My Trip To A Monastery

On a very cloudy day, I hopped off my bus in front of Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. It is very impressive in size as well as in beauty. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore. It's website www.kmspks.org states, " You are welcome here to follow the steps of many before you as they have used this temple for education, healing, study, rest and refuge as they have had need."

The site was founded in1921 and currently consists of 5 major buildings with more under construction. The largest building is the Hall of No Form which houses a 13.8 meter (45 ft) high

Buddha.                   

As I wandered through the entrance gate I was awestruck with the beauty of the place.
There were not many people on site so I was able to ignore the "no pets" sign as I normally do. I know those signs are not really meant for me, a clean, pretty, intelligent, sophisticated  kitty. I think they are meant for dirty, ugly, dumb, mean dogs... Why don't the signs just say "No Dogs"? ( Maybe I need to calm down and follow the peaceful precepts of Buddhism.)

                        

I really did like the atmosphere at this monastery. The well manicured landscaping between buildings gave the entire site a park like setting.

 One of the areas had a number of small child like statues of of mini Buddhas. I was especially struck by the one that had a rat on the child's shoulder and leg. The Rat in the Chinese calendar represents ingenuity, intelligence, and independence.

As I sauntered into a shady area between buildings, a very nice lady was serving people free bowls of noodle and vegetable soup. She must be a cat lover because when no one was looking she slipped me a bowl. I lapped up the warm broth with great gusto!

I hated to leave but it was time to go. On my way out, a gardener saw me and stated, "I am happy you came to visit this peaceful place and graced us with your presence."
Wow! What an impression that made on me! Everyone should make a point to visit this wonderful place.  

                                                                        

Bedok Reservoir And the Berlin Wall

When I jumped off the bus today, I was met at the entrance of Bedok Reservoir Park by two black birds with yellow beaks and yellow feet who offered to give me a tour of this beautiful jewel, off the beaten path. They introduced themselves as Heckle and Jeckle .

After laughing at their ridiculous claim, I told them there was no way they were telling me the truth about their names. Heckle and Jeckle were 2 cartoon crows drawn by Paul Terry right after WWII. These 2 birds were Javan Myna's which are much smaller than crows although they do have the same color beaks and feet as the 2 famous caricatures...
They seemed to be very serious but I chalked up their ridiculous claim as their silly attempt at making fun of me. In their eyes I was just a dumb red haired foreigner (Ang-Moh in Singaporean slang). Anyway, they gave  me a wonderful tour of this lovely park.
The Bedok Reservoir is surrounded by a 4.3 kilometer walking/jogging/biking trail. There are dragon boats, canoes and sailboats dotting the clean, clean waters and there is a fishing dock for fresh water anglers to try their fishing prowess. Park benches nestled among the lush trees, offer shade for the weary.

                             

The other "must see"  are the 4 sections of the Berlin Wall on loan to the park from an American industrialist Robert A. Hefner III, and his Singapore-born wife Mei Li. The 4 panels were painted by German artist, Dennis Kaun, and are titled Kings Of Freedom. They depict a bright and happy king representing West Germany and a pale, blindfolded one, signifying East Germany.
Heckle and Jeckle explained to me that the Berlin Wall was erected after the 2nd World War by East Germany to separate Democratic West Germany from Communist East Germany. It was torn down on 10 November 1989 and the two Germanys were reunited in October of 1990.

Time for me to head home...I bid farewell to my two escorts (even though I still didn't believe their names) and thanked them for the lovely tour and very informative history lesson.

Trip to a Buddhist temple

  

                                                               

I finally got another chance to take a trip. This time instead of just walking around to see what was "around the corner" I had a mission. I could see a temple in the distance from my big window and I had to go see it up close. From the 9th story I could see where the temple was but once I got to ground level I had to let my sense of direction take over. It was a long walk but it was well worth it!

When I arrived at the temple I was met by a rooster. He greeted me with a, "Hello little one. My name is Mr. Lin. What is your name?"
I wanted to smack him for calling me "little one" but then I realized he meant "young one" so I answered, "Purrla, What do you do here kind sir?"
He told me he was the caretaker here. He explained the temple is a Buddhist Youth Mission and believer's children are sent here for religious training. I asked him what the strange silver symbol on the roof of the entrance meant. He told me, "In Buddhism, the swastika signifies auspiciousness and good fortune. The swastika is said to contain the whole mind of the Buddha and can often be found imprinted on the chest, feet or palms of Buddha images."
I looked up and saw the same symbol in red on the chest of the huge Buddha on top of the roof.
He went on to say their symbol is clockwise but some Hindu temples use the same symbol but theirs is counterclockwise.

Mr. Lin asked me if I wanted to tour the temple. I was honored to be asked so he took me inside.  What a beautiful place this was! I saw offerings of oranges (a sign of prosperity) left on tables and there was a strong scent of incense in the air.  
I thanked my gracious host for the lovely visit. As I left he said, "Peace be with you little one, come back and visit anytime you want.

" " info from Wikipedia