Texas Mayor Shares Secrets Of His ‘Vegan Town’ With Oklahoma

By Kelly Ogle

Marshall, Texas – Diseases of the dinner table continue to drag Oklahoma down. We’re a national leader for heart disease, high-blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Being one of the country’s most unhealthy states is costly in sickness, medical and insurance costs, a lower quality-of-life, and early death. However, one Texas town is working to turn the tide on chronic disease.

Marshall, Texas has a population of 25,000. It’s cattle country, with a food culture, like the rest of the south, centered on meat, sugar, processed and fatty fried foods. Like Oklahoma, it’s known as America’s “stroke belt.” But to sit at dinner with Marshall’s Mayor Ed Smith and his wife, Amanda, you’ll hear a different tale.

“If somebody wants to get control of their health, and turn things around, your body will heal itself very quickly,” said Mayor Ed Smith.

Six years ago, Mayor Smith was 40 pounds heavier and diagnosed with prostate cancer. Knowing they needed to make a change, the Smiths Began eating a plant-based, whole foods diet of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. Amazingly, his prostate cancer disappeared.

“Most of these chronic diseases we have in the United States, for the most part, and even a lot of our cancers are driven by what we’re eating.” Mayor Smith said.

Buoyed by his success, the mayor and his wife offered to share what they had learned.

“We’ve had so many people come up to us that we’ve not even met that tell us their success stories, that is so rewarding,” said Amanda Smith.

In fact, once a month, crowding in a room at the fire house, they share home-cooked healthy foods, exchange recipes and tell their success stories.

“I was 60 pounds heavier, so because of a plant-based diet, this is where I am today,” said Bill Dinsmore of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Sharon Clark of Nacogdoches, Texas also saw success.

“I wasn’t even conscious at first that I was losing weight ’til people started saying ‘are you on a diet?’ and I’m thinking, ‘no, I’ve changed my lifestyle is what I’ve done, I’ve gotten healthy,” she said.

Marshall’s Fire Chief Reggie Cooper was 50 pounds heavier and taking medicine every day for Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Then he too switched to a plant-based diet.

“In 28 days, what I couldn’t do in five years, I was able to get off all the medications,” Cooper said. “I haven’t been on medication since.”

All because in a world where arterial-stents and open-heart surgeries are considered “normal,” a man in Texas draws headlines for eating his vegetables.

“The end result is it’s been a success in people’s lives that we’ve seen,” Mayor Smith said. “We’ve seen phenomenal changes in people’s health.”

From http://www.news9.com/story/25960139/texas-mayor-shares-secrets-of-his-vegan-town-with-oklahoma

Questions and Answers

Spoken by Master ching Hai

Q: Master, I understand there is a method called the “Convenient Method”. Is it the same as the Quan Yin Method?

M: Not exactly, but it offers you also a taste of enlightenment. And you can continue to practice that every day without such a strict regulation as a pure vegetarian diet or meditate two and a half hours a day, things like that. You can meditate half an hour everyday or one hour apart, or twenty minutes, whatever you like, and eat the vegetarian diet as conveniently as your position or your situation allows. So that’s why we call it “Convenient Method”.

And you also have enlightenment. But, it’s a small kind of vehicle, you can only liberate yourself alone. And the Quan Yin Method will liberate many of your relatives and friends, seven or even nine generations, the people you don’t even know, your ancestors, etc., and your next generation, your grand, grandchildren not yet born, etc.. Because of the blood link, they will also be free.

Q: Master, when I am the host and I have to take some friends out for lunch or dinner and they are not vegetarians, should I order all vegetarian dishes to eat as I am the only vegetarian?
M: No, you order what the guests want to eat. We don’t impose our life style on other people and impede their freedom. It’s their choice. Okay? You could ask them if they want to try vegetarian, also fine, if they agree, if they are happy with it. Just tell them once in a while you try it to see if you like it. If they don’t, then you don’t do it.

Q: Master, please advise me how to access the first level of the Kingdom of God, or what I must do to start.
M: The first level only? Your aim is so low. (Laughter) Why don’t you go to the fifth at least, with me? There, it’s almost empty because no one goes there, plenty of room there.

The first level is nothing to aim for, brothers. There are only astral beings who live there. Only small heaven and hell. There is only magical power, small healing ability, small clairvoyant talent. That’s all there is. And you may live there hundreds or thousands of years, but you come back here again. And who knows where you will be, and what you’ll become. So why go to the first level. First level is as unsafe as this world. Don’t aim to go there. That’s only the ABC. The A B C of everything. We started from there, but we don’t stop there.

Q: Master, the first precept is no killing. If a snake enters my house, should I kill it in order to protect my family?

M: You don’t have snakes in Singapore, don’t give me trouble. (Laughter and applause.) You don’t even have enough land for people to live. Where can this poor snake reside? But anyhow you don’t have to kill, you can give him a bag… a cloth bag and he will happily crawl into it. And you set him outside somewhere else, in the bush or something, and he will be happy. But if you must, of course, you can do it. But then, you pay. You can do anything you want in this world, just you must pay. Not in monetary way, it is in karma.

You kill him and later you’ll probably be wounded somewhere or have severe headaches or your arm suddenly gone paralysis, anything like that. You pay, maybe temporarily or maybe in a long term. It depends on how great the things that you have done, how much you took from the physical treasure of the Lord of this creation. The more you take, the more you pay. The less you take, the less you pay. That’s why I advice the vegetarian diet, because it’s the less expensive.

You know even vegetables also have life, but it doesn’t cost so much karma, doesn’t burden you too much. Not that vegetables you don’t pay. I don’t mean the market price, I mean to the Lord of Creation. The Lord of Creation is below the Almighty God. But if you cannot, if you didn’t pay it to the Lord of Creation, you cannot go to the Almighty. That’s the problem.

Q: Master, can you explain the initiation of the Quan Yin Method?

M: Initiation is a kind of invisible opening wisdom ceremony. No flowers, no incense, no prostration, no Buddha statues, no church, nothing. Only you and your own positive original power. Now when you sit there all alone, then I will point to your soul where to go, in order to get back the positive and negative together. Now you are separated because you are always leaning onto the negative side for survival. Now when you sit alone there and ready, willing to go back, I just pull you back. But no action involved. These things are abstract, are the wonderful things of the invisible power. There is no doing of anything. Do without doing.

I don’t have to be there even. I don’t have to even know your name, your address, your age, your profession. I don’t have to know you physically. Inside I know. Therefore the initiation is just like you sit there and get back your positive side. You know, like out of balance, that you always lean on the negative. Now, come back and then you’re balanced. That’s it. And then you know that you are enlightened because you saw the light, you received the teaching from heaven through melody.

It’s not by English it’s not by Chinese. It’s wordless words, silent sounds. This will make you wiser, and more and more realize that you are great, and you are the master of the house. That’s the initiation. But no words can describe that, because I would not talk to you at that time. I might not even be present, because you will be along with the whole universe then. You know? That’s how you know yourself. It’s difficult to try to understand now. You’ll know at the time of initiation.

Q: Master, why are there so many religions in this world?

M: There is only one really. Different names. If you don’t believe me, you take time, study all the religions together, compare them all, and then you’ll know what I mean

Be concentrated on your religion if you know one religion; it’s enough. Because it’s similar in other religions: Tell people to do good, don’t kill, don’t steal, worship God or Buddha. No religion teaches people to do bad things or stay here forever, and eat and drink and die here. All religions tell you “be a good person here and find heaven while you can”, right? And everything else is just bla, bla, bla, you know, bureaucracy and detail.

Q: Master, you talked about knowing the way home. Where is this home? Where is heaven and hell?
M: Here. Everything is here. But if you don’t know, everything is everywhere. Everywhere is hell, everywhere is heaven. If you know, then it’s heaven; if you don’t know, it’s hell. That’s it,

Q: Master, will I be able to find my dead relatives and communicate with them if I practice the Quan Yin meditation?

M: Oh, sure. But I am afraid maybe you don’t like to go there. Some of your people are difficult to get in touch with. If you want to go such place, you need a Master. Otherwise you will be in danger. So it’s not always good to see dead relatives. Now you practice the Quan Yin Method, and some of your relatives, dead relatives will be immediately released from whatever suffering they have. If they are already in heaven, they will go to a higher level of heaven. If they suffer light punishment, they can go immediately, quick. If it’s too heavy, then we have to negotiate. Then the Master must negotiate or has to suffer for that person. But it won’t be too long. For example, if those people have to suffer for thousands of years, the Master wouldn’t have to suffer for thousands of years. Just maybe a few hours, or sometimes a few seconds, sometimes a few minutes, sometimes prolonged but not a big deal sickness, things like that.

So it’s not always ideal to see your dead relatives. It’s better to see live relatives. Love them, serve them, and encourage them before they are dead. But you can see them. Many of our practitioners see their dead relatives and friends coming to thank them that due to them, they are liberated. That is no big deal.

