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!!!

Hsi Lai Temple (completed in 1988) is one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. During…read moreeach Lunar New Year, the temple transforms into a festive spot with cute decors. Many visitors from across Southern California have a tradition of visiting within the first 15 days of the Lunar New Year as this period is still considered a part of the holiday celebration. [Lunar New Year Food Fair]: Each year, the temple sets up a food fair and this year the fair happened on the 1st, 5th, and 6th days of the Lunar New Year. Always check the website for the dates the temple sets up the food fair. All dishes are 100% vegetarian. Booths were selling fa gao (Chinese steamed cake), nian gao (steamed rice cake), