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Buddhist temple being set up near Helsinki; Thais in Finland get first monk
By Matti Huhta

The cheerfully smiling Buddhist monk Mahanuen Chamnaunrum welcomes his guests to his home in Sipoo, east of Helsinki. The handshake and the smile exude typical Thai friendliness.
"Basically, I live alone, but every day people come here to help and to pray", he says.
Wearing the traditional orange robes, Mahanuen Chamnaunrum is the religious leader of about 1,700 Thais who live in Finland.

The monk wakes up every morning before six. After the morning prayer and meditation comes breakfast, time for reading, and lunch at 11:00. All those who are visiting Chamnaunrum can share in the lunch.
After midday he eats no more meals that day. In the early evening there is another moment for prayer and meditation.
During prayers the others who are present also kneel on the altar rug.
Mahanuen Chamnaunrum is the first Buddhist monk in Finland. In addition to his native Thailand, he has lived in Sweden and Alaska.

The house in Sipoo is to be made into Finland's first Buddhist temple. "Many things are required of a temple, for which official permission is still needed. One of these is a large statue of The Buddha to be placed outside, for which permission has been applied from the Municipality of Sipoo", says Malee Lapvetel?inen, chairwoman of the Finland-Thai-Buddha society.
The statue already exists, and it has been placed in a temporary location outside. "The statue was donated by a family living in Thailand", Malee Lapvetel?inen explains.
Another large gold-plated statue of The Buddha is inside the building at the altar.
"It was donated by a Thai family that lives here", Lapvetel?inen explains.

The association bought the large house in Sipoo near the new highway to Porvoo a year ago. The monk's residence and future temple cost about 170,000 euros, and about one third of the debt has already been paid off.
Contributors have included individual Thais living in Finland. Somewhat larger contributions have come from Thai entrepreneurs, including restaurant owners and Thai massage parlours.
A considerable amount of money has come from Thailand - from a number of sources, including monk Chamnaunrum's personal contacts. In his own home region he is quite a well-known spiritual figure who once had his own radio programme on a religious radio station in Thailand.
Even today he wakes up in the early hours of the morning from time to time to take part in a live broadcast. It has been through the radio that people living in Thailand have been persuaded to donate tens of thousands of euros for the establishment of a temple in Finland.
The association also raised money by organising festivals. Top Thai stars have come to perform in Helsinki for almost no money.

It is very important for Finland's Thai community to have its own temple with its own monk.
"In the future we will be able to have large religious festivals, and when we get a temple, we will also be able to hold Buddhist funerals", Malee Lapvetel?inen says.
The Finnish Thai community is very closely-knit. "We often meet in homes, and food is as important a part of interaction as coffee is for Finns", Malee Lapvetel?inen points out.
She herself moved to Finland 25 years ago and was among the first Thais to live here.
"At that time I felt lonely, but now things are different, as there are others here in Finland as well."

Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 7.4.2003


Ref: http://www2.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20030415IE15


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