Metta-Mission of PES
1. “THANKSGIVING”TO OUR
ELDERLY DEVOTEES:
To “give thanks” to devotees (in particular, aging devotees), who
have supported the temple for over 60 years by donating their hard
earned money, by building a temple that is:
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a) Elder
friendly;
b) Wheelchair friendly;
c) A way-place for overnight retreats; and
d) Accessible 24 hours for emergency prayers for dear ones
in moments of need – small prayer rooms will be available
(the common practice of inaccessibility after 1800 hours
will not be practiced at Poh Ern Shih for such cases). |
2. “THANKSGIVING” TO
OUR COMMUNITY ELDERS:
To address the looming community issue of a greying population
of postwar “babies” (irrespective of race, religion, creed or
means) by synergizing with:
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i) Community
Centres (eg. Inter-Racial Community Circles);
ii) Foundations (eg. Tsao Foundation for funding);
iii) Charities (eg. Women’s Initiative for Growing Old
Successfully); and
iv) Other non-profit organizations (eg. Buddhist
Fellowship). |
To create a “Seniors
Activity Centre” with the aim of educating them to:-
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a) Eat
healthily;
b) Enjoy Chair Yoga and Chair Exercises;
c) Improve their self-reliance and quality of life;
d) Age gracefully and successfully with their savings &
investments;
e) Continue helping the less fortunate with their skills;
f) Be mentally and physically prepared not to expect to be
dependent upon the younger generation who will not be
capable (whether financially or otherwise) of catering to
the needs of 4 simultaneously aging parents due to lack of
sufficient siblings to share the burden; &
g) Become familiar with the use of wheelchairs via the
temple’s battery-driven wheelchairs prior to actually
becoming wheelchair bound so as to instill confidence in
moving around independently outside the home when they are
no longer able to walk unassisted. |
3, “THANKSGIVING” TO
MOTHER EARTH :
To protect the environment by having the temple go “green”. Please
refer to our website: www.pohernshih.org for more detailed
information. Additionally, the temple has taken in as tenants World
Wildlife Fund and Henry Dunant Centre in its Off-Site properties and
therefore intends to collaborate with them fully in support of their
Wildlife Conservation efforts and World Peace mission.
4. “EDUCATING” OUR
FUTURE GENERATION:
As a public institution, the temple is accessible to all members of
the public, including tertiary students. The temple has therefore
offered to tertiary institutions:
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i) Free access
to the temple for their students;
ii) Free downloads of all data collected from our Data
Loggers monitoring our PV Electrical System as well as the
Wind factors in the vicinity; &
iii) The opportunity to “troubleshoot” and innovate with new
ideas and upgrades. |
Additionally, the
temple conducts free guided tours to interested parties on its
green facilities.
5. A WAY-PLACE FOR EDUCATING AND CULTIVATING FUTURE BI-LINGUAL
NUNS
The temple was built with the advice of Venerable Sek Kwang
Sheng in mind - to be a haven for future nuns hailing from all
parts Asia, such nuns who, being bi-lingual, would attend formal
and licensed Buddhist colleges in Singapore.
6. A WI-FI & E-LEARNING
CENTRE
To convert into an E-Learning centre for nuns by having internet
streaming of lectures from different locations, subject to the
necessary approvals from the Ministry of Education. Failing which,
the facilities will be used for receiving Dharma talks from all over
the world.
7. A WAY-PLACE FOR AGED
NUNS FROM OTHER TEMPLES
When other temples are unable to accommodate the needs of their aged
medically fit but wheelchair bound nuns, Poh Ern Shih will provide
shelter and care for them gratis in accordance with a pre-determined
ratio of young and aged nuns. Poh Ern Shih will also where possible
foot 50% of the aged nuns’ medical, eldercare and hospitalization
expenses as and when incurred, the other 50% of costs to be
underwritten by the referring temples.
8. A LOGISTICS &
COMMUNCATION CENTRE FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE ORGANISATIONS
To assist emergency response organizations such as:-
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a) Mercy Relief;
&
b) Firefly Mission |
as a logistics and
field communication centre and passport/visa application centre
for their volunteers, thereby also providing our senior citizens
with the opportunity to assist in the recycling of blankets,
clothes, toys and other necessities.
9. SUPPORT FOR ALL CHARITIES AND RELIGIONS
Since 1954, Poh Ern Shih has always donated 80% of their net
donations to various charities regardless of their religions.
Poh Ern Shih supports the (IRO) Inter Religious Organisation and
has declared also its support of the (PCRH) President’s Council
for Religious Harmony as well as the West Coast (IRCC) Inter
Religious Confidence Circles. The Temple’s facilities will
therefore be made available to all religious groups who apply.
Devotees will be encouraged to move beyond “tolerance” of other
religions to “understanding” the common thread of morality and
compassion that runs through all humanity.
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