“We have to help the whole world, not only one nation. This is our vision of the future, and we must do it in our capacity. So, all of you have to be ready. Whenever I call, you must come and be prepared spiritually as well as physically. You must endure everything that everyone else cannot endure, do anything that everyone else does not want to do, and work in any field which brings benefit to mankind. You must go through insults and praise alike ... We have to do everything. We can try everything; have confidence and we can do it.”
                       --Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai

Imagine two people who know nothing about running a restaurant, moving to a land that is foreign to both of them, with a goal of opening an eatery that introduces the fairly new concept of vegetarianism to local people. You will then get a glimpse of the life that a sister-initiate and I have lived for the past twelve months.

A year ago, when fellow initiates worldwide were earnestly sharing the Alternative Living message to create a compassionate, vegetarian global village, a sister initiate, who had just moved from Singapore to Australia, and myself, a newcomer to the country, decided to open a vegetarian restaurant in the city of Perth. We immediately encountered several difficulties such as buying equipment and food, high rent and a local manpower shortage. But, just as Master often reminds us, as long as we have faith in God’s Power, we can achieve anything. So, despite the absence of a professional background in our workers, the innovative delicacies that we prepared and served with love moved many customers to become vegetarians. Even several chefs with decades of experience praised our food after enjoying a single meal. As favorable comments spread, the restaurant’s reputation grew, and many people drove long distances just to experience one of our vegetarian dishes.

We also set aside one area of the restaurant as a reading corner where vegetarian recipes and Master’s publications are displayed, thus giving people a leisurely opportunity to become acquainted with Her teachings. In this way, some have learned the Convenient Method while others have received initiation and joined the Quan Yin family. During this time, we have witnessed many miracles from God. For instance, when some food from Formosa once arrived at our restaurant, we discovered a few copies of the Aulacese version of the News in the parcel. Coincidentally, an Aulacese customer had been longing to read Master’s publications in her native language. With much gratitude and delight she took the magazines home, as if she had found a treasure! Both she and her husband have since learned the Convenient Method.

Also, in April this year, our restaurant began offering complimentary vegetarian meals to heighten public awareness about the importance of the vegetarian lifestyle in light of global warming, and to encourage more people to become vegetarians. It’s been almost a month now and the response has far exceeded our expectations. Not only have our customers increased many-fold in number, they are all touched and curious to know why we are doing it this way. Thus, the message about global warming and vegetarianism has spread quickly. Some customers have even requested informative materials to share with their relatives and friends, and others have asked for SOS DVDs to play in their universities and shops.

We are deeply encouraged to see that after enjoying their meals, most of our clientele generously contribute to support our activities. Many have also offered to serve as volunteers, including a Japanese woman and her mother-in-law who is over seventy. After being welcomed to join us as volunteer workers in the restaurant, they both repeatedly expressed their gratitude. Another vegan customer who is an experienced chef offered to help us start a cooking class, and other customers contributed rice. Also, a customer who runs a lunch eatery offered vegetables and fruit, and others have brought home-grown produce. Thus, everyone has given in different ways to support saving our planet. Many people helping at the restaurant have said that it is the most meaningful work they have ever done in their lives, and they feel very fulfilled and happy.

An owner of several large vegetarian restaurants in Australia and Formosa originally tried to persuade us to drop our plan of serving complimentary vegetarian meals. However, after he understood our pure motives and unwavering faith, he was deeply touched and promised to give us his full support. Apart from supplying high-quality foods to us at low prices, he also asked his employees to volunteer at our restaurant. Moreover, many local media outlets have begun reporting news about our restaurant and the global warming crisis. For example, a local radio station has used the slogan “Eat for Free and Save the World” to advertise our restaurant free of charge. From these actions, it is clear to us that when something is done with the motive to benefit all beings, every Saint in the universe would support this effort.

Many people working near the restaurant have been visiting daily to enjoy meals, and we have become as close as a family. Our place is just like a “common kitchen” as Master said (see note below). Anyone, whether he/she has contributed anything or not, is welcome to enjoy the free, delicious food provided at our eatery. Most clients have a sharing heart. They only take an appropriate amount, quickly enjoy their meal and then give their seats to waiting customers. After having several meals here, some could clearly feel Master’s immense love and have become more noble and compassionate in their thinking and behavior. In fact, one frequent customer cannot stop praising the restaurant, saying, “This is the best place in the city of Perth!”

We are wholeheartedly grateful to Master for Her guidance and blessings, which have helped us realize a seemingly impossible goal; that is, achieving such surprising and delightful results in the short span of a month.

Note: Master once said: “In some of the other more advanced societies in the universe, you don’t have to work for a living. Everywhere they have like a common kitchen, a common store. Everyone can exchange their labor, exchange their work, their crafts for the goods that they need, and even if they don’t have any they can also have something. Each one just contributes his talents or his abilities to society, not for the money, but for the pleasure of it, for the honor of contributing.” (Excerpt from The Different Working Systems in the Universe, spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai in English at the Youngdong Center, Korea, May 9, 1998, News No. 93, DVD#620)

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