Q: Master, one of the five precepts is refrain from sexual misconduct. How does this apply to singles?
M: What we mean is that you should be faithful to each other. But in the case of some of the other religious orders, they may, due to their tradition, have many wives. If they already had them before initiation, then that doesn’t mean they have to separate and take only one. But in the general case we tell people to refrain from having too many ties. What I mean is the suffering in affairs of the heart are very heavy for the wife or the husband to bear. And that you don’t want to cause to other people, let alone your beloved friends, or the mother or father of your children.

So that’s why we say refrain from having another affair if you are already married. But if you already have before initiation, just keep it like that. And better don’t let the other to know each other to minimize the suffering. The less suffering the better, because it will affect you also. You will have a bad conscience and guilt feelings. How can you meditate in peace? When you meditate you want to think about God. But all you think about is the second or the third wife. Yeah! How she wanted to beat you last night because you came late, etc., etc. Or you bought better clothes for the other one etc., Aiya! so many troubles. It hurts. That’s why. That is called sexual misconduct.

But in the case of people who are not yet married, of course in the modern time, I cannot tell people don’t do this, don’t do that, you know. Then try to be faithful to each other. It’s good for the heart, good for your moral and good for the mutual trust between each other and especially good for your health, you know nowadays. You read newspapers more than I do. The letters spelled very big. Should I say more? More and more people die from AIDS each day, so take care of yourself.

Q: Master, is it necessary to have a quiet environment to pursue spiritual practice?
M: Yes. That’s why sometimes we organize a retreat for one week or two weeks or four days, three days. Every year at a different time, so people have a chance to have a peaceful, quiet, only practicing meditation environment. But otherwise, you must go out into the society. Bringing the light and blessing into our brothers and sisters. You cannot always hide yourself in the mountain and become a selfish Buddha. (Laughter)

Q: Master, will dreams of future events come true? Can we change the future?
M: Yes, we can. If we are strong enough, and if you want to be strong enough to meditate more, get your Buddha power out, then you can change anything. Otherwise the future will change you.

Q: Master, can you please advise me as to how I should control my monstrous sexual appetite? I need God grace.
M: There are many remedies. But most people when they ate too much meat and drink the wine and all that, it will excite more of their passion. We already have enough so-called animal passion within us, so we do many things like the animals do. This we cannot control.

Because we inherit the animal quality while we live in this kingdom, part of it, because of this body. So now, if we want to control that, we must minimize the intake of intoxicants and exciting food, things like that. There are foods for sexual empowerment. The people look for that. Some people like that. So the old kings, they always eat special kinds of foods, because they have so many wives.

There are many foods to control the sexual drive. The first stage is vegetarian diet, pure vegetarian diet – no eggs, no fish, etc., and no liquor, alcohol, no intoxicating things. Many things we, the ordinary people, pay high prices for, mostly are poison. And I am always wondering why people spend a lot of their money to poison themselves. But anyhow that’s their choice and free will.

So if you ask me how to minimize your sexual energy, there are many things to do. You switch to vegetarian diet, eat a kind of simple, not too much oily and excitement spice and things like that. And then drink plenty of water. No champagne, champagne is the worst thing, reserved only for wedding days.

But the most simple thing to control it is to be busy, doing something meaningful like helping other people; do charity work… and then you forget your own problem. You know, if you stay up all night long reading like me, I think your sex drive will drive itself away (laughter and applause), because sex drives are scared, scared of the work.

Do something. There is so much suffering in this world, do some volunteer work in your spare time. Feel the suffering of your fellow beings. Merge yourself in the sacrifice and the joy, the pure joy of serving all of them. Bring happiness, bring noble happiness to other people. That will bring noble happiness to you, too.

You have read so much, maybe porno information. Now don’t read it any more. Switch to holy books, holy saints’ teachings, do yoga exercise etc,..

Q: Master, usually how long does it take to get enlightenment? May I know what does it depends on?
M: Yes, it depends on many things. First, it depends on the proper meditation method. And it depends on your teacher, whether that person is capable to lead you to enlightenment. Never mind talking about long or short. If you get a good teacher, you get immediate enlightenment. If you don’t get a good teacher, I don’t know how long. And also enlightenment depends on your sincerity, if you want it or not. If you do want it, you get it immediately. If you don’t want it, it doesn’t matter how much you pretend, how long you sit there, until your bottom falls off, (laughter) you don’t have anything.

Q: Master, when we are praying to God or Jesus, could we also worship Quan Yin Bodhisattva in the temple?
M: You do what you want as long as you are happy. The real worship comes when you see God, Jesus, Quan Yin, face to face and worship them right there. And you feel so much different than when you bow to the Buddha, the wooden statue.

When you bow to the wooden statue, he says nothing to you, he cannot answer your question. But when you bow to the real Buddha inside while you meditate or while you’re sleeping and go to heaven, that is the time of your real worship and you will feel entirely different. You will feel you’re not of this world. You will feel you are the Buddha then. That’s the real worship. Worship anyone you like, but make sure you see them. (Applause)

Q: Master, I am a sinner. Can I be enlightened?

M: Oh, who is not the sinner, please raise your hands. (Laughter and applause.) The sinner, please raise your hands. Me, also included. Don’t worry. No one is a sinner. We’re just ignorant. We have not been taught the way of the saint. We have been only taught to survive in this world, how to eat, how to clothe, how to look after this physical vehicle. That’s all we have been taught up to now. All the education also leads to that end, so you can have a good job, right? We have not been taught the wise way, the holy way. So now it’s the time. No problem. We did things we don’t know. How can we be sinners? If the child is not taught and he makes mistakes, how can he be blamed? Blame God. He didn’t send you a teacher soon enough, it’s his fault. (Laughter and applause.)

Q: Master, I want to donate my life to others. What do you suggest?

M: Sure. We can donate our service, while we are living. Well, everyone is donating their lives anyhow. They work for the society. They work for their family. This is a kind of donation. Some people donate more. They work for more groups, serving more people voluntarily, or without much payment. And that’s perhaps what you mean. Do what you feel like and what you are capable of. There is a lot of work to do in this world. Never enough people to do it.

Q: Master, you say we are all God’s children and there is only one God. So why do we have different colors and different races? Everyone is not equal, just like You and me.
M: Look at the flowers, you want them only one color? Pink, finish. Is that what you call beauty? We have many colors, that’s why it’s fun, Okay? You like it. That’s why you choose to be born in that color. But now you don’t understand. Get enlightenment, and then you’ll understand why. But you are also right. The question is also correct because the higher dimensions don’t have difference, no difference between male and female, no different colors. There is only pure awareness, pure wisdom, not even such a visible form.

Q: Master, how can we get immediate enlightenment and eternal liberation if we are anxious and have to work to make money?

M: Enlightenment is the most incredible thing that ever happen to your existence. It will lighten every burden that you have to carry every day. It will get rid of all the obstacles in your way. It will carry you when you are down and sick. It will bless you whenever you are in trouble and danger. And you will feel like, you are always in the love of mother, so you don’t worry. The worry and anxiety you have now, is just because you don’t have enlightenment, it’s not the opposite, Okay? So if you want to get rid of this suffering, get enlightenment.

Q: Are you a human being or a fairy? (Laughter)

M: Who am I? What do you think? Who think I am a human, raise your hands. Who think I am a fairy, raise your hands. No one. Yeah, both are correct. We are both. We are both human beings and God. It’s just that most of the time for most of the people they only recognize their human side of existence. They only identify with the physical function and forget their Godly side of nature. That’s all.
You and I are equal. We are both fairy and human beings. But the only difference between you and I is that I know and you perhaps don’t know, or are not sure of your fairy nature. That’s the only difference.

The Trap Of Success

Master Tells Story

Once, there was a king who came from the country Hsi-li and he went to war with another country. Every day he noticed one particular army soldier who was very courageous. He was very enthusiastic in fighting at any moment, and was basically not afraid of death, volunteering to go to the most dangerous places. Any place that no one dared to go, he would go and this won the king’s great admiration.

So, one day the king summoned him in order to reward him. When the king saw him, he felt very strange and wondered why this soldier was so skinny, his face was so green, the skin was not good and his body was very weak. The king was very surprised and asked, “Why you have become like this?” Then the soldier told the king, “I have an incurable disease, so my health is not good.” The king pitied for him and ordered his personal doctor to take care of him daily until his illness was cured. He was brought the best medicine and the highest quality food for his consumption because he was the national hero, a very courageous person, and needed to be taken very good care of. Of course the king’s doctor also admired him very much and took very good care of him. Money was no problem because he was the national hero and also it was the command of the king.

After a while, this person recovered and became very strong, and healthy looking. Everything was fine, he was totally cured. But at that moment, he lost his courage completely. Now he dared not go anywhere, dared not rush to dangerous places, he always hid in the back, his courage was all gone. The king was very disappointed and also felt strange. He summoned the person over and asked, “Why you were so courageous before but now after I have taken good care of you, have fed you well, have cured your illness, you have betrayed my grace, not sacrificing yourself for the country like before? Also, you hide and refuse to fight in battle. Why? We have all been so nice to you, have trusted you so much yet you have betrayed our good intention and have betrayed our trust in you. Why?”

