Driving more than 300km from Kuala Lumpur, we finally reached "Geha Bodhi."

Geha Bodhi is a "transitional stop" for former drug addicts and convicts established upon the principles of Buddhism.

As Geha Bodhi's founder Lin Jichang has said, ordinary prisons, penitentiaries and rehabilitation centres will not have Buddhist organisations or monks visiting them or lighting up the hope for their inmates.

"Unfortunately, when these inmates are released after serving their jail sentences, they will often be encountered with the dazzling life outside as well as discriminating looks from the society. Their future is more often than not gloomy."

Most former drug addicts and convicts have to revert to their old selves due to such helplessness. There is hardly a place that would accommodate them in this indifferent world. If they were not reverting to their old sinful ways, there is nowhere else they can turn to.

Lin said, without the guidance of the Buddha's Way, those who are not strong-willed may have to continue to be immersed in the sea of drug or crime.

Because of this, Lin felt there was a need for him to do something for his Buddhist belief, and he eventually chose to tread upon this hardly touched area--setting up a "transitional stop" for former drug addicts and convicts, where their willpower could be strengthened and they could ready themselves for the renewed life ahead.

Geha Bodhi is located at Batu 12 Jalan Gambang, more than 300km from Kuala Lumpur and about 40km from downtown Kuantan.

Take the East Coast Expressway from KL and after passing the Gambang toll, head towards Kuantan, and Geha Bodhi is located right within Taman Sri Mahkota outside the town.

After braving the bumpy tracks, we finally steered our vehicle into a fenced orchard with a sign reading "Geha Bodhi."

The orchard is about two acres in size and the air is crisp and fresh. We have been told that the mercury could go down a lot at night and even the fan would not be needed. The serene atmosphere in the orchard offers a perfect setting for spiritual reformation.

Around the timber building that houses Geha Bodhi are a variety of tropical fruits such as rambutan, durian, jambu and jackfruit.

Geha Bodhi was founded by Lin Jichang on 6 January 2004, in a building he stumbled upon by chance.

"It used to be housing a Christian rehab centre, but was later vacated. I stumbled upon this place after I had made up my mind to set up a 'transitional stop' for former drug addicts and convicts. So I made the effort to talk to the owner."

The only Buddhist rehab centre in the country

He said, there were about 60 Christian rehabilitation centres in the country but hardly one Buddhist centre, and believed Geha Bodhi could have been the first Buddhism-inspired centre for drug addicts.

"The objective of setting up Geha Bodhi is to help the inmates wean themselves from drugs as well as re-establishing their spiritual life so that they could better assimilate into the normal social life in the future. As such, other than drug addicts, we also accept homeless people released from prisons or drug rehab centres."

There are currently 12 inmates at the centre.

"We never track the whereabouts of inmates after they've left Geha Bodhi. We are not sure whether they have truly been liberated from the grips of drugs, or still get addicted to narcotics, as we do not keep in touch with them... Nevertheless, we do whatever we can and help as many we can."

Donations declined

Geha Bodhi is a non-profit rehabilitation centre, and since it is a non-profit organisation, every cent it spends has been raised by Geha Bodhi itself. Unlike other charitable institutions, Geha Bodhi declines public donations.

"We emphasise self-sufficiency. Basically we draw our financial support from three sides," Lin said.

Firstly, the RM380 monthly living expenses sponsored by the inmates' families, but if their families cannot afford or they have lost contacts with their families, then the living expenses will be in problem.

Next, recycling. Geha Bodhi has set up a recycling kiosk collecting all kinds of recyclable items such as iron, aluminium, paper bags and newspapers, which are sold for some income.

Finally, encouraging the inmates to work outside to finance some of their expenses. This is normally done through the recommendation by Buddhist believers or businesses trusting Geha Bodhi.

"We feel it is more practical for them to go out and earn their own money, for this will allow them to understand that money does not come by easily. Besides, they also have the chances of meeting people outside and having their scope of vision broadened."

Having said that, there are certain problems sending them out to work, as many people tend to despise these former drug addicts or convicts, besides distrust from their employers. On top of that, by allowing them to see the outside world, Geha Bodhi must also take precautions to prevent them from running wild.

Due to the economic downturn, Geha Bodhi also faces some financial difficulty. Although the centre does not expect the public to donate, it nevertheless hopes that the public would sponsor food items and daily necessities, or better still provide jobs to the inmates.

Since Geha Bodhi was set up in 2004, the centre has not promoted itself in recruiting inmates.

"We have not done any promotion. Most inmates have come here through the recommendation of Buddhist organisations, or after we have visited rehab centres and prisons to preach Buddhism."

The centre began with only about three or four inmates, but that did not hamper Geha Bodhi's resolution to forge ahead.

Gradually, Geha Bodhi has made itself known among the public in the east coast. Besides the founder and staff, even the inmates have been invited by outside organisations to share their experiences.

"Many schools have invited us to speak. I wouldn't say we've made a lot of progress, but at least we always forge ahead towards our objective of delivering people from the sea of drug," said Lin Jichang.

Geha Bodhi
2, Lorong Sri Mahkota 50
Taman Sri Mahkota
Batu 12 Jalan Gambang
26070 Kuantan, Pahang
Tel: 012-983 1855

(Reported By GAO BAOLI, Photo by HUANG LINGLING/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Guang Ming Daily)

Part 1: A Jagged Start

Part 2: Transformed By Buddhism