Name Benjamin Lau Cheryl Wee Rachel Lim Soh Wanzhen Module Code GES1005 Tutorial Gp. D10 Temple Name Zheng Jue Si (正觉寺) App ID 122

正觉寺 Cheng Kak Si

Introduction Cheng Kak Si (正觉寺) is a located along 98 Lorong 23, Geylang Road. As a humble temple situated in the industrial estates of Geylang, worshippers of Cheng Kak Si consist mainly of working adults and devout Buddhists who work and live around the temple. True to its name, “正觉” can roughly be translated as ‘true enlightenment’, an evident reflection of both the vision of the temple and its hope for their devotees to attain perfect enlightenment at the end of their mortal journey just like Buddha.

The analysis of Cheng Kak Si was conceived by several field visits to the temple and aided greatly by interviews with temple volunteers and the temple keepers, the Quah family. Mr James Quah is the current trustee of the temple who manages all administrative matters of the temple. He is assisted by his sister, Ms Quah, and his elderly mother, Mdm Ting. Mdm Ting lives in the temple compound and takes charge of the day to day upkeep of the temple. Our visits to the temple were appreciably enriched by Ms Quah’s impressive knowledge of the temple and her faith, imparted to her from her stint at the in , where she was discipled about fundamental Buddhist beliefs and its history.

History of Cheng Kak Si Cheng Kak Si, despite being a simple and modest temple, has a rich and extensive history. For the ‘history’ portion of this paper, our group mainly consulted a Lianhe Wanbao article (1993) which specifically reports on Cheng Kak Si for our historical investigations. The findings from the newspaper are augmented by comments by Ms Quah.

The construction of Cheng Kak Si temple began in 1951 and was officially completed in 1954, with operations beginning on 9th November 1954, on the 6th day of the 10th lunar month. The temple had remained relatively traditional over the years, without much changes to its rituals and events. Though worshippers and devotees of the temple are relatively middle-aged, the family regrets that finding ways to modernize the temple is a challenging feat for a small temple like Cheng Kak Si. However, through our conversation with Ms Quah, she shared with us her idea of creating a website for Cheng Kak Si which she might consider actualizing in the near future.

The rationale behind the construction of Cheng Kak Si was because China was involved in war during the late Qing Dynasty, resulting in many temples in China, including Cheng Kak Si’s mother temple, “莆田 梅峰”, being left in a destroyed condition. Thus, 3 monks from Fu Jian, China arrived in Singapore to build Cheng Kak Si so as to conduct fundraising activities to remit money back to China to rebuild the destroyed temples. One of the monks personally went back to Fujian to rebuild the temple in 1899. In 1948, 2 other monks from Singapore, Zhong Xin and Da Ming went back to Fujian to rebuild the temple again. “莆田梅峰” underwent a total of 2 phases of reconstructions. This phenomenon was similarly recounted in Parallel Universes (Dean, 2015) where he described situations where it is common for monks to return to their root temple to assist in redevelopment.

The origin of the name “正觉寺”, follows an interesting history that reveals an intricate link between the two temples. Back in those days, “梅峰” was known to be a mountain filled with plum trees. And since the original location of the other temple was in Putien Meifeng, “梅峰” was subsequently used in naming Cheng Kak Si. The full name of the temple is hence “梅峰正觉寺”, to indicate the close relationship between the 2 temples. However, the temple is usually addressed as “正觉寺” for simplicity sake. The route to establish Cheng Kak Si was also not smooth sailing. The temple had some conflicts with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) as the government wanted to reclaim the land for industrial use. After several years of long debate, the URA agreed to let Cheng Kak Si maintain at its current location.

Cheng Kak Si is funded in numerous ways. One of which is through donations from the donation box placed at the entrance of the temple. Additionally, payment from rites performed on behalf of the family of the deceased during the 7th Lunar month as well as that after the deceased have passed on, contribute the bulk of the funding necessary to sustain operations of the temple. In the 49 days after death, Buddhists believe that does not occur immediately and that the soul remains in the earthly realm for 49 days. Loved ones of the deceased would hence engage the help of the temple to intercede on behalf of the deceased to dispel karma accumulated in his lifetime so as to ease the deceased’s journey towards reincarnation. In addition to interceding for the deceased, payment from the family is often used to pay for miscellaneous items and ingredients used in the preparation of meals offered to the deceased daily.