The soldier told the king honestly, “It is because you have treated me so nice that I have become this way.” The king said with surprise, “Why is it that because we are too nice to you that you have become this way?” He said, “Because you have been so nice to me, have cured my illness, have fed my body well and made it beautiful that I have now become very greedy for life and dare not die.” He was near death before, thus death was nothing. The pain of the illness made him uncomfortable so maybe death was better. Therefore, he had charged forward in the battlefield not because of courage. Now because he had a good and strong body, he became greedy for life and dared not sacrifice his life anymore.

Sometimes it is the same with our practice. If we have met with difficulties or undesirable situations, we would practice with all our devotion. But after being too rich, too free, too comfortable, perhaps we would become somewhat lacking in diligence. Thus, Shakyamuni Buddha also said, “Rich people, people with money or with high position, will find it difficult to practice! If a certain person who has a high position, with a very comfortable life and with a lot of money and lives a very smooth life still likes to practice, we should know that he is a Bodhisattva coming to this world to help the beings.” How much he helps would depend more or less on his mission.

Then Jesus Christ also said, “It would be very difficult for the rich to go to Heaven! It would be as difficult as a camel passing through the needle hole.” Because we are too comfortable, too happy, we would drowning there in enjoyment of the happy, comfortable and rich conditions, then we would not think anything about practice.

The ordinary people would practice because of having a little pain and thus would think of liberation. That is the reason why it is no good if life is too comfortable. Sometimes a person in a high position would become proud if he was too successful. So, sometimes it is all right if we have a little of nonsuccess! Of course we have to do things successfully, but we still have to know the trap of success.

The Shortsighted Teacher

Master Tells Joke

This story is called “The Shortsighted Teacher”. Do you know what having shortsightedness is? It’s the kind of person who cannot see properly like me!

Once there was a teacher who was taking this history class. As soon as he stepped in everyone stood up to salute him, to show their respect, and to greet him. After the salutation, everyone sat down. Everyone was sitting quietly, except one person, who kept going about his own business at the window. A while later, when the teacher could no longer stand it, he asked, “Hey! Do you know when Mao Tse Tung died?” He asked a question about history. The man replied, “I don’t know.” The teacher said, “Why! Such a little thing and you don’t know? I’ll ask you another question, ‘When did the Japanese withdraw from China?'” The man said, “I don’t know that either! How would I know such things!” The teacher said, “Are you kidding? What did you do yesterday? Why didn’t you do your homework?”

Then that person who was messing about by the window said, “Why! Last night I was at the movies. After the movie, I went home and had a few drinks with my brother next door. Then I went home and slept with my girlfriend!” And then this professor, wow, he became very angry. He was so furious that he could have died. He pounded on his desk, making a loud bang, and then he said, “Shame on you! What kind of student are you? What are you doing here then?” The man replied, “I come to repair this window, and I am the carpenter!”

Andrew Knight

 

Australian bioethicist Andrew Knight is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, which is dedicated to advancing the ethical status of animals through academic research, teaching and publication; the Director of Animal Consultants International, which provides multidisciplinary expertise for animal issues; and a Spokesperson for Animals Count, a British political party for people and animals.

Andrew also practises veterinary medicine in London.

Andrew why did you first become an animal advocate?

When I was eight, my parents gave me a book about baby animals. I looked at the pictures of baby deer and other animals, and announced I was going vegetarian. My parents smiled. It would only last a week, they thought.

A decade later, I was still vegetarian – but I didn’t trouble myself to learn or think too deeply about the issues until my early twenties. I was appalled at what was being done to people and animals around the world and rapidly became first a human-rights and then an animal-rights activist.

When I was 23, I started dating a veterinary nurse. We both went vegan in an attempt to impress each other with our ethics. Unfortunately, I also had to ditch the non-vegan sweet collection I’d been building up for years, which by then occupied a substantial portion of my kitchen. The demands of romance can be merciless.

Tell us about your pathway since.

For the next several years, I alternated between studying, working, travelling and campaigning about animal rights and other issues. I’d always thought it was who you were and what you did that were important, not what job you held. Nevertheless, it began to frustrate me when I was repeatedly asked in radio interviews what I did for a living. Once I realised that people judge the merits of your arguments by things such as your appearance and qualifications, I began to seriously wonder if I should try to get into a profession.

I considered a number of professions, but becoming a veterinarian seemed likely to enable me to advocate most effectively for animals. I was also attracted to a job that would enable me to do a great deal of good in my day to day work, and that would enable me to travel and to financially support myself and my campaigns.

And so I returned to school, studied hard and made it into Western Australia’s Murdoch University veterinary course. I had the vague idea that parts of my training might involve doing nasty things to animals, as well as a vague idea that humane alternatives probably existed elsewhere, but I was ignorant of the details of either.

Soon enough, I found myself drawn into a titanic struggle to win the right for students to ‘conscientiously object’ to harmful animal use and for implementation of humane teaching methods. By the end of my course, in 2001, Murdoch had become the first Australian university to formally allow student conscientious objection. Almost all of our invasive animal-physiology laboratories had been terminated and we’d established our first humane veterinary surgical training program.

I continued to support students across Australasia and abroad, and by 2005, several other universities had implemented humane teaching methods and conscientious-objection policies, and the first students had graduated from every Australian veterinary school without killing animals during their surgical training.

After graduation, I worked briefly for several US animal-protection organisations. Some commissioned me to conduct studies to examine the human clinical or toxicological efficacy of invasive animal research. I continued that research for about a decade, until the present time. It has resulted in a large number of published scientific studies and conference presentations, my 2010 PhD, and my book on animal experiments.

Tell us more about your book on animal experiments.

 The Costs and Benefits of Animal Experiments was published in 2011 by Palgrave Macmillan as part of an advanced series of at least 15 texts on animal ethics being produced by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. It combines more than a decade of research, analysis and experience in order to provide evidence-based answers to the key question: is animal experimentation ethically justifiable?

The book expands on my PhD, which critically assessed the human clinical and toxicological utility of animal experimentation. It includes over 500 scientific references, and relies on large-scale systematic reviews as its primary form of evidence. Within the medical and scientific worlds these are considered to provide ‘gold-standard’ evidence about clinical or research questions, because they pool a large amount of data and aim to minimise sources of bias. The book also comprehensively reviews alternative research, testing and educational strategies.

When considering costs and benefits overall, and particularly, the published studies examining the human clinical or toxicological utility of animal research, one cannot reasonably conclude that the benefits accruing to human patients or consumers, or to those motivated by scientific curiosity or profit, exceed the costs incurred by animals subjected to scientific procedures. On the contrary, the evidence indicates that actual human benefit is rarely — if ever — sufficient to justify such costs.

I very much hope my book will be widely consulted by students, scientists and policy-makers concerned with animal research and alternatives. One of my deepest hopes is it will be included in university libraries wherever life and health sciences or philosophy courses are offered.

 You’re a Spokesperson for Animals Count, a UK political party for animals. What are the party’s aims?

Whilst broad concern for animals is certainly a mainstream priority, unfortunately this is poorly reflected in the policies of most political parties in the UK and elsewhere. Animal protection often ends up near the bottom of the political agenda. Meanwhile, millions of animals continue to suffer in unacceptable conditions.

Animals Count is a UK political party for people and animals, established in 2006. We branched off from the Dutch Party for the Animals, which was the world’s first party to achieve electoral success. As of 2011, they had 23 politicians elected at national, provincial and local levels. Animals Count has received thousands of votes in British elections but has not had any candidates elected yet, a fact that’s partly attributable to the UK political system, which discriminates against minor parties.

However, we aim to encourage or pressure other political parties – some of whom do have real power – to incorporate more animal-friendly policies within their own manifestos. We seek to engage them in dialogue, and we also contest seats, particularly in constituencies in which a small number of votes can determine the outcome. Losing votes to Animals Count helps other parties understand the need to better represent animal interests.

Similar parties for the animals exist in Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Canada, and Australia (the Animal Justice Party). Some other parties and leaders — particularly the Greens – also have good policies for animals. Unfortunately however, this is far from uniform. While inconsistencies remain, dedicated political parties such as Animals Count will continue to represent the interests of animals within the political realm.

Why do you advocate vegan diets for companion animals?

Many people have become vegan for the sake of the animals, the environment, or their health. This has done an enormous amount of good. However, most of these caring people still continue to feed their companion animals meat-based diets, which achieves opposite effects. They do this out of fear of adverse health consequences of vegan diets, and ignorance of how these might be avoided. Accordingly, I created http://www.VegePets.info, which reviews in detail the health and nutritional aspects of vegan and commercial meat-based diets for companion animals.

The health hazards for dogs and cats (and, of course, for ‘food’ animals) inherent within commercial meat-based companion animal diets are numerous and difficult to avoid. Such diets provide an industrial dumping ground for abattoir waste products, meat considered unfit for human consumption, such as that obtained from animals who arrive dead, dying, diseased or disabled (4-D animals) at the abattoir; old or spoiled supermarket meat; large numbers of rendered dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters in countries such as the US; old restaurant grease, complete with high concentrations of dangerous free radicals and trans fatty acids; and damaged or spoiled fish, complete with dangerous levels of mercury, PCBs and other toxins.

