I wrote some more. “Dear all US presidents and governors and government representatives who honored me on that day and gave us this Day to celebrate and in other occasions as well. I thank you for the recognition, but my donation, which was my duty, or anything else I do good for the world or to any being, it was considered by myself as my duty anyway. And I’m always grateful to God for the chance, for the opportunity, for the fortune to be able to do these good deeds. I know surely, it’s not because of my donation; because your country is rich and powerful, and surely many others would be willing and happy to contribute much more to your government, or your citizens, or your country, for any cause, any time. My contribution was so humble, so little, compared to that. But I think it is God who had spoken through your pure faith and humility of heart. And I thank God through you, but I thank you also. May God bestow upon you honor manifold.” I thank all worldwide well wishes as well, and enjoyable performances today, as extra.

Today, we will share with you about the bird species’ vocalizations, which include both calls and songs. Generally, our calls are brief and serve as alarms or to keep a flock together. Our songs are longer and more complex and may serve as signals of courtship. The songs are also more melodious. Both chicks and human infants build sound templates in their brains by listening to their parents’ voices. Then they start to strengthen their vocal muscles by making nonsensical sounds. In the last stage, young birds will practice the same tune thousands of times and compare it with the template they memorized until they achieve a perfect match. Our vocalizations are made possible by a voice organ, unlike any other. The organ that birds use to vocalize is called a syrinx, and it is lower down, just before the windpipe enters the lungs. The syrinx has two sides, which our most-gifted singers can use to simultaneously produce high-frequency and low-frequency sounds, plus at different tempos and volumes. For us birds, the better we can vocalize, the more likely it is that we will have fulfilling lives.

Today we present two touching films, “Oddball” and “The Stray,” both based on true stories. The first film is “Oddball,” set on Middle Island, off the beautiful coast of Warrnambool in Victoria, Australia. With many twists and turns, this adventure film shows us how loving, intelligent, and courageous our canine friends are, and what a big difference they can make in our lives as well as that of other living beings. Our second feature today is the 2017 family drama, “The Stray.” “The Stray” tells the true story of Pluto the Wonder Dog, a stray dog who sacrificed his own life to protect his caregiver. “Oddball” and “The Stray” are two heartwarming films about human’s best friends. Endearing and moving, they show us that dogs are truly our guardian angels who love and bless us unconditionally, filling our lives with joy.

Next, we have a very special poem recitation by our fellow Association member. She will read the poetry of Sheikh Baha’i, a 16th century poet scholar, philosopher and architect expressing the search for God through the Master. “I did not understand. but I feel so touched. (Thank You so much, Master.) I’m crying. Thank you all of the Iranians. I wish I can see all of you one day. Please say my love to all the Iranians.” The next performance is a dance entitled “Song from Đồng Tháp” by fellow initiates from Âu Lạc. “Beautiful, come. It’s good, it’s good. It’s a beautiful and natural dance today. Beautiful and natural, OK!” Next, she will be performing “When in Love” from “Pebbles and Gold” composed by Supreme Master Ching Hai. Our grand finale program is the “Fan Dance” by the Chinese initiates, titled “A Good Beginning.” The dance symbolizes a good beginning of a new age, which opens a peaceful avenue for a vegan world. “Master, Happy Supreme Master Ching Hai Day!” “Happy Supreme Master Ching Hai Day to everybody.”

On February 24, 2019, a joyous celebration was held at the New Land Ashram in Taiwan, also known as Formosa in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Supreme Master Ching Hai Day. Master also graced the occasion. We now invite you to enjoy this jubilant celebration with us. “Recently, Supreme Master Ching Hai shared the fantastic news that She has created a New Heaven, especially for Her disciples. Our first performance will be a response to this message. The performance is called ‘Brightness,’ which will interpret how people regain freedom.” “Our next performance expresses this joyful feeling that we felt when we learned of the good news of the Promising New Heaven. Let's welcome the dance ‘A Joyful Song.’” “Next is a song adapted from a poem in the poetry collection ‘Pebbles and Gold,’ by our Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai.” “The next spectacular show brought by the Taipei center is ‘Zhuo Dance,’ a Tibetan dance of Chinghai province, China.”

