Greetings!
Many people came to honor the teacher on his birthday. It was his 75th birthday.
The teacher sat in the front. Samuel invited people to walk to the front and share their experiences of being in the presence of the teacher. Samuel had a good sense of humor. He said he was afraid Matthew would be the first one to speak for he had heard Matthew's story too many times over the years. He was getting bored of Matthew's story for he could almost recite his story. We laughed. It was wonderful to see two friends that were close like brothers. Matthew laughed too. He began to tell us the synchronicity and miraculous happenings when he met the teacher for the first time about 19 years ago. It was truly an amazing story.
One after another, people walked forward to thank the teacher. Some cried while expressing their gratitude. At one point, Matthew remarked, "Look! He (the spiritual teacher) is in glee, yet sometimes he is shy like a child (hearing what people said of him)." A master he is, the teacher often said he was but an instrument. He served with humility. His presence had made a profound difference in many people's lives.
A brother thanked the teacher, and then recalled the events that happened on his own spiritual journey. He felt blessed to have met many wonderful people and spiritual teachers. This brother was loved and well respected by many. It was a beautiful experience to be in a gathering like this where people shared freely and truthfully.
Samuel asked the sister that emailed me about the meeting at Matthew's house to walk forth. She was a joyful, loving being. She said quite a few young people called her mother. As a mother, she said she loved to hug her children. She said, "Here in America, we can hug one another." She wished the teacher had set aside the cultural difference and allowed women to come close to him just as men did.
In my post Day 1 of the Spiritual Retreat , I wrote 'There was an old Chinese saying that we should follow other people's customs when we were in their house / community'. I thought I had shown respect to their customs. From the talks, I realized I had not! On Day 1, I saw people (men) bowed before the teacher to receive his blessings. The teacher placed his hands over their heads, and / or touched their hands as he talked to them. I thought it applied to everybody. Not knowing the social rules, I had bowed to receive his blessings, and he had kindly obliged by placing his hands on my head. This night I learned the teacher normally greeted women with folded hands, and women were supposed to keep a little distance (i.e. should not touch the teacher's hands / feet). A sister said she hugged the teacher when she met the teacher for she did not know she was not supposed to do that. There was a light mood in the gathering. The difference of cultures helped us to understand and accept one another.
Hours went by as many people walked forth to thank the teacher. I only thanked him in my heart. After people finished expressing their gratitude, the teacher gave his last discourse. He would fly back to his country in two days. Time flew as we listened to his energetic discourse. When it was over, Matthew brought out a huge chocolate birthday cake.
Later, the teacher walked forth to talk to people. Many (men) surrounded him waiting to receive his blessings. At one point, he walked to a woman (American). As they talked, he held her hands. One person explained the woman was older than the teacher, and it was their custom to treat the elders with respect.
The woman sometimes came with an elderly man. (I did not know if he was her husband). They both looked kind and gentle. I heard she (or they) had postponed going (back?) to another state because of the spiritual retreat. On the last day of the retreat, we sat around in Samuel's house waiting for the teacher to come. I happened to sit next to them. This kind woman reached out to hold one of my hands as her way of greeting. I could feel the good energy in her hand.
The teacher continued his walk among people. Someone asked the woman how old she was. She was just a year or two older than the teacher. I did not think age had much to do with how the teacher treated this kind woman. We all regarded the teacher with much esteem. Meanwhile, we might not have noticed that the teacher, in his humility, had treated everybody, young and old, with love and respect. A father told me his teenage son's behavior improved after coming to the retreat.
Before the teacher walked near where I sat, I stood up and folded my hands in a prayer position. I intended to bow to him as he walked by. Some men stood in front of me waiting to receive his blessings. The teacher came. He blessed each one of them by touching their heads and hands. Then he stood in front of me. I bowed and said "thank you". Unexpectedly, he held both of my hands. For the second time, I looked into his eyes. I saw kindness, wisdom, and bliss in his eyes. He looked into my eyes for a while. He said joyfully, "We will meet again next year." He looked around and told others, "I will come back next year." We were all very happy to hear the good news.
The next day I went out for a walk in the evening. There in the sky was a beautiful rainbow. I rushed home to get my camera. Hearing why I came back into the house, my husband said, "What is the big deal? In the village, I saw rainbows all the time." I rushed outside. I only got to take a few pictures before the rainbow disappeared. I continued my walk around the football field of the school with a sense of joy.
