Ten years ago, my parents were very concerned when my husband and I started our family on a purely vegetarian diet because our boys were only five and eight years old at the time, and they believed that being vegetarian was unhealthy for children. Eventually, my father and mother became even more disturbed when they found out that we were all following Master Ching Hai and practiced spirituality. Their feelings were even "confirmed" by the local news media, which published misleading information about Master. Fortunately, our family lived in another state far from my parents' judgmental and unhappy reactions. But because of their love for me and their grandchildren, we flew back to their home in San Jose almost every year to see them, and each trip was a struggle. In a household that ate meat with every meal and had bad vibrations everywhere, I felt spiritually drained and really looked forward to the weekends during our stays when we could attend group meditation at the local center.

My father had been a very difficult man all his life - toward everyone, especially my mother. He complained, nagged and irritated her almost every day. She was, however, the most tolerant person in the world! Even after 45 years of marriage, she remained relaxed and composed in spite of his temper. I loved her very much, so I used to get very upset with my dad although I loved him as well. Each time I came home to visit them (both before and after my initiation into the Quan Yin Method), he and I would argue because of Mom.

As the years of spiritual practice went by, I found that these visits to my parents were a great tool for measuring my spiritual progress. I remembered Master's advice: "Let them know that practicing the Quan Yin Method is really good for you. If they see you're radiant with love and energy and have passion for beauty, Virtue and Truth, they'll know that the path we're following is the true path and that it's very beneficial. There's no need to preach much but instead just be an example." Without visiting my parents regularly, how would they know about my progress? Each year, when returning to my parents' home, I felt as if I had taken one more step up the spiritual ladder: I had more peace in my heart, and was noticeably less argumentative and more tolerant - with love and understanding for my dad.

At every meal during our visits, I cooked good vegetarian dishes for the family; even though there were still meat dishes on the table. After a couple of years, I no longer felt uncomfortable with having to share my parents' pots and pans or use their cutlery and utensils. My conversations with them also became more and more relaxed and down to earth, like they had been before my initiation. Our family brought them love, joy and happiness, more so than before our initiation. At each yearly visit, they could see that my children were growing up, looking healthy, tall, happy and beautiful, and they were very pleased.

However, my dad's chronic hot temper was always there. While he tended daily to his ailing mother, who was in her nineties, and a mentally ill son in his early forties, he would take out his frustration on my mom. During the years 2000 and 2001, my grandmother's physical condition and my brother's mental state worsened. Grandma was approaching 100 years of age, and was becoming so weak that Dad had to tend to her every need. And my brother was so mentally disturbed that in addition to his strange behavior, he was becoming increasingly disruptive and even destructive toward my father. Under this mounting stress, my dad was physically and mentally exhausted.

Then one day, he called me and asked, in an unusually soft voice, if there was any way that I could help him through the difficult situation with my brother. He was at the end of his rope, nearly broken down, and did not know what to do. He was considering seeing a priest or monk or some other type of spiritual person for help! It must have been unbearable for such a man, who had been as stubborn and strong in character as a tiger, to become subdued and weak like a lamb. I was speechless. Because of his past objections to Master's teachings, I wanted to find a way to tactfully introduce Master's guidance into his life.

That day I wrote a letter to comfort him and enclosed Master's Buddha Chanting CD. I asked him to play the CD in the background 24 hours a day and to recite Master's name whenever he felt the need. As desperate as he was, he actually listened to my advice. The whole family, including Grandma, listened to the chanting every day. Several weeks later, my father told me, "Something seems to be working" and said that he felt better. Over the next few months, I started to send him tapes of Master's radio and TV programs and musical entertainment. It worked miracles! Grandma, my brother and my parents all benefited. My brother's mental state gradually became more stable, and he showed no more disruptive behavior, as he lived "at peace" in his own world, and my dad's formerly uncontrollable temper was much more subdued. Even though my grandma's hearing was getting worse, she could still listen to Master's chanting every day and watch lively shows performed by Master's disciples. With earnest hope and patience on my dad's part, the darkness slowly faded away and light began to emerge. Several months later, Grandma passed away peacefully during her sleep while Master's chanting was playing to further bless her until her burial. Since then my parents have switched to a completely vegetarian diet and listen to Master's teachings aired weekly on a local radio program broadcast by our fellow sisters and brothers in San Jose.

This August, my family flew home to pay my parents our yearly visit, and it was the most enjoyable trip home I have ever had during my 21 years of marriage! To our surprise, my dad showed us how well he could cook delicious, healthy vegetarian meals and how he and my mother liked Master's radio program. Our sons thought it was "impossible and unbelievable" for their grandpa to change like that! Now the man my children used to be afraid to visit is as sweet as anyone can be! And with each phone call home, I hear a sense of peace and happiness in his voice that never seemed to exist before.

Joy fills my heart whenever I think of this miracle, and I am forever grateful for Master's loving power. There is nothing that Master cannot do provided we allow Her to come into our hearts.