5 Facts about Shuang Lin Monastery

BODHI ADMIN - Posted on November 15, 2019 - 2,402 Views

Do you know that one of the most beautiful Buddhist monasteries in the world is located deep inside our heartlands in Toa Payoh?

Do you know that it was already an attraction welcoming tourists decades ago?

This week Bodhi Blog will tell you the five things you need to know about Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery!

Meaning of the Name

The name Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery (莲山双林寺) is composed of three distinct components. Lian Shan (莲山) is the name of the location that the monastery is located – within Toa Payoh. Due to its elevated terrain, the location was denoted as a mountain. Shuang Lin (双林) refers to the twin trees which the Shakyamuni Buddha was resting under when He entered Parinirvana. Finally the term Monastery (寺) is a Chinese term reserved for a building or complex of buildings dedicated to Buddhist activities.

When Was It Founded?

The Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery is the oldest Buddhist monastery in Singapore, having celebrated its 120^th year anniversary in 2018. In 1898, local businessman Low Kim Pong met Venerable Xianhui under unusual circumstances and was instrumental in donating land and raising funds to build the monastery.

Abbots of the Monestery

Since its inception in 1898 with the founding abbot Venerable Xianhui (贤慧), the Monastery has been helmed by 14 abbots, including the current abbot Venerable Weiyan (惟俨). The longest serving abbots are Venerable Tanchan (谈禅) from 1975 to 2003 and Venerable Puliang (普亮) from 1917 to 1944.

Architectural Style of the Monastery

The Monastery is the most complete form of Cong-lin style Buddhist monastery outside China. In addition, its eclectic combination of Hokkien architectural styles from the Chinese counties of Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou makes it unique worldwide in terms of architectural design. This design is also a reflection of the diversity of the Chinese origins of the founders of the monastery.

Restoration of the Monastery

The Monastery has undergone tens of millions’ worth of restoration since the last century. in 1991, the Building and Construction Authority ordered partial closure of the monastery due to the deteriorating conditions of some of its buildings. Since then, there were various phases of restoration and rebuilding aided by fund-raising activities.

in 2002, the Hall of Celestial Kings and the Mahavira Hall were extensively refitted, as part of the S$30-million restoration work project. The following year in 2003, work started on a S$20 million project to restore other parts of the monastery, including the oldest building – the Dharma Hall. This second phase was completed in 2016.

The monastery is currently in the next stage of restoration with works on-going for the Bell Tower and Drum Tower.