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ANDERSON — Madison County’s religious landscape stands poised to broaden Sunday with the grand opening ceremony of the Chua Pho Minh Buddhist temple.
The temple, 4100 Main St., Anderson, is founded by several Vietnamese families and is named in honor of temples of the same name in Tuc Mac, Vietnam, and Sacramento, Calif. The original temple was built during Vietnam’s Tran Dynasty in the 13th century.
Diep Laughlin, one of the founding members of the Anderson temple, which will include a monastery, said it was the dream of El Cerrito, California-based the Rev. Anna Dao, who wanted to expand her ministry. She bought the 1.27-acre property, which was listed in the Madison County Sheriff’s auction with an asking price of more than $207,000, in March 2015.
“When we came to this country, in California, they had a lot of temples,” Diep Laughlin said.
According to the Pew Research Center, there are about 650 Buddhists in Indiana. Buddhism is practiced by an estimated half billion people worldwide.
Chua Pho Minh, believed to become the ninth Buddhist temple in Indiana, is expected to open with about 200 members. Founders expect to support the building, formerly the Emmanual United Methodist Church, by selling vegetarian food wares, Diep Laughlin said.
Her husband, Larry Laughlin, said the temple, where worship will be offered in English and Vietnamese, will serve Buddhists from not only Anderson but also Muncie, Fishers, Carmel and as far away as Fort Wayne.
Vietnamese families transform former Methodist church into Buddhist temple
I had no idea they had 9 temples in Indiana.
The temple, 4100 Main St., Anderson, is founded by several Vietnamese families and is named in honor of temples of the same name in Tuc Mac, Vietnam, and Sacramento, Calif. The original temple was built during Vietnam’s Tran Dynasty in the 13th century.
Diep Laughlin, one of the founding members of the Anderson temple, which will include a monastery, said it was the dream of El Cerrito, California-based the Rev. Anna Dao, who wanted to expand her ministry. She bought the 1.27-acre property, which was listed in the Madison County Sheriff’s auction with an asking price of more than $207,000, in March 2015.
“When we came to this country, in California, they had a lot of temples,” Diep Laughlin said.
According to the Pew Research Center, there are about 650 Buddhists in Indiana. Buddhism is practiced by an estimated half billion people worldwide.
Chua Pho Minh, believed to become the ninth Buddhist temple in Indiana, is expected to open with about 200 members. Founders expect to support the building, formerly the Emmanual United Methodist Church, by selling vegetarian food wares, Diep Laughlin said.
Her husband, Larry Laughlin, said the temple, where worship will be offered in English and Vietnamese, will serve Buddhists from not only Anderson but also Muncie, Fishers, Carmel and as far away as Fort Wayne.
Vietnamese families transform former Methodist church into Buddhist temple
I had no idea they had 9 temples in Indiana.
