(Photo by Goh Shoo Weng)
As a child, Tee Lin Ying’s greatest dream was to travel the world, but the only way she could make that dream a reality was using the most economical mode of transport: cycling.
After working hard for the better part of her life and bringing up her twin sons to achieve academic success, she began planning to realise her dreams.
On 18 January 2018, she embarked on a solo long-distance cycling journey traversing Asia, including Central Asia (former Soviet republics), West Asia, the Caucasus and many parts of Europe, testing both her physical stamina and willpower against extreme weather conditions.
As a child, Tee Lin Ying's biggest dream was to travel the world. The photo shows her cycling in Tajikistan. (Photo by Tee Lin Ying)
Cycling Across the World to Fulfill a Childhood Dream
Along the journey, Tee Lin Ying encountered countless acts of kindness and faced threats on many occasions. There were those who helped her selflessly despite not knowing her at all, while others harboured malicious intent. Through these experiences, she learned how to face up to good, evil, danger and solitude.
She later realised that what truly changed her was not just the mental exertion nor the magnificent cloud-towering scenery, but the kindness she encountered along the way, and the impact and inspiration she received from noticing the suffering in remote and impoverished areas.
Tee Lin Ying has numerous experiences accompanying parents who have lost their children. Some have been unable to move on for years, drowning their sorrows in alcohol, suffering from sleepless nights and even wailing at the grave every day. Having had a painful firsthand experience of losing a loved one, she empathised deeply with them. She began sharing her life story, fostering mutual support and inspiring them to stand up again and embrace life with courage.
She also ventured into remote corners of the world where poverty and lack of education forced many women to live a life not of their choice. Despite the language barrier, she used translation tools to accompany, guide, and encourage them patiently. She recognises that while she may not be able to alter their destiny, she can help the next generation pursue education and nurture hope. Through these efforts, she believes life can be transformed gradually and restored a deeper sense of dignity.
During her cycling trip, Tee Lin Ying saw magnificent scenery and walked through impoverished corners. (Photo by Tee Lin Ying)
What left the deepest impression on her was a young man at just 19, sunk into depths of sorrow. From holding his shattered heart to accompanying him step by step as he rediscovers the value of life, she not only saved a life but also rewrote his life by encouraging him to regain his life and livelihood through painting.
Her Ties with Tzu Chi Have Always Remained Intact
In fact, Tee Lin Ying had known Tzu Chi for a long time.
In Malaysia, her two older sisters and brother-in-laws are senior Tzu Chi Commissioners, and more than ten family members are Tzu Chi donors. After her mother and sister-in-law passed away, they also became Silent Mentors.
She has always admired Master Cheng Yen and continues to donate to support Tzu Chi’s missions.
Around 2005, wanting to volunteer, Tee Lin Ying searched online for volunteer opportunities and that led her to the Tzu Chi eco point at Ang Mo Kio, where she met the late volunteer Sim Siew Hong. Since then, she began participating periodically in the monthly recycling event and had also attended the Dharma Incense Permeation Session at dawn. She also attends major Tzu Chi events each year, including the Buddha Day Celebration and the Year-End Blessing Ceremony.
In 2015, she had the opportunity to take part in the sign language and musical adaptation performance at Singapore's Year-End Blessing Ceremony. Since then, she has continued to participate every year without missing a single one. But getting more involved in Tzu Chi and drawing ever closer to Dharma did nothing to nudge her to take a further step to becoming a certified Tzu Chi Commissioner.
Because she still could not let go of her family, career, and the dream of cycling around the world.
A Parting of Life and Death Became the Cause of Awakening
6 April 2018 was a day she could never forget.
Her 24-year-old son, Joshua Tan, who had just graduated from the National University of Singapore's medical school, was on a graduation trip in Iceland, and died tragically in a car accident. At that time, Tee Lin Ying was on a cycling trip in Korea.
That day, she was deep in a forest and drenched in heavy rain, but fortunately, a kind-hearted Buddhist monk offered her a stay at the temple. A distant call that night turned what seemed like an ordinary night into the moment that completely changed the course of her life.
"My heart was completely shattered." She recalled softly, "My mind went empty, I could only sit there blankly, waiting for dawn, and rush to the airport to fly to Iceland to handle the affairs following my son’s passing.”
Early the next morning, she and her two sisters set off separately, flying to Iceland to bid the saddest farewell of their lives.
