Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia)

“Battling the Pandemic Together, Giving with Compassion”

2020.05.26

        With the spread of Covid-19 around the world, Malaysia has also been inevitably affected, and many regions face the challenge of shortages of masks, protective clothing, and disinfectant supplies. Lotus Light Charity Society - Malaysia (LLCS Malaysia) has also been very active in its philanthropic and relief efforts, and after raising sufficient funds through the “Charity Relief Fund”, LLCS Malaysia promptly purchased the necessary anti-pandemic equipment and supplies to support frontline healthcare personnel battling the pandemic.  

        Let us take a look at how Lotus Light Charity Society Malaysia and various cultivation venues, LLCS branches around Malaysia responded to this sudden outbreak, and with a caring heart, sincerely thank and encourage all selfless and dedicated volunteers!  

March 2020

        From 30^th March 2020, volunteers from Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) - Perak Branch (霹靂州分會), handmade over 160 protective face shields, which were delivered to Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (commonly known as Ipoh General Hospital) and received by the hospital’s representatives Encik Khairul (Penolong Pegawai Penerangan) and Dr. Irni (Pakar Perubatan Transfusi). 

April 2020

        To thank and support frontline healthcare personnel, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) started a fundraising campaign from the beginning of April, titled “Battling the Pandemic Together, Giving with Compassion”, a call for True Buddha School disciples to assist with relief efforts together.  

        On 2^nd April 2020, Lotus Light Charity Society Malaysia donated 30 beds for medical use, to Hospital Sungai Buloh. These were in storage, from the Harmopeace Old Folks Home （平和養老院）and Xiang An Nursing Home （祥安養老院）- which are under the care of LLCS Malaysia.   

        On 7th April 2020, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) purchased 1,500 bottles of 1 litre Shodoku multi-purpose cleaning fluid, which were handed over to the Klang South District Police Station, Fire Station, and Traffic Police Department of Selangor State by the chairperson of the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia （馬來西亞真佛宗密教總會）, Master Shi Lian Tai（釋蓮太上師）. This 1-litre Shodoku multi-purpose cleaning fluid was also distributed to police stations in Malaysia and those in need. 

        On 10th April 2020, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) - Bukit Mertajam Branch（大山腳分會）headed over to Penang General Hospital and Dato Keramat Police Station, Penang, to give out anti-pandemic personal protective supplies. 

        On 11th April 2020, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) Perak Branch distributed supplies to charities and poor households in various districts such as Ipoh, Gopeng, Batu Gajah and others. Some of the supplies, which include rice, were received by Sergeant Lin Zhen Fu from Minwan Malaysian Volunteer Corps, and Agnes Tan, a social worker in Batu Gajah. 

        On 13th April 2020, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Hua Yan Lei Tsang Temple Branch （華嚴雷藏寺分會） donated supplies to Xi Le Er Special Children Care Centre Malaysia （馬來西亞柔佛州喜樂兒特殊殘障收留中心）. At the same time, at the request of the person in charge of the Association for Children of God  （柔佛州智障人士服務中心） a service centre located in Johor, Malaysia, to cater for the needs of the intellectually disabled, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Jin Hai Group Cultivation Association Branch （金海同修會分會） helped to procure through fundraising, necessities such as disinfectant, rice, cooking oil, instant noodles, rice vermicelli, flour, sauces and condiments, eggs, sugar, onions, garlic, bread and all kinds of vegetables. 

        In addition, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Perak Branch also gave out supplies including masks, Shodoku multi-purpose cleaning fluid, dry food items and so on, to police stations, fire stations and clinics in the Gopeng district, Perak, as well as the pre-university class of Perak State University (Kolej Matrikulasi Perak), supporting frontline anti-pandemic personnel and caring for teachers and students of the college. Mr. Liu Gui Xiang, who is a staff member of The Harmopeace Old Folks Home （平和養老院）under the charge of the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia, as well as the deputy secretary of LLCS (Malaysia) – Perak Branch, represented LLCS to give out the supplies to local firefighters. 

        With the continued spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in mid-April 2020, Malaysian authorities extended mobility restriction measures to protect its citizens and prevent the pandemic from spreading. As a result, many businesses were unable to operate normally, and those who survive on daily wages, were unable to earn income to sustain three meals a day. Dharma sister Zhuang Xiu Lian, the chairperson of Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Perak Branch, took the lead in fundraising and gathering supplies to distribute to community welfare organizations, the poor and disadvantaged groups in various districts. Donated items and representatives who received the items on behalf of beneficiaries include:

        • 30 bags of white rice and 30 packs of supplies, were handed over to Liew Yee Lin, Deputy Chairperson of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Gopeng district branch

        • 50 bags of white rice and 50 packs of supplies, were handed over to the person-in-charge of Kiwanis International – Malaysia, fourth branch

        • 30 bags of white rice and 30 packs of supplies, were handed over to Mr. Jiang Tian Lai, vice-chairperson of Friends of Cops, Pusing branch, Perak, and Mr. Lu Rui Hua, head of the Pusing branch Police Volunteer Reserve (PVR)

