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International
Retreat at Cape Town, South Africa, November 28-30, 1999
 The
recent International Three-Day Retreat in South Africa was held at a
campground near a bay some two hours drive southeast of the city of
Cape Town. The rolling hills were covered with a fresh green carpet
of grass and when a mild wind blew through the campground, especially
when one was in peaceful meditation, one could hear the echo of ocean
waves in the distance.
On
the first day of the retreat, Master arrived at the forest meditation
hall during the second session wearing a beautiful, creamy white African
dress with gold embroidery. Dressing Herself beautifully and even braiding
Her own hair, She joined us early in the day so that as we awakened
from meditation, our eyes would rest on the image of a beautiful Saint.
Master
said that with so many woods around us, the oxygen from the trees could
revitalize and refine our skin such that we could live forever in this
physical body. Master pointed out that God makes this body very durable
to last for eternity, yet we damage it through overwork, or by poisoning
it with various intoxicants or unnecessary activities, and even wearing
out our minds by all kinds of nonsensical schemes, plans and negative
thinking.
Master
then commented that the South African press had provided positive coverage
of Her arrival, although She also joked that they stated Her age as
being 51, but that this was really a misprint that should have read
15 instead! If people live calmly with contentment, in the heavenly
way, they can live long like some in remote areas of the Himalayas,
who live to 400 years of age or more.
Golden
Age Wisdom
Next,
Master said that ages ago, the world was actually a matriarchy instead
of a patriarchy like it is today, and that women ran the affairs of
state instead of men. Today, cultures such as those of Tibet and the
local Zulu people still maintain that tradition. Husbands simply lie
around and help to multiply the race, until they learn from their wiser
wives and manage to govern. She then comforted the male disciples, saying
that She was only mentioning objective observations from history, and
how God provides different skills and advantages for each sex, so that
men are stronger and protective, while women are intelligent, refined
and delicate, can concentrate well, and can endure more hardships, both
in spiritual and emotional ways. That's why there is the old saying,
"Behind every great man, there's always a great women". Yet,
we take turns in life to be in the roles of men and women, so there
is really no competition between the two genders. And, it can be disadvantageous
for members of either sex to work on their weaknesses instead of their
strengths.
Master
suggested that we should think of God as a mother goddess, instead of
a stern father figure Who punishes and makes strict rules. Master then
mentioned that the Golden Age refers to a time when things are carried
out and obeyed in the way God intended. Women are the greatest help
to men while men are the greatest help to women. We should not change
the things that God intended, so that our lives can become Heaven.
Women
are more patient, and that's the way God made them. But nowadays we
use our weaknesses instead of our strengths and our world has become
degraded from the Golden Age to the state that we are experiencing now.
Master stressed that God has let us ascend into this world to learn
to become God, to learn to appreciate God again, and that we should
not use fear to control one another, thinking of God as a punishing
god. In this way, we have lost the belief in an eternally loving God,
and as God becomes fearsome, so too our lives as humans become fearsome.
Then, in whatever we do, we experience fear and guilt. The more people
fear, the more of this negative thinking congregates together, and the
bigger the devil becomes, possessing more power, even though he did
not exist in the beginning, so it becomes more difficult for us to go
back to Paradise. We can change the future, because we have free will.
Destiny is only for the present, but we can still maneuver it to make
things come out differently.
In
the afternoon during the next meditation session, Master arrived in
a bright blue African dress and meditated with us for a time. Master
joined us again that evening, this time wearing a traditional African
dress in bright red, gold, and black. For a while, She answered our
questions as a group and then a sister from the small island of Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean shared her experience. She recounted that before
she came to know Master, a woman with long black hair had appeared to
her in a dream and said, "What are you waiting for? You should
do what you have to do. You are taking too long." She knew that
the woman must be her Master. Then, after she came to know of Master,
she had many more visions of Her.