Layout of Cheng Kak Si The main elements of the temple consist of the courtyard and the temple building, which comprises the main hall and a secondary hall (Appendix A). In the courtyard sits the four-faced Buddha (四面佛) (Appendix A, Fig. 1). At first, it was quite perplexing to the four-faced Buddha, which is a Thai interpretation of the Hindu God known as Brahma, the God of Creation. The unorthodox assimilation of the four-faced Buddha into Cheng Kak Si shows the significance of syncretism in Singapore temples. Wee (1976) argues that in the Singapore context refers to the syncretic amalgamation of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. In stark contrast, Goh (2015) purports that Chinese Singaporeans who worship other deities are primarily engaging in the “ritual mode”, as seen in this example where temple-goers of Cheng Kak Si worship the four-faced Buddha, treating the it as real as Buddhist deities.

The main hall is situated in the middle of the temple, and in it sits 6 worship figures (Appendix A, Fig. 2). The main deity of Cheng Kak Si is the Shakyamuni Buddha (释迦牟尼佛), which is the main Buddha of Buddhist temples, as it was on his teachings that Buddhism was founded. In front of Shakyamuni sits the (弥勒佛), also known as the Laughing Buddha, known to be the successor of Shakyamuni Buddha. Further in front sits the Thousand-armed Goddess of Mercy (千手千眼觀世音菩 薩). She is flanked by the Bodhisattva (韦驮), a devoted guardian of Buddhist monasteries who guards the teachings of Buddhism, and the Sangharama Bodhisattva (关公), who is worshipped for his values of loyalty and chivalry. The final worship figure at the side of the main hall is the Bhaisajyaguru Buddha (药师佛), the Buddha of medicine and healing.

The sole worship figure at the secondary hall is the Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva (地藏菩薩), known as the Bodhisattva of hell and the afterlife (Appendix A, Fig.1). He carries a staff, known as (锡杖), to force open the gates of hell. Being the guardian of the afterlife, it explains his location at the secondary hall, due to the close proximity to the numerous ancestral tablets in Cheng Kak Si.

Artefacts of Cheng Kak Si Cheng Kak Si is home to many diverse Buddhist and cultural artefacts. We would like to highlight two noteworthy artefacts which bring significance and uniqueness to the temple - the couplets and the abacus.

A culturally significant artefact worth probing into are the couplets flanking the main altar in the main hall; they are as follows: “正法光明无常无我涅槃寂静, 觉心开朗不執不迷动止安详”. (Appendix C, Fig. 7) Through our conversations with the temple staff, we discovered that this set of couplets have been specially commissioned during the founding of the temple, back in 1964. Hence, the first character of each stanza forms “正觉”, which is the name of the temple. The first stanza “正法光明无常无我涅槃寂 静”, states that one should hold on to one’s thoughts and perspectives and not conform to the majority. Even though things are always changing, one should not use preconceived judgements to look at others. While the second stanza “觉心开朗不執不迷动止安详”, states that one will garner inner peace and elation after being enlightened by self-realization. One should stop in the moment in time to absorb and appreciate the serenity around. Moreover, we found out that elements of the couplet have been derived from traditional Buddhist scriptures. For example, “涅槃寂静” refers to , which is one of the three Seals while “正法光明” actually refers to the importance of the Age of the Right Dharma, which is the first 1000 years since Buddha’s passing.

A unique embellishment of Cheng Kak Si is the wooden abacus hanging on the left wall in the main hall. The presence of the abacus is not conventional in a Buddhist temple, thus we asked Ms Quah about its origins. Ms Quah explained that this was an attempt to apply what she had learnt from her Feng Shui course in the Institution of Sodo Feng Shui in 2013. By placing the abacus at that very spot, Ms Quah hopes that it would bring about a change in the energy, also known as ‘chi’ of the temple, so as to bring continued prosperity and good luck. It is important to note that temple itself does not practice or teach feng shui and that this application of feng shui is done out of Ms Quah’s own personal beliefs. The abacus is hence a unique and distinct artefact of the temple, illustrating the amalgamation of different beliefs (Goh, 2015) - the syncretism between the religious and philosophical systems.

Rites and Activities of Cheng Kak Si The rites and activities observed in the temple include both birthday rites of main worship figures as well as fellowship sessions unique and special to the temple and its devotees.

