Ho Yuen Hoe
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Ho Yuen Hoe (; 18 February 1908 – 11 January 2006), later in life but rarely known by her Dharma name, Venerable Jing Run (), was a
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
affectionately known as Singapore's "grand dame of charity" in recognition of her lifelong devotion in helping the old and needy. She was the
abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...
of Lin Chee Cheng Sia Temple and the founder in 1969 of the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home, the first Buddhist nursing home.
Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...
Ho was relatively unknown to the public until 1996, when she was featured in a television programme – ''The Extraordinary People'' – at the age of 88. As a result, the public became more familiar with her work and her nursing home. In 2001, she received the Public Service Award from the
President of Singapore The president of Singapore is the head of state of the Singapore, Republic of Singapore. The role of the president is to safeguard the Reserves of the Government of Singapore, reserves and the integrity of the Singapore Civil Service, public serv ...
in recognition of her contribution to the country. Until her hospitalisation in November 2005 she was actively involved in charity work. Venerable Ho died on 11 January 2006, a month before what would have been her 98th birthday.


Early life

Ho Yuen Hoe was born on 18 February 1908, to a family of silk weavers in
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
, China, the second of three children. Her family was poor, and she was sold when she was five years old. Barely two years later, the spinster who had purchased her died, and Ho was sold by the woman's nephew, to become a maid. After a few years she was sold again. In her late teens, a group of snakeheads persuaded her and several other girls to emigrate to Singapore, ostensibly to work on a rubber plantation, but the job did not materialise. At the age of 21, alone and penniless, she married the owner of a grocery business. When the business failed, they left for Hong Kong, hoping for better fortune. Ho became a hairdresser in nearby
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
, but after discovering that her husband had another wife and children she decided to return to Singapore alone, vowing never to remarry. At about that same time, she became a vegetarian. In 1936, with the help of a friend, the then 28-year-old Ho set up shop in
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
with only a comb, a stool, and a kerosene lamp. She worked from 8 am to 3 am, charging five cents to comb hair or weave plaits and buns for amahs and
Samsui women The term Samsui women (, mandarin for 'red headscarf') broadly refers to a group of Chinese female immigrants who came to Malaya and Singapore between the 1920s and 1940s in search of construction and industrial jobs. These women hailed mostly ...
. She did that every day for almost three decades, interrupted only by periods when she was incapacitated by acute attacks of
arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...
. She scrimped and saved, and by the time she was in her 40s, she had enough to buy a
shophouse A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", a ...
in Club Street. Although illiterate, she made some property investments and eventually became a landlord, renting out rooms. As her wealth grew, she acquired more properties, and she began to adopt children from poor families, becoming a single mother of six daughters and twenty-five godchildren.


Charity work

A devout Buddhist from youth, once her children had grown up Ho decided to serve the Buddhist cause, and to dedicate the rest of her life to caring for others. In 1958, she became a Buddhist nun at the age of 50. In 1969, aged 61, Ho bought a two-storey detached house in Richards Avenue with her savings, and turned it into the Man Fut Tong Old Peoples' Home for aged sick and single elderly women. Most of the twenty or so residents had neither enough earnings to support themselves nor any relatives to turn to. To raise additional funds for the home, she cultivated and sold prize-winning white orchids at
Tanglin Tanglin is a planning area located within the Central Region of Singapore. Tanglin is located west of Newton, Orchard, River Valley and Singapore River, south of Novena, east of Bukit Timah, northeast of Queenstown and north of Bukit Merah. ...
, and vegetarian food at Kong Meng San Temple in
Bishan Bishan most commonly refers to Bishan, Singapore, a residential town in Singapore's Central Region, and its associated places. Bishan may also refer to: Places Singapore * Bishan, Singapore ** Bishan MRT station, a MRT interchange station along t ...
. She cleaned, cooked, took her charges to the doctors, helped them to collect their social benefits and even sometimes saw to their last rites. Venerable Ho's work was unknown to the public until 1996, when she was featured in a television programme – ''The Extraordinary People'' – at the age of 88. As a result, the public learned more about her and her nursing home. When asked why she had set up an old folks' home, Venerable Ho replied: Inspired by Venerable Ho's devotion and compassion, volunteers and donations began to stream in, allowing the home to provide better medical care and facilities for its residents. Spurred on by the desire to do even more, she approached the
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
for a piece of land to expand her old folks' home. The Ministry of Health gave her a plot in
Woodlands Woodlands may back refer to: * Woodland, a low-density forest Geography Australia * Woodlands, New South Wales * Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper * Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a her ...
, on which she oversaw the building of a new home. To help in raising funds for its construction, she published a recipe book called ''Top 100 Vegetarian Delights'' in 1998, which brought in more than S$100,000 ( U$66,667). In August 2001, the new four-storey building was opened at Woodlands Street 82. It houses nearly 235 sick and elderly and provides residential,
rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
, and day-care services. The home is open to all regardless of age, gender, race or religion. It regularly organises in-house activities such as cooking, hand-craft, karaoke, and games, as well as visits to places of interest and participation in various community events. The original home is now a Buddhist temple, the Lin Chee Cheng Sia Temple. Despite her advancing age, Venerable Ho continued to raise funds to provide better medical care, and she set up committees to help organise
Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
classes for children and secure donations for various Buddhist causes. During an interview given to ''
The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was established ...
'' in 2004, she said: "Everything in life is transient. Only charity is real and enduring. When you give, you receive. Charity is the best antidote for bad karma." She was not only successful in raising funds, but she also secured donations in kind and services. A
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
charity, ''Shree Gniananda Seva Samajam'' donated S$75,000 to the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home in 2004, which was raised through ticket sales for a charity draw. On 11 February 2004, President
S R Nathan Sellapan Ramanathan (; 3 July 1924 – 22 August 2016),. often known as S. R. Nathan, was a Singaporean politician who served as the sixth president of Singapore between 1999 and 2011. He was also the longest-serving president in Singapore's hi ...
, attended her birthday-cum-charity dinner and gave a speech in tribute of her contributions to the country:


