HPB Voices Reloaded

By Eugene Heng

An exclusive interview with Ms Kelly Chan from Pre-School & Primary School Outreach Department, Youth Health Division, on her recent pilgrimage to India...

Why did you decide to go on a pilgrimage to India?

There comes a time in our lives when we begin to realise an inner void within us that needs to be filled. We reflect on the spectrum of our lives right now, but we still can’t quite put a finger on it except we seem to know we need to translate it into action. Some know it as “a calling”, a force so strong that we feel incomplete and unfulfilled as a person if we do not attend to it. We all experience this calling, only at different times. A calling to be ourselves more fully and to give expression to what resounds in our souls.

I had “my calling” ... ... ...

I made a decision to live my life more deliberately, more joyfully and completely. To live it by choice rather than by chance, by design rather than by default and I had challenged my courage to explore into the deepest crevices of my heart, trusting that I will indeed find that one thing that was missing, deep inner peace.

How has this trip influenced your perspectives about life?

India had called for me and my pilgrimage was an experience that has changed my life. It has taught me how to be more creative, more compassionate and more truthful, all of which are attributes that are lacking in our mundane lives here on this physical plane. Having spent five weeks in India, it has created a shift in my perspective of what life truly is and should be.

We often believe that all we possess in our material world-computers, mobile phones, our jobs, friends and acquaintances, etc, are the only things that are real, that connect us to where we live and represent who we are. The sad truth is that human beings have never been less connected with the universe throughout the history of mankind than we are today. We have completely lost touch with our humanity, with our true purpose in life.

I was blessed with a calling that led me to the sacred land of India where life is simple, but filled with so much opportunity for people like us to add value to the lives of others. We all embody a unique purpose and mine was to explore my spiritual path and do seva (service).

We all have a heart, but to what extent we use it is the big question. With the intention to acquire a more peace-filled and meaningful existence, I had offered whatever I could during my time in India, supporting medical outreach efforts, making visitations and providing supplies to orphanages, dishing out meal prasadams (temple offerings) to the villagers by the hundreds, day after day, and just overall engaging in simple daily acts of decency and kindness which brings indescribable joy. I truly believe that I have gained more from these experiences than any of the people who had received the little service I had done for them.

On a spiritual level, I have been awakened by the wisdom and lessons of the soul. Hours of daily prayers and meditation have taught me to understand essentially the importance of self-awareness. We often forget that we live in a world so much greater than ourselves and our life experiences are but a tiny fraction of what makes up the entire universe. Awareness through focus and meditation has definitely helped me to expand my appreciation for the world we live in, a world that stretches beyond our constant narrow search for luxury, wealth and security. Without awareness, we will never be able to be bigger people and unfold beyond our limits. My exploration has indeed transformed my entire being and nourished the deepest part of my soul.

What is the one aspect of the trip that left the deepest impression on you?

During my time in India, and in the moments of meditation, I connected and integrated the dimensions of my being, moving from my mind into my HEART, and found that space of peace, pure consciousness, and acceptance for what is.

I have seen the Light, and experienced the Stillness.

Be still... and know... that you are... ”all that is”

Any words of wisdom you would like to share with our readers?

“Teach love, and let that love embrace you as you go out to the world... It is the only thing that still stands when all else have fallen... "