Charity trip on Deepavali Day

On 26 October 2011, Welfare Section organised a trip to two welfare homes in Klang Valley, which were participated by thirteen members and friends.

In the morning, we visited the Kim Loo Ting Hong Ying Welfare Home at Lorong Air Putih, Off Jln Air Panas, 53200 Setapak. It was our third visit for year 2011.

Kim Loo Ting was set up by a Mahayana monk who helps terminally ill elderly patients but have to leave the hospital(s), homeless and single without any dependents. The patients are given a decent and clean place to stay with proper care until they leave this world. The founder had already passed away. Currently, the home is managed by Rev. Seck Fa Yin. We donated RM1,600 towards the home's bereavement fund.

In the afternoon, we visited the Bodhisetra Sanctuary Welfare Home in Taman Ikan Emas, Cheras. The home has 8 children and 6 old folks. It was our second visit for year 2011.

We were informed that DBKL has issued them an eviction notice due to redevelopment of the land which belong to the Government. We hope DBKL will relocate them to an alternative premise with adequate space. We donated RM500 to the home.

Raub Charity Trip 2011

We organised a charity outing in Raub on 6 - 7/8/2011. It was participated by 40 members and friends.
On 6/8/2011, our bus departed from Buddhist Maha Vihara, KL at 8:45am. Upon our arrival in Raub, our host, Raub Buddhist Association (RBA Committee) gave us sumptuous welcoming vegetarian lunch at Silver City Restaurant.

Sis Cheoh, Sis Janifer, Sis Mary & Sis Sally surely had enjoyed their lunch very much. All the bowls and plates before them were empty.

After lunch, our host brought us to visit five needy families to give them moral and financial support.

(1) Two brothers who suffers from glaucoma. The elder brother's wife has breast cancer and his grandson has eye cancer. Bro. Terry Ng (a Reiki expert) gave reiki treatment to the two brothers.
(2) A jobless single father with an eleven year old daughter. He also has to look after his 86 year old mother. Sis. Tiau Min also arranged a single lady who suffers from a stubborn skin disease and arthritis to meet us at the same place. Sis. Mary and Sis. Tan gave Reiki treatment to the single lady.
(3) A single mother with two mentally challenged sons.
One of her son bid farewell to us when we were leaving their house.

(4) A couple with two children. The husband is ill and unable to work.
(5) A single mother who suffers from SLE and kidney failure.
After dinner at Ah Fatt Restaurant, we attended an inspiring dhamma talk delivered by Dato' Ang Choo Hong. The title of the talk was "Engaged Buddhism and self-cultivation".
On the 2nd day, we commenced our program by visiting the "Pasar Tani" (Farmers' Market). Due to Muslims' fasting month, there were fewer stalls than last year.
We then visited three old folk homes and and another six needy families. Below are the snapshots of our visits.

At Sg Lui Old Folk Home. This home has 7 inmates.

Group photograph at Sg. Ruan Old Folk Home. This home has 10 inmates.

A single mother, who has breast cancer and uterine cancer. She has two daughters.

A mentally challenged boy. He is looked after by his maternal grandmother, who has breast cancer.

Photograph with a bachelor who has cancer.

A bachelor with brain tumour.

An Indian family with 11 children. The husband is bedridden.

We have a group photograph with the committee of Raub Buddhist Association before bidding farewell to them.

Charitable Visits to Two Welfare Homes in Kajang

On 16 April 2011, we visited two welfare homes in Kajang, i.e. Thousands of Love Care Centre (Pusat Jagaan Beribuan Kasih) which is located at No. 3, Lot 1547, Belakang Taman Bangi, Jln Reko, 43000 Kajang and Home For Special People Cheras at No. 35, Jln Rakan 11, Taman Rakan Cheras, 43000 Kajang.

Our visit to Thousands of Love Care Centre was in response to an SMS appealing for financial aid from the caretaker, Ms. Kavitha.

