Haunted Site Transformation Plan, designed to mirror what Venerable Master Hsuan Hua did at Mendocino (which became CTTB), adapted for Old Changi Hospital (OCH)

Kam Suet Cheng
Aug 28
3 min read

Haunted Site Transformation Plan

Mirroring the Example of Master Hsuan Hua at CTTB

🔹 1. Understanding the Context

Mendocino State Hospital (USA) → closed, abandoned, reputedly haunted.
Old Changi Hospital (Singapore) → closed since 1997, abandoned, widely known as one of the most haunted places in the country.
Both sites share the energies of suffering and death, and both are difficult to reuse commercially.
Solution: Transform the spiritual energy of the site through Dharma, not suppression.

🔹 2. Principles from Master Hsuan Hua

Master Hsuan Hua did not “banish” spirits. Instead:

Compassion – treat unseen beings as suffering beings, not enemies.
Dharma Power – use sutras, mantras, and assemblies to liberate them.
Daily Cultivation – ensure the site remains infused with Dharma practice.
Community Presence – anchor the site with a sincere Sangha living on site.

🔹 3. Step-by-Step Transformation Process for OCH

Phase 1: Preparation (Before Entry)

Assemble a core Sangha team (monks/nuns, with lay volunteers).
Make great vows to dedicate the site to Dharma and the liberation of all beings there.
Set up a temporary altar outside the site (offerings, recitation) before full entry.

Phase 2: Initial Purification

Conduct Great Compassion Repentance Ceremony (大悲忏).
Chant the Great Compassion Mantra (Da Bei Zhou) and Amitabha Sutra continuously for several days.
Recite the Avatamsaka Sutra (Huayan Jing), especially relevant because Master Hsuan Hua emphasized it at CTTB.

Phase 3: Major Dharma Assembly

Hold a Water and Land Dharma Assembly (水陆大法会) — the most powerful Mahayana ritual to liberate beings of all realms.
Invite eminent Sangha from Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and disciples of Master Hsuan Hua worldwide to co-lead.
Dedicate merit to all beings who suffered in OCH (patients, POWs, spirits).

Phase 4: Establish Permanent Practice

Set up daily morning and evening chanting (Shurangama Mantra, Heart Sutra, Amitabha recitation).
Place Buddha images, altars, and lamps in each block to anchor the Dharma presence.
Encourage lay volunteers to participate in weekly Dharma assemblies.

Phase 5: Ongoing Cultivation

Convert OCH into a Mini-CTTB/DRBU:
- Lecture halls for Dharma study.
- Separate hostels for men and women.
- Prayer halls where Dharma is recited daily.
The living presence of cultivation ensures that the old haunted energy is permanently replaced with peaceful energy.

🔹 4. Key Rituals and Practices to Mirror CTTB

Great Compassion Repentance Ceremony → softens karmic ties, brings peace.
Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Adornment Sutra) → expansive vow, transforms the environment.
Shurangama Sutra and Mantra → powerful protection for the Dharma place.
Amitabha Recitation → guides wandering souls to rebirth in the Pure Land.
Water and Land Assembly → ultimate ritual to resolve ancient karmic debts.

🔹 5. Practical and Symbolic Actions

Keep a permanent light (eternal lamp) burning in the main prayer hall → symbol of the Dharma illuminating the site.
Erect steles or plaques dedicating merit to all unknown souls connected to OCH.
Encourage fasting and vegetarian meals in the canteen → reducing killing karma in the environment.
Invite Sangha to reside on-site permanently → their cultivation sustains the purity.

✅ Conclusion

Just as Master Hsuan Hua transformed the abandoned, haunted Mendocino Hospital into the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the Old Changi Hospital can be transformed into a Mini-CTTB/DRBU Singapore.

The haunting is not a curse — it is an opportunity:

Spirits are waiting to be liberated.
The land is waiting to be purified.
Singapore is waiting for a new beacon of Dharma.

With compassion, vows, and Dharma practice, OCH can become a place of peace and wisdom, exactly as Mendocino was transformed by Master Hsuan Hua.