        • 10 bags of white rice and 10 packs of supplies, were handed over to Agnes Tan, a volunteer in Batu Gajah

        • 20 bags of white rice and 20 packs of supplies, were handed over to Liang Hui Fen, the founding president of Lions Club of Pusing

        • 30 bags of white rice and 30 packs of supplies, were handed over to management committee members of Sam Wong Kong Temple （三皇宮）in Batu Gajah, Perak, Malaysia 

        On 17^th April 2020, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Bukit Mertajam Branch（大山腳分會）carried out a second round of distributing anti-pandemic supplies, which include 6,000 masks, 3,000 pairs of gloves, 10-litre packs of disinfectant alcohol hand sanitizers, 120 bottles of handwashing liquid, to hospitals and police stations in Kepala Batas and Sungai Petani. 

        Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Jin Hai Group Cultivation Association Branch（金海同修會分會） also went to House of Joy （喜樂之家安老院）, a nursing home in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, to donate needed supplies. According to MD Santa, the director of this nursing home, residents in Johor Bahru face a problem of shortage of vegetables and high prices. Thus, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Jin Hai Group Cultivation Association Branch（金海同修會分會） donated various vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, cooking oil, biscuits, noodles and flour-based items, rice vermicelli, eggs, soy sauce, tomato paste, chili paste, bread and other items, as well as masks and disinfectant. LLCS (Malaysia) – Jin Hai Group Cultivation Association Branch（金海同修會分會）also placed “True Buddha News Weekly”, “Enlightenment Magazine” and other complimentary books at this nursing home, to establish kind affinities with sentient beings.  

         On 18th April 2020, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Hua Yan Lei Tsang Temple Branch（華嚴雷藏寺分會）donated a total of 2,300 DIY face-shields to 2 government hospitals, one of which is Hospital Sultan Ismail in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. 

     On 19^th April 2020, Mr. Fang Bao Li, the secretary of Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Hua Yan Lei Tsang Temple Branch （華嚴雷藏寺分會）represented the LLCS branch to donate 2,000 DIY face-shields to Hospital Sultan Aminah, another hospital in Johor Bahru. These were received by pharmacist Ms Liew Bih Chung.  

A news article in the local paper Sin Chew Daily （mandarin）:

https://www.sinchew.com.my/content/content_2257099.html  

        On the afternoon of 16th April, Pasir Pinji in Ipoh, Malaysia experienced the most severe thunderstorm in 50 years. Trees in several streets were struck down, damaging 80 houses and 30 shops. Among these, 10 families were forced to be displaced because of trees crushing the roofs of their houses. 

        After learning about the incident, volunteers from Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) donated RM 900 the next day in an effort to help those affected by the disaster through this hardship, and also handed over supplies to representatives of various social welfare organizations. 

        When Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Jin Hai Group Cultivation Association Branch （金海同修會分會）went to House of Joy, an old folks home in Skudai, Johor, Malaysia on 20th April 2020 to donate needed supplies, the items were personally received by Ah Shun, the person in charge of the home. At the same time, a dedicated area for complimentary sutras and periodicals such as True Buddha News Weekly, Enlightenment magazine, and so on, was set up in the home.   

        On 22nd April 2020, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Bukit Mertajam Branch （大山腳分會）, carried out a third session of donating supplies, giving out dry food items to an orphanage Pusat Jagaan Sinar Ceria, Machang Bubuk Old Folks’ Home (馬章武莫安老院), and Association Yee Ran Jing Sheh Handicapped Children's Home (怡然精舍殘障兒童收留協會).  

        Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – East Coast Branch （東海岸分會） donated funds to many welfare organizations, including RM 1,000 to Pantai Selamat Nursing Care Home, RM 1,000 to Pejabat Adun Semambu, RM 1,000 to Pusat Penjagaan Kanak-kanak Terencat AkalKT, RM 1,000 to Rumah Sejahtera Bentong, an old folks’ home in Pahang, Malaysia. The Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia also donated RM 1,000. These funds help to defray operating costs for beneficiary organizations, expenses for daily meals and necessities, and support healthcare personnel.   

        Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – North Johor Branch （柔南分會） and Jin Hai Group Cultivation Association Branch （金海同修會分會）, delivered supplies to help poor residents in Kampung Asli Bakar Batu, an indigenous village community.  

        On 25th April 2020, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Hua Yan Lei Tsang Temple Branch （華嚴雷藏寺分會）donated DIY face shields, masks, disinfectant, children’s products, and dry food items, to Pertubuhan Kebajikan Dan Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak Kurang Upaya Negeri Johor （柔佛殘疾兒童福利中心）, a charitable welfare centre for disabled children in Johor. 

        Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – North Johor Branch（柔南分會） and Jin Hai Group Cultivation Association Branch（金海同修會分會）visited Kampung Asli Bakar Batu, an indigenous village in Johor Bahru, on the afternoon of 25th April, to deliver Lotus Light Gift Packs to 48 households. Tok Batin, the village chief, guided local villagers to receive the items.  

