There is a decrease in Buddhists as opposed to an increase in Christians in Singapore in the 21st century. This seems to indicate a decline in Buddhism or change of religiosity among Singaporeans. This thesis looks at how Buddhism is localized in early Singapore, the present state of Buddhism, as well as the future for Buddhism in Singapore and how to propagate it to ensure its survival.
There is a question on what is “Buddhism” in Singapore since the lines are blurred with Taoism. Is there a unique form of Buddhism here? Perhaps a localized form? This thesis explored the factors leading to this localization by looking at the history of Buddhism in Singapore, as well as the present form of Buddhism.
Interviews were conducted with Fa Hua Monastery and Buddhist Fellowship in Singapore. The purpose is to find out about the history and development, religious activities and social activities of these organizations. This enables one to compare one big and one small Buddhist organization from the Theravada and Mahayana traditions, look at the similarities and differences, and shed light on present day Buddhism.
Singapore does not have a national religion. This thesis concludes that there is no unique Singaporean Buddhism in terms of a distinctive style of Buddhism like a Buddhist national identity. However, there are factors influencing Buddhist discourse in Singapore which include localization from history, the urbanization Singapore underwent and language.
目次
ABSTRACT i 摘要 iii DEDICATION iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v CONTENTS vii TABLES ix ABBREVIATIONS x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Review of Previous Scholarship 3 1.2. Approach/Method 8 CHAPTER 2: DEFINING BUDDHISM IN SINGAPORE AND LOCALIZATION 11 2.1. Buddhism in Singapore 11 2.2. Localization 13 CHAPTER 3: BUDDHISM AND CHINESE MIGRATION IN SINGAPORE 18 3.1. Social Services 18 3.2. Monastic and Lay Buddhist Activities in Pre-21th Century Singapore 27 3.3. Localization: Syncretism and Urbanization 34 3.4. Summary 47 CHAPTER 4: 21 ST CENTURY BUDDHIST ORGANIZATIONS: CASE STUDIES OF FA HUA MONASTERY AND BUDDHIST FELLOWSHIP 53 4.1. Fa Hua Monastery Singapore 53 4.1.1. Religious Activities 58 4.1.2. Social Activities 62 4.1.3. Coping with Challenges 64 4.2. Buddhist Fellowship Singapore 70 4.2.1. Religious Activities 71 4.2.2. Social Activities 71 4.2.3. Coping with Challenges 79 4.3. Summary 83 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 93 5.1. Factors leading to Localization of Buddhism in Singapore 93 5.2. Is there a Singaporean Buddhism? 95 5.3. Changes and Challenges in the 21 Century 101 BIBLIOGRAPHY 110 Interview 110 Primary Sources 110 Secondary Sources 110
