Welcome to Wat Thai Washington, D.C. The Beginning The idea to establish a temple for the Buddhist residents in the local area began when several Thai communities in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and neighboring states recognized that although their material needs were being met in this country, there was a spiritual void that only a Buddhist temple could fill. A temple for the Thai people would provide a place for the people to come to cultivate themselves by listening to the teachings of Lord Buddha in a familiar spiritual environment and language. Early in 1971, this group of Thai people initially called themselves the Assembly of Buddhists. On several occasions, they invited Phra Maha Thirapanta Methaviharee, a monk from the Thai temple in Los Angeles to perform religious ceremonies, provide an opportunity for the people to make merit, and to offer advice on the establishment of a temple in Washington, D.C. In November1971, the Assembly of Buddhists unanimously agreed to change its name to The Buddhist Association in Washington, D.C. The first president of the Association was Colonel Pramoch Thavonchanta, the Military Attache of the Royal Thai Embassy. The Ambassador, His Excellency Soon thorn Hongsladarom, served as the first advisor to the Association which consisted of fifteen members. Upon the Ambassador's return to Thailand, his successor, His Excellency Ananta Panyarachoon, assumed the role of advisor. Once the Association had been established, the task of raising funds was begun. Late in 1973,after Colonel Thavonchanta returned to Thailand, the Association invited Colonel VichianBuranasiri, the Education Counselor of the Royal Thai Embassy, to be the second president. Colonel Buranasiri reorganized the committee structure of the Association to facilitate its growth and progress. In order to raise funds, he initiated a variety of activities and festivities including the first Songkran festival which was held at the Ambassador's residence in April 1974. Monks from the Thai temple in Los Angeles were invited to perform the religious ceremony at this festival. After Songkran, the Association had a total of $3,744.33 in its treasury. Establishing the Monks' Residence Having sufficient funds, members of the Association conceived the idea of establishing a monks' residence and of inviting two monks to perform religious activities in order to increase the involvement and support of the Thai community in the area. On May 1, 1974, the Association had an open meeting inviting government officials, students, and Thais of different occupations in order to get their reactions to this idea. Based on the comments and suggestions from this meeting, the Association agreed to use the funds in the treasury to carry out the proposal. Within months, on July 4, 1974, the first two monks arrived and moved into a rented house at 705 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. The arrival of Phra Kru Phibulbodhabiratana and Phra Palad Vorasakdi Dipangkaro from Wat Mahadhatu in Bangkok signaled the official opening of the Wat Thai in Washington, D.C. On July 5th, 1974, the first ceremony, Asalha Puja, was performed in the temple. The goal to establish a Thai temple of worship in the metropolitan area had been achieved. In late 1974, Phra Maha Kaliang Tejawaro was invited from the Thai temple in Los Angeles to assume the duties of Phra Palad Vorasakdi Dipangkaro who had returned to Thailand. In January1975, Phra Kru Phibulbodhabiratana also returned to Thailand. On February 11, 1975, PhraMaha Surasak Jivananta of Wat Vajiradhammasadhit in Bangkok arrived to assume the position of Abbot. He still holds this position today. On August 19, 1975, the Buddha statute arrived from Thailand. In July 1976, the Wayne Avenue temple was purchased for $52,500 but within a few years, the need for a larger building became apparent.     Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4