Narrative Strategy: From “Most Haunted” to “Most Peaceful”

1. The Internet Factor

• Mendocino (1970s): Haunted reputation was local, limited to word of mouth.

• OCH (Post-1997): Haunted reputation went global because of the internet.

  • YouTube ghost hunts, blogs, podcasts, TV shows.

  • Every Singaporean youth knows OCH as the haunted site.

  • Tourists visit because of this infamy.

Key Point: OCH is more notorious than Mendocino ever was, not because it is more haunted spiritually, but because of media amplification.

🔹 2. Turning a Liability into an Asset

• Commercial developers see OCH’s haunted fame as a problem (nobody wants to live in or book a hotel at a haunted hospital).

• But Buddhist Dharma sees it as an opportunity:

  • Haunted sites are not cursed, they are full of suffering beings waiting for liberation.

  • The greater the stigma, the greater the transformation when peace is restored.

Key Point: Only a Dharma-based institution can turn “the most haunted” into “the most liberated.”

🔹 3. The Parallel with Mendocino

• Mendocino was transformed by Master Hsuan Hua into the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB).

• OCH can be transformed into a Mini-CTTB/DRBU Singapore.

• Both sites:

  • Places of mass suffering.

  • Abandoned as “haunted.”

  • Revived by Dharma vows and cultivation.

Key Point: History has already shown this is possible — OCH would be the modern parallel.

🔹 4. The Power of the Internet Today

• In the 1970s, CTTB’s transformation inspired those nearby.

• In 2020s, OCH’s transformation could inspire the entire world via the internet.

• News outlets, Buddhist communities, and heritage organisations would highlight:“Singapore’s most haunted site transformed into a university of peace and compassion.”

Key Point: OCH’s haunted reputation is already famous — its transformation story will be even more famous.

🔹 5. Positioning for Stakeholders

• Government (SLA, MCCY):

  • Commercial reuse failed because stigma is too strong.

  • A non-profit Dharma institution can succeed because the stigma is the project’s reason to exist.

  • Singapore gains a global heritage attraction and a story of hope.

• Donors (SBL, Kuan Im Tng, others):

  • Supporting this project is like supporting a modern CTTB, but even more impactful because of global media.

  • The merit is not only for those spirits, but also for millions who will hear the story.

• Global Audience:

  • In an age of fear, conflict, and mistrust, the story of OCH’s transformation becomes a beacon of what Dharma can do.

✅ Conclusion

Yes, OCH is haunted — famously so. But that is not a problem — it is the very reason this project will succeed.

• If OCH were just an abandoned building, its transformation would be local news.

• Because OCH is “Singapore’s most haunted site”, its transformation will be global inspiration.

From most haunted → to most peaceful.From fear → to compassion.From stigma → to Dharma.