The
formal opening of the celebration occurred at ten o'clock, when guests
and fellow practitioners all gathered at the Forest Main Hall. The master
of ceremonies led everyone in a silent prayer of thanks to God, and
then read aloud Master's fax, which had been written in Her own handwriting:
"Dear children of God, wishing you all a very merry Christmas and
a happy New Year." Everyone held their breath while listening intently
to each word. Through the loudspeakers, Master's blessing reached deep
into the heart of everyone present. Suddenly, the forest became an ocean
of reverberating love, in which everyone was immersed.
The program
that followed was a video lecture session conducted by a Quan Yin messenger
(Note). He first shared his insights about spiritual practice with everyone,
then played one of Master's lecture videos for the guests, followed
by a Convenient Method training session for those who were interested
to learn. Note: On the third Sunday of each month, a video lecture program
will be held at the Hsihu Center, conducted by a Quan Yin messenger,
and the Convenient Method will be imparted afterwards. Fellow practitioners
may invite their friends and relatives to attend.
A
Very Popular Garden Party
A
garden party featuring delicious vegetarian food, which had been long
awaited by many, finally started at eleven o'clock! More than thirty
traditional snack booths from all over Formosa supplied a large array
of aromatic and attractive food free of charge, satisfying the palates
of food lovers. Some people could not stop praising the food booths
of their preference. Among all the snack booths, the deep-fried fermented
bean curd booth from Hsinchu and the stir-fried vegetarian oyster booth
from Tainan drew long lines of almost a thousand "customers".
To the guests who were non-vegetarian, the great variety of vegetarian
recipes was really amazing!
Apart
from free foods for consumption on the spot, vegetarian cakes and various
other foods were also available for purchase to bring home. A real attraction
was the serving of gourmet tea brewed in The Heavenly Dragon Imperial
Tea Pot. Many true fans of Master's artistic creations lingered around
the S.M. Celestial exhibition area, unwilling to leave. There were retreat
utensils specially designed for Quan Yin practitioners, who found them
just right for their purposes. A collection of classic and elegant cotton
costumes also attracted many tasteful people. All these wonderful booths
made the garden party a very crowded and colorful event.
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