Poh Ern Shih Temple
报恩寺 | |
 Poh Ern Shih | |
.svg)  Location within Singapore | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Poh Ern Shih Temple |
| Order | Theravada, Mahayana |
| Established | 1954 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Lee Choon Seng, Sumangalo, Pitt Chin Hui |
| Site | |
| Location | 9 Chwee Chian Road, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 01°16′45″N 103°47′19″E / 1.27917°N 103.78861°E |
| Website | pohernshih |
| Part of a series on |
| Buddhism |
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Poh Ern Shih (
Following a major development project which began in 2003, Poh Ern Shih became the first religious building in the country to incorporate both eco-friendly and elderly-friendly features. Together with its partner, the Buddhist Fellowship, the temple conducts programmes such as Dharma talks, Sutta discussions and meditation courses in Chinese and English for the Buddhist community.
History
Poh Ern Shih is located on the top of Chwee Chian Hill, off Pasir Panjang Road, on Singapore's southern coast. Facing the hilltop is
During the
Founder Lee Choon Seng
Based on the concept of liberating the spirits of the soldiers and civilians who were sacrificed during the Japanese invasion in World War II, the temple of Poh Ern Shih was constructed on the site of the bloodshed on Chwee Chian Hill.
Lee was born in
First Western abbot
Venerable Sumangalo (1903—1963) was born as Robert Stuart Clifton in a devout Christian family in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States in 1903. After receiving his Doctorate in Literature, he lectured on Buddhism in the United States before moving to Asia to further his study of Buddhism. In 1957, he joined the Theravada Order in Laos and received the monastic name Sumangalo, meaning "very auspicious". He then left for Malaya and later visited Singapore on a spiritual tour in late 1959 with another American Buddhist monk, Venerable Susiddhi. Through his efforts, a number of Youth Circles and Sunday schools were set up locally.[6]
In January 1959, he was invited to be the honorary abbot of Poh Ern Shih, thus becoming the first Westerner to be the abbot of a Buddhist temple in Singapore.[7] While in Singapore, he assisted Pitt Chin Hui in her translation of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra from Chinese to English. He returned to Malaya and spent his later years at Penang Buddhist Association, where most of his Dhamma lectures were held. His lectures were later compiled in English and Chinese and are still freely distributed. Venerable Sumangalo passed away on 6 February 1963 and was cremated in Penang.[8]
Female Buddhist pioneer
Pitt Chin Hui (1906—1981) was born to a wealthy family in
In December 1959, Pitt embarked on the task of translating the
Building design
To allow for expansion, the old premises were demolished. Reconstruction began in 2003, and the office wing was completed in April 2007, in phase 1 of the project. The new six-storey building was designed by Lee Coo, who is also the architect behind the Venerable
Civic consciousness
Conscious that a large percentage of its devotees were in their 60s, the Honorary President/Director of Poh Ern Shih, Lee Boon Siong, a retired lawyer, grandson of the temple's founder, and its chief architect, strove to ensure that the temple was accessible to the elderly and those who use wheelchairs. A gentle driveway stretches from the gates to the upper levels of the temple, and every storey of the building has level flooring. The lavatory cubicles are fitted with easily reached "call-for-help" buttons, and the doors are designed so that they can be unlocked from the outside in the case of emergency.[10]
Eco-friendly features
The temple takes advantage of Singapore's abundant sunlight by having three different kinds of solar energy cells on its rooftop. They are the poly-crystalline silicon solar array, mono-crystalline silicon solar array and amorphous silicon solar array. Poh Ern Shih's water is heated by its solar panels, and its night lighting is powered by electricity converted from solar energy, With its breezy location, wind generators have also been erected to convert wind activity into electricity.[11]
The rainwater which falls on Poh Ern Shih is collected from surface run-offs and rain gutters and used to irrigate the temple grounds, as well as to generate electricity used for charging the batteries of in-house motorised wheelchairs. The electricity is produced by water from the highest floor of the temple passing through hydroelectric-generators. A purification system is also being installed, so that the collected rainwater can be filtered and made potable.[11]
In line with the aim to make use of renewable resources, the furniture in Poh Ern Shih for its resident
The second phase of the temple was completed in late 2008, featuring a new Main Ksitigarbha Prayer Hall as well as a Guanyin Meditation Hall with lapis lazuli statues and a 7-storey stupa.[13]
The temple today
To reinvigorate itself and attract younger blood, Poh Ern Shih entered into a partnership with the Buddhist Fellowship[14] , a non-sectarian Buddhist organisation known locally for its revolutionary projects and activities intended to ensure that the Dharma is propagated in contemporary language and form. The Fellowship—whose more than 2,000 members are mainly English-speaking professionals, mostly under 45 years of age—initially rented space at Eton House in
The Fellowship moved into its 4,000 square feet (370 m2) of space in Poh Ern Shih on 29 May 2007. The event was marked by an opening ceremony attended by Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Health, and the Fellowship's two spiritual patrons, Ajahn Brahm and Venerable Kwang Sheng, Abbot of Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Temple. The group conducts programmes such as Dharma talks, Sutta discussions and meditation courses led by visiting Sangha and notable lay Buddhist teachers such as Piya Tan, Dr. Ang Beng Choo and Prof. Tan Hun Tong and many more. The temple is open to the public daily, and admission is free.[15]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "History of Bukit Chandu". Poh Ern Shih. Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ "Reflections at Bukit Chandu". National Archives of Singapore. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ Koh, "Renewing the Temple of Thanksgiving", p. 112.
- ^ "OCBC History". Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ Ong, "Lee Choon Seng", pp. 48–49.
- ^ Piyasilo, 1992h: 1–3.
- ^ Piyasilo, 1992: 17–19.
- ^ Venerable Sumangalo, p. 4.
- ^ a b Ong, "Miss Pitt Chin Hui", pp. 111112.
- ^ a b Koh, "Social Consciousness", pp. 113–114.
- ^ a b Koh, "Making Good Use of That Which is Abundant", pp. 114–115.
- ^ Koh, "Renewable Resources", p. 115.
- ^ Koh, "What's in Store", p. 115.
- ^ "the Buddhist Fellowship website".
- ^ a b Lee Chee Keng (30 May 2007). "Two Buddhist groups share space". The Straits Times.
Bibliography
- Koh, c-u Pinn (2007). "Renewing the Temple of Thanksgiving"—Vaidurya (May/Jun 2007). Singapore: Golden Pagoda Buddhist Temple.
- Piyasilo (1992h). Charisma in Buddhism. Malaysia: Dharmafarers Enterprises. ISBN 983-9030-10-8.
- Piyasilo (1992). New Directions in Buddhism Today. Malaysia: Dharmafarers Enterprises. ISBN 983-9030-03-5.
- Ong, Y.D. (2005). Buddhism in Singapore—A Short Narrative History. Singapore: Skylark Publications. ISBN 981-05-2740-3.
- Venerable Sumangalo (2006). Lectures by Venerable Sumangalo Bhikkhu (in Chinese). Malaysia: Penang Buddhist Association (Free distribution).