Fred (m): Inspired by Supreme Master Ching Hai's songs and poetry， a brilliant， vegan songwriter from the Washington D.C area， Alex Arndt， has adapted her song 『I Will Forever Love You，』 and poem，『To Thu Hồ，』 into music - a heartfelt piece with the same title， 『I Will Forever Love You.』

Sarah-Mai (f): Performing 『I Will Forever Love You』 is Yvonne Smith， a singer，songwriter， creator，writer，ＴＶ host， speaker，and vegan who is lovingly known as 『The Traveling Vegetarian.』 After becoming a vegan， Yvonne Smith started her own ＴＶ show， and everything related to 『The Traveling Vegetarian』 has become successful. And so it is with great pleasure that we welcome Yvonne Smith to perform 『I Will Forever Love You，』 with Alex Arndt on acoustic guitar. Please welcome Ms. Yvonne Smith and Mr. Alex Arndt！

I Will Forever Love You Poems written by Supreme Master Ching Hai (Vegan)
Music by Alex Arndt (Vegan) Vocals by Yvonne Smith (Vegan)

Ancient souls in repose Golden autumn leaves scattering... A crane soaring with the wind In the void， wings quietly resting
I will forever love you Through all the worlds Through all the lovers Through all the beauties you so adore I will love you
Your heart elegant as brocade Your spirit smooth as velvet Melody as precious stream Music like heavenly rain！

I will forever love you Through all the worlds Through all the lovers Through all the beauties you so adore
I will love you， I will forever love you I will love you， I will forever love you I will love you

You will forever search for the love in yonder You will forever search for the love in yourself I will forever love you
Through all the worlds Through all the lovers Through all the beauties you so adore
I will love you， I will forever love you I will love you， I will forever love you I will love you， I will forever love you I will love you， I will forever love you

Sarah-Mai (f): A stunning performance by Ms. Yvonne Smith and Alex Arndt！ Thank you so much for your special musical treatment of these poems written by Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Fred (m): Ladies and gentlemen， our very special guest for this evening is Supreme Master Ching Hai. But some of you may be wondering， 『Who is Supreme Master Ching Hai？』

Sarah-Mai (f): There is so much I could say about this loving，caring，and compassionate Master. It is said that a tree is known by the fruit it bears. We can also apply this concept to an individual and her contributions to society. The contributions by Supreme Master Ching Hai are countless and include all inhabitants of our Earth. Rather than attempting to describe her myself and share her long list of noble works， credentials，and awards， let's watch this biographical video appropriately entitled 『Walk the Way of Love.』

Video: Walk the Way of Love Supreme Master Ching Hai， as she has affectionately become known to those who have had the pleasure to meet or work with her， lives a message that walks the way of love. A renowned humanitarian，artist and spiritual visionary， her love and assistance has extended beyond all cultural and racial boundaries to millions of people around the world.

Not only are human beings the blessed beneficiaries of her kindness， animals from different species are also the recipients of her boundless benevolence. Supreme Master Ching Hai was born in central Âu Lạc <enter> (Vietnam). During her early years， she was often found helping hospital patients， the needy as well as injured animals， in whichever way she could. As a young adult， she moved to Europe to study and continued there as a translator for the Red Cross.

She soon discovered that pain and suffering exist in all corners of the globe， and her search for the remedy to this became the foremost goal in her life. She was happily married at the time to a German doctor， and although it was an extremely difficult decision for both of them， her husband agreed to a separation. She then embarked on what became a two-year journey in search for spiritual understanding.

Finally，in the deepest reaches of the Himalayas in India，she found an enlightened Master who imparted to her the Quan Yin Method， a meditation technique on the inner Light and Sound. After a period of practice， she became fully enlightened. Soon after her return from the Himalayas， at the earnest request of those around her， Master Ching Hai shared the Quan Yin Method with others， encouraging them to look within to find their own greatness.

Before long， invitations arrived from the United States， Europe，Asia， Australia，Africa and South America as well as from important organizations， for Master Ching Hai to give lectures. The income generated from her artistic creations has enabled Supreme Master Ching Hai to create an independent source of funding for humanitarian activities， in support of her noble mission of assisting God's children in their times of need.

Although she does not seek acknowledgment of any kind，Supreme Master Ching Hai has been given awards worldwide by government officials and private organizations on numerous occasions. These include the World Peace Award，the Award for Outstanding Public Service to Mankind， the ２００６ Gusi Peace Prize， the Los Angeles Music Week Certificate of Commendation， and First Place Silver for the ２７th Annual Telly Awards，２００６. In addition，October ２５ and February ２２ have been proclaimed as Supreme Master Ching Hai Day in the United States.

"She is the light of a great person， an angel of mercy for all of us.』『I dream that all the world will become peaceful. I dream that all the killing will stop. I dream that all the children will walk in peace and harmony. I dream that all the nations shake hands with each other， protect each other and help each other. I dream that our beautiful planet will not be destroyed. It takes billion，billion， trillions of years to produce this planet and it's so beautiful， so wonderful. I dream that it will continue，but in peace， beauty and love.』『The peace and love that we most often talk about and seek， we have within ourselves.』

Fred (m): Ladies and gentlemen， up next is the most anticipated moment of the entire conference - the interview with Commissioner Avila and Supreme Master Ching Hai via videolink.

Sarah-Mai (f): During this session， Supreme Master Ching Hai will graciously answer questions posed by Commissioner Avila， Commissioner Horton， and Mrs. Avila. Commissioner Avila， thank you for hosting this interview segment. We'd also like to take this moment to acknowledge Nancy Hung representing Chicago Chinese News; Peter Anderson， Executive Director of Midwest Area Pit Stop dog rescue，also a vegan; and Dan Maloney， author of Sunrise on Kusatsu Harbor. Thank you for joining us today.

Commissioner Avila (m): Ladies and gentlemen， we are honored to have as our special guest， Supreme Master Ching Hai， joining us today via videolink. Hallo，Master， Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo. Hallo and thank you.
Commissioner Avila (m): And how are you today？
Supreme Master Ching Hai: I am great，thank you. And how are you？ How is everyone there？

Commissioner Avila (m): Well，we're having a good time here because we're having wonderful weather here in Chicago.
Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good for you.
Commissioner Avila (m): God has blessed us today.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good for you.
Commissioner Avila (m): Supreme Master Ching Hai， it is an honor and a pleasure to meet you. I am most appreciative and honored.
Supreme Master Ching Hai: It's my honor，sir， my honor.

Commissioner Avila (m): Thank you very much. I sincerely thank you for accepting our invitation to interview you regarding your poetry book， 『The Love of Centuries，』 and other issues concerning our planet. I was also privileged to receive a copy of 『From Crisis to Peace』 and 『Celestial Art.』 Thank you so much for sharing these books with the world. Before we start the interview session， it would be wonderful if you could share with us some of your insights and wisdom.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: You're too kind，too kind. Thank you，sir，thank you. And thank you， you and Commissioner Horton， and your beautiful wife， Sherry. Thank you all of you， as well， involved in this beautiful conference. You're very kind. May God bless you so much，so much.

Commissioner Avila (m): Yes， when I read your book and when I met your disciples speaking about love and peace… You know，I love God， and I love my wife， and I love my kids，but I love you also，because you are concerned…

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you，thank you. Thank you.

Commissioner Avila (m): Because the way you you're concerned about the kids. The kids are going to save our planet， and that's why we have to educate them on how to save the planet.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you for doing all you're doing，and my warmest greetings to you， Commissioner Horton， your wife， and everyone there. I am very happy to have a chance to participate in this conference today， (Commissioner Horton (f): Thank you.) and to be in the presence of such distinguished and caring people like yourself， Commissioner Frank Avila， Commissioner Patricia Horton， and Mrs. Sharilyn Avila， your beautiful wife，and So sweet，as well as all the concerned participants attending this discussion.

