Sumter Forest Temple

Sumter Forest Temple Fostering the study and practice of principles and monastic tradition of Theravada Buddhism and providing religious services

10-28-2018. Today we celebrated the greatest event of the year, Kathina robe offering ceremony. Many people joined in th...
10/28/2018

10-28-2018. Today we celebrated the greatest event of the year, Kathina robe offering ceremony. Many people joined in the ceremony and enjoyed merit-making together. Thank you for hardworking of our religious staffs and volunteers in the prepartion of this event. We are truely appreciated in financial support made by our faithful devtoees and the public who bought Thai food for charity. See you again in the grand celebration of Songkran, the water festival in April 2019.

Today is October 12, 2018. It is birthday of Ven. Chinnaphat Khotwong and Mrs. Boonclo Addy Kuhns. Addy and her friends ...
10/12/2018

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.

You can see more information about temple, religious services, news, and events by visiting our website: http://www.ligh...
10/01/2018

You can see more information about temple, religious services, news, and events by visiting our website: http://www.lightofsumter.org. Call us at (803) 469-2494 to make an appointment for your visit and to ask for the direction to our temple. Please speak slowly and clearly when talking with us on phone because our ministers don't speak English fluently.

Today was Sunday, September 30, 2018. We held Sunday services at 10:30 am. Five monks and one assistant preacher Sister ...
10/01/2018

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...
09/29/2018

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.

As homeless monks, we are encouraged to carry out two main duties: study of the doctrine and practice of meditation. Bes...
09/29/2018

As homeless monks, we are encouraged to carry out two main duties: study of the doctrine and practice of meditation. Beside these, we take administrative duties and daily routine. The abbot is in charge of the temple and the supervisor of the resident ministers and religious workers. The abbot usually assigns administrative duties upon knowledge and expertise of each minister/religious worker. Daily tasks are assigned upon necessities and situations. According to our daily routine, we get up in the morning, do personal care, eat breakfast, clean the facility, do morning chanting and meditation at 10:30 am,eat lunch at 11:15 am, take a pleasure at noon, station to receive guests, take the phone calls, receive guests, read the books, do personal jobs, clean the facility, take a shower, and do the evening chanting and meditation at 7:00 pm. Then, we do personal jobs, take a leisure, and go the bead around 10:00 pm. We are urged to live together, officiate in religious services together, eat together, and work together. The Buddha said that the effort of the united people makes one happy and makes works simple.

We do not convince you to belief in the Buddha, but we introduce you his teaching and practice for your deep research an...
09/28/2018

We do not convince you to belief in the Buddha, but we introduce you his teaching and practice for your deep research and self-experiment. Study his teaching carefully with opened mind, put it to practice intensively, and then see the results by yourself. If you see it meaningful to your life, adopt it. If you find it useless, drop it off. Simply, this is an advice from the Buddha.There is no difference and discrimination between men and women on the way to realization of the four noble truths and nirvana.

We live a simple life and depend on alms food offered by the faithful and generous laity. We don't get involve in secula...
09/28/2018

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.

Please join us in the Kathina or robe-offering ceremony which be held at our temple on Sunday, October 28, 2018 starting...
09/28/2018

Please join us in the Kathina or robe-offering ceremony which be held at our temple on Sunday, October 28, 2018 starting from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. The Kathina is the event that the monks are granted by the Buddha to seek or accept the monastic robe within a month beginning from the end of the rainy retreat which normally falls on the first day of the 11th month until the 15th day of the 12th month according to the lunar calendar. Each temple can accept the Kathina robe only one time during this period. This event, therefore, is regarded by the Buddhist laity to be the great opportunity to make merit because it is time-sensitive and limited to the time and difficulty of preparation.

Address

2275 Thomas Sumter Highway
Sumter, SC
29153

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 6pm
Tuesday 7am - 6pm
Wednesday 7am - 6pm
Thursday 7am - 6pm
Friday 7am - 6pm
Saturday 7am - 6pm
Sunday 7am - 6pm

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