Background
Bour Kry was born in Battambang and was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1963.
Bour Kry was born in Battambang and was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1963.
His early years in the monkhood were devoted to the study of the Pali Canon. In the following years, he was given the spiritual post of Secretary of the Mekon and appointed to the head of a monastery on the Thai-Cambodian border. The rise to power of the Khmer Rouge in 1975 began a grim and violent period for the country, and the existence of the Cambodian Sangha was put in critical danger.
Bour Kry managed to flee, arriving in France in 1976.
The growth of this religious community in the following years led to the establishment of Vatt Khémararam at Créteil, a suburb of Paris, in 1980. Prince Norodom Sihanouk appointed Bour Kry to the rank of Spiritual Eminence (Khmer: សម្តេចព្រះអង្គគ្រូ) in 1987.
The number of Dhammayuttika monasteries has since grown to over 150. Bour Kry has been involved in addressing the spread of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, participating in international discussions on the topic and encouraging the role of the monastery in disseminating health information.
He has also been active in spreading information concerning drug and cigarette dependence in Cambodia.