May 2020 

        On 1st May 2020, Hua Zang Group Cultivation Association （華藏同修會） and Hainan Association Thean Hou Temple (海南會館天后宮) in Mentakab, once again donated and distributed supplies to poor families, single-parent households, and those who depend on daily wages to sustain a living. Items donated include lunch sets, raw chicken meat, flour, eggs, fresh vegetables, and onions. 

        Through fundraising, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – Perak Branch （霹靂州分會）procured masks, regular and surgical-grade personal protective suits, gloves, eye-masks and so on, and on 5th May 2020, handed these items to Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun （怡保蘇丹後拜潤醫院）, Manjung Health Department （曼絨衛生局）, Ipoh District Police Headquarters （怡保警區總部）, Menglembu Community Police （萬里望人民社警）, Batu Gajah Police Headquarters （華都牙也警察局總部）, Pusing Police Station （布先警察局）, Batu Gajah Malaysian Volunteer Corps Headquarters （華都牙也警衛局總部）, Gopeng Police Station （務邊警察局）, and Gopeng Malaysian Volunteer Corps Department （務邊警衛局）. 

        On 7^th May 2020, LLCS (Malaysia) – Hua Yan Lei Tsang Temple Branch (華嚴雷藏寺分會) donated rice, cooking oil, eggs, dry food items, disinfectant, daily necessities, handmade masks and so on to You Shan Johor Bahru Disability Welfare Center (柔佛友善殘障福利中心). Coinciding with Vesak Day, Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – North Johor Branch (柔南分會)  and Jin Hai Group Cultivation Association Branch (金海同修會) specially delivered to Calvary Care Centre (Orphanage) (加略山杜工中心孤兒院) needed food items, bread, vegetables and personal protective equipment. 

     Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) – North Johor Branch (柔南分會), Chang Chun Group Cultivation Association Branch (真佛宗長春同修會), and Jin Hai Group Cultivation Association Branch (真佛宗金海同修會) jointly delivered a first batch of 130 sets of Lotus Light Gift Packs comprising food items and anti-pandemic personal protective supplies to Simpang Arang, an indigenous village located in the outskirts of Johor. The village headman personally supervised the giving out of these gift packs. 

       On 17th May, these 3 branches of LLCS Malaysia jointly delivered a second batch of 120 Lotus Light Gift Packs to Simpang Arang. The Lotus Light Gift Packs were given out with the help of the village committee. Before leaving, the village headman took a group photograph with all the volunteers and specially thanked Lotus Light Charity Society for their act of kindness, enabling the whole village of 250 households to receive assistance. 

        Mentakab’s Hua Zang Group Cultivation Association (真佛宗華藏同修會) distributed supplies gathered and donated by Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia) and local devotees, to residents of various races in the Mentakab and Temerloh areas. Beneficiaries include poor families living in more rural areas, foreign workers and those living in industrial areas. This activity provided assistance to more than 80 households. 

Three Organizations Collaborate, Motivated by Loving-Kindness!

         In the spirit of caring for poor indigenous villagers who already have difficulty sustaining three meals a day, let alone have the means to afford buying disposable masks, three organizations, namely Yayasan CNI, Lotus Light Charity Society and Fei Fesyen Design Enterprise teamed up to give out repeatable-usage cloth masks for free. 

      These cloth masks were made by Fei Fesyen Design Enterprise, and in recent days this company worked day and night to make 8,000 masks as quickly as possible, to give away to those in need, and has continued to make more.

        There is love in the human realm! A single act of kindness by each person, will bring warmth to those less fortunate!  

        Lotus Light Charity Society Malaysia, a part of the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia, utilized funds raised from the fundraising campaign “Battling the Pandemic Together, Giving with Compassion”, and procured 10,000 sets of medical personal protective equipment (protective suits, head gear, shoe covers) to donate to the Ministry of Health, Malaysia, so as to assist frontline medical workers battling the pandemic.

        Master Lian Tai（釋蓮太上師）, the Chairperson of the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia, accompanied by Master Lian Hua Cheng Zu（蓮花程祖上師）, the Chairperson of True Buddha Foundation, donated 10,000 sets of protective equipment, which was received by Datuk Dr. Adham Bin Baba from the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The two Deputy Ministers of Health - Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali and Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang were also present, as well as the Vice President of the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia, dharma lecturer Xi Mei (蓮花細妹講師). 

Lotus Light Charity Society (Malaysia), the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia, would like to take this opportunity to thank all True Buddha School disciples across Malaysia as well as kind-hearted devotees, who responded to the fundraising campaign “Battling the Pandemic Together, Giving with Compassion”. The fundraiser was launched on 1^st April 2020, and many responded generously, doing their part to help support frontline healthcare workers and those less fortunate.

Let us help protect frontline medical workers battling the pandemic together, and care for those less fortunate!   

      Gratitude for the efforts of all benefactors and volunteers, enabling many people to receive assistance during this time. 

        Act in the spirit of loving kindness! There is love in the human realm!