Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
| 光明山普觉禅寺 | |
The Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hall of the temple
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery |
| Order | Mahayana |
| Established | 1920 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Zhuan Dao |
| Abbot | Kwang Sheng |
| Important associated figures | Hong Choon, Long Gen, Yan Pei, Sui Kim |
| Site | |
| Location | Bishan, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°21′41.04″N 103°50′9.6″E / 1.3614000°N 103.836000°ECoordinates: 1°21′41.04″N 103°50′9.6″E / 1.3614000°N 103.836000°E |
| Public access | yes |
| Website | www |
The Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery (also the Bright Hill Pujue Chan Monastery) (simplified Chinese: 光明山普觉禅寺; traditional Chinese: 光明山普覺禪寺; pinyin: Guāngmíng Shān Pǔjué Chán Sì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kong-bîng-san-phóo-kak-sī), is a Buddhist temple located in Bishan, Singapore. Built by Zhuan Dao in the early 20th century to propagate Buddhism and to provide lodging for monks, this monastery is the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore.
Between 1920 and 1921, the Phor Kark See Monastery was built on the a plot of land in Thomson Road donated by Tay Woo Seng, a Chinese businessmen. It was the first traditional Chinese forest monastery to be built in Singapore. Since Phor Kark See Monastery is situated at Kong Meng San ("Bright Hill", formerly "Hai Nan Mountain"), it has come to be known as "Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery". The original temple consisted of a two-storey building, a shrine room, a visitors' room and living quarters. The Monastery expanded steadily over time as philanthropists like Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par donated funds to the monastery for its expansion.
In 1947, Hong Choon became the monastery's abbot. Under his leadership, the monastery's complex expanded from two shrine halls to include the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas and prayer halls that are as large as ten football fields. He also progressively developed and expanded the monastery with his followers into the largest and most majestic place of practice in Singapore.
In 1980, the temple began to build Evergreen Bright Hill Home, which opened in 1983, with the donation of S$5.3 million from Hong Choon's followers, He Hui Zhong's family's company.
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