In
Portugal, over ninety-four percent of the population is Roman Catholic.
They are strong in their beliefs and believe sincerely in their Saints.
There is a famous legend in Portugal about an apparition of the Virgin
Mary to three children.
One day many years
ago, three children were tending their sheep in a field. At noon, as
was their custom, they knelt down in prayer with their rosaries (prayer
beads). After praying, they began to play. Suddenly, they saw a flash
of lightning. Thinking that a storm was coming, they began to herd their
sheep downhill. Once again, they saw the flash of lightning and on the
hilltop appeared a radiant lady of beauty. This legend is known as "Our
Lady of Fatima" and a huge monument was erected where she was believed
to have appeared to the three children. Every year thousands of people
come to Portugal on pilgrimages to this historic site.
On 7 May 1999, another
beautiful lady of Light appeared before a large crowd in Lisbon, Portugal.
The Supreme Master Ching Hai lectured to a packed audience of Portuguese
people at the luxurious Meridian Park Hotel in the center of downtown
Lisbon. Prior to the Portugal lecture, many of Her disciples from different
countries had come to prepare for Her arrival. They found that the people
they met in Lisbon were open-minded and warmhearted and showed great
interest in Master's sample booklets and leaflets. When fellow initiates
from Brazil distributed leaflets in the chilly wind and rain, a passerby
came up to talk with them and asked many questions. He then offered
to lead them to a "University City" to distribute leaflets. On the way
he showed them subway stations and other crowded places. When Korean
fellow initiates went downtown to put up posters, they could not find
parking, but unexpectedly a policeman offered to help. Searching for
ten minutes, he finally found a parking space and guided our fellow
initiates there.
The lecture was held
in a nice hotel. We were allowed to enter the lecture hall four hours
before the scheduled starting time. Everyone moved around swiftly, soon
transforming the hall into a sacred place. The members of the Celestial
Clothes and Jewelry Groups made an astoundingly beautiful arrangement
of Master's artworks, literally creating a Heaven on Earth.
When everything was
in order, the lecture hall had become tightly packed. A short film was
first shown giving a brief account of Master's life. After the audience
watched the film absorbedly, several fellow initiates talked about the
benefits of a vegetarian diet and how the Quan Yin Method improved their
quality of life and state of mind. Then our beautiful Master, in a white
gown and a white cape, arrived at the venue. Many youths and ladies
kept their eyes on Master, smiling. A Portuguese lady hurried away,
telling us that she was going to bring her roommate there to see Master.
A young man also went off to fetch his girlfriend so that they could
together witness the most significant event in their lives.
The wholehearted sincerity
of the Portuguese when they embraced Master's teachings struck us with
awe. Though they are not rich, they eagerly purchased Master's books
for further study. Many of them requested to learn the Convenient Method
or the Quan Yin Method of meditation. A twenty year old Portuguese man
left his home and had no money in his pockets. As he walked on the
street, he saw our poster and was suddenly awakened. He very much wanted
to attend the lecture. While thinking about this, he got just enough
money to cover the bus fare to the lecture hall. While listening to
Master's lecture, he had a feeling that he had known Master's teachings
for a long time.
During the time for questions and answers, Master's answers came to his
mind even before She spoke. In this unsophisticated country, it proved
true that material wealth does not stand for richness of spirituality
and morality.
Supreme
Master Ching Hai's 1999 European Lecture Tour - True Treasures
Recognized Only by Wisdom Eyes