GES1005 EVERYDAY LIFE OF CHINESE ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ SINGAPOREANS: PAST AND PRESENT ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ TEMPLE VISIT GROUP ESSAY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ POH ERN SHIH (报恩寺) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ APP PROFILE ID: 179 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ TUTORIAL GROUP D3 ​ ​ ​ ​ CHOO SHI YUN CLAUDIA ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ PEH CHING HUI TIMOTHY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ LEE JIA MIN, CHARMAINE ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1. Introduction Our group visited Poh Ern Shih Temple (报恩寺), situated at 9 Chwee Chian Road, Singapore 117488. It is currently managed by the grandson of the founder, Mr Lee Boon Siong and his wife, Mdm Connie Lee Khai Lai. The temple opens daily from 6am to 6pm and is a 10 minutes walk away from CC26 Pasir Panjang MRT station. Visitors, regardless of race or religion, can contact the temple at 6474 3926 or visit their website, http://www.pohernshih.info, ​ ​ to know more about their monthly activities and events. It does not have any connections with any other temples, and is currently self-supported by volunteers and two part-time employees. There is no specific dialect associated with the temple and no membership system as well. An interview with Mdm Lee, allowed us to gain insights of the history of the temple, which will be addressed in this report. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1.1. Background of Poh Ern Shih ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The temple was established in 11 April 1952 by Mr Lee Choon Seng to commemorate the lives lost during the Japanese Occupation, including the fallen invaders, allied forces and innocent victims, as well as to express his gratitude towards surviving from an ambush in 1942 (See Appendix B). It has not shifted from its current location for the past 65 years, originating as a small single storey temple on the steep Chwee Chian Hill (Figure 25). The temple has always been under the supervision of the Lee family throughout the years, passing down from the founder to his third and fourth son before Mr Lee Boon Siong, currently 78 years old, took over. The temple has been registered as a charity organisation by the founder in the 1950s and has since been sustaining on the contributions of family members and devotees. Over the years, Poh Ern Shih has been also involved in several notable milestones, such as hosting Venerable Sumangalo in December 1959, the first Caucasian abbot of a Buddhist temple in Singapore. Together with Miss Pitt Chin Hui, a female Buddhist pioneer, the duo were able to spread Buddhist teachings to English speaking communities, through the combined effort of translating the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra from Chinese to English. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The property is holding onto a freehold lease and is not expected to shift to another location in the near future due to its unique geographical location, allowing the view of both the sea and the hills nearby (Figure 24). Together with the devotees, the staffs contribute back to the temple out of goodwill as they believe that the good merit accumulated over time will allow them to lead a better afterlife, contrary to monetary assets that only stay in the current world. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1.2. Transformation of Poh Ern Shih ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Over the years, retaining walls had been built around the temple’s premises, otherwise the temple would be forced to leave its current location. In 1996, reconstruction plans for the old temple were initiated by Mr Lee Boon Siong, a passionate environmentalist who firmly believes in the Buddha’s teaching of conserving our environment. He pushed for the idea of using green technology in the new temple building. The planning continued for 6 years with repeated rejections by the URA before finally gaining approval. In 2005, the old temple was officially torn down for reconstruction and was reopened on 11 April 2011, coinciding with the date of the opening of the original temple on 11 April 1952 (Figure 27). Modernised infrastructure were to appeal to the younger generation as well as to accommodate to the devotees. New features of the temple included the 6-storeys office wing, 7-storeys pagoda, main Ksitigarbha prayer hall and 108 Dharma prayer wheels. Poh Ern Shih is also Singapore’s first eco friendly temple. In an effort to be environmentally friendly, no air-conditioning is used in the temple premises. An example would be the main prayer hall which cools itself by allowing hot air to rise and escape through the vent in the ceiling (Figure 18). Since 2009, the self-sufficient temple has generated its own electricity for lighting and heating by converting solar, kinetic, and hydraulic energy to electricity. