Lao Buddhist Society of Hawaii

BACKGROUND :
Welcome to Wat Lao Sithammaram!
Wat Lao Sithammaram was built under the constitute of Lao Buddhist Society of Hawaii, Inc. which is a non-profitable, no partisan and religious organization.

Lao Buddhist society of Hawaii
Ven. Bounkong Singsouvanh
And
Zeune Baccam

The Lao Buddhist Society belongs to the Theravada School of Buddhism. It serves primarily the spiritual and social needs of the immigrant Lao Buddhist population in Hawaii. One of its main objectives is the preservation of the positive individual, community and cultural values of the Laotian people while they adapt to the cultural values offered by the United States of America. For this reason, the Society's activities are not limited exclusively to Buddhist rites and ceremonies. It has in mind, for now and the future, the building up of programs for the harmonious and peaceful integration of Laotian Buddhists into mainstream American society without the loss of their ethnic identity.

BRIEF HISTORY
The Lao Buddhist Society was founded in 1982 as a non - profit, tax-exempt, religious organization. By 1983, it has been duly registered with the concerned Federal and State authorities. When it was first established in 1982, the Society was headed as President by Mr. Bountham , a lay person, and a Laotian monk Ven. Bountham Sikhanttana served as the Society was housed in an apartment in the first instance, and then, in a rented house at the Kaimuki area (1342A 7th. Avenue). By the next year, the Society purchased its present site at 1801 Manaiki Place in the Kalihi valley of Honolulu. From 1983, even before occupying the present premises, the Society has been headed by Ven. Bounkong Singsouvanh, who is not only the abbot but concurrently the President and Chairperson of the Society and its Board of Directors.

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
The Society is managed by its Board of Directors consisting of 5 people.
Ven. Bounkong acts as the Chairperson while the rests of the Board are lay person. There is no female Board member at the present time, i.e. mid-1994. There are regular meetings to organize the Society's program of activities. Presently, the Society's membership is composed of Laotian Buddhists who are Theravadins and the program of activities is generally geared towards their needs.

OBJECTIVES:

To united all the Lao and create harmonious atmosphere for all people regardless of race, sex, age, religious belief or nationality.
To promote and perpetuate HINAYANA (THERAVADA) Buddhism.
To provide spiritual comfort to the Lao as well as others.
To encourage all Lao for better adjustment in the new environment in the sense of more responsibility and more participation in community activities and for other to have greater understanding of Hinayana Buddhism of Laos.
To educate children to appreciate Lao culture, arts, and Buddhism in order to pass on to younger generations.
To coordinate with other organizations in order to find the way to build a Lao monastery.
To build the monastery the center of research institution of culture, arts and Buddhism.

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