Wat Florida Dhammaram, Theravada Buddhist temple in Kissimmee, United States.
Wat Florida Dhammaram is a Theravada Buddhist monastery in Kissimmee, Central Florida, with meditation halls, dormitory buildings, and the Maha Bodhi Temple set across spacious grounds. The structures are traditional in design and situated along Old Vineland Road in a peaceful setting.
In the early 1990s, Lung-po Chaokhun Phra Tepvaraporn (Im Arindhamo) visited lay devotees in Florida and saw no Buddhist monastery in Central Florida. With approval from Chaokhun Somdej Phra Wannarat Chop Thitadhammamahathera, the late abbot of Wat Sommanat Vihara, he raised funds in Thailand. In 1993 three monks were sent with Prakrupalad Sunnan, now abbot as Chaokhun Phra Vijitrdhammapani, to establish the monastery.
The monks conduct daily chanting and meditation sessions rooted in the Dhammayuttika Nikaya tradition, inviting visitors to experience authentic Buddhist practices. The community here preserves teachings and rituals that have been maintained for generations in Thailand.
Visitors can tour the grounds and receive guidance from the resident monks who offer teachings about Buddhist practices and philosophy. It helps to check visiting hours in advance and remain respectful to avoid interrupting meditation sessions.
The founding monk, Lung-po Chaokhun Phra Tepvaraporn (Im Arindhamo), raised funds in Thailand after noticing Central Florida had no Buddhist monastery, and in 1993 sent three monks, among them Prakrupalad Sunnan, the present abbot. The temple's Thai name, Wat Florida Dhammaram, pairs the English state name with a Pali-Thai monastic ending.
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