About WBM

About WBM

Won Buddhism of Manhattan has served, for the last twenty six years, as a spiritual home for New Yorkers. The Manhattan Won Buddhist Temple, which is also the site of the Won Buddhism UN Office, was founded in 1994. It is a place of peace and restoration, and a place to learn and practice Won Buddhism and meditation. Won Buddhists follow Sotaesan‘s vision of living the teaching of Buddha with simplicity and commitment in our highly modern and materialistic society.

Won Buddhism embraces Buddha’s teaching and makes it relevant and suitable to contemporary society. It aims to use Buddhist teachings and meditation practice for practical and useful purposes so that we can build One World Community and to realize oneness of life based on the Buddhist View of interdependency and the interconnectedness of all.

Through the practice of Buddhist meditation and teachings we can:

• Increase our awareness and understanding of ourselves and those around us to live peacefully with wisdom and compassion.
• See the Buddha in all things and to live in accordance with this insight.
• Uncover who we really are.

The temple offers Sunday Dharma service, weekday group meditation, retreats, and study groups.

All nationalities, cultures, ages and spiritual backgrounds are welcome to our Temple in the spirit of open community.

Through our practical application of buddhadharma,
we become useful people who can help individuals, families, societies, and nations.

Sotaesan (1891 – 1943)