Hosts: Green Island Vocational Training Center, Green Island Administrative Office,East Coast National Park Office, Green Island People's Service Station.
Sponsors: Seven Centers of The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association in Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Nantou, Taitung, Keelung, and HualienEvent covered by the Taitung correspondents of TVBS and Eastern TV

Report compiled by sister initiate Hwang Jia-yin Taipei News Group, Formosa

[Green Island] On September 15, the inhabitants and natural landscape of Green Island received a spiritual purification as they played host to heartwarming activities of love and care participated in by nearly a hundred fellow practitioners and Quan Yin messengers. The series of activities included counseling for inmates at the Green Island Vocational Training Center, cleanup of beaches and undersea coral reefs in cooperation with the patrol boats of the East Coast National Park Office, free medical consultations and health checkups, relief fund provision to needy households, and a "Sincere Invitation to a Healthy Vegetarian Feast on the Pacific Coast". (Note: The health checkup offered was far more thorough than free medical consultations. Patients received detailed reports on their medical history, diagnoses, and prescriptions, which could serve as references for further medical treatment or medication at any major hospital in Formosa.)

On September 13, Formosa's Central Weather Bureau issued a special warning about torrential downpours brought on by typhoon York and two other low-pressure centers on the verge of typhoon formation. As a result, the Green Island Airport was closed the next morning. The agencies hosting the event were anxious about whether the activities could be held as scheduled. Fortunately, the airport was reopened at 10:40 a.m., and twenty fellow practitioners arrived to prepare for the event. On September 15, the ferry captain waited for the 6:30 wind and sea forecast before deciding whether to set sail or not. Thanks to the grace of God and Master, the three typhoons changed course after three days in the surrounding waters, and the waves subsided. At six in the morning, we were informed that the ferry would sail as scheduled. Over seventy fellow practitioners and Quan Yin messengers, including the Kitchen Team, Audio Team, Video Team, News Group, Diving Team, Cleaning Team, and Reception Team, set out for Green Island on board a ferry named "Eternal Peace".

The ferry sailed through the rough sea, bouncing up and down as though on a roller coaster, as a strong wind blew toward Green Island from the south. Amidst the rain, huge waves smashed against the coastal rocks and beaches, creating an awesome scene in the misty fog. The gigantic waves did not scare us; and to Green Island we sailed with God's hands firmly at the helm. From afar, the island looked like a solitary ship rocking in the typhoon. We were greeted by Warden Chen Shih-chih of the Green Island Prison, who expressed his highest respect for us with these words, "Truly no rain or storm could stop you! The Eternal Peace is heavier in tonnage, and sails much more steadily." Only then did we realize how fortunate we had been. God had arranged everything perfectly!

Following the Supreme Master Ching Hai's loving instructions, The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association has served people of all walks of life in society through free medical consultations, health checkups, prison lectures, environmental protection, and relief for the destitute and disaster victims. The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association holds annual spiritual counseling seminars at prisons throughout Formosa and has been appointed Honorary Probation Officer of the Public Prosecutor General's Office of the Hualien District Court and the Green Island Vocational Training Center. Earlier in 1999, it received the Minister of Justice Award and an Award from the Public Prosecutor General's Office of the Formosa High Court.

From 9 a.m. to 12 noon that day, about twenty fellow practitioners and Quan Yin messengers presided over an assembly of "prayers for blessings" at the Green Island Vocational Training Center. A hundred and twenty inmates attended and learned the Convenient Method at the assembly, which commenced with the screening of a videotaped program on Master's actions of love around the world, "Walk the Way of Love". In this tape, some words gave us much cause for deliberation: "We should always try and create our own means from which to give to others." "I dream that it (our planet) will continue, but in peace, beauty and love. Yes, that is my dream."

Sister Yang of Hualien read aloud with great emotion a letter written by an inmate to his family: "Dear Dad and Mom, Although I cannot take care of you today, I will take good care of myself in here and make an effort to plan for my future. The thought of your getting older each day fills my heart with regret. I want to assure you that I will never make you shed tears for me again for as long as you live!" These words moved many inmates to tears.

