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Reports
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Master has said that if we carry the Kingdom of God within us, every place we go will become Heaven. The 2002 "Merry Christmas" International Five-day Retreat, held from December 24 - 28 at the Florida Center, was a blissful reminder of the Heaven that is possible when we focus wholeheartedly on God and strive diligently for spiritual progress.
Unlike other retreats in the past, strict rules were imposed at the 2002 Christmas retreat, as Master lived up to the ancient martial arts adage "expect the unexpected" and offered participants a series of enlightening surprises. For example, on the first day the initiates were informed that the retreat was silent - there was to be no talking except to carry out work projects, conduct necessary interactions with work teams and the like. Other changes from the norm were the relatively few interactions among Master and disciples (Master only spoke once or twice to the various ethnic groups present in separate sessions). In addition, Master instituted an age restriction for the retreat so as to control distractions due to illness and discomfort among older and very young practitioners; and no performance or Christmas party was held. All of these innovations taught the participants valuable lessons in spontaneity, in overcoming established modes of thinking, and in completely putting down worldly matters to focus on God, thus setting new patterns for future retreats.
The blissful atmosphere of the event was typical of former holiday retreats, but was more reserved in tone due to the increased emphasis on silence and inward-directedness. The Florida Center's bright, colorful decorations made the retreat look like a traditional Christmas festival, with tiny white lights festooning the trees, multi-colored tinsel sculptures arrayed on the lawns and trees, and vibrant displays of Master's books, tapes, artwork and Celestial Clothes and Jewelry arrayed in neat, colorful booths. Approximately 1,400 initiates traveled from Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, Central and South America, and various parts of North America to participate.
On the first day of the retreat, Master came to the afternoon and evening sessions and meditated with disciples, but left as soon as each of the sessions was over. She did not talk to the initiates on this day, and everyone could thus feel that it was indeed a silent retreat meant to help us focus intensely on the inner God Power.
The next day was Christmas, and Master allowed the Aulacese initiates to see Her in the afternoon and explained why She had not allowed children and older initiates to attend the retreat, saying that children must play, so it was not appropriate for them to attend the retreat. With the weather being unpleasant and many hours of meditation being required, it was not suitable for the older initiates either. Master then asked if we wanted Her to become a nice teacher or a good teacher, adding that She must be a good teacher and obey God's will to change the retreat rules to become stricter because meditation is very important. She reminded us of the purpose of our spiritual practice and the goal of this retreat: to find our Real Self. So we need to meditate seriously. Only those who were sincere and could sit for long hours were allowed to come this time. We need to pull ourselves up. If we cannot pull ourselves up first, how can we uplift our loved ones? We must meditate diligently, be serious about our practice and pay attention to ourselves alone, not so as to be selfish, but to find our real Self and gain back our Divine Right.
Master also described how She helped the needy and hungry in the streets. When She felt they were really in need, She gave them food or money, and was very happy just to see how they ate Her food or to witness the joy on their faces when they received Her charity. This was sufficient reward in itself, and even if She had to buy hamburgers for someone who was hungry, She was willing to accept the karma.
