Strategic Partnership between Buddhism and State in Delivering Welfare Services

Abstract

The Buddhist temple has been viewed as an important provider of welfare services. The cultural politics of religion was such that while the temple viewed its welfare roles as strictly belonging to the moral dictum of its teachings, the state regarded the temple as a legitimate space where the group of temple-goers could be convinced to take on welfare roles. Through a series of Land Law and planning policies, the state indirectly transformed the role of the temple into an important welfare provider. In this sense, a religious space was partially turned into a secular space for the less privileged groups of people within Singapore society. The temple could thus be seen as a champion of the underclass, assuming moral authority over the citizenry albeit under the directive of the Singapore state. This chapter explored the relationship between Buddhism and state in the delivery of welfare services in contemporary Singapore. It examined the intersection between the Singapore state’s ideology and Buddhist ideology to produce a philanthropic Buddhist landscape that encouraged Buddhist organizations and individuals to become actively involved in charity works . In particular, they provided social and welfare services to the socially disadvantaged groups.