Poh Ming Tse Temple -- Text & photo by PMT

Located on 438 Dunearn Road, Poh Ming Tse Temple (PMT)

re-opens its doors to the public in July 2009 after undergoing a face lift.

The newly constructed PMT reflects the contemporary modern Singapore while retaining its Chinese Mahayana roots. Its facilities and activities cater to modern lifestyle, yet offer devotees spiritual joy and peace of mind.

The main hall - "Hall of Boundless Light" on the third floor houses a 5-ton Sakyamuni Buddha marble statue. The hall has a seating capacity of 300 people and this is where talks and pujas of various traditions are being held. Though Mahayana in tradition, PMT sees no conflict in promoting the dharma in all traditions as it is non-sectarian in nature.

The second floor consists of multi-function rooms which can be used for Dharma classes and Dharma study groups.

On the first floor, there are a vegetarian cafe, reading corner (see left) and the administration office.

The "Hall of Gratitude" located at the basement of the building houses the ancestral tablets that remind the devotees of filial piety.

The "Hall of Compassion" is located next to the main building. One can easily feel the old charm of the temple there as it houses historical items that represent the temple's past.

Brief history of PMT

The history of Poh Ming Tse Temple can be traced back to 1934. At that time, the owner of the land was a European by the name of Mr C.V. Miles. For some reasons, he had to leave Singapore. When he returned to Singapore subsequently, he realized that a temple had been built on that land although the building plans and drawings were not signed and approved by him. Subsequently, he transferred the land ownership to the founder of the temple Upasika Chen Miao Hua ('Upasika' refers to a lay female Buddhist) who later entrusted the temple to Upasika Lin Miao Deng.

Before Upasika Lin's demise in 1969, she had invited Venerable Qing Hui from Leong San Temple to be the abbot of PMT. Venerable Qing Hui also undertook the task of rebuilding the temple, as it was old and rundown by then.

At that time, there was a devotee by the name of Mr Chua Kim Cheng who came forward to offer financial assistance to rebuild the temple. After much difficulty, with the rebuilding expenses contributed by Venerable Qing Hui, together with the support from the late Mr Chua Kim Cheng, the temple was rebuilt and completed during the Lunar New Year of 1970. In 1997, Venerable Qing Hui passed away at the age of 81 after fulfilling his life mission in serving the Triple Gem.

In 2006, the management of PMT decided to focus on the propagation of Buddhism in modern Singapore. Finally, in July 2009, a new three-storey building with modern facilities was constructed on the site of the old temple to serve the Buddhist community in Singapore.