Weathering the monsoon at KFR
Dear friends,
I am staying at Kechara Forest Retreat in a container. And everyday I go out to oversee the works progressing. There are plenty of volunteers that come daily to help. There are even volunteers I have never met or know who they are. How nice of them to join in to create something powerfully blessed. Those who volunteer are those who really want to be a part of our Kechara Forest Retreat lifestyle in the future when completed. I have our full Ladrang and most of KWPC depts staff staying here on KFR location to do works. Ladrang staff and KWPC staff really ‘weather’ alot of harsh conditions with a smile and work hard. I am grateful to them to contribute towards something good. I will welcome those contributing now to join us when we are completed. They deserve it!!
The heavy monsoon rains has been taking at toll in slowing down our works. A road work that should not take more than a week has taken a whole month and it is still not complete. Every time we ‘complete’ the road for the next step it gets washed out. Help!! We really need our main entrance roads completed so access can expedite our works.
We need the roads very badly as all supplies, trucks, machinery and equipment are brought in through this main road. Many of our works in Kechara Village slowed down because of the inaccessibility of our road in the front. See this dramatic video of a lorry (truck) stuck in our road yesterday inside our entrance. We have a higher road that is new and a old road that is smaller and very muddy. The lorry decided to take the muddy one..why? Don’t know. It took around two hours to ‘rescue’ him out…daily we have lorries, heavy machinery, cars getting stuck in the mud. Everyone is very patient.
Dramatic changes are happening nevertheless and lots of work here getting done especially in the earthworks…but we will get Kechara Forest Retreat up. We will!! Come rain, storm or whatever! We will get it up and functional!!
Tsem Rinpoche
If you wish to volunteer here in our Kechara Forest Retreat, do contact Ms Su Ming. Another video of an excavator pulling a lorry carrying a cabin through the mud
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I’m actually very fascinated by how much KFR has changed, it has the aviary, gift building, Dukkar Apartments, Wisdom Hall etc now. The scenery at KFR is beautiful! I really love going there to volunteer and hang out, it’s a very nice place where you are free from the nasty sounds you get in the city. Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
Thank you for sharing this video.I rejoice for those who were able to contribute their sweat and tears at there.
Many of us relate this lorry stuck in mud as how we are stuck in samsara. Having the dharma right in front of us, no matter how difficult it is we should take this opportunity not to choose the wrong path and get stuck in the “mud”.
Rinpoche is very kind to allow us to participate in this massive and beneficial project. If we can’t physically be there to help, we can help to get contacts, create awareness, provide expertise or raise funds. In any big projects, we need funds and it’s no easy task to raise big amount but with combined efforts, all obstacles can be cleared and we will have Kechara Forest Retreat!
Many has expressed how much they wanted KFR and wish very much to see it up and runnng. I sincerely and humbly ask you to be part of its building. Rinpoche and the Ladrang, KWPC people live on the site with harsh weather, got bitten all over by little animals, being in real humid environment. They have no complaints, always readily receive guests and volunteers with care and smile. There’s so much needed to be done before we get to enjoy the end product!
Thank your Rinpoche for posting this video. How fortune of us to have the opportunities to join in and to create something powerfully blessed. It is not easy to build something big. We need a lot of help to make Kechara Forest Retreat happen. The completion of KFR will surely be a benefit for so many people. We are very fortunate to have Rinpoche who are very compassionate, getting us involve to do some volunteering work for us to gain some good merit.
Thank You Rinpoche for the posting and sharing the video.It’s always not easy to build a holy places. There will be always obstacles, but with the great determination of Tsem Rinpoche, Ladrang and KWPC liasons, staff and volunteers KFR will be up soon!
I do agreed with Wah Ying, seeing the lorry stuck in the mud, makes me think further in the spiritual path. There are 2ways from the entrance for the lorry to enter into KFR land, Why did the lorry choose the muddy way? It’s just like the delusion mind, is blocking or can’t see better things ahead. Thanks to Rinpoche’s guidance and teachings to break my delusion mind to accept the truth of life. Thanks Rinpoche.
i hope that kechara forest retreat is up and running soon. it will be rough in the beginning but when the weather improves it will be smooth sailing.
Such determination for Kechara Forest Retreat! We must support this cause.
The monsoon rain n lack of fund is a great hurdle for the ongoing work on kfr land. The liaison council realise this and pledged to fund raise and be physically be on kfr to assist the hardworking ladrang liaisons andfull time personnel there on site. To add to this, insufficient electrical supply, poor internet reception, and the swampy ground at the main entrance leading into kfr land make the work more difficult. And it is getting more difficult as it rains heavily almost everyday.
