Wat
Wat Khmer Samaki Santikaram
Wat Khmer Samaki Santikaram (វត្តខ្មែរសាមគ្គីសន្តិការាម) is a Cambodian Theravada Buddhist temple on Tyngsboro Road in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts.[1][2] Its head monk, Sem Sarin, founded it in 2014.[2]
History
The temple is a Cambodian Buddhist nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status, under the employer identification number 46-5588181.[2][3] In 2018 Temple News listed it as the Khmer Samaki Santikaram Buddhist Temple, one of 14 Khmer Buddhist temples in Massachusetts.[4] Its published address listings date from 2011 to 2019. In 2026 a directory of Cambodian Buddhist temples in the United States listed five monks at the temple.[1]
Religious life
Golden Buddha images stand on a brightly lit stage in the temple, with colorful, plush rugs leading toward it. At one gathering in 2023 the community held an ancestral rice ceremony, a candle-lighting ceremony and ceremonial chanting, and Trent Walker performed several Cambodian Buddhist chants. A master of ceremonies and other lay members seated guests near the front, and senior members answered questions about the religion, a fundraising drive for the temple library and upcoming ceremonies.[5]
Community
The temple states that everyone is welcome, and visitors may take part in its traditions without being Buddhists.[2][5] Lay Lon has served as the temple's secretary since January 2019.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wat Ratanarangsey, 2026 directory of Cambodian Buddhist temples in the USA
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Wat Khmer Samaki Santikaram, Facebook page
- ↑ Cause IQ, Wat Khmer Samaki Santikaram
- ↑ Temple News, Wat Khmer Samaki Santikaram (2018)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tang Institute at Andover, A Sense of Belonging in Unfamiliar Communities (2023)
- ↑ UMass Lowell, Canal Issue VII, My Society (2023)