Ang See Rene meets a former billionaire businesswoman who found inner peace and conquered cancer.
The Star, Malaysia - At the age of 29, Reverend Ti Zheng was at the peak of life having properties, being a director of four companies and was worth about TWD$1bil (RM114mil).
She was also to marry her childhood sweetheart.
But her life took a drastic turn when a lump on her middle finger turned out to be cancerous and she was diagnosed with bone cancer and given only seven months to live.
Ti Zheng: "If the body is sick, it is important not to let the mind be affected as well."“The doctors told me then that the cancer had spread to the rest of body. When I heard the news, I was both angry and scared.
“I was enjoying life to the fullest at that time. ‘Why me? Why at this young age?’ I asked myself,” she said.
With slightly more than half a year to live, Ti realised that nothing else mattered except to find inner peace and tranquillity.
Although she frequently prayed in temples and donated to charities at that time, Ti admitted that she was practising Buddhism externally without understanding.
“Within three months after I got the news, I made the decision to give up my life of glamour and success in exchange for a yellow robe to become a nun. I learned to understand and to embrace Buddhism then,” she said. But again, all was not well for Ti.
When her parents found out about her decision to become a nun, her now 78-year-old father became mentally unstable and was admitted to the mental hospital while her mother, who died last year, was admitted to the intensive care unit for various diseases.
“Being the youngest daughter, I could not do anything much but to press on and walk the step of faith,” she said, adding that she constantly prayed and sought blessings for her parents.
At that point, her boyfriend had also wanted to rekindle their relationship, she said.
“I was at the crossroads and I had to choose my path and what I wanted for the future.”
And she did. Today, after 18 years, Ti, now the abbot of the Nan Tou Oriental Temple in Taiwan is still very much alive and she attributes her health to the inner peace, which she found in her faith.
“After I became a nun, I constantly prayed besides chanting the Medicine Buddha mantra,” said the 47-year-old, adding that she would wake up at 3am daily for prayers.
“After a year of becoming a nun, the doctors told me that the cancer cells had miraculously vanished. However, I continued to suffer various diseases and had to undergo operations to remove part of my intestine and my cervix,” she said.
Today, Ti is very much engrossed in her work to spread the message of inner peace and also the teachings of Buddhism while relating her success story in overcoming the disease.
“If the body is sick, it is important not to let the mind be affected as well,” she said, adding that there were three types of sicknesses according to Buddhism teachings.
“Physical sickness happens when one does not take care of the body while mental sickness can happen due to the lack of inner peace.
“There are also sicknesses which can happen due to one’s karma,” Ti said in an interview after giving a dharma talk to about 200 Buddhist devotees at the Caring Complex in Jalan Utama, Penang, on May 28.
“Thus, besides seeking medical advice from doctors, the patient also has to repent and seek forgiveness besides doing good deeds to accumulate merits and virtues.”
Ti also advised cancer patients to share their problems with loved ones.
“Many are reluctant to talk about their sicknesses. However, they should realise that sharing is a form of relief to release their anger and hatred, which could be hazardous to their health,” she said.
“Cancer is not a dead end. I was told that there is no tomorrow, but I’m still here today.”
Catholic shrines draw Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims By Tom Heneghan, Reuters, Religion Editor, Aug 19, 2004
LOURDES, France -- In an unexpected twist of globalisation, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and other pilgrims regularly worship at famous Roman Catholic shrines to the Virgin Mary such as Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal.
They drink the holy water, light votive candles and pray fervently to the Madonna (news - web sites) for help with life's hardships. Many venerate her like one of their own goddesses, a view that would be a heresy if a Catholic theologian tried to defend it.
Rather than turned away, the newcomers are free to join the crowds from Ireland, Italy, Spain, and other traditionally Catholic countries who flock to Europe's most popular shrines.
In Fatima, the warm welcome they have received has caused an uproar among traditionalist Catholics.
No one can say how many non-Catholics worship at shrines where the Virgin is said to have appeared, but they have become a familiar minority there over the past five to 10 years.