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1.2.1 Green Technologies ​ ​ ​ ​ The temple has a variety of solar panels within the premises, on the pagoda (Figure 22(a)) and the tiled roof (Figure 22(b)). Different types of solar panels were used to account for different intensities of sunlight. Other than solar panels, the temple also has wind turbines that harness breezes from the sea, and the generated power is used to charge electric wheelchairs for the elderly. Hydroelectric generators were installed on the hollows of temple beams. When rainwater passes through from the highest floor, it generates electricity. Water storage tanks (Figure 23) were installed to collect and reuse rainwater, using pipes installed within the temple. Purified water will be bottled and blessed to become holy water for the devotees, whereas unpurified rainwater is used for washing and cleaning of the temple, as well as to irrigate plants. Tap water is rarely used in the temple, as even for washing of dishes, tap water is only used at the third stage of washing - to rinse off the soap on dishes. Even then, the used water is accumulated for the removal of scrap food left on the dishes. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1.2.2 Elderly Friendly ​ ​ ​ ​ As there are many elderly devotees, the temple has wheelchair-accessible facilities, gentle slope extending from the gates to the upper levels (Figure 5) to allow elderly to go up without much difficulties. There are also “Call-for-help” buttons and dual-lock systems installed inside toilet cubicles in case of emergencies. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1.2.3 108 Dharma Wheels ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ There are 108 Dharma Wheels along the slope to upper levels (Figure 6). The Dharma Wheels follow the teaching of Tibetan cultures whereby one turn of the wheel equates to reciting a complete sutra. When people go up the slope, they will turn the Dharma Wheels to protect the temple and to help “recite the sutra”, praying for their loved ones. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1.2.4 100 Gold-plated Gautama Buddha Statues ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ There are 100 gold-plated Gautama Buddha statues opposite the Dharma Wheels (Figure 7). A spiritual master had once visited the temple for an event and brought the statues along with him. After the event, he randomly appointed 100 worshippers to pay and bring the statues home. However, not everyone was willing to do so because they were not informed beforehand. Hence, Mr Lee Choon Seng decided to pay for all 100 statues and kept them within the temple. In addition, the statues were gold-plated and a wall was built at the side of the temple to place all the statues. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2. Temple Layout ​ ​ The completed temple comprises of 7 storeys. The first storey is the temple hall (Figure 12), linked to the kitchen. The dining hall (五观堂) is located on the 2nd storey, which is occasionally converted to a sleeping area during events. The 3rd storey houses the main prayer hall (Figure 16), used for rituals and events. Levels 4 to 6 are dormitories for nuns to reside in before they embark on the next phase in their journey, while the roof level provides visitors with an aerial view of the temple’s surroundings. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2.1. Temple Courtyard, Entrance and Hall ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ A prominent statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva wearing a 毗卢帽, which is bought by Mr Lee Boon Siong, can be seen once we enter the temple hall (Figure 13). There are also 200 miniature statues of the Goddess of Mercy placed on the wall behind, to signify the support provided to the Bodhisattva. On the left of the temple courtyard, there is a small altar (十方无主孤魂) (Figure 4) to pray to, for lost spirits to enter the temple if they are afraid to do so without permission. 2.2. Main Prayer Hall ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The main prayer hall is normally used for events. A white jade statue of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, bought by Mr Lee Choon Seng, can be seen at the front of the hall (Figure 19). We were told that the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was not wearing the Pi Lu hat to embody his human form, compared to the temple hall statue symbolising its Bodhisattva form. There are also lights placed behind the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva which is said to signify light and brightness. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2.3. Ancestral Hall ​ ​ ​ ​ The ancestral hall is located at the back of the temple, on the second level (Figure 8). ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 3. Gods 3.1. Main God ​ ​ ​ ​ We were told that in Buddhist temples, there is no main god that devotees pray to. Instead, devotees worship the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas. The main Bodhisattva in the temple is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (地藏王菩薩). Mdm Lee said that the founder chose this Bodhisattva not only for his role of relieving the sufferings of the deceased during the Second World War, but also because of the emphasis on filial piety and family behind his teachings. He is believed to have taken numerous forms throughout different eras to experience the life of others, and to provide assistance along the way to others in need. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 3.2. Secondary Gods ​ ​ ​ ​ Together with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Guan Yu is placed on the left, while Bodhisattva Skanda (韋馱菩薩) is placed on the right. The Manjushri Bodhisattva (文殊菩薩) is placed in front of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Despite being widely recognised as a Taoist Deity, Guan Yu is also known in the Buddhist teachings as Bodhisattva Sangharama or 伽藍菩薩, in charge of fortune and money.