The memories I have with this temple have been pleasant and heartwarming…read more I can remember holding my ba ngoai's hand going from statue to statue and praying with heart as I place each incense in their holder. But as I got older and moved out I found myself going less and less. But I felt that this year was the year to rediscover my culture and I came back during Lunar New Year's weekend. I came on Lunar New Year day (1/29) and once more on Sunday (2/03). Being able to come and pray once more has brought more peace and ease to my heart. Especially now knowing that my dad's photo is here makes me so happy to know how close to home he is. When my mom told me my dad's photo was here I knew I had to come back, but when I came I was overwhelmed by how many photos there were and asked one of the ladies there to help. She was able to find my dad through his name and birthday and lead me to his photo. I was so happy to see his smiling face once more that I got a little misty eyed. But held back my tears because it is not good luck to cry on Lunar New Year LOL The temple is clean with helpful volunteers and monks. I love the food they make here and my boyfriend is hooked! They mentioned on Sundays at 9am they start selling food so I know where I'm heading that morning to grab a quick bite, say hi to my dad, and donate to the temple.

The Amazing Temple, along with the Most Venerable Thich Vien Ly, helped me discover a true sense of…read morefamily.

Spent the day at Hsi Lai Temple to slow down, clear my mind, and enjoy a peaceful vegetarian meal…read more Hsi Lai Temple was founded in 1988 by Fo Guang Shan, one of the largest Buddhist organizations in the world. It's also one of the biggest Buddhist temples in the United States and is known for its beautiful traditional Chinese architecture and peaceful surroundings. One thing to keep in mind is that photography isn't allowed in many areas of the temple, so be sure to watch for the posted signs and respect the rules. Before heading out, we stopped by the dining hall for lunch. The vegetarian buffet is just $10 per person and you can go back for more if you'd like. The food is simple, comforting, and filling. Just remember to take only what you can finish and avoid wasting food. It's always a peaceful place to visit, whether you're here to pray, take a walk, or simply enjoy a quiet afternoon. Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

My mom wanted to do a good luck prayer for the LUNAR NEW YEAR so I searched on Yelp for the nearest…read moretemple to us and found Hsi Lai Temple!... FIRST OF ALL: WOW!! What a gorgeous and magnificent temple this is!! It has about 2 floors of parking and the temple also has additional floors to go up as well. So be expected to walk up quite a few amounts of stairs!! FIRST FLOOR: We did a prayer with a donation and it came with some apples and other assortments in a red gift bag. The red gift bag required a donation of $20 per bag so me and my mom bought 2. Then, their were some nice ladies there who helped guide is on what to do. We prayed in front of 5 statues and posted the red gift bags in the middle... SECOND FLOOR: This is where we can do another prayer with 1 incense. And this is also where the restrooms were as well so make sure you don't back down to the first floor because the RESTROOMS are on the second floor!!! PARKING: Plenty of parking. There are 2 floors available for parking!! This temple really transported us to another country!! It was also very peaceful and quiet!! SATU HSI LAI TEMPLE!!!

Pad Thai ($8) - This is one of the most flavorful Pad Thai I've ever had. It had the perfect…read morebalance of sweet and savory. Adding chili oil was chef's kiss. Spicy Basil Tofu ($8) - This was also so flavorful and the tofu was fried well.

Hands down the most reasonably priced Thai food you'll find in the area! Wat Thai food court is…read moreonly open on the weekends, and it does get quite busy quite early. We arrived a little past 10 and were very fortunate to find a parking spot as the lot was just about completely full (there are attendants that help you out with the parking). Make sure to bring cash, as that's your main method of payment. You exchange your cash for colored tokens at a booth, and use the tokens to purchase food from the different stalls. If you have tokens left over, you can exchange them back for cash. There are so many food stalls and they all look like they have delicious food! I got a picture of my Pad Thai, but also ordered some fried rice and other foods to go. I thought the Pad Thai was very flavorful, and really can't be beaten for $8. There are lots of outdoor benches (covered) where you can sit and enjoy your food, and I also saw a lot of people getting food to go. Felt like an authentic night market. Definitely check it out if you're in the area!

xei xei. In loving memory of Dr. Li, an amazing and selfless physician, husband, father, son,…read morebrother and friend.

Sometimes, it takes more than Google Maps for me to find where I'm going. This temple on New Ave…read morewas so nicely decorated on the exterior and welcoming that I decided to enter the vicinity. The parking lot was small. There were some people leaving.... Service must have ended. I parked and asked for directions to the Chinese New Year 2017 Rooster Celebrations. Friendly group. And apparently, due to weather conditions... the festivities were changed to January 28th & 29th instead. Also, this place was not a temple. This was a beautifully decorated Buddha Monastery. The inside was gorgeous too. Yellow gold and red were prominent colors. There were lots of incense, flowers and fruit offerings to the statues. Peaceful. Happy Chinese New Year / Happy Spring Festival

Nice temple! There's some parking on their lot as well as the street. Staff can speak English and…read moreVietnamese. They have events for Chinese new year.