(Photo source: Envato)
She said that during that period, she could not shed a single tear.
With the assistance of Tzu Chi volunteers from Singapore, Malaysia, and the UK, she managed to handle her son's funeral and returned to Singapore, feeling extremely lost. She attended Buddhist chanting and repentance ceremonies everywhere, just wanting to accumulate merits for her son.
"I've always thought, where is he now?"
During those months, she was like a zombie, often going out without even noticing she lost her bag, money, or keys.
With the help of Tzu Chi volunteers from Singapore, Malaysia, and the UK, Tee Lin Ying settled her son's funeral arrangements. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
In Iceland, she met her son’s classmates who were traveling with him.
The young man appeared gaunt, his body quivering with guilt. On the day of the accident, being exhausted from the journey, he suggested Joshua, who was not registered as a driver, take over the driving. Unexpectedly, strong winds swept across the area that day, but they pressed on along a winding, exposed mountain road—only to meet an irretrievable tragedy.
Since the accident, he has been consumed by guilt, and even more haunted by the thought of facing Tee Lin Ying who lost her son, fearing she might unleash upon him, all her resentment and grief.
However, when faced with this young man who is about her son's age, Tee Lin Ying neither blamed nor resented him.
Withholding the immense grief of losing her beloved son, she instead gently comforted him, "Joshua is gone. I do not wish for this accident to ruin another young man's life."
A single word of forgiveness not only spared the young man but also freed herself from being bound by hatred and anguish.
Sometime later, she heard Master Cheng Yen shared a true story of an Iranian mother forgiving a boy who killed her son. That story further reinforced her belief that the choice to forgive was correct. She said, "Only by letting go can we prevent the pain from lingering indefinitely."
Looking back on this life journey, Tee Lin Ying often expressed, "Looking back, it was my son who steered me into Buddhism, he was the driving force in me studying the Dharma and walking the Bodhisattva path."
Son Steered Her onto the Buddhist Path
After her son passed away, she turned vegetarian.
Initially, the act of going vegetarian for 100 days was just to accumulate merit for her son. However, what truly changed her was not time, but the Dharma.
Hearing the Master repeatedly pleaded, "It's too late now to encourage vegetarianism, and we have to be vegetarians." She was deeply moved. In response to the Master's call to protect life, she began a vegetarian lifestyle, insisting on never eating non-vegetarian food and refraining from cooking meat at home.
At the same time, she began attending Dharma Incense Permeation session every morning and listening to Life Wisdom online. It was tough at the beginning, she could not get out of bed on time, and even when she forced herself to get up, she would often fall asleep while listening to the teachings. Time and again she floundered, but she never gave up.
Day after day, bit by bit, Dharma nourished her and she gradually discovered that Buddhism not only healed the pain of losing her son, but also quietly changed her.
Due to her upbringing, Tee Lin Ying developed a personality that values "speed, decisiveness, and precision," demanding perfection in everything. This work attitude was highly valued by her superiors but it often put her at odds with colleagues who struggled to match her pace and high demands. When outcomes fell short of her expectations, she turned agitated easily and found it difficult to let go for a long time.
Now, Buddhism has taught her to let go of attachments and learn to take things easy. Facing her family, children, and everyone around her, she began to empathize, often turning a single negative thought into kindness, and turning every bit of contention into acceptance. Even when worries arise, she can recognise such thoughts quickly and make a deliberate effort to turn it into positive thoughts. She is no longer being led by her emotions.
She said, "Interactions with others have grown far more harmonious, and my heart more tender, developing more empathy towards others."
Tee Lin Ying (far right) accompanying care recipients at the 2025 Hari Raya Festive Gathering. (Photo by Yeo Chee Hwang)
A Chance Encounter with Master Cheng Yen Changed Her Course of Life
In 2016 and 2019, Tee Lin Ying travelled around Taiwan by bicycle and motorcycle. On both occasions, whenever she passed through Hualien, she chose to visit Jing Si Abode.
It happened that during one of the lunches, she saw the Master’s frail figure from afar, and one thought came to her mind, "So frail, yet she is able to carry upon her shoulder a mission so vast and noble."
Unable to maintain apathy, Tee Lin Ying told her sister that she hoped to become the Master’s first-generation disciple. Her sister replied gently, "Then you have to work harder."
