SGI Members Testmonial -Lam Pey Wah SGI Singapore For most couples intending to get married, registering for marriage would be a simple task. This was not the case for my husband and me, as our application was rejected by the ROM. I reckoned that our application to the Registry of Marriage (ROM) was rejected for 2 reasons; my boyfriend was doing odd jobs and lacked a stable source of income, and I was a Malaysian in Singapore . When I confided my problems with my colleague, she introduced me to Nichiren Buddhism. From then on, the desire to walk down the aisle together as husband and wife became the greatest motivation for us to chant. Looking back over the past 23 years of our faith, I realized how the initial desire for relative happiness of marital bliss has helped us to discover absolute happiness that is even more valuable! Actual Proof from Sincere Prayers At that time, sensing our agony, my colleague arranged for my husband and me to meet with her boyfriend, who was a Young Men Division leader in SSA. From him, we learned about faith and the couple took us to many SSA activities. Three months later, my colleague’s boyfriend was posted to the United States . Before leaving, he proposed to his boss that my husband be hired to take over his role as a supervisor in a construction firm. To our surprise, his boss readily accepted him despite his lack of experience! That was the first actual proof of the good fortune from our faith. With our conviction strengthened we continued with our earnest practice. In his job, my husband also received the assistance of many Buddhist gods (protective functions in life and the environment) and one of them was his finance manager. He suggested to my husband to seek help from a Member of Parliament (MP) on our marriage application. Knowing that he was skeptical about the possibility of success due to his lack of education, the finance manger volunteered to meet the MP together with us once a date was fixed.Indeed, that meeting helped us secure an interview with ROM personnel and our prayer were answered in 1998 when we tied the knot. An Awakening from Blissful state of Comfort Life was blissful until 2001 when our youngest daughter Huan Ting was born. When she was 2 months old, the doctor diagnosed that she has acute hearing loss which caused her to develop behavioral problems as a toddler. Her hearing loss affected her speech and communication skills. She refused to speak and would throw frequent tantrums. All these led to a series of medical examinations. As my husband had to work, I had to take on the struggle of bring Hua Ting for these weekly check-ups while at the same time, not neglecting the care of my mother-in-law and two older children. It is not easy to care for a baby, not to mention one who is physically impaired. Fortunately I always met helpful hospital staff who would help to pacify Hua Ting whenever she threw tantrums during the check-ups. When Huan Ting was four months old, the doctor suggested that I let her use a heading aid so that she would have to live in a world of silence. Apprehensive, I wanted to “assess” the seriousness of her hearing loss, so I took her home and internationally left her alone in the room to see her response. As I walked out of her room, I slammed the door loudly but sadly, she had no response. Feeling helpless, I had to accept the fact that she needed the hearing aid. However, despite the hearing aid, Huan Ting’s hearing did not improve. So when she was 10 months old, the doctor proposed to have a cochlear implant in her left ear. The gadget alone cost $30,000, excluding hospitalization and surgical charges. Although beset with all kinds of challenges, I never complained or doubted the Gohonzon. With warm encouragement and support from our SSA leaders, my husband and I prayed earnestly for the good fortune to have the best outcome for Huan Ting.Indeed, we subsequently blessed with the necessary funds – provided by sponsors from the hospital and welfare organizations – to undergo the implant surgery. We only had to foot a minimal sum of $4,800 for the whole procedure. The operation was a great success and Huan Ting was spared from any inflammation or excessive blood loss. Two months later, Huan Ting could hear! I vividly remember her rapturous laughter when she heard some sound from the toys she was playing with. I am deeply grateful to Gohonzon for this great good fortune! Communicating Through Drawing Despite the cochlear implant to her left ear, Huan Ting’s language development was still delayed and she suffered from low self-esteem. Once when she was about two years old, she tried to tell us that she was hungry but we could not understand her. Frustrated, she grabbed a piece of paper and pencil, drew a bowl of noodles dangling off a pair of chopsticks, to tell us that she wanted to eat instant noodles! I send her to a toddlers’ class when she was three years old. To strengthen her language ability, the speech therapist encouraged me to speak to her in English. Gosh! I did not even know the basis of English, how am I going to teach her ABC? However, for the sake of my daughter, I chanted to the Gohonzon for the life force and wisdom to do just that. Mystically, I was assigned a volunteer who came to my house to teach both Huan Ting and myself English! That period was one of the most challenging phase of my life because not only did I have to learn English and take care of Huan Ting and the family, I also had to cope with the financial strain resulting from the loss of my husband’s job. I was grateful to my SSA leader who taught me to pray with determination that I would be definitely triumph and show actual proof of my Buddhist practice. Though it took my husband a year to find a suitable job, this experience strengthened out faith in the Gohonzon even more. When Huan Ting was five, I was advised by her music therapist at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) to let her undergo music therapy. Despite being hard of hearing, Huan Ting had always shown an interest in music. When she was younger, she would make her own “musical instrument” by stretching rubber bands over empty tissue box. To me, this music therapist was her Buddhist God as she helped Huan Ting to become more sociable and communicative by playing musical instruments and singing with her. Although Huan Ting’s hearing remained a problem, she showed keen interest in violin lessons. However, she was unable to differentiate the various pitches. To help her, the therapist trained her to recognize the difference in pitch with the use of an electronic tuner. As the therapy also helped in her breathing, timing and articulation, Huan Ting’s speech also began to improve. After one and a half years of music therapy, Huan Ting has become more confident. One of my constant prayers was that Huan Ting would be able to live normally like other kids. I was overjoyed when she passed the tests to qualify her to attend a mainstream school when she was seven. Huan Ting is now a primary 4 student. Our Resounding Victory Earlier this year, after being teased by her classmates about her hearing impairment, Huan Ting told us how much she hoped her right ear could hear too. As her parents, we were empathetic, but with my husband’s meager salary, surgery for Huan Ting’s right ear was out of the question. Hence, we could only encourage her not to be disheartened by her friends’ remarks. However, the working of the mystic law is just unbelievable! A few weeks later we received a call from SGH, informing us that there were balance funds left from the previous year and that they had chosen Huan Ting to benefit from these funds. They were willing to pay up to 80% of her surgery fees, which came up to about $35,000. Though it was good news, the remaining 20% of about $7,000 was still a huge burden. Nonetheless, we chanted to the Gohonzon for the best arrangement so that our daughter’s wish could be fulfilled. True enough, after Huan Ting cochlear implant in March 14, 2011 we had to pay the final bill of $2,100! Additionally, in accordance with our earnest prayer, the operation was very smooth and successful and the pain Huan Ting needed to endure was minimum. Huan Ting was discharged from the hospital the next day! During the most challenging periods of my life, I always kept in mind this guidance from President Ikeda, “Mr Toda said: “What is the purpose of our Buddhist practice? It is to vanquish devilish functions, to overcome our karma and to boldly surmount every obstacle. We must win in life with faith that flows like powerful rapids.’ Let’s advance with that resolve!” With these heartfelt words from my mentor, I have forged a strong life state that allows me to create and enjoy absolute happiness, and I am proud to report my victories to him! In this year of Capable people and Dynamic advancement, my husband, who is now a Men Division district leader, and I pledge to foster our three daughters to be truly capable people who would fulfill their unique mission for kosen rufu
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:25:58 +0000
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