raising cattle, pigs and the like. So if we used these areas to cultivate wholesome, healthy food I think the nations would benefit more and our nation would have more peace and no need for armed defense. If
every nation lived according to the Bible, according to the Buddhist
teachings, “Thou shall not kill, Thou shall not steal,”
and so on, the world would have no more need for peace conferences,
and would not need to waste so much coffee, champagne and cake at
round table discussions that go nowhere. The more we talk about peace,
the more war we have because we go about it in an inconsistent manner.
If everyone practiced meditation and ate a wholesome diet without
any killing involved, the world would have long since been in a peaceful
state and we’d have no hunger. There is no need to give away your
property; just give up the meat-based diet. That would be enough to
save the world, as well as your own and the nation’s health. From
“Saving the World by Giving up the Meat-based Diet”
Q: Please explain more about mass suffering. Are people guilty from before, and that’s why they suffer? M: No one is innocent. I’m not condemning anyone at all. It’s all a process of learning lessons. Learning is very painful. Once you’re awakened, however, you see things in a different light, and you know it’s all lessons. Look at the mass killing that we do every day in order to keep this body for a hundred years. How many lives have to be sacrificed — all the fish, all the shrimp, all the chickens, all the pigs, all the buffaloes? Do you think all this energy will be dissolved without war, without suffering, without physical ailments? Everything we do is recorded in the air. Nothing is lost; it’s only diluted with a different energy. It’s only equalized by different actions, not lost. For example, if air has already become ice after being water, and if you want it to disappear, you have to put sun rays, a lamp, light or heat on it, in order to get it back into the form of air again. So if we’ve been killing, conducting mass massacres all the time, all these animals are suffering, and they also have consciousness, thoughts and hateful energy, all this hatred and fear condenses itself into a powerful energy and hangs around in the air. Too much of that will result in mass suffering. We
have to pay for everything we use in this physical universe. Therefore,
all the Masters emphasize following a vegetarian diet, which has the
least cost to the various forms of existence. Animals have life, plants
also have life, but they incur the least cost. Just like if you earn
only a hundred dollars and you want to spend two hundred, of course
you go into debt, and you’re in trouble. If you try to buy cheap things
and satisfy yourself with the minimum cost to live, then you have
no worries about debt. That’s why we choose the vegetarian diet —
fruit, nuts, milk or cheese. All these things have less crime, less
consciousness within themselves. Now if you take milk from a cow,
will the cow die? If you take a few nuts from the trees, the trees
still have plenty of nuts to grow thousands more nut trees. They won’t
be lost. If you cut a flower, or a branch of a vegetable, it will
grow even more from that cut stem, even more vegetables will come
out of it. So in this way, we know that the vegetarian diet is less
harmful and incurs less cost. From
“Be Vegetarian to Avoid Disasters and Lighten the Body and Mind”
Q: What are some of the spiritual benefits that we can get from being a vegetarian? M: Spiritual benefits! I’m glad you ask in this manner because that means you only concentrate or care about spiritual benefits. Most people would care for health, diet and figure, when they talk about the vegetarian diet. The spiritual aspect of a vegetarian diet is very clear, on violence, Thou shall not kill. When God said to us, Thou shall not kill, Hes did not say “human beings.” Hes said “all beings.” Didn’t Hes say that he made all animals to befriend us, to be helpers to us? And didn’t he put all the animals in our care? Hes said, Take care of them, rule over them. And when you rule over your subjects, do you kill your subjects, eat them, and become the king only, no one else is there? (Laughter) So now you understand when God says that we must do it, there is no need to question Hirm. Hes says very clearly, but who understands God, except God? We have to become God in order to understand Hirm. I invite you to be Godlike again, be your Self, be no one else. To meditate on God doesn’t mean you worship God; it means you become God. You realize that you and God are one. “I and my Father are one.” Didn’t Jesus say so? And if He says that He and His Father are one, we and His Father are also one because we are also the children of God. He said that what He does, we can do even better. So we might be even better than God, who knows? Why worship God when we don’t know anything about God? Why in such blind faith? We must know first what we worship, just like you must know who the girl’s that you’re going to marry before you marry her. Nowadays, it’s modern. We don’t marry by blind dates anymore, so why should we worship God in all blind faith? We have the right to demand God to appear, to make Hirmself known to us. We have the right to choose which God we like to follow. So now you see, it is very clear in the Bible that we should be vegetarian. By all scientific reasons, we should be vegetarian. By all health reasons, we should be again vegetarian. By all economical reasons, we should be vegetarian. By all compassionate reasons, we should be vegetarian. By saving the world in spirit, we should be vegetarian. It is stated in some research that if the people in western America would eat vegetarian once a week, we could save sixteen million people every year. So be a hero, be vegetarian. By all reasons, (all laugh, and clap) even if you don’t follow me, you don’t practice the same Method, please be a vegetarian for your own sake, for the sake of the world. “But
why vegetarian?” you would ask me. Vegetarian is just because
the God inside us wants it. Killing is against our principle of not
wanting to be killed. We ourselves don’t want to be killed. Or we
ourselves don’t want our things stolen, for example. Now if we do
that to another person, it means we are against ourselves and that
makes us suffer. Everything that you do against yourself makes you
suffer. You cannot beat yourself. You shouldn’t starve yourself, for
example. Same thing, we should not kill, because that is against the
principle of life. That makes us suffer, so we don’t do it. It doesn’t
mean we limit ourselves in that way. Our life will not be limited
in this body, but extended to the life of the animals and all kinds
of beings. That makes us grander, greater, happier and limitless.
