Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery ~ Immaculate Shrine of 1000 armed Quan Yin

87 Geylang East Ave 2 
Singapore 389753

Singapore may be small in size but you can find almost everything in here. They have tons of loads to offer that is worth to deal with. If you want panoramic view of Singapore’s skyscraper, go to marina bay; if you love nature, visit Singapore Zoo; if you like entertainment, stop by to Universal Studious; and if you love night life, indulge yourself to St. James Power Station just near to Vivo City. These are just examples of so many attractions that you can take pleasure in while in Singapore but behind everything, it is also home to different religious beliefs and practices just in case you want to experience inner peace. 

Balong took this pic just outside of the monastery showing the Simsville Condo as the backdrop of SG MRT.

Singapore has a diverse religious beliefs and practices due to varied cultural mix of people originating from various countries. Most of the major religious denominations do exists in here but comparing to other nations they all live in harmony.

The statue of 'Agyo'.

While planning for our trip to Singapore, one of our top priority is to visit some of the temples. I am always fascinated with religion that is why ‘Foo hai Ch’an Monastery’ comes to our mind first. Aside from it’s the closest shrine we can get into from our hotel, ‘Sri Sivan Temple’ which is just beside the monastery boast our interest as well.

Statue of 'Angyo'.

Both temples are located in Geylang, recognized as the famous ‘red light district’. Please don’t get off with the word ‘red light’ because when we visit the vicinity it seems far from the norm.  Well, I don’t know really what usually happen at night but that is not our concern as our main purpose is to visit solely this monastery.

Informations about the two pairs of 'Heng Ha Dharma Protectors' just in the entrance.

We traveled early morning via MRT from Kallang (EW10) to Paya Lebar (EW8) station in order not to compete with other commuters. We took our breakfast just outside of EW8 station and headed directly to the area. Before going to the monastery, we pay a visit to 'Sri Sivan Temple' first and spent more than 30 minutes to witness the intricate design of the temple. I was trying to convince Balong to go inside but he refused to do so as he was preoccupied taking shots that surround the vicinity.

Facade of Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery. Thanks to the woman who cleans the large insence burner because she permitted us to get in.

Our experience in Sri Sivan Temple is so serene and so memorable since it is our first time to witness a Hindu Temple for real. So colorful and conspicuous that even from afar you’ll see how unique and distinct the temple is with shades of fuchsia and cream. At the backdrop, three towers are designed with sculptures of Shiva, Ganesh and other deities meticulously amassed in each tower. Each column and each wall of the temple is artfully designed with figures of gods and goddesses for the delight of the devotees. I wanted to stay for a while to witness a ceremony but we were too early for the rituals. 

The beauty of bonsai plant located just in the main gate.

After few minutes of witnessing the conspicuous beauty of Sri Sivan Temple, we leave and visit the monastery of ‘Foo Hai Ch’an’ which is situated opposite to the temple. At first, we were so hesitant to go in because no one is around but the main gate is open and seems inviting. Thanks God because there is a woman cleaning the large incense burner in the entrance and I confidently ask permission if it’s ok to visit each corner of the place. With her smile that signifies ‘yes’ lightens me up and I picked Balong in the gate as he was still busy taking snaps of the outside view.

Another bonsai plant at the back of 'Angyo' sculpture.

At the entrance, two pairs of wrath-filled and muscular guardians which named ‘Heng Ha Dharma Protectors or Guhyapada’ are standing on the opposite sides of the main gate. It’s the first time I saw such figures because usually two lions are always present in any Chinese establishments. As per information in the signage, they are pair of protectors that guards any Buddhist temples. It’s a manifestation of the ‘Bodhisattva Vajrapani’ protector deity and the oldest and most powerful of the 'Mahayana' pantheon. They traveled with the historical Buddha to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil.

Bonsai at the corner most part of the vicinity.

The left statue is called ‘Agyo’ and has his mouth open, representing the vocalization of the first grapheme of ‘Sanskrit Devanagari’ which is pronounced ‘a’ and signifies ‘birth of life’. The right statue is called ‘Ungyo’, and has his mouth is closed, representing the vocalization of the last grapheme of ‘Devanagari’ which is pronounced ‘un’ or ‘um’ meaning ‘death’. These ‘Dharma Protectors’ fierce and threatening appearance symbolizes to ward off evil spirits and keel the temple ground free from demons and thieves. Although Buddhism was a pacifist religion, these two figures were contradictory to this doctrine. They justified the use of violence in order to protect Buddha and his followers.

Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery was officially opened on 24th of October, 2004.

After reading the significance of ‘Heng Ha Dharma Protectors’, we entered at the front yard and was captivated by the beauty of many ‘bonsai plants’ that were arranged meticulously within the area. They were carefully cultivated that adds beauty to the surroundings. Seeing these miniature trees reminds me when I was in high school as I even tried making bonsai as a school project. Unfortunately, the design is not what I expected because it grows bigger everyday (ahahaha!). We’ve seen as well two little orange trees  (or perhaps citrus trees) just below the large incense burner loaded with fresh fruits. They were embellish with ribbons and just don’t know what it signifies but was wondering these trees seems bonsai but yet filled with fruits (awesome!).  

The gong/bell  pagoda located at the right side of the shrine.

Before stepping the stairs to the main shrine, we were in doubt if we will take off our shoes right away or wait until we arrived at the main lobby. Apparently, when we saw the lady who is cleaning the large incense burner still wearing her slippers; thus, we decided to wear it until we reached the main entrance hall. The reason why we were hesitant is because it's always customary to remove/leave your shoes outside of a temple.

