Amitabha Buddhist Centre
Encyclopedia
The Amitabha Buddhist Centre, known as 'ABC' by its devotees, is a major Buddhist institution of the Gelug
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
in Singapore
. ABC is affiliated to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
(FPMT), an international non-profit organisation, founded by the late Lama Thubten Yeshe. The history of ABC can be traced to 1984 when Lama Yeshe first visited Singapore with Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
. The centre is devoted to the transmission of Mahayana
Buddhist tradition worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service with the 14th Dalai Lama
, Tenzin Gyatso, as its spiritual patron. Activities of the centre include meditation
retreats, Sutra
recitation, social and welfare programmes, and publication of free Dharma books.
an Buddhism is based on Vajrayana
, a branch of Mahayana Buddhism. Vajrayana is also the main form of Buddhism practised in neighbouring countries like Nepal
, Sikkim
and Bhutan
. Its practice begins with the student hearing teachings ("oral transmission") from a Lama
(religious teacher) who is adept in a given practice. The student practises special techniques for transforming the energy of actions, speech and states of mind into a path of Enlightenment
.
During the 11th Century, many Buddhist scriptures were translated into Tibetan, and then later codified into the Tibetan Kanjur and Tanjur
. As Buddhism developed in Tibet, it branched into several major schools, four of which are known today:
Before 1959, not much was known of Tibetan Buddhism in Singapore as only the Chinese
Mahayana
and Theravada forms were present in Singapore then. As Tibet was an isolated region, made nearly inaccessible by the high Himalayan
mountains, few Tibetan lamas travelled outside of Tibet. Moreover, many could not speak or write in English or Mandarin
then. Occasionally, Tibetan lamas and monks would pass through Singapore on transit and give talks. For example, a high Tibetan lama visited Singapore on 23 January 1949 while on his way back to China
by sea. He was warmly welcomed at the Singapore Buddhist Lodge where over a hundred people gathered to listen to his Dharma talk, given in Tibetan and translated by a Chinese monk into Mandarin.
In 1959, a revolt against Chinese occupation in Tibet caused many Tibetan lamas and venerables to flee the country. They began to set up Tibetan Buddhist centres all over the world and, gradually, Tibetan lamas and monks and Western teachers trained in Vajrayana began to come to Singapore to teach.
On July 1982, the 14th Dalai Lama
, Tenzin Gyatso, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, made a stopover to Singapore while on a pilgrimage to the Borobudur
temple in Indonesia
. He is revered as being the human embodiment of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva
of Compassion, whose supreme wish is to bring happiness to all sentient beings. Describing himself as a "simple Buddhist monk", he often recites this short prayer:
While in Singapore, he visited the Tse Toh Aum Nunnery, the Buddhist Free Clinic, had lunch with representatives of various religions, and gave a public lecture in English on Buddhism.
in 1989, and various prominent pop celebrities endorsed the Free Tibet Movement
in Western countries. Hollywood films like Little Buddha
, Seven Years in Tibet
and Kundun
also had an impact. As a result, Buddhist centres were set up in Singapore following the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism such as:
. Lama Yeshe felt that establishing a Dharma centre in Singapore would greatly benefit a growing number of affluent Singaporeans.
After Lama Yeshe died in 1984, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche became its Spiritual Director. The Singapore centre was finally realised in 1985, but had no permanent base. Its followers met in various venues such as Dharma Cakra Society and Cheng Beng Buddhist Society.
In 1987, Lama Zopa sent Venerable Thubten Chodron
, an American
Buddhist nun to Singapore as its Resident Teacher. Before coming to Singapore, she taught Buddhism and meditation in countries like United States
, Europe
and Hong Kong
. She taught in Singapore for over a year, teaching in schools as well as at different Buddhist societies. She also published several books such as Working with Anger, Open Heart, Clear Mind, Buddhism for Beginners et cetera.
In 1988, the group decided to organise as a Buddhist society under the name "Amitabha Buddhist Centre", and leased a small house at Butterfly Avenue for its activities. Amitabha Buddhist Centre was officially registered in January 1989. In 2000, ABC began to raise funds for the purchase a permanent home at Lorong 15 Geylang. In 2004, they began to built a new seven-storey Tibetan-style structure at nearby Lorong 25A. It was completed in mid 2006.
The current Resident Teacher is Geshe Thubten Chonyi, who graduated with the highest Tibetan monastic degree of Geshe Lharam (the equivalent of a Ph.D.
) after 17 years of intensive study at Sera Je Monastery
in south India
. He was born in Nepal in 1962 and was ordained by Lama Yeshe in 1974. He has been with ABC since 1999.
is a Tibetan Buddhist lama who has consciously decided to be reborn, often many times, in order to continue his or her religious pursuits. The most famous example is the lineage
of the Dalai Lamas.