"There are lots of them," Bishop Jacques Perrier of Lourdes told Reuters during Pope John Paul (news - web sites)'s visit to the southwestern French "miracle shrine" on August 14-15.
"Their numbers may be small as a percentage of the 6 million pilgrims here each year, but they're big in absolute terms."
The sight of some south Asian women in splendid saris mingling with the European pilgrims is the first hint that reverence for Mary has crossed religious borders.
Standing near the grotto where she was said to have appeared in 1858, two women wearing the Hindu red dot or "bindi" on their foreheads said they prayed daily to the Madonna.
"I come here for peace of mind and heart," said Buvaneswary Palani, a Hindu from southeastern India who now lives in southern France.
"Gods are the same everywhere," explained her mother Darmavady. "She is like our mother goddess Mariamman."
MARY, MARIAMMAN, MARYAM
Catholics revere Mary and believe she can intervene with Jesus to help them, but they do not consider her divine.
Hindu or Buddhist pilgrims could be forgiven for thinking she is, though, when they see the faithful kneeling in silent prayer before her statue or admire the huge mosaic of her that looms over the altar at the Lourdes basilica.
The Virgin also resembles goddesses they venerated back home before moving to Europe.
Tamils in southeastern India and northern Sri Lanka worship a goddess Mariamman who protects villages and wards off disease.
Among the Buddhists of China, Vietnam and other Asian states, the "compassionate Saviouress" Kwan Yin offers the maternal love that Catholics find in Mary.
Although Islam teaches there is no god but Allah, folk traditions in some Muslim societies have smuggled in a devotion for saints much like that seen in other religions.
The Koran contains a whole chapter on Mary, far more than the Gospels have on her. In it, Maryam (her Arabic name) is a virgin and Jesus a great prophet but neither is divine.
With its mass pilgrimages, devotion to a mother figure and belief in water with miracle healing powers, Lourdes combines elements familiar to followers of several other faiths.
"In a globalised age, it's normal that Lourdes attracts them," said Patrick Theillier, a physician who heads the Medical Bureau which examines every claim of miracle healing at Lourdes. The bureau has certified only 66 healings as genuine miracles.
FATIMA UNDER FIRE
Perrier saw no theological problem with pilgrims of other faiths worshipping at a shrine central to Roman Catholicism.
"There are no religious services at the grotto," the bishop explained. "They have great respect for Mary. They come to drink the water and touch the rocks. But they don't attend mass here. That would have no meaning for them."
But the line between hospitality to outsiders and blurring of religious borders is close, as Portugal's Fatima shrine to the Virgin has learned.
Traditionalist Catholics are up in arms against the shrine's directors for allegedly being so open to Hindu pilgrims that they let them perform religious rites there.
"They have sinned against God and given scandal to the faithful," thundered the U.S. monthly Catholic Family News. "They allowed Mary to be worshipped as God by pagan apostates."
Fatima's director, Father Luciano Guerro, issued a statement in late June denying that a Hindu pilgrim group led by its own priest had somehow defiled the shrine during a visit in May.
"The priest sang a prayer which lasted a few minutes," he said. "No gesture was made, no rite was performed, on or off the altar." Guerro also denied charges that a new church now being built there would be open to rites from all faiths.
VATICAN CONCERN
The blurring of religious borders that globalisation has brought to Marian shrines has also touched the higher levels of Catholic theology, causing deep concern at the Vatican (news - web sites).
Father Jacques Dupuis, an 80-year-old Belgian Jesuit who spent 20 years in India, has broken new ground in recent years by arguing that God works through many faiths to save all believers.
This contradicts the Catholic position that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation and even other Christian churches are imperfect paths to that goal.
Challenging that view earned the respected theologian a secretive three-year investigation by the Vatican's stern doctrinal chief, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
The issue calmed in 2001 when Dupuis, under heavy Vatican pressure, issued a statement saying his writings had contained some doctrinal ambiguities. But he has not changed his view.
