Our mission is to preserve and promote the Theravada Buddha-Dhamma, uphold Khmer Buddhist traditions, and offer religious, educational, and community programs that cultivate moral discipline (sīla), mental development (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā). The Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut, Inc., abbreviated as CBSC, is a religious and community institution located at 247 Park Street in Bristo
l, CT across from Muzzy Field. The Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut began its roots as a community in 1986 and officially established itself as an entity on January 15, 1987, registered as a 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954. From the infancy years of the community, a collective group of Cambodian refugees, predominantly residing in Danbury and Bridgeport, congregated in Danbury seeking for a safe haven for spiritual sanctity and worship. The primarily religious philosophy followed by many Cambodians are the principles of Buddhism stemmed from Siddhartha Gautama’s teachings of The Three Universal Truths and Four Noble Truths. This was a large aspect of the way of life for many individuals living in Cambodia, but a sudden event in history would change the lives of every single Cambodian. Considerable turmoil in native Cambodia forced the uprooting of millions of Cambodians stripping them of everything that was once considered stability in their previous lives. As a consequence of this strain, tribulation and unrest became prevalent among the masses resulting in anarchy and the rise of the Khmer Rouge, a Communist regime that toppled the existing government and ruled Cambodia from 1975 through 1979. The regime forced their agenda through brutality across the nation resulting in the Cambodian genocide, colloquially known as the Killing Fields. Those that were fortunate enough to safely navigate out of Cambodia into the United States found solace in physical safety, but found themselves searching for foundational support lost during the uprooting of their way of life. The Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut became a sanctuary in wake of the chaos and instability in Cambodia for these individuals as they found a new home in the United States. Prior to the Bristol location, the congregation area initially started by renting a residential house at various location such as in Danbury, Brookfield, and Newtown. Eventually, the Newtown residence became the permanent residence as the congregation would look to purchase this area as a longed-for dedicated area for sermons and operated as a residential area for the monks. As time elapsed, the congregation could not find a certain stability they were searching for in Newtown and continued their search for a permanent residence to create a foundational structure. During this period, many events were held at rental locations for large events up until 2008 where the congregation purchased the Union Hall building in Bristol, CT. This location became the first time in the history of the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut where the foundation could permeate and flourish into the strong cultural institution the people long yearned for. With this foundation, members of the community were allowed to flourish with cultural representations and events that did not have the opportunity to manifest since the days of Cambodia. The community was able to create a place to promote cultural progression through engaging activities, traditional ceremonies, community service, promotion of religious events, and enriching the youth with these lessons learned ensuring they are not lost from the face of the Earth. Today, we are a community of over 200 participants from all ranges of ethnicities, age, and genders promoting 7 major events on an annual basis in addition to smaller ceremonies throughout the year. We have come an incredibly long way, but continue to look forward to continuing the success we’ve been obliged to achieve. The Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut governs by established bylaws a legally binding document. The organization is governed by a total of 13 members of the Board of Directors with an Executive Director, Executive Secretary and Treasurer. The scope and objectives of the organization include the following:
1. To create a Buddhist center known formally as Wat Ratanaram.
2. To perpetuate the philosophy of Buddhist teachings.
3. To bring together Cambodian Buddhists in the United of America for the purpose of unity.
4. To preserve the Cambodia culture and traditions instilling awareness and revelation into younger generations to be appreciative of their identity and heritage.
5. To create a Buddhist center not only for Cambodians, but also for all people who are willing to learn, understand, and to practice Buddhism.
6. To provide emotional, cross-cultural, and counseling support to members of the congregation. CBSC offers community members, and nonmembers, classes and trainings if they are interested in learning and of the philosophies of Buddhism in addition to Cambodian traditions. We have qualified volunteers of individuals with tremendous knowledge, and talents, who are willing to sacrifice their respective time and effort to preserve cultural practices, and to help the adolescence with team building for the community. Some of the events include, but are not limited to, the following:
● Basic Khmer literature in learning how to read and write. Sundays from 9 am – 12 pm
● Adult online Dharma teaching and prayer with the monks. Monday thru Friday from 8 pm – 10 pm
● Youth traditional Khmer classical and folk dance. Sunday 11 am – 3 pm
● Adult Dharma teaching. To be determined for dedicated sessions. Have temporarily been biweekly at best available times. As interest continues, dedicated sessions will be reassessed.
