In Rememberance of our Beloved Venerable Master Chin Kung (Monologue written and performed by Amy Wong 20240523)
Hi, everyone! My name is Amy Wong, I am also known as Tofu Pants. My story is about the Amitabha Buddhist Association of New South Wales. My very first memory of the Amitabha Buddhist Association of New South Wales was when I was sitting at the back of one of the study rooms in a Mandarin Buddhist class. The other young people in the room were all black-haired, small and younger children who I don’t see around anymore or recognise. I felt a bit alone, not knowing how to properly speak Mandarin, despite having learned it for four years in high school, because l was too afraid to speak the language. A part of me always felt like I didn’t belong anywhere or quite fit in. But also, a part of me felt happy to try something new; to take the courage to be a part of a new community.
Every school holiday, our Association holds what are called Thrice Yearning Ceremonies. At a Thrice Yearning Ceremony, we pray for our ancestors and the deceased to go to the Western Pure Land- which is our ‘Heaven’ or the afterlife -by chanting the Amitabha Buddha’s name. My Mum and the Elders of our Association encouraged me to attend the ceremonies every school holiday.
On one particular Ceremony, amid the July 2022 school holidays, a lotus flower sprung.
The air was cold and the sky was gloomy with gray clouds. It was an overcast winter’s day. My bangs were cut short, covered snuggly underneath a wooly gray cap, and I wore my big fluffy black Uniqlo jacket to keep myself warm. I accompanied my Mum to the halls of Bankstown Public School, where the sacred ceremony unfolded with each chant of the Amitabha Buddha’s name. The devoted chants echoed, reverberating like a gentle hymn.
The Aunties at the front gave us a chanting book before entering the hall. They offered chanting books in Chinese, Vietnamese, and English. As l am not confident in my reading skills in Chinese or Vietnamese, I always requested the English-translated version.
As I step into this sacred hall, I feel a lotus flower planted at the seat of my feet. We lined up neatly beside other participants in brown prayer robes.
I do my best to follow along with the chants – which are in Mandarin – by reciting the sounds of the words, following along with the Venerable Master monk leading the ceremony, and with everyone else. We chant together in deep unison as though we sing together in a choir or orchestra ensemble. Chanting together with our community makes me feel strong, supported, and connected with others, a sense of inner peace.
With each visit to the Association and Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, I gradually began to build a greater understanding of why we chant, pray and practice Buddhism. As I turned each page of the chanting book, I also did my best to follow along with the English translation.
At some point during this chanting ceremony in the middle of winter in 2022, I realised the reason why we chant. With each chant of the Amitabha Buddha’s name, I felt a lotus flower spring in my mind, its petals opening to reveal the path to the Western Pure Land. It is not a distant realm, but a state of being attainable within the depths of our own consciousness. Through the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, I learned that the true Pure Land resides not in the external world, but within the sanctuary of our own minds.
As I walked through the halls, accompanied by the gentle echo of chants, I felt a sense of peace washing over me, as if I had finally found my place in the world. Within these walls, where blue rectangle posters of the Amitabha Buddha adorn the walls, I find not just A community but a family of kindred spirits where I feel a deep sense of connection, reverence, and finally belonging, with not just Buddha, others, and the world, but also myself. I no longer feel afraid of being lonely, because through studying and practising Buddhism, I have learned to become my own best company.
After the chanting concluded, my Mum and I exited the hall of Bankstown Public School. Near the toilets, I spotted Uncles distributing white cardboard boxes adorned with pictures of pink lotus flowers. These boxes contained chanting machines.
A chanting machine plays chanting tracks that repeat or sing a word or phrase continuously. -The more you pray the Buddha’s name, the closer you become to attaining enlightenment and returning to the Western Pure Land where Buddha forever resides.
The chanting machines the Uncles were distributing were solar-powered and shaped like lotus flowers. Eagerly, I expressed my desire for one to my Mum. Uncle Henry, stationed at the table, beamed with delight upon hearing my request.
[Track 4 of Venerable Master Chin Kung chanting “Amitoufo” fades in.
The chanting machine featured 28 chanting tracks of the soothing voice of Venerable Master Chin Kung, a Chinese Buddhist monk. Venerable Master Chin Kung passed away at the same month of my visit to the Association. He was an extremely special, admired, and important leader.
At this time, I felt a sense of grief experienced differently by everyone; my Mum felt a sense of profound sorrow; the Elders came to the understanding and acceptance that their leader had moved on into the afterlife, and the great sense of loss blanketed the whole school.
However, I looked at the opportunity to purchase the chanting machine with hope and positivity. After giving Uncle Henry fifteen dollars in cash with two of my hands, I received one of the boxes. Holding the box, it felt like I was holding a real lotus flower in my palms. It made me feel happy, as I felt its delicate petals open, unfurling in a symphony of colours.
Although Ven. Master Chin Kung has left us, he has left behind an abundant wealth of knowledge and wisdom. We took the machine back home and placed the chanting tracks outside our prayer room. Over time, dust and cobwebs have settled upon it, marking a testament to the passage of days, months; a year and a half since he has passed away. Yet, the voice of Venerable Master Chin Kung persists, softly echoing every morning as I enter the prayer room to commune with the Amitabha Buddha and feel the lotus flowers blooming within and without.
