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"more than very friendly", "and more than very respectable". Mr. Yoke Beng has also been impressed by the temple. He added that; "This temple grows very fast, I think, because it has been well-or- ganised with foresight. It's very clean, very peaceful. I think it's a very nice place to meditate." Following Buddhist Rules of training, monks are prohibited from any labour apart from alms-gathering. So the Sangha have to depend on the charity of those who consider them worthy of support. All forms of train- ing programme and the resulting spread of the Buddhist Religion have taken place only through the chari- table support of lay-people who res- pect the Community of monks. This system also ensures that the lay-people have an opportunity to make Merit, as well as showing respect for the needs of the monks. Buddhism has thrived on this system and as a result the religion has a very long potential lifetime. Everyone is happy; there is the opportunity for both lay-peoples Merit and for monks to devote their lives to religion. Ms. Bee Lian had a good under- standing about this point, commenting; "This Temple is very big, so lots of supporters are needed. if no supporters; no donations and the Sangha (Community of Monks) can't do anything. I will therefore tell the people in Singapore to meditate and to support the Temple." that; " Mr. Yoke Beng also asserted "As a Buddhist I believe in the Law of Karma. I think that donation is a good deed which will result in an abundance of good things either in our present life or future lives." Ms. Bee Gawh expressed the her view that; "I think that the temple need a lot of money to do good things for the world and people. So I'll try to promote the Temple when I go back to Singapore." To All Beloved Readers Il of the four meditators have mutual feelings that it is essential for everybody to practise meditation. And they feel that they are very lucky to have an opportunity to stay at Wat Phra Dhammakāya; even for a while. Ms. Bee Lian said.; "I hope that everybody goes to learn and practise meditation at Wat Phra Dhammakāya. I hope that every- body does meditation to cure them- selves to be free from suffering and sickness. And the important thing is that everybody should support the Wat because it is very big and it has many useful projects to perform. There are also lots of monks at the Wat. They need people to offer them the things they need. I think that we live in this world for a very short while, so we should try to make Merit as much as we can. And I think that Wat Phra Dhammakaya is one of the most famous 'Dhamma Lands' for us to do so." So, here then is the story of four lay-people who have come to Wat Phra Dhammakāya for the first time. Before they came, they had nothing more than a recommendation to dis- tinguish Wat Phra Dhammakaya from all the other possible temples in Thailand, and to distinguish Dhammakāya meditation from all the other possible forms of meditation known to Mankind. Despite having no real idea about what lay ahead of them in terms of their possible experience of a full week of residential meditation training, they had the courage and optimism to keep an open mind and make the trip to Thailand. few days Once having spent a re-adjusting to the Thai climate and language and lifestyle, they found that Wat Phra Dhammakāya was the "Haven of Peace and Tranquility" for which they had been seeking. No-one, however persuasive or sharp-talking, can ever explain or convince another person about the Happiness of Peace which comes as a result of practising meditation. The only way to realise this connection is by 'having-a-go' and trying out medi- tation for yourself. When we meet people in the world who are keenly practising meditation, you can be sure that they do not meditate out of duty or obligation to their parents. They meditate because the have ac- tually discovered for themselves the key to Happiness at the Centre of their own bodies. We can only echo the words of Ms. Bee Lian and wish that all readers who still have some doubt about the value of meditation, will at some time of their life, have the courage to try out meditation for themselves; for the sake of finding full Happiness in their lives. It is often easier to spend some time in peaceful sur- roundings, when one first tries to test out meditation for oneself. In this case, we can warmly welcome all newcomers to meditation, to give themselves a "head-start" and, like these successful Singaporeans, spend an relaxing week of meditation study at Wat Phra Dhammakaya. Kalyanamitra.org กั ล ย า ณ ม ต ร bar