Setrap Retreat in Johor
Here is an update from our study group in Johor Bahru (Southern most state in Malaysia).
The Kechara Southern Jewel Chapel (KSJC) is very much a part of the Kechara family. Whenever we have an event in KL, there would definitely be someone from KSJC who would come and join in. The chapel members are very dedicated and they don’t mind the 4 hour drive at all.
It was especially nice to see them during our new gompa opening last November.
They have A LOT of initiative in KJSC. Since they started their study group in 2007, they have established weekly pujas, held various talks and even studied the dharma from this blog hehe
Mr Ngeow (Liaison of Kechara Education) works very hard traveling down south to nurture and give dharma talks. He genuinely wishes them to understand the dharma… You can see how much they have grown since they’ve started. Their list of activities are expanding… and they’ve now got animal liberation as part of their regular activities!
They have now rented the floor above their chapel, and have plans to renovate for further expansion!
Below is a message from Mr Alan Chan, President of KSJC. They have recently completed their Setrap retreat, achieving 100,000 mantras and 30,000 serkym offerings!
Do take a look at what they have achieved below. It’s nice to see that people from Singapore joined in the retreat as well.
Congratulations on the completion of the Setrap retreat. There’s just so much exciting news coming from them.
Tsem Rinpoche
1. SMS update from Alan
Dear Mr Ngeow ,
We have achieved Setrap retreat of 100,000 mantras and 30,000 serkym last night. On behalf of KSJC members, we dedicate the merits towards H.E Tsem Rinpoche’s long life and good health.
We have rented the first floor as chapel expansion. Last Wednesday, our committee organized the liberation of cat fish (226.8 kg) into the river. Our next outing will be on the first week of April.
Tq ,
From Alan KSJC
2. Setrap Retreat for 100,000 mantras and 30,000 serkym
|
Date |
Mantras |
Serkyms |
|
23/2/2011 |
20300 |
63 |
|
26/2/2011 |
5600 |
3000 |
|
27/2/2011 |
26900 |
2600 |
|
5/3/2011 |
24400 |
4200 |
|
6/3/2011 |
28400 |
2700 |
|
10/3/2011 |
500 |
2500 |
|
13/3/2011 |
900 |
8100 |
|
16/3/2011 |
5500 |
5000 |
|
17/3/2011 |
500 |
5000 |
|
TOTAL |
113000 |
33163 |
There were 17 participants, including visitors from Singapore:
- Alan Chan
- Alex Tan
- Ash Ng (Singapore)
- Bruce Teo
- Casteven Lim
- Ee Ah Ying
- Eric Lee
- Grace Leu
- June Tang
- Lau Chee Siong
- Leu Chong Hin
- Leu Nyok Lin
- Low Chee Foo
- Roselyn Lim (Singapore)
- Steven Chew
- Tan Hock Peng
- Tan Lai Yang
3. Animal Liberation
- 9 people participated in the liberation of 226.8kg of cat fish on 16th March 2011 at the Skudai River.
- Steven Chew, Alan Chan,Low Chee Foo, Eric Lee, Ee Ah Ying, Casteven Lim, Grace Leu, Leu Chong Hin, and June Tang
4. KSJC’s Dzambala Puja
- It is held every Tuesday, from 8.30-10.30pm
- It is done in English
- They started in Jan 2011
5. KSJC Committee Members 2011-2012
- President – Mr.Alan Chan
- Vice President – Mr.Low Chee Foo
- Secretary – Miss June Tang
- Finance – Miss Grace Leu Yok Fa
- Operation Administrator – Mr. Lim Teck Seng
- Education Coordinator – Mr. Eric Lee Tee Leen
- Puja Coordinator – Mr. Leu Chong Hin
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If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
[…] Setrap Retreat in Johor […]
Wow, whats a sweet memory to re-read this post. KH JB will start again Setrap Retreat on September. May Setrap clear our obstacles to let us learn more, serve more and benefit more to help mother centre and flourish Rinpoche teaching.
KSJC is located 20 mins away from Johor Bahru town, it’s a small yet very cozy and home warming kinda place. The people there are very nice and warm.
They have works very hard to maintain their own job at the same time they will take their own time off to help up in the center and organize a lot of event from the members in JB. Few of the committee member such as : Alex, Lew, June and others always help up in the mother temple in Sunwaymas, PJ.
I respect their faith in the Dharma and the Guru, they use their hardworks to pay back Rinpoche’s kindness, this is very rare for his century. I respect them a lot.
It’s wonderful how much KSJC has grown over the last few years. It was Kechara’s first branch outside of KL and when it first opened, I remember the excitement around the event. The intention was always for our branches to mimic the activities of the main Kechara temple in Kuala Lumpur, and KSJC is doing this by having retreats.