A Smile
Breaks the Ice
 On
the morning of the second day of the retreat, Master came to the forest
hall wearing a traditional African dress with royal blue and white stripes
and gold colors interlaced with the blue. Master even had Her hair done
up in many long, thin braids in an African-style hairdo, with attractive
blue beads on Her forehead, and a feather in Her braids. After walking
among the practitioners for a while and receiving an enthusiastic welcome,
Master meditated with us. Later that day, in a wooded area near the
kitchen, Master met with the lecture tour working teams. She wore a
beautiful creamy white dress with light aqua-blue embroidery, and Her
long, flowing hair was adorned with gorgeous butterfly pins. She encouraged
us to do all our work with a warm, friendly smile instead of being frozen
inside. She pointed out that smiles can convince us that we are happy.
After smiling for a while, one may forget about what happened before.
No matter how hard we work, we should try to smile.
During
this session, many workers shared their wonderful experiences and stories
about the lecture tour. One mentioned meeting a person on a different
spiritual path, who had thanked us for our presence in his city because
he felt the atmosphere had improved a great deal while we were there
and that the spiritual level was much more stable. Master remarked that
this was a nice confirmation of our own spiritual blessings, particularly
from someone who was objective and sensitive, with nothing to gain from
us. She said it is true that if you practice more, you will become a
saint.
Another
sister from San Jose said that she had met an Indian woman who had received
a sample booklet four years earlier and that Master had appeared to
her in a dream. Every time the woman had a problem, she would just look
at Master's picture on the booklet and the problem would be solved.
She and her family all came for initiation during Master's lecture tour.
A
truly magical evening began when Master arrived at the main meditation
hall, once again wearing traditional African attire, this time in bright
royal blue with a matching mid-sleeve jacket. She had tiny strings of
beads on Her braided hair and colorful furry tassels hanging from Her
braids. She also wore a necklace of magnificent African design. Walking
slowly down each aisle amid thunderous applause, initiates extended
their hands and hearts to their Beloved and She responded in kind. Master
could not stop telling jokes and laughing heartily, nor could we stop
laughing, smiling, clapping our hands, and whistling. Our shared ecstasy
in the presence of our Master united people of every race, religion,
and cultural background into one family, the Quan Yin Family - everyone
facing the same direction.
A
brother asked how to regain a simple mind, and Master said just practice
remembering what you forgot with a sincere and humble heart. With a
brainwashed, bookish kind of mind, it takes time to erase it. Those
who are too attached to book knowledge will still have soul progress
to make because the mind may continue to make mistakes and true wisdom
will be harder to gain. Master added that it also depends on how much
faith you have in the Master.
In
response to another question, Master said that everything is divided
into different dimensions with respect to time and space so that it
becomes a physical illusion. This is the only thing that keeps us separate
from God. Things cannot happen to us at the same time. In the higher
dimensions, things happen simultaneously without interfering with each
other. For example, if people in two different places miss each other,
in the celestial dimensions, they can choose to be here and there at
the same time. A true Master is a Master of both worlds.
The Planet
is Getting Better
On
the final day of the retreat at the close of the second meditation session,
Master wore an elegant aqua-blue dress with a silk scarf over Her right
shoulder to the forest hall. In Her wavy hair with gold highlights was
a silver-sequined hair band and colorful beads were woven through Her
African-style braids. As She walked slowly near the men's meditation
sections, many whistled in awe of Her beauty.
Master
then went onto the stage and gave a closing lecture. She praised our
group as the most beautiful and happiest people She had ever seen. She
said She wanted to thank God again for entrusting Her with this honorable
job and for letting Her know so many colorful people. She remarked that
we enjoy ourselves because we are looking in the same direction. We
are able to do many things and we can do everything smoothly because
we are directly connected with God. She was especially happy when She
was with us this day, saying that we can at least make Heaven on Earth
periodically at our retreats. She commented that every retreat is getting
better and not only are we getting better, but so are the world's population
and the planet.
Master
next discussed possible locations to hold a year-end 2000-millennium
retreat. Then, as the song "I Will Forever Love You" resounded
in the air, Master and disciples, though reluctant to part with each
other, waved good-bye. After this session, some fellow initiates left
for their earthly homes while others stayed a few more days in Cape
Town to attend the "Parliament of the World's Religions,"
where Master was to speak.
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