A New "God" Appears In Formosa

Suara Pembaruan (Voice of Reform Daily News in Jakarta, Indonesia) June 9, 1994 (Originally in Indonesian)

Preface : Five Indonesian news reporters, were invited to Taipei, Formosa to attend the International Human Rights Conference jointly organized by the International Federation For Human Rights, USA and the World Cultural Communication Association, USA. The conference itself was the highlight of the International Seven-Day Retreat. The seven-day retreat was organized by a certain spiritual group in Taipei, Formosa. The following report was by Moxa Nadeak of Suara Pembaruan. -The Editor

Taipei - If someone asks you : "What is the definition of God?" The answer might be that He or She ought to be heavenly gifted, have a deep understanding of the doctrines, the ritual rules, and finally have many believers. In this way that person is considered "God" or a new "spiritual leader". In conclusion, the name of God could be Ching Hai, a beautiful lady.

Last Wednesday evening, (25/5) She appeared at a banquet attended by hundreds of people, wearing a golden colored evening gown. Upon Her arrival at the spacious dining hall of the International Convention Center, the guests all stood up and welcomed Her with applause. She then personally greeted the guests at each table, who came from all over the world, including the reporters from Indonesia.

After the dinner, guests and reporters from different countries entered the Conference Hall to witness the International Human Rights Conference. The conference issued a World Human Rights Proclamation, reinstating righteousness and humanity, in supporting the Au Lac asylum seekers.
The demeanor of the Supreme Master Ching Hai was attractive. Aged about forty, and petite in size, She speaks English fluently. Her speech is pleasant and well-enunciated. She can also speak many languages.

Her disciples call Her 'Shi Fu'. Her proper title is the Supreme Master Ching Hai. Everyone believes that She is a true saint.

She has a very good memory and could remember guests whom She has not seen for a long time. Who is She actually? What kind of teachings does She propagate?

[A brief biography of Master is omitted at this point.] By the ever increasing propagation from person to person, the Quan Yin Method has become widely known. Everybody comes to see Her. In order to become Her disciples, one has to be initiated. The writer and all the reporters were unable to witness the process of the initiation. According to our guide, Marianne Chao: Initiation is the baptism, but it is a formless procedure. The one initiated could see light, receives the power, thus attaining a level of selflessness. Only enlightenment can truly save and liberate sentient beings.

Everywhere is a Pure Land for those who have been initiated. During the initiation, Master and disciples sit quietly in meditation. There is no conversation, only heart to heart communication. That is their so-called heavenly sound and light. It is claimed that through this kind of meditation process one can communicate with God.

After initiation, the student must follow the Quan Yin Method to meditate diligently to attain full enlightenment. Marianne Chao said that disciples of Master must meditate daily for two and a half hours. However, it is not necessary to do it at one stretch. One could meditate at different intervals of the day. A Quan Yin practitioner, Chew, also said he and the fellow initiates in Jakarta often meditate four hours daily. (More than the two and a half hours.)

The teachings of the Supreme Master are those of wisdom and compassion, quite similar to those of other religious groups. It is much like the Buddhist and Taoist groups whose aim is to save the suffering sentient beings. Her disciples are trained to be peaceful, calm, compassionate and wise and their daily homework is just to meditate according to the Quan Yin Method . Are you willing to join to follow this new "God"? The requirements are simple. Firstly, you have to be a vegetarian (no meat is allowed). Not killing includes not taking the lives of any animals, including insects. (There is karma even when we cut plants. However, their level of consciousness is low, their soul is dormant, therefore this karma can be repaid through meditation.) Vegetarians are often identified as spiritual practitioners. They love peace and detest violence.

According to Her teachings, people of this world are often compelled to kill. For example, killing an earthworm or other insects is also killing. Even washing your hands daily is inevitable killing. It is still sinful although you do not kill deliberately. If we have sins, we have to repent. Therefore, we have to meditate to clean the karma we create unintentionally. You do not have to change your religious devotion to be Master's disciple, no matter if you belong to Christianity, Catholicism, Islam or Hinduism, etc. It seems that the Buddhists can more easily become Her believers because meditation is also their main daily task.

Apart from not killing, the practitioners of the Quan Yin Method must refrain from sexual misconducts, not steal, not tell lies, and abstain from consuming alcohol or intoxicants which are detrimental to the mind and consciousness. In the books of Master's lectures and questions and answers that were distributed to us, many of Her teachings are also those found in the Bible. She once expressed that She dislikes being adored like an idol in a temple. If She is like a nun, then Her disciples would imitate Her and would forsake their families. The Master often teaches them to continue with their worldly tasks. She often appears to be just an ordinary lady, styling Her hair, and often wearing a variety of clothing. She said that the present day's religions retain only the ceremonial forms, which cannot save mankind. Religious doctrines are only the experiences of past enlightened masters, and their teachings. Therefore, we can only use the scriptures to prove that our spiritual experiences are identical to those of the past enlightened masters. This is the only purpose of the teachings in the holy scriptures.

Her disciples are all over the world, including Indonesia, but most of them are in Taiwan. (They prefer the name Formosa. It means a beautiful island.) Her disciples are propagating Her teachings extensively.

She was given the World Spiritual Leadership Award by the United States government, and received congratulatory messages from previous U.S.A. President Reagan, President Bush and the current President Clinton. She is also the Honorary Citizen of the U.S.A.. The official name of Her group is "The International Supreme Master Ching Hai Meditation Associations". A Philippine news reporter, Joe Lad Santos, the chief editor of the Weekly Pilipino Reporter in Quezon city stated that: After practicing the teachings of the Master, he realized the divine meaning of life. He and his father are Catholics, and his mother is a Christian. This is very common in the Philippines. Although he is not a disciple of the Master, he likes to follow Her and respects Her.
The guide of the three news reporters from Indonesia is a disciple of the Master. Her name is Marianne Chao, a beautiful lawyer. She put aside her busy schedule to participate in the seven-day retreat activities.

The activities during the seven days in Taipei were aimed at praying for International Human Rights and World Peace. The International Seven-Day Retreat was conducted personally by Master. Over five thousand disciples, and also VIPs from over thirty countries participated.
Another eye-catching activity was the exhibition of the Master's exquisite work, including oil paintings, fashions, painted fans and stones, They were all created personally by Master. There were also more than a million signed letters supporting the asylum seekers facing forced repatriation. Marianne explained that: The Master has never learned painting. Her excellent works were created merely by spontaneous inspiration. The Supreme Master Ching Hai organization is financially solid. She has widely helped to relieve numerous victims of many natural disasters, like the big flood in the U.S.A., and the disastrous earthquake in the Philippines, etc. However, Her foremost concern is the Au Lac refugees scattered in many countries. She was very upset over the violent measures taken by the Hong Kong government, and the obscure attitude of the Philippine government towards the Au Lac asylum seekers. She has tried Her best to support and aid the "boat people" detained in those countries. She is even willing to rent an island or a piece of land to provide a stable home for the asylum seekers. They will then be provided with vocational training. However, Her plan has not yet been successful.

The above are the teachings of this new "spiritual leader". She teaches people to be compassionate towards all human beings, (more accurately, towards all sentient beings), to be harmonious, and not to use violence. We expect, the number of disciples of this new "spiritual leader" will increase day by day.