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Wat History

Wat Nawamintararachutis (The NMR Buddhist Meditation Center) At Wat Nawamintarachutis we enjoy many activities throughout the year. These include celebrations, ceremonies, and festivals.

The year begins with the New Year celebration in January and Magha Puja Day in February or March. We celebrate Thai New Year, the so-called Songkran Day in April, and Visakha Puja Day in May. From July to October we observe the Rains Retreat Holiday beginning with Asanha Puja Day and Vassa (Thai: Wan Kao-Pansa) and ending with the Katina Festival. We commemorate the Queen’s birthday (Thai Mother’s Day) in August; Wan Piyamaharat and Ok-Pansa in October. We celebrate Loy Krathong festival in November and the King’s birthday (Thai Father’s Day) in December.

History of Our Temple

The best way of greeting is ‘wai’ – a slight bow with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. It is the act of courtesy that is greatly appreciated.

You are cordially invited to join us during these special events. There will be wonderful Thai cuisine, traditional Thai music and dance performances, and warm-hearted greetings from all of your new friends. Actual dates and times and details will be announced on the website: www.watnawamin.org prior to each event.

  • For your spiritual growth, we offer a one-day meditation retreat every month and four week-long meditation retreats during the year.
  • For the children, we offer Sunday school classes. There is tutoring in Thai language, Thai culture, and intensive activities of the summer school program.
  • For children and adults of all ages, we offer traditional Thai dancing lessons and instruction on classical Thai musical instruments.

If you are interested in any of the above activities, please call the phone number or visit the website for more information regarding dates and times.

Here are a few rules of etiquette to assist you with becoming familiar with Thai Buddhism and culture. We always take our shoes off when entering the main Buddha Hall and avoid sitting with our feet pointing at the Buddha statue.

Monks may neither touch nor be touched by women and nuns may neither touch nor be touched by men. The best way of greeting is ‘wai’ – a slight bow with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. It is the act of courtesy that is greatly appreciated.

Wat Nawamintararachutis – the NMR Buddhist Meditation Center (in short “Wat Nawamin”) was established in 2002 in honor of His Majesty King Rama IX of Thailand (King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great) who is the only monarch to have been born in the United States, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of his coronation on June 9, 2006 and his 80th birthday on December 5, 2007. Wat Nawamintararachutis serves as a place for people of all races, nationalities, and backgrounds to benefit from Buddhist meditation and practice according to the doctrines of the Lord Buddha.

Wat Nawamintararachutis also serves as a Thai-American cultural center. There are classes given in Thai language and etiquette, traditional Thai musical instruments and Thai dancing.

These activities are not only designed to assist Thai-American community in preserving their traditional cultural heritage, but also many Asian-American have found comfort away from home at Wat Nawamin.

On June 25, 2002, a group of Thai resident who live in Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding areas in the United States held an official meeting with their interest in founding a Theravada Buddhist temple in honor of His Majesty King Rama IX of Thailand, who was born on December 5, 1927 at MountAuburnHospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group enlisted the support of Venerable Phra Phromwachirayan, the abbot of Wat Yannawa – a royal temple in Bangkok, who had helped establish Wat Dhammaram – a Buddhist temple in Chicago and developed other Thai Buddhist temples in the USA.

Wat Nawamintararachutis was inaugurated on August 1, 2002 as a Theravada Buddhist temple of the Mahanikai sect at the apartment address: 1765 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, MA02135. On June 1, 2003, the temple moved to a house address: 11 Wilmot Street, Watertown, MA 02472, and finally, has officially moved to its permanent location at 382 South Street East, Raynham, MA 02767-5130 on July 1, 2006 where a proper temple complex can be built with facilities for monks, a meditation center, and a cultural center for Thai arts and learning.

Wat Nawamintararachutis is registered as a nonprofit organization, the NMRBuddhistMeditationCenter. “Wat” is the word for temple in the Thai language. The name itself is, characteristically, a composite of several Sanskrit words. As a whole it means “the Temple of the Great King Rama IX.” For convenience the temple is simply called “Wat Nawamin.”

The temple is a residence to a group of Buddhist monks from Thailand. The monks are selected from a so-called corps of “missionary monks” based at the SanghaUniversity in Bangkok, Mahachulalongkorn, to serve Thai communities abroad. They are the backbone of the Buddhist way of life and perform an important function in the life of the Buddhists. The monks lead the members of the temple in various ceremonies, teach meditation, and act as spiritual counselors.

There is also an extensive Sunday school program where children learn from an early age the percepts of Buddhism. Students’ ages range from 5 years of age through high school. In addition, there are special social and cultural activities for children and adults of all ages.

Where Wat Nawamintararachutis will be constructed in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Assession to the Throne and the 80th Birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. This property is 55.99 acres and consists of three parcels. The first parcel (number 17-77) is 13.03 acres, the second parcel (number 17-74) is 36.33 acres, and the third parcel (number 17-76) is 6.63 acres.

The address is 382 South St. East Raynham, MA 02767-5130.

The Board of Directors and officers of Wat Nawamin tararachutis have requested the cooperation from the committee and the wat members in finding the land or land and building in Cambridge or nearby cities in Massachusetts to construct the Buddhist temple and meditation center to commemorate His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 60th year accessing the throne in 2006 and 80th’s birthday in 2007.

There are twelve properties found and presented to the committee and Phra Promwachirayan since 2002. We went to look at the properties by taking consideration from the given criteria of the property requirement. The size of the land is between 20-80 acres. The property must be in good  location and environment.  The distance must not be too far to access by Thai community and the zoning allows religious use.  Every property was carefully evaluated.

We, the monks and non-monks have worked together and found the right property worthy to His Majesty the King.  We have agreed and recommended to purchase the land in Raynham. This property consists of three parcels. The first parcel number 17-77 is 13.03 acres, the second parcel number 17-74 is 36.33 acres, and the third parcel number 17-76 is 6.63 acres. The total land is 55.99 acres.  The owner wants to sell all three parcels at once. They will not divide to sell each individual.  Here is the information of this property.

The property location is 43 miles south of the current Wat location.  It is about 45 minutes driving from Wat Nawamintararachutis. The asking price of these three parcels is $1,800,000.00.

Time Line of the Temple

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Learn to Meditate

Meditation is a way of calming the mind, reducing stress and developing a more positive approach to life. This course provides the perfect opportunity to discover for yourself the inner peace and happiness that naturally arises when our mind becomes still.

Latest News & Events

Songkran Festival April 28th, 2024
Songkran Festival April 28th, 2024
Songkran Festival April 28th, 2024
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Sunday School Open

Buddhist Thai Sunday School of Wat Nawamintararachutis Open now!

Welcome!
Welcome to Wat Nawamintararachutis

You are cordially invited to join us during these special events. There will be wonderful Thai cuisine, traditional Thai music and dance performances, and warm-hearted greetings from all of your new friends. Actual dates and…

Office Hours

8:00 am – 8:30 pm
Monday through Friday

Contact Us

382 South Street East
Raynham MA. 02767 U.S.A.
Tel: 508.823.1800

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