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The Passing On of an Icon

by Rasika Quek
Dharma Aftermath

The names Lady Sujata and Lady Visakha who lived during the time of the Buddha are
familiar names to most Buddhists. The former offered milk-porridge to the Bodhisatta
just before his Enlightnment whilst the latter, a daughter of a millionaire was a great
female supporter of the Buddha. The Lady Visakha was the epitome of a devout lay
Buddhist who played an important role in various activities amongst the Buddha and
his followers. At times, she was given the authority by the Buddha to settle disputes that
arose amongst the nuns (bhikkunis). Some Vinaya rules of discipline were also laid down
for the nuns when she was called in to settle their disputes.

We in the Buddhist community recently lost our own present day iconic “Lady” of the
th.
Dhamma on October 28 According to her family members she passed away peacefully
after breakfast. She was eating and talking normally before she gently closed her eyes.
At the eulogy given by Bhante Sri Saranankhara Nayaka Maha Thera, the Chief Monk of
Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, we were told that Aunty Tan (maiden
name, Chin Kim Lan) was given a lease of life for 20 years. Twenty years earlier, Aunty
Tan was quite ill and when Bhante visited her at the hospital and reminded her of her
numerous good deeds, she shed tears of joy. This probably spurred her on to live to
continue with her good work until her last breath a few days ago at the age of 92. Bhante
Sri Saranankhara quipped that Aunty Tan would have to wear hundreds of different
T-shirts to represent every organization she had helped before.

We will always remember seeing Aunty Tan and her band of zestful helpers dishing
out assam laksa, meehoon, kueh and other delicious food and drinks at the Brickfields
Maha Vihara and other temples every Sunday and at festive occasions to raise funds
for temple building and renovation, building wells and proper utilities, and aiding
poor communities, etc. She was a permanent fixture in our hearts when it came to
volunteerism and service. No one could compare with her heart of gold, to which she
rightly earned the nickname, “Queen of Dana.” In her heart, there was no differentiation
between Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. She gave her all, regardless of who came
to her for help. Therefore, it came as no surprise that virtually every Buddhist group was
represented during the wakes. It would have been mayhem had every Buddhist group
clamoured to do the funeral chanting for her. Thanks to the resourcefulness of her family
members, suitable time-tables were prepared and organized to ensure that everyone had
their chance to pay their respects and that traffic was controlled to avoid inconvenience.