Dhammanurak Children’s Foundation Orphanage Inauguration Ceremony
July 21, 2024, marks the day of the dormitory inauguration ceremony at the Dhammanurak Children’s Foundation in Thailand. JTS has been supporting the remodeling project of this orphanage dormitory for the past year.
Venerable Pomnyun Sunim and Thai Jungto members departed from their accommodation at 5:30 a.m. and headed to the orphanage run by the Dhammanurak Children’s Foundation. They drove for 3 hours and 30 minutes westward, leaving Bangkok behind. At 9 a.m., they arrived in Kanchanaburi, where the Dhammanurak Children’s Foundation is located.

Children and nuns were busy preparing for the event in various places. The Thai Jungto members began preparing lunch as soon as they arrived.

Venerable Pomnyun took a walk around the site to see how the remodeling work had been completed. Hwang Soyeon, who oversaw the project, explained in detail how the construction had been carried out in every corner.

“This isn’t just remodeling; it’s practically a new building. The girls’ dormitory hasn’t been completed yet, but it’s also being rebuilt almost from scratch.”
First, we toured the boys’ dormitory, where the remodeling work had been completed.

When the Sunim visited this place last year, the facilities were extremely dilapidated. The small rooms had two restrooms, which were completely broken down, and the rooms were separated by wooden partitions. During the renovation, the restrooms inside the rooms were removed to enlarge the living spaces, and five new restrooms and a shower facility were built outside. The roof, which looked like it was about to collapse, was replaced entirely. Additionally, a drainage system was constructed behind the building to prevent landslides caused by rain, and water and sewage systems were overhauled.

“As you can see, the restrooms have been moved outside, and five new stalls have been constructed.”
On the exterior walls of the restrooms, pictures that the children love were painted. Upon entering, there were clean, newly renovated shower rooms and spacious rooms.


“We installed a sliding door to make it easy for the children to come in and out. If you go inside the room, you’ll see that everything has been newly remodeled. We also laid new plumbing and replaced the septic tank. Additionally, we did drainage work to prevent water from seeping into the walls.”
After leaving the boys’ dormitory, we headed toward the girls’ dormitory.

“When you visited last time, you mentioned that it was dangerous for the children to walk, so we improved the path. We’ve created new stairs to connect the area.The girls’ dormitory was also very outdated, with the building being over 20 years old. We carried out renovations to divide the space into 11 rooms and corridors. The ceiling was low and hot, so we raised the ceiling and replaced the entire roof to improve ventilation.


“The girls’ dormitory is still not finished. We have laid tiles in all the rooms and created a total of 11 spacious rooms. We plan to install glass windows to allow sunlight in. To ensure good ventilation and reduce heat, we have raised the ceiling significantly. The nun has also requested that we add more shower rooms, so we will need to consider that as well.”
After touring the orphanage, we met the head of the orphanage, Maechee Chutipa, a Buddhist nun, on the way to the event venue and exchanged greetings.

“Are you feeling good in health?”
“I’m fine. Today, all the children are absent because it’s a school day. Instead, a high-ranking monk is coming to this area today to perform a prayer and blessing for us.”

“Yes, thank you.”
“I’m quite sad because the construction is not completely finished yet.”

“It’s okay. Construction never goes according to plan. Today is the only day I can visit this year, so even though the work isn’t finished, I came anyway. Looking around, it seems like just a few more days of work, and it should be done.”
As we arrived at the event venue, the guests who were attending the completion ceremony started to arrive one by one.


The INEB (International Network of Engaged Buddhists) office in Bangkok was represented by Secretary-General Mu and Ancheli. Additionally, Venerable Chaiyaphon and Venerable Myohai, who had visited JTS through the INEB Study Tour, also attended to celebrate the completion ceremony. Also a highly respected senior monk from Kanchanaburi was present.



Ven. Pomnyun Sunim exchanged pleasantries and enjoyed a tea gathering with the guests. Since everyone present was deeply engaged in socially conscious Buddhism, they had in-depth discussions on various social issues, including the societal turmoil in Myanmar and the Rohingya refugee crisis, sharing ideas on how best to address these challenges.

At 10 AM, everyone moved to the event hall. The children living at the Dhammanulak Orphanage first showcased an exciting performance with Thai traditional dance and music.




At 10 AM, everyone moved to the event hall. The children living at the Dhammanulak Orphanage first showcased an exciting performance with Thai traditional dance and music.

Next, the young nuns bowed three times and chanted prayers for the Sunim and guests.

After a simple welcoming ceremony, everyone moved to the newly remodeled girls’ dormitory.


The head of the orphanage, Maechee Chutipa, gave a welcoming speech.

The children are very happy now that the dormitory has been built.
“The building in front of you was an old structure. When Ven. Pomnyun Sunim visited last year and saw the condition of the building, he decided to support its renovation. So, they renovated two buildings. This one is the girls’ dormitory, but it is not yet fully completed. The boys’ dormitory has been completed, and we will visit it next.”

“Since the dormitory was completed, the children are very happy. This place used to be a large hall where everyone slept together. However, Ven. Pomnyun suggested that since the children have grown up, they would need separate rooms, so we decided to divide the space. Now, we have created 11 rooms, and the plan is for 3 children to share each room.”