When I was home, my husband swayed his head saying how ridiculous it was for me to think rainbows were rare and worth taking pictures for. With his personality, he could only look at things from his practical view, and had a hard time accepting other's way of being. I had learned to let it go in situations like this because he seldom changed his view no matter what others said. However, I wanted to give it a try that evening.
I said, "I know rainbows often appear after raining. You grew up in the village and worked in the fields. Of course, you saw rainbows from time to time. We have lived in USA for decades. We only see rainbows once in a long while. It is because we stay inside most of the time. For example, when you were a cook, you stayed in the restaurants for eleven hours a day. We go to the stores every week. Sometimes it rains, but we seldom see a rainbow. Why? Because rainbows do not remain in the sky for long. Some days ago, it had rained. You did not see a rainbow when you took a walk. I came back from the healing workshop. I sat down next to you and watched TV. Suddenly, I decided to go for a walk. Did you remember I rushed back to get the camera because I saw a rainbow? That evening you made similar remarks too. Let me tell you an interesting coincidence. I told my friends about the rainbow on the second day of the workshop. Someone said they were meditating with the spiritual teacher inside a house at that time, and many saw a rainbow above the teacher's head! You often go for a walk at a fixed time, but I do not. As you know, some days I do not go for a walk. Yes, I was happy to see the rainbow. I took a few pictures before it disappeared. If I went for a walk an hour early, I might not see a rainbow. If I went outside a few minutes late, the rainbow was gone. People only get to see a rainbow at a particular moment or for the brief while it appears in the sky. I do not mean all rainbows are signs of the divine, but I do think rainbows are beautiful."
After a pause, I continued, "When I go for walks, I look at the trees and the clouds. I enjoy the sunlight. I appreciate the beauty around me. You tell me you simply walk and do not look around. It is totally fine with me however you choose to walk. Why should you feel upset or I am ridiculous because I feel happy seeing a rainbow?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Our group got together recently. We were happy to see each other again. Matthew called the teacher during the gathering. It was good to hear his joyful voice.
This is my last post about the healing workshop and the spiritual retreat. I hope to share with you something else in my next post.
Have a good night!
Peace,
Q of D
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Friday, October 14, 2016
A Discourse in Matthew's house
Greetings!
On the last day of the retreat, the master healer spoke briefly. It seemed he learned of the important role he played in the divine plan just a while back. He said he heard "Get ready" one day about eight years ago. He did not know what he should get ready for. He said he had not planned to return and hold a workshop. Under much urging, he finally did. From his voice, it was obvious how things unfolded had been quite an experience to him as well.
After the 7-Day spiritual retreat, the master healer, who was a professor, flew back to his state because a new school year was about to start. He said he would come back to meet with us once a month.
With the master healer back to his state and the spiritual teacher soon to go back to his country, I thought our group would not meet again until the end of September or early October. Twelve days after the retreat, I got an email in the morning about a gathering in Samuel's house the same night. I gladly said "yes". Then I got another email. The meeting was in fact at Matthew's house. I looked up the route online. It seemed pretty easy to drive over there. I was relieved.
However, it was a different matter when I drove there at night. I had to make a left turn to get into the subdivision. There were quite a few side roads to the left. It was dark. I could not see the small street signs before making the turn. Anyway, many people were already there when I walked in. I met Matthew's wife. She was a wonderful, kind young woman. Their children were adorable. The spiritual teacher was there. I was glad to see him again.
During the discourse, the spiritual teacher revealed the spiritual aspect of the divine plan and the vision of the masters of what we would do. Many at the gathering had read the books about the spiritual journey and visions of the two masters. They had some ideas as what we would do. I was new to this group. I did not hear anything specific about the divine plan during the healing workshop. I had assumed the plan was for us to learn the alternative diagnostic assessment practice as the master healer did in his healing work. Sitting there that night, I realized what I had assumed was probably part of the plan, yet not the whole plan. Later, I thanked the sister for emailing me about the discourse. She was the co-organizer of the spiritual group. When I joined the group for the first time on June 18, she was the one that said someone could take me home if my son wanted to leave.
At the end of the meeting, Matthew asked us to come back a week later for the celebration of the spiritual teacher's birthday. We applauded the great news!
