Wat Mongkolratanaram

Wat Mongkolratanaram (Thai: วัดมงคลรัตนาราม) is a small Thai Buddhist temple located in Berkeley, California. A wat, it mainly attracts Thai American Buddhists, many of whom are students at the University of California, Berkeley, but it also draws in many local, non-Buddhists who come searching for the authentic Thai food public brunch on Sundays^[1] or attend its frequent cultural events. The temple is home to a Thai school for San Francisco Bay Area youth, as well as Berkeley's Thai Cultural Center.^[2]

AffiliationBuddhism

Location1911 Russell St, Berkeley, California

CountryUnited States

Coordinates37°51′22.69″N 122°16′14.46″W

Quick facts Religion, Affiliation ...

Wat Mongkolratanaram
Location within California
Religion
Affiliation	Buddhism
Location
Location	1911 Russell St, Berkeley, California
Country	United States
Coordinates	37°51′22.69″N 122°16′14.46″W

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In 2001, it marked 25 years of being a temple by completing renovations to its Victorian-era building to adapt the architecture to temple style.^[3]

In February 2009, a group of neighbors sought to shut down the Sunday public brunch, citing litter and traffic.^[4] The Zoning Adjustments Board of Berkeley voted 8 to 1 to keep the Sunday brunch, and the board chair "praised the temple for being a positive influence" in the neighborhood.^[5] The brunch runs on donations; visitors pay for tokens and exchange them for dishes.^[6]

The Thai-born Ajahn Manat is the current abbot of Wat Mongkolratanaram.

In 1997, the temple was home to the East Bay chapter of the Cypherpunks.^[7]