One monk's hope for Singapore society

A ten-day trip to the site of Buddha’s enlightenment inspired Venerable Chuan Sheng to become a monk.

For 26 years, the Venerable Dr. Chuan Sheng worked as an academic researching East Asian history and international relations.

“In my youth I was very focused on my career, as many people are,” he says, “But in my 40s I began to feel that there was something missing: I knew I wanted to do more for society.”

Venerable Chuan Sheng had explored Buddhism through various programmes in his free time, but it was a fateful trip to Bodh Gaya in India that inspired him to become a monk at the mature age of 51. 

Venerable Chuan Sheng with his fellow academics during a trip to Thailand, many years ago.

“Fortunately, my family and friends were all very supportive,” he says, “my biggest concern was for my ageing parents, but my siblings assured me they would be well taken care of.”

A life of service

Venerable Chuan Sheng is currently an associate professor and Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs at the Buddhist College of Singapore, located within Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. 

He leads a “simple life” with more than 100 other monks from different parts of the world, rising at six every morning to practice and study.

Beyond their spiritual practice, the monks and monastery staff engage in many community works. These include providing food and other essentials to low-income households in a nearby housing estate; fundraising for the Singapore Buddhist Free Clinic, Bright Hill Evergreen Home, and Children's Cancer Foundation; and even grassroots activities like beach cleanups.

Venerable Chuan Sheng reflects that monkhood “has given me more peace and inner calm when dealing with different situations.”

Part of being a monk is being mindful in whatever we do and think,” he says, “so I’ve adopted a more positive mindset and have learned to accept things as they come along.” 

Venerable Chuan Sheng with his fellow monks.

It’s a skill, he says, that everyone must cultivate in a world disrupted by armed conflict, misinformation, and rapid technological change.

A platform for peace

One of Venerable Chuan Sheng’s latest projects is contributing to the third edition of the International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS), as part of its eight-member ICCS Advisory Panel (IAP).

The ICCS is a leading global platform for multicultural and interfaith dialogue based in Singapore that brings together policymakers, academics, practitioners, community, religious and youth leaders to exchange ideas and develop innovative solutions for cohesive and resilient multicultural societies worldwide. Inaugurated in 2019 by former President of Singapore Halimah Yacob, the ICCS aims to catalyse conversations on multiculturalism and share best practices on creating harmonious multicultural societies. 

The monastery is not only a site of worship and community works: it’s also conducive to contemplation of the natural world.

“I get to share my thoughts on interfaith dialogues as a monk as well as a historian,” Venerable Chuan Sheng says, “to me, it’s all about learning across communities and fostering a spirit of shared responsibility for a better future.”

Venerable Chuan Sheng says that Singapore shows the possibility of different communities contributing to the collective well-being, bonded by a sense of belonging and mutual respect.

“A cohesive society reduces conflict, promotes stability and mobility, and enhances prosperity for everyone,” he says, “if we don’t work hard on cohesion, society could become fragmentary with people going their own ways.”

Venerable Chuan Sheng says that fostering interfaith harmony is a “constant work in progress”.

Volunteering time to serve others and treating everyone with kindness are a few ways Venerable Chuan Sheng says people can build a stronger national identity.

“Our racial and religious harmony is a constant work in progress, and we should not rest on our laurels,” he says, “We must keep coming together to build a more caring and compassionate society for everyone. That's my hope for Singapore.”

Want to hear more from Venerable Chuan Sheng? Tune in to Tapestry of Cohesion where he shares his thoughts on the role of religion in cohesive societies. Tapestry of Cohesion is a podcast series by the Social Cohesion Research Programme (SCRP) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) spotlighting key social cohesion issues.

Continue the conversation at ICCS 2025, an SG60 signature event, to pave the way for a more cohesive and resilient future—both in Singapore and around the globe: Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn.