Written by Sis Tan Bee Li
Venerable Wei Zhi, a Singaporean monk and co-founder of Aranya Sangha Dana Fellowship Limited, has been deeply rooted in spirituality since childhood. His early exposure came through his maternal grandmother, who frequently took him to a Taoist temple where he became “a godson of Guan Yin Bodhisattva”. The warmth of the temple environment and its community left a lasting impression on him, and spirituality quickly became a central part of his life.
At the age of 13, the young Venerable Wei Zhi took refuge in the Triple Gem after being introduced to a Buddhist temple by a friend. This marked the beginning of his connection to Buddhism, and his affinity with Kwang Hua Buddhist Monastery. Venerable Wei Zhi’s involvement in the monastery grew, and he spent much of his time volunteering with them. He became dedicated to helping with temple duties, particularly as the resident monks and elderly caretakers aged. By the age of 14, he had already begun contemplating monkhood while remaining deeply focused on his Buddhist practice.
Despite his desire to ordain after completing his A-Levels and National Service, his Ordination Master, Venerable Xue Hang advised him to first experience life as a layperson to better understand its challenges before he was truly ready for monkhood. Following this advice, Venerable Wei Zhi worked as an Assistant Producer at Mediacorp before founding and working at Care for the Elderly Foundation (Singapore) or CEF.
At the age of 29, Venerable Wei Zhi was ordained as a monk in the Mahayana tradition. Although he was offered opportunities to study in Taiwan and China, he chose to remain in Singapore to support his Ordination Master, Venerable Xue Hang and Kwang Hua Buddhist Monastery. In 2003, he spent over a month practicing under the Theravada tradition in Thailand, an experience that greatly inspired him. After returning to Singapore, he continued to serve at Kwang Hua Buddhist Monastery and Care for the Elderly Foundation (Singapore) or CEF.
In 2018, he decided to support Venerable Chuan Yu in his mission to aid local monastics living in the community, having witnessed the unique challenges they faced. That decision led to the co-founding of Aranya Sangha Dana Fellowship Limited in 2020; while he continues to volunteer full-time at CEF and serve on the board of a nursing home. In addition to helping these voluntary commitments, he also assists in the daily management of three local temples and monasteries.
Venerable Wei Zhi’s early experiences shaped his deep commitment to helping others, demonstrated by his unwavering dedication to service rooted in Buddhist principles. Even though the life of a monastic can be challenging and most of his time is devoted to serving others, he continues to find time for personal practice and his ongoing pursuit of enlightenment.
