Wat Buddhanusorn is 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 ...

temple of the

Theravadan ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

tradition in Fremont,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. The name, Wat Buddhanusorn, means “temple for the dedication of the Buddha,” in the Thai language. It was founded in 1983 and, in Buddhist tradition, relies on donations and volunteer work for support. The temple community serves to propagate the Buddha’s teachings and practice, to teach and promote Thai art, language, and culture to all those who are interested, and to serve as a pillar for the Thai community in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

Daily life

In the morning, monks gather in the main hall to chant and meditate. After the morning meal they begin their work in and around the temple and meditate on sweeping the grounds. The monks' second meal of the day comes at 11:30 am and is their last meal of the day. In the afternoon, after the main lunch meal the monks continue with the temple projects. In the evening the monks again gather in the main hall for chanting and meditation. On Sundays, many temple goers bring food to be donated to the monks; It the time where the Thai community get together. Extra food is given away for donation where the money goes to the maintenance of the temple and to the temple renovation project. This includes better housing for the monks and Thai cultural study rooms for the students and kids. On special occasions, there are Thai classical dance and musical performances, usually for Thai religious holidays or Thai royalty's birthdays.

Historic highlights

Wat Buddhanusorn has enjoyed visits from many dignitaries, including

Queen Sirikit Queen Sirikit ( th, สิริกิติ์; ; ); born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara ( th, สิริกิติ์ กิติยากร; ; 12 August 1932) is the queen mother of Thailand. She was Queen of Thailand as the wif ...

of Thailand in 1993, during the temple’s tenth anniversary. She dedicated a stone and planted a tree to commemorate the event, making it the only temple outside Thailand where the Queen has given such a blessing. , abbot of

Wat Chana Songkhram 250px, In front of the temple Wat Chanasongkhram Ratchaworamahawiharn ( th, วัดชนะสงครามราชวรมหาวิหาร), usually shortened to Wat Chana Songkhram ( th, วัดชนะสงคราม, ), is a ...

, visited and blessed the temple in 1993. In 1996 Princess Soamsawali dedicated the temple’s spire, in addition to planting trees on previous visits. Princess Bajakitiyabha has also visited and planted trees. In 1997 , presided over the largest gathering of Thai monks in the San Francisco Bay Area, over 150 monks, for the demarcation of the temple.

External links

Wat Buddhanusorn website
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