Buddhist Temple of America
5615 Howard St.
Ontario, CA 91762
909.988.7731
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Event Announcement

On May 28 and 29, 2011 there will be a blessing and dedication ceremony To celebrate the newly built pagoda at Buddhist Temple of America. The pagoda will house 108 different relics of the Buddha and other Awakened Ones. Approximately 50 monks will be attending. Monks from different parts of United States, plus 12 Ven. Abbots from 12 Thai forest monasteries and 5 junior monks from other Thai forest monasteries. The schedule should be as follow:

Saturday, May 28, 2011

• 9:30AM - Almsround, lay community offers food to the monks
• 1:00PM - Eight Precepts Ceremony & Dhamma Talk
• 6:00PM - Evening Chanting & Special Chanting to celebrate the
  completion of the Pagoda
• 7:30PM - Dhamma Talk given by the elders
  - Special Chants given by 4 monks
  - Meditation Instructions
  - Chanting Homage to the Triple Gem by people keeping the Eight Precepts

Sunday, May 29, 2011

• 9:09AM - Ceremony Begins
  - Phra Dhammamethachan carries the Buddha Relics to be placed inside the new pagoda
  - Offering of incense and lighting candles
  - The Abbot of the temple pays respect
  - Lay representative reports the history of the temple
  - 9 monks performs blessings to people
• 1:00PM - Lay community makes offerings to the monks

The Ven. Monks from Thailand are also here to explore a piece of donated land in Colorado that might be the site of a future forest temple. They will also be observing temple activities in the US. See this linked PDF for an outline of activities and a list of the Ven. Abbots' names.

The History of Wat Bhuridattavanaram

In 1986, a group of Buddhists in Southern California sought to practice in the way of Venerable Ajaan Mun, the father of the current Theravada Kammatthana Forest Tradition in Thailand. They began preparation to build Wat Bhuridattavanaram, the Buddhist Temple of America, to be named after Venerable Ajaan Mun.

The community purchased 4.68 acres in Ontario, Southern California on what was then a strawberry orchard. The community then invited Venerable Ajaan Suwat to serve as abbot of the newly constructed temple.

Venerable Ajaan Suwat was a student of both Venerable Ajaan Mun and Venerable Ajaan Funn. After serving as abbot of Wat Khow Noi in Buriram, Thailand., Venerable Ajaan Suwat founded and served as abbot of Wat Bhuridatta for the next ten years.

Today, the Buddhist Temple of America lives according to those Vinaya rules set forth by the Buddha and according to those laws established by the government of the United States. The temple serves as both a place for bhikkus (Buddhist monks) to train and practice and as a place for lay people to study and practice in all aspects of the Dhamma–the teachings of the Buddha.

The Abbot

Phrakuvitoon Thammanithes
(P.S.R. Tayano)
The Venerable Abbot came to the United States on May 15, 1987.