Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
光明山普觉禅寺
The Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hall of the temple
Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery is located in Singapore
Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
Location within Singapore
Monastery information
Full nameKong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
OrderMahayana
Established1920
People
Founder(s)Zhuan Dao
AbbotKwang Sheng
Important associated figuresHong Choon, Long Gen, Yan Pei, Sui Kim
Site
LocationBishan, Singapore
Coordinates1°21′41.04″N 103°50′9.6″E / 1.3614000°N 103.836000°E / 1.3614000; 103.836000
Public accessyes
Websitekmspks.org

The Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery (also the Bright Hill Pujue Chan Monastery) (simplified Chinese: 光明山普觉禅寺; traditional Chinese: 光明山普覺禪寺; pinyin: Guāngmíng Shān Pǔjué Chán Sì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kong-bîng-san-phóo-kak-sī), is a Buddhist temple and monastery in Bishan, Singapore.[1] Built by Zhuan Dao in the early 20th century to propagate Buddhism and to provide lodging for monks, this monastery is the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore.[2] It is the parent organization of the Buddhist College of Singapore founded in 2006. It is one of the two private crematoria, while the other one is Tse Toh Aum Temple.

History

Between 1920 and 1921, the Phor Kark See Monastery was built on the a plot of land in Thomson Road donated by Tay Woo Seng, a Chinese businessman. It was the first traditional Chinese monastery to be built in Singapore. Since Phor Kark See Monastery is situated at Kong Meng San ("Bright Hill", formerly "Hai Nan Mountain"), it has come to be known as "Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery". The original temple consisted of a two-storey building, a shrine room, a visitors' room and living quarters. The Monastery expanded steadily over time as philanthropists, including Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, donated funds for its expansion.

In 1947, Hong Choon became the monastery's abbot, after the death of its founding abbot, Zhuan Dao.[3][4] Under his leadership, the monastery's complex expanded from two shrine halls to include the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas and prayer halls with a total area that are as large as ten football fields. He also progressively developed and expanded the monastery with his followers into the largest and most majestic place of practice in Singapore.

In 1980, the temple began to build Evergreen Bright Hill Home, which opened in 1983,[5] with the donation of S$5.3 million from Hong Choon's followers, He Hui Zhong's family's company.

On 15 January 2002, the temple announced a Compassion Fund to provide financial assistance to retrenched workers with a last drawn pay of up to $2,500, and who do not qualify for other aid schemes.

On 5 June 2004, Kwang Sheng became the monastery's present abbot.[2] Under Kwang Sheng's leadership,[6] the Dharma Propagation Division was set up for Singaporeans to learn Buddhism and practice Dharma. The Youth Ministry KMSPKS Youth, was set up to serve as a platform for Singaporean youths who want to know about Buddhism, learn Buddhism and serve the society via Buddhist teachings.[7]

In May 2007, Kwang Sheng released a musical album titled Buddha Smiles.[8] In the same year in October 2007, the temple was one of seven religious groups ordered by the Commissioner of Charities (COC) to open their books to auditors.[9] With an annual income of S$14.95 million, it had one of the largest incomes among the charities under the COC's direct purview. Its main income sources were crematorium and columbarium services, prayer services and donations. Between November 2007 and June 2008, the monastery also reportedly gave free meals to about 200 people daily,[10] clarifying their prayer and meditation practices instead of relying on probable means of incomes such as exorcism.[11]

On 21 June 2008, the temple raised over S$1 million for the reconstruction of schools devastated in the 12 May Sichuan earthquake, by organizing the Great Compassion; Great Aspiration Charity Show.[12]

In April 2009, the temple launched Gum, an English-language magazine, to bridge the gap between their older Hokkien-speaking devotees and English-speaking youth. The magazine title is a transliteration of a Hokkien term which means "to get along", and symbolises unity within the congregation. The temple partnered Chuan Pictures, a new production house set up in March 2009 by local filmmaker Royston Tan, for a 15-minute Mandarin short film, "Little Note". It premiered in September 2009 and focuses on a single mother who gives her son inspirational notes.[2][13][14]

In December 2014, KMSPKS Youth led their first overseas humanitarian mission into Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Monastery

Vesak celebrations at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See

The monastery premises consist of stupas,[15] prayer halls,[16] crematorium and columbarium which houses over 200,000 niches,[17][18] bell and drum towers, and an outdoor statue of Avalokitesvara[19] stands between the Dharma Hall and the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas.[20] The Hong Choon Memorial Hall of the temple was built in 2004.