The drum pagoda located at the left side of the building.

Just before entering the shrine, we found an exposed huge drum and a gong/bell located in the fascia of the main sanctuary. It hangs separately from a roof; the drum pagoda on the left and the gong pagoda on the right. In any temple, it is considered as one of the most important Dharma instrument used to gather everyone to announce the precepts, meal times, Dharma talks, etc.

The large incense burner on your way in.

The ringing of the bell before prayer time is used to give sound for keeping evil forces away. It is not just an ordinary bell; it produces sharp but lasting sounds in echo mode, good enough to touch your seven healing centers in your body. It is pleasant to God and help drowned worshipers from any inauspicious or irrelevant noises and comments that might disturb or distract in their devotional ardor, concentration and inner peace.

The temple is so serene, but before we started snapping pictures inside, I asked permission again if it's ok to do so. I guess I already asked 3 permissions, as a sign of respect you know. No one is around within the main hall except for one devotee praying in the corner. In order not to disturb him, we took pics silently and turn off the flash of our camera.

Chinese characters written in all columns of the shrine.

The main prayer hall is just stunning! The place is pristine that you can even see yourself in the tiles of the floor. It is very ornate and the intricate wooden ceiling is so detailed. Lots of Chinese scripts too in gold signage written vertically at each columns. Even the wooden doors that divide the main prayer area from the outside is very impressive and very fancy to say the least.

The beautiful and pristine temple of Quan Yin Bodhisattva.

But seeing for the first time the astounding 9.9 meter tall statue of ‘Quan Yin’ or ‘The Goddess of Mercy and Compassion’ is truly unexplainable. Her name literally means ‘she hears the cried of the world’’ and a manifestation of the Divine Mother and serves mankind in much the same way as Mother Mary. 

The main prayer hall of 1000 armed Goddess of Mercy and Compassion.

She was meticulously sculpted and her radiant body is adorned with all kinds of jeweled ornaments. She is immaculately beautiful, her smile is captivating, and her aura is so calm. She's the patron saint of women, fishermen, sailors, merchants, craftsmen and children among many others. The sculpture is called, ‘1000 Armed Quan Yin’ because she can protect so many people at one time. There is a peaceful eye in the palm of each hands and holds symbolic objects as well.

Figures located just at the top of the front door of the temple.

The large incense burner on our way out.

She has 11 faces on her head because she is a ‘bodhisattva’, a being of wisdom destined to become a Buddha. She has taken the vow of a ‘bodhisattva’ to save all beings from suffering by forgoing the final state of Buddhahood. Devotee can pray to her not only for comfort, healing, guidance and succor but also for mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. She shows through the flame of forgiveness how to free all the hardness of heart and teaches to have compassion for all. She comes as the Mother to dispel all illusion.

Is it citrus or orange tree?

There are numerous symbols and religious objects/figures here but unfortunately neither Balong nor I can read Chinese characters; that is why, the least we can do is to feed our camera with shots. Right after we checked each corners of the main prayer hall, we said our thanks to 'Quan Yin' and left to visit the Buddha Relics Pagoda that host the Buddha's relics at the top level.

The 5 storey Buddah Relic Pagoda just beside the shrine where it host the Buddha's relic at the top level.

Comparing to the beauty of the 7^th storey “Ru Yun T’a’ in ‘Chinese Garden’, this is a much smaller as this is only consist of 5 storey building but equally impressive in terms of structure and appearance. I don’t know if you are allowed to go at the top but there are stairs which is visible outside that will lead you there. The facade is decorated with two lion sculptures and a much smaller incense burner.

I am always fascinated with the beauty of pagoda. It's simplicity yet so stunning at its best.

Our trip to ‘Foo Hai Ch’an Monastery” is one experience not to forget, I maybe born Catholic but being in here gives us that peaceful feeling which is inexplicable. It brings  a lot of serenity that if you carrying a lot of stress and problems seems so easy to deal with. We’re privilege and thankful to include this trip in our itinerary or else we feel gutted if we missed this out. There are still so many known temples in Singapore but we will include that next time then. 

The entrance of the pagoda where the 'Bodhi Tree' just behind reminds Buddha's enlightenment.

As an advice better come early around 8am. I don’t know exactly what time is their rituals but when we visited the temple no one is around; thus, it give us ample time to visit each corner of the monastery without disturbing other devotees. 

These two sculptures of lion greeted us when we reached at the vicinity, they serves as the guard of the pagoda.

I have to admit we were intimidated at first to get in but asking a simple permission is the first thing you can do.  Don't be ashamed to ask, be nice. Follow some basic rules of etiquette to ensure that you don’t accidentally offend someone. Turn off your mobile phones, lower your voice, remove your shoes or caps, wear something modest (no shorts please), respect their beliefs and everything that surrounds you, never touch anything unless you are told to do so. Don't point your finger either because that is considered extremely rude.

The statue of Buddha inside the pagoda, on the left is the stairs that leads you to the top.

There are lots of things we learned from this trip, aside its depth history, and impressive architecture and carved effigy, temples as a whole are wonders to explore. Wandering the temple while lost in your thoughts is a memorable experience no matter your religious preferences are. Everybody is welcome whenever the temple is open, though it continues to be used as a house of worship; hence, there’s no cost for entry, but a respectful attitude is a must.

The tablet located just in the corner of pagoda.

So there you go, that is our story when we visited the holy shrine of 'The Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, Quan Yin'. 

Have a great beautiful day/night everyone.

Enan signing off.

Cheeerrrrrrrriiooosss..

:)

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