These diets may contain pathogenic bacteria, protozoa, fungi, viruses and even prions, and their associated endotoxins and mycotoxins – and particularly when manufactured in countries like the US, they may contain hormone and antibiotic residues and hazardous preservatives.

Diseases described in the scientific literature as more common following long-term maintenance of cats and dogs on meat-based diets include kidney, liver, heart, neurologic, visual, neuromuscular and skin diseases; bleeding disorders; birth defects; immuno-compromisation; and infectious diseases (e.g., DiBartola et al. 1993, Dow et al.1989, Freytag et al. 2003 and Strieker et al. 1996 — see http://www.VegePets.info).

My veterinary experience over many years leads me to believe that so-called degenerative diseases such as cancer, kidney, liver and heart disease are probably much more common than would occur naturally – and I think some cases are probably exacerbated, if not directly caused by, the hazardous ingredients in many meat-based diets.

Vegan diets aim to meet all the nutritional needs of cats or dogs using only plant, mineral and synthetically-based ingredients. There is absolutely no scientific reason why such diets cannot be formulated to meet all of the palatability, nutritional and bioavailability (which primarily refers to digestibility) needs of cats, dogs, humans, or virtually any species. Crucially, vegan diets also avoid most of the hazards found in meat-based diets.

However, use of a complete and balanced nutritional supplement with a home-made diet, or a nutritionally complete commercial vegan diet, is essential to safeguard health. Supplements and diets may be obtained from the suppliers listed at www.VegePets.info.

Regular urine pH monitoring is also important in order to detect the urinary alkalinisation, with its consequent potential for urinary stones and life-threatening blockages, that may result from a vegan diet in a small minority of cases (most commonly among male cats). Advice on monitoring and correcting alkalinisation using dietary additives is available at www.VegePets.info.

Finally, some animals maintained on certain meat-based diets long-term may be very resistant to change. The most important factors for transitioning difficult pets are very gradual change and persistence. Additional guidance is available at www.vegepets.info.

What’s the purpose of the Extreme Vegan Sporting Association?

Veganism helps animals and the environment, and enables more efficient use of global food and water resources, thereby saving human lives too. However, many people resist these logical arguments for cultural reasons. Veganism is culturally alien to them. Some seem to imagine that vegans must endure grim and joyless lives of self-denial: no meat pies, leather jackets or animal-tested lipstick? Surely, we must dream of little more than our own untimely deaths, as we feebly stagger through our days, made pale and weak by lack of essential animal proteins? What kind of folk would subject themselves to such extremes?

I created the Extreme Vegan Sporting Association to demonstrate just how fun and fit vegans can really be. Growing numbers of athletes, as well as otherwise normal folk, have discovered some very important truths: by exercising basic consideration for the lives of those they would otherwise eat, and the people and animals who share our environment, vegans almost always become healthier and fitter! Karma, perhaps? Whatever the reason, being vegan can be seriously fun!

All who subscribe to our fun and life-affirming sporting ideals may consider themselves members of the Extreme Vegan Sporting Association. They can showcase their exploits on www.ExtremeVeganSports.org. We currently include pictures or videos of vegan body builders, bungy jumpers, cyclists, dune tumblers, hikers, mountaineers, martial artists, runners, sky divers and yodellers. I encourage your readers to send in pictures of their own exploits via the website. All sports will be considered, but participants must be vegan!

What advice would you give to others interested in an animal advocacy career?

Large-scale advocacy – as distinct from hands-on animal welfare work – is aimed at achieving social change. To have any chance of success, it is essential that advocates present cases that will be seen by their target audiences as reasonable and rational. They should also present messages that are as close as possible to mainstream culture, rather than alienated from it, as sometimes occurs with more militant activism. If direct action tactics are used, then they should be ones that generate mainstream support for a campaign, rather than opposition. There are some outstanding examples from Australia and elsewhere that have very effectively used humour, for example.

It’s also fundamentally important that advocates are realistic. We need to be realistic about human psychology – particularly, the psychology of behavioral and social change, in order to determine the most effective strategy and tactics. We must also recognize that in many cases, relatively small, incremental changes are the best that may be achieved, and that inappropriate tactics can jeopardize even these. Advocates should focus on perhaps one or two issues likely to result in the greatest positive change, rather than picking too many issues, or those less winnable. Our time and resources are very limited. We must combine reason with a realistic world view to ensure we achieve the maximum impact possible, both for the sake of the animals, and perhaps, ourselves.

If the possibility exists, then it may also be worth pursuing a career that will maximise one’s ability to advocate for animals. Excellent choices include medicine, veterinary medicine, law, dietetics and environmental science. The movement also needs support skills such as IT, graphic design, photography and videography, management, marketing and fundraising.

From http://www.vegansarecool.com

For Little Angels – Lesson 16

By Master Duy Tue
Originally in Vietnamese

Lesson 16 – Don’t Believe in Your Assumptions

When you guess something, you have to know what you guess is not the truth.

There is somebody in your class you don’t like very much. He sits next to you. One day you can’t find your pen and you think that he has taken it.  Your assumption starts like this:  This guy is not nice. Nobody in the class wants to play with him. He is sitting next to you. So he must be the one who has taken your pen. You believe he has stolen your pen although you cannot prove it.

Your guess might be true but it is unfair to suspect him when you do not have any evidence.

You can’t conclude anything about your friend until you have enough evidence, for example, you see your pen in his bag.

Don’t suspect other people without evidence.

Q & A (Con.)

Q: For enlightenment, is service in love to humanity as important as meditation or is service more important than meditation practice?

M: Both have to go hand in hand. We meditate because we want to do service better, we want to be clearer in what we do. Therefore, we’ll be more efficient in our work and more service to others. Without meditation, sometimes we have very best intention and we are willing to serve people, but we don’t know what is the best way. Therefore, meditation is a helping factor to true selfless service.

Q: Is it possible to live a life completely free of doubt and fear forever and if so, what does one need to do or not do?

M: Fear and anxiety comes only from darkness, from ignorance, from the fear of the unknown.

Once we get to know the stable side of nature, the real side of our life, our fear and anxiety disappear. We only fear because we thought after this life, we have nothing. We only fear because we know only the ephemeral existence of this world. If we know that life is eternal, if we know that we are the greatest beings in the universe, we have no fear at all.

So I invite you to get to know yourself through the means of initiation (into Quan-Yin practice).

Q: I love my original master very deeply and usually recite his name. If I continue to do this, will I lose Your love and blessing? I love both of you. No difference because without my original Master I would not be alive to sit here and listen to Your lecture.

M: I’m not in competition with anyone. You can love ten more masters if you wish. No problem. Just be enlightened. That is the best way to pay, to show the gratitude to your previous master. Don’t need to even be grateful to me or anything. Whatever you do, I love you all the same. It’s you who probably do not love yourself, because you would think, “I do that very bad, I do this very bad.” And it’s you yourself, stop feeling being loved.

Q: How long must one meditate to reach enlightenment?

M: Enlightenment comes immediately. As soon as you sit down with the Master and sincerely want it, it comes immediately. Even sometimes before initiation; sometimes I have not finished the instruction, and people already got enlightenment. Some people are in a hurry, you know, they have no time to wait.

But the meditation takes place daily, because we always want to be in the enlightened state, and we always want to renew our acknowledgment of enlightenment. Or also we want to strengthen it, to strengthen, to expand until infinity. Otherwise, even if you meditate for one hundred years, you don’t get any enlightenment.

Meditation doesn’t bring enlightenment, the Master power does, because during initiation, or during so-called meditation in our method, you do not meditate, because meditation means effort, but in our way, it’s effortless. You might sit there sometimes even sleepy and then enlightenment even comes, even then. Or you will be enlightened during sleep because the Master power will wake you, wake your soul during your sleep. While your mind is asleep, your body is at rest, your soul will be awaken into the world of light and wisdom.

Therefore, meditation is not a means to enlightenment. But for lack of vocabulary in this world, we have to call it meditation. Actually, you just sit there and receiving the grace of God and acknowledging your own supreme power. There’s no meditation actually that is involved, because anything that is earned or it is a result of some kinds of action, it is still the worldly production. It’s still within the material framework. Therefore, our meditation is a non-meditational meditation, effortless meditation.

Q: What makes you the equal of other great masters?

M: The same thing that makes you equal with other great masters that makes me equal. All of us are equal. You are as great as Jesus and Buddha, if you want to be, if you want to know, if you know where your greatness is. I know. That’s what makes me great. If you don’t know, okay it’s fine. If you want to know, you will be as great as any.

Q & A

Spoken by Master Ching Hai

Q: In the Bible Jesus Christ said: I and my father are one . But, how can I reach this state?

M: First get initiation. That’s what we are here for, to help you.

Q:Do you feel this initiation is important? Why can it not be done on our own?