On 26 May 1991, Tulku Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche
, a 6-year old Spanish
boy, visited Singapore to join ABC members for Vesak
celebrations. When he was seven months old, this boy had appeared in a dream of a close disciple of Lama Yeshe. The disciple sought him out, and the boy was later officially confirmed as the reincarnation
of Lama Yeshe by the Dalai Lama. The boy's story is the subject of Reincarnation: The Boy Lama by Vicki Mackenzie
.
On 16 April 2007, 4-year old Tulku Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche, dubbed the "Little Lama" by devotees, visited Singapore and ABC. More than 10,000 people from all walks of life, including some Christian
s and Hindu
s, sought blessings from Phuntsok Rinpoche. He is the reincarnation of Geshe Lama Konchog
, confirmed by the Dalai Lama in December 2005.
Examples of these activities are shown below.
volunteer group known as HUCAB actively reach out to the terminally ill patients and their families at Dover Park Hospice, to help them find peace and closure during their final stage of their lives.
is to "undertake the precept to refrain from taking the life of living beings". ABC regularly purchases and liberates captive animals such as fish, crustacean
s and birds through a bi-monthly event as an active practice of compassion.
("loving-kindness
" in Sanskrit
) at Kushinagar
in northern India. Lama Zopa expects this project to bring economic benefits to India and also provide spiritual inspiration to those who visit the site.
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. ABC is affiliated to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition is a network of Buddhist centers focusing on the Gelugpa tradition of Tibet. Founded in 1975 by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, who began teaching Buddhism to Western students in Nepal, the FPMT has grown to encompass...
(FPMT), an international non-profit organisation, founded by the late Lama Thubten Yeshe. The history of ABC can be traced to 1984 when Lama Yeshe first visited Singapore with Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
Not to be confused with Geshe Lhundub Sopa Rinpoche, Geshe Tenzin Zopa, Lama Zopa Tharchin , and Geshe Lobsang Zopa ...
. The centre is devoted to the transmission of Mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
Buddhist tradition worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service with the 14th Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, Tenzin Gyatso, as its spiritual patron. Activities of the centre include meditation
Buddhist meditation
Buddhist meditation refers to the meditative practices associated with the religion and philosophy of Buddhism.Core meditation techniques have been preserved in ancient Buddhist texts and have proliferated and diversified through teacher-student transmissions. Buddhists pursue meditation as part of...
retreats, Sutra
Pāli Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the only completely surviving early Buddhist canon, and one of the first to be written down...
recitation, social and welfare programmes, and publication of free Dharma books.
History of Tibetan Buddhism in Singapore
TibetTibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an Buddhism is based on Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
, a branch of Mahayana Buddhism. Vajrayana is also the main form of Buddhism practised in neighbouring countries like Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
and Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. Its practice begins with the student hearing teachings ("oral transmission") from a Lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
(religious teacher) who is adept in a given practice. The student practises special techniques for transforming the energy of actions, speech and states of mind into a path of Enlightenment
Bodhi
Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English with the word "enlightenment", but which means awakened. In Buddhism it is the knowledge possessed by a Buddha into the nature of things...
.
During the 11th Century, many Buddhist scriptures were translated into Tibetan, and then later codified into the Tibetan Kanjur and Tanjur
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
. As Buddhism developed in Tibet, it branched into several major schools, four of which are known today:
- NyingmaNyingmaThe Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
school, founded by PadmasambhavaPadmasambhavaPadmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
in the 9th Century - KagyuKagyuThe Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today regarded as one of six main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug...
school, founded by TilopaTilopaTilopa was born in either Chativavo , Bengal or Jagora, Bengal in India. He was a tantric practitioner and mahasiddha. He developed the mahamudra method, a set of spiritual practices that greatly accelerates the process of attaining bodhi...
(998–1069 ADAnno Dominiand Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
) - Sakyapa school, founded by Sakya Pandita (1181–1251 AD)
- GelugGelugThe Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
school ,founded by Tsongkhapa (1358–1419 AD)
Before 1959, not much was known of Tibetan Buddhism in Singapore as only the Chinese
Chinese in Singapore
Chinese Singaporeans are people of Chinese ethnicity who hold Singaporean nationality. As of 2010, Chinese Singaporeans constitute 74.1% of Singapore's resident population, or approximately three out of four Singaporeans, making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore...
Mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
and Theravada forms were present in Singapore then. As Tibet was an isolated region, made nearly inaccessible by the high Himalayan
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
mountains, few Tibetan lamas travelled outside of Tibet. Moreover, many could not speak or write in English or Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
then. Occasionally, Tibetan lamas and monks would pass through Singapore on transit and give talks. For example, a high Tibetan lama visited Singapore on 23 January 1949 while on his way back to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
by sea. He was warmly welcomed at the Singapore Buddhist Lodge where over a hundred people gathered to listen to his Dharma talk, given in Tibetan and translated by a Chinese monk into Mandarin.
Dalai Lama visit in 1982
On July 1982, the 14th Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, Tenzin Gyatso, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, made a stopover to Singapore while on a pilgrimage to the Borobudur
Borobudur
Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues...
temple in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. He is revered as being the human embodiment of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
of Compassion, whose supreme wish is to bring happiness to all sentient beings. Describing himself as a "simple Buddhist monk", he often recites this short prayer:
While in Singapore, he visited the Tse Toh Aum Nunnery, the Buddhist Free Clinic, had lunch with representatives of various religions, and gave a public lecture in English on Buddhism.
Popularization of Tibetan Buddhism in Singapore
Tibetan Buddhism became more well-known in Singapore after the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
in 1989, and various prominent pop celebrities endorsed the Free Tibet Movement
International Tibet Independence Movement
The Tibetan independence movement is a movement for the independence of the lands where Tibetan people live and the political separation of those lands from the People's Republic of China. It is principally led by the Tibetan diaspora in countries like India and the United States, and by...
in Western countries. Hollywood films like Little Buddha
Little Buddha
Little Buddha is a 1994 feature film by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Bridget Fonda and Keanu Reeves. Made by Bertolucci's regular partner, British producer Jeremy Thomas, it marked the team's return to the East after The Last Emperor....
, Seven Years in Tibet
Seven Years in Tibet
Seven Years in Tibet is an autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his real life experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War and the interim period before the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army invaded Tibet in...
and Kundun
Kundun
Kundun is a 1997 epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet...
also had an impact. As a result, Buddhist centres were set up in Singapore following the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism such as:
- Amitabha Buddhist Centre (Gelug)
- Karma Kagyud Buddhist Centre (Kagyu)
- Singapore Buddha Sasana Society (Sakya Tenphel Ling) (Sakya)
- Palyul Nyingma Buddhist Association (Nyingma)
Amitabha Buddhist Centre
Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC) is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, an international non-profit organisation founded by the late Lama Thubten Yeshe. The history of ABC can be traced to 1984 when Lama Yeshe first visited Singapore with his disciple, Thubten Zopa RinpocheThubten Zopa Rinpoche
Not to be confused with Geshe Lhundub Sopa Rinpoche, Geshe Tenzin Zopa, Lama Zopa Tharchin , and Geshe Lobsang Zopa ...
. Lama Yeshe felt that establishing a Dharma centre in Singapore would greatly benefit a growing number of affluent Singaporeans.
After Lama Yeshe died in 1984, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche became its Spiritual Director. The Singapore centre was finally realised in 1985, but had no permanent base. Its followers met in various venues such as Dharma Cakra Society and Cheng Beng Buddhist Society.
In 1987, Lama Zopa sent Venerable Thubten Chodron
Thubten Chodron
Thubten Chodron is an American Tibetan Buddhist nun and a central figure in reinstating the Bhikshuni ordination of women. She is a student of H. H...
, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Buddhist nun to Singapore as its Resident Teacher. Before coming to Singapore, she taught Buddhism and meditation in countries like United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. She taught in Singapore for over a year, teaching in schools as well as at different Buddhist societies. She also published several books such as Working with Anger, Open Heart, Clear Mind, Buddhism for Beginners et cetera.
In 1988, the group decided to organise as a Buddhist society under the name "Amitabha Buddhist Centre", and leased a small house at Butterfly Avenue for its activities. Amitabha Buddhist Centre was officially registered in January 1989. In 2000, ABC began to raise funds for the purchase a permanent home at Lorong 15 Geylang. In 2004, they began to built a new seven-storey Tibetan-style structure at nearby Lorong 25A. It was completed in mid 2006.
The current Resident Teacher is Geshe Thubten Chonyi, who graduated with the highest Tibetan monastic degree of Geshe Lharam (the equivalent of a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
) after 17 years of intensive study at Sera Je Monastery
Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located north of Lhasa. The other two are Ganden Monastery and Drepung Monastery. The origin of the name 'Sera' is attributed to a fact that the site where the monastery was built was surrounded by wild roses in...
in south India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was born in Nepal in 1962 and was ordained by Lama Yeshe in 1974. He has been with ABC since 1999.
Visits from Tulkus
A tulkuTulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
is a Tibetan Buddhist lama who has consciously decided to be reborn, often many times, in order to continue his or her religious pursuits. The most famous example is the lineage
Lineage (Buddhism)
An authentic lineage in Buddhism is the uninterrupted transmission of the Buddha's Dharma from teacher to disciple.The transmission itself can be for example oral, scriptural, through signs, or directly from one mind to another....
of the Dalai Lamas.