The centre takes care of 38 inmates, consists of 22 children and 16 senior citizens. Its financilal resources rely solely from public support. The premise of the centre is rented at RM500 per month.

We brought them some sundry provisions (rice, cooking oil, beehoon, vico, biscuits, oats, nestum cereal, eggs, onions, instant noodles, etc) and donated RM500.

Our visit to Home for Special People Cheras was recommended by Sis. Leong Lan (one of our supporter).

The home has 14 children with various disabilities, such as down syndrome, asperger syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, spastic etc.

Mr. Ten, one of the committee gave us a briefing about the Home. I was quite impressed that they keep a detailed record of all their children, such as date of birth, place of birth, their characteristics and condition of their illnesses , their favorite food and favorite game/toys and what they dislike etc. So far I have yet to see any of the special children homes we visited did that (perhaps other homes do that too but didn't put up the complete children profile for public viewing)

They also draw up a time table for the children's daily activities,

6:00am - 7:00am Wake up & shower

7:15am - 8:15am Breakfast followed by exercise

9:00am - 10:00am Tea Break & rest

10:00am - 12:00pm Study, writing, coloring book, handicraft learning, playing & puzzle

12:00am - 1:00pm Lunch time

1:00pm - 2:00pm Study, writing, coloring book, handicraft learning, playing & puzzle

2:00pm - 3:00pm Music time/playing toys/games

3:00pm - 3:30pm Tea Break

3:30pm - 4:30pm TV time

4:30pm - 5:30pm Shower & cleanup

5:30pm - 7:00pm Dinner preparation followed by dinner

7:00pm - 8:30pm Free time

8:30pm - 6:00am Sleep

The home spent about RM12,000 monthly, which is solely funded by public donation.

The kids love visitors, but some of them are camera-shy

We donated RM500 and gave them some sundry provisions (cooking oil, rice, vico, biscuits, beehoon etc). Of course, as usual, we took a group photograph together.

Second Visit to Jenjarom Old Folk Home

On 26/2/2011, we visited Jenjarom Old Folk Home again. There were 10 of us in 2 cars, we started our journey from KL at around 10:30am. As the traffic was quite heavy on the way to Jenjarom, we reached the Old Folk Home at around 12:00pm.

This old folk home is currently supported by Sis. Lim Mee Sew and Mrs. Tang's group who sponsor one lunch to the inmates every month. The lunch is catered by Restoran New Shiang Sze Lou (新湘子楼酒家）in Jenjarom. Sis. Lim told me that they were recommended by a temple in Jenjarom to support this home. The group members visit the home, particularly, when any of the members' birthday fall on that month.

Since Chinese New Year was just over, Welfare Section sponsored angpows for the old folks. Several members distributed angpows and some gifts to the old folks too.
Sis Lim and Sis. Mei Sze were the birthday girls in February 2011. Sis. Chi Lan couldn't find any birthday cake around, she bought a "pau" as a substitute to wish them a happy birthday. A big sadhu to the birthday girls for giving us a treat at Restoran New Shiang Sze Lou

Visits to Kim Loo Ting Hong Ying Home and Xin Hui Buddhist Society Orphanage Home

On 19 February 201, we visited Kim Loo Ting Hong Ying Home and Xin Hui Buddhist Society Orphanage Home.

Kim Loo Ting is an old folk home that deserves to be supported as it sincerely helps the elderly patients who are terminally ill but have to leave the hospital(s), homeless and single without any dependents. The patients are given a decent and clean place to stay with proper care until they leave this world. We donated RM1,600 towards the home's bereavement fund.
Dhamma sharing at Kim Loo Ting. Seat in the middle (in blue T-Shirt) is Bro. Eddie, an American red Indian who frequently volunteers at BMSM bookshop.

We then proceed to Taman Ikan Emas, Cheras （焦赖金鱼村四楼巴刹隔壁）to visit an orphanage set up by Xin Hui Buddhist Society (信慧佛学会), which is located next to a wet market.