M:The question is already answered by itself. If you have done it yourself, then it’s not necessary to get an initiation. But if you couldn’t do it, if you haven’t seen the light of God and the sound of heaven, then, initiation is necessary. Besides there are many steps to heaven that you must know, verbally, the instruction, and so many pitfalls that you should avoid. And if you do not know that, you’d waste a lot of time, and sometimes it’s dangerous.

Q:Master, specifically what is the difference between enlightenment and the power to initiate, and which one does the patriarch of the Bible have?

M:The power to initiate came first. You will have the power of initiation also if you are pointed by the master, because a master will initiate through you. And also you have the power, the true power, the perfect power, not the borrowed one, when you become a master. When you reach the fifth plane of consciousness, then you become Christ or Buddha, yeah. At that time you can initiate. But enlightenment is a part of it, part of the power. And you will expand this, and get to know more of your greatness, more and more until you realize your complete self. And that is the time you’ll know God. That’s the time you’ll be able to initiate people.

Q:Master, were Hermes, Zoroaster, the Essences, the Gnostics masters? And who were the first masters? And who is the great white brotherhood?

M:All masters, all true masters are one. They come from one source. And the highest master is the almighty which is in all of you. When we first came here we were masters before. And we came here, we blessed the world. And, we forgot all about our power and our glory. And our energies were also exhausted, because we paid attention to outer phenomena. So, all the masters who came here are the ones who are awakened in this awareness and know their true glory, and they can travel the road home frequently. And they can lead us back home. So, no need to discriminate between any master. All the religions are founded after the master has gone. Therefore we have Christian after Christ, Buddhist after Buddha, etc., okay?!

Q:Master, sometimes during meditation with the Convenient Method, I feel a chill from my spine going up to my head, and then there seems to be a feeling of energy encircling in my head. What does this mean? Is this a bad or good sign?

M:It’s okay. It’s your kundalini at work. Afterward you’ll be used to it. It’s only a Convenient Method, and still it works all so much, because of the master power blessing you. Other people they practice many years to try to awaken the kundalini, and they can’t do it.

Learn To Balance Yourself In Life

Spoken by Master Ching Hai

Q. How do we know to liberate ourselves from suffering, painful emotions, at the right time when we want so bad to let go of the lives, the circumstances around us? But it’s so hard to see through because of the people we are attached to, and know that there is more to life itself than just ourselves and love of someone else we couldn’t let go?
M. Just forgive yourself and try again. Sometimes in some circumstances we are able to control ourselves, but with some great effort, and some other times we don’t want to control ourselves or we can’t control ourselves. In either way you just do what is good for you at that moment. Don’t worry much about the emotion. It is only the waves on the surface of the ocean. It is not the ocean’s fault. It is the wind. It is the rotation of the earth that makes the waves. So the ocean cannot blame itself all the time, and says that he makes waves, he makes troubles for the boats and he makes trouble for the people, etc. He cannot help himself. The ocean cannot help herself or himself.

Q. Dear Master, I always make the same mistake that I don’t want to make. I feel there are two of me inside, one good and one bad, how can I stop this?

M.Well, maybe that’s the balance proportion in your life that you need to learn. Actually we can’t be too good all the time. You will break! You see the man in the circus, when he walks the rope, he has to walk this side, that side. You know what I mean? One time he dips in this side, the other time he is siding to this side. Otherwise, if he walks just like this, he will fall down. This life has two sides anyhow; one is positive, and the other is negative; one is happiness, and the other one is misery. Sometimes we can’t help ourselves to dip from one side to another. Forgive yourself then move on.

You can try to do other things in contradiction to that, to counter attack this habit if you think it’s bad. For example, if you are normally very stingy; don’t want to give to people, now force yourself to give. Every time you want to take, you give instead! So next time you dare not want to take any more, because every time you want you take, you lose the business! (Laughter) For example, if you want to take one dollar, then force yourself to give two dollars. So next time you dare not to want any more! Or if you normally like to look at other woman besides your wife, so every time you want to do like that, just go home and look at your wife. So next time you are fed up, and you don’t want any more. Maybe you try it. (Laugh and applause.)

Q. Earlier You said that if when you open your mind to the Universe, then you can gain the wisdom, knowledge and will be able to understand any book. My question to You is, “What if you were born with not so bright a mind? How can you be able to learn the knowledge from the Universe once you open your mind?” Learning new knowledge would take time and hard work. For me, in the past I had tried to learn to become a professional person. I failed because I am dumb. Can You show me the way?

M. Not being able to learn in school doesn’t mean you are dumb. Maybe you lack courage, maybe you lack good teacher, good friends or good circumstances, or maybe you lack patient. Some people learn quicker; some people learn it a little bit slower. But that doesn’t mean you are dumb. Not to know your own great wisdom is the true stupidity. So I invite you to come for the initiation and get to know your greatness, then you will understand many things. It is because everything I say is just a big mouth, talk too much. Anything without experience is just advertising. It doesn’t matter how much I tell you the orange juice in my cup is very good and is very nutritious and good for you and a lot of vitamin C, and you drink it, it quenches your thirst. But if you don’t ever come and drink it, it doesn’t matter how much I say, it is all big mouth. Do you know what I mean? So the best thing is just to drink it.

Q.I feel lost. I have searched and searched but have not found Home, that is what I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to do. How does one find Home here on Earth?

M. Home is very near. It is next to you. It is nearer than your skin. But if you don’t have the light, you can’t see it. You can’t see things in the dark; it doesn’t matter how near. You might have a feeling about what it is, but you don’t see it; you have to have the light. The light of God will shine on everything you want to search for, including Home. But this is all abstract speaking, really you have to have experience, and that comes only with diligent practice after initiation. You know how to practice and you do it and then you realize day by day.

Q. Why is it that after so many years of religious teachings and past masters that the world has not gotten better but much worse?

M. It is because the past masters cannot teach you. You have to look for a present master, who can answer your question, help you when you are in doubt and take you by the hand back to the Kingdom of God. We need a person to person contact, not the past lives. Just like it doesn’t matter how great the beauties of the past; you cannot marry her! She cannot give you any children; cannot produce the love feeling that you have with a living wife.

Q – My husband has a terrible skin disease, for eight years already. I love him very much and I have tried many ways, doctors, medicines, religion, meditation and hope to cure his disease. But it’s getting worse and worse every day. Now every time I look at him, my tears fall. And even worse, I began to dream about other man when I am so sad. Am I bad and disloyal? How can I cure my mind and my sadness?

M. No! You are not bad. Just the situation is bad. Now, everyone when we have sickness, we should try to first accept it; secondly, try to find a way to cure it. There must be some way to cure things. Above all, we have to pray to the God’s power to help us. We pray, but pray deeply. Sometimes the diseases are caused by past karma, past reaction, past retribution, that we have done something wrong or harmed somebody else  appearance, therefore now we have to reap this result. But after sometimes, if the karma wears off, then it begins to get better. There are many ways to cure skin disease. I have seen many people with a lot of very bad looking skin, but they still have a cure for it. So maybe you didn’t search enough. You have to ask for many more ways to do it, or tell your husband to pray himself, or meditate.

I cannot guarantee you that initiation will cure your disease, or your husband’s disease, because I don’t want to attract people to come to our group just because of the physical condition. That is not enough to liberate you, because we are still clinging to the material instead of wanting God, the giver of all things. Once we truly want God, He will give. If we only want things, you know what I mean? Sometimes He gives, sometimes He doesn’t. That’s the trouble.

In India there was a story about a king who liked to give all his things to his people. So he arrayed all his treasure around and told everyone to come and take whatever they like. And people took diamond, took gold or took treasure, took antique cups and all that, and then everybody was happy and went home. One girl only, she wanted nothing. She just walked straight up to the king and she said, “Are you also a gift? (Laughter) I only want this gift.” So, of course, the king was very surprised and happy that somebody wanted him for his sake, not the things that he gave. Of course, the king married her and then everything belonged to her. So want God only then everything will come to you.

“AwesomeSauce” Even Omnis Will Love

 

This recipe is from http://bankruptvegan.blogspot.com . She has many wonderful recipes.  Don’t forget to check it out!

My favorite vegan restaurant, Spiral Diner Fort Worth, makes an amazing nacho dish with what seems to be the latest sensation, a vegan “cheesy” sauce made from cashews. I love these nachos super hard. They are mouthwatering and fantastic. I even eat the jalapeno slices on top, because there’s the microscopic possibility that they might be ever-so-slightly impregnated with the sauce. The only problem is that, despite their fantastic food and friendly waitstaff, Spiral Diner has one slight imperfection… It’s expensive! And I’m eternally broke! To be fair, they do charge a decent price considering that the bulk of their foodstuff is organic. And, if I could afford it, I would not feel ripped off eating there every single day. Hell, every single MEAL if I could! But, sadly, my trips to Spiral happen only a handful of times per year. And I am forever trying to copy their recipes so that I can make their delicious yums at home for a fraction of the price. They do teach cooking classes on occasion, but I can’t afford those either. What’s a poor vegan to do??

