Our Mission:
Where Faith, Culture, and Practice Become One
Our goal is to provide a safe place for Buddhist practice, whether it be one of the three major philosophies (Mahayana, Vajrayana, or Theravada) a lesser-known school or secular (outside of monastic life) practitioner.
Goal One - The Dhamma
Lord Buddha Gautama made sure his teachings would be able to be accepted and practiced by all beings capable of being touched by The Dhamma.
It is Wat Lao Buddhovath’s goal to make The Dhamma accessible to all, and not just exclusively for the Laotian community here in the Tri-State area.
If you’d like to hear the Dhamma, it is usually best practice to request/hear it before evening hours and MUST be requested by the layperson in order for the monastic to teach the Dhamma.
How do you request a Dhamma Lesson?
Speak these words in front of the monk…
(Pali-English)
Brahmā ca lokādhipatī sahampati
Kat’añjalī andhivaraṁ ayācatha:
Santīdha sattāpparajakkha-jātikā
Desetu dhammaṁ anukampimaṁ pajaṁ.
(English Translation)
The Brahmā Sahampati, Lord of the World,
with hands palm-to-palm before his heart, requested a blessing:
There are beings here with only a little dust in their eyes.
Please teach the Dhamma out of compassion for them.
(Pali-Lao)
ພຣົມມາ ຈະ ໂລກາທິປະຕິ ສະຫຳປະຕິ
ກັຕຕັນຊະລີ ອັນທິວະຣັງ ອະຍາຈະຖາ:
ສັນຕີທະ ສັຕຕາປ ປະຣະຊັກຂະ ຊາຕິກາ
ເທເສຕຸ ທຳມັງ ອະນຸກຳປິມັງ ປະຊັງ
Goal Two - Immersion
The Lao culture is deeply rooted in Theravada and Mahayana practices.
Therefore the second goal is for the youth to have accessibility to experience Lao culture firstly through its amazing food, but then learn how to read/write Lao, play/listen to Lao music, and create sculptures and paintings inspired by Lao/Buddha lore.
Goal Three - Practice of The Path
To truly Liberate and be inspired to Walk The Path as Lord Buddha did over 2500 years ago, diving into the Monastic Realm and taking on the 5, 8, 10, or Prestigious 227 Precepts (315 for nuns!) is the pinnacle of commitments.
The goal is to provide housing, food for sustenance, and mental training to reach Nibbana through our 3, 5, or 10 day Meditation Retreats* (*Service not available yet).
Men, women, and children are welcome to take on the practices in a controlled, respectful environment.
This requires man-power and fundraising for structures, maintenance, and feeding and is ALL done through volunteered time and efforts. Learn how to join the elected Board Members Committee, make financial contributions, or take part in maintaining/building Wat Lao Buddhovath to be the hallmark Theravada Buddhist Temple in New England.
Future Projects
Pavement: of roadway to/from Sālā (Meditation/Dhamma Lesson/Dining Hall) 1/2 completed! Project cost $23K and we raised $25K. The other half is on its way SOON!
Large Shrine Room Roof: leakage from the steeple piece, the roof’s low pitch caused damage to the inside roof of one of the twoadjacent rooms. Completed! Project cost $6K.
Large Shrine Right-Side Room: Damage from the leakage has caused the roof to collapse and mold to build up. We are planning to renovate it and clear up the bio-hazard of mold, so that it may be used by Visiting Monks or Lay-Attendants (Kappiya or Saṅghalī). Estimated Cost $$$$
Memorial Hall - To honor Venerable Ajahn Bounthan Prasavath who ushered the community into and through Buddha’s Dhamma. (Pending) Building Permits authorized and Blueprints have been finalized! Projected cost for this project is estimated at $$$$.
Metta Train - Loving-Friendliness Train is a program that needs boots on the ground to take off. We would like to distribute left-over perishable cooked foods to the needy to prevent food waste during our large monthly events. We would also like to distribute clothing and office supplies that monks cannot use to those who are in need. A food license may be required, Vehicle equipped with a fridge to keep the food fresh or Volunteers to bag and transport, Legal Representation is also required due to distributing perishables and food-safety regulations.
Bpā Sarana Bhavanā is a meditation retreat and hiking-path for people who want to just practice through Guided Meditation and Self-Help Dhamma Talks, rather than get caught up in the devotional and ceremonial practices and chantings, with daily Anumodāna and Merit Offerings. By the generosity of a local warehouse, we received over 200 pallets so that the wood can be used for building platforms and a pathway to the forest retreat area. Volunteers for manual labor is the key for the completion of this project
Solar Initiative - Making a solar-powered well-pump to self-sustain the Water Shrine Sīmā aka The Koi Fish pond, powering just about everything else here on solar is something being worked on. Solar panels are up and Power sources and Pump is still in the works of being connected. The larger part it the labor and heavy machinery required for the digging of the trench to avoid failure due to our frosty winters! Estimated cost is $$$