Now, the Taipei Center are worth sympathizing with; up to now they are helping the most, but they still do not have their own Center. They rented a place in a big kind of ceremonial hall in a primary school, and they pay every month for it. And they can only rent it once a week and only up to a certain time, like from six to nine [o’clock], and then people will rush them out if they want to... if they’re too late. Therefore, up to now, they still have no Center.
But they can buy their own if they see any better land and they can buy it. But in Taipei, it’s easier to buy toothpicks, because it’s very difficult to have land in Taipei. It’s very expensive. And if you have a place that’s convenient for traffic and for everyone, then it’s too small. Because in Taipei, every week, every time they meditate at group meditation, there are three, four thousand people. Where do you find a place? And that is at the main meditation time. And in the other subgroups, there are plenty more. And they can only squeeze in 4,000 at the most at that place, no more. They can’t squeeze any anymore, therefore that’s the limit. And every week’s like that. And I’m very hardly there. So that’s the problem with Taipei, they still put up with it for seven years now and in different places. And they’re still looking for a new place. And I wish them luck.
Now the second place is Tainan. They also… Tainan is also Taiwan (Formosa). We’ll pick three places: Taipei, Tainan and Hualien. So the second one is Tainan. Tainan? (Standing up.) It’s OK. They have their own Center. They bought their own Center, and they build their own everything. And that is also very, very good going. And they drive cars, big buses around the country to propagate the Teaching.
And the third place, Hualien. Hualien’s also very strong. Because in the beginning of our mission in Taiwan (Formosa), we encountered a lot of misunderstandings. And Hualien is kind of the frontier base, where the “fighting’s” going hot, every day. But then they survived and then they even succeeded in winning over the opponents. And now we have only friends and no enemies. And they have a lot of activities and enthusiasm, and also organization talent for the promoting of the Teaching. That’s it for now.
Call him. You yourselves introduce him. (Announce.) (Mr. Li Chung-Jung of the Central Daily News has arrived.) (Mr. Li Chung-Jung, not afraid of rumors and pressure from the public, bravely acted as the executive producer of the “Special Collection of Lectures by Supreme Master Ching Hai” on a long-term basis in the Central Daily News. That’s why Master is specially giving him an award, an award named “World’s Bravest And Most Fearless Reporter.”) (From the Central News of Taiwan [Formosa], this journalist, Mr. Lee, has been publishing Master’s articles, the whole page, front page, in a Truth Present News owned by the government. This courageous spirit is awarded by Master today as “The World’s Most Courageous Journalist.)
In Taiwan (Formosa), in the first days of our mission, as you already know, we encountered a lot of opposition, because at that time I still wore a kind of Buddhist monk’s robe, and that doesn’t make me very popular with a Buddhist country like Taiwan (Formosa). I’m popular with some, but then with the conservative people, [they] had a lot of misunderstandings and a lot of rumors spreading and all that. Most people only misunderstand. That’s all there is. At that time, not many newspapers wanted to have anything to do with us. And then the Central Daily News – that is the Central News of Taiwan (Formosa), that is the newspaper of the government… And I must tell you also that this newspaper is very faithful, kind of... How do you say “upright and honest”? Meaning they are very righteous. And there’s not so much of violence and not so much of kind of a like boulevard news. It’s a very good newspaper, kind of a little bit conservative. Maybe that’s why they also have less circulation than others, because there’s no exciting news in it, and no trouble-making news and no headlines and all that. But then I think if you truly want to get only news... Can you hear me? If you truly want to get only news and not only the kind that’s satisfying your mind because of all this violence, then you can read such a paper like the Central Daily News in Taiwan (Formosa), or maybe in your country. What’s that? Maybe there’s similar papers in your country.
And at that time, many people opposed us, our movement, and the newspapers were quite afraid to have anything to do with us in Taiwan (Formosa), at that time, in the beginning. But he’s the one who works in the Central Daily News and despite the newspapers, also the government papers… This is the kind of, not the government, but speaking for the government, kind of official newspaper. And he still thought that my Teaching is very fit for the public. So he fought with obstacles within and without the newspaper circles. And then he asked us to let him publish that in the newspapers. At that time, when the opposition was the strongest, he still did that. And every day, of course, he received many threatening telephone calls and a lovely terrorizing message and things like that. (Beautiful…) What is beautiful? (The photo.) Huh? What is beautiful? (The photo.) No way! Terrorizing. Beautiful threatening news! Oh my God, do you translate like that? I said that every day he received many lovely, horrible phone calls and many beautiful, threatening messages. Even then, he still published it in his newspaper. And despite all this, he still persists in doing what he thinks is right. So therefore, we awarded him as “The Most Courageous Journalist in the World.” Maybe. Maybe there are other journalists who are also courageous, but maybe if we know them in the future, then we will award them. Up to now, he’s the best one, the most courageous.
It’s the same with the purple journalist. She wrote the articles. Not because she praised the Master or the Teaching that we award her, it’s just the way that she writes it. It’s very good, very articulate literature. The style is very nice. Because many people praise me, and I don’t award them, not everybody. You can see a lot of newspapers and journalists are praising me all the time in the newspapers. But not because of that, that I award them. I award the Literature Award to a person who truly can see with journalistic talent and journalistic fair judgment and accurate eyes. And therefore, she got this award, the best journalist, the most accurate, at the moment, in the world. Later if we know someone else, we’ll award them. But strangely, both, the two of them look so beautiful. No wonder. But both of them, coincidentally, look very bright, look very handsome. Handsome and beautiful.
So that’s it for now. What time is it? Oh, we still have time. Oh, OK. Some of the awards for the meditation Centers, we will give them from Taiwan (Formosa). Some of the award prizes I have not written down yet. But if you give back the empty envelope, I will know that, then I will write more. Some of it I’ve already written. But the other prizes are not… First prize, Third prize, Second prize; I have written. But the other prizes I haven’t thought of yet. I couldn’t think of what to give them. Maybe they want money. (No.) So if you give me back the empty envelopes, then in the evening, and maybe state what you want, then I will give it to you. But not $1 million USD.
So, everyone’s alright? (Yes.) Take this basket away. Also, all the Award letters, I think I want to have it back to have it stamped so that you can get the money or the prize. I have not stamped it yet. I got some stamps here just to show that I’m important. So the retreat is ending, or near the end. And we’re going to move along to another program. Namely, because I think I can disclose it to you now because the time is coming.
Photo Caption: Emptiness Is Not Always Empty
