At the First Singapore Buddhist Symposium, Mr Low Swee Seh, Managing Director of Tzu Chi Merit Organization (Singapore) Ltd., shared the Tzu Chi practice of “Internal Cultivation and External Practice” as an approach to practising Buddhism as well as the Foundation’s experience in developing its four missions in Singapore. About 80 Tzu Chi volunteers registered to attend the event. (Photo by Goh Shoo Weng)
The First Singapore Buddhist Symposium, organised by the Singapore Buddhist Federation (SBF) from 14 to 15 October 2023, has successfully concluded. The opening day attracted about 750 local Buddhist leaders, dignitaries, and members of the congregation to actively participate and bear witness to the event.
The theme of the symposium was “Envisioning Buddhism in Modern Era Singapore”. The symposium brought together many speakers at Kong Meng San (Bright Hill) Phor Kark See Monastery to discuss how Buddhism can overcome challenges and maintain relevancy in multi-cultural Singapore as we enter the post-pandemic era. Mr Low Swee Seh, Managing Director of Tzu Chi Merit Organization (Singapore) Ltd., was invited to attend and spoke on the theme of “Gaining Enlightenment through Doing: From the Door of Kindness to Dharma Door”. The sharing included Tzu Chi’s approach to “walking the path” through “Internal Cultivation and External Practice”, as well as Tzu Chi’s experience in developing its four missions in Singapore.
The opening ceremony attracted about 750 local Buddhist leaders, dignitaries and members of the congregation to witness the event. (Photo by Goh Shoo Weng)
Caring for Buddhism is the responsibility of every Buddhist
On 14 October, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, Mr Edwin Tong, was invited to the opening ceremony as the Guest of Honour. In Mr Edwin Tong’s opening speech, he highlighted the importance of Buddhism in Singapore Society and the indispensable role of Buddhist organisations in promoting welfare and assistance programmes as well as racial and religious harmony and social stability.
As the Singapore society continues to develop and technology progresses, Mr Edwin Tong believes that this symposium is very meaningful and will help Buddhist organisations adapt to changing times and continue to contribute to local society positively.
The President of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Venerable Seck Kwang Phing (left), presenting a memento to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, Mr Edwin Tong (right). (Photo by Goh Shoo Weng)
“How does Buddhism, in a guiding beacon, illuminate our path towards the cosmos? How can it inspire us to cultivate compassion, empathy and understanding of the world that we often seem to avoid?”
In his opening speech, the Organising Chairman of the Singapore Buddhist Symposium 2023 and Secretary General of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Venerable Shi You Guang, pointed out that over 31% of Singaporeans identify as Buddhist. This makes exploring Buddhism especially important in a time of fast pace and uncertainty.
Venerable You Guang pointed out that the mission of organising the Buddhist symposium: “In embracing this complexity of our society, we must continue to strengthen our practice and understand the Buddha Dharma. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that the teachings of the Buddha are passed on to future generations and remain relevant. Allowing them to benefit from the wisdom and insights of the Buddha Dharma.”
The President of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Venerable Seck Kwang Phing, emphasised that in the face of the impact of artificial intelligence, Buddhist organisations and Buddhists should uphold the principle of “going with the flow without changing” to conform to the strategy and method of the right faith and right view to tackle challenges.
In his opening speech, the Organising Chairman of the Singapore Buddhist Symposium 2023 and Secretary General of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Venerable Shi You Guang, pointed out the importance of exploring Buddhism in an era of fast pace and uncertainty. (Photo by Goh Shoo Weng)
Humanistic Buddhism Takes Root in Singapore
The two-day symposium covered a series of thematic discussions. The panel discussion on the first day aimed to attract people from all walks of life who are interested in the development of Buddhism in Singapore and hope to contribute to Buddhism. The second day comprised a youth forum and workshop for Buddhist youths who wish to grow personally and spiritually. The topics included entrepreneurship, leadership, marriage and self-awareness.
