Cairo
- Egypt November 22, 1999
Egypt,
a nation founded on mystical ancient civilizations, has endured the
influence of both eastern and western cultures during her history of
several thousand years. Many saints from both spheres of the Earth have
brought the message of God to this land. As early as five every morning,
answering the call of the holy chanting from the mosques, all members
of pious Islamic families proceed to the nearest mosque for morning
prayer. (At the morning Muslim prayer gathering, one can see thousands
of people performing prayer very similar to the "Sound Meditation"
of the Quan Yin Method.) Facing the direction of Mecca, their holy place,
devoted Muslims pray five times a day, in the morning, afternoon and
evening. Before each prayer, they must first purify their body, speech,
and mind. Friday is the Islamic Sabbath, which is in fact a major "group
meditation" day for the entire family. Their most important time
of the year is Ramadhan - the Islamic Holy Month, during which devout
Muslims observe a fast (Arabic, `sawm') from sunrise to sunset and exercise
alms-giving to the poor and needy. Muslims' pious faith in Allah (God)
has brought about a strong centripetal force in the country, and has
also invited the concern and blessings of the Enlightened Masters.
Truth-Revealing
Guardian Angels
Cairo
was originally scheduled to be the third lecture stop on Supreme Master
Ching Hai's Middle Eastern and South African Tour. Quan Yin messengers
and fellow initiates from around the world arrived early to launch the
preparatory work. During this process, many people became interested
in Master's teachings and subsequently learned the Convenient Method.
As Muslims possess a strong faith in God from childhood, they had very
good inner experiences practicing the Convenient Method, which gave
them great confidence in helping with Master's work. Many of these initiates-to-be
volunteered to help in preparing for the lecture, working around the
clock with the Quan Yin messengers.
Some
of the initiates-to-be were Yoga teachers. Since they had benefited
greatly from practicing the Convenient Method, they arranged several
seminars to introduce the Quan Yin Method to their Yoga students, advising
them, to practice the Convenient Method and Quan Yin Method. Mr. R.
Jayaram, a famous Yoga teacher from the Indian Embassy in Egypt, generously
volunteered the use of a venue in the Embassy for group meditation at
any time. He also earnestly recommended that his students practice the
Quan Yin Method.
Many
local and foreign government ministers and high officials gladly accepted
our invitation. Among them was the Zambian Ambassador to Egypt, who
even arranged for a consulate car to meet Supreme Master Ching Hai at
the airport.
Warm Response
from the Media
In
mid October, the Quan Yin messengers met with the main editor of the
sports section of the "Al-Ahram News," the leading newspaper
in Egypt and the Middle East. Being a vegetarian, he was very interested
in the Quan Yin Method and offered a full-page report free of charge
so as to share the good news with the readers. With the help of the
newspaper's press, we were able to display huge posters of Master at
the most prominent locations along Al-Ahram Street to attract the attention
of passersby.
After
mid October, we paid a visit to "Egypt Today," the most popular
English magazine in Egypt. The magazine's computer art expert spent
three days' improving the design of the lecture advertisement, and eventually
finished its composition. He commented, "Experiencing joy, happiness
and wisdom through meditation is precisely the message that we people
in Egypt want to know. I am much honored to be able to help you."
When
the Coordinator of their Department examined the advertisement, he was
deeply attracted by Master's photograph and asked our fellow initiates,
"How old is She?" When we invited him to make a guess, he
picked up Master's photo and carefully examined it. Scratching his head,
he said, "She could only be 25 at the most! How could She be a
Master at such a young age?" Our fellow initiate laughed and told
him, "That is the power of Quan Yin Meditation!" "Then
we really must go to the lecture!" To make sure to attend this
lecture, he requested his secretary to cancel all his business appointments
on lecture day.
Around
that period, we also visited the most popular English monthly journal
in Egypt, "The Community Times." Its Chief Editor, after reading
some literature about Master's teachings, wrote an article free of charge
advocating the benefits of practicing the Quan Yin Method.
At
the end of October, we were invited to meet the Editorial Manager of
"Teen Stuff," a magazine devoted to providing teenagers with
good quality entertainment and educational material. The Manager said:
"The Quan Yin Method teaches people to purify themselves, and to
be moral persons and good citizens. Practicing the Quan Yin Method can
help purify the bodies, minds and spirit of teenagers today." She
also agreed to assign young reporters to conduct an interview with the
Quan Yin messengers.
In
November, "WAFD News," the third largest Arabic newspaper
in Egypt, interviewed the Quan Yin messengers and twice published free
of charge special articles about Master's teachings and the announcement
of Her lecture. The interviewer said, "It is a great pleasure to
bring such a good message to our readers."
A
few days before the lecture, the Manager of the Cairo TV Tower helped
to arrange a live interview with Master to be broadcast on "Good
Morning Egypt," a program enjoying the highest viewer rating in
the country. The special journalist of the program was deeply impressed
by Master's life sketch and Her loving actions rendered to the world.
She sincerely hoped that it would be possible to let millions of Egyptian
spectators to see Master's countenance.
Blessings Showered on All Corners
of Cairo
Through
broadcasts in the media and the distribution of flyers, the news about
Master's lecture reached every corner of Cairo. Our special hotline
received a constant flow of calls from interested people wishing to
know more about Master's teachings and the lecture. And our newly designed
Arabic website had more than 4,000 visitors within a few days.
Although
our Quan Yin messengers and fellow initiates came from different countries
and spoke different languages, inconceivably they were able to cooperate
with good understanding. In just three days, they distributed over 200,000
flyers, sprinkling Master's love and blessings to every part of Cairo
and the adjacent areas. The response was especially sensational at Cairo's
universities and colleges. Many university students and professors requested
to learn the Convenient Method and earnestly helped with translating
the advertising materials. A professor from the American University
helped with the translation work. Observing fellow initiates from different
countries working hard on the streets distributing flyers from morning
until dusk for several days in a row, and yet always with a blissful
smile, she was really touched. "Your selfless service shows that
you are the best international group we have ever seen in Cairo."
Many
pious Muslims, dressed in traditional Muslim attire, upon receiving
the flyers, would immediately hold a group discussion on the street
to study Master's teachings. Very often the result of the discussion
was expressed by their "thumbs-up" gesture and the supportive
remark: "You are doing good things!" They even helped us by
calling loudly on the streets and distributing flyers in a way that
was more enthusiastic than that of our fellow practitioners. From this
we could see the pure heart of the Egyptians. Many owners of restaurants
and coffee shops were so fond of Master's posters that they competed
for ones to be posted in their shops.
The
response to Master's upcoming lecture was so sensational that almost
no one in and outside Cairo was unaware of Her imminent visit. Although
the lecture was eventually cancelled a few days beforehand because the
application had not been approved, a continuous stream of local people
still flowed to the venue. According to local reports, between 4:00
and 6:00 PM, several thousand spectators arrived at the venue. Knowing
that the lecture had been cancelled, many initiates-to-be cried sadly
and said, "Whenever we think of Master, we feel as if we are bathed
in the ocean of love. We really cannot wait to see Her." Many enthusiastic
people offered to help in applying for a new permit for another lecture
in another place.
On
the day of the lecture, our merciful Master appeared at the hotel where
fellow initiates were residing. She smiled, saying the situation was
really nothing but a misunderstanding and that some day those people
would understand. No matter what, we all knew there had already been
good effects from Her presence. Just like the rain showering the desert,
Master's infinite love and Her message of Truth have already permeated
many sincere longing hearts in Egypt. Today, Master has become a major
focus of attention among the Egyptian people and media.
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