Absolutely beautiful temple, and this one was welcoming to visitors. I did not feel like an…read moreoutsider here. The people who were here taking care of the place smiled at me and did not hover over me as I looked around. I took photos but I also tried to be respectful, and I said my thank yous to their gods. This place did smell very strong of incense, but was so gorgeous inside and out. They also had a restroom! ALSO WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WITH RAMPS!!!

Japanese Obon (oh bohn) festivals are summer time local events which originated from Buddhist…read morephilosophy 2,500 years ago in India. One of Shakamuni Buddha's disciples, Maha Maudgalyayana or Mokuren in Japanese, had supernatural powers and could see his mother suffering in the afterworld. He conferred with the Buddha who counseled him to make food offerings to his fellow monks which was on the 7th month of lthe 15th day. This act of kindness released his mother from agony. Mokuren was overjoyed not only by the fact that his mother was no longer suffering, but also remembered her sacrifices & unselfishness toward him while she was still on this earth. This realization made him dance for joy & gratefulness. Hence to this day, during the Obon Festival, ancestors are venerated, and people dance in the dark, warm, humid summer evenings in joy & gratefulness like Mokuren. I have two left feet so I had to opt out of the Obon dancing, but in order to help with the temple fund raising, I bought something that is very near and dear to my heart or should I say stomach. I ordered Yaki To-morokoshi or roasted corn on the cob. Being in California, not only was there the traditional Teriyaki sauce to glaze over the corn, you could butter it up and pour on powdered Parmesan cheese, or sprinkle on Pico de Gallo Chile powder mix, etc. The corn was fresh & sweet and tasted of summer. Also ordered their charcoal grilled beef Teriyaki which was quite good. The Teriyaki sauce had a strong taste of Sho-yu (soy sauce) with a touch of sugar & a soupcon of ginger. I tend to like complex flavours since being in California I am influenced by all sorts of cuisine like Korean & Mexican so at home I would whore my version of teriyaki with garlic, pureed jalapeno peppers & cilantro. But I can see my version would be a little too busy for some people. For dessert, we ordered the Japanese Shaved Ice known as Ko-ri. This variant is called Kintoki which is Azuki beans simmered with sugar for hours until the beans are sweet and soft. The sweetened Azuki beans are then poured over the soft, snowy ice. For added extra creaminess, I ordered condensed milk to be drizzled on top of the shaved ice. The Filipino crushed ice dessert drink called Halo Halo has similar cooked sweet beans that reminds me of azuki beans. By now the Bon Odori (dance) started and the dancers started to circle & dance in a counter-clockwise direction. We watched and hanged around until it became dark. Obon Festivals are relaxed, laid back family/friends events, and are a good excuse to meet people you haven't met for some time. It reminds me a little like Mexico where people do the Paseo around the town square meeting and talking with friends, relatives, lovers, etc. except Obon lasts only 3 days in Japan.

Came here for Obon festival, and it was lit!…read more The crowd was so much fun, there was plenty of food and dancing. The people were really fun, and the Temple's grounds were spacious. Highly recommend!

Love this place! Came here to listen to Dharma discourses and prostrate to the Buddha. And see what…read moreI found! All these cute little cats! The Buddhist nun said their mom gave birth to them and then left and never came back. So now they are taking care of the kittens.

Great place , peaceful and friendly. I've visited this temple many times and it really helps me…read morecalm my mind while learning about Buddhism. Highly recommended

After the funeral service at An Lac, we brought my uncle's spirit back to this temple to rest…read more Although this was only the second time I ever went to a Buddhist funeral service, the monks and nuns here did a very good job compare to other local temple. The space was also much bigger and they had the best vegetarian meal. We got 2 banquet tables reserved and were served heaps of delicious food that were as good if not better than traditional restaurants. I'm addicted to their egg rolls. We were also served bánh hỏi thịt quay chay, bánh bao vịt quay chay, rice vermicelli with hot pot chay, mì xào giòn chay, and a couple more dishes. They were all incredible. I'm still thinking about the food and wondering if it's sacrilege to reserve for regular party. If you come here for Buddhist related things, don't miss out on their food!

A very local, simple temple in the Westminster area. It does get very crowded during special or…read morecommemorative days. When you walk up the main steps, you will take off your shoes and place them amongst the many other pairs of shoes in the shoe area. On the special days and on their regular temple days, they have vegetarian dishes for purchase at the booth. I have gotten sick once from having some dish from here, but it didnt stop me returning more than once. Oh, and you cannot miss this temple - it's painted a really bright yellow on the outside. Street parking only, so be prepared to park a few short blocks away.

