The preceptors from the Seven-Day Amitabha Recitation Retreat share their experiences during the event…

Qiu Yu Ru
Qiu Yu Ru came with her grandmother, Ke Xiu Qin and brother, Qiu Pei Jie all the way from Alor Star to Than Hsiang Temple, Penang to take part in this event. This was the first time Yu Ru participated in a retreat. For her grandmother, it was the fourth time and each time was better than the previous one.

Yu Ru was encouraged by her mother and friends to participate in the Buddha Dharma. At home, her grandmother created the conditions for her to learn the Buddha dharma. Outside, her friends were her driving force. Yu Ru admired one of her friends very much for she was surprised to witness a drastic improvement in her friend's character only in a short period of three years. Reflecting upon herself, her foundation on the dharma was very poor. Though she is a Buddhist, she could not understand the dharma very well. So she decided to study the dharma diligently. So far Yu Ru has been interested in philosophy, most especially the philosophy of the Buddha Dharma.

Initially she did not believe there existed a world called Sukhavati (Pure Land) in the universe. However, after the 7-day cultivation, Yu Ru suddenly realized she understood all about it. She believes now in the rationale behind the existence of Sukhavati. This further strengthened her faith in the dharma.

Yu Ru was very calm during the interview. She was able to express explicitly her inner joy.

Wei Mei Yuan
Wei Mei Yuan looked tall and well built. Unfortunately he lost his eyesight and can barely discern blur colours under specific lighting conditions only. Without knowing how, Wei Mei Yuan lost his faith in life too. He dared not take a big step out of his shadowy world for fear of falling into life's dark abyss. He also felt less qualified than others in learning the dharma. As a result, he always held himself back. Luckily, he received good guidance from one monk who told him, “Your eyes are blind. But your mind is not blind!” These words struck him like a thunderbolt and very bravely, took his first step towards learning the Buddha Dharma.

He shed many tears during this retreat organized by Than Hsiang Temple. If we could feel the joy of seeing the light at the end of an endless tunnel, then we might be able to empathize how he felt at the moment when his hair was shaven and also on the last day of retreat .

On the first day of retreat, Bro. Mei Yuan was seen kneeling before the Buddha statue, seemingly immersed in deep thought. Although he could not see the Buddha statue clearly, the surrounding atmosphere apparently had touched him. His eyes were red and tears were at the corners of the eyes. I supposed he was experiencing a mixed feeling of sorrow and joy.

It is difficult to be born in the human form. It is even more difficult to hear the Buddha dharma. We are in human form. We have heard the Buddha dharma!

Chen Yu Zhu
Sister Yu Zhu became more diligent in learning the dharma during the later period of her life. She had participated in Than Hsiang's Seven-Day Amitabha Recitation Retreat (Noviciate Programme) four times already. For the first three times, her friends, who had travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Penang by bus, accompanied her. However, this time her friends did not follow her. Without the company of her close friends, she braved herself, booked a bus ticket and headed north to Penang.

However Sis. Yu Zhu was so tired that she overslept! She took a nap on the bus and forgot to come down at the Penang bus station. She actually ended up at the Butterworth bus station, a total stranger there! What was she to do? ‘ Mana Bayan Baru? Mana Than Hsiang? ' She asked around anxiously. Sis. Yu Zhu had no one to turn to. She finally hailed a taxi. “ Mana Than Hsiang, mana pergi. ”

Though tired due to the bus journey, Sis. Yu Zhu still looked very much refreshed and alert after the 7-day intensive cultivation. She is a role model for our young Buddhists in both her faith and perseverance in learning the dharma.

Thank you to all the preceptors who had so kindly shared their experiences with us. May you all be Well and Happy.