Flower monk sighted at taipei 101

April 21, 2009
Trial of Ren Ci founder
Ming Yi takes the stand
By Carolyn Quek and Selina Lum

Ming Yi (left), 47, is facing four charges for making an unauthorised $50,000 loan from Ren Ci's coffers to his ex-personal aide Raymond Yeung (far left) on May 17, 2004. --ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

SEVERAL times, the monk choked back tears as he recounted his life story and the uphill task of bringing up his 'baby', Ren Ci Hospital.

It took him six years to convince his mother to let him become a monk, said Ming Yi on Tuesday.

As a young monk, he had to make ends meet by conducting funeral rites. something he disliked doing.

Then, as he was trying to fulfill a mentor's last wish for a hospital for the destitutes run by Buddhists, he had to deal with naysayers who thought the idea was too far-fetched.

'I am a Buddhist monk. The worse it is, the more I have to go into it,' said the former chief of Ren Ci Hospital.

Ming Yi, 47, was taking the stand for the first time on Tuesday in his trial for making an unauthorised $50,000 loan to his former personal aide.

Testifying in English, he spoke at length about how he came to wear the saffron robes and his journey from a novice monk to his involvement in the Singapore Buddhist Federation and the abbott of Foo Hai Ch'an monastery.

His move to fulfill the late Venerable Siong Khye's wish for a hospital started modestly enough, with a day care centre for the elderly in Yuhua.

Then came a suggestion from the ward's MP, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, that he take over a wing in the then-Woodbridge hospital for the destitute and mentally sick.

On his first visit, he was appalled to see mostly senile patients tied to their beds and yelling at the top of their voices.

Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.

it isn't easy being a monk or just merely adhering the the practices of buddhism in our daily life.

during our kopi chat at the rich pal's luxurious condo with a great sea view, another revealed that he saw flower monk shopping with a guy at TAIPEI 101. another chore of a personal aide: to carry shopping bags while the master shops to his delight!