Sumter Forest Temple

Today is October 12, 2018. It is birthday of Ven. Chinnaphat Khotwong and Mrs. Boonclo Addy Kuhns. Addy and her friends came to offer alms food to the monks to celebrate her birthday. The ministers cleaned up the fallen leaves and branches after the influence of Hurricane Michael. The tale of hurricane slightly impacted our temple with no serious damage.

The U.S. immigration recently asked us how we have supported the ministers because there were no financial transactions of food and food supplies in our unaudited financial spreadsheet. As Buddhist ministers, we depend solely on donation and support from the community and we do not get involved in secular employment like the householders. We never buy food, food supplies, and household supplies. The faithful laity donate these stuffs to the temple in the events and upon their visit. That's a reason why we did not have financial transactions on these listings.

Today was Sunday, September 30, 2018. We held Sunday services at 10:30 am. Five monks and one assistant preacher Sister Vandee Nasungnoen officiated in religious performance and led the laity in paying tribute to the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha), chanting, practicing the meditation, giving precepts to the laity, and reciting the chants to honor the eight victories of the Buddha. Then, the laity said the words to present alms food and gifts to the monks, presented food to the monks, and eat lunch together. After lunch around 1:00 pm, a monk gave a Dhamma talk to the laity. Finally, the monks chant to bless the congregants and the laity poured water to share their merit with their decease ancestors and relatives.

The other three monks have been on off-site duties: Ven. Chinnaphat Khotwong on the assistance in repairs and improvements of religious facilities of a temple in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Ven. Preecha Sangngam on the temporary supervision and religious leadership at a temple in Gastonia, North Carolina while awaiting for approval of his permanent transfer, and Ven. Surasak Chookunhom on the trip to visit friends and to participate in religious services at an affiliated temple in Illinois, Chicago.

Why is giving a sermon and listening to it so important? The Buddha said that the aura in the sky is an indicator of the dawn,likewise listening to the sermon is an indicator of the rising wisdom or the dawn of intelligence. Man cultivates wisdom by three ways: listening or learning, thinking or researching, and practicing or experimenting. We initially obtain knowledge from listening from third persons such as parents, teachers, friends, things, and environments. After that, we think about it, review it, and memorize it. However, we change knowledge to knowing buy putting it into practice or experiment to test it results. When we benefit from such a knowledge, we keep and develop it more. If knowledge we experienced is useless, we abandon it, This is the nature of mankind.

We live a simple life and depend on alms food offered by the faithful and generous laity. We don't get involve in secular employment and work with non-salaried compensation. We worship, chant, study, and meditate to grow the seed of our enlightenment and work a long with the noble path discovered and pointed by the Buddha. Come to join us if you want to grow your insight and to achieve inner peace.