The Kalinago, previously known as the Caribs, are a proudly independent group of people who emigrated from South America to the Caribbean islands around the 13th century. Their skills as boat builders and sailors helped them expand their territory so that by the time the Spanish arrived two centuries later, they were the dominant culture on the islands. Today, most of the remaining 3,500 or so Kalinago live in Kalinago Territory, an autonomous region on the rugged eastern coast of Dominica. Fortunately, certain elements remained very strong, including basket weaving, cassava processing and canoe-building. Canoes have been a bedrock of the Kalinago culture since their ancestors left the Orinoco River Delta in South America 800 years ago. Through the concept of a living museum, the Kalinago Cultural Village by the Sea has created direct and indirect economic opportunities for the people, including employment for the Kalinago youth that enables them to showcase their traditions.

“So how did You first get into meditation?” “I meditated when I was even young already without knowing, without any teacher. And then as you grow up and you see so much suffering in the world, you just wonder why and what you can do. Then that's how I began searching - in books, in church, in temple, and looking for gurus and looking for answers. And once I found it, I just stick to it. There's no other way that I can help, so this is the best way, the Quan Yin (inner Heavenly Light and Sound Method). They liberate themselves.” “What kind of artwork are you focusing on these days? Poetry or painting or…What's interesting to You right now? “Right now, I'm not interested in anything because I don't have time. All the artwork or the poetry, I wrote or I made when I was younger, when I had less disciples. Right now, I don't really have time. Also, I have to meditate a lot. Our world is in danger. I have to balance a little bit with the negative and positive.”

The Marvel characters that he helped formulate live in the real world. They come with imperfections and a human touch. Ultimately, the Marvel superheroes exemplify the best qualities within each and every one of us. Moreover, his noble ideals always shone through his creations. The one constant outcome in his stories was that “good would triumph over evil and love conquers all.” In 1972, Stan Lee became Marvel’s editorial director and publisher. Later, in 1980, he moved to Los Angeles to promote Marvel’s film ventures. He revolutionized the entire industry and catapulted Marvel into being the world’s top publisher of comic books. Stan Lee won numerous accolades during his prolific career. In 2008, he received the prestigious National Medal of Arts. In 2010, he founded The Stan Lee Foundation to provide literary resources, arts programs, and education to people of all ages, while promoting diversity, literacy, culture, and the arts. He had lived a brilliant, meaningful 95 years. “That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt a real superhero.” - Stan Lee

With the commission of a great art dealer and book publisher, Ambroise Vollard, Mr. Chagall initiated his world renowned “The Bible” illustrations project in 1931. It’s considered one of his greatest masterpieces. In 1938, he painted White Crucifixion, an oil on canvas. In the following years, Mr. Chagall produced many other celebrated works. At the age of 80, Mr. Chagall painted two monumental murals for the lobby of New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, at Lincoln Center; The Sources of Music and The Triumph of Music. On March 28, 1985, while working on a tapestry for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, he passed away at his home in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, at the age of 97. Mr. Marc Chagall enriched the world by producing a vast collection of images and poetry, featuring biblical themes and memories of everyday life.

“There was one bird who came into my garden. She was spotted all over the body. And she walked with me like she knew me forever. And one day I said, ‘Wow! You’re so beautiful. Can I show you on TV? The way you walk with me and friendly.’ She said, ‘No. Please don’t. People might capture me.’ Then I woke up, I said, ‘That’s for sure.’ They talk to me in such a way it amazes me in English, in their English. I mean inside, a telepathic way, not speaking. Their English is, my God, it’s better than mine. And they use words that I didn’t use before, that I don’t often use. Very high English. Oh my God. I can spend all my life with animals.” “No matter what I say, love is felt inside. I truly appreciate that you came from such a long way here. Despite your schedule, your family and everything. And without further ado, may I invite you to dinner, to my humble little kitchen. Let’s go now!”

