User:Lee Kwang Beng
Lee Kwang Beng （ Chinese: 李光明 ）is an ordained taoist priest in Singapore. He is the Founder and Chairman of Mang Ann Walled Taoist Temple 萬安寨法主宮, a Chinese temple located in Fujian Province, China. He was educated at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and University of West London. Being a highly educated and bilingual taoist priest, a new role emerged for him as a facilitator for people to discover and learn about Taoism. These group include many English educated overseas Chinese and foreigners who want to learn about Taoism. He reaches out to the Taoist community via his blog at Hian Eng Taoist, and other social media channels. He is frequently invited to speak at events across the globe on his area of expertise[1][2][3]. Dr Michael Saso, Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii, USA has said in praise of Lee's blog that “ Daoism in Singapore is thriving and very knowledgeable, one can study here even without being fluent in classical Chinese, the English explanations are superb. ”
LEE KWANG BENG | |
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| Born | 1962 Singapore |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Other names | Li Luo-Ming 李羅明 |
| Education | Bachelor of Business Administration |
| Occupation | Taoist Priest |
Early Development
Lee Kwang Beng has an impressive lineage traced to a well-known ancestor Li Guang-Di （ 李光地 ）, an expert in I Ching （ 易經 ） who emerged 5th in the Imperial Examinations of 1670 during the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi. Lord Li Guang-Di was highly trusted by the emperor and led the Qing Court capture Formosa from the Ming loyalists. When he passed away, Emperor Kangxi personally wrote the inscriptions for the tombstone. Another ancestor Li Xuan-Sheng （ 李玄生 ） became a taoist master during the Qing Dynasty and founded the Hian Eng Taoist Chanting Group （ 顯應道士壇 ）. During the reign of Qing Emperor Guangxu, Hian Eng Taoist Chanting Group was assigned to conduct the rites and ritual for The City God Temple （ 古城隍廟 ） in Yongchun County, Fujian Province China for a several years.
Education
Lee studied at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and completed his undergraduate studies in Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of West London, United Kingdom. He had been involved in community activities and volunteering since secondary school. While in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, he proactively served in the students' union and was elected President during his second year of study. During his term of service, he made an initiative to relaunch the students' union journal, a free quarterly publication to raise awareness of and motivation for students to participate in the school activity. To further strengthen students' participation, he jointly organised with other tertiary institutions for the National Students' Seminar to encourage young people to become socially engaged. In view of his active contributions to the youth activities, he was selected to represent Singapore in the Asean-Japan Friendship Exchange Programme for the 21st Century in 1986[4]. The programme was first mooted by the Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1983 with the intention to deepen mutual understanding and foster long-lasting friendship between Japanese youths and youths from Asian countries. After his graduation, he was invited to serve as a member of the National Youth Council, Republic of Singapore under the Chairmanship of Mr Yeo Cheow Tong, the then Acting Minister for Health.
Banking Career
Lee entered the banking sector when he joined Bank of China, Singapore Branch after graduation. He was at the forefront of the corporate lending market, earning accolades for his work in trade finance, mortgage refinancing and project finance, among others. He subsequently left the bank to work at RHB Bank, Singapore Branch after accumulated several years of banking and finance lending experiences. Throughout his second banking career, he assisted in a number of small and medium enterprises loan acquisitions across diverse sectors and geographies. He left the banking industry during the financial crisis in 2000 by taking the leap into religious service.
Spiritual Training
Lee is heavily influenced by the teachings of Taoism which inherited from his ancestors. As a teenager, he was very fond of the taoist gods and ceremonies. He began to talk only at the age of 6 after his late grandmother fed him with a bowl of rice obtained from a street wayang operator during a temple celebration at the Old Duxton Road. During his off-school hours, he would visit his neighbour, the late Zhang Fuan 張福安 who was a taoist master and learnt various taoist arts and culture from him. In 1995, upon the advice of his late taoist master he made an attempt to become an ordained taoist priest at the Celestial Master Mansion in Jiangxi Province, China.
Intensive Training
At the beginning of the year 2000, his late uncle Li Yu-Chang 李玉鎗 who was an inherited taoist master based in Fujian Province, China asked him to return home and continue the family taoist traditions. Thanks to the past ancestors for leaving behind the intangible skillsets which allow him to advance the next stage of taoist priest training. Along with ritualistic services, taoist priest also expected to perform various kinds of exorcisms and rituals for people who wanted to cure disease, resolve drought and etc[5].
Major Accomplishments
1. To enhance the long-term relationship between China and Taiwan, the Taoism Arts & Cultural Exchange Programmes were arranged such that the participants would have ample opportunities of exchanging views and opinions with their counterparts through in-house seminar as well as showing their respective arts and culture. In 2010, Lee was selected to represent China Taoism to lead a team to Taiwan for a series of liturgical arts and culture display with the aim to foster the long-term friendship building[6].
2. In 2012, Lee was tasked to represent China Taoism as the Senior Taoist Master to host an International Taoist Festival in Malaysia, with the aim to promote development of Chinese folk culture and practices within the region. The programme includes in-house seminar and the first of its kind in Malaysia with more than hundred contingents and taoist priests from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore participated in the float procession[7]. The inaugural World Taoist Float Procession took on a rousing note at the culmination of a four-day celebration in conjunction with the International Taoist Festival in Air Itam, Penang. Chingay contingents, lion and dragon dance troupes led the entourage of a whopping 105 floats, measuring about 4.5km in a straight line, on an 11.8km spiritual journey.
3. At the invitation of the author Master Khoo Boo Eng, Lee assisted in the editing of a book A Simple Approach to Taoism which was successfully published in 2013[8]. An individual who is not familiar with Taoism will be able to understand the processes and procedures of each ritual in Taoism. The book will provide an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the rich culture and traditions of Taoism. It is now internationally recognized and exhibited in the International Book Exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany and London.
4. The taoist temple in fujian province of China[9] was consecrated by Lee Kwang Beng and his dedicated team in 2015. Without the strong support from the overseas Chinese, the construction of the temple could not be made easy. Temple view is not only the local center of taoist activities, but also a scenic tourist resort to attract many visitors and believers for worshipping.
Future Vision
In the public opinion, Lee Kwang Beng has always acted in good faith and fidelity[10]. In addition to his usual local and oversea taoism works, he also participates in the inter-religious dialogues and activities. In view of his active involvement in inter-faith engagements, he was admitted as a Life Member of Inter-Religious Organisations, Singapore in 2006. He believes that religion has no border restrictions and people of many different faiths live side by side. To build a society rooted in the values we treasure, it can only be built on a solid foundation of mutual respect, openness and trust. Our different religious traditions offer us many resources for this and teach us the importance of good relationships characterised by honesty, compassion and generosity of spirit.
References
- ^ li guang ming.html
- ^ https://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPWoMARcml8
- ^ [1]Pg 24
- ^ https://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblio/5210819
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBlf6X3ogH0
- ^ 08.html
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhIgEW1Jh7M
- ^ https://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblio/202705604
- ^ https://read01.com/k0QQJ5.html
- ^ [2]一庙供三神香火