Temple marks 30 years in Lynn

LYNN – In 30 years on Chestnut Street, the Watt Sanghikaram Buddhist temple has extended a helping hand far beyond Lynn, said head monk Suphon Thon, spiritual leader of more than 1,000 of the city?s 6,300 Southeast Asian residents.Temple members rallied to support and assist fellow Cambodian-Americans living in Lowell after a July fire killed seven people, including five members of a Cambodian family. Thon, who wears the orange and saffron-colored loose-fitting robes of his faith, traveled last weekend to Amherst to aid a local temple congregation.?They needed funds for a project and invited me to help. We raised over $5,000 from members of Lynn, Lowell and Connecticut temples,” Thon said.Speaking during an interview translated by city Southeast Asian liaison Kirirath Saing, Thon traced Watt Sanghikaram?s growth from the first arrival of Cambodians and other Southeast Asians in Lynn in the early 1980s, to the temple?s original home in Revere, to Lynn – where, according to the 2013 U.S. Census, 7 percent of the city?s 91,500 residents are of Asian descent.?We came to a church that was on the verge of closing,” he said.Saing said the temple is a Cambodian community focal point, with worshippers praying in the high-ceiling temple with its walls covered with ornamental stamped tin. There is no furniture except for the tiered altar adorned with statues and flowers. Worshippers remove their shoes and sit or pray on rugs covering the temple floor from wall to wall.Four holy days each month bring worshippers to Watt Sanghikaram, but Saing said Buddhists, especially older worshippers, follow religious custom and bring clothing and food to the temple between mid-September and the end of October as part of a belief that the contributions will sustain dead relatives for the year ahead.Thon lives in a nearby home with five other monks. As the temple?s 70-year-old leader, his status as head monk is subject to a vote by fellow monks. He has held the title since 2000 when temple founder and monk Kom Mom called for an election to choose his successor.Thon embarked on a monk?s life at the age of 17 in Cambodia – only after receiving permission from his parents, the local monk and the civic leader of his community. Pol Pot?s reign of terror saw Thon flee to Thailand after the dictator outlawed religion and embarked on genocide. He came to the United States in 1993, living in New York and Connecticut before coming to Lynn in 1999.Along with fellow monks, his days are spent in prayer and reading Buddha?s teaching depicted in large paintings covering the temple?s interior walls. One shows Buddha balancing temptation with meditation; another recounts his death and adoration by mourners.?When I became a monk, I followed a rule to stay in the Buddhist way. You have to have a desire to become from within. For me, that hasn?t changed,” Thon said.In his 15 years as head monk, Thon has seen young people avoid the temple?s teachings only to join in worship as they get older. He has seen Saing and City Councilor Hong Net take on prominent roles in the community.?I think it is wonderful having a member of the community working with the city for better communications,” Thon said.He said the quick response by Lynn Cambodian-Americans to help the Lowell fire victims is a small example of generosity he has witnessed in 16 years as a local resident.?Lynn is a fine city,” he said.