May 11, 2022

As Buddhists in Singapore and around the world prepare to celebrate Vesak Day, a Special Issue of the journal Religions edited by Assistant Professor Jack Meng-Tat Chia (NUS History) has been published, titled ‘Beyond the Mainland: Buddhist Communities in Maritime Southeast Asia’. It features five articles by Southeast Asian-based scholars in Anthropology, Chinese Studies, Communication Studies, History, and Religious Studies that explore the diverse beliefs and practices of Buddhist communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

‘The Buddhist Philanthropist: The Life and Times of Lee Choon Seng’ by Dr Guan Thye Hue (NUS Chinese Studies), Chang Tang (Xiamen University Malaysia), and Klan Choo Juhn Khai (Xiamen University Malaysia) uses the biography of Lee Choon Seng (李俊承, 1888–1966) as a prism to examine the development of lay Buddhist piety and philanthropy in twentieth-century Singapore. Lee Choon Seng, a successful Chinese businessman and community leader, was arguably the most prominent Buddhist householder in Singapore history. The article presents Lee Choon Seng’s religious activities in three phases of his life: the pre-World War Two era (1920–1942), the Japanese Occupation period (1942–1945), and the post-war era (1945–1966).

“‘Contramodernist Buddhism’ in a Global City-State: Shinnyo-en in Singapore” by NUS History alumnus Keng Yung Phua explores the history and development of Shinnyo-en (真如苑), a new Japanese Buddhist movement, from its arrival in Singapore in 1983 to the present. Building on the notion of ‘Contramodernist Buddhism’, Phua argues that the changing memory of the Japanese Occupation in Singapore, coupled with the spiritual appeal of Shinnyo-en’s contramodernist spirituality and practices to Singaporean Chinese Buddhists, has led to the organization’s rapid expansion in this global city-state. The article places the development of Shinnyo-en in the larger context of Japan-Singapore relations and concludes with a discussion of Shinnyo-en’s socially engaged Buddhist activities in Singapore’s society.

Access the whole Special Issue here.

Read ‘The Buddhist Philanthropist: The Life and Times of Lee Choon Seng’ here.

Read “‘Contramodernist Buddhism’ in a Global City-State: Shinnyo-en in Singapore” here.