Gautama Buddha, “the enlightened” who was born of royal heritage, founded Buddhism about 2,500 years ago in India.
He forsook a life of privilege for one of self-denial after seeing human sufferings. Historical accounts report he discovered truth while sitting under a bodhi tree, a sacred tree with leaves shaped like hearts.
Buddhism is one of the world’s largest religions. One of three forms of Buddhism, Theravada is the type of Buddhism practiced by Cambodians. The Watt Samaki Cambodian Temple is the only temple of its kind in Maine and serves 350 families.
Davan Leng, Westbrook, temple president who migrated from Cambodia through Thailand to Massachusetts in 1991, said most members of the temple are refugees. Many Cambodians have fled to the United States since the Pot Pol, Cambodian leader 1976-1979, reign in which as many as three million died. Long Beach, Calif., and Lowell, Mass., are the top two Cambodian population centers in the U.S., according to Leng.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
