Singapore Buddhist Lodge
Xin Jia Po Fo Jiao Ju Shi Lin | |
Main Shrine Hall of Singapore Buddhist Lodge | |
| Founded | June 17, 1934; 91 years ago (1934-06-17) |
|---|---|
| Location |
|
Chief Executive | Tan Lee Huak (Acting) |
| Website | https://www.sbl.org.sg/ |
The Singapore Buddhist Lodge (SBL; Xin Jia Po Fo Jiao Ju Shi Lin ) is a lay Buddhist and charitable organization in Singapore. Founded in 1934, it is one of the oldest charities in Singapore.[1]
History
[edit]On 16 July 1933, the SBL was founded by the Singapore Buddhist Sutra Circulation Center. The creation of lodge was funded by around 100 philanthropists, including Lee Choon Seng with a donation of around $1,000, to promote Buddhism and the distribution of Buddhist texts.[2] It was officially established on 17 June 1934.[3] The center was originally located at 26 Blair Road.[4]
By 1946, membership of the center increased to 2,000. The center began renting premises at 17 Kim Yam Road to cope with the increase in membership. In 1950, the building was purchased by the center with a donation of $10,000 from Zhang Jiamei and Zhong Tianshui and money obtained in a fundraising drive.[5]
In 2014, the lodge planned to add a new worship hall.[4]
In 2015, the president of the lodge, Lee Bock Guan, died and Simon Kuah took over presidency.[6] Since May 2016, members of the lodge questioned management practices and financial irregularities by the management.[6] In September 2016, the Singapore Buddhist Lodge held a special general meeting to address multiple concerns raised by Lee Jingjing, daughter of former Lodge head Lee Bock Guan, regarding its operations. Lee accused the board of losing credibility, called for its replacement, and indicated plans to lodge a complaint with the authorities. Acting head Simon Kuah maintained that the board was legitimately formed and that disagreements should be resolved internally. Financial issues also sparked controversy, and no consensus was ultimately reached between the parties.[7] In October, the Commissioner of Charities held a meeting with the board and senior managers.[6] In late November, Kuah resigned all his posts with the lodge. Tan Lee Huak took over as acting president of the lodge.[6] The lodge's chief executive, Neo Bee Noi, left in January 2017.[6]
In 2020, during its 85th anniversary celebration, the new worship hall was opened and a new golden Buddha statue was consecrated.[4] Total construction costs of the hall, statue and refurbishment works exceeded $63 million.[4]
On September 14, 2024, then-President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam officiated the opening ceremony of the Buddhist Lodge's "Heritage Gallery." The Lodge also commissioned bronze statues of Venerable Zhuan Dao and lay leader Lee Choon Seng.[8]
Promotion of Buddhist Education
[edit]The lodge offers a weekly Dharma class for children aged 6 to 14, with enrolment growing from 25 students in its first intake to nearly 100 by 2024.[8]
Charitable Work
[edit]In 1998, the lodge established the "SBL Vision Family Service Centre" to provide professional counselling and advisory services; in 1999, it launched a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinic and a mobile medical service.[8]
Poverty Alleviation Efforts in China
[edit]Since 2002, the Singapore Buddhist Lodge has, in accordance with the will of its first President, Lee Bock Guan, made long-term donations for poverty alleviation to Jinping County and Malipo County in Yunnan, China. These donations have been channeled through the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Singapore to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.[9]
Presidents
[edit]- Lee Bock Guan, 1993-2015
- Simon Kuah, 2015-2016
- Tan Lee Huak (acting), 2016-present
[6]
See also
[edit]- Buddhism in Singapore
- List of Buddhist temples in Singapore
- List of voluntary welfare organisations in Singapore
- Zhuan Dao
- Religion in Singapore
References
[edit]- ^ "Singapore Buddhist Lodge". Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Ong, "Chinese Mahayana Lay organisations", pp. 49--50.
- ^ "Organisational Profile". Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d Tee, Zhuo (3 January 2020). "Singapore Buddhist Lodge marks 85th year". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Ong, "Growth of lay organisations", p. 77.
- ^ a b c d e f Writer, Leong Weng KamSenior (31 January 2017). "New acting president at Singapore Buddhist Lodge". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Xu, Xiangyu (12 September 2016). "Bu Man Yi Ke Bao Ming Dui 10Da Zhi Yi Hui Ying Cheng Lin You Bu Xin Ren Ju Shi Lin Dong Shi Hui Li Mu Yuan Nu Er Ti Geng Huan ". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Chen Ai Wei (25 March 2024). "Ju Shi Lin 90Zhou Nian Da Qing Yan Xu Hong Fa Ji Shi Chu Xin ". Lian He Zao Bao (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ "Zhu Xin Jia Po Da Shi Chen Xiao Dong Jie Shou Xin Jia Po Fo Jiao Ju Shi Lin Lin Chang Fu Pin Shan Kuan _Zhong Hua Ren Min Gong He Guo Wai Jiao Bu ". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (in Chinese). 13 July 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2025.