Seamstress, housewife and mother of three, Patricia Ng (Pat) says that she believes in helping others whenever possible. Prior to becoming the Sewing Division Coordinator at Kechara Saraswati Arts (KSA), Pat was a seamstress with a local fashion designer for 15 years, developing and enhancing her sewing techniques. When offered the position at KSA, Pat says she was thrilled to accept because she never knew she could contribute to Dharma using skills she already had. Under her guidance, the sewing skills of KSA have gone from strength to strength.

Tell us about yourself, Pat – how would you describe yourself as a person and before Kechara, what were you doing?

I was just an ordinary housewife and mother of three children. Sewing was my hobby before it became my career – before I came to Kechara, I was working in a boutique in Kuala Lumpur. Working there was fun because I love to sew, there were so many new things to learn and I got to meet lots of people.

Before you were introduced to Kechara, and before you met H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, were you asking any questions about your life?

I was always asking questions. I wanted to know why I was born, why I was here. I wanted to know where I go from here, what happens after I die. When things were going badly, I wanted to know how I could make everything better.

So how were you introduced to Kechara? What attracted you to Kechara?

JJ, a friend of my boss, introduced me to Kechara. He impressed me with his great knowledge of Dharma at such a young age – he was 21 when I got to know him and I was 42 then. It saddened me to have wasted so much time not knowing Dharma. What attracted me to Kechara were Rinpoche’s Dharma talks.

What do you like about Rinpoche?

Rinpoche can read our thoughts, answer our questions and clear our doubts without us asking at all. He is very caring and kind – everything Rinpoche does is for the benefit of others. Every word is so inspiring and touching. He can be your father, your friend, your teacher, your inspiration, whoever you want him to be.

What do you think the future holds in store for Kechara? Where do you think Kechara is heading?

Kechara will undoubtedly grow to become the biggest Buddhist organisation in Malaysia. It will attract global attention and inspire millions towards Dharma practice. With hundreds of thousands of people coming in, I can just visualise Rinpoche giving a Dharma talk in a very big hall or in a stadium! Many new departments will manifest and the students will be well-trained in handling different things. Every event will be very grand and successful.