Until 1982 there was not a single Burmese Buddhist monastary in the east coast of the United States and a lone Burmese monk had to reside at a Sri Lankan or Cambodian monastery in Washington DC area.
But thanks to the efforts of the Burma-America Buddhist Association the Burmese community of the Washington area will open a new $350,000 monastery in Silver Spring, MD.
To raise funds for the completion of the new monastery the Association held its bi-annual International Food Bazaar on Sunday, June 27.