Wat
Watt Dhammacakkaram
Watt Dhammacakkaram (វត្តធម្មចក្ការាម) is a Khmer Buddhist temple on a hillside at the end of South Juneau Street in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood.[1][2] The region's Khmer community knows it as Watt Chas, the Old Temple, and it is the oldest Khmer Buddhist temple in Washington state.[1][3]
History
The temple was founded in February 1982 as the first Cambodian temple in Washington State.[3] That year a group of Cambodian American refugees, many of them living in Holly Park (now New Holly), formed the Khmer Buddhist Society and raised money to buy a two-story house on Beacon Hill. Hieam Oung, who had been mayor of Phnom Penh when the Khmer Rouge seized power, led the effort.[1] The members had little money, but they worked together to build a place for their community.[3] The society's member profile with the Cambodian American Community Council of Washington gives 1983 as its founding year, and a travel listing gives the temple's establishment as about 1987.[4][5]
Hard years followed. Members divided over leadership, official paperwork fell into disarray, a lawsuit was filed, and some members left to build a new temple.[3] Fires struck the temple in 1991 and 2008, and the second fire forced it to close.[1] Members treated 2011 as a reset. They chose to keep the temple where it was, put its paperwork in order, clarified roles and wrote new bylaws.[3] Larry Seng led the renewal effort and was elected president in May 2011. Services began again in 2013.[1][3]
By 2018 the building had new restrooms, a commercial kitchen, a large meeting hall, basement storage and a cabinet for urns holding the ashes of temple members. A large retaining wall had been built on the steep property, and a road, a parking lot and a children's playground were planned, depending on the support of laypeople.[3] By 2025 the temple had bought an adjacent lot of one acre (0.4 hectare).[1]
Governance
The temple is overseen by the Khmer Buddhist Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Under its bylaws, nine board members are elected every four years by a vote of at least 100 people, and the board then elects a president. The board is made up of elected laypeople and the monks. It handles business matters such as renovations, compliance with local government and scheduling of the temple hall.[3]
In November 2018 members elected the temple's third board of directors, which was to take office the following January 1. The abbot, Venerable Soveth Moun, received 75 of 110 votes as a candidate for the board.[3] The community pays for its projects by announcing each need and collecting pledges from members.[3]
Religious life
As of 2025 seven monks lived at the temple, among them Hok Meng and Phun Nath, who leads meditation and Khmer language classes. Spiritual services are held throughout the week.[1] The monks officiate at ceremonies and teach Buddhism and Khmer script.[3] They are recruited from Cambodia and use Khmer heavily, while Pali is the language of chanting.[1] Resident monks also hold open-house sessions where visitors and devotees can talk about their troubles and seek counsel.[5]
Kathina, the day of offerings to the monks, is one of the temple's three large events each year. For the 2018 Kathina ceremony more than 400 people came, and some stood in the aisles.[3]
Community
The temple works to teach Cambodian children and youth the history and heritage of Cambodia through Khmer classes and other community activities.[5][6] In 2025 the book New Land: Southeast Asian Refugees Finding Home In Washington, published by the state to mark 50 years of Southeast Asian refugee resettlement, included a story about the temple.[1]
At the temple's Khmer New Year celebration in 2025, the University of Washington student group SHIFA held its first health fair for Seattle's Cambodian community. More than 20 people, most of them older adults, received blood pressure, glucose and A1C screenings, and physicians answered questions about follow-up care. Temple coordinator Henry Tea had worked with SHIFA on the event since fall 2024, and finding interpreters proved difficult. Afterward the temple thanked SHIFA publicly and welcomed future work together.[7]
Visiting
The temple is open to people of all religions and communities. As of 2023 it was open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday.[5][6]
Associations
Khmer Buddhist Society (Seattle) (operating organization).[8]
CACCWA identifies Khmer Buddhist Society as Wat Chas, and its temple directory names Wat Dhammacakkaram / Wat Chhas at South Juneau Street. The member profile gives 1983 as the society's founding year. Northwest Dharma News (2018) states that the temple is overseen by the Khmer Buddhist Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 South Seattle Emerald, Beacon Hill's Khmer Temple Featured in New Southeast Asian Refugee History Book (May 23, 2025)
- ↑ Wat Khemara Ratanaram, Khmer temples in Washington
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Northwest Dharma News, Watt Dhammacakkaram Marks a Milestone Vote (2018)
- ↑ Cambodian American Community Council of Washington, Member Organizations
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Holidify, Watt Dhammacakkaram
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Holidify, 15 Temples in Seattle (2023)
- ↑ UW School of Medicine, Student Outreach Transforms Khmer New Year Celebration (May 12, 2025)
- ↑ Member Organizations - Cambodian American Community Council ...