Named after a Persian goddess of music, Zohra, the country’s first all-female orchestra is composed of 30 young women ranging in age from 13 to 20 years. The origins of this unique ensemble can be traced to the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), created in 2010 under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and the Deputy Ministry for Technical Vocation and Educational Training, as

Next, we’ll have a splendid program of poetry recitation by the Chiayi center. “(Oh, it’s a ‘pocket program.’” “’The green grass on the riverbank.’ Ah…Ah…Ah… I watch the clouds drift by slowly, and dream of a faraway place. I watch the birds fly by swiftly, and dream of a faraway place. I wonder if God sees the smile on my face. I hope I can leave here one day, and live in the faraway place deep i

The third program is a Hakka folk song performed by the Keelung center. “Heaven Will Reward Those Who Work Hard.” “Why working so hard?” “(because strangely, there seemed to be lots of traffic, be it on the highway or the freeway. Wow!) It’s because all of you. They are your cars. Who else’s? (Despite waiting for a long time, we all felt very happy. We’re full of hope today, in a state of bliss. O

"These robbers just spared us because they knew they couldn’t bully us. If you had persisted, you could have beaten them." "If we can’t scare them off then just give them the money. Because fighting will only get both sides deeper into animosity." "Help! Someone help me please!" "Someone is calling for help!?" "Now what? Remove the rocks?" "Be careful, otherwise the rocks may collapse even

Today we’ll look at historical and modern forms of gardening in Germany, along with its neighboring countries of Austria and the Netherlands. One famous German garden is Sanssouci Park, located in the historical city of Potsdam, near Berlin. Sanssouci and its gardens became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990, and it’s now visited by over two million people each year from all over the world. Simi

We respectfully invite Master to sit in front of us to enjoy today’s celebration programs for the Moon Festival with us. The first program is brought to us by Taipei choir. The Luminous Choir will sing for us 'Missing the Other Shore.' It depicts the feeling of all initiates who long to go Home. 'Missing the Other Shore.' Let’s welcome them with a round of applause. "I’m a happy yogi. I can do any

The Italian Renaissance Garden emerged in the late 15th century at villas in the historic cities of Rome and Florence. One famous Italian Renaissance Garden is the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, near Rome. It is especially famous for its large profusion of fountains. In 1495, His Majesty King Charles VIII brought the Italian Renaissance Garden style to France. French Renaissance gardens were desig

Welcome to Part 1 of our drama entitled “The Stone Painter,” written and performed by our Aulacese (Vietnamese) Association members. It’s a story about the filial noble lady Ngọc Lê who set out to find a magical remedy for her father’s illness, only to discover a panacea more wonderful than anything she could ever ask for. Please enjoy. A long time ago in Âu Lạc (Vietnam), there was a distr

At the 2020 World Unity Week conference, Supreme Master Ching Hai reminded us: "It’s good that we have this opportunity to express our unity spirit and gratefulness to Heaven and Earth for our world really needs it. Needs earnest prayers and sincere effort to unite all beings on the planet. Because we are all nourished from Earth and blessed by Heavens. We are brothers and sisters including all no

Gardening was first recognized as an art form in Europe in the sixteenth century, when it became a symbol of the “ideal republic,” evoking images of the Garden of Eden. Supreme Master Ching Hai, a keen gardener Herself, has praised the joy of gardening on many occasions saying this in a gathering with our Association members in France: “In your house, if you have land, even a small garden, you cul

As humanity faces the calamities and challenges of our time, we need to keep our spirit of oneness and work together. During the 2020 World Unity Week conference, Supreme Master Ching Hai reminded us: “It’s good that we have this opportunity to express our unity spirit and gratefulness to Heaven and Earth for our world really needs it, needs earnest prayers and sincere effort to unite all beings o

In the 1980s, other samba genres appeared in the eastern state of Bahia. Olodum is an African-Brazilian percussion group. One of their most popular performances, “They Don’t Care About Us,” was recorded in 1996, with the king of pop, Michael Jackson. There are four main characteristics of samba music – the heavy drums’ ensemble called bateria, the steady, hypnotic rhythms, the repetitive si

Imagine when walking on the street, a group of people suddenly appear from nowhere and start to perform beautiful music or dance. Wouldn’t it be a nice surprise? Indeed, art brightens our days and soothes our minds with beauty and inspiration, especially when it happens unexpectedly. Flash mobs are such a lovely practice that delights the public’s eyes and ears. Today, we will present some

Brazilian music encompasses a wide range of genres from different cultures and has integrated them together. Among the country’s diverse styles of music, samba, or samba carioca, is the most iconic. Each year during the celebration of the Brazilian Carnival, splendid samba performances express the overflowing, delightful energy and enthusiasm of the Brazilian people. Music is an integral pa

In Part 2 of our program, we’ll continue to share some fascinating projects that people have embarked upon during the COVID-19 lockdown. Besides engaging in new creative projects, revisiting completed projects is also an interesting activity to undertake during lockdown. Instead of practicing his usual hobby of painting and drawing, 88-year young Roger Phillips is keeping himself busy during the l

From time immemorial, Enlightened Masters have descended to Earth to elevate and deliver sentient beings. They are vessels of the highest Blessings, which can be shared with anyone who has the good fortune to connect with Them in any way, as Supreme Master Ching Hai states: “The Master can use many different ways to attract, to stir within the sentient beings their nostalgia. Nostalgic feeling for

Humanity is known for its creative solutions. During a pandemic, many people engage in creative activities, or participate in activities they consider meaningful. On today’s program, we’ll share some interesting COVID-19 lockdown projects. Art is known to be an effective tool to help people overcome stress. Dr. Jaqueline Pflaum-Carlson, a staff physician in Henry Ford Hospital’s Division of

“The place the Ganges River first originates is called Gangotri. A lot of people go there to take a bath, in the summer, and then believe that they clean their sins. Normally, they come there, and just splash some water on their face, because the water is so cold. It just came from the ice, just a little bit, like zero degrees and the water is just flowing ice. I went there and did exactly the

The beautiful song we just heard is based on the profound poem by the venerated Enlighted Master, Kahlil Gibran, with music by Faran Ensemble and vocals by the talented musician, Teema. Growing up in Morocco in a Turkish family in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and having travelled all over the world, Teema is at ease with both traditional Arabic music as well as with modern western jazz. Supr

“Not that I have magical power, but I could see through the walls and the roof, a lot, thousands of holes everywhere. I called it the five-thousand star hotel, and it was pretty cheap. That was in one of the houses, the mud houses that I stayed. Most of the time, I climbed up to the roof to sleep. We didn't have a staircase. You have to kind of climb the wall with your fingers in because the wall