"The Holy Spirit is present in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions," he said in a lecture in February. "The diverse paths are conducive to salvation because they have been placed by God Himself."
Vandals target Buddhist temples By MADDIE TRIER, The State News, September 1, 2004
Attacks lead to higher security in monasteries
Howell, Michigan (USA) -- A room of incense, candles and lotus lights remains under lock and key because of frequent attacks on the Americana Buddhist Temple that houses it. Buddha statues sit meditating in the dusky silence.
KATIE RAUSCH · The State News
Cheng Kuan, abbot of the Americana Buddhist Temple, pauses near the site of the recent vandalism to speak about his temple. For the past 10 years Kuan has had to face such offenses as defacement and theft.
This room once was open to the public, as Buddhist tradition dictates, but vandals have become too frequent for Abbot Cheng Kuan to ignore them. Kuan said he blames the vandalism on prejudice and ignorance, citing the fact that the criminals did not even spell the name of his religious leader, Buddha, correctly.
Acts of vandalism also were seen in mid-August at the Dhammasala Forest Monastery in Perry.
Unknown people entered the unlocked meditation hall and knocked over the shrine tables. Flowers were strewn, water spilled and statues toppled.
"The attack on ours struck me as someone who came to look inside and got upset," the monastery's Abbot Ajahn Khemasanto said. "For years we didn't have to lock anything, but we do now."
The monastery's members disagree about the reasons of the break-in.
Khemasanto said he thinks the celebrations the Buddhists held and the media attention the events gathered bothered some people in the community.
But Chalmer Clark, who is training to be a monk at the Dhammasala Forest Monastery, said the vandal probably had a less sinister intent.
"Chances are it was probably just kids messing around," Clark said. "I don't think it was an attack on the religion."
But the Howell temple has witnessed longer and more explicit attempts of intimidation. More than 25 acts of vandalism have taken place on the 50-acre religious haven. The temple has been in Howell for 11 years and the destruction started in the second year.
Multiple buildings have been targeted, including the two shrine rooms. A ceremonial drum and light were stolen, as well as a statue of the Buddha.
Police in both communities did not return repeated phone calls made this week.
Both Kuan and Khemasanto have installed higher security in their places of worship, despite saying they do not feel personally threatened.
"Our neighbors are very nice and the mayor of Perry is, too," Khemasanto said. "We don't feel unsafe or that our neighbors don't want us here."
The abbots have invested in security systems and extra locks on the doors.
A padlock resides on the outer door of the Howell temple's secondary shrine and the inside doors have a double defense with a regular door and chain lock.
Kuan still fumbles with the unfamiliarity of having to guard his religion behind steel and wood rather than openly sharing the words of his calling.
"It is a joke for a temple to be guarded by a security system. In my country, this has never been heard of," he said. "It is different here now. I've been waiting for too long, and due to the circumstances, I need to do it differently."
The security measures taken by the monastery in Perry are more severe than those taken by the local churches. Although churches could be targeted, the frequency is not comparable to the vandals at the Howell temple.
Pastor Randy Johnson of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Perry said break-ins remain a concern to him because he once served at a church that witnessed vandalism.
But Johnson said extensive security is not needed in the near future.
"Our building is quite secure and there is never any money on site - churches are notoriously poor anyway," he said. "If someone breaks into a church, there's nothing for anyone to do but vandalize."
Kuan echoes Johnson's idea that break-ins at religious places only can be made with malicious intent rather than material gain.
He said the anger the criminals feel is ignorantly misplaced, and vandalism has increased since the Iraq War.
"The killings in Iraq play a role in their misunderstanding," Kuan said. "They think they are heroic and they are justified in doing this and maybe they are revenging their military."
Buddhism originates in India and Nepal.
While Kuan has alerted the police about the vandals, he does not want the guilty persons to suffer repercussions for their acts.
"There will be no satisfaction whatever if someone gets punished, it won't be a joy for me," he said. "They are in trouble for themselves because they are poisoned in the mind.