Free medical checkup provided by The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association	A fellow brother came out from the sea with a bag of garbage collected from the seabed.

Through proper counseling, fellow practitioners dissolved the mental barriers of the inmates, who began to express their deep feelings for their families and parents, and their mixed feelings of gratitude, remorse, and love. They realized that there were people in society who were silently contributing their efforts without asking for anything in return, just to encourage those in prison to face their family, society, and country with a thankful heart. The assembly also prayed that the merciful Quan Yin Bodhisattva would bless everyone with success and good health, as well as world peace and national prosperity. The prayer contained these words: "Although our journey through life is full of setbacks, we can continue to educate ourselves so we become stronger, and have greater wisdom, stamina, and serenity. In this way, we can love and care for our family, society, and country with a cheerful and thankful heart."

Lin Wen-tzung, secretary of the Vocational Training Center, affirmed the positive influence that our spiritual activities have on contemporary utilitarian society, and especially commended the loving fellow practitioners for their immense assistance to the inmates at the center. Secretary Lin had good faith that the inmates would undergo dramatic spiritual transformation while at the center and after their release. When Brother Yang of Taipei spoke on behalf of Master and all the fellow practitioners of The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, he expressed gratitude to the director of the center, Edification Section Chief Hwang and his colleagues, without whose cooperation this event could not have been possible. Brother Yang pointed out that Master is the personification of mercy and love who has come to this world to help those longing for the development of the soul.

On behalf of The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, brother Li from Hsinchu presented a monetary contribution of a NT$15,000 fund for cultural and educational expenses, which Secretary Lin received on behalf of the Vocational Training Center. Brother Li said The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association had learned from Section Chief Hwang that the inmates needed spiritual comfort; thus, in addition to fruits and moon cakes, the fund was designated for the purchase of books, sporting equipment, and musical instruments.

During the assembly, a Quan Yin messenger shared her experience in spiritual growth with everyone before teaching them the Convenient Method. It was as though she were seeing her long-separated relatives, she said. Hoping that they would derive the greatest benefits, she advised the inmates to make a new choice in life. People might have erred under the pressure of competition and been expelled by the judge from the world arena, but they still had the free will to choose, to walk in the right direction again. The Quan Yin messenger encouraged the inmates to become new moral persons of discipline and spiritual harmony, and to follow the footsteps of a living Enlightened Master. We can return to the homeland of the Saints only if we walk in the right direction, she said.

At that moment, a heavy rain fell, as if baptizing the souls of these inmates. When the Quan Yin messenger asked the inmates whether they wanted to learn the Convenient Method, the response was overwhelming. The firm and loud voice in which they pronounced "We do" was really touching! After she had taught them the Convenient Method, fellow practitioners walked among the inmates to offer them each a sample booklet and News magazines, and, of course, to give them encouragement and help. Finally, we bade farewell to the inmates while singing "Thankful Heart" and "Wishing You All the Best". Thus ended our mission.

Five days before this event, The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association had delivered boxes of pears to the inmates by boat. On the day of the event, we brought moon cakes and vegetarian snacks.

At two in the afternoon, about thirty fellow practitioners and Quan Yin messengers were joined by twenty inmates from the cleanup group at the Vocational Training Center for a cleanup of the beaches. Within an hour, each person had collected at least two big bags of garbage. According to participating initiates, the beaches were polluted by garbage that had drifted across the sea from Taitung. The litter was mostly glass shards and plastic bottle caps. There were also lots of plastic tubes and styrofoam in the bushes; and on the rocks, we found many fishnets and even an abandoned motorbike! Fifteen fellow brothers and sisters who could swim as well as fish dived into the water to clean up the seabed under the guidance of two local diving instructors. They recorded a one-hour videotape for broadcast on the local TV evening news program. In this most beautiful coral reef in the sea around Green Island, the fellow initiates gathered twenty big bags of garbage, mainly aluminum cans and fishing nets from ten meters below the water's surface. They had reclaimed a clean seabed for Green Island. A fellow sister noted that even fish would not go near a seabed littered with garbage. Their efforts paid off. As soon as the seabed was cleaned up, sea horses, tropical fish, and even sea snakes could be seen exploring this newly restored paradise.

