Wat
Wat Vipassanaram
Wat Vipassanaram (វត្តវិបស្សនារាម), also known as Wat Khmer Vipassanaram, is a Theravada Khmer Buddhist temple on East 20th Street in Long Beach, California.[1][2]
History
Survivors of the Khmer Rouge founded the temple in 1985.[2] A photograph of the temple on 20th Street was taken shortly after the property was bought.[3][4] The Los Angeles Times called it the oldest Cambodian Buddhist temple in Long Beach. Its photo gallery named Khoeun Pang as head monk and Mien Phou Mork as abbot.[2]
The Wat Khemara Ratanaram directory of Khmer pagodas lists the temple at 1239 E. 20th Street, with the telephone number (562) 599-6414 and the fax number (562) 433-7490.[1] The 2026 edition of a directory of Cambodian Buddhist temples in the United States lists Wat Vipassanaram as entry 123, together with the Khmer Buddhist Association.[5]
Community
Two women known as look yeiy, or "respected grandmothers," retired into the temple to meditate and prepare for the next life.[3]
Associations
Khmer Buddhist Association (associated organization).[6]
The updated directory explicitly pairs Wat Vipassanaram with Khmer Buddhist Association at East 20th Street in Long Beach. The generic organization name is not a cross-city identity link.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wat Khemara Ratanaram, Khmer pagodas in California
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Los Angeles Times, Controversy at Buddhist temple (photo gallery)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Historical Society of Long Beach, Wat Vipassanaram
- ↑ Historical Society of Long Beach, Wat Vipassanaram (alternate link)
- ↑ Wat Ratanarangsey blog, 2026 Directory of Wat Khmer or Cambodian Buddhist Temples in the USA (September 18, 2026)
- ↑ 2026 Directory of Wat Khmer or Cambodian Buddhist Temple in the USA