SACRED SPACE : CHINESE TEMPLES IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

The definition and perception of sacred space is a means of translating the intangible spiritual concepts of religion into concrete, visible forms. In Chinese religion, the temple provides the enduring and visual embodiment of sacred space. This study is concerned with the description and analysis of Chinese temples as embodiments of sacred space. Specifically, three aspects of the Chinese temple are examined : the physical (i.e. location, architecture, symbolism); the functional (i.e. ownership, management, finance, staffing) and the sociological (i.e. worshippers). Various physical factors account for the importance of a Chinese temple as a sacred place. These include the ideal site which is determined by the religio-cultural factor, feng-shui, as well as other aspects of Chinese geomancy : temple architecture, temple decorations (e.g. Door Gods, pa-kua, stone lions) and geomantic colours (e.g. red, green, yellow). The maintenance of Chinese temples as sacred space depends on functional aspects. Temples are either privately-owned by nuns, monks, religious laity or devotees; or they can be clan-based. Regardless of the type of ownership, a temple can only maintain itself as a place of worship if it is economically viable. Firstly, temples are engaged in enterprising religious activities (e.g. sales of joss sticks and papers, emplacement of ancestral tablets) to ensure their survival. Secondly, temples must hold positive 'religious place utility' (i.e. spiritual efficacy in granting favours) in the eyes of devotees to maintain their economic sustenance. The sociological dimension of sacred space is based on interviews with devotees from one Chinese temple : Tong Tek Tng Female Vegetarian Temple. The survey findings reveal three broad themes. The first shows that devotees come from different age and dialect groups and various occupational backgrounds but the majority are literate, dominantly housewives and profess Chinese religion. The second demonstrates the devotees' perception of the temple as a sacred place in terms of the holiness of deities, absence of evil spirits and observance of codes of behaviour. And the third explains the devotee's functional or pragmatic reasons for visiting temples : the majority to ask for 'prayer-favours' (e.g. health, luck, male posterity) and a minority to meet friends and relatives; to buy religious foodstuff: to seek fortune-telling and to pay respects to their ancestors.