The second panel discussion on the symposium’s opening day was led by Mr Low Swee Seh, Managing Director of Tzu Chi Merit Organization (Singapore) Ltd. and Abbot of Fo Guang Shan (Singapore), Dharma Master Miao Mu. Dr Lee Foong Ming, Assistant Professor of the Buddhist College of Singapore, moderated the session.
Is Buddhism a religion that seeks an escape from the world and is pessimistic? With a speech themed “Gaining Enlightenment through Doing: From the Door of Kindness to Dharma Door” to share Tzu Chi’s approach of “Internal Cultivation and External Practice”, Mr Low Swee Seh shared about the Foundation’s 30 years of experience in developing its four missions of charity, medicine, education and humanistic culture in Singapore. Tzu Chi volunteers verify the principles of the Dharma through participation in voluntary work. Through their actions, they are able to reflect upon themselves, change their bad habits, cultivate the right knowledge and view, and experience an uplift in the value of their lives.
Doing good requires the cultivation of wisdom too. Mr Low Swee Seh used the examples of immersing oneself in Dharma, book clubs and sutra adaptation to share how Tzu Chi members study the Dharma through mutual cultivation. He said: “Following Master Cheng Yen’s aspiration of “Work for Buddhism and All Beings”, we transform the lives of people in suffering and pass on the Dharma for generations to come. We pray for the purification of the people’s minds, a harmonious society and a world without disasters.”
Dharma Master Miao Mu, Abott of Fo Guang Shan (Singapore), shared on the topic of “The Vision of Humanistic Buddhism in Singapore”. Fo Guang Shan follows Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s concept of “Humanistic Buddhism” and upholds four major principles of promoting Buddhism through culture, cultivating talent through education, benefiting society through charity and purifying the minds through group cultivation. In Singapore, Fo Guang Shan has actively promoted social education, hard pen calligraphy competitions, Dun Huang dance classes, Buddhism courses and Dharma assemblies.
The two-day symposium covered a series of seminars and workshops. (From left) Mr Low Swee Seh, Managing Director of Tzu Chi Merit Organisation (Singapore) Ltd., Dharma Master Miao Mu, Abott of Fo Guang Shan (Singapore) and Dr Lee Foong Ming, Assistant Professor of the Buddhist College of Singapore. (Photo by Goh Shoo Weng)
Participants actively asked questions through an online questionnaire during the seminar's question-and-answer segment. One participant asked: "Why do many people show compassion and tolerance towards outsiders but lack compassion towards family? It is difficult to help one's family. Why is that so?"
Dharma Master Miao Mu earnestly reminds us that merit and affinity are required for one to be saved. The affinity of learning the Dharma sometimes does not rest on the family but on others. If one's family members have not developed the affinity, we should not force them. After learning the Dharma, we should learn to follow affinity, promote a harmonious family and respect each family member. We should use every opportunity wisely to help them develop faith.
Mr Low Swee Seh shared a thought-provoking story. There was a Tzu Chi volunteer who encountered disapproval from her husband. This led to tension in their marriage to the extent that when she bought a watermelon, her husband was unhappy and reprimanded her: "Why did you buy a watermelon with so many seeds?"
Upon learning of the situation, Master Cheng Yen advised the Tzu Chi volunteer to respect her husband and consider his feelings. When she returned, she patiently picked out the watermelon seeds one by one without any complaint. Gradually, their relationship became more amicable. Mr Low Swee Seh used this story to point out that changing someone is arduous. To change someone, one needs to change first. Self-cultivation comes before inspiring others to learn Dharma.
Someone asked, how do we bring Dharma to the people who are too busy to go to a Buddhist temple when life in Singapore is so fast-paced, and families might have old people or young children to look after?
Mr Low Swee Seh gave the answer of attending “Wisdom at Dawn” online session to listen to Master Cheng Yen’s teaching. Every morning at 5 am, take 20 minutes to listen to Dharma talk. Most people can spare this time; it is a golden opportunity to appreciate Buddhist teachings in peace. It is enlightening, heals the soul and is quite suitable for busy modern-day people.
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