Today I was really, desperately craving those nachos. Like, I mean, I had to have ’em, man! And I know the  not-so-secret ingredient in Spiral’s “cheesy” sauce is cashews. But, since when can a poor person afford raw cashews? Since almost-never, that’s when. So, I farted around with a couple of cashew-free “cheesy” sauce recipes I found online and came up with my own delicious chip-dipping substance, sans the expensive cashews. And it is fabulous!

Even your omni friends will love it. They won’t have any idea it’s vegan – it’s way too decadent to be rabbit food! They’ll think it’s some exotic, richly creamy awesomesauce. Hence the name, “awesomesauce.” I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (can sub all-purpose flour)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon mustard

• Whisk all ingredients together in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to a slight bubble, stirring constantly, over medium heat. 
• As soon as mixture begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and continue whisking until sauce thickens. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools, so be careful not to overcook.
• Turn heat off and remove saucepan from heat source. Stir a few more times and serve. 
• Enjoy!

P.S. AwesomeSauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. To reheat, just add a tablespoon or two of water and stir gently over medium-low heat until warm.

 

Retired US Army Commander Bob Dean Confirms Interaction with Extraterrestrials – part 2

Interviewer: Are you talking about the Galactic Federation?

Mr. Dean: There is indeed, surprisingly, something very much like a galactic federation. And I will tell you that the headquarters for that organization is not even in this galaxy. It’s in another galaxy. Apparently the universe is literally teeming with intelligent life. And yes, some of the more advanced races have come together and they have formed an organization. And they do get together frequently and communicate with each other. And project Earth and project human race is at the top of their list at the moment, because we are a difficult, troublesome species.

And they are really working to help us get through this transition. Now most of them went through transitions of this kind in their own histories- ancient, ancient histories going back eons of time, millennia, eons, literally. Some of those advanced species are a million years ahead of us scientifically, spiritually, culturally, psychologically, sociologically. I, I’ve seen that and I’ve been a part of that and I’ve been shown that, which literally has caused my old paradigm to collapse. Because, you see, I have seen what can be. I have seen what the human species can ultimately become. And I know that with assistance and help and guidance from a lot of them, we’re going to make it. But having seen that and then coming back and living in this world, I find it very painful.

Interviewer: Now, Supreme Master Ching Hai, our spiritual teacher, has spoken about what you were just describing, that they’ve gone through their own transition time on different planets, and in different places. And, and she’s spoken about the beings on Mars, that they had some global warming challenges, to the point where it was catastrophic. And people were not able to live on the surface any longer, and they are now living, those that were able to survive, which was a very small portion, living underground. And I’m just, one of the things that she had said is that they are wanting us to know what happened with them and not to make the same mistake. And one of the things that they said, their message was that we need to be virtuous, and not to kill other humans and animals. And, and I’m just wondering what your thoughts on that are and what you may know about the folks on Mars.

Mr. Dean: Well, she’s right in fact that there is life on Mars. There is a remnant of a vast civilization on Mars. Mars underwent some very terrible times, tectonically, and I think meteorologically. Mars suffered a great deal. There were some problems, earthquakes. Mars lost most of its surface seas. It lost most of its atmosphere. And the survivors of those cataclysms literally had to go underground.

And there are large cities under the surface on Mars. I gave you a photograph taken by the Soviet Phobos 2 spacecraft some years ago showing a city the size of Chicago (USA).

Mr. Dean: Now, this is a gigantic object, coming up from the surface of Mars.

Interviewer: Like what size are we talking about?

Mr. Dean: Oh, we’re talking about a mile, at least.

While it was in orbit, Phobos 2 took a number of other pictures.

Interviewer: Oh yes, this one.

Mr. Dean: That was Phobos 2, yes. This is an underground city on Mars, the size of Chicago (USA), and it’s generated an enormous amount of heat. But, it’s taken in the infrared. But you can look and you can see the city streets, and the blocks and all that, and there are a lot of people living there, I am sure. A couple of the other pictures that I show regularly at my presentations were taken by Apollo 13 on the way to the Moon. That object’s five miles long. That’s a big mother ship. I got to know a retired NASA scientist, Norman Bergrun. And he published the book called “The Ringmakers of Saturn,” and in that book, there were a whole bunch of pictures. This one, taken by Voyager I, 1980; this object here is 2,000 miles long, 450 miles in diameter, and it’s artificial, under intelligent control, and it moves around out there.

Interviewer: Now, this is actually the ring of Saturn here?

Mr. Dean: This is one of the rings, a portion of it.

Interviewer: What it’s going to take for us to be able to be at the space where our space brothers and sisters will feel comfortable letting us know they’re here in large massive, you know, awareness?

Mr. Dean: They have a program underway. Let me tell you something, but bluntly. They could have brought about full disclosure anytime they wanted. Now if they were to park some of their giant motherships, the one five and 10 miles long over large American cities and simply hover over Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and just sit up there for awhile, they would make the disclosure take place. So they are probably as concerned as some of our military and governmental authorities are too. They don’t want to shock people. There is a psychic shock that people can experience when they are confronted with the reality that they’re not prepared to deal with, like my experience with them.

Mr. Dean: Some of the crafts in your sky are theirs, some of the craft are ours. Some of the best ones are theirs. We are not quite yet where they are. And one of the reasons you see them is that they’re showing themselves to you. They hovered over O’Hare Airport, Chicago (USA) last year. They do this gently and subtlety, it’s non-threatening, but it’s sort of like you say, “Hey, wake up down there, you know. Look up here, pay attention, what do you make of this?” There’s more and more of this and you’re going to see as the year goes on. You’re going to see more of the giant triangles hovering over cities, bases, airports, and there are going to be pictures taken and people are going to look up, and the people are going to say, “What…what do you suppose (it is)? Could it be (a UFO)?” So they do that and they’ve been doing that for a long time.

They’re trying to gently bring us to a point where we can accept the reality of their presence without psychic shock. Because they want to avoid that, as I said, they know us better than we know ourselves.

Interviewer: Now I’ve heard that there’s about the genetic coding that DNA coding that there’s something special about humans and that we are to develop a gene of compassion. Have you heard anything about that and that it’s up to us to develop that?

Mr. Dean: There are many among us who have developed compassion and love. That is the bottom line, love. Because we have a Creator and that is one of the factors of that creation; that source of life. That source of light shows, gives nothing but love. And when you’ve been out there as I have, and I’ve been out there physically, spiritually, you learn that the most powerful, the most overwhelmingly powerful factor in infinite intelligence in life is love. And many human beings are making that step.

Interviewer:  To go back to my previous question about what is it like to be on the spaceship? What it’s like to be on the planet? What it’s like to have gone on a ride with these folks whether it’s to the future or another star system?

Mr. Dean: Out there, there’s no such thing as we understand it, of getting in a ship, pushing the button, cranking up the old motor, and chuca-chuca-chu chugging off out there and traveling from here to there. No, that’s not the way it is. That’s why we’re having such a problem coming to terms with it. They’re not limited by that. They don’t literally go chugging off from here to there. Their technology is such that they can be there from here, like that, literally. They tried to explain to me the fact that there is no death; that out there, there is no time. There is no such thing as past, present and future. There is only one eternal now. And we apparently, some of our scientists and some of our technicians, have learned some of that because we have developed already 40 years ago, hyperluminal flight. Ben Rich at Lockheed Martin (Corporation) said some years ago, before he died in 1995, he said that we can take E.T. (extraterrestrial) home. That was about the time E.T. the movie was out.

Mr. Dean: And in closing, I want to say to your viewers that, you get a tendency to get a little discouraged and depressed, and you get a little fearful sometimes, but I want to tell you from what I’ve seen from the past, the present and the future, that you’re in good hands, remember this. There is a God. There is no death, you are infinite immortal beings, and you are sparks of pure divinity yourself.

And this race, this species, does have a future, we’re going to make it, we’re going to get through this transition, this transformation, this adolescence, this painful period we’re going through. And there is going to be a new dawn and a new day and a new beginning. And there is a future for the human race. And I want your viewers to take heart, be brave, and love someone.

Interviewer: Thank you.

With heartfelt sincerity, thank you Mr. Dean for sharing your profound knowledge and precious wisdom with us. Your time, efforts and generosity in bringing forth the critical message about the existence of highly developed extraterrestrials to our world is much appreciated. May you enjoy the best of health always and every success in your future work.

To  watch the interview, please visit http://www.suprememastertv.com/ss/?wr_id=110&page=2&page=2#v

Retired US Army Commander Bob Dean Confirms Interaction with Extraterrestrials – part 1

Expert UFOlogist and former US Army Command Sergeant Major Bob Dean shares his knowledge and experience of interacting with human-like beings from other planets.

“We’ve been to the moon. We’ve been to Mars. And apparently some of our people have been to other star systems, because 40 years ago we developed not only zero point energy, but we developed anti-gravity, and we developed the ability to fly faster than the speed of light.”
— Robert Orel Dean (Retired US Army Command Sergeant Major, Expert Ufologist, USA)

One of the simple pleasures in life is gazing in the sky on the clear night to see the beautiful stars—some brighter, some dimmer, some closer, and some farther away. After admiring the firmament and this endless array of potential suns, can anyone truly believe that our Earth could be the only planet populated with intelligent life?

