Vesak Day on ST

laurence82 SG

For those who didnt manage to read ST last Friday

Life! - Life News
Zen and now
Mak Mun San
1557 words
12 May 2006
Straits Times
English
(c) 2006 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

More well-educated, young and English- speaking Singaporeans are embracing Buddhism

AMID the usual sights marking Buddha's birthday today - temples decked out with lights, and shrines overflowing with offerings of fruit and food - you might notice something new flowering as well.

Buddhism's usual devotees will be out in force, of course - the older generation Chinese uncles and aunties, who make up the majority of followers here, as they have always done.

But that was zen. This is now. And so you will see some fresh faces belonging to a new breed of Buddhists among today's Vesak Day-goers.

These are younger, English-educated Singaporeans.

Many of them are graduates, too.

Sure, they are attracted by the religion's emphasis on peace and harmony, and its reassuring rituals and customs. But these smart cookies are part of today's young, questioning generation who are also drawn to Buddhism's deep, philosophical approach.

One of these young, new Buddhists is MediaCorp actor Nick Shen, 30, who admits that he used to see the religion as for out-of-touch oldies.

'I always thought that Buddhism is about holding joss sticks and chanting 'a mi tuo fo',' he says.

'Or going to the temple in Waterloo Street to pray. If you have problems, just go there to talk to Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) and Guanyin will try to bless you and your family members,' he says with a laugh.

Then, two years ago, his younger brother Sean, 27, recommended some books on Buddhism to him. He read them, got interested and is now a devout Buddhist.

Friends, he says, have commented that he appears much happier and calmer these days, a change he attributes to meditation.

'I never thought that one day I'd enjoy doing something quiet like meditating,' he confesses. 'Never ever.'

OPENING HEARTS

AFTER all, the 1999 Star Search winner used to go clubbing whenever he felt stressed out.

Not anymore.

As the newly appointed president of the Youth Group at Buddhist Fellowship, he now leads about 300 members aged between 13 and 35.

Most of these Buddhist activists hold a full-time job by day. At night and during weekends, they organise activities like talks on Buddhism, meditation classes and camps.

To connect with young people, some groups have also turned to innovative avenues of spreading the religion.

For example, Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery offers Dharma teachings for free downloading on its website.

From Sunday to Tuesday, Buddhist Fellowship staged a musical, Opening The Door Of Your Heart, at the Victoria Theatre to packed houses.

Based on Buddhist monk Ajahn Brahmavamso's (below) book of the same title, the production appealed to even non-Buddhists as the script and songs touched on universal themes like love and death.

According to the 2000 population census, 54 per cent of Chinese identified themselves as Buddhists, up from 34 per cent in 1980 and 39 per cent in 1990.

In comparison, Christians made up just 17 per cent of the Chinese in 2000.

Although the concentration of Buddhists was higher among older adults aged 45 years and over, the proportion of Buddhists in the age group of 25 to 34 jumped from 30 per cent in 1990 to 40 per cent in 2000.

Over the decade, there was also a sizeable increase in the proportion of Buddhists among the

graduates, growing from 15 per cent in 1990 to 24 per cent in 2000.

Indeed, among those with post-secondary qualifications, the Buddhists had become the largest group, with significant gains in the absolute and relative sizes of their population.

Explaining this trend, Buddhist Fellowship president Angie Monksfield, 42, says what attracts people to Buddhism is that they are encouraged to question.

'You don't want to just accept what a printed book or teacher tells you,' says Mrs Monksfield, the vice-president of application projects at Singapore Airlines.

'You want to check that whatever you hear coincides with your experience. You want to see for yourself that 'Yes, this is true', and not to believe simply in faith,' she says.

Public talks organised by her group often pack in crowds of about 2,500, many of them young parents with children in tow.

It is a far cry from the past where many Singaporeans, like Shen, saw Buddhism as boring and somewhat behind the times.

laurence82 SG

TURNING POINT

JUST ask police officer Lawrence Lee, 25.

Ten years ago, when he started a youth group at Singapore Buddhist Mission with some friends, he had to endure frequent jibes from his peers.

With a wry smile, he recalls: 'They'd say: 'Wah, you're so old-fashioned.' '

The irony is, Mr Lee was far from being old-fashioned as a teenager.

In fact, he was a punk who 'hung out in game arcades and ogled girls in the streets'.

Bad-tempered and rebellious, he would also get into heated fights with his parents and two brothers all the time.

But the turning point came when he was introduced to Buddhism by friends.

'It brought about a 180-degree change in me,' he says, adding that his family is very closely knit these days.

His youth group, which expanded from just 10 members in 1996 to over 200 now, organises camps four times a year for young people.

'Ninety-nine per cent of the participants say they find our camps fun and would like to come back again,' he says. 'That shows that we must be doing something right.'

Over at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery in Bright Hill Road, the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore is so serious about reaching out to the young that it recruited a full-time staff member to run its youth ministry four years ago.

Its manager Yap Ching Wi, a vivacious 38-year-old with fashionably dyed hair, has 11 people in her team working on projects like Vesak Day celebrations and mass art events in Orchard Road.

Membership has grown to over 2,000. Next month, they will set up a youth group, providing two cabins on the temple grounds for youths to gather, surf the Internet and chill out, alfresco style.

Gesturing to the brightly coloured posters that line the walls of the office, Ms Yap says candidly: 'There is only that much packaging you can do. The rest is really up to the substance you can actually offer people.'

A trained social worker, she stumbled on Buddhism in 2001 after attending meditation classes conducted by the temple - something she found out only during the first lesson.

'I made a pact with my sister who had also signed up for the course. We agreed that once they start to preach, we're out of there,' she recalls with a chuckle.

For the record, no preaching took place, but Ms Yap's curiosity was piqued and she began reading books on the religion.

One thing led to another and she ended up leading the youth ministry.

'I'd probably be earning more if I'm working in a government ministry,' she says.

'But the direction of this youth ministry is to build up society's moral foundation. I found it hard to say 'No'.'

TOUGH ROAD

HOWEVER, the road is a tough one.

One leader of a Buddhist group tells Life! that she often receives hate mail from members of the public who feel threatened by what they see as aggressive propagation of the religion.

For Buddhist Fellowship's Mrs Monksfield, the biggest obstacle she faces is the lack of support from some of Singapore's newspapers.

'We enjoy much less coverage when compared to, say, Christian events during the Christmas season although there are more Buddhists in Singapore,' she says.

But it is a sentiment not shared by Ms Yap.

'The role of the media is only one part of the job. If you're a trendsetter, people will come to you anyway,' she says confidently.

[email protected]

BUDDHISM 101

TO NON-BELIEVERS, Buddhism can seem a bit of a mystery. Life! dispels some myths.

Was the Buddha a God?

He was not, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who taught a path to spiritual enlightenment from his own experience. The word 'Buddha' simply means 'One who is awake', and refers to a person who has realised the true nature of life and reality.

Do Buddhists worship idols?

Buddhists sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, not in worship nor to ask for favours. A statue of the Buddha is a symbol of perfected wisdom and compassion. Bowing to the statue is an expression of veneration and gratitude for the teachings.

Do Buddhists burn incense for ancestors?

No. The burning of incense paper for ancestors is a traditional Chinese custom and not a Buddhist practice.

Why do Buddhists chant?

Chanting is a practice of concentrating the mind. It also serves as a reminder of the teachings of Buddha.

Why do Buddhists meditate?

Buddhists believe that it is a way to learn positive, constructive and realistic attitudes. With meditation, a person can transform his thoughts and views so that they become more compassionate and correspond to reality.

Information from www.buddhanet.net and Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

An Eternal Now SG

Oh thanks for posting Smile

I have posted that in the forum already... and had a little discussions and I pointed out certain things: http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=190425

laurence82 SG

oops, didnt saw that one, can close this one bah, else waste server space

An Eternal Now SG

kk…