Report from Costa Rica

A Small, Beautiful, and Dynamic Country

  From April 21 to 23, during what is known as "Saint's Week," celebrated in commemoration of Jesus Christ, the Costa Rica Center held a three-day retreat. Since it was a national holiday, fellow initiates planned the retreat to pray for a better spiritual life and national peace. We thank Master for Her love to Costa Rica. God has heard the prayers of the people of Costa Rica for the peace of the country, as the longstanding conflicts between citizens and the government recently came to an end.

  By the third day of the retreat, the initiates felt extremely blissful and filled with love and peace. We had a barbecue on that day and invited our family members, friends and other quests. We were graced with fine weather; the sky was clear and a soothing breeze blew. The vast green meadow where the barbecue was held provided a sharp contrast to the deep blue sky dotted by colorful balloons, creating a picture of harmony and vitality.

  Many guests, fellow practitioners, and their family members participated in the event. The children played happily in the large outdoor area, while the adults watched Master's videotapes. Some people exchanged spiritual insights, while others learned the Convenient Method, and some even expressed a wish to receive initiation into the Quan Yin Method. As a result, several initiation sessions were conducted over the following few weeks.

Video Seminars

  A series of Truth-sharing video seminars -- one in Cartago and two in Heredia -- were held from April 29 to May 20. The first, held on April 29, took place at the La Casa de la Ciudad, an activity center in Cartago. Near the entrance on the first floor, a television set displayed one of Master's videos, and sample booklets and News magazines were freely taken by interested people, as fellow initiates provided help. On the second floor, guests were first greeted by an exhibition of Master's artistic creations and publications before entering the seminar venue.

  As crowds continued to gather, the venue we had thought might be too large turned out to be just large enough. Inside the hall, as soon as Master's videotapes began playing, the audience's attention was immediately captured. After the video was shown, the guests asked many questions, which were answered in detail by a Quan Yin messenger. Nearly all of the guests asked to learn the Convenient Method that day. Though many of them lived very far away, they nonetheless expressed their earnest desire to attend group meditation at the Center.

  The second video seminar was held at Heredia University on May 6. To show their sincere interest in this event, the University authorities had the lecture hall specially painted before the seminar to give it a new look. The posters on display showed Master in meditation. People attending the seminar seemed to quickly accept Master's teachings, and were also highly impressed by Master's talent for artistic design. Many people asked to learn the Convenient Method. Afterwards, delicious vegetarian food was served in the atmosphere of warmth and excitement that pervaded the venue.

  On May 20, the third video seminar was held at the Heredia Library. A torrential downpour that day failed to deter many sincere Truth-aspirants from attending. In fact, the seminar attracted far more people than we had expected. In this positive atmosphere, people asked sincere and relevant questions, and almost everyone who attended the video seminar learned the Convenient Method.

  Although the three seminars were held in two cities not far from each other, questions asked by the audience members differed greatly. Since Cartago is the Catholic center of Costa Rica, most participants there were Catholics, and their questions were related to the Bible. By contrast, in Heredia, most participants asked about the meaning of enlightenment and meditation. One participant who learned the Convenient Method shared with us this story. He had recently received a phone call from a friend whom he seldom saw. The friend told him that, beginning from the day when five stars would fall into a straight line (May 5) until the end of the month, he would have a chance to learn a method that develops power through use of the hands.

  If he succeeded in learning this method, he would be able to use his inner abilities to help many people. But if he failed, he would have to wait two thousand years for another chance. Therefore, he had made inquiries everywhere, especially with groups related to Oriental religions. Now he maintains a very positive attitude toward the Quan Yin Method, he said, because he had a wonderful experience when learning the Convenient Method.