As I drove home, my heart was filled with joy. I looked forward to be there on the spiritual teacher's birthday. What a blessing it was to be in his presence one more time before he went back to his country!
Peace,
Q of D
On the last day of the retreat, the master healer spoke briefly. It seemed he learned of the important role he played in the divine plan just a while back. He said he heard "Get ready" one day about eight years ago. He did not know what he should get ready for. He said he had not planned to return and hold a workshop. Under much urging, he finally did. From his voice, it was obvious how things unfolded had been quite an experience to him as well.
After the 7-Day spiritual retreat, the master healer, who was a professor, flew back to his state because a new school year was about to start. He said he would come back to meet with us once a month.
With the master healer back to his state and the spiritual teacher soon to go back to his country, I thought our group would not meet again until the end of September or early October. Twelve days after the retreat, I got an email in the morning about a gathering in Samuel's house the same night. I gladly said "yes". Then I got another email. The meeting was in fact at Matthew's house. I looked up the route online. It seemed pretty easy to drive over there. I was relieved.
However, it was a different matter when I drove there at night. I had to make a left turn to get into the subdivision. There were quite a few side roads to the left. It was dark. I could not see the small street signs before making the turn. Anyway, many people were already there when I walked in. I met Matthew's wife. She was a wonderful, kind young woman. Their children were adorable. The spiritual teacher was there. I was glad to see him again.
During the discourse, the spiritual teacher revealed the spiritual aspect of the divine plan and the vision of the masters of what we would do. Many at the gathering had read the books about the spiritual journey and visions of the two masters. They had some ideas as what we would do. I was new to this group. I did not hear anything specific about the divine plan during the healing workshop. I had assumed the plan was for us to learn the alternative diagnostic assessment practice as the master healer did in his healing work. Sitting there that night, I realized what I had assumed was probably part of the plan, yet not the whole plan. Later, I thanked the sister for emailing me about the discourse. She was the co-organizer of the spiritual group. When I joined the group for the first time on June 18, she was the one that said someone could take me home if my son wanted to leave.
At the end of the meeting, Matthew asked us to come back a week later for the celebration of the spiritual teacher's birthday. We applauded the great news!
As I drove home, my heart was filled with joy. I looked forward to be there on the spiritual teacher's birthday. What a blessing it was to be in his presence one more time before he went back to his country!
Peace,
Q of D
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Day 7 - THE SPIRITUAL MASTER
Greetings!
In my post The Unveiling of A Divine Plan , I wrote a brief introduction of the spiritual teacher according to the online info. However, the teacher was far more than the words that described him.
In The Rainbow and the Spiritual Teacher, I told the others I saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky as I took a walk in the evening after the first day of the workshop. I said the rainbow signified a realized one. When Matthew heard that, he excitedly rose from his chair. He told us they were meditating in Samuel's house at that time, and many saw a rainbow over the spiritual teacher's head!
In later days (i.e. after the retreat was over), I heard the story of the clairvoyant healer meeting the spiritual teacher for the first time. The healer could not help but kissed the teacher's hands over and over and over again because he saw that the teacher was not of this dimension. I also heard other amazing stories about the teacher. In particular was the event of how Matthew met the teacher nineteen years ago. It was a wonderful story, and a life transforming experience for Matthew.
It might be more appropriate to call him a spiritual master, but I would continue to use the word 'teacher' as I did in other posts. (A realized one he is, I do not think he minds what we call him.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After Day 3, I continued going to the retreat every evening. I did not record anything in my journal from Day 4 to 7, but each day was special especially Day 7.
On Day 7, we met at 5:30 pm. When I arrived, the master healer and some others were there. Later, many people came. Some I had never met before. We sat around listening to the master healer. Later, we had potluck dinner. The spiritual teacher did not join us for dinner. During his visit, he stayed in Matthew's house. We were told he would come later.
After dinner, we sat around talking. At one point, I heard the sound of gong. People rushed to the front door. I walked to see what happened too.
Some people were walking toward the house. In the front was the spiritual teacher. They came with a wooden box that held a sacred statue***. (Somehow, I did not recall if the teacher was holding the box and handed to someone in the house; or, someone else was holding the box.) Inside the house, Samuel and others were hitting brass gongs as a way of welcoming the teacher. The house had a wide entrance area. It was now crowded with people that wanted to stand close to the teacher and the sacred statue. Everybody was in a joyful state.
