Wat
Wat Kiry Vongsa Bopharam
Wat Kiry Vongsa Bopharam (វត្តគិរីវង្សាបុប្ផារាម) is a Theravada Khmer Buddhist temple on Cave Hill Road in Leverett, Massachusetts.[1] Its name means the Temple of the White Flowers on the Hill, and it is also known as the Peace Meditation Center.[2][3]
History
The Venerable Maha Ghosananda founded the temple.[2] A Cambodian monk, he survived the Khmer Rouge years of the 1970s because he was in Thailand at the time. He later returned to Cambodia to help rebuild the Sangha, the community of monks, and became known for long and dangerous Peace Walks through the country.[2] Disciples of Nichidatsu Fujī, a friend of his, were building a large stupa on a hill in Leverett, and Maha Ghosananda asked about land there for a forest monastery. The land at the base of the hill was for sale, and it was bought at his suggestion.[2][4]
In 1986 ten Khmer families led by Bou Boay, Prak Ky and Svay Sivorn formed the Cambodian Buddhist Temple Society of Western Massachusetts, and the temple opened that year.[4][5] There was very little money in the early years. A few white-robed nuns moved onto the land and practiced there despite its rustic conditions, and the sight of them meditating gave the temple its name.[2] Over the next 13 years the temple was planned and built, mostly with volunteer labor and fundraising.[4] Maha Ghosananda visited often and spent much of the last years of his life there.[2] Published address listings for the temple date from 2011 to 2019.[6]
Religious life
The completed temple is a home for elders, Buddhist nuns and monks, and the ashes of community members rest in its shrines.[4] Almost all of its activities are held in the Khmer language.[2] In 2021 three monks lived there full-time: Dakun Ponh Phep and two younger monks who came in 2018. In 2026 the temple had two monks.[2][1] The temple belongs to a different Buddhist order from the Peace Pagoda up the hill.[2]
Cambodians from across the United States come to its yearly meditation retreats, and the temple has also held a retreat for nuns.[2][4] In May and June 2026 the temple held ceremonies to transfer merit to the dead. A 10-day meditation retreat ran from June 20 to July 1, Vassa, the Rains Retreat, began on July 30, and a fundraising ceremony followed on August 8 and 9.[3] The Ancestors Memorial Festivity, the temple's Pchum Ben, runs from September 27 to October 11, 2026, and the Kathin robe offering is set for October 31 and November 1, 2026.[3]
Visiting
Visitors may come at any time, and the meditation hall is open during daylight hours. Shady hemlock groves on the grounds are used for meditation, and a walkway leads past the temple to a large Parinibbana Buddha image, showing the Buddha's final passing, on the hill above.[2]
Associations
Cambodian Buddhist Temple Society of Western Massachusetts (associated organization).[7]
Formed in 1986 by ten Khmer families to establish the temple; the 2026 temple directory lists the society with the temple at 100A Cave Hill Road.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wat Ratanarangsey blog, 2026 Directory of Wat Khmer or Cambodian Buddhist Temples in the USA
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Upavana, Wat Kiry: Quiet but not Empty (2021)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Temple News, Events (2026)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Amherst Historical Society, Cambodian Temples of Western MA
- ↑ Amherst Historical Society, Khmer Exhibit (2024)
- ↑ Temple News, 2558 Khmer Buddhist Temples Directory (2014)
- ↑ Amherst Historical Society, Cambodian Temples of Western MA