The most important significance of getting the Main Road up right from the entrance to the KFR site is to enable huge construction machines to go through to bring in bricks, cement, pipes, stones and whatever inside to build up KFR.
Due to the year-end weather in Malaysia, the rain washes away the existing main road leading inside, therefore we need people to help us be our fund raisers to raise funds to ensure the Main Road is being constructed properly and safely so heavy construction vehicles can pass through to carry construction materials inside. We need ALL of everyone’s help here.
I saw the video when Rinpoche posted it on the chat room and saw how the tractor helping the lorry to get out from the mud it was like Setrap Chen pulling us out from the filthy that we are in. Also i rejoice for those who were able to contribute their sweat and tears at this Sacred place and I only blame myself for not being able to be there, by the time i planned my trip it was all postpone. I really really want to be there to put in my blood sweat and tears for the benefit of those who are sufferings people and I know and people whom I do not know may I take on their pains so they can too can benefit others. I love my Lama for HE has unconditionally love us all. Thank You so much Rinpoche _/\_
Not everybody in this world will have the same merit as we are. We are very fortunate to have Tsem Rinpoche as our Guru who are very compassionate to envision this massive project for us to gain some good merit by getting involve to do some volunteering work. I believe we can overcome the weather although it did not help by raining almost every other day which ultimately slowed down a lot of plan.
Thank you Rinpoche for letting us to be involve in this massive project, Rinpoche is really a true spiritual leader in this time and era.
The completion of KFR will definetly be a benefit for so many people. Due to daily heavy monsoon rains, there certainly will be existence of obstacles, such as washing off and softening of all completed roads created for temporary usages for heavy supply trucks, machineries and equipments to be brought in, during this monsoon season. Delays of work might be inevitable! Let us pray hard and in all unity develop a selfless mind for a purification of all such obstacles to be cleared and ceased, so that KFR main entrance road could be completed soonest to expedite work completion! Neverthless, patience is the mother of all successes. Om mani padme Hum.
天有不测之风云。 每天我们的KFR team还有仁波切都在这片土地上努力的为众生奋斗着！
这一篇沼泽地带来了无从的障碍， 幸好我们有仁波切与护法-金甲衣的加持， 让我们可以安全的施工！
It’s not easy to build a temple. I wish i can give more help in KFR, and i always wish KFR project running smooth too.
Much Care : Erickksiow
“If there is will, there is way”, the lorry in the muddy just remind us our life always will facing a lot of difficulty and obstacles, we need to have determination, follow our guru ‘s instruction, be unity to clear all the obstacles.
Here we are building KFR, many obstacle have to overcome daily. Raining almost daily cause the road very muddling. but it would not stop the lorry sending stone and sand in and out to build KFR.
They are more obstacle to endorse like attack by mosquito bite, water supply will cut off sometime and current electricity get cut off. you will in the middle of the dark etc. All are creating good cause for many people to do meditation and develop their spiritual practice.
Taking the wrong road caused further inconvenience and delay at KFR. Nevertheless, obstacles do arise and this is one example. Or perhaps the driver wanted a shorter route and this muddy road happens to be the one. Its a lesson learnt and I think no one in the future will use this road when it is muddy.
Hehehe I think it’s funny when everyone immediately jumps to a Dharmic conclusion about the suitability of the driver, about being stuck in samsara, etc. Yes yes, it is all that but sometimes the answer is right in front of us – what would be extremely Dharmic is to fix the road so that our lama can do his work!
So if you want to serve your lama, but you can’t make it here yourself, lend us your expertise, put us in touch with your contacts, donate your time, donate your money, donate materials, encourage friends to come.
But also, help us to fix the road! 😀
The rain is really making everything inconvenient! Looking at the excavator moving the lorry was interesting. It was like watching Transformers. Hehe… They are really good and they are so experienced. Thank goodness they are or else the lorry would be stuck there longer.
I love this quote
Dramatic changes are happening nevertheless and lots of work here getting done especially in the earthworks…but we will get Kechara Forest Retreat up. We will!! Come rain, storm or whatever! We will get it up and functional!! – Tsem Rinpoche
Yes, no matter what happens, we will have Kechara Forest Retreat! Thank you Rinpoche….
To build in the forest is not an easy job, there is no concrete base and everything is start from zero, the mud does make everything become difficult, but it is not impossible. Many Kecharians has no experience in building temple, but for KFR, they willing to do anything, regardless of whatever status / lifestyle they have, they do put in their hands in the mud for building a place to benefit others. it’s very touching to see everyone work hand in hand and cooperative to do anything and everything that has assigned to them, and even wished to go volunteer there again.
While during my volunteering there, i heard one of the conversation from the workers, they said: wah, there are lots of people come to help everyday, these people very sincere. 🙂
We could say it was wrong choice by the driver. Maybe it was meant as a lesson for us all that there is always a better choice. Making the right choice saves time, energy that could otherwise be channelled to other tasks at hand.