Because of that positive thought in wanting to help Master Cheng Yen fulfil her dreams which are beyond her reach, and act as the Master's hands, feet, and eyes, Tee Lin Ying vowed, "I will complete the volunteer training and become Master Cheng Yen’s first-generation disciple.” She also hopes to share the Master’s burden. After signing up for the training, she participated actively in various activities of Tzu Chi's Four Major Missions and Eight Dharma Footprints, gaining a deeper understanding of Tzu Chi's mission.
Tee Lin Ying admitted that during volunteer training, she encountered many setbacks and obstacles. It was not until she started attending the Dharma Incense Permeation sessions that she truly realised that the Dharma expounded by Master Cheng Yen is the most important uplifting energy in walking the Bodhisattva path. "Without Dharma, it will be impossible to be a Tzu Chi volunteer." She said.
Tee Lin Ying participated in Tzu Chi Commissioner training course, hoping to become the Master’s first-generation disciple. (Photo by Joseph Lim)
Driven Forward by the Power of Aspiration
In 2025, Tee Lin Ying completed her training and became a certified Tzu Chi Commissioner, given the Dharma name Lüting.
On the day of the certification ceremony, she reminded herself not to cry, as she did not want her tears to blur her vision. From the moment Master Cheng Yen stepped onto the stage, she gazed intently at her, hoping to engrave this moment deeply in her heart.
At last, when her turn came to receive the certificate from the Master, their eyes met momentarily. Gazing into those compassionate, hope‑filled eyes, she heard the gentle words: ‘You must be diligent.’”
These four words left a deep impression on her and ignited a new aspiration, "I can be more diligent and strive to become the ideal Tzu Chi disciple."
That single aspiration opened a new chapter of her journey on the Bodhisattva path.
On 22 February 2026, during an online fellowship with Tzu Chi volunteers in Nepal, her aspiration grew ever more resolute. Upon learning about the volunteer opportunities to assist with cleaning and support before the opening ceremony at Lumbini Park, she eagerly signed up for three service rotations. For a month and a half, she stayed there, offering her devotion and effort to the Buddha’s sacred homeland.
Tee Lin Ying focusing on her work at the opening ceremony of the Lumbini Park. (Photo by Lee Beng Hwee)
However, that was not her first time setting foot in Nepal.
As early as 2022, while cycling in Nepal, Tzu Chi had just started the "Giving Back to the Buddha's Homeland Project". Everything had to start from scratch. From cleaning the site and planning Jing Si Aphorisms sharing sessions in schools to preparing for winter aid distributions, she was involved in every function—from charity and medical services to education and humanistic culture—due to a severe shortage of manpower. As a result, drawing her closer to the lives of local residents.
She witnessed first-hand the stark realities of poverty and scarcity. Women, deprived of education and job opportunities, remained bound to their families, with almost no future to claim.
In 2022, before leaving the Tzu Chi branch in Nepal, Tee Lin Ying took a group photo with volunteers. (Photo courtesy of Tee Lin Ying)
Years later, when she returned to Nepal, the scene before her deeply moved her.
Women who once received Tzu Chi’s training in sewing and mushroom cultivation, now not only possess skills but have also regained their confidence. They step out of the shadows of their families, join the volunteer ranks, actively care for the community, and even grow into the core of local volunteer teams, promoting various Tzu Chi activities.
"It turns out that a seed of kindness, if cultivated persistently, can truly blossom and bear fruit."
Witnessing firsthand the changes in the lives of local residents, she was more determined to walk the Bodhisattva path for the rest of her life.
On 21 June 2026, while revising on the Wisdom at Dawn that reads “Abide in the power of their aspirations and extensively purify the Buddha's realm” at the Dharma Incense Permeation session, she reflected: "When conditions change, course of life will be different. At the crossroads, which road should I take? The Master said, once you set your direction, move forward with determination.”
She once cycled to the Pamir Plateau, known as the 'Roof of the World,' all the way to Khunjerab Pass, the highest point of the China-Pakistan Highway. She had also challenged Norway's famous underwater tunnel—the North Cape Tunnel. Today, she is still moving forward steadfastly on the path of life, only her direction has changed.
Looking back, she smiled and said, "I used to think I was seeing the world, wanting to explore the various endless snow-capped mountain ranges, so I was willing to trudge rugged and difficult terrains. Only now do I realize that what I truly need to cross is not mountains, rivers and seas but the path within my own heart. ”
The scenery remained magnificent, but the power of aspiration allowed her to see a broader world.
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