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Welcome to Wat Buddharatanaram Monastery, also known as Wat Keller. The monastery is established to conduct ceremonies and activities serving the spiritual and ...
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Welcome to Wat Buddharatanaram Monastery, also known as Wat Keller. The monastery is established to conduct ceremonies and activities serving the spiritual and religious needs of the Lao and Thai communities. It is to provide religious guidance of the Buddha’s teachings and worshiping to the people.

Wat Buddharatanaram was founded in the middle of 1982 by Phra Ajaan Maha Samarn Siripuilrio, who at the time held the title of Phra Khru Vithessasanakij. Ajaan Maha Samarn was on a trip to the U.S. and was staying at Wat Buddharam in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Before returning to Thailand, he visited Khan Singsamut Boolom in Texas. It was then that he mentioned his plan to establish a local monastery to the Lao people who came to receive him. Ajaan Maha Samarn learned that Khun Boonlert Boonluetri (Khan Singsamut's cousin) and some friends had purchased a piece, of property originally intended for raising farm animals near the suburb of Keller, Texas. Khan Singsamut invited Ajaan Maha Samarn, together with Paw Too San Noi and Mae Too Kum Pew Prommaneewong, to come and view the property. Ajaan Maha Samarn accepted their invitation and before returning to Thailand, agreed that the land would be suitable for establishing a monastery.

On his second visit to Keller, Ajaan Maha Samarn (together with Than Ajaan Suwat Suvaco, Phra Khru Nandapaiuiaphorn, Than Ajaan Chaalee Uccalito, and Than Ajaan Chaicharn from Wat Hin Maak Peng) were invited by Khun Boonlert Boonluetri to perform a house-blessing ceremony. Khan Boonlert then announced the plan of establishing a monastery in Keller to the lay people present. Everyone approved of the plan. Khan Boonlert, Khan Singsamut, and Khun Surika Sr sookaraj together donated one and a half acres of land to Ajaan Maha Samarn to build a monastery. Phra Ajaan Maha Sawaeng Nitisaro from Wat Noranaatsuntarikaram, Bangkok, was invited to be the monastery's first abbot. Than Ajaan Charlee Uccalito from Wat Buddharam and Than Phra Pariyattimethi (Luang Paw Pim) were also invited to stay at the monastery in the first vassa (rains retreat).

A Lao committee was formed to oversee and manage construction work. In time, Lao supporters in Thailand donated a Maravijaya (or Victory over Mara) style Buddha statue, along with the statues of the Buddha's two foremost disciples, Venerable Moggallana and Venerable Sariputta. An altar and a cabinet to keep a full set of the Pali Canon had also been donated.

In 1984, a sign bearing the monastery's, Wat Buddharatanaram, was set at the entrance to the land.

In 1988, in line with Ajaan Maha Sawaeng's plan, the construction of another building was commenced.

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