Everyday Life of Chinese Singaporeans: Past & Present
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Module Code GES1005: Everyday Life of Chinese Singaporeans: Past & Present Tutorial Group D13 Assignment Name Temple Group Project - The Singapore Buddhist Lodge Date of Submission 31 October 2017 S/N Students’ Names 1. Chua Shu Zhen 2. Elsie Mok Kai Ying 3. Kong Kai Li TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: About the Temple 1 2.1 Background of Temple 1 2.1.1 Ties with Chinese Buddhist Circle 2 2.2 Main Gods & Secondary Gods 2 2.3 Temple Events 2 2.4 Preservations of Traditions 3 2.5 Interesting Stories 3 2.6 Temple Facilities and Features 4 Chapter 3: Reflections and Challenges 5 3.1 Reflections 5 3.2 Challenges 5 Chapter 4: References - Chapter 5: Appendices - APPENDICES Appendix A - Entrance of Singapore Buddhist Lodge Appendix B - Image of Sakyamuni Buddha Appendix C (1-10) - List of Secondary Gods Appendix D - Consecration Ceremony of Largest Amitabha Figure Appendix E - SBL Logo Appendix F - Red Cloth Strips Appendix G - Lotus Oil Lamp Appendix H - Article on the Complaints of SBL Appendix I - 1st Storey Layout: Courtyard Appendix J - 2nd Storey Layout: Office Appendix K - 3rd Storey Layout: Virtue Hall Appendix L - 4th Storey Layout: Library and Meeting Rooms Appendix M - 5th Storey Layout: Chanting Hall Appendix N - 6th Storey Layout: Storeroom Appendix O - 7th Storey Layout: Main Hall Appendix P - Donation Boxes Appendix Q - Screen Walls Appendix R - Symbolic Brazier Appendix S - Plaque Chapter 1: Introduction Temples are preserved as cultural artifacts which represent the history and rich cultures of ancient China. The temples are used as places of worship where devotees will visit to pay respect to the Gods and receive blessings. As part of our assignment, we visited Singapore Buddhist Lodge (SBL) (新加坡佛教居士林) on 18 September 2017. The temple is located at 17 Kim Yam Road, S239329, which is situated at Mohamed Sultan. The temple is 20 minutes away from the nearest MRT station at Somerset. This traditional Chinese temple has been established since 1946 and is well known for offering goodwill vegetarian meals to devotees 3 times a day all year round. Hence, the temple is relatively crowded, even on weekdays. The majority of the devotees consist of elderlies. Unlike the other temples which use dialect as their main language, this temple uses English and Chinese for communication. The main mode of Buddhism in the temple is Mahayana Buddhism, due to the vast amount of Mahayana deities in the temple. SBL consists of 7 levels and the design of this temple features Chinese-style roof ornamented with dragons that represents power, prosperity and wisdom, and uses red, green and white as their main colors. The facade is also decorated with lotus ornaments which symbolize purity of body, speech and mind (Refer to Appendix A). The purpose of the temple is to propagate Dharma in Singapore and make Buddhist doctrines and sutras available and accessible to the public. The temple also performs charitable undertakings to give back to the society. Chapter 2: About the Temple 2.1 Background of the Temple SBL was formerly known as Singapore Buddhist Sutra Distribution Centre which was founded in 1933 at an office located in Putuo Temple at Yan Kit Road. The temple was founded by Rev Dao Jie, Rev Zhuan Dao, Hui Yuan, Rui Deng, Pu Liang and Ru An. The temple went through several relocation before it settled in the current location. The office was initially based at Por Thoo Jee but was shifted to 26 Blair Road a year later with the facilitation and contribution by Mr Lee Choong Seng. The temple was also formally renamed to SBL after the shift to 26 Blair Road in 1934. The temple was then moved to 120 River Valley Road in 1939 and later to 13 Tong Watt Road in 1942 before shifting to its present location in 1946. The two main building in SBL were contributed by Mr Lee Kong Chian, where the main hall was named after him. The buildings were reconstructed in 1970 and 1995. Since its establishment, SBL has been actively involved in charity works through various institutions such as the Chinese Physicians Free Clinic, The SBL Vision, SBL Welfare Foundation and the SBL Education Foundation. The funds collected from the devotees are used in different ways to assist the less privileged. Some of the charity works include covering the school fees and daily expenses for students through bursaries, supporting the poor in 1 day-to-day expenses and medical fees, catering free vegetarian meals to the devotees as well as to distribute funds in red packets for the elderly before Chinese New Year. 2.1.1 Ties with Chinese Buddhist Circle SBL has also established ties with China since 1980s when China invited Buddhist Organizations in Singapore to introduce historical and traditional exchange. A missionary visit to China