Meanwhile, starting from three in the afternoon, a free medical consultation and health checkup were offered to all inhabitants of the Green Island facility at the Nanliao Activity Center. Relief funds were also distributed to thirty destitute households on the list, with each household receiving a living allowance of NT$1,000 and a box of moon cakes. The medical consultations were conducted by a group of seven Chinese and Western doctors and nurses, who were also fellow practitioners. Although the service was originally scheduled to be available until five in the evening, it was extended for another three hours to cope with the stream of nearly two hundred local residents who continued to arrive. We played Master's videotapes at the venue, and the Quan Yin messengers distributed moon cakes and drinks. Many people were reluctant to leave even after they had been treated.

According to sister Yang of Hualien, when the working staff was setting up the venue on the afternoon of the 14th, about forty villagers stopped by one after another to express their anxious expectation. The humble and pure-hearted inhabitants said that everyone in the area had long been aware that The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association was going to hold a free medical consultation and vegetarian feast on Green Island. They were very much surprised to find a group that was capable of mobilizing so many members. On the island were many needy households, including senior citizens living alone and poor families of more than ten people relying on one person earning monthly wages of less than NT$8,000. Life was tough for them! The government and the Lions Club did come every now and then to offer them relief funds, but their activities were very much different than ours, which especially included a heartwarming vegetarian feast!

Distributing relief funds to destitute households	“Sincere Invitation to a Healthy Vegetarian Feast on the Pacific Coast”

About two hundred people accepted the "Sincere Invitation to a Healthy Vegetarian Feast on the Pacific Coast". These included Director Hwang De-man, and his subordinate section chiefs and the secretaries of the Green Island Vocational Training Center, Green Island Magistrate Chen Chin-wen and his wife, section chiefs of the administrative office, Warden Chen Shih-chih of Green Island Prison, destitute families and inhabitants of the island, officers from the East Coast National Park Office, staff members of the Green Island Post Office and Coastal Defense, officers from the Green Island Police Station, the staff of the Green Island People's Service station, and the diving instructors. Everyone enjoyed the food and performances presented by our fellow practitioners, humming along with the rhythm in a happy and harmonious atmosphere.

Chief Officer Lin Wei-ling (left) of Formosa’s East Coast National Park Office, under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, gave a certificate of appreciation to The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association on behalf of Director Lin Fang-ming. “

A certificate of appreciation from Green Island Magistrate Chen Chin-wen (left) forThe Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association’s “Helping the Poor and Disadvantaged”.	Secretary Lin Wen-tzung (left) of the Vocational Training Center receives a monetary contribution to cover educational and cultural expenses.

During the feast, Magistrate Chen Chin-wen conferred a certificate of appreciation for "Helping the Poor and the Disadvantaged" to The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association in gratitude and recognition of our charitable acts in coming to this small Pacific island to share our love and concern with the needy. Lin Wei-ling, chief officer of the Green Island Branch of Formosa's East Coast National Park Office under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, also conferred a certificate of appreciation issued by Director Lin Fang-ming on The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association for "Cleaning up the beaches and sea for the benefit of the tourism industry".

There is a Quan Yin Cave on Green Island. According to legend, the manifestation form of Quan Yin Bodhisattva once appeared there and this is where the local people come to worship. Here we can also find one of the three undersea hot springs in the world, the immeasurable force of which created this fairy island in the Pacific. As the number of fellow practitioners on Green Island increases, it has become clear that as long as we crave eternal liberation and freedom, our wishes will be fulfilled even if we are restrained in body or soul. 

Receipt from Green Island Vocational Training Center for the NT$15,000 contribution from The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association.

Out of the Ordinary Mail from Prison Meditation and Prison A Trip to Green Island Letters from Inmates of the Green Island Vocational Training Center Master's Grace Shines on Kaohsiung Prison