The Bottom Line Up Front: This is not a restaurant or…read morefarmers market but rather a Buddhist temple -- or rather the site of a future temple. Organizers are raising funds to build a larger facility by hosting a Thai food market of sorts from Sunday morning to about 3 p.m. Select dishes and drinks from a variety of Thai food vendors, get a glimpse of Buddhism, and enjoy the great outdoors all at the same time. The Setup: Similar to a state fair, you exchange your cash for tokens then use those tokens to pay the food vendors. Don't worry, there's no funky conversion rate to trick you like at some carnivals. Here a Jackson gets you a $20 token, a Hamilton gets you a $10 token, etc. The Food: It's not a huge place like the 626 Night Market; maybe 6 to 9 vendors total -- but there's more than enough to either get your Thai food fix or to explore different offerings if you're new to Southeast Asian cuisine. My wife got the boat noodles, which was standard. A solid amount was given, but the taste just didn't wow us. Still, she was satisfied with it. I wanted something unique and this Thai-American fusion stall kept catching my eye after I kept walking around indicisively for 10 minutes. So, I ordered the BBQ wings with Thai chili sauce and Thai-seasoned french fries. There were only 3 wings, but they were substantial in size and quite moist and tender. The seasoning was pretty understated, and I was hoping for more flavors. The fries took 15 minutes longer than expected and were still not super crispy. And like the wings, it lacked strong flavors. Overall, they were fine but a little underwhelming. I ended up dipping them in the wings sauce, and that elevated them quite a bit. Together, my wife and I shared mango sticky rice, which came in a big portion. We ended up eating it the next day and it was still tasty. The mangos were nice and ripe, while the coconut drizzle on the rice was mildly sweet -- a perfect balance. The Cost: All told, we spent $40 -- $10 for the boat noodles, $15 for the BBQ wings, $5 for the fries, and $10 for the mango sticky rice. At first, I thought that was kinda expensive for just above-average food, but then I remembered that if we had purchased the same things at a sit-down restaurant, we'd probably be paying $60 to $80 these days. So this was an affordable alternative. The best part? It's a donation to a worthy charity. The Setting: All of the vendor stalls and seating are outdoors. Picture handmade picnic tables and you get the idea. There's a good amount of seating, but if you get there after 12 p.m., it might be hard to get an open table with some tree shade. The Parking: The site is located along Chino Hills Parkway, tucked behind a row of trees and residential neighborhoods. If you don't slow down to spot Rustic Drive or the tiny sign the organizers posted at the intersection, you'll easily drive by without realizing it. Also, if you don't come well before noon, the paved parking lot gets filled up quickly, as does the very limited street parking. The Conclusion: If you go in looking for top-of-the-line Thai food, you'll be disappointed. But if you go in looking for a fun outdoor dining experience and to support a good cause, you'll enjoy this market as much as I did.

Great Thai street food vibes. It's only on Sunday mornings, located at a temple until 2 or 3pm…read more It's a token system where you exchange cash for tokens to pay for your food. There are multiple food vendors, from $1 skewers, desserts, to typical Thai dishes that they cook up fresh. They have bench seating areas, but keep in mind it could get hot and sunny during summer. You can order a Thai Green Tea/Thai Tea/ Thai Coffee/Pink Drink for something refreshing.

I've been coming to this temple since I was young, for almost 20 years now. It's a very peaceful…read moreand quiet place, and I always feel calm whenever I visit. If you would like to offer food to the monks, I recommend arriving around 10:30 AM, when the alms offering takes place. This temple has been a special place for me for many years, and I'm always happy to come back.

My family has been coming here for so long that the monks gave us all nicknames. This temple is…read morevery peaceful and a good place to unwind if you need to get away from the bustle of the city. They have a daily service from 10:30-noon for the community but you can request a short prayer service before or after depending on the monk's availability. If you're familiar with Thai Buddhist tradition and temple culture, people will bring a dish or more for the monks to bless and later partake in, offer up a blessing/alms for those who've passed, then everyone will pray together while the monks receive the offerings (basically eat lunch), then it's potluck time for visitors after. It's a very laid back temple, they do have classes for youngsters on the weekends, holiday events, can also host weddings and funeral prayer services. They have retreat style meditation and also have community fund raising events as well. Please be kind and respectful when visiting, help out when possible as there are no hired janitors, everyone pitches in to help when organizing the service and you will see the system if you look for it. P.S. No shoes are allowed in the praying/service rooms, available shoe shelves are right outside the doors before entering, the shoes should join the shoe community on the shelves...thanks.