Wat Lao Buddharam Legal Battle continues
Additional news coverage of the legal battle over Wat Lao Buddharam in North Carolina. One thing that was not mentioned in the video is the next hearing on April 24, 2008 at MECKLENBURG COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT. See case #49 with LAOTIAN CULTURE CENTER OF NC -VS- WAT LAO BUDDHARAM.
A background of Wat Lao Buddharam based on UNC.edu’s Buddhism in North Carolina Project:
Wat Lao Buddharam was founded in 1989 to serve the growing Laotian population of Charlotte. Besides providing them with access to their traditional Theravadin Buddhist practices and beliefs, it serves like many Asian-American temples as a cultural center, where Old World language and customs can be preserved and transmitted to new generations.
Wat Lao consists of several buildings on about thirty acres of land in suburban Charlotte, with a moderate-sized pond. The land was cleared by the community to make way for the temple compounds. The main temple is a colorful building with a traditional-style roof and serpentine nagas (elemental dragon spirits) leading up to the entrance. Inside the rectangular building there is a large open space for gatherings, with an altar area on one end dominated by a large golden Buddha. The walls are covered with original paintings depicting incidents in the life of the Buddha.
The grounds also include a smaller temple that is used by the monks for meditation, a stage and barbeque area for social gatherings, and a small house where the monks live. The monks’ residence has a receiving room, a kitchen, bedroom, and a small shrine where daily practice takes place. Much of the monks’ time is spent in this room offering prayers and meditating. The grounds are also graced with several beautiful stupas, large statues of the Buddha, and small huts which serve as memorials for deceased loved ones.
Information about the rotation of the monks:
The monks who stay at the temple are all from Laos or Thailand, and live at Wat Lao for a year or more before moving on to another American temple, while others take their place. Thus, the religious leadership of the American Theravadin community slowly rotates around the country, exposing the laity to many teachers and the monks to many ways of American life. Usually from one to three monks are living at Wat Lao at any given time. Their English tends to be minimal, and services are alaways conducted in Laotian, with collective rituals in the Pali language.
I’m not sure why it’s not mentioned but during the kidnapping misunderstanding in 2006, Syma took one of the Lao monks to the bank to take his name out from having any legal authority, but Syma forgot his paper work or essential document and left the monk at the bank, when he came back to the wat without the monk, the American monk that was there called the police and claimed that Syma kidnapped the monk, Syma and his wife was arrested but was out on bond. After that then the legal battle began but the monks knew their legal right, and at least there is one American monk that was, (I’m not sure if he still is) there, the news made it sounds like the monks are ignorant of any legal issues. Through the battle, from what I understand, Syma has accumulated quiet a bit of financial assets in term of rental property, I’m not sure how many houses he has, but quiet a bit. He is the man with glasses, wearing blue shirt.
The arrest was made after a proper police investigation and is not based on any person’s complaint. One part of Laotian Culture Syma is trying to preserve is the loudest pushiest person becomes a dictator. He has used deception for the last 20 years and targeted the people who only read Laotian and presented the site as as temple. Not even having the name of LCCNC on any sign until 2002. Even now the name LCCNC is presented as a side note to the Temple advertisement. Only Syma was arrested, but his wife has been the conduit for receiving much cash and where it went is only speculation at this point. All Laotian culture deals mainly with cash. Syma and company have broken more American laws than they know and are beginning to be exposed.
Syma took the monk to the bank to make the monk give money to Syma and try to make the monk close the Wat Lao Buddharam, Inc. account, over which Syma has no power only wants the cash.
Thanks for the update.
Mr. John, thanks for the information, my dad said the same thing, it’s a sad world that we’re living in.
[...] of Northern Illinois that Dallas Lao was talking about a few years ago. As for the legal battle at Wat Lao Buddharam of Charlotte, the court date is tomorrow 9:30 AM at Mecklenburg County Superior Court. Please let us know if you [...]
[...] legal battle of LAOTIAN CULTURE CENTER OF NC -VS- WAT LAO BUDDHARAM made me think of an article that I read in the fist issue, April-May 2007 of Lao Roots Magazine [...]
According to the State of North Carolina
Laotian Culture Center of North Carolina
legally formed on 10/27/1988
Wat Lao Buddharam
legally formed on 12/1/2006
http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/corporations/Agent.aspx?AgentId=5372438
What is happening in Charlotte is very common. It has happened in many parts of the country.
To establish a Lao Buddhist temple in the US, in most cases, a Buddhist monk and a group of supporters are needed. During the early establishment, the power does not seem to be important. The people just want to have a place to worship. Most of the Lao people go to a Buddhist temple just to worship. They don’t care about who or how the temple is run. After the organization is visible as a big $, some people start to think about administrating, most of all, the spending. In many cases they had to turn to the system that they had ignored, the legal system, to solve the problems. In the street, people are spreading rumors. There are mostly “he said” and “she said”.
Who runs a Lao Buddhist temple? Sometime a monk does, but some temples are run by a layman. Instead of calling the real name of a temple, many people would use the name of the most powerful person in that temple, such as “Wat Syma”, Wat Ajarn A or Wat Ajarn B.
This broken system in the Lao temples in the US needs to be fixed ASAP.
In the Symagate, he proclaims his innocence, but continually delays the trial that would prove him guilty or innocence. He turns off the electricity to the house where the victim and other monks live. The judge ordered the victim to give a key to the man who kidnapped him. What planet is Caudill from? Hishonorableanus? Cancelled checks are not “he says, she says”. His brother who was proclaimed a partner in the video is not listed on any of the founding documents. =A family of liars.
What drives a man to come to this lowest point? Since 1988 has he learned nothing at all from any of the monks? MONEY? GREED? POWER? or JUST BECAUSE I Can?