Buddhist Temple Embroiled In Bitter Dispute

August 17, 2010

Author: Margaret Ramirez

Source: The Buddhist Channel/Chicago Tribune

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=62,9441,0,0,1,0

Inside the temple, about 50 devoted members attending Friday night meditation close their eyes and chant before Buddha.

The head monk, Phra Worasak Worathammo, prostrates before a massive golden statue and leads the evening chants, along with four other resident monks. 

"We all strive to be peaceful, to attain nirvana," Worathammo had said during a class earlier that evening.

But while the Wat Buddhadhama Thai Buddhist temple in Willowbrook appears prayerful and serene, a bitter conflict is boiling behind the scenes among the temple leadership and the community of nearly 300 members.