From
“Be A Vegetarian Hero!”
Q: If animals can hunt for food, why can’t people? In nature, hunting is a normal pattern of life. Is not humanity an intrinsic part of nature? M:
Then call yourself an animal if you want! If animals hunt for food,
and you hunt for food, then we are the same. That is to degrade ourselves.
If you want to you can. Who stops you? But if we want to be more noble,
to call ourselves a human, we should try to understand what a human
should do and how a human should live his life to make an example
for our younger brothers and sisters. If we live the same life as
our younger brothers and sisters which are animals, then we are not
worthy to be in God’s creation because God says in the first chapter
of the Old Testament that men should lead animals. We should be in
the superior position to all the animals. Now if we want to lower
ourselves and be like animals, then it’s okay. It’s freedom of choice.
But whether it is a good choice or not, you should ask yourself. I
do believe that humans should be superior to other beings, should
lead a noble life to make an example; because these animals will evolve
and become human next. If they see our bad examples, how can they
become better? We should be their teacher. From
“Wake Up From Your Dream”
Q: The purpose of an animal’s life here on earth is to be eaten by human beings, and if we stopped eating them they would all be dead and useless, don’t You think so? M: No, we can eat animals if we want to because we are stronger and more intelligent than they are so they’re helpless against us. But the question is whether we should use our strength and intelligence to abuse those who are weaker than we are when we have other choices by which to survive. Besides, today we are raising more cattle, pigs and chickens so more exist now than there used to be. And according to scientific research, the great amount of money, time and land used to raise animals is weakening our planet economically, financially and even health-wise. It is even said that many wastelands, many deserts, are the result of raising animals in the past because wherever cows are raised the land is frequently unable to be used for growing crops.* We need a big land mass to be able to feed cattle or other animals, and their waste products pollute the water in our lakes and rivers, as does the fertilizer that goes into the fields to produce grass and all the other food for animals. And the antibiotics and medicines that go into the animals’ systems, the water to wash them and all the hygienic measures cost a lot of money and manpower. So in the long run it’s a loss of business for the world. It’s no good for us. It’s not my right to tell you what to eat, but according to research, eating animals is no good for us whatsoever, economically, financially, politically, health-wise and in every other way. I am not yet telling you about the moral obligation and guilty feelings that go along with the animal diet. I’m just telling you science-wise, the scientific aspect. Inherently
we all have a great love within us for all things that move. Therefore
if we eat animal flesh, we subconsciously feel very guilty. It breeds
sickness and all kinds of uncomfortable feelings and unhappiness in
our lives. That’s why we suggest that if you want to find a truly
happy life, a truly free, carefree life, you should refrain from eating
other living beings. *
Master’s statements are supported by evidence contained in the
following webpages: From
“Being Meat-free Makes Us Healthy and Carefree”
Q: Please explain more about mass suffering. Are they all guilty from before, that’s why they are suffering? M: No one is innocent, I have told you yesterday. I am not condemning anyone at all. It’s all learning lessons. Learning is very painful. Once you are awakened, you see things in a different light, and you know it’s all lessons. Look at the mass killing that we do everyday in order to keep this body for one hundred years. How many lives have to be sacrificed — all the fish, all the shrimps, all the chickens, all the pigs, all the buffaloes? Do you think all this energy will be dissolved without war, without suffering, without physical ailments? Everything we do is recorded in the air. Nothing will be lost, it will be diluted only with a different energy. It will be equalized only by different actions, not lost. For example, vapor air already became ice through water, and now if you want it to disappear, we have to put sun rays, a lamp, light, or heat on it, in order to get it back into the air again. So if we have been killing, mass massacres, all the time, all these animals suffering, and they also have consciousness, thinking, and hatred energy, all this hatred, fear condenses itself into a powerful energy, and hangs around the air. Too much of that will result in mass suffering. We have to pay for everything we use in this physical universe. Therefore, all the masters emphasize a vegetarian diet. The least cost to the existence. Animals have life, plants also have life, but they are the least cost. Just like you earn only a hundred dollars and you want to spend two hundred, then of course you are in debt, you are in trouble. If you try to buy cheap things and satisfy yourself with the minimum cost to live, then you have no worry about debt. That’s why we choose the vegetarian diet — fruit, nuts, milk, or cheese. All these things have less crime, less consciousness within themselves. Now
if you take the milk from the cow, will the cow die? If you take a
few nuts from the trees, the trees still have plenty of nuts to grow
thousands of nut trees more. They will not be lost. If you cut a flower,
or a branch of a vegetable, that will grow even more from that cut
stem, even more vegetables will come out of it. So in this way, we
know that the vegetarian diet is less harmful, less cost. From
“How To Go To The Buddha-Lands”
Q: What is your view, dear Master, of humankind’s role in the universe? Are we equal to all other intelligent and emotional organisms, even those who eventually prosper in other planet systems? M: We are all equal, spiritually. But some of the other planets are more advanced in spiritual progress than us, and some are less advanced in spiritual progress. Some are more advanced in technology, while some are less advanced in technology. There are all kinds of beings in the universe, and God made them just as God made us. Some are coarser; the energy of their being is denser than ours. Some have less density so they are more invisible. But every being in this universe is necessary and has a very essential part in the whole creation, just like every brick in this building is very important. We are all linked together by an invisible force of love. That’s
why we should love one another and should not make war; we should
not cause hatred or suffering because we depend on each other to live.
It’s just that we have forgotten. That’s why we should
be kind also, even to animals; we should be vegetarian. From
“All Beings Are Linked by the Invisible Force of Love”
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