In June 2016, BeCause members were invited to attend a Guan Yin holy day at Bodhi Homecare Cheras (“Bodhi Home”). Besides the usual making of offerings and seeking of blessings by devotees, friends and supporters of the centre, Bodhi Home also distributed ang pows to the less fortunate and needy who form the majority in the neighbourhood of Kampung Ikan Mas.
For BeCause, the event also marked the culmination of the Stupa project which the Society and its members had a major hand in seeing to its completion. The project started sometime in December 2015 and completed in 3 months, allowing for the Chinese New Year break.
The Stupa project was part of Bodhihome’s on going plans to provide much needed accommodation space to replace their living quarters which were burnt down some years back by vandals. Now, the holy items and Buddha images which took up space in Bodhi Home’s main prayer hall can be relocated within the Stupa which is built outside the main building. This frees up space for multi-purpose use in the day and as living quarters at night. There were also two TNB high tension pillars in front of the centre which had been obstacles to cars going in and out of the home and also access to the Stupa. Fortunately, a BeCause member succeeded in getting TNB to shift the posts finally early this year.
Bodhi Home had raised about RM30,000 for the project when it was first mooted in 2013. However, the project could not proceed as engineers/contractors had quoted figures as high as RM1.0 million. This was attributed to the fact that the Stupa location was next to a big storm drain. Costly retaining walls, sand filling and piled foundations needed to be done before the structure can be built.
Undaunted, a BeCause member who is a Civil Engineer did a thorough study of the project and concluded that most of the comments/advice by other parties were mostly assumptions and superficial. Another senior engineer’s in depth opinion was sought to ensure the right decision and design were made.
The shape and structure of the Stupa requested by Bodhi Home followed a complex design given to them by a Thai monk.
Thanks to innovative ideas contributed by a friendly steel contractor, a much lighter and economical structure could be built.
Many thanks also to the concrete foundation and Stupa support platform contractor who did not charge a cent for his efforts which otherwise would have cost Bodhi Home RM50,000. BeCause members also contributed RM40,000 towards the cost.
The Stupa was completed in March 2016 and handed over to Bodhi Home without them having to spend a cent. Whatever they had raised would be used for exterior decorations and finishing works of the Stupa.
BeCause is happy to have made a difference and rejoice together with Bodhihome caretakers, residents and orphans who had also given their share of sweat and tears during the construction phase of the project.
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