Wat
Wat Prachum Raingsey
Wat Prachum Raingsey is a Cambodian Theravada Buddhist temple on five acres along Yelm Highway in Yelm, Washington.[1][2] A 2014 directory of Cambodian Buddhist temples lists it as Wat Prochum Raingsey.[3]
History
Five Cambodian families bought the land in Yelm in 2002, because Cambodians in the area had no temple where they could practice their faith. The temple broke ground that year, and its first buildings took about six years to complete.[1] Sarun Sam was president of the Buddhist association from 2002 to 2006, the years when the temple was first established.[1]
The Venerable Kosal Suon, the abbot, came to the United States in 2006 to serve the Cambodian community of Washington State. He ministered to Buddhists from Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle and Lynnwood, and helped establish a Cambodian community in Surrey, British Columbia.[4] He took his formal monastic vows in 1985 and laid out the temple grounds after the temples of Cambodia.[1]
In 2013 the community still worshipped in tents, booths and an old garage remodeled as a shrine hall to house a Buddha image. That year it installed a green marble Buddha image, about 2.1 meters (seven feet) tall, carved from stone from Pursat Province in Cambodia. It was also close to finishing a $200,000 stupa, or chetiya, a shrine to hold Buddha relics from Sri Lanka, including a fine bone fragment and ashes. The octagonal stupa follows a classic Cambodian design, and its grand opening was planned for 2014.[4] Artists in Cambodia were commissioned to carve stone seven-headed naga, serpent guardians, for the stupa and its gates. A vihara, or assembly hall for the traditional holidays, was planned as the next project.[4] The abbot hoped the temple would become a place of pilgrimage for all Buddhists of the Northwest, with meditation classes and retreats.[4]
Grounds
In 2020 the grounds held bright yellow wooden buildings and close to 150 outdoor Cambodian statues. The main Buddha image stood in a glass-and-wood shrine called the stupa.[1] In 2013 the abbot was planting flowers, tropical plants and palm trees able to survive Northwest winters, so that the grounds would recall a Cambodian landscape.[4]
Religious life
In 2020 two monks lived at the temple, the Venerable Kosal Suon and the Venerable Bunthon Sok. They kept the grounds and offered counseling, prayer and teaching on the Buddha's path, including the five precepts: no killing, no stealing, no adultery, no lying, and no drugs or alcohol.[1] In ordinary years the temple celebrated three festivals: Cambodian New Year in April, Cambodian Memorial Day in October, and the Robe Offering in November. Visitors came from across Thurston County and western Washington.[1]
The temple is a nonprofit supported entirely by gifts of money, food and other necessities. Attendance and donations fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, and building slowed.[1] The association says the temple is open to people of all cultures, races and ethnicities.[1]
Visiting
The World Buddhist Directory listed services at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.[2][5] In 2020 the temple held no regular prayer services and was open by appointment.[1] The telephone number 360-458-9762 appeared in the 2014 temple directory and in a 2024 community resource list.[3][6]
Associations
Wat Prachum Raingsey Buddhist Association (property owner).[7]
Five Cambodian families own the five-acre property together through the association, which is overseen by a volunteer board of two to nine people; presidents serve four-year terms. In 2020 the board had four men and one woman. Charity Navigator lists the association under EIN 91-2160527.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Nisqually Valley News, Despite Obstacles, Traditions Persist at Buddhist Association Temple in Yelm (December 4, 2020)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 BuddhaNet, World Buddhist Directory, United States
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Temple News, 2558 Khmer Buddhist Temples Directory (2014)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Northwest Dharma News, Stupa of Buddha Relics Rises in Yelm, Wash.
- ↑ BuddhaNet, World Buddhist Directory, North America
- ↑ Cambodian American Community Council of Washington, Resources (2024)
- ↑ Nisqually Valley News (December 4, 2020)