Things don’t just fall from the sky. We make them happen. For a project as big as Kechara World Peace Centre (KWPC), it can only happen by concerted team effort. The think tank does their strategising, the writers write, the fundraisers fundraise, the front-runners network, the media experts generate publicity…the list goes on. What do the rest of us do? Pujas of course!

The recently concluded Setrap retreat was held to request Dharmapala Setrap (Dharma Protector of Gaden Monastery and Kechara) to make KWPC manifest smoothly and swiftly, and become an institution that will benefit all beings on this planet, directly or indirectly.

The retreat commenced on 6 July 2010, the auspicious occasion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday. It was before the talk when His Eminence Tsem Tulku Rinpoche made a surprise visit and gave a stirring Dharma talk, where retreat participants were also fortunate enough to receive an oral transmission of the Setrap mantra from Rinpoche.

This retreat was done in accordance with Rinpoche’s advice to Kechara House members to embark on a Dzambala and Setrap retreat for KWPC . As with the Dzambala retreat, we targeted to finish this Setrap group retreat within 10 days. By the seventh day or so, concern was growing that the puja might not finish by the target date of 16 July as we were some ways off the mark and had only three days more to go. So everyone banded together and we gritted our teeth, and made the final push. It never bothered us that the daily sessions were ending past midnight and many had to work the next day, because we all knew what we were there for.

There were some members who put in extra effort for the benefit of the whole group, the ones who did many prostrations, a real stress-test and physical challenge. We would like to mention them because they did over and above anything that was expected of them, with no expectation for personal gain.

• Phng Wee Liang, our champion “prostrator” was doing 1,000 prostrations per day during the retreat. When we so badly needed help just before the targeted completion date of 16 July 2010, he completed 2,000 prostrations between 8pm on Thursday night to 6am the next day (16 July)!

• Leeanne Lim was sick and on medication but still managed to do 500 prostrations each day

• Mr HY Lam and Tho Guan Choon each achieved 1,000 prostrations

• Young Jutika achieve no less than 600 prostrations per day

The Setrap retreat sub-committee, headed by Choi Sheem, tirelessly organised the whole retreat with the help of the umzes Tan Gim Lee, KH Ng and LT Loo who took turns to lead the prayers. This sub-committee and the umzes are some of the many people (too many to mention!) whom the Kechara House Committee would like to thank for their help and support in so many ways.

When we do a retreat, it sends a strong message to everyone else watching. Never mind the esoteric arguments that one might put forth about retreats clearing obstacles. On the most mundane level, during a retreat, people pull through for one another in so many ways. As Kechara House completes successive retreats, coming together repeatedly like this, and facing sustained growth in our organisation shows that teamwork does…well, work! How? Teamwork clears the obstacles of and created by disharmony, by teaching us to put others and the bigger over and above ourselves.

So work with us! With so many large projects on the go, it won’t be long before the next Kechara retreat is going to begin again so get involved now, and be there the next time a chance is presented to YOU to help manifest Kechara World Peace Centre, OUR legacy for lifetimes to come.