Death

On 11 January 2006, Venerable Ho died peacefully in her sleep at the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home, at about 9:30 pm, just one month before turning 98. Until being hospitalised in November 2005, she had cooked for and looked after herself and played an active role in running both the temple and the nursing home. During her hospital stay, she suffered a stroke, which affected her speech and paralysed the left side of her body. Discharged in December 2005, she was recuperating well at the nursing home until she developed a chest infection and breathing difficulties a few days before she died. After her death, President S R Nathan sent a wreath of roses, chrysanthemums and orchids. Several government ministers attended her wake, including Senior Minister of State for Health
Balaji Sadasivan Balaji Sadasivan ( or ; 11 July 1955 – 27 September 2010) was a Singaporean politician and neurosurgeon. He attended Raffles Institution, Siglap Secondary School and National Junior College, and studied medicine at the University of Singapo ...
, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports
Yu-Foo Yee Shoon Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (; born 17 February 1950) is a former Singaporean politician. A member of the country's governing People's Action Party (PAP), she served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1984 to 2011. Her political appointments included Mayo ...
, Minister of State for Education and Trade and Industry
Chan Soo Sen Chan Soo Sen ( zh, s=曾士生, p=Zēng Shìshēng; born 1 October 1956) is a Singaporean former politician from the People's Action Party. He was the Member of Parliament representing the Joo Chiat ward in the East Coast Group Representation Con ...
, and Northwest
Community Development Council The Community Development Council (CDC; ms, Majlis Pembangunan Masyarakat; zh, 社区发展理事会; ta, சமூக மேம்பாட்டு மன்றம்) is a government-led programme to organise grassroot organisations and comm ...
mayor Teo Ho Pin. Temple officials said she left instructions for S$100,000 to be distributed equally to 10 charities. She had purchased a simple coffin 10 years before her death, and she had also set aside S$10,000 to pay for her funeral. On 22 January 2006, 20 chartered buses took more than 1,000 mourners – devotees, her godchildren, scores of wheelchair-bound residents, representatives from various Buddhist temples, and well-wishers – to Tse Tho Aum Buddhist Temple in Sin Ming Drive for the final prayers and cremation. The abbess' ashes were kept for 100 days at her temple, before making their way to her final resting place in
Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
province in China, where her niece lives. As a follow-up to her funeral, her remains and personal items were put on one-day public display at her temple on 26 February 2006. The relics ('' Sariras'') displayed were crystalline or pearl-like deposits found in Venerable Ho's ashes. Buddhists believe these are usually found in cremated Buddhist masters, are holy, and treat them with reverence. Since Venerable Ho's death, her work at the temple and nursing home has been administered by Reverend Seck Cheng Charn and Reverend Tang Wai Sum respectively.


Commemoration

A pictorial book chronicling Venerable Ho's life, written in both English and
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
was launched at the ''Remembering Venerable Ho Charity Lunch'' held at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel on 28 January 2007. Called ''A Life For Others'', the 138-page book was written by Dr Uma Rajan, the home's executive director. Five hundred hardcover copies of the book have been printed to raise funds for the Home, which costs S$4.5 million a year to run. A bronze sculpture by sculptor Chern Lian Shan, and a portrait of Venerable Ho by artist Marcus Lim were also unveiled at the event, by President S. R. Nathan. Both the sculpture and the painting are now on display at the Woodlands home. A new hybrid orchid, created from the orchids ''Dendrobium'' 'Ekapol' and ''Dendrobium'' 'Lim Hepa', was also officially named 'Venerable Ho Yuen Hoe' and presented by Mrs. S. R. Nathan. In 2001, Venerable Ho received the Public Service Medal from President S. R. Nathan at the
Istana ''Istana'' is an Indonesian language, Indonesian and Malay language, Malay word meaning "palace". Notable Istanas *Istana Alam Shah, the official palace of the Sultan of Selangor *Istana Besar, 19th- and early 20th-century residence of the Sultan o ...
.


See also

*
Zhuan Dao Venerable Zhuan Dao (; 18711943) was the founder of the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery in Singapore. Biography Venerable Zhuan Dao was born in 1872 and was ordained as a monk at nineteen years old. In 1906, he assisted Venerable Hsu Yun ...
*
Hong Choon Hong Choon (; 1907–1990) was the second president of the Singapore Buddhist Federation and the second abbot of Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. Early life Hong Choon was born in 1907 in Jinjiang, Fujian province, China. In 1922, he was ...
*
Lee Choon Seng Lee Choon Seng (; 1888—5 June 1966) was a businessman and philanthropist in pre-independence Singapore. He founded several companies, cultivated rubber plantations in Malaya and started Chinese banks in the region. Lee held leadership roles ...
*
Cheng Yen Cheng Yen (; born Chin-Yun Wong; 14 May 1937) is a Taiwanese Buddhist nun ( bhikkhuni), teacher, and philanthropist. She is the founder of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, ordinarily referred to as Tzu Chi, a Buddhist humanitar ...
* Teresa Hsu Chih


References


Further reading

*


External links


Man Fut Tong Nursing Home website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ho, Yuen Hoe 1908 births 2006 deaths Singaporean Buddhist nuns Singaporean people of Cantonese descent Singaporean philanthropists Singaporean social workers Chinese Buddhist nuns Chinese vegetarianism activists People of the Republic of China People from Guangzhou 20th-century philanthropists 20th-century Buddhist nuns 21st-century Buddhist nuns