First of all，my respect for your hard work and high moral principles that guide your endeavors， and at the same time have shaped this great nation of America. You have each reached out and touched many lives in your own capacity. Commissioner Avila and Commissioner Horton have served millions of people through the internationally admired

Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. It's a long，long title. It's not long enough for your merit actually; you have done all to make sure that people have safe and clean drinking water， while improving the environment in which they live. The people of Cook County are fortunate to have your dedicated guardianship and selfless spirit of service. And Mrs. Sherry Avila， in your diverse community roles， you have enriched the wholesome learning for many people.

All your actions speak volumes of the genuine love and compassion flowing in your heart. You make a lovely couple. Knowing that we all care for people and the environment， we still may wonder about the best way to preserve it for our children and grandchildren， as you care so much about the future generation. Fortunately， we have people like you， whose work offers an example of benevolence and noble values. We also have the teachings of sages past and present to remind us that being kind and virtuous are important，not only because this is right or pleasing to Heaven， but because loving kindness and virtuous living protect us and our world.

The wider we extend our circle of loving kindness， the wider we will be， the wider we will have the shield of protective， positive energy around us. So， imagine this circle extending to encompass all creation，including the whole planetary environment and all the living beings within it. Such a shield would protect us from any negativity or harm， be it climate change， disasters，war，economic depression，etc.，etc. Being vegan- a word that in today's world means to live without exploiting the lesser beings， lesser co-inhabitants， animals- is the most pervasive way to expand this circle of peace.

Veganism is just the modern term for an ancient practice that matches the teachings of ancient prophets like Master Jesus Christ， Prophet Mohammad， Lao Tzu，the Buddha， Socrates，etc. All these great teachers spoke the way of peace and walked the way of veganism，the way of love，for all beings. If we don't walk the way of loving kindness， we will widen the sphere of non-peace，of violence. We can see the evidence of this in the animal farms and the slaughterhouses

Supreme Master Ching Hai: where there is no inch of peace for our innocent and aware animal co-inhabitants. Not only that， there's no peace for the countless wild animals who lose their habitats to the land that is cleared for the animal industry every day. Over ８０% of the Amazon's increasingly deforested areas have become pasture for livestock，with the rest going mostly to livestock-feeding crops. There is also no peace for the millions of people in need，who suffer from hunger and thirst， which is only worsened by the massive resources consumed by the livestock industry.

There is no peace for the neighbors of factory farms， where hydrogen sulfide， ammonia and bacteria-laden dust can create an unbearable stench and cause health problems that have both trapped people within， and driven them away from，their homes. There is no peace even for the consumers who are plagued by the rising incidence of meat-related diseases. As the vegan doctor (Dr.) Neal Barnard has pointed out， ４０００ Americans have heart attacks every day due to meat eating. Every day， ４０００ Americans suffer heart attacks. Can you imagine？ That's heart attack alone; there are other things that we don't mention.

There's no peace for the animal industry workers even，whose bleak and hazardous working conditions today remain similar to those of the Chicago Union's stockyards meatpacking days a century ago. I guess you have not forgotten. Human Rights Watch calls meatpacking or slaughtering the most dangerous factory job in America; and in the end，there's no peace even for the few who financially profit from the meat and dairy industry. They must bear the dreadful consequences of their actions， if not in this life， then in the hereafter，because God has warned those who harm or kill animals that they should stop all this cruelty.

It says so in the Bible. `Stop all this cruelty or He will turn His head away when they pray to Him， because their hands are full of innocent blood.' So，a completely peaceful world must be a vegan world， where all beings live in peace and do not fear one another. Therefore， I urgently call upon all the caring people to please be vegan， and also pray and meditate for World Vegan， World Peace. This is to protect our planet，our lives and our souls with our positive energy. Please be vegan to manifest peace and health，at least in your circle of life， so that together we can lessen the violence and sorrow，and increase happiness and love in our world.; and this shall be the kind of tomorrow we could ensure for our children and all beings on the planet. Thank you. May God bless us all.