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Chapter 6 - The Experience Of Taking A Trishaw Ride
We took a trishaw from Raffles City to Clifford pier at about 9 a.m. on 18 December 1992. Singapore's trishaw has its carriage and an extra wheel on the left hand side of the bicycle proper. I had taken trishaw ride in Taiwan when I was young. The trishaw in Taiwan is different from that of Singapore. In Taiwan, the puller sits in front and the passengers behind. The seat is very spacious. With a moveable curtain, the trishaw can be operational rain and shine. The trishaw puller in Singapore sits on the right, and the passengers on the left. The seat is comparatively small; the carriage is just like a baby pram attaching to a bicycle. What do you think of the trishaw? It is something new, and quite satisfying, I answered. A gloomy day it was! The tropical heat was swept aside by the drizzling rain. The wind blew towards us, once the trishaw moved, it was quite comfortable. The land in Singapore is quite flat, there are many man-made gardens . The ever present greenery together with numerous flowers made the humid island a lively and bright place to live in. Towards the sea, the scenery is even more beautiful. The sound of waves bring life to the modern city. The beautiful sight is full of vibration and energy. I came to appreciate how relax it is to go sightseeing with a trishaw . We passed through many modern buildings, city hall, the sea nearby is as clear as a mirror. Flowers and trees were everywhere, and we came across the famous Merlion statue. Groups and groups of tourists went by. The citizens are law-abiding; and the surroundings spotlessly clean. In such an environment, we forget about our troubles and our minds are very calm. The trishaw puller entertained us by making a few extra rounds at the pedestrian walkway. The speeding vehicles zoomed pass us from the main road on our right. On our left was a big piece of grass-land which borders the endless sea. It gave us the heroic spirit when we rode through vehicles and high-rise building. I appreciate the lofty sentiments in taking the trishaw ride. I always believe that Singapore's way of life must be very colourful. It is just a natural phenomena for an ultra modern city like Singapore to offer such a wide variety of choice in life. But it has the gracious facet as well. For instance, the people living here, the friendship and the code of brotherhood of the disciples. Their hearts are so warm, just like the summer sun that could melt the ice from the northern hemisphere. Guru Lian Xiang said she liked Singapore. I said Singapore is a fine country. The trishaw puller started to chat with me. "Can you speak Mandarin, Master?" "Yes, I can." "Master, your look gives me the impression that you do quite a lot of personal cultivation." I smiled, telling my self that the trishaw puller knows how to tell fortune also. Casually, I remarked ,"You look quite an upright person!" "Master, it is alright to be upright. But I am always the object of bully, and taken for a ride. Those who claimed to be my friends sweet-talked me, and betrayed me. They are so ungrateful and tried to chop me into pieces." He did not stop complaining for quite a while. "Those who say that they will not harm me are the ones that did so." "Those who say they wanted to return a favour to me were the ones that wanted me dead." "Friends are supposed to be on the same side, but they were as sinister as a snake." "What am I supposed to do with this kind of people?" I was speechless. As a controversial person, it is not uncommon for me to cause contentions. Whether I am alive or otherwise, there are many topics for them to dispute. I came across an interesting event. A difficult, rude and unreasonable disciple of mine once told me , "I will never cause harm to you, Grandmaster. It is not my style. I want to repay your favour with all my heart and soul." And now, she is distributing all kinds of booklets slandering me - Master Lu Sheng Yen. On hearing what the trishaw puller had just said, I am really dumbfounded. (like a dumb person tasting bitter herbs)
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