On 26 May 1991, Tulku Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche
Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche
Osel Hita Torres is a Tibetan Buddhist tulku and aspiring cinematographer from Spain.Hita was designated soon after his birth as the reincarnation of Lama Thubten Yeshe--making him one of only a handful of Western tulkus—and renamed Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche. For many years "Lama Ösel" was expected to...
, a 6-year old Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
boy, visited Singapore to join ABC members for Vesak
Vesak
Vesākha is a holiday observed traditionally by Buddhists in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, and Indonesia...
celebrations. When he was seven months old, this boy had appeared in a dream of a close disciple of Lama Yeshe. The disciple sought him out, and the boy was later officially confirmed as the reincarnation
Rebirth (Buddhism)
Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the evolving consciousness or stream of consciousness upon death , becomes one of the contributing causes for the arising of a new aggregation...
of Lama Yeshe by the Dalai Lama. The boy's story is the subject of Reincarnation: The Boy Lama by Vicki Mackenzie
Vicki Mackenzie
Vicki Mackenzie , an author and journalist, was born in England and spent much of her early life in Australia. The daughter of a naval officer, she graduated from Queensland University and became a reporter at the Sun newspaper in Sydney....
.
On 16 April 2007, 4-year old Tulku Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche, dubbed the "Little Lama" by devotees, visited Singapore and ABC. More than 10,000 people from all walks of life, including some Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s, sought blessings from Phuntsok Rinpoche. He is the reincarnation of Geshe Lama Konchog
Geshe Lama Konchog
Geshe Lama Konchog, born Lobsang Puntsog , was a renowned Tibetan Buddhist gelugpa lama, who had thousands of followers around the world. Konchog was recognized by the Dalai Lama to be a Great Mahasiddha, or realized guru....
, confirmed by the Dalai Lama in December 2005.
Activities
The activities of the centre include:- meditation retreats
- sutra recitation
- social and welfare programmes
- publication of free Dharma books
Examples of these activities are shown below.
Hospice under the care of Amitabha Buddha (HUCAB)
Based on the principles of precious human life and compassion, a hospiceHospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
volunteer group known as HUCAB actively reach out to the terminally ill patients and their families at Dover Park Hospice, to help them find peace and closure during their final stage of their lives.
Animal liberation
One of the The Five Precepts taught by Gautama BuddhaGautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
is to "undertake the precept to refrain from taking the life of living beings". ABC regularly purchases and liberates captive animals such as fish, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s and birds through a bi-monthly event as an active practice of compassion.
The Maitreya Project
ABC is currently involved in a project to build a 152-metre (500-foot) tall bronze statue of the future Buddha, MaitreyaMaitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
("loving-kindness
Loving-kindness
Loving-kindness is a term coined by Myles Coverdale for his Coverdale Bible of 1535, as an English translation of the Hebrew word chesed ; in that text it is spelled "louinge kyndnesse". It is also used in this sense in the American Standard Version and various other versions of the Bible...
" in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
) at Kushinagar
Kushinagar
Kushinagar , Kusinagar or Kusinara is a town and a nagar panchayat in Kushinagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained Parinirvana after his death.-Demographics: India census, Kushinagar had a...
in northern India. Lama Zopa expects this project to bring economic benefits to India and also provide spiritual inspiration to those who visit the site.
Library and publications
ABC's resource library has an extensive collection of Mahayana sutras and books on Tibetan Buddhism for borrowing. To promote the Dharma to local and overseas readers, the centre regularly publishes free Dharma books and newsletters that offer practical advice on spiritual practice to the public, Buddhist organisations and libraries. The centre has published over 50,000 books to give away with over 20 titles to date, including Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment by the Dalai Lama. The printing of free Dharma books, CDs or VCDs is made possible by voluntary donations by its members and the public.See also
- Buddhism in SingaporeBuddhism in SingaporeAs of 2010, 33.6% of Singaporeans identified themselves as Buddhist. Adherents of Buddhism are mostly of the Chinese majority ethnic group, although small minorities of Sinhalese and Thai Buddhists do exist as well....
- Poh Ern Shih TemplePoh Ern Shih TemplePoh Ern Shih is located on a small hilltop at Chwee Chian Road, off Pasir Panjang Road, on Singapore's southern coast. The Buddhist temple was built as a memorial to those who lost their lives during the Battle of Pasir Panjang in 1942, villagers as well as Allied and Japanese soldiers...
- The Buddhist LibraryThe Buddhist LibraryThe Buddhist Library is Singapore's first dedicated Buddhist library. The library, which is located in a shophouse in Geylang, aims to meet the needs of the Buddhist community and anyone interested in Buddhism. It is unique in that it is not a voluntary association or a temple and because it...