The space behind the entrance was narrow because there was the staircase. Seeing that, I moved to stand inside an area next to the entrance so that there would be more space for the teacher and others to walk through to the living room. Soon, I found myself standing deep into that area as some people came to stand before me.
Suddenly, the teacher's face was right in front of me! He had poked his head through other people, and was looking at me with the most gleeful smile. For the first time, I looked directly into the teacher's eyes. (During the discourse, I saw him, but was never as close as this. When I bowed before him, I did not look into his eyes.) His eyes were wise and full of kindness. I stood there in awe of what I saw. He said, "Go! Go! Go! Go and get a flower, and offer it to Krishna!" (It was then I knew the sacred statue was Krishna. Tears filled my eyes as I recalled what happened.) In his voice was the excitement like that of a child. Obediently, I walked to Beth who was holding a basket of beautiful red petals. She put some petals into my hands. I offered them to Krishna with all my heart and soul.
***Later, we learned the incredible story behind the sacred statue. One day, the teacher saw two beings walking through a wall carrying a statue of Krishna. There was much more to what happened later. Since I did not know the whole story, I would leave it at that. Over the years, the teacher had traveled to many places and delivered hundreds of discourses. This was his 429 discourse. It was the first time he brought with him the sacred statue. Joyfully, he asked Matthew, the master healer, the organizer of this group, Samuel's family, and eventually everybody to have pictures with the sacred statue.
At the end of the discourse, I learned there would be a special ceremony or celebration few days later in Matthew's house. Matthew said, "The ceremony will begin at midnight. All are welcome. If you don't know my address, please talk to me afterward."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Throughout the retreat, the teacher's enthusiastic talks uplifted us. He had lots of energy. After speaking for 3 to 4 hours, he was as fresh as he walked in. Afterward, he walked upstairs to the living room. People sat around him asking questions or listening to his wisdom. I heard the discussion sometimes went on for hours. I never stayed for the discussion.
One night, I was on my way out of the house. A brother asked, "You are leaving?" I said, "Yes. It is past midnight. It is dark. I am not comfortable driving at night." He said, "Does it matter when do you leave? If you leave now, outside is already dark. If you leave later, it is just as dark as it is now." He was right, but somehow I never looked at it that way. I smiled hearing the "truth", but I left anyway.
My husband was not into spiritual matter as I did. He never asked what happened at church or if the workshops I facilitated went well. He seldom expressed his anxiety of me stepping outside of my family to socialize with other people, but I understood. As his wife, I had to be considerate of his feelings. Most nights he went to bed around 9:30 pm. I left after the teacher's talk because I did not want my husband to wake up worrying where I was. (I was fine with the late evening discourse because I used to sleep after 1 or 2 am.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When the retreat was over, I kind of missed going there in the evening. I wanted to go to the ceremony or to be in the teacher's presence one more time. I had not asked Matthew for his address. I did not feel confident of driving to a new place at midnight.
Around noon on the day the celebration was supposed to take place, I thought I would not see the teacher again since he would be returning to his country in a few weeks. With my eyes closed, I sent the teacher my love and gratitude for coming here to teach us. Soon, I found myself enveloped in a field of loving energy. It lasted for quite a while. Despite of the distance, I knew the teacher had received my love and gratitude just as I received his.
Love,
Q of D
In my post The Unveiling of A Divine Plan , I wrote a brief introduction of the spiritual teacher according to the online info. However, the teacher was far more than the words that described him.
In The Rainbow and the Spiritual Teacher, I told the others I saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky as I took a walk in the evening after the first day of the workshop. I said the rainbow signified a realized one. When Matthew heard that, he excitedly rose from his chair. He told us they were meditating in Samuel's house at that time, and many saw a rainbow over the spiritual teacher's head!
In later days (i.e. after the retreat was over), I heard the story of the clairvoyant healer meeting the spiritual teacher for the first time. The healer could not help but kissed the teacher's hands over and over and over again because he saw that the teacher was not of this dimension. I also heard other amazing stories about the teacher. In particular was the event of how Matthew met the teacher nineteen years ago. It was a wonderful story, and a life transforming experience for Matthew.
