SGI Member s Testmonial - Great Victory - Lai Tek Kim - Selangor I am the youngest son in a family of twelve. As a child, I was terribly naughty. My friends and I would often steal things from supermarkets and play truant in school. Needless to say, I hardly paid attention to my studies. Despite being a difficult child, I always loved and respected my parents very much, especially my mother. My mother has always placed all her twelve children above everything. I could feel my mothers affectionate love at every moment. It was also this love that caused me to change for the better. I can still vividly recall that fateful Parents Day in Form Two. My parents and I came to school to meet with the teacher. On that day, my teacher bluntly told my mother that she was responsible for my bad conduct and poor results in studies. Upon hearing my teachers remarks, I instantly flew into an intense rage. I was not angry at my teacher but at myself for being such a disappointment to my mother. Feeling remorseful, I resolved to do well in my studies, especially for the upcoming Form 3 Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP) examination. I knew this was not going to be easy. I had practically failed in every subject at school. I think even my teachers have given up hope on me. I could not even spell many words correctly. I felt hopeless! At this moment of despair, my fourth elder sister encouraged me to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. My eldest brother and sister had taken faith a few years earlier. I was doubtful about the power of Gohonzon but somehow I still chanted for thirty minutes everyday when I travel to and fro from school. On one occasion, I attended a SGM discussion meeting and heard someone saying, All prayers will be answered. Those who exert efforts will definitely succeed. I begin to exert my utmost effort and prayed seriously for the wisdom to improve my studies. For the first time in my life, I began to comprehend the subjects that I was learning. I was also fortunate that my brother-in-law, a Bahasa Malaysia teacher coached me and helped me improved remarkably in this subject. I went on to score three distinctions in my SRP examination! From then on, as far as my studies were concerned, I never looked back. After obtaining my Form Six (STPM) examination results, I was offered a place in a local university but I declined the offer, as I did not want to financially burden my parents anymore. On top of that, there was no one at home to take care of my aging parents. I opted to pursue a professional course on a part-time basis so that I could work to finance my studies. I was burned with the determination to complete my studies in the shortest time possible. The strength of my faith was tested during the final semester of my course in March 1996, just three months before my examination. My eldest brother was diagnosed with chronic Hepatitis B. Doctors did not expect him to live beyond another six months. I was very saddened by this news. In an effort to rescue my eldest brothers company from closure, my family suggested that I took over his company for the time being. The company was after all, his blood, sweat and tears. Closing it down was not an option, as the news would most likely worsen his deteriorating health condition. Without much hesitation, I decided to take over the running of the company in June 1996. After I took over the company, I realised that my brother was actually running two companies. The main company was not in good financial shape. Monthly instalments of machinery amounted to more than twenty thousand ringgit. We owed our customers, banks and suppliers a few hundred thousand ringgit. The subsidiary company fared no better. My brother had purchased some machinery but they were left unused as we had no one to operate them. It was running at a loss with monthly instalments amounting to over ten thousand ringgit. One of my sisters, an accountant, analysed the dire situation and was not confident that the companies would survive. Despite the odds, I was determined to keep the companies running in order to support my brothers medical expenses. Furthermore, two of my elder brothers and an elder sister were working in the company. We had to carry on no matter what! The first matter to settle at that time was to get all the computerised machines to function again. Being a business graduate, I had almost zero experience in working with machines. Added to my frustration, I was not able to obtain much help from the machine suppliers. I was forced to go through the entire manual line-by-line and tested the machines on my own through trial and error. I would stay on till midnight to get the procedures right. I continued praying earnestly to the Gohonzon. After one month, I was finally successful in operating the machines! At the same time, I also faced difficulties in getting cooperation from some of the senior staff. Being new and inexperienced, some view me as an outsider and assumed that I was just a temporary replacement for my brother. But my brother was never to return to the helm. In September 1996, just a mere three months after I took over the company, he passed away. I was extremely distressed. In the same month, I also learned that I had failed two of the papers that I sat for. This was the first time since Form Three that I had failed in my examinations. Prior to his death, my brother had entrusted most of his shares in the company to me. At the age of 24, I became the managing director of the company and inherited a debt of about a million ringgit overnight! At his deathbed, I had promised my brother that I would take good care of my parents and to revive the company. I gave myself one and the half years to rum the company around. It was an uphill struggle all the way. I had to make some wise business decisions to get the company going again. There were times that I really thought of giving up everything. I had many sleepless nights worrying where my staffs salaries will come from. Fortunately, this situation was somehow resolved every time. I cannot help but feel that these were the workings of the Mystic Law. My persistence paid off after one year of hard work - the company began to show signs of improvement both in its business and financial aspects. Just as the outlook of things began to look much better, our country experienced an economic crisis at the end of 1997. The economic crisis had greatly affected our company - business plunged by more than 40%. We were beset by financial problems once again. I also learned that I had failed again in one of the exams that I sat for. And nothing prepared me for this really shocking news - doctors told me that my mother was dying from a terminal stage cancer. It was perhaps the most emotionally trying time in my life. Deep in my heart, I knew I was facing the most challenging moment in my faith. I made a vow to triumph over it. I learned from the senior leaders that one must whole-heartedly work for kosen-rufu activities to repay ones debt of gratitude. My determination to repay my debt of gratitude was encouraged by the actual proof I saw from my mother. My mother hardly looked like someone suffering from cancer. Because of her abundant daimoku, she looked strong and was filled with life-force. Her condition made me realise the importance of good fortune. Despite my busy schedule, I began to dedicate even more time for SGM activities. I also joined the Gajokai, a Young Mens Division group in charged of security of our culture centres. I was convinced that through sincere prayer and thoroughly dedicating myself to kosen-rufu activities, I would be able to transform my adverse situation into an opportunity, just as surely as winter always turns to spring. I was also encouraged by my SGM leaders to sign up for the human graphics performance during the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. It was a very great challenge but I was determined to give my utmost and win! I pushed myself on and on, and was under a lot of pressure. On one occasion I nearly collapsed from difficulties in breathing while driving on the highway. A subsequent medical check-up revealed that I suffered from heart enlargement due to exhaustion. I remained undeterred and persevered in my efforts. Although I was very tired after each human graphics practice session, I still rushed to see my mother at the hospital. She was very enthusiastic about my participation in this important event. And also to my satisfaction, my efforts in my studies paid off ?I finally passed my examinations. My mother was very happy for me and promised to attend my graduation ceremony. Unfortunately, she never had the chance to wait for that day. A week before the human graphics performance, my mother fell into a state of coma. She passed away on September 10, 1998, one day before the actual performance. My brothers and sisters left it to me to decide if I would want to perform in the human graphics. My fourth elder sister encouraged me by saying, Mother has always been chanting to get well soon so that she could see us perform in the human graphics. I was still undecided on the morning of the performance. As I thought about my sisters words and mothers last wishes, I finally made up my mind to perform. I would dedicate the performance to the memory of my mother. I succeeded in the accomplishing this mission. The human graphics performance was a tremendous success not only for the entire SGM organisation but also I believe for each performer. It was very much the epitome of my personal struggle to emerge victorious amidst all the difficulties. Since then, my company had slowly recovered from the setback suffered during the economic downturn. Looking back, I could deeply feel the greatness of Gohonzon which has helped me to summon the courage to overcome every obstacle. The important thing is to always remember to repay ones debt of gratitude - this has always been my credo. I do miss my mother very much but in my heart I proudly proclaim, Mother please do not worry, I will be strong, I will win!
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 09:19:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015