By Arjanyai
Vajiradhannnapadip Temple situated in West Bronx, New York City, was filed as a Not-for-Profit Organization under the Religious Cor-poration Law of the State of New York on July 22, 2518/1975. This founding date was both de facto and de jure. It now claims to be the first Thai Buddhist temple in the United States to be a full-fledged temple both legally and ecclesiastically, Legally, it is a legal organization established under local and national law of the country. Ecclesiastically, it conforms to the tradition of the Thai Sangha regarding the administration of monastic affairs. As prescribed in the bylaws of the Temple, the President and the Secretary of the Temple shall be its resident monks, putting executive power in the hands of the ecclesiastical section of its Board of Directors.
The origin of the Vajiradhammapadip Temple can be traced to the Buddhist Study Center which was founded by a group of Thai and American Buddhists in New York and was granted legal status as an association in 2508/1965. At the end of 2516/1973, the Center invited a monk from the Thai Buddhist temple in London to come to advise it concerning the establishment of a Thai Buddhist temple in New York. After that, dating from the middle of 2517/1974, two monks were invited to come in succession to organize Thai Buddhist cultural ceremonies and services and to conduct other activities for the Center. This period of time witnessed increased participation in the Buddhist activities of the Center and may be regarded as the crucial part of the plan for, and a big step towards, the founding of the Temple.
During the early period the invited monk had to stay at a Chinese temple called Cittabhavana Temple in New York City and all ceremonies and services were held there. On August 6, 2517/1974, the monk moved to a house at Anthony Avenue in West Bronx which was rented by the Buddhist Study Center for the monk's residence and the Center's office. This marked the informal founding of a Thai Buddhist temple in New York. For a short while, this establishment adopted the temporary name of the Buddhist Temple of New York and it still had to hold its bigger ceremonies and celebrations at the above mentioned Chinese temple.
On December 31, 2517/1974, the Buddhist Study Center was allowed to file, under the Religious Corporation Law, another separate nonprofit organization under the legal name of "Buddha-Sasana Temple Buddhist Study Center, Inc.", publicly called "Buddha-Sasana Temple", marking the official founding of the Temple. With funds collected from donations of the people, the Center purchased the rented house at Anthony Avenue at the price of $23,373 and paid in full in February, 2518/1975. That house, as a property of the Buddhist Study Center, Inc., simultaneously became the office of the Center and the site of the Buddha-Sasana Temple.
At this point, conflict and controversy developed among committee members of the establishment concerning the legal right of ownership over the house and other property, which was held by the Center, not by the Temple. The executive power was put in the hands of a lay executive director, not the resident monks, leading to widespread dissatisfaction and criticism among the people. The temple was temporarily closed for a short period from the end of March 1975 to the middle of May 1975, due to a leave of absence of the two resident monks; one returned to London and the other left for Los Angeles. A newly arrived monk invited from Thailand arrived together with the monk who returned from Los Angeles.
During the very brief stay of the two monks, the conflict and controversy intensified to such a degree that activities could not continue. The monks had to leave and stay away from the Temple. Then, a number of committee members of the Temple, members of the Temple and representatives of Thai society and other Thai associations in New York gathered together and came to a conclusion: that a new Thai Temple had to be established in New York, a temple which they hoped they could trust to be viable both legally and ecclesiastically.
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