The opportunity to work on this sacred land is one of the most unique opportunity anyone can have for gain many qualities. Just to name a few here :
Character building – malaysians are comfort creatures and to choose being out in the hot sun, in the rain day in and day working on the land, bitten by insects and putting up with all sorts of inconveniences over staying in the comfort of their homes is not common here in this country.
Self development – Most of what the people are doing in KFR now is not something they had learnt or had any experience doing prior. What you see on the land is an outward sign of inner development
6 paramitas – there are many changes, obstacles, problems to resolve, weather to battle with, lack of infrastructure such as poor phone signal makes communication a challenge, trucks getting stuck in the mud, unstable power and water supply and more all requires much patience to remain mentally and emotionally stable yet apply effort to never give up but work through it. Energy, time, talent, funding are required which is a great practice of generosity.
Compassion – At the end of each day, every bit of work and energy put into the land, a merit field is with the motivation to benefit the many whom we may or may not personally meet in the future. However, the work done on this land will no doubt touch the lives of many, all because of the kindness of Rinpoche that we can have a part in it.
看到克切拉禅修林的大卡车掉入泥沼，“欲拔不能”，两台神手把卡车拉出来。
真不容易，建庙，更是障碍重重。无论狂风、暴雨或任何障碍，我们都会把克切拉禅修林建起。
就像我们在修行的路上，遇到障碍重重，少了一份坚持和耐心都难于走下去
我需要耐心等待。我们需要大量的辛苦和耐心才可以看到一些转变。
说得对。这建庙的过程就像我们的灵修，困难重重，装装拆拆的，重复又重复。跟世俗不一样的是，这建成了以后，不止让自己的修行更进一步，也让更多人修行佛法。
能帮助众生的事，再苦都值得，这就是修行！
it is through being at KFR one discovers that weather can be a real stumper and show stopper if you do not plan well or do have have the equipment to solve the problem. Good thing those massively powerful excavators are there to save the day. Else it will be another day lost on work. I first saw excavators pushing lorries during when Azai’s cabin first came in, the trailer had be pushed into KFR and then when it was leaving it had to be pushed out. I salute the team who stays there day after day looking at the work that is required to be done bracing difficult weather and such.
Thank your Rinpoche for posting this video. Building something big is not easy, more so in the forest. We need a lot of help in expertise, manpower, and resources to create the best spiritual retreat place here in Malaysia. The more assistance the quicker for us to be able achieve our shared goal of reaching out to everyone.
Seeing the truck stuck in the mud suddenly makes me feel I am the truck that stuck in samsara world and so helpless if without Guru, who teaches me Dharma, without protector.
I need to be patient. We not only need a lot of hard hard but also patient to see some transformation, to see something big to happen. Thank you Rinpoche. I will never give up.
That is a very astute observation Wah Ying.
There is no good reason for the lorry to have taken the muddy road – the wrong one when there is a totally good alternative the driver could have taken, one it was meant to have taken. Similarly, we choose to take the wrong path in our journey in life and just like the lorry, we become stuck and helpless.
When that happens, we take a lot of people away from their own jobs and mission and spend a lot of wasted time just getting us unstuck. In our case, it may even be harder for others to help us out of the traps we so habitually put ourselves in…because unlike the lorry, we often resist the help. The burden we carry on our backs become the burden of others who try and help us and so much work has to go in to get us out.
Once out, we heave a sign of relief and may even celebrate. But what is the reason for such celebration? We celebrate when we have accomplished a good and purposeful mission, not when we have successfully distracted others from theirs.
In the case of the lorry that got stuck, the problem was not the muddy road or the rain. Neither was the problem lorry, its engine or its tyres. It is the mind of the lorry driver that is at issue. Perhaps it was distracted, perhaps it was unaware, perhaps it did not have the right knowledge or perhaps it just wanted to do things its way. Our minds are like that too. It is our minds and attitudes that we have to be vigilant over all the time.
So much effort is being put in by so many people to build KFR in spite of difficult conditions. In the process, so much of ourselves become revealed and reflected. And so many opportunities to get “unstuck” in our ways.
Agree with you about wasting others’ time and effort in helping us out when it could be put to better use.
Dear Wah Ying,
I agree to ur comments… We always will stuck back in samsara world even we know the methods but not practicing daily…
” Dramatic changes are happening nevertheless and lots of work here getting done especially in the earthworks…but we will get Kechara Forest Retreat up. We will!! Come rain, storm or whatever! We will get it up and functional!! ”
Thanks Rinpoche for this quote and this sharing, we will always success when we not give up and do it continuously…