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For seven years, Shuyin, has been serving full-time in Sri Lanka with Sri Bodhiraja
Foundation (SBF), a Buddhist charitable organisation
affiliated with Bodhiraja Buddhist Society in Singapore.
For You finds out more about her voluntary work experience abroad.
How did you get involved with the Sri Bodhiraja
Foundation in Sri Lanka?
In 2001, I met Ven. Dr. Omalpe Sobhita Thero while I was doing a course at the Buddhist and Pali College in Singapore. At that time, Ven Sobhita was starting an
English college in Embilipitiya, his village in Sri Lanka
where the Sri Bodhiraja Foundation is based. That
was how I first got involved with his work in Sri Lanka. Over the years, my
scope of work expanded beyond the college. Being one of the few English
competent persons in the Foundation, I handled most of the international programmes. When the tsunami hit Sri Lanka, we set out to work on a rehabilitation
project to build 600 houses for the many victims, with funds mainly from Taiwan and Singapore. Even today when the
houses are completed, we are still involved in various projects with the
villages, such as scholarships, home farming and income generating programmes. Now that the civil war in Sri Lanka
is over, we are involved in relief work and peace and reconciliation programmes.
What led you to decide to be a full-time volunteer
?
I can't say it was a planned decision. I think very often in
life things happen without our deliberate planning. Sometimes a door opens
and we cross the threshold to see what is on the other side. I think it is
also because I am not conventionally bound and like to explore new things.
We conventionally divide our day into 8 working hours, 8 hours of leisure
and 8 hours of rest or thereabouts. For many people, work is a job that you
go to from 9 to 5 or in today's context, more like 8 to 9. Just think, that's one third of your life. It sets me thinking
that what if you could find the meaning of life in work itself, when the
work itself becomes the path of your inner development, then you are truly
living life fully. Better still, if it can be combined with a spiritual
goal. So I feel very blessed to do what I am doing now.
How do you support yourself ?
The good thing about living in a rural village is that life is
so much simplified. For many years, I lived without washing machine,
refrigerator, cooker and air-conditioning. The Foundation provides food and
lodging and finances my travel expenses. There is little desire to go out
and shop (not that there is so much to buy). In fact, many of what we
consider essentials in Singapore,
I don't even miss them here. More importantly, I know that my mum is being
well looked after by my siblings and that gives me peace of mind. I am very
grateful to them for their support in every way.
What are some of the obstacles you face in your voluntary work?
There are our own expectations, of course. As Singaporeans, we
expect things to run efficiently and work according to schedules. So there
is much frustration when things are lagging behind or when others don't
seem to have the same sense of urgency as you.
The other difficulty is that I tend to stick to my own
principles quite firmly and can be vocal about my views. This is not always
appreciated in this conservative society because people see it as a
confrontation rather than an attempt to rationalize or justify something.
Sometimes I try to walk the middle ground but there is only so far that I
can bend back and I become unhappy because I feel that I am not being true
to myself.
What are some of the motivating factors that drive you in your
work?
When you work with the welfare of others in mind, you tend to
forget about your petty problems. It is the first step to letting go of
yourself, your ego. Too often people are focused only on their own needs
and problems. That is a very myopic view. We are not in this world for
ourselves. We are merely trustees. We own nothing in this world but it is
our responsibility to pass on to the next generation a better world. So we
have to make the best of our time and energy to make this happen.
Knowing that my work makes a difference to someone's life gives
me a sense of gratification. When you see how the children's faces light up
with their new tsunami houses and the playground, you realise
all the hard work you put in is worth it.
Ven. Sobhita himself (see below) is also a great
inspiration. Despite our differences over many matters, I have much respect
for him. He lives simply with no craving for material comfort but has a big
heart and is a truly generous person. He always puts the needs of others
before his own. He is doing it out of deep compassion, not just a mere
sense of duty. To be able to work with him is itself an enriching
experience because he is in such a rare individual.
What more would you like to do?
There is a need to strengthen the bhikshuni
order in Sri Lanka,
as with all Theravada countries. This could be done by giving the nuns
proper training and facilities so that they can develop into a greater
force. This is terribly lacking at the moment. So I would like to be able
to contribute in this aspect.
I also hope that we could get support for establishing more
Buddhist schools in Singapore,
starting from kindergarten. Besides academic excellence, we need to impart
moral and cultural values to our young people, to provide them with a
religious base.
I would also like to spend more time on my own spiritual
development. That is a mental state really, not just reading but settling
the mind. As sentient beings, we are all too easily bogged down by everyday
problems to liberate our minds.
What advice do you have for anyone interested in volunteering?
The one advice I give to those who are interested to join our
volunteer programmeis not to see this as an escapism from your other problems. You will only
double your problems when you are here and be totally unhappy.
I also tell the volunteers working with us to learn from the
spirit of the mango tree. People break and cut its branches and do all
kinds of things to get the mangoes. Despite all this harsh treatment, the
mango tree continues to bear fruits year after year. So when people do or
say things to hurt us, we should not give up but strive on. We should not
expect any praises or gratitude from others but seek gratification within
ourselves. If we can adopt this spirit, we can be resilient and yielding at
the same time.
Do not see volunteering as a sacrifice. Do not constantly weigh
your opportunity cost such as how much income you are forgoing while
serving as volunteer. If you do, you are making a value judgment of your
service and you will only give what you think it is worth. See it as a
commitment to yourself and to others. Only then will you be ready to give
your fullest.
Volunteering is a full-time commitment, not something you do
when you are free or when you retire. That time may never come!
About Sri Bodhiraja Foundation (SBF)
Established by Venerable Omalpe Sobhita Thero in 1993, the
Foundation was primarily a bhikkhu training
centre, providing residential training for monks from all over Sri Lanka.
Over the years, SBF has grown to become one of Sri
Lanka's
most active religious charities running various educational, welfare and
socio-economic projects with the generous support of donors, in Sri Lanka
and abroad to uplift the spiritual, mental and physical well-being of the
people. To date, thousands of families in Embilipitiya
and its surroundings have benefited from these initiatives. For more
information, visit www.sribodhiraja.org
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