The temple was founded between 1920 and 1921 by Venerable Zhuan Dao as the Phor Kark See Temple on land in
Thomson Road donated by Tay Woo Seng, a Chinese businessman. It was the first traditional Chinese monastery built in Singapore. Since Phor Kark See Monastery is situated at Kong Meng San ("Bright Hill", formerly "Hai Nan Mountain"), it has come to be known as "Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery." The original temple consisted of a two-storey building, a shrine room, a visitors' room and living quarters. The Monastery expanded over time as philanthropists, including
Aw Boon Haw and
Aw Boon Par, donated funds. In 1947, Venerable
Hong Choon became the monastery's
Chief Abbot, after the death of Venerable
Zhuan Dao. Under his leadership, the monastery complex expanded from two shrine halls to include the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas and prayer halls with a total area as large as ten football fields. He also developed the monastery as a place of practice. In 1983, with a S$5.3 million donation from followers of Venerable Seck Hong Choon, the monastery officially opened Evergreen Bright Hill Home, a non-profit nursing home in Singapore providing care for elderly individuals, regardless of race, language, or religion. Venerable Seck Hong Choon died on 25 December 1990, and Venerable Yen Pei was appointed the Chief Abbot in 1991. Venerable Long Gen succeeded him in 1994, followed by Venerable Sui Kim. On 15 January 2002, the temple announced a Compassion Fund to provide financial assistance to retrenched workers with a last drawn pay of up to S$2,500, and who do not qualify for other aid. On 5 June 2004, Venerable
Kwang Sheng became the monastery's present abbot. Under Kwang Sheng's leadership, the Dharma Propagation Division was set up to facilitate the study and practice of
Dharma for Singaporeans. The Youth Ministry, KMSPKS Youth, was set up to serve as a platform for Singaporean youths seeking to learn about Buddhism and serve society via Buddhist teachings. On 13 September 2006, Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery opened the
Buddhist College of Singapore. As the country's first Buddhist college, it offers a four-year bachelor's degree in Buddhism. Lessons were held on temple grounds until a new S$35 million five-storey building was completed. In October 2007, the temple was one of seven religious groups ordered by the Commissioner of Charities (COC) to open their books to auditors. With an annual income of
S$14.95 million, it had one of the largest incomes among the charities under the COC's direct purview. Its main income sources were
crematorium and
columbarium services, prayer services, and
donations. Between November 2007 and June 2008, the monastery reportedly gave roughly 200 people free meals daily, clarifying their prayer and meditation practices. On 21 June 2008, the temple raised over
S$1 million for the reconstruction of schools devastated in the 12 May Sichuan earthquake, by organizing the Great Compassion; Great Aspiration Charity Show. In April 2009, the temple launched
Gum, an English-language magazine, to bridge the gap between their older
Hokkien-speaking devotees and English-speaking youth. The magazine title is a transliteration of a Hokkien term meaning "to get along" and symbolizes unity within the congregation. In March 2009, local filmmaker Royston Tan established a new production house, Chuan Pictures, to collaborate with the temple on a 15-minute Mandarin short film, "Little Note." It premiered in September 2009 and focuses on a single mother who gave her son inspirational notes. In December 2014, KMSPKS Youth led their first overseas humanitarian mission into
Chiang Mai,
Thailand. == Monastery facilities ==