The Buddhist Library
Encyclopedia
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...
's first dedicated Buddhist library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. The library, which is located in a shophouse
Shophouse
A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.- Design and features :...
in Geylang
Geylang
Geylang is a neighbourhood in the city-state of Singapore east of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district. It is located to the east of the Singapore River, an area that locals have associated, from the days of Sir Stamford Raffles, as a Malay kampong opposite facing two islands...
, 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 takes a non-sectarian approach to Buddhism. Besides functioning as a lending library, it also organises Dhamma talks, accredited Buddhist courses, public art exhibitions and welfare work locally and abroad.
History
In 1981, Venerable Dhammaratana, a Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n Theravadin monk, founded the Buddhist Research Society (BRS) in Singapore. One of the aims of the BRS was to set up a Buddhist library. The Library was started in 1982 in a rented unit of Tanjong Katong Complex. Its initial setup was backed financially by the late George Chia Soon Seng, who was a businessman and a devout Buddhist. The Library shifted to Katong Shopping Centre in 1984 and moved again to another rented unit in Hoa Nam Building in 1985. The Library finally bought its own premises at Lorong 29, Geylang Road
Geylang Road
Geylang Road is a major trunk road linking Singapore's central business district with the eastern suburban areas. Deriving its name from the area of Geylang where the road cuts through, it is fronted on both sides by low-rise shophouses protected statutorily from urban redevelopment in keeping...
in 1991 and it was officially opened on 15 March 1992. Due to the growing needs of its expanding membership and the Buddhist community, the Library relocated to nearby Lorong 24A in 1998, occupying 2 units of a row of pre-war shophouses that are located within the Geylang Conservation Area, where it stands today.
Founder
Venerable Dhammaratana, or more commonly addressed as Bhante by his devotees (PaliPáli
- External links :* *...
for "Venerable sir"; often used when addressing a Buddhist monk), is the founding and pivotal figure of The Buddhist Library. Bhante was born in Sri Lanka and received his Buddhist ordination at the age of 13. He is the senior pupil of the late Venerable Bellanwila Sri Somaratana Nayaka Thera and a graduate of Vidyalankara University. After graduation, Bhante served as the Deputy Principal and Principal at two prestigious Buddhist schools, Sunethradevi Pirivena and Paramadhamma Chetiya Pirivena respectively.
In 1973, he gave up a ready-made life of an abbot in the well-established Bellanwila Temple located near Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
in Sri Lanka in order to propagate the Buddha's teachings in Singapore at the invitation of Venerable M. Mahavihara. In 1978, Bhante started his Buddhist education service in Singapore in a garage at 85A Marine Parade Road. He founded the Buddhist Research Society (BRS) in 1981 and The Buddhist Library in 1982. On his inspiration on starting a non-profit library, Bhante said:
In 1999, Bhante founded a 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...
retreat centre, the Paramita International Buddhist Centre, located at Kadugannawa, Sri Lanka with the assistance of Buddhist devotees from Singapore. In 2003, Bhante obtained his Master of Philosophy
Master of Philosophy
The Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate research degree.An M.Phil. is a lesser degree than a Doctor of Philosophy , but in many cases it is considered to be a more senior degree than a taught Master's degree, as it is often a thesis-only degree. In some instances, an M.Phil...
Degree from Kelaniya University, Sri Lanka. In December 2004, the Bhante was officially appointed the Chief Sangha
Sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
Nayaka of Singapore by The Buddhist Sangha Council of Sri Lanka.
Activities and management
The Library is managed by a 14-member Management Committee that comprises lay Buddhist scholars and senior volunteers of the Buddhist Research Society with Bhante as their Religious Advisor. Bhante's vision is that one day The Buddhist Library would earn international recognition as a Buddhist centre of excellence. Its facilities and programmes are:The library
The Library houses over 16,000 books in English and ChineseChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
covering various aspects of Buddhism, including scriptural texts, doctrine, philosophy, ethics, meditation, devotion, art and architecture. The Library has a sizable collection of books on related subjects, including other major world religions, Eastern
Eastern world
__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...
and Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
philosophy, comparative religion, psychology and ecology. The Library's book collection keeps growing through the generous donation of members and devotees.
The Buddhist Library first started conducting courses in the basic doctrines of Buddhism and then graduated to providing more advanced courses (up to Masters level awarded by Sri Lankan Buddhist authorities), both of which have helped to extend the horizon of Dhamma knowledge of those who are interested in learning Buddhism. The Buddhist Library has periodically been receiving distinguished Buddhist monks and scholars from various countries to deliver lectures and participate in seminars. Its resources are widely referenced by researchers and notable universities such as Duke University Libraries as part of their undergraduate level teaching and research on Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n studies.
The Shrine Hall, with a seating capacity for 100, is where devotional services or Puja
Puja (Buddhism)
In Buddhism, puja are expressions of "honour, worship and devotional attention." Acts of puja include bowing, making offerings and chanting...
s are held regularly and on Buddhist festivals led by Bhante. Despite his advanced age, he also performs blessing services, such as housewarming ceremonies, wedding services, birthday blessings, hospital visits and wake services as requested by members of the Library and their families. The hall also doubles up as an auditorium where Dhamma talks and seminars are held.
The Art Gallery displays a collection of contemporary Buddhist paintings, Tibet
Tibet
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 thangka
Thangka
A "Thangka," also known as "Tangka", "Thanka" or "Tanka" is a Tibetan silk painting with embroidery, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, famous scene, or mandala of some sort. The thankga is not a flat creation like an oil painting or acrylic painting...
s and sculptures to promote awareness and appreciation of Buddhist Art. One of the main highlights at the gallery is the facsimile of the Buddha's footprint, an intricate work of art from Sri Lanka. The gallery is also used for Puja during festivals, meditation sessions and Sutta
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
chanting practices. The Meditation Room is at the attic level of The Buddhist Library. Buddhist meditation or Bhavana
Bhavana
Bhāvanā literally means "development" or "cultivating" or "producing" in the sense of "calling into existence." It is an important concept in Buddhist praxis...
in Pali, is a core mental development practice that is embedded in the Buddha's teaching and has 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...
as its ultimate aim. The room is also used for its Sunday Dhamma classes for children and youth.
Welfare work
Despite its modest resources, the volunteers and supporters of The Buddhist Library regularly organise charitable activities for the needy regardless of their race or religion. Some recent examples:- A joint relief-cum-rebuilding effort with the Singapore Red Cross Society for the Sri Lankan victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake2004 Indian Ocean earthquakeThe 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. - Annual charity funfairs.
- Visits to local old folks' homes to bring cheer and essentials.
- Used spectacles donation to an elderly home in Sri Lanka in 2004.
See also
- Theravada Buddhism
- Mahayana Buddhism
- Vajrayana Buddhism