Another notable feature of the monastery is a Bodhi Tree[21] which had its sapling brought from the sacred Bodhi tree at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was itself brought as a sapling from the sacred Bodhi Tree of Bodh Gaya, India where Shakyamuni Buddha was said to have attained enlightenment.

The large bronze Buddha statue located in the temple's Hall of No Form is one of Asia's largest Buddha statue, with a height of 13.8 metres and weighing 55 tons.[22]

In 2014, a S$12 million four-story carpark with about 200 spaces that was added.

A new four-storey, $1 million eco-friendly burner was installed in 2014 to improve air quality problems during Qingming Festival.[23]

Buddhist College of Singapore

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery opened the Buddhist College of Singapore on 13 September 2006.[24] As the country's Buddhist college, it offers a four-year bachelor's degree in Buddhism.[24] Lessons were held on temple grounds until a new S$35 million five-storey building is completed.

The building was supposed to be completed in 2015 but was delayed due to poor weather and manpower issues.[23] The building was completed in 2016 and opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 10 September 2016.[25]

In 2014, the Buddhist College of Singapore operated by the monastery announced intentions of accepting female monastics, with the new nunnery campus housed at Poh Ern Shih Temple, taking in 45 students every two years.[26]

Events

The monastery celebrates Vesak Day annually[27] with a variety of ceremonies such as "Bathing the Buddha", and "Three-Steps-One-Bow".[28] Other major events include the Qingming Festival.[29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About Page of Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery on Google+". Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery". Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  3. ↑ Chia, Jack Meng Tat (2008). "Buddhism in Singapore-China Relations: Venerable Hong Choon and His Visits, 1982-1990". The China Quarterly. 196 (196): 864–883. doi:10.1017/S0305741008001161. ISSN 0305-7410. JSTOR 20192271. S2CID 154542639.
  4. ↑ "The Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery (Bright Hill Temple) at Bright Hill Road". www.roots.gov.sg. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "BRIGHT HILL EVERGREEN HOME". OCTANE AW. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Countdown to 2012 at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery". Clumsy Compass: An Arts and Travel Blog. January 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Kmspks Youth". DHARMA PROPAGATION DIVISION. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "An album with a difference: Pop goes Zen". Today. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  9. ↑ Arshad, Arlina. "5 religious groups got $130m last year". Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Singapore's poor turn to temples to fill bellies". Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Different religions take various approaches to exorcism". AsiaOne. 1 November 2007. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "MONASTERY RAISING FUNDS FOR SICHUAN". The Straits Times. 10 June 2008. p. 37. Retrieved 5 January 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  13. ↑ "No regrets for Royston Tan". The New Paper. 19 September 2009. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery (KMSPKS)". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  15. ↑ Cheah, Seng Kee. "Bright Hill Temple stupa in the 1960s : general view [1]". National Library Board. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "NGHỆ THUẬT KIẾN TRÚC PHẬT GIÁO SINGAPORE". 17 June 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. ↑ Heng, Linette. "Columbarium gives women's ashes to wrong family". Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  18. ↑ "EACH URN HAS UNIQUE NUMBER". The New Paper. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "Five Beautiful Buddhist Temples in Singapore". NileGuide.com. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  20. ↑ Cancela, Jorge. "Singapore Life (V). Religions of Singapore". Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  21. ↑ "Ficus religiosa: The Sacred Fig". Photoplusbyritasim. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  22. ↑ "Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery". Retrieved 22 December 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  23. 1 2 Zaccheus, Melody (14 April 2014). "Eco-friendly burner friendly to temple's neighbours, too". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  24. 1 2 "8 stunning temples in Singapore that'll make you feel you're in an ancient town". AsiaOne. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  25. ↑ Auto, Hermes (10 September 2016). "Buddhist College of Singapore launches new $35 million building for monastic students | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "Buddhist college to admit nuns for the first time". Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  27. ↑ Tham, Colin (7 May 2014). "Kong Meng San Phor Kark See lights up for Vesak Day". The New Paper. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  28. ↑ Chen, Johnny. "A Bright Hill lit by lanterns". Ghetto Singapore. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  29. ↑ Zaccheus, Melody (1 April 2013). "Clearer skies, roads for temple's neighbours". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
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