It might be more appropriate to call him a spiritual master, but I would continue to use the word 'teacher' as I did in other posts. (A realized one he is, I do not think he minds what we call him.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After Day 3, I continued going to the retreat every evening. I did not record anything in my journal from Day 4 to 7, but each day was special especially Day 7.
On Day 7, we met at 5:30 pm. When I arrived, the master healer and some others were there. Later, many people came. Some I had never met before. We sat around listening to the master healer. Later, we had potluck dinner. The spiritual teacher did not join us for dinner. During his visit, he stayed in Matthew's house. We were told he would come later.
After dinner, we sat around talking. At one point, I heard the sound of gong. People rushed to the front door. I walked to see what happened too.
Some people were walking toward the house. In the front was the spiritual teacher. They came with a wooden box that held a sacred statue***. (Somehow, I did not recall if the teacher was holding the box and handed to someone in the house; or, someone else was holding the box.) Inside the house, Samuel and others were hitting brass gongs as a way of welcoming the teacher. The house had a wide entrance area. It was now crowded with people that wanted to stand close to the teacher and the sacred statue. Everybody was in a joyful state.
The space behind the entrance was narrow because there was the staircase. Seeing that, I moved to stand inside an area next to the entrance so that there would be more space for the teacher and others to walk through to the living room. Soon, I found myself standing deep into that area as some people came to stand before me.
Suddenly, the teacher's face was right in front of me! He had poked his head through other people, and was looking at me with the most gleeful smile. For the first time, I looked directly into the teacher's eyes. (During the discourse, I saw him, but was never as close as this. When I bowed before him, I did not look into his eyes.) His eyes were wise and full of kindness. I stood there in awe of what I saw. He said, "Go! Go! Go! Go and get a flower, and offer it to Krishna!" (It was then I knew the sacred statue was Krishna. Tears filled my eyes as I recalled what happened.) In his voice was the excitement like that of a child. Obediently, I walked to Beth who was holding a basket of beautiful red petals. She put some petals into my hands. I offered them to Krishna with all my heart and soul.
***Later, we learned the incredible story behind the sacred statue. One day, the teacher saw two beings walking through a wall carrying a statue of Krishna. There was much more to what happened later. Since I did not know the whole story, I would leave it at that. Over the years, the teacher had traveled to many places and delivered hundreds of discourses. This was his 429 discourse. It was the first time he brought with him the sacred statue. Joyfully, he asked Matthew, the master healer, the organizer of this group, Samuel's family, and eventually everybody to have pictures with the sacred statue.
At the end of the discourse, I learned there would be a special ceremony or celebration few days later in Matthew's house. Matthew said, "The ceremony will begin at midnight. All are welcome. If you don't know my address, please talk to me afterward."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Throughout the retreat, the teacher's enthusiastic talks uplifted us. He had lots of energy. After speaking for 3 to 4 hours, he was as fresh as he walked in. Afterward, he walked upstairs to the living room. People sat around him asking questions or listening to his wisdom. I heard the discussion sometimes went on for hours. I never stayed for the discussion.
One night, I was on my way out of the house. A brother asked, "You are leaving?" I said, "Yes. It is past midnight. It is dark. I am not comfortable driving at night." He said, "Does it matter when do you leave? If you leave now, outside is already dark. If you leave later, it is just as dark as it is now." He was right, but somehow I never looked at it that way. I smiled hearing the "truth", but I left anyway.
My husband was not into spiritual matter as I did. He never asked what happened at church or if the workshops I facilitated went well. He seldom expressed his anxiety of me stepping outside of my family to socialize with other people, but I understood. As his wife, I had to be considerate of his feelings. Most nights he went to bed around 9:30 pm. I left after the teacher's talk because I did not want my husband to wake up worrying where I was. (I was fine with the late evening discourse because I used to sleep after 1 or 2 am.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When the retreat was over, I kind of missed going there in the evening. I wanted to go to the ceremony or to be in the teacher's presence one more time. I had not asked Matthew for his address. I did not feel confident of driving to a new place at midnight.
Around noon on the day the celebration was supposed to take place, I thought I would not see the teacher again since he would be returning to his country in a few weeks. With my eyes closed, I sent the teacher my love and gratitude for coming here to teach us. Soon, I found myself enveloped in a field of loving energy. It lasted for quite a while. Despite of the distance, I knew the teacher had received my love and gratitude just as I received his.
Love,
Q of D
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