Yeo Lee Siang Celia (Cambridge Chapter, Women Division Chapter Chief) and her husband Derrick Toh Choon Kit (Cambridge Chapter ,District Chief) and her son Toh Kenjin (Cambridge Chapter, Vice Young Men Division District Leader) share their personal journeys of faith, and how the couple has nurtured Kenjin through faith, building a harmonious and united family.
Creative Life (CL): Celia and Derrick, how did both of you start practising Nichiren Buddhism?
Celia: I started chanting with my mother when I was 11 years old and became serious in my Buddhist practice when I joined the Student Division. It was also at that time that I met my husband, and he was the very first person to whom I introduced Nichiren Buddhism to.
Derrick: Yes, we were in our first year of study at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Celia invited me to attend a discussion meeting. I liked the rhythmic gongyo recitation. After that meeting, I decided to practise Nichiren Buddhism and participated actively in Soka Gakkai activities to learn more about the faith.
Transforming Challenges
CL: In the course of our lives, there will no doubt be challenges and problems. What are your most memorable ones and how have you overcome them through faith?
Celia: On February 16, 2002, three years into our marriage, our son Kenjin was born. As a new mother, I lacked confidence. I remember, after my confinement at my mother’s place, I returned home crying. I was often alone at home with Kenjin and became panicky whenever Derrick left for work.
Fortunately, I joined the Dendrobium Orchid group, a faith training group that guides young mothers like me in our new phase of life. We learnt various topics including parenting and building a harmonious family from the perspective of faith. We also studied Ikeda Sensei’s guidances, shared our common challenges, and encouraged each other. Eventually, through this platform, I became more courageous and confident.
Derrick: In January 2010, I started my own online business selling car body kits and accessories after a company in Germany accepted my business proposal. It was difficult in the beginning as I had to use my savings and get a reputable company to do the spray job and installation.
After nine months, I had the opportunity to set up my own workshop. However, there was financial risk. After discussing with my wife and chanting together in front of the Gohonzon, we made big changes to our lifestyle and in 2011 we finally rented a unit to set up a spray paint workshop. Due to the initial high startup cost, I had no salary during the first six months.
Celia: While Derrick ventured into his own business, I was also starting a new career as a contract preschool teacher. In addition, my father was diagnosed with dementia around the same time and Kenjin suddenly refused to attend school. I was on the verge of breaking down and would cry almost every night during that period. I also thought of breaking my bond to take care of Kenjin and my father.
I chanted earnestly to the Gohonzon to be able to make the best arrangement. My prayer was answered when Kenjin slowly opened up to the school counsellor and returned to school less than a week after!
My principal also allowed me to work a few hours in the afternoon till the end of my contract so that I could prepare meals and bathe my father before my mother returned from work. Due to my principal’s kind accommodation, I did not have to pay a hefty sum for breaking the bond.
Being a caregiver was not an easy task. There were times when my father refused to shower or eat, and times when he would throw tantrums.
Though frequently exhausted, I never stopped attending SGS activities and fulfilling my role as a Women Division (WD) district leader. Every activity I attended served as a reminder and encouragement for me to face and win over my daily challenges.
Derrick: Celia’s never give up spirit encouraged me greatly. I was a Young Men Division (YMD) district leader then. I juggled taking care of my members, attending meetings, and running my own business. Celia constantly encouraged me to chant fervently to the Gohonzon to excel in both work as well as my kosen-rufu endeavours.
After I moved on to the Men Division (MD), I continued my mission as a district leader in a Chinese district. That was a new challenge for me, having been in an English district for the past 10 years. However, I made a conscious effort to study, prepare and rehearse the contents of the Gosho study for every discussion meeting and made a breakthrough. It was a great leap forward for me and my Buddhist practice.
Whenever I meet a deadlock, I will return to my prime point of faith and remind myself with this guidance from Ikeda Sensei, “When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fibre in your being will immediately orient itself towards your success. On the other hand, if you think, This is never going to work out,’ then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight. Then everything really will move in the direction of failure.”
Through our daily Buddhist practice, reading Ikeda Sensei’s guidance, and with my family’s support, my business gradually improved. We had the good fortune to buy our own office unit in 2013 and then move to our current premises in 2015.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are left with one worker, but I am still challenging my daily work with strong determination and conviction in the Gohonzon
CL: It is definitely no easy feat to raise a child, especially when it comes to guiding them to lead a correct way of life. How did both of you try to nurture Kenjin?