One of the most significant events observed in the temple is the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha (释迦牟 尼佛), which falls on the 8th day of the 4th month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, also known as Day. On this day, devout Buddhists and devotees of the temple gather to recite The Buddha, The Dharma, and The , led by a group of nuns (Appendix B, Fig. 3). Vegetarian meals are also prepared and served to members of the public free of charge using temples funds as an act of kindness and generosity to the community in remembrance of the Buddha’s qualities and teachings. The temple also adheres to the traditional ‘Bathing the Buddha’ ritual, where devotees use a special ladle to pour fragrant water over the statue of little Buddha displayed in a basin (Appendix B, Fig. 4), which symbolises the cleansing of bad karma. In addition, the temple invites dragon dance troupes to perform at the courtyard of the temple (Appendix B, Fig. 5). Though not part of the traditional Buddhists rituals observed on Vesak day, the temple keepers believe that the dragon dance can ward off bad luck and bring peace to the temple and its devotees. These rituals usually attract crowds from around the vicinity who are either intrigued or a fellow believer who watch on or even participate despite not being a worshipper of the temple. This sight is an evident example of the power of rituals and its ability to transform an everyday space into a sacred ground of worship (Goh, 2015).

Besides the birthday rites, Cheng Kak Si temple engages in other activities as well. Every fortnight, the temple holds Sunday rites, where the nuns lead devotees of the temple in chanting a series of teachings and scriptures. Another noteworthy event held in the temple is a fellowship session organized once every month. This fellowship session was first conceived and started 4 years ago. Once a month, the temple extends invitation to the elderly from Geylang Bahru Resident’s Committee to the temple for a meal. On this day, the elderly, gather to celebrate the birthdays of residents that month (Appendix B, Fig. 6). Recognizing itself as part of the local community, the temple began this endeavor as a way to contribute, engage and interact with the community, in hopes of also demonstrating the qualities of kindness and compassion fundamental to Buddhist beliefs.

Evaluation, Reflection and Conclusion Our group had overcome great adversity in order to gain primary source information for this paper. The religious composition of our group is as follows: one agnostic and three Christians. Moreover, none of us were proficient in Chinese as all of us predominantly speak English in our households. This phenomenon led to a distinct language barrier and obstacles in understanding specific Buddhist jargon. Hence, our group had to carry out additional research on relevant Buddhists rituals and traditions in order to gain a stronger grasp on the background and beliefs of the Buddhist faith. We are proud to proclaim that in our journey of doing this project and writing this report, we have gained a deeper understanding and new- found appreciation of Buddhism and Cheng Kak Si.

In conclusion, it has been an interesting experience studying Cheng Kak Si, and along the way, unintentionally stumbling upon its rich and profound history. It comes to show that by digging deeper into a seemingly simple temple, we can truly appreciate the profound intricacies which make each temple unique. We shall use this notion and apply it to the overarching theme of the module as a whole, which signifies that if we can delve deeper to seemingly simple daily Chinese lifestyles, then we can truly understand and learn to appreciate the everyday lives of Chinese Singaporeans, past and present, better.

Appendix A: Layout of Temple and Main Hall

Figure 1: Layout of Temple 1: Temple Courtyard 2: Main Hall 3: Main Altar table with Kesu , and other artefacts 4: Main Altar with Statues of Deities (Refer to Figure 2 for details) 5: Ancestral Tablets (Secondary Hall) 6: Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva (地藏菩薩) 7: Four-Faced Buddha (四面佛)

Figure 2: Main Hall A: Shakyamuni Buddha (释迦牟尼佛) B: Maitreya Bodhisattva (弥勒佛) C: Goddess of Mercy (千手千眼觀世 音菩薩) D: Sangharama Bodhisattva (关公) E: Skanda Bodhisattva (韦驮) F: Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva (地藏菩 薩)

Appendix B: Rites and Activities of the Temple

Figure 3: Ceremonial Chanting Sessions led by Monks

Figure 4: Bathing the Buddha Ritual

Figure 5: Lion Dance on Vesak Day

Figure 6: Birthday Celebration for the Elderly

Appendix C: Interesting Facts of the Temple Figure 7: Couplet

References Dean, K. (2015). Parallel Universes. Handbook of and the Asian City: Aspiration and Urbanization in the Twenty-First Century. Berkeley: University of California Press. Goh, D. (2015). In place of Ritual. Handbook of Religion and the Asian City: Aspiration and Urbanization in the Twenty-First Century. Berkeley: University of California Press. Wee, V. (1976). Buddhism in Singapore. In Understanding Singapore Society, ed. Ong Jin Hui, Tong Chee Kiong and Tan Ern Ser. Singapore: Times Academic Press. 新加坡正觉寺. (1993). 联合晚报, p. 23. Published 5 May 1993.