“Today is the official opening day of this building. We will officially inaugurate the building and take a moment to express our respect. Ven. Pomnyun and our esteemed guests, please take a tour of the building and offer your blessings. Thanks to your blessings, the children will be able to sleep well in a comfortable bed starting today.”
Venerable Pomnyun and the guests entered the girls’ dormitory and offered their blessings together.

The young nuns chanted sutras and prayed outside.

Everyone took a commemorative photo in front of the newly remodeled girls’ dormitory.

Next, they moved to the boys’ dormitory. The boys’ dormitory had completed its interior remodeling, and the construction was neatly finished on the exterior as well. On a beautiful flower bed, a sign was proudly displayed, indicating that the children’s dormitory of the Dhammanurak Foundation was built with the support of JTS.

After touring the inside of the dormitory, everyone gathered in front of the plaque for a group photo.

In front of the boys’ dormitory, the young nuns also performed chanting prayers.

The ceremony was modestly concluded. Just then, the technicians who had carried out the remodeling work came to greet the Ven. Pomnyun. Sunim expressed his gratitude first.

“Thank you for constructing the building so well,” Sunim said.
The technicians replied with a smile,
“We will make sure to finish it well. Thai technicians often run away, but we won’t run away.” (laughter)
Everyone then moved to the dining hall to have lunch together.

The Thai Jungto Society members prepared Korean food. Due to the Korean Wave, the children at the orphanage wanted to try Korean food, so they prepared Kimbap, Tteokbokki, Dakgangjeong, and Japchae.




The children loved the Korean food so much that they came back for seconds and thirds. Some of them even came up five times to get more.

The young nuns waited until everyone had been served their food before offering prayers and beginning their meal.


The children enjoyed the meal so much that all the dishes were finished.


Sunim had a conversation with the guests over lunch. The guests were curious and asked why he decided to support this orphanage.

“Could you please explain a bit about the reason that led you to support this orphanage?”
“This place is an orphanage that takes care of children who are either orphaned or have parents who cannot care for them due to poverty. However, the nun was having a hard time running the orphanage. When I visited here last year, I saw that the building was very old. The living conditions for the children—where they eat, sleep, and live—were so poor that I felt something had to be done to improve it. So, I asked the nun, ‘Would you like to build a new building, or would it be better to renovate the existing one?’ and she said it would be better to renovate.”
“The orphanage facilities were so old that we practically rebuilt them by making significant improvements.”

“We carried out remodeling work on both the boys’ and girls’ dormitories. The buildings were so old that we practically rebuilt them. However, due to the technician falling ill and other issues arising, the construction got delayed. Since this was the only time I could visit this year, even though the work isn’t fully finished, we decided to hold the completion ceremony today.”
“The guests were pleased to see the children enjoying the food so much, and everyone expressed their happiness.”

“‘It’s really nice to see the children eating well. I think they like having so many guests around.’
During his Southeast Asia visit, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim shared his reflections after traveling through 10 countries. After a deep conversation with the guests, Sunim moved to another location to conduct an interview with YouTuber Chris. Chris, the husband of a member of the Bangkok Jungto Association, wanted to share the event and Sunim’s activities with the public and asked a few questions.
‘I’m really curious about what the Jungto Society does and why you established it.'”
Sunim explained in detail the purpose of founding the Jungto Society and the activities it is currently involved in.

People often think material abundance will eliminate all suffering. However, even in countries like Korea, where basic needs are met, people still struggle with suffering. According to Buddha’s teachings, our suffering does not come from a lack of material fulfillment but from ignorance. By awakening from this ignorance, we can free ourselves from suffering. This is the core message of the Jungto Society, which was established to spread Buddha’s teachings and help people live happier lives.
At the same time, Many people in the world still lack even the basic material conditions necessary for survival and live in absolute poverty. To address this, the Jungto Association provides food to the hungry, medical care to the sick, and education to children so they can learn and grow.
Modern society’s excessive consumption has led to the climate crisis. To overcome this, we must all reduce consumption. For a long time, people believed that producing and consuming more was the key to a good life, but this is a mistaken idea. The real question is, “How can we live happily while consuming less?” We need to seek a way to live a carbon-neutral life and still find happiness. To support this, the Jungto Society advocates for a movement of simplicity, encouraging people to eat less, wear less, and use less. This is essentially a movement for frugal living.
When we have a surplus, we should share it with the poor, which is a movement for poverty alleviation. Furthermore, when individuals stubbornly hold on to their own opinions, conflicts and wars arise. However, by acknowledging and understanding our differences, we can resolve problems peacefully. This is the essence of the peace movement.
By engaging in practices related to personal development, environmental protection, peacebuilding, and poverty alleviation, we can create a world where nature is beautiful, society is peaceful, and individuals are happy. This ideal world is referred to as the “Pure Land” in Buddhism, and it is the vision behind the creation of the Jungto Society, which carries out these activities.
After the interview, the nun in charge of the Dhammanurak Orphanage came to express her gratitude to the Sunim.
“Thank you, Venerable Pomnyun Sunim”

After taking a commemorative photo with the attending guests, the Sunim also greeted the members of the Jungto Society.
“Thank you all for your hard work. I have to go to Vietnam tonight, so I’ll head to the airport first. You all can come at your own pace.”


As the Venerable was about to leave, the children from the orphanage played the drums to see him off.

The Sunim wrapped up the orphanage’s opening ceremony and headed towards Bangkok airport for his next schedule.
This article was edited and written based on a report provided by the Day in the Life of Sunim team.