The Russian-French artist Marc Chagall was hailed as one of the giants of European Modernism in the visual arts, during the 20th century. Love and religion, and then later, peace and humanity, were the prominent subjects in his work, presented in a dreamlike, lyrical or metaphorical way. How did Marc Chagall begin his artistic journey? Let’s go back to his origins. He was the eldest of nine children. Considering that his parents were observant Hasidic Jews, religion played an important role in his family, and later became an enduring source of inspiration for his art. At the age of 13, he was enrolled in a Russian high school, where a passion for art formed in his heart. Marc’s formal training in art began when the renowned realist artist Yehuda Pen, of Vitebsk. In 1910, Marc moved to Paris to further his studies. Paris was then the center of international arts and culture. The lively and thrilling artistic atmosphere, cultural activities, and everything else about Paris Stimulated the young artist. Marc Chagall’s paintings often featured his beloved wife. Bella was his muse, as well as the bride in many of his paintings. Flowers are another constant subject in Mr. Changall’s paintings. “His work has a kind of universality to it, which traverses cultures, to a kind of instantly understandable theme.”

Ethiopia is one of the world’s oldest countries. In today’s show, we are delighted to share with you three Ethiopian worship songs in Amharic. The First song is called, “Holy Spirit,” performed by Zuriyash Tsega W/Tensai and Samuel T Michael. The song expresses one’s deep longing for the radiant presence of the Holy Spirit. Our next song is “Igziabeher’s Peace” composed by Mesfin Gutu, and performed by Bereket, Ephrem, Sammy, and Teddy. “Igziabeher” means “Our Father Lord of Eternity” in Geez, a language used by the ancient Ethiopian Tewahado Church. Finally, our third song is called “It is Possible,” performed by Kalkidan Abebe and composed by Ayouab Gebremariam. This Amharic Gospel song uplifts our spirit and reminds us of all the things we can do when we remember God.

“The music really lifts your soul up. And soothes your heart so much. When I’m working very hard, even myself, of course I have inner music anytime 24/7. But when I’m working too hard in this physical planet, I still need to play a little bit like mandolin or something. Then I feel relaxed. Physically relaxed. The soul is different. The mind different. But the physical, when I play a little music afterwards, I feel relaxed, feel less stressed, and then I can continue. I take my mandolin to my cave even, believe it or not. I play in a cave.” “Many animals they have so much talent, so much telepathic ability. They can see beyond what we can see. But they don’t show it. They hide their talents. They worry, it’s for security reason. If they have too much talent or too much beauty, other people might want them, take them away from us and things like that, or abuse their talents. And my dog, when she speaks English, oh! We showed it on TV, she said, no. And then later I had to tell her, ‘We have to sacrifice. Even if something’s not good, we have to do it. It’s for the world, for all the other dogs, so people know that dogs are intelligent.’ Then she said OK. I knelt in front of her and begged her and kissed her paw, and then she said OK.”

Stan Lee, a legend in the comic book industry, played a major role in creating hundreds of beloved Marvel Comics characters, from Spider-Man to the Fantastic Four, the Hulk to Thor and the X-Men. Stan Lee humanized heroes who continue to influence pop culture and inspire young and old to always follow the path of light. Growing up, Stan Lee had different interests than his schoolmates. Stan Lee believed that somewhere within him lay the “Great American Novel” waiting to be written. Stan Lee’s career made big bounds in 1941. He wanted to be a trendsetter, not a copycat of sorts. In a last bid to continue in the field of comic books, Stan Lee awakened his creative genius and began writing what he wanted. Just like that Stan Lee helped revived the comic industry, resurrecting Marvel Comics and setting it apart from its competition. Stan Lee become the face of Marvel and gained himself a legion of fans.

“I'm so happy to see you love each other so much. Such a love that I can even see it. It's funny, right? People say you can't see love, you cannot explain love, you cannot feel love, but I can see it. I can see it on the stage. Love you cannot act. Love you guys. I'm so happy.” “I never thought you would come, maybe you'd come, but one or two people. I never thought that you all come like this. Such a love I feel, love I feel before you came already. I don't even look at you. I don't look picture. Sometimes it comes back to my mind and I feel so much love between us, like we are family or something. Like best friend or something. I really love you guys so much. I wish I have more luck. I wish I had more luck so that I have more time. I mean, luck meaning more time to spend with people like you.”

