Seng Guan Ssu () is a prominent Buddhist edifice on Narra Street, near Divisoria, in
Tondo,
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. It contains a
stupa
In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
, a huge repository for urns of human ashes, several meditation rooms, and various shrines. It is a major cultural center for the
Chinese Filipino
Chinese Filipinos (sometimes referred as Filipino Chinese or Chinoy/Tsinoy in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent with ancestry mainly from Fujian, but are typically born and raised in the Philippines. Chinese Filipinos are one ...
community. It is a
Chan Buddhist temple built by the father of Buddhism in the Philippines, Master Seng Guan from the
South Putuo Temple in
Xiamen
Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...
, Fujian Province.
History
Seng Guan Ssu was established by Wu Jianglu, Wang Zhenwen, and members of their Chinese Buddhist Society in the Philippines. It is regarded as the first Buddhist temple in the Philippines, being the first temple with a resident monk, Venerable Seng Guan (, 1889-1962) from Xiamen, after whom the temple was named. Seng Guan from Fu Kien (
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
), China, was active in teaching and organizing work in Southern China, Manila, and
Rizal. His work laid the foundations for several institutions, including the Samantabhadra Institute in Santa Cruz, Manila, and the Hwa Chong Buddhist Temple complex in Tugatog,
Malabon
Malabon, officially the City of Malabon (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 380,522 people. Located just north of the city of Manila, Malabon is ...
, Rizal (now Malabon,
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
), where his ashes are enshrined in a stupa.
[ Divisoria, Tondo, Sta. Cruz, ]Caloocan
Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan (; ), is a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,661,584 people making it the fourth-most populous city in the Philippines.
Caloo ...
South, and Malabon
Malabon, officially the City of Malabon (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 380,522 people. Located just north of the city of Manila, Malabon is ...
are traditional Chinese enclaves, and still have large ethnic Chinese populations. The great majority of Chinese Filipinos are of Fukienese ethnicity.
In 1960, the Seng Guan Ssu set up the Philippine Academy of Sakya in Manila. Over the years, Seng Guan Ssu also conducted many charity works for the poor, orphans, elderly, refugees, and government welfare projects.
See also
*
Buddhism in the Philippines
*
Chinese Filipinos
Chinese Filipinos (sometimes referred as Filipino Chinese or Chinoy/Tsinoy in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent with ancestry mainly from Fujian, but are typically born and raised in the Philippines. Chinese Filipinos are one ...
*
Lon Wa Buddhist Temple
References
External links
*
{{coord, 14.60765, N, 120.97475, E, region:PH_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title
Buddhist temples in Metro Manila
Buildings and structures in Tondo, Manila
Chinese-Filipino culture
20th-century Buddhist temples
20th-century religious buildings and structures in the Philippines
Chan temples