"I just want them to know that it is wrong to harm."
Association of Muslim Scholars condemns execution of Nepalese captives Al-Jazeera, September 1, 2004
Muslim scholars have called for fair treatment of all peoples
Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq's leading Islamic authority, the Association of Muslim Scholars, has condemned the killing of 12 Nepalese captives.
This photo of the dead Nepalese captives was posted on a website
Dr Harith al-Dhari, secretary-general of the AMS, strongly condemned the execution, describing the slain captives as "simple people" who did not deserve their fate. "Speaking from [a] religious and humane point of view, I was the first among those calling on the kidnappers to release the hostages," he told Aljazeera.
"We are against killing hostages, particularly if it has been a group execution. Those 12 Nepalese hostages are simple people. They might have been deceived to serve the occupation forces," he said.
"I wish they had not been treated so cruelly."
He also called for fair treatment of all peoples in Iraq, irrespective of religion and creed.
"Through Aljazeera, I call on all groups who 'claim' they are resistance and Islamic groups to be more merciful, just (fair) and humane while dealing with captives despite their religion, trends and reasons behind their presence in Iraq," he said.
Website disclosure
Aljazeera said that a website had published video and pictures allegedly depicting the execution of 12 Nepalese captives seized by an anti-occupation group two weeks ago.
"We have carried out the sentence of God against 12 Nepal[ese] who came from their country to fight the Muslims and to serve the Jews and the Christians ... believing in Buddha as their God," the statement by the military committee of the Army of Ansar al-Sunna said.
The group posted a series of pictures showing two masked men, one in camouflage, holding down a hostage. The men then appeared to slit his throat and hold his severed head aloft.
Others pictures showed a group of men lying face down, with what appeared to be bullet wounds in their back.
The statement was accompanied by a video.
The group had earlier announced the capture of the 12 Nepalese on 19-20 August because of their cooperation with US occupation forces in Iraq.
Jordanian company
The Nepalese workers had apparently entered Iraq to work as cooks and cleaners for a Jordanian company catering to US occupation barracks.
"We are displaying the pictures of the Nepalese prisoners to set an example for anyone who allows himself to fight Islam and Muslims and cooperates with the occupying crusader forces in Iraq," said a statement issued along with the pictures.
Self-popclaimed anti US-occupation groups have waged a campaign of kidnapping in Iraq aimed at driving out companies, individuals and troops supporting US occupation forces and the new US-appointed Iraqi interim government.
Once, the Buddha was in a forest with some monks when they encountered a farmer. He was unhappily searching for his cows which had run away. After giving some advice, the Buddha remarked to the monks that they are the happiest people in the world because they have no cows to lose or tend to.
I used to joke that the way not to lose a wallet through misplacement or being pickpocketed is not to keep one - just keep money in your pocket. I thought that was pretty smart - but there was still attachment to money - one major overrated "holy cow". Of course money is useful, especially for charitiable works. But when we are caught up in amassing and protecting it, our happiness becomes at its mercy. It's incredibly easy to forget that money does not measure or buy happiness.
What are the cows in your life? We tend to gather cows, mistaking them to be objects of happiness, which become obstructions to happiness when they are clung to as its sources. This is why we need to release clinging to our cows one by one. You need not release the cows themselves if you don't wish to - just the clinging to them.
In cow-releasing, we realise that just as the cows of our life are not sources of True Happiness, neither are they sources of unhappiness. It is our attachment to them as sources of happiness that make us suffer when we lose them. Thus, no cows, be they money, property, status, relationships and status... are inherently good or bad - just be skillful in juggling them without clinging. A juggler who clings to any item will stumble in his performance. Just touch and go in each moment - treasure your cows without attachment - for like the farmer, you might lose them suddenly, and even if you do not, you will have to let them go... at life's end. Why be unhappy then? Be happy now.
LOURDES, France -- In an unexpected twist of globalisation, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and other pilgrims regularly worship at famous Roman Catholic shrines to the Virgin Mary such as Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal. 
