Wat Nawamintararachutis ( th, วัดนวมินทรราชูทิศ) is a working
Thai Theravada
''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' ...
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
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
or "
wat
A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」 (w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...
" in
Raynham, Massachusetts
Raynham () is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located approximately south of Boston and northeast of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 15,082 at the 2020 census. It has one village, Raynham Center.
History ...
, which is about 45 minutes south of Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It is one of only a handful of Thai Buddhist temples in the United States with actual Thai Buddhist
monks
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
in residence. Constructed on previously occupied by a farm, it opened its doors to the public in June 2014. It is one of two Thai temples in Massachusetts; the other one is
Wat Boston Buddha Vararam
Wat Boston Buddha Vararam (Abbreviated BBVT) is a Thai Theravada Buddhist Temple or Wat located in Bedford, Massachusetts. It is one of two Thai Buddhist Temples in Massachusetts, the other being Wat Nawamintararachutis.
The main community at ...
.
History
The ground breaking ceremony for the temple took place on 5–6 May 2011. Construction was scheduled to start late June – July 2011. The 110,000 square-foot temple was opened to the public in June 2014.
Description
The temple was designed by architect Been Z. Wang and features limestone from Jerusalem, concrete panels from Canada, Italian roofing tiles from Italy, and statues and light ornaments from Thailand.
The temple can hold 700 people in the main worship space, and includes community rooms and lodging for monks and visitors, and a museum dedicated to King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
A 4,000 lb statue of Buddha was placed in the building after completion.
The temple was named Wat Nawamin in honour of
King Rama IX of Thailand, who was born on 5 December 1927 near Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (at the Mount Auburn Hospital). At the time, the king's father lived in
Brookline, Massachusetts and was a medical student at
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
.
The temple is considered to be the largest Thai Buddhist meditation center outside Thailand.
Monks in their midst In a stretch of suburban Raynham, a community of ascetics is planning what may be the largest Thai Buddhist temple in the hemisphere
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See also
* Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery
Abhayagiri is a Theravadin Buddhist monastery of the Thai Forest Tradition in Redwood Valley, California. Its chief priorities are the teaching of Buddhist ethics, together with traditional concentration and insight meditation (also known as ...
, Redwood Valley, California
* San Fran Dhammaram Temple, San Francisco
* Vajiradhammapadip Temple
Vajiradhammapadip Temple is a Theravada Buddhist temple in New York, United States. There are two locations: one being in Mount Vernon, and the more recent being in Centereach, New York.
Location
Vajiradhammapadip Temple filed as a not-for-profi ...
, Centereach and Mount Vernon in New York
* Wat Boston Buddha Vararam
Wat Boston Buddha Vararam (Abbreviated BBVT) is a Thai Theravada Buddhist Temple or Wat located in Bedford, Massachusetts. It is one of two Thai Buddhist Temples in Massachusetts, the other being Wat Nawamintararachutis.
The main community at ...
, Bedford, Massachusetts
* Wat Buddhananachat of Austin
Wat Buddhananachat is a Buddhist Temple located about 20 miles southeast of Downtown, on Linden Rd. in Del Valle, Texas.
This Buddhist temple was established in April, 1986 (incorporated on August 4, 1986) as a nonprofit organization to s ...
, Del Valle, Texas
* Wat Buddhasamakeevanaram, Bossier City, Louisiana
* Wat Buddhanusorn
Wat Buddhanusorn is a Buddhist temple of the Theravadan tradition in Fremont, California, 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 Buddhi ...
, Fremont, California
* Wat Carolina Buddhajakra Vanaram
Wat Carolina Buddhajakra Vanaram is a Thai Buddhist Monastery. It is located near Bolivia, North Carolina (or about west of Wilmington, North Carolina). The Wat Carolina Monastery is under the leadership of Abbot Phrakru Buddamonpricha.
History ...
, Bolivia, North Carolina
* Wat Florida Dhammaram
Wat Florida Dhammaram ( th, วัดฟลอริดาธรรมมาราม) is a Buddhism, Buddhist monastery in Kissimmee, Florida, Kissimmee, Florida, established by Lung-po Chaokhun Phra Tepvaraporn (Im Arindhamo) in the mid-1990s.
...
, Kissimmee, Florida
* Wat Mettāvarānaṁ, Valley Center, California
* Wat Mongkolratanaram
Wat Mongkolratanaram ( th, วัดมงคลรัตนาราม) is a small Thai Buddhist temple located in Berkeley, California. A wat, it mainly attracts Thai American Buddhists, many of whom are students at the University of Cali ...
, Berkeley, California
* Wat Mongkolratanaram
Wat Mongkolratanaram ( th, วัดมงคลรัตนาราม) is a small Thai Buddhist temple located in Berkeley, California. A wat, it mainly attracts Thai American Buddhists, many of whom are students at the University of Cali ...
, Tampa, Florida
* Wat Pasantidhamma
Wat Pasantidhamma ( th, วัดป่าสันติธรรม, or "Wat Pa"), meaning "a peaceful temple in the woods", is a Thai Theravada Buddhist temple located at 14289 Chapmans Lane in rural Carrollton, Virginia. It is a non-profit rel ...
, Carrollton, Virginia
* Buddhism in the United States
References
External links
Opening ceremonies photo album
Official blog
Official Website
Asian-American culture in Massachusetts
Buddhist temples in Massachusetts
Thai-American culture
Thai Theravada Buddhist temples and monasteries
Overseas Thai Buddhist temples
Buildings and structures in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Raynham, Massachusetts
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