Pathom Asoke Buddhist Temple and Boon Niyom Community

Our slogan: Harmonize our hearts; Be a place of refuge for society; Create a Buddhist Noah's Ark, Salvage humanity.

A Santi Asoke group slogan is engraved on a boulder here at Pathom Asoke:
Put quality ahead of quantity
Put diligence ahead of laxity
Put truth ahead of superficiality
Put essence ahead of periphery, and
Independence
Fraternity
Peace
Efficiency
Integrity


Pathom Asoke Buddhist Temple and Pathom Asoke Boon Niyom Community are concrete examples of a Buddhist society that emphasizes elf sufficiency. They were established in mid-1980 and 1984, respectively, with the objective of forming a place where all members of the community can live their lives according to Lord Buddha's tenet: "Good companions, a healthy society, and a healthy environment together form the basis of a pure person." Establishing a Buddhist community begins with developing individuals to be the best we can be.

The Objectives of Pathom Asoke Boon Niyom Community

1. To bring together pious Buddhist who want to live near Pathom Asoke Temple.
2. To practice a simple, frugal, and humble way of life by eliminating extravagances and limited one's needs to be consonant with the five or the eight precepts of Buddhism.
3. To develop and enhance diligence, thoughtful creativity, helpfulness, benevolence, cooperation, kindness, compassion, and sacrifice in each of us.
4. To form a strong community of pious people with a healthy natural environment where members support one another in times of birth, illness, aging, and death.
5. To form a community that is self-sufficient as possible and capable of producing basic necessities of life for us within the community.
6. To make accessible a central fund to produce basic necessities for members of the community.
7. To give everyone (not only community members) the chance to volunteer and donate things as a way to make merit so that the community can produce and use basic necessities. Surpluses are sold or given away to other communities using Asoke's alternative to capitalism, Boon Niyom.
8. To create a community of ecological and social balance.
9. To propagate Buddhism through various media, as well as being examples through actual practice of Buddhism in everyday life.

Boon Niyom Cooperative on Sept. 27, 1994, the cooperative was established with the purpose of operating the following seven main activities as explained below:

1. Boon Niyom Commerce
2. Helpful Community Industry
3. Boon Niyom Education
4. Sustainable Organic Agriculture
5. Dhamma Communication
6. Health Care Emphasizing Self-reliance
7. Basic Services for all

Boon Niyom Commerce holds five basic principles:

1. To sell commodities at low prices
2. To be fair at all costs
3. To be diligent
4. To be meticulous and frugal
5. To be honest and serve selflessly

Under these principles we run a vegetarian restaurant in Nakhon Pathom city, a diesel fuel station at the temple, a pharmacy for certified herbal medicines, and three retail shops selling good quality, environmental friendly products, where one of the shops also sells vegetarian noodle dishes. In addition to the above five policies we all follow the five or the eight Buddhist precepts, and work for free. We do not sell products which are contrary to Dhamma teachings, are mere luxuries, or are harmful to one's health. Products are tagged with our buying price and our selling price to show our tiny profits.

Helpful Community Industry: We run our industries on the basis of people helping each other, working for free, and thoughtful creativity and productivity. Products that we ourselves use and sell include herbal medicines, herbal drinks and teas, herbal shampoos, washing liquids, ready-to-eat health foods made from various grains and beans, black sesame and white sesame products soy sauce (with no MSG), tofu, and other foods made form soy beans, clothing, mosquito nets, and other items.

Boon Niyom Education: We established a secondary school in 1992 and a vocational school in 1997. These schools are really out of the ordinary. Tuition and all other expenses are free, teachers of course work for free; the emphasis is on developing and strengthening the students' character, training them to work hard and be unselfish; the curriculum is composed of the following precepts--40% practical skills--35%, and knowledge 25%. The school's motto puts the curriculum in perspective: Follow the Precepts--Develop Practical Skills-Cultivate Knowledge.

Sustainable Organic Agriculture: In this we emphasize the three occupations that Asoke members in general firmly believe can help salvage the world: garbage management/recycling, making and using liquid organic products, and organic farming. The three fields complete an organic cycle and are complementary. Specific jobs include collecting and separating the community's waste, reusing some of it, selling some of it, making compost and the liquid organic products with some of the organic waste, and, planting vegetables, fruits, and herbs for use in the community. These activities help restore biological diversity, local ecosystems, and the global ecosystem.

Dhamma Communicaion: We propagate Dhamma so people can free themselves of worldly hardships, defilements, and vices, and offer training and seminars on spiritual development to communicate the essence and usefulness of the Buddhist precepts and to get people to follow the precepts in their daily lives. We communicate these ends through printed publications, Dhamma video and audio tapes, and regular radio shows. Our goal is to put spiritual wealth in people ahead of worldly things. We also broadcast shows about agriculture.

Health Care Emphasizing Self-reliance: For the welfare of community members and the general public, and in consonance with the government's health care policies, we have established a dental clinic, an infirmary, a health center, and alternative/traditional Thai health care facilities and dispense modern and herbal medicines. These services reflect the members' hospitality and compassion.

Basic Services for All: We hold free training seminars, some are open to the public, on organic farming, freeing oneself of basic vices, carpentry and mechanical skills, and building, repairing, and maintaining various things. We also offer vegetarian meals, hair cutting services, tailoring, transportation, all free, and state of the art video and audio recording, where there is no labor charge. And on His Majesty the King's birthday. Dec. 5th, along with other Asoke members all over the country, we set up food stalls to give away vegetarian food. We emphasize giving, reducing greed, and cultivating compassion.

Training the Nation: We accept roughly 200 farmers a month for intense 5 day hands-on training. We teach the five Buddhist precepts and their value in everyday life and three fields of work we firmly believe help save the world (sustainable farming, recycling, and fertilizer production). We exhort them to give up base vices (all intoxicants including tobacco, gambling, extra-marital sex, going to bars and clubs, associating with bad people, and laziness), to give up luxuries, and to live simply. Nearly all trainees are farmers in debt and are given by the creditor financial institution a 3 year debt repayment deferment for implementing what they learn here.

The Nature of Aoske:
To have fertile soil
To have clear water
To have shade trees
To have pleasant breezes
To have beautiful views
To be wealthy in heart
To be fired up for work
To be joyous in Dhamma
To know the Law of cause and Effect
To have only the five senses remain
To help everything in existence

Our way of life here at Pathom clearly reflects His Majesty the King's promotion of self-sufficiency, a moderate economy, and the maintenance of beauty, simplicity, cleanliness, serenity, and the security and peacefulness of nature. Our lifestyle coincides with the motto: "Fertile soil, clear water, verdant green leaves, clean air, and happiness for all mankind."

Samana Bhodhirak, the founding monk of Pathom Asoke Temple and Boon Niyom Community (and of the whole Santi Asoke group) leads us using principles taught by Lord Buddha some 2500 . You are welcome to visit Pathom Asoke any time. And if you know of others who might be interested please tell them about our temple community and urge them to come for a visit. We wish you all peace and to live well.

Pathom Asoke Motto:
Work for free
No interest or dividend
Distribute property evenly by donating to the communal pool.