was led by Mr Lee Bock Guan, Ms Zhang Ziying, Ms Sun Zezhi, Mr Zhuang Xueliang and others in 1984 which turned into an annual pilgrimage to various sacred places. This served as an opportunity to strengthen ties with the Chinese counterparts. When there are ceremonies connected with restoration of sacred mountains or temples and consecration of Buddha statues, SBL will be represented to present their gifts for the betterment of these sacred icons. Exchanges between learned monks from China to Singapore are also facilitated by SBL. On 25th September 1988, the President of the Buddhist Association in China together with 15 members visited the SBL. In addition, a mission trip was led by Rev Guangqia to attend the consecration ceremony of Famen Monastery in November 1988. 2.2 Main God & Secondary Gods The Main God of SBL is Sakyamuni Buddha (释迦牟尼) which is also known as Sage of the Sakya or simply, the Buddha. The Buddha is the primary figure in Buddhism and advocates the end of rebirth and suffering for all sentient beings. The Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal, around 2500 years ago. In his quest for enlightenment, he travelled the world and followed the teachings of many gurus. At the age of thirty-five, he became enlightened and developed an intuitive understanding of existence. He also understood the cause and solutions to earthly suffering. His observations about suffering became known as the Four Noble Truths. In addition, he developed the Noble Eightfold Path, one of his principal teachings, which was described as the path leading to the cessation of suffering. After his enlightenment, Siddhartha Gautama became known as Buddha, the Awakened One and continued to spread Dharma teachings until his death around the age of 80. Apart from the Main God, there are many other Secondary Gods in the temple. The list of secondary gods can be found in Appendix C and visual aids can be found in Appendices C1 to C10. 2.3 Temple Events There are several events celebrated by the caretakers and devotees of the temple on an annual basis. These events are shown in the table below. Activities Dates God’s Birthday Birthday of Pu Xian Pusa Lunar: 21st of the 2nd month Birthday of Maitreya Buddha Lunar: 1st of 1st month Birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha Lunar: 8th of 4th month Birthday of Buddha Amitabha Lunar: 17th of 11th month 2 Other Major Chinese Lunar New Year Blessing Ceremony Lunar: 1st to 4th of 1st month Festivals Ching Ming Festival Lunar: 3rd month Vesak Day Lunar: 14th of 4th month Hungry Ghosts’ Festival Lunar: 15th of 7th month Birthday rituals are held to commemorate the Gods’ birthdays. These rituals are performed by the priests and offerings will be made to the Gods during the rituals. Typically, the priest will bless the devotees as well as the items they carry along. The most popular ritual in SBL is held on Vesak Day where the worshippers will gather around the water ornamented with wreath of flowers to pour the scented water over the image of an infant Prince. This is called “bathing” the Buddha as the Prince symbolises enlightened presence of the Buddha. The purpose of this ritual is to purify one’s mind of greed, anger and ignorance. Apart from the events identified in table above, the temple held a consecration ceremony of Amitabha’s statue in 2001, on the 17th day of the 11th month in the lunar calendar. This ceremony holds the largest outdoor Amitabha figure in Singapore and involves more than 40 venerable masters worldwide and is attended by 200 devotees (Refer to Appendix D). 2.4 Preservations of Traditions There are many traditions and cultures that are preserved in SBL until today. Firstly, SBL is a charity organisation and is well-known for providing goodwill vegetarian meals in buffet style to anyone, regardless of religion or race. SBL also distribute red packets worth $100 to the elderly and less privileged every Chinese New Year. Moreover, efforts are made to visit various old folks home around Singapore to distribute red packets. SBL believes that this would portray a deeper understanding to the public that Buddhism teaches on tolerance, compassion and equality (Refer to Appendix E for SBL Logo). Secondly, different rituals are performed for different festivals. For instance, during the seventh month, Meng Shan Offerings Ceremony (蒙山施會) is performed where the devotees will recite repentance to purify the immoral karma from the past. Apart from that, memorial service (回向) is also held to dedicate the merits to loved ones. Thirdly, red cloth strips with good wishes are hanged around the offering tables by devotees as it symbolises good fortune (Refer to Appendix F). Lastly, oil lamps and wax candles are offered to the Gods as an offering as it symbolises group cultivation and glorifies the temple, helping devotees to produce a mind of reverence.