As most of us have never met anyone from other worlds or seen UFOs, it might be hard to believe that human-like beings live on other planets as well. However, some people are lucky to have actually interacted with beings from other planets. One such person is expert UFOlogist Robert Orel Dean of Arizona, USA, also known as Bob Dean. Mr. Dean, who was trained as an intelligence analyst and became a command sergeant major when he served in the US Army, has completed extensive studies in the fields of archaeology, theology, psychology and philosophy, and holds the equivalent of a master’s degree in emergency management. He has also headed a regional chapter of the Mutual UFO Network as well as having been a member of the Center for UFO Studies and a Board member of the Ancient Astronauts Society. Mr. Dean has been honored with three lifetime achievement awards for his contributions to the field of UFOlogy.

In an interview with Supreme Master Television, Bob Dean shared his knowledge and experience about beings from other planets and what he has learned from interacting with them. His experiences confirm that indeed we are not alone in the vast universe, but intelligent life exists on other planets as well. Below are excerpts parts from the interview.

Interviewer: When was your first opening to the whole realm of UFO’s?

Mr. Dean: I was a professional soldier for most of my life. But, I didn’t get exposed to this reality of the so-called extraterrestrial presence until 1963. I applied for and received an assignment in 1963 to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe; a place called SHAPE. And it was one of those choice plum assignments. And I arrived at Paris (France) in the summer of 1963 and immediately my top secret clearance was upgraded to a level called “Cosmic Top Secret,” the highest level of security classification in NATO. And immediately with my top secret upgrade to Cosmic I was assigned to a place called SHOC, the Supreme Headquarters Operation Center, which is the war room. And when I worked in the war room, I learned of a study that was under way. It involved UFO’s.

The reason was that a large number of metallic circular disc shaped objects flew from the Soviet Warsaw Pact sector from the East toward the West. And these objects were circular, metallic, disc shaped objects in formation, very obviously under intelligent control. And they flew across Europe, they flew across Germany, France, the southern coast of England and they turned north over the English Channel and they disappeared off NATO radar over the Norwegian Sea, on the morning of the 2nd of February in 1961. And it was all over within about 20 minutes. The Soviets thought those objects belonged to us. We thought they belonged to the Soviets. We were to find later that they didn’t belong to anybody. And the study was initiated immediately after that event.

Mr. Dean also shared how reading a top secret document called “The Assessment: An Evaluation of a Possible Military Threat to NATO Forces in Europe” launched his journey as a UFOlogist. This report, completed in 1964, assessed the potential danger posed by extraterrestrials.

Mr. Dean: That was a spark that kindled my fire in 1964. I couldn’t leave it; I couldn’t walk away from it. The conclusion of the study was quite simple. Apparently there is no threat. Apparently the human race on the planet has been under observation and survey by several advanced extraterrestrial intelligences from the beginning of human history. That was one of the conclusions. They concluded that apparently there was no threat involved because the repeated manifestation of incredibly advanced technology indicated that if they had been malevolent or hostile, it would have been over a long time ago. And that began my journey and I haven’t turned back since.

Based on that study, that assessment, I was interested in them. Who are they? Where are they from? Why are they here? What’s this all about? Why are they interested in us? I began to find out over the years that it wasn’t about them at all, it’s about us. It really is all about us. Who are we? What are we? How did we come to be here? Why are we here? And is there a purpose? Is there a meaning in our lives? And where are we going? What’s the future?  Where do we go from here? And that’s where I have been for the last 20 years. And I have been speaking out, openly, bluntly, candidly, loudly, about this subject. Over the years I have developed the ability, and I have been fortunate enough to have face-to-face meetings with some of them. I have been aboard their ships. I was even taken to one of their home planets. Apparently I have had an intimate interrelationship with non-human intelligence since I was two years old. My whole life has been involved with them to some degree. It took me many, many years before I began to become aware of my personal involvement. And it took me a long time for me to discard my old world paradigm. And I’ve learned there is a purpose. There is a meaning.

Interviewer: It is very important to share. You have had face-to-face contact with them. What are they like? What was it like to be on their ship? How did you get there? What’s their planet like? Why are we here?

Mr. Dean: The SHAPE military study concluded that we were dealing with four different groups that have been coming and going. They were all humanoid, not all human. But out of those four different groups, one group was totally human, like us. They could sit next to you in a theater or restaurant, or an airplane, or a bus — it doesn’t matter. They could be in your midst and you’d never know. Good God, they could be everywhere. Well, we were to find over the years that they are pretty much everywhere. They are in our midst. When I retired in 1976, we learned that there were at least a dozen more from different places.

And we learned back then, as early as 1976, that yes, some of them were interplanetary. Yes, some of them were interstellar. Yes, some of them are intergalactic. And by God, the thing that really upset the few that knew the story in those days, was [that] some of them apparently were multi-dimensional. They were popping in and out of portals from other dimensions. Now we are having a relationship with interplanetary visitors, interstellar, intergalactic. But the more advanced ones, the more spiritually advanced, apparently are intergalactic. That was a difficult lesson to learn, not only for our military and our intelligence authorities, but for our scientists. You see, we are looking at science that is a thousand… ten thousand years beyond our own! I think Arthur Clarke said it one time that advanced scientific intelligence would appear to us to be magic. Well, it does appear to many others to be magic. But it’s not magic to them. It’s technology to them.

They are not visitors. They are not here as tourists, dropping in for a weekend or something like that. The planet is under quarantine. And the only ones who come and go regularly are the professionals, the anthropologists, the historians, the scientists, from their groups. They come regularly. They are here most of the time. It’s one of the reasons why there is not about to be a disclosure anytime soon, because the story is simply too big.

Among the things we have seen, and the things I have learned first-hand is that, this beautiful, wonderful planet that our ancestors called Gaia; they looked upon her as a goddess and that the planet was alive. I have learned that that’s true. This beautiful little blue-green planet is alive. But this planet apparently is one of the richest and ripest zoological gardens in this quadrant of the galaxy. The life forms, the flora and fauna on this planet are practically infinite. That’s why Earth is such a valuable commodity. There are probably thousands of intelligent species out there, looking upon this little tiny planet, this zoological garden, as an incredibly valuable commodity. And I point out to people, “You know, you’re part of the fauna. It might be difficult for your ego to deal with, you are simply an occupant in this zoological garden.” But now we’re dealing with the custodians. They’re not visitors. They’re not owners. The word that I’ve got from them, they’re custodians. They’re protecting and looking after the life on this planet. And the human race is part of that fauna.

The human race, the whole species is undergoing a transcendent transformation, literally from one level of species, one race, into another. The human race is undergoing a form of what I call “a late adolescence.” And I point out to people that, “If you remember your own adolescence, and you remember how painful it was and how difficult it was, the whole species is undergoing a transition from adolescence into adulthood.” And we’ve got some good friends in high places out there, fortunately, some very good friends, who want to see us make it.

They don’t own us. We are not property, as Charles Fort said one time. But we are not quite finished yet as a race. We are a work in progress. We are an unfinished product. And we’ve got some good friends in high places that are trying to assist us, to help us get through this transition. And it’s an awkward period. But, I believe in the human race. It has a future. We are having some rough and difficult times, but we’re going to make it. And the reason I decided to come with you this afternoon and give you this interview, was hopefully to be able to say to your audience, to the viewers, that people really should not be afraid.

They have nothing to fear. We’re going to make it through and we are going to reach a form of adulthood. And we are in time going out there and taking our rightful place in this infinite universe filled with intelligent life. And I say to people, “Your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren are going to the stars. And they’re going out there, and they’re going to take their rightful place.” Humans have a right to sit at those great conferences, those great tables filled with all the infinite intelligent life forms out there.

For Little Angels – Lesson 15

By Master Duy Tue
Originally in Vietnamese

Lesson 15 – Focus on your talent

Do you know what talent means?

Everyone can be good at more than one thing. For example, you do well in math, geography, physics, and language arts. In which subject does your talent show? The subject that you like best and always have the highest scores of all.

You may like physics but your physics scores are not always high. You also like math and your math scores are always the highest in the class. If the teacher asked you to focus either on math or physics to receive a scholarship to go to college, which one would you choose? Pick math.

When it comes to considering a subject to invest your time and energy in, don’t make a decision according to your feelings. You should choose the subject where your talent is shown.

Focus on the subject that you have been doing excellently in school. Focus on developing your talent, not on what you want but are not sure how far you can go with.

The World Calls for Strong Climate Action

Sept. 23, 2014

Joined by government leaders and celebrities, hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens in New York City, USA and across the globe took to the streets in possibly the largest climate demonstration in history on Sunday, September 21. The People’s Climate March movement was held two days before the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York as a call for world leaders to pledge stronger measures on global warming.

