I was ordained a monk here in 1975, converting from Hinayana Buddhism in Thailand to Chan Buddhism under sifu Ven. Hong Choon, along with another Westerner … from Adelaide SA, Australia. I had a very loving relationship with Hong Choon, based our seeing eye to eye over the Sutra of Hui Neng, Sixth Patriarch. In 1992 sifu wrote to me in Australia, asking if I would be the abbot of a new temple in Sydney. I declined his offer then, stating tat I still had unanswered questions about enlightened mind. Hong Choon nd Kong Meng San have always been one and the same for me, a great blessing. He was an understanding father, a compassionate bodhisattva, a merciful and generous human being and I loved him like my own father. But these days are now long ago. I only recognise a few of the older buildings, and yet, today’s Kong Meng San truly shows the passion of my sifu’s desire for people to place the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and spiritual liberation of one’s own original mind first in their precious human lives. Kong Meng San temple and global role is the child of the pervasive enlightenment of the beautiful monk, Sek Hong Choon and his sifu.