A Shelter for the Dharma 

The temple provides refuge from the four elements: earth, water, fire, and air. It shelters us from wind, storms, heat, rain, and natural disasters. But more importantly, it offers spiritual protection: a quiet and stable place to receive the teachings, practice the path, and connect with the blessings of the Buddha. 

A temple is more than a building. A qualified Buddhist temple holds what is known as the Three Supports: 

• The Support of the Buddha – Represented by rupas or images of Shakyamuni Buddha, which embody the form body of the Enlightened One. 

• The Support of the Dharma – The collection of scriptures, sutras, and texts that encompass the Buddha’s more than 40 years of teachings. 

• The Support of the Sangha – The ordained monastics who live, practice, and serve in the temple, upholding the Dharma through their discipline and presence. 

These three supports create the foundation for a living, breathing community of Dharma, a place where practice is at the forefront, and transformation becomes possible. 

Not Just a Shrine 

In modern times, many places of worship are missing one or more of the three supports. Some have only the Buddha image and the Dharma texts, but no Sangha. Others function primarily as places to make offerings or seek blessings for personal gain. 

This mindset is common, as many people come to the temple as "traders" or "beggars," offering donations in exchange for wishes or merit. They pray for success, health, or happiness. While such intentions are understandable, they miss the deeper purpose of a temple. 

Instead, we are encouraged to develop the mindset of an agriculturalist, as someone who patiently nurtures, grows, and tends to the field of their mind. Like a farmer working the soil, a practitioner works to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and inner transformation. 

As Buddhists, we do not discriminate. Whether someone comes as a beggar, trader, or agriculturalist, we serve them all with compassion. But we also aspire to offer them more than temporary relief. We aim to offer them the light of the Dharma, a path that leads to awakening. 

Why We Build and Support Temples 

In the past, people offered bricks, timber, and their labor to build temples. Today, we may not be able to construct sacred spaces at will due to regulations, but we can still offer what is needed, and that is money, materials, and sincere effort. 

Why do we make such offerings? Because they support the Three Supports, which in turn support all beings. These offerings are not wasted because they become the causes for merit to grow. Just like a drop of milk poured into the ocean is never lost, even during a storm. 

A temple acts like a spiritual Wi-Fi router, continuously transmitting blessings and creating opportunities for merit, whether we are there physically or not. Even when our minds fluctuate, our connection to the temple keeps us tethered to the path. 

Mutual Support, Joint Merits  

Building a temple is not a one-way effort. It is an act of mutual support between sentient beings and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. When we invest in creating these sacred spaces, we tap into the never-ending flow of their merit, wisdom, and compassion. 

This is also why we print Dharma texts and create Buddha rupas. The Buddha himself said that making offerings before his image is the same as making offerings directly to him. For those of us who do not have the karma to serve the Buddha in person, these acts become our opportunity to create a meaningful connection. 

Inside the temple there are Buddha rupas, texts and so forth. Buddha, in his past lives he accumulated three countless eons to collect merit. Due to that power if you offer something to the Buddha rupa you collect great merit.  

Furthermore, if you are offering texts, you collect so much merit as well. This is because it is so useful through the Buddhadharma text as we get information to subdue our mind. We get this information from temples or monasteries, and when people come in, they come with pure motivation for the truth. Due to that if you support the temple, you collect so much merit.  

As long as the temple or monastery remains there, that temple or monastery will benefit the community and society.  Thus, the merits of the generous donors who contributed to the physical temple will continue to reap merits from lifetime to lifetime.  

How can you support Thekchen Choling Singapore?  

Thekchen Choling’s legacy of connecting all with divine hearts and empowering all to have meaningful lives is something that is vital to be passed on to future generations. It is a temple that has the three supports – Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, which makes it a very fruitful ground for practicing Dharma as a community. This means that the light of the Dharma is being passed on to each and every one of us, through Singha Rinpoche. This light of compassion and wisdom that liberates us from suffering and attain awakening is a precious gift that needs to be passed on to future generations.  

To continue on with this gift of Dharma and light for future generations, we are doing A&A (additions and alterations) to the Jalan Besar temple so that we may be able to serve more beings in the future. This renewed space will be able to hold more devotees for Dharma teachings and activities, serving many future generations in a stable and sturdy building for decades to come.  

If you would like to support this meaningful journey, do consider donating to our temple expansion fund! Click here to learn more.