We welcome back Mr. Christian Adda as he speaks about how the African Cultural Centre welcomes project proposals from artists, and supports the artists in bringing their projects to fruition. “We have a lot of them. We try to sort them out so that it stays in the vision of what we want to do, of promoting African culture and making this culture known.” As Mr. Adda explains, media plays an important role in cultural development and cultural appropriation. “So, we believe and are convinced that the media must be motors to convey all that is art or all that is cultural heritage. So, we are convinced that culture, knowing one’s culture, helps us to go beyond our potential.” The African Cultural Centre strives to serve as a bridge between Moroccan officials and Sub-Saharan communities. “We want to merge and we also want to build bridges. So, the Cultural Centre started here, and we will build bridges to other countries; and create these bridges so that we can start from our cultures to get answers for the development of our continent. We will participate much more in finding solutions, African solutions.” Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Lovingly contribute US$20,000 further support this uniting and comforting centre for the Africans.”

“When we look at You, we see Your spirit, we see Your energy, we see Your aura, we see Your heart.” “I am beautiful and I love myself. Truly I don’t feel any older, I said. Just work too hard sometimes. But I really appreciate my lifestyle, like vegan and meditation. Because if the way I work, The way I work, if same age people, I think nobody can bear it. But I feel OK. I’m surprised. It's awesome that you have personal experience like that. Many people don't even know about this. That's what people call dying. But for us, it's just like a game. It's looking forward to leaving the body and then go somewhere, have more fun, more happiness and more légère (light), feel lighter instead.” “Everything is beautiful. Beautiful food, beautiful hotel, beautiful arrangements, beautiful speakers and art and performers. What a blessed evening. Honestly, our hearts are filled with joy.”

The Bandura was believed to be a companion of humanity, producing heavenly reverberations to comfort our souls in this material world. This exceptional instrument originates from the spiritual culture of the ancient Sumero-Akkadian civilization. The Akkadians played early versions of the Bandura in their religious events as well as in festivities and for entertainment. Later, the charming instrument was introduced into eastern European countries. The beautiful bandura where several distinctly recognizable styles are used in performances. Many Ukrainian people considered these singing bandurists to be “God’s messengers,” or “vessels of God’s word.” Like their musical predecessors, modern-day folk bandurists assimilate melodies from a wide range of inspirations. Let’s now enjoy a delightful solo by a famous bandurist, Victor Mishalow, as he performs for the National Library of Australia Collection.

Let's hear more from Ms. Williams-Crosby in her talk titled: “Making an Act of Conviction - With God[All] These Are Possible.” “Supreme Master Ching Hai. I want to thank You so much for allowing my family to be part of Your family. It’s a great blessing. And to be able to feel so much love and respect is a great gift. I stand here today because of an act of conviction that I made to God on September 19th, 1977. Well, I never looked back after that act of contrition. I’ve been a vegan for 40 years. I also now produce faith-based film shorts. And that’s my way of giving back by spreading God’s messages. So for me, I can’t get through a day unless I know I have connected. And Supreme Master Ching Hai, through all Your teachings, You have shown a great Light, inner pathway for people that have faith. Because then we get stronger and stronger.” “It's just like you want a strong body, you got to put a little resistance on those muscles to build. Our spirit needs a little resistance, a little trouble, so we can work through that. Because in times of great trouble, miracles do happen. Thank you.” “Wow! Very interesting.”

“Supreme Master, thank You so much for having us here. It’s a really wonderful experience. And before we play the next piece, I just wanted to recount an experience that I had a couple of days ago. I was looking at some of Your artwork that You’ve made over the years and some of the photographs that You’ve taken, and I was having a conversation with two of Your disciples. And they were explaining to me in great detail, Your creative process and how You went about taking these photographs and making these paintings. And the energy that they exuded when they were having this conversation with me, impacted me in a way that was, I would say transcendent. I felt after speaking with them and experiencing, like the competence and the kindness and the compassion with which they spoke, I became like almost physically kind of elated. …So, I just want to say that the inspiration that You share with Your disciples and the people here is truly magical. And thank You so much for all that You do.” “And now ‘I Will Forever Love You’ and these words are very important and very comforting." Wow! Enchanting! Let’s all show our warm appreciation for Kerry and Michan Walsh.