Thin English Vegan Pancakes & Storytelling, Part 1 of 2

During the summer season of 1992, after a busy world lecture tour, Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) returned to the simple life for a tranquil retreat in a lush green haven. Here She enjoyed relaxing and playing Chinese chess with a small group of disciples. During these leisurely exchanges between our Master and Her disciples, initiates were most fortunate to be imparted with profound teachings as well as stories of moral virtues.

Inspired by the natural beauty of Her environment, Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) created two lovely paintings entitled, “The Night View of Yang Ming Mountain” and “The Flowers in the Heart will not Wither.” She designed and built an elegant hexagonal fireplace that was functional, spacious, and efficient. Compared to a square design, this concentrates the heat of the fire more efficiently.

Today, we are lucky to have a glimpse of those days in Yang Ming Mountain in 1992, when Supreme Master Ching Hai set aside Her precious time to demonstrate a simple and aesthetically pleasing dish: “Thin English Vegan Pancakes & Storytelling, Part 1 of 2.”

INGREDIENTS (For all ingredients, please use organic versions if available)

For the Thin English Vegan Pancakes, the ingredients are: ½ cup of plain, vegan yogurt 1 cup of all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour, ⅔ cup of water, 2 teaspoons of ground, white or black sesame seeds (optional), A pinch of salt, Vegetable oil (optional)

Toppings: Vegan butter, White or brown vegan sugar, Lemon cut into wedges for squeezing

“Get some lemon juice ready first. Otherwise, you will have to squeeze the lemon juice later. How much lemon juice you want to add is up to you. You don’t have to add the same amount as I do. It’s ready! It must be delicious. Sour and sweet.”

“I’ve read some good stories these days. They are so lovely. This story is called ‘One Precious Ring.’” “I will tell you other stories by the way. This story is more fun There are many good stories.”

“If we find the happiness in our real self, no matter where we live, we are happy. Even if there is no one around us, we are still happy. Even if we don’t have anything good, we are still happy. The real happiness is within us. Very few people in this world understand this. That’s why people always feel suffering. No matter how many things they have, it’ll never be enough. No matter how much power or money they have, they still feel it is not enough. No matter how high their positions are, they are not satisfied. That’s why people always chase after fame and wealth. They think these would bring them happiness. In fact, if a person is happy, even if he doesn’t have anything, he is still happy.”