The orphanage has about 10 children, aged 7-15, which is housed in this Buddhist Centre. Its name is "Boddhiseira Sanctuary" (菩提禅刹）．　

The centre provides free medical service too.

It has a professionally landscaped garden. Here are three snapshots of the awsome garden.

We have a group photograph with the kids before bidding farewell.

Paying a visit to Rumah Sejahtera Jenjarom

Fourteen of us (consists of 4 BMSM Welfare committee, Sis. Lim Mee Sew, Mrs. Tang, Bro. Koy and Bro. Lim) in three cars paid a visit to Rumah Sejahtera Jenjarom (at Jln Norton, Jenjarom) on 2 January 2011. This old folk home is currently supported by Sis. Lim and Mrs. Tang's group who sponsor one lunch to the inmates every month. The lunch is catered by Restoran New Shiang Sze Lou (新湘子楼酒家）in Jenjarom. Sis. Lim told me that they were recommended by a temple in Jenjarom to support this home.

BMSM committee has approved to sponsor one lunch on 2/1/2011 in its meeting on 26/12/2010. However, the home caretaker told us the lunch had already been sponsored by someone, hence we sponsored the dinner instead.

The home is located at Jln Norton, Jenjarom. It takes care of 19 senior citizens, all male. Bro. Koy pointed out an interesting phenomenon in all the old folk homes we have visited (Ipoh, Raub, Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Kajang etc) which consist of predominantly male inmates.
Sis. Looi had a friendly chat with the caretaker of the home (the Indian man). He arranges meals to be prepared for the inmates and collect the food from the restaurant.
Interaction with the inmates of the home.
Group photograph
The restaurant that does the catering for us.

Participation in a Sanghikadana in Kuala Sawah Monastery

Bro. Wong Ong, Bro. Koy, Bro. Lim and five other friends participated in a Sanghikdadana in Kuala Sawah Monastery in Negeri Sembilan on 1 January 2011. The Ceremony started at around 9:00am. The program included dhamma talk and Q&A, chanting and blessing, offering of robes and requisites to the Sangha and ended with Sanghikadana. The abbot of the monastery, Ven. Cittamano had invited five monks from Penang to participate in this Sanghikadana.

The pagoda at Kuala Sawah Monastery. The Chinese name of the monastery is "静修居“. I forgot to check out its English name.

The monks' quarter

Dhamma talk at the shrine hall. The hall is quite big. Some section of the hall is used as dining hall. You can see that the wall of the hall is only half-height. The Sanghikadana ceremony

I found this magazine at the Kuala Sawah monastery. Its publication (which target Malaysian Buddhists) is sponsored by Original Buddhism Society (原始佛教会） in Taiwan to propagate Theravada Buddhism. The inaugural issue of this magazine was published in July 2010. The society is headquartered in Taipei, it has another centre in Taichung (Taiwan) and a centre in New York, USA. Through this magazine, I came to know that it has set up two centres （中道禅林） in Malaysia last year, one in Penang at 77-3, Lorong Selamat, 10400 Pulau Pinang and another in Ipoh at 61A & 61B, Jln Chung Ah Ming, 31650 Ipoh. Ven. Bhikku Vupasama (随佛法师）is the advisor of the Society. He conducted a series of Mandarin dhamma talks in November/December 2010 at Butterworth Buddhist Association, Seck Kiah Eeh in Malacca, its centre in Ipoh and Penang, and Chempaka Buddhist Lodge in Petaling Jaya.
After the sanghikadana, we invited the five venerables from Penang to visit Vihara Samadhi (located at Section U12, Bukit Raja Industrial Estate).
Group photograph with the five venerables in front of the multipurpose building at Vihara Samadhi. Ven. Pannasammi was standing in the fourth position from right. The construction of the building for the shrine hall is still in progress. We were told by the site engineer that it will be ready by April 2011.