Image credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

People’s Climate March in New York, City: (from right) French Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, former US Vice President Al Gore (vegan), renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius

March for the planet

In New York City, as many as 400,000 people rallied through the streets of Manhattan as part of the People’s Climate March. Prominent participants were United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who presided over the summit, former US Vice President and vegan Al Gore, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, French Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres, and renowned primatologist and UN Messenger of Peace Jane Goodall.

Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Evangeline Lilly, Edward Norton, and Mark Ruffalo, as well as British singer-songwriter Sting, also marched.

The participants showed a remarkable diversity. Among them were indigenous groups, well-known environmentalists and scientists, college students, children and seniors, as well as activists from overseas.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters at the march, “This is the planet where our subsequent generations will live. There is no ‘Plan B’ because we do not have ‘Planet B’.”

Actress Evangeline Lilly told the New York Daily News that she was marching for “my child, my family, and for everyone who has the great privilege of living on this beautiful planet of ours.”

The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association was among the hundreds of organizations that participated. Our Association members, joining in from New York, New Jersey, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Hawaii and other US states, as well as South Korea, handed out 6,000 vegan sandwiches and vegan cookies along with information about the vegan solution to climate change. This was to raise awareness on the crucial fact that meat production is the primary cause of global warming and that a collective switch to a vegan diet would be the most pragmatic and immediately beneficial action. A study published by the Worldwatch Institute found that the meat industry is the single largest cause of human-induced global warming. According to a Greenpeace report, animal raising also accounts for at least 80% of the Amazon region’s deforestation, itself a major factor in climate change.

Around the globe

Coinciding with the march in New York, a rally was held in London, UK with some 40,000 people, including actress Emma Thompson and musician Peter Gabriel. Some demonstrators were wearing animal costumes to make the important point that not only humans but also animals are suffering due to the effects of climate change.

Ms. Thompson stated, “Every single person on this Earth has the power to change the world. And when we all come together, our power becomes irresistible. Now we must use our power to tackle the biggest threat humanity has ever faced.”

An estimated 30,000 people marched in Melbourne, Australia, citing concerns of facing more bushfires and droughts intensified by global warming.

It has also been reported that 25,000 marched in Paris, France, while 15,000 came together in Berlin, Germany.

These demonstrations were among more than 2,500 events reportedly attended by some 600,000 people in over 150 countries including Italy, Bulgaria, Colombia, Brazil, India, Afghanistan, Turkey, Egypt, Tanzania, Formosa (Taiwan), South Korea, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.

The largest summit of its kind

Approximately 120 presidents and prime ministers attended the one-day summit on Tuesday to help add momentum for the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled in December. It was the largest number of world leaders to have ever attended a climate conference. US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff were speakers at the summit.

Supreme Master Ching Hai, who has always called for protecting the planet, stated the following in a videoconference in Los Angeles, USA on May 29, 2014: “We have to take care of this planet as much as possible. Otherwise, the next generation will have nowhere to go. We have the duty to do that. And I hope all the people, including the government, hurry up with all the programs to save the planet. Time is precious.”

Our salute to all involved around the globe for your powerful display of solidarity through the marches as you further raised awareness about the urgency of climate change. We are grateful to Supreme Master Ching Hai for her loving concern for our earth and all her inhabitants. With appreciation for the government leaders at the summit, we pray for your success in quickly carrying out bold and effective solutions to restore our planet for future generations.

God Almighty Takes Care Of Everything

Master Ching Hai tells story

There was once one very conscientious Indian yoga practitioner. One day his very old and sick mother died. He became very happy and immediately ran to the big hall, kneeling there he thanked God Almighty! He was there prostrating and saying, “Thank you God! I had not asked and had not prayed to You, but You had already given me a great blessing. Now that my mother had been taken away by You, I am very free and I’m able to think about You wholeheartedly everyday without any encumbrance. Thank You!”

He was there joyously dancing and singing. The neighbors felt it very strange: How come? His mother has died, and he did not shed a tear, and he has even dancing and singing. I mean he was dancing a type of dance as to make an offering to God, not that he was going to a karaoke, it’s not the same! Perhaps it was about the same, moving and shaking, they looked the same. But his mother would not be sad because his mother was also very pious spiritual practitioner, just like himself. They both knew that the world is ephemeral. Thus his mother was very happy when she passed away, and he was also very happy after she passed away. They were both strange people!
After burying his mother, he went to the bank of the Ganges everyday reciting the God five names, meditating, and communicating with God Almighty. It had been three days and this person did not eat or drink anything. He totally forgot about it. He was sitting on one very secluded bank of the Ganges where no pilgrims pass by, thus he did not get anything to eat. Every day he was very happily recited the five names and meditated, so he forgot about hunger.
God Almighty spoke to the people beside Him, “Alas! What a pity! My disciple down there is dying of hunger and it seems like I am not being responsible; not giving him anything to eat. He is there, remembering me every moment of the day, yet I am here forgetting to protect him.” Then God told the angel beside Him to bring some good food to the riverside for him. A lot of blessed food was put on a gold plate: chapatti, milk, apple etc. and brought to that person. That angel had never seen a human being before, not mention a boy. She was a girl and a bit shy to see a boy, so she silently put the plate beside him and flew away.

That person saw the food but did not see anyone come. He thanked God thinking it must have been sent by Him. He finished the food and continued to recite God’s name, meditate, and enter Samadhi. Suddenly a lot of people surrounded him and woke him up. They were carrying sticks and broad swords wanting to arrest him. Very puzzled he said, “Why? What is the matter?” They said, “You thief. You dare to steal this gold plate from God’s temple. We want to take you to the King to punish you.” No matter how he tried to explain, the soldiers would not believe him. Because they saw this poor boy in tattered clothes sitting by the river, they could not imagine that he could possess such a precious gold plate, thus they assumed that he must have stolen it. The plate looked like the ones used in the church to make offerings to God, so they were to take him back to be punished.

After taking him back, the King was very angry. He told his subordinates to beat him. He was beaten for a long time, very hard and very seriously, but that yogi did not feel anything at all, and continued to laugh (Master laughs). Not laughing like I am, but about the same. He was not only laughing, he was also very happy like being tickled. They got tired of beating him; their hands were sore. (Master laughs.) Then they stopped beating him and let him go. The King also felt strange, feeling as if God was protecting him, thus he dared not continue with the beating. But he was very curious and ran to the temple to see if such a plate that had been stolen.

When the king went to the temple, he saw blood flowing from God’s statue. He was very surprised, “How could it be so? How could an idol bleed?” Not only that, the places that were bleeding were exactly the places as on that person which had been beaten. Therefore, he knelt there repenting not knowing what sins he had committed. Later he realized that perhaps that person was innocent, beating him was like beating God, thus God’s statue was bleeding. At that point, the King and his ministers were all very frightened. They all hurried to the riverside, knelt, and repented to that small, penniless yogi; they also offered him food every day. When they went back to the temple, they saw that God’s statue was no longer bleeding, hence they knew the reason.

Because this person was very earnest in his meditation, he thought only about God every day, so God felt guilty because he did not have anything to eat. If it was because of the food that he was beaten, then of course it was God’s fault. Thus He bore the punishment himself. Understand? It is not that after being God or Buddha you care nothing. If we truly practice sincerely then God will take care of everything. This is the meaning of the story.

Persistent Optimism In Adversity

Spoken by Master Ching Hai

Since ancient times, all great spiritual practitioners, great kings, and great men have succeeded through perseverance. They did not succeed in an instant. Therefore, when we encounter difficulties, we ought to thank the Creator, God Almighty for giving us the opportunity to discipline our patience.

No matter what situation we are in, we must look on the bright side. Look at the optimistic side. Don’t pick on the little things. We should turn the undesirable situation into one that will benefit us.

Even though we live in a place where there is no freedom, but if our hearts are filled with happiness and satisfaction, obtaining the inner source of happiness, then we are truly free.

There is a kind of freedom, which, once we have obtained, no one can tempt away from us nor can anyone destroy it. This kind of spiritual freedom can only be achieved by spiritual practitioners. Once we have this kind of freedom, even if our bodies are confined or tortured, our spirits will not be affected.

Nothing is truly difficult. It depends on whether we want to change ourselves, to recognize honestly which are the good qualities in us and which are deceiving and harmful to us. We have to be honest with ourselves because no one can tell us. Even though we know, but if we are too stubborn or too lazy to change, or too concerned about our image to admit and correct the fault, then it will bring a lot of trouble.

It is enough for us if everything we do is from inside and we know our own nature and standpoint. We should not imitate others.

Every time we extend loving kindness, tolerance and understanding to others, at that time we create heaven.

The Gentle Dog

Master Tells Jokes

There was a thief who went to a very out- standing looking mansion to steal something. Outside of the mansion, there was a sign with a picture of a dog’s head which said, “MEAN DOG INSIDE, PLEASE KEEP OUT!”

But the thief went inside and stole all the things he wanted. After he put them all in a bag and was on his way out, the thief added something under the sign. It said, “That dog was very gentle. Don’t misjudge it.”