An unexpected 40 people turn out at Wat Buddhavongsayaram, Albury. A big boom for the only Buddhist Temple in the region, 6 months after reopening.

People travelled enthusiastically to offer food to the resident Monk, Ajahn Satit, on Sunday, July 3rd. They came from busy city-lifestyle places as far as Sydney and Melbourne to participate in the peace and quiet of smaller and serene Albury.

What is making this Buddhist Temple so impressive is that the companiable monks are now able to warmly accommodate the people’s needs by offering ceremonies and teachings in English.

The Buddhist Temple has been doing exceedingly well in keeping in mind the significance of equality. They are always deeply welcoming to those of all cultures and backgrounds, as is proved by all the diverse faces witnessed on the weekend, European-Australian, Sri-Lankan, Cambodian, Chinese Malaysian and Thai.

It is evident that the more people who are able to come and experience by participating in such events, the more they are able to share abundantly in it. Sharing and inviting by word of mouth has surely been the way forward to helping entice people’s interests.

Despite living in Melbourne and having several accessible Temples within his region, Dr. Tek Quinn Lim (of Chinese-Malaysian decent) willingly makes the trip to Albury to participate, followed by Mat Reid (a European-Australian who also speaks Thai). He is the owner of G.V Martial Arts Gym, and also an active member of the Temple who travels 2 hours by motorbike from Shepperton, VIC.

A resident of Albury appreciates attending the services; “I have been to the temple with my wife many times in the past. I used to enjoy the tradition but with little understanding about it. But today is different, the Monk speaks in English. It makes much more sense to me and I am able to understand the teaching” he said.

“The previous Sunday ceremonies were a bit more intimate in terms of having fewer people. The Monk (Ajahn Satit) is an excellent teacher. Whether there are just a few people or many, the meditation and Dharma talks are always insightful. Ajahn Satit is focused and friendly. I want to thank him for coming to Albury to teach. It was lovely this last Sunday to meet more people and to see how a traditional first Sunday of the month looks like. I felt very happy to be able to come.” said third time comer, Ebony Chapman from Albury who had moved from Sydney late last year.

Reporter: Namwan Boyce

Video link http://youtu.be/Wyce4uGF9Bw