Celia: In 2005, I enrolled Kenjin in the Soka Kindergarten because of a visit to Sapporo Soka Kindergarten during my pregnancy. I was so impressed with the values of Soka education that I resolved to send him to Soka Kindergarten in Singapore and he attended nursery there in 2006.
Kenjin: I am forever grateful that my parents sent me to Soka Kindergarten where I created many fond memories. My mother even sacrificed her lunch break to take me home after school to save on the school bus fees.
Celia: I am glad he had a fruitful learning journey in Soka Kindergarten. Since Kenjin was young, we also took him to SGS activities and prayed for him to awaken to the Mystic Law and become a successor for kosen-rufu.
Derrick: Even now, we will always attend meetings as a family whenever possible. We encouraged Kenjin to participate in the Primary Division and Future Division meetings and apply what he had learned at the four division meetings. I am happy that he enjoyed these activities and even participated in the 2017 Chingay Parade performance.
Kenjin: Since I was young, my parents have been emphasising the importance of faith to me. Even though sometimes it seemed like they “forced me” to attend meetings, I did genuinely enjoy being there and was always encouraged by the members’ sharing.
Celia: However, the journey of parenting isn’t always a bed of roses. During the pandemic, Kenjin got terminated from school. As a parent, it was frustrating and heartbreaking to see how he was wasting his life away almost every day. At the same time, my father’s cancer relapsed. Every day was a huge challenge, but I continued to send determined prayers and steadfastly carried out my Buddhist activities.
Kenjin: Indeed, life was smooth sailing for me until Covid-19 struck. I enrolled to study music at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in 2019. The transition from secondary school to an arts school was quite overwhelming for me. However, I was able to overcome my academic challenges and successfully survive that year.
In 2022, my biggest fear came true! No matter how hard I worked in school, I couldn’t get enough credits for the semester and my cumulative GPA was less than 1.0. As a result, I was terminated. Initially, when presented with this piece of news, I became fearful of what was going to happen and how I was going to face questions about my studies. Thus, I withdrew into my shell and lied that I dropped out of school, thinking it would sound better. In retrospect, hiding or running away from my problems was something I seemed to do whenever I faced obstacles.
Fortunately, my parents were always by my side, and I was able to share my emotions and struggles with them, which led me to open up slowly, revitalise my faith and face my problems head-on. I believe that chanting daimoku together with my parents and being actively involved in Buddhist activities all this while have truly helped me accumulate good fortune!
Celia: Both my husband and I continue to pray for and dialogue with Kenjin. We are glad to see how he has transformed to be more cheerful and hopeful now. Through this setback, we hope that he can appreciate the importance of our Buddhist faith and practice.
Kenjin: Looking back, without this faith, I would not have been able to bring forth the strength to continue moving forward and stay positive amidst the challenges.
I will enlist in the Police National Service in February this year. I am overjoyed to have this opportunity to unleash my potential and give back to society.
Our Resolutions
CL: Your experiences and how you challenged problems and grow as a family will definitely be an inspiration to many people. Can you share your resolutions in this Year of Youth and Triumph?
Kenjin: Inspired by how my grandmother always goes back to faith in the face of any family challenge, chanting at least two hours daily without fail, I resolve to do my daily gongyo and daimoku diligently and also contribute my best to kosen-rufu.
I am also determined to share my victories at the discussion meetings. I have seen how my grandfather conscientiously prepares his speech to share his victories at discussion meetings and am determined to be like him and surmount all the difficulties that come my way based on faith!
Lastly, I will always engrave in my heart this guidance from Ikeda Sensei, “A peaceful life does not mean a life free of toil and suffering, rather it means living without being swayed no matter what happens. This is a state of true peace and happiness.”
Celia: I am determined to be a courageous and wise woman who brings hope and happiness to all the people around me. Life will always be full of challenges, but I firmly believe that with faith in the Gohonzon, I will be able to overcome any obstacles.
Ikeda Sensei says, “It’s important to remember that the reason we seek to communicate our Buddhist faith to our children and encourage them to practise is for the sake of their happiness and for the eternal prosperity of our families.” (Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Supplementary materials, 1.2) Never losing sight of this, I am determined to ensure that my faith in the Mystic Law is passed on to future generations ceaselessly.
Derrick: For me, I have renewed my determination and vow for kosen-rufu. As a golden pillar of SGS, I must win over every obstacle by “bringing forth the great power of faith” and strive to enable one more youth to bring forth their highest potential through faith.
(Adapted from February 2023 issue of Soka Times)
