However, a photograph of a beauty queen that appeared recently in a local paper caught my eye. The caption under the photograph indicated that the woman crowned 2006 Miss Chinese International was from South Africa. (Because I was stationed in the embassy of the Republic of China in South Africa from 1992 to 1995, any news related to that fabulous country immediately draws my attention.) Imagine my surprise when just a few months later I saw that same glamorous beauty queen in the lecture hall of the Tzu Chi Humanitarian Center in Taipei.

On November 27, my colleagues and I went to the hall to listen to a lecture by Master Cheng Yen. The Master praised the beautiful hearts of Tzu Chi members. and she shared several anecdotes about how they enthusiastically helped the needy in Taiwan and abroad. Then, she suddenly exclaimed, "There's a beauty queen sitting among you. She's truly beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. And what's more, she was once a member of our Tzu Chi Collegiate Association in South Africa."

Thunderous applause erupted in the lecture hall. The same beauty queen from the paper gracefully rose from her seat. Her younger sister, accompanying her, also stood. Both sisters, wearing their Tzu Chi uniforms, greeted the audience.

A few minutes later, the Master finished her lecture. As I stepped out from the hall to head back to my office, the two young women we had just applauded happened to cross my path. I introduced myself and asked if they would consent to an interview. They kindly agreed. An hour later, both of them were sitting beside me in my little cubicle on the 12th floor of our center.

Ina Lu (呂怡慧), the older and taller of the two sisters, is the current Miss Chinese International. Her sister, Ivy Lu (怡萱), is set to participate in the upcoming 2007 Miss Chinese International pageant in Hong Kong.

I learned that Ina and Ivy immigrated to South Africa in 1995 with their parents and graduated from the prestigious University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. In 2005, Ina took first place and Ivy placed second in the 2005 Chinese South Africa pageant. Ina went on to represent South Africa in the 2006 Miss Chinese International beauty pageant, and Ivy will do the same in 2007.

"Our victories can be directly attributed to the Master's wisdom and teachings," re-marked Ina. She then explained that physical beauty wasn's the only criteria for winning the beauty pageant-- contestants also had to demonstrate their inner beauty and intelligence by answering oral questions. The sisters explained how they drew from the Master's Still Thoughts Aphorisms to answer quiz questions. Here are some examples that they shared with me:

"As a modern woman in the 21st century, would you choose wealth or beauty?" Ina's answer, surprisingly, was wealth. She continued to explain, "The wealth I want is spiritual, not material, wealth." She then quoted the Master's wisdom: "If you have the heart of a buddha, you will see everyone as a buddha; but if you have the heart of a devil, you will see everyone as a devil."

"Rumor has it that many disputes have arisen among contestants. Do you have any comments?" Ivy quoted the Master: "Disputes should be regarded as education, and praise as warnings."

"Have you done anything that you regret?" "I have no regrets at all," replied Ina, "as long as I seize the moment to help the needy!"

"What do you consider the most important things in life?" Ivy answered, "There are two things that cannot wait: fulfilling filial piety and doing good deeds."

Their outstanding physical beauty, coupled with their brilliant inner wisdom, impressed the judges. Following Ina's footsteps, Ivy, I trust, will again win the judges' hearts when she participates in the 2007 pageant. It just goes to show that their wisdom and the Master's teachings are truly invincible.