THINK Buddhist temples and red and gold pillars with green-tiled roofs come to mind - but a new and sleek $20-million Buddhist centre that opened this month in Punggol has such a modern design that you could be forgiven for thinking you have arrived at an office tower.
It's the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist centre, which will raise the eyebrows of the traditionally inclined with its very now and zen look.
The six-storey building has a white facade with lots of glass panels and makes use of skylight - and there's nary a fearsome dragon in sight.
Still, there is the expected statue of a plump and hearty Buddha at the entrance - though it may perhaps be the only traditional sight at the temple.
Inside, there is none of the usual smoke from incense. Instead, it is so bright and airy that it evokes the atmosphere of a soaring, Western-style church.
But it is at the columbarium on the fourth storey where it hits you the most that this Buddhist temple is unlike any other.
First, there are no pictures of the deceased on the urns. Venerable Jue Wei, one of the monastics at the temple, says this is to reduce 'the atmosphere of fear'.
Second, in traditional columbariums, tablets to commemorate the deceased are made of wood and reserved for one person.
But at Fo Guang Shan, the tablets, made of liu li - a very high-quality glass - can be removed from their holders using a magnet and there is space for three names per tablet.
'This feature enables us to save space and allows room for three generations of families to be remembered,' says Venerable Jue Wei.
Including the columbarium, the 2,000 sq m temple houses a teahouse, a dining room, a library, a calligraphy room and a video conference classroom.
Much of the flooring is made of shiny, white quartz. Timber is used for interior accent pieces for a softer look.
Venerable Jue Wei says: 'The temple looks modern but it still manages to infuse all the traditional aspects of Buddhism.'
She reveals that some people have said the temple is too modern and that it isn't orthodox but she reasons: 'People shouldn't be afraid of modernity because if something is true, then the core of Buddhism should be able to withstand change and time.'
The temple was designed by Mr Eugene Ho, 32, from Liu & Wo Architects, a local firm.
He says he made use of white colour and glass panels because 'the (Buddhist) association wanted it to be seen as a green hub, which is why a lot of natural lighting is used as well'.
He adds: 'The amount of space in the building makes the worshippers feel comfortable and want to stay longer to hang out.'
The 'pride and joy' of the Fo Guang Shan monastics, notes Venerable Jue Wei, is a semi-translucent lapis lazuli wall in the prayer hall. The wall, which cost more than $500,000, has 6,648 tiles and 5,183 characters from the Diamond Sutra teachings etched on them.
Venerable Jue Wei says that the money for the construction of the temple was largely raised through donations from devotees and fund-raising events such as walk-a-jogs.
Interestingly, it is one of the first Mahayana Buddhist temples to offer devotees a cradle-to-grave concept: everything from baby blessings to graduate blessings to weddings, much like a Christian church.
Venerable Jue Wei says: 'This is something that our master, Venerable Hsing Yun, has been trying to promote.'
Venerable Hsing Yun is the founder of Buddha's Light International Association, which oversees more than 200 temples worldwide.
Venerable Jue Wei adds: 'He is always trying to promote humanistic Buddhism, where devotees can infuse Buddhist aspects in all the major milestones in their lives, instead of just praying in the temple.'
Fo Guang Shan (Singapore) Buddhist centre is located at 1 Punggol Place. It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, 9am to 6pm. It is closed on Mondays, tel: 6411-0599.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on June 14, 2008.
