Wat
Wat Soryarangsey Khmer Buddhist Temple
Wat Soryarangsey Khmer Buddhist Temple (វត្តខ្មែរសុរិយារង្សី, Wat Khmer Suriyarangsey) is a Cambodian Theravada Buddhist temple on Rising Sun Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia.[1][2]
History
The temple was established in 1993. It is named after Rising Sun Avenue, where it stands, and it is affiliated with temples of the same name in Cambodia.[3] The 2026 temple directory lists it as Wat Khmer Suriyarangsey Buddhist Temple.[1] Three monks lived at the temple in 2018 and again in 2026.[3][1]
Religious life
A monk leads lay members in chanting scriptures in Pali, and the community prepares a shared feast after the chanting while children play nearby.[2] Members interviewed at the temple linked meditation and mindfulness to good physical health. They also named a vegetarian diet, temperance, monogamy, the five precepts, compassion and gratitude as parts of their practice. Bathhouses, periods of going without food and shelter while receiving prayers and blessings from monks, and holy water blessed by monks are used for healing and purification.[3]
Visiting
The temple stands in a predominantly Asian neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia.[2] In 2018 it was open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.[3]