Wat Mongkolratanaram

For the Thai temple in Tampa, see Wat Mongkolratanaram, Tampa

Wat Mongkolratanaram
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
Location
Location1911 Russell St, Berkeley, CA

Wat Mongkolratanaram (Thai: วัดมงคลรัตนาราม) is a small Thai Buddhist temple located in Berkeley, California. A wat, it mainly attracts Thai American Buddhists, including many who are students at the University of California, Berkeley, but it also draws in many local, non-Buddhists who come searching for the authentic Thai food public brunch on Sundays[1] or attend its frequent cultural events. The temple is home to a Thai school for San Francisco Bay Area youth, as well as Berkeley's Thai Cultural Center.[2]

In 2001, it marked 25 years of being a temple by completing renovations to its Victorian house that customized it in temple style.[3]

In February 2009, a group of neighbors sought to shut down the Sunday public brunch, citing litter and traffic.[4] The Zoning Adjustments Board of Berkeley voted 8 to 1 to keep the Sunday brunch, and the board chair "praised the temple for being a positive influence" in the neighborhood.[5] The brunch runs on donations; visitors pay for tokens and exchange them for dishes.[6]

The Thailand-born Ajahn Manat is the current abbot of Wat Mongkolratanaram.

In 1997 the Wat was home to the East Bay chapter of the Cypherpunks.[7]

See also

References
  1. Hosseini, Mariam (12 August 2011). "Berkeley's Hidden Brunch Spot". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  2. "About". Thai Cultural Center of the San Francisco Bay Area. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  3. Lorenz, Matt (26 June 2001). "Thai community dedicates temple". The Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  4. Fowler, Geoffrey A. (10 February 2009). "Brunch as a Religious Experience Is Disturbing Berkeley's Karma". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  5. Bhattacharjee, Riya (18 February 2009). "Zoning Board Allows Thai Temple To Continue Sunday Brunch". The Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  6. Elison, Meg (19 September 2013). "Bay's best brunches". The Daily Californian. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  7. Slater, Dashka (14 March 1997). "Secret Agents". Bay Area Weekly. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
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