Retreats aren’t easy to do and when you’re engaging in any positive actions like retreats where you’re reciting holy prayers, obstacles will arise. I remember when I did my first Setrap retreat with my brother and sister. All of these negative emotions surfaced between the three of us, when we’re normally quite close. Rinpoche, through my mother, told us that the bickering was our negative karma manifesting and we should be happy that our negative emotions were coming out so that they can be purified. He told us not to react to them and to just let them go, otherwise we’d create more negative karma and the cycle would never end!
But retreats purify our karma for good things to come, so it’s brilliant that KJSC are doing Setrap retreats… he’ll clear obstacles for them to grow even further!
It is wonderful to see KSJC expand. Alan and his committee worked very hard for the growth of KSJC. I remember in year 2007, a group of Kecharians attended the opening of KSJC. Rinpoche attended as well. It was in a modest terrace house. Many people went to receive blessings from Rinpoche until very late at night.
With this new expansion, many more people will be helped by Setrap. Thank you KSJC committee for your determination and commitment towards benefitting others!
It’s a good thing we have Mr Ngeow who is soon to be Pastor Ngeow to lead the Johor study group every so often! Now I truly see Rinpoche’s vision of having more and more pastors. The more teachers, the more Buddhism will spread to the ten directions. Perhaps later Johor will have their own pastor and Mr Ngeow do not need to travel so much down south. Meanwhile, Rinpoche’s blog is the tool/study material for various groups around Malaysia and from what I have read … abroad as well.
I can also imagine how much Johor study group can expand such as how KH started and expanded to how it is now with such dedicated students. I am happy for the completion of their retreat. Retreats are not easy!
Back to 2007, a group of us drove to Southern part of Malaysia Batu Pahat to set up and invite Lord Setrap to KSJC. It is very historical as it is our first ever branch outside Klang Valley.
They started to come to mother center more in Petaling Jaya to learn how to set up, learn the ritual and conduct Setrap Puja according to our lineage. From time to time they come to join our activities, teaching…and bring back to Johor for the team. KSJC team are a group of sincere people, most of them are Chinese educated, they make the effort to learn whatever they can so that they can pass down the teaching in Johor. Also one of their member Yen Pin is now working full time in Kechara Discovery, how beautiful.
At that time only has a few of them, now they are expanding to more members and more activities. Everything started from small as Rinpoche said. All the 13 departments are started with Kechara Paradise SS2 many years ago too. I am happy for them and also good job to Education comm.
I love it when i see news of other parts of the world have so much faith and belief even though they are 4 hours drive away. It showed their sincerity and really like the dharma a lot. It means they practice dharma and things really changed for the better because they really practice the dharma.
I applaud and rejoiced very much to see members from KSJC come to Lam Rim Class every weekend and didn’t mind the 4 hours drive and lack of sleep at all. And they supported Kechara the mother temple a lot.
Normally people would choose to shop their weekends away or sleep in but the group choose to do something different – to learn up so they can benefit the people around them and reach out to more people. Isn’t it true inspiration?
Compare to us, even the dharma class is merely 20 mins drive we came up with reasons after reasons not o attend… hehe. I thank KSJC to set a great example to us and inspire others to be like you. May many more study group flourish in different parts of Malaysia just like you!
Celebrating others success should be universal and it is no different in this case.
All members of KSJC has taken their own initiative, and achieved something so commendable. They raised their own funds,setup the puja dates, organized their own classes, retreats and activities because they have been touched by Rinpoche’s teachings and out of the motivation to want to spread Dharma far and wide. How sincere and pure. We should take on their example, to take our own initiative to achieve results that have much bigger benefits.
Thank you KSJC for being shining examples, and to Mr Ngeow for the dedication in the continuous travels between KL and Johor, out of the sole motivation to want to spread and teach the Dharma.
KSJC is probably the oldest branch of kechara outside the klang valley. And I am happy to know these pioneers of dharma in johor is taking the bull by its horns. I look forward to hear more about the growth of KSJC.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thanks for your encouragement and guidance towards KSJC.The successful and growth of KSJC is the contribution and effort of Mr.Ngeow who show his care and commitment to KSJC. All committee & members are work hard and participate the functions actively. Currently we have started the KSK activity since 12th June 2011, average 26 clients is served weekly(every sunday). We even met up register client from KL and now station in JB, they happy can meet KSK team even in JB. We also conducting Migtsema Retreat started from 17th July 2011 targeted to achieve 100,000 time before 14th Aug 2011, as at today achievement is 77,288.We will continue to grow KSJC and let it become an institution to benefit Southern Region people.Thank you.
Thanks Rinpoche, we will work in more harmony to do more to benefit others…