~ Mr. Xiao-Su, Horticultural Artist, Formosa Taiwan

Horticultural artist Mr. Xiao-Su was invited to the exhibition on January 16, 2010 in Formosa (Taiwan). When viewing the right first photo Footstep of the Sage, Mr. Xiao said: "The fallen leaves are smiling; they are very happy. This step taken by the Supreme Master Ching Hai has contributed to world peace. Why? The fallen leaves under Her feet were Canadian fern leaves that usually fall only when they have turned red. However, the leaves in the photo appear to be yellow, and the way they fell was irregular with big and small leaves all mixed together. That means these leaves fell willingly to carry out a mission given to them by nature - preserving the moisture in the soil and protecting the trees and the land. In front of the Supreme Master Ching Hai's left foot were some fern saplings less than 1 month and 3 months old. The tiny holes on the leaves indicated that insects had been feeding on them…"

He further said: "In this photo there is also a kind of native plant that could only exist with an endorsement from God, because they are very primitive in nature and could only grow in an unpolluted environment." When seeing the four spherical leaves on the tree in the third photo, he said: "This tree is growing completely at ease in this environment and that is why the leaves are in this spherical shape; they're getting ready to produce the next generation."

Mr. Xiao very much agreed with the message of the photo Talking to Myself, and he said humans should practice introspection.

When he entered the main exhibition hall, he had very positive comments on the second photo. He said the forest in the photo was growing with great life force, which indicated that the environment there was very clean and ideal for plants to grow.

Next, he was deeply touched by Master's conversation with the swans when She saw the coots being bullied. The swan Sai Sai was able to have telepathic communication with Supreme Master Ching Hai, understood Her worries and promptly helped Her solve the matter.

Viewing the photo with a spider weaving its web, he said the spiders are cleaners of the environment and protectors of the young grass.

About the photo of fish swimming in the water, he said it takes very high skill to take a lively picture of fish swimming at ease.

He was also touched by the story of the swans paving the path with their feathers. He told us that the rate of swans breeding successfully in the wild is about one-third. As such, the successful breeding rate of five out of seven by Pitu and Sai Sai is truly amazing!

"The Original Scene" is a spectacular reproduction of nature. Xiao was awed by the Supreme Master Ching Hai's greatly loving consideration such as preparing food and water for the swans, and setting up a simple rope bridge to avoid affecting other animal inhabitants in the vicinity.

Xiao

said he was viewing the photos from the angle of a nature lover.

*****

On January 17, Mr. Xiao again came to the venue sharing with everyone what he wanted to add to his insights revealed on the day before (January 16).

Xiao: "In the photo showing Supreme Master Ching Hai rowing a canoe alone, the whole scene was very serene. I think She had especially chosen this kind of boat, because the canoe has a very small water-contact surface and thus has very little impact on the inhabitants in the lake. This is a manifestation of Her compassion for living beings…."

"The next photo is Scenery and plants. The plants are growing in a very harmonious environment. There are melons, also many microorganisms in the environment. There are tall arbors, dwarf arbors, and ground cover plants. They rely on each other and live together in harmony and joy."

   Nu the beaver is a very sensitive animal. Beavers are experts in construction. They can tell which of the twigs floating in the river are usable. They work very hard in collecting a lot of material in their warehouse. One thing worth mentioning is that their warehouses are open to everyone. Animals may take what they need from them. The beavers are very magnanimous beings and very elegant architects.

When viewing the photo Feather Carpeted Path, Xiao reminded everyone: "Take note that the feathers were distributed very evenly. It is more elastic to have thicker and thinner feathers mixed together." Xiao admired, "The swans are truly intelligent!"

"In The Original Scene we can see that She is thinking in a very compassionate way."

Xiao said: "I think Supreme Master Ching Hai must be a botanist." Noting the two little flowers in the photo, Xiao couldn't help praising: "You see these two little flowers are just like stars in the sky. They belong to the lilac family, which are usually purple or red. It is very rare to see yellow lilacs. It is a legendary plant, very rare; you can only find one or two yellow ones among ten to twenty thousand lilacs."

"In the photo Spring, Summer, Autumn the hemp tree felt that it was a queen, because it displayed many colors at the same time – green, yellow, red, and light yellow…very confident, and wanted to present itself in the most beautiful way. This is a very difficult shot, very precious."

"The radiant grass in Bird in the Forest is indeed a marvelous sight! Wow! This is really precious."

~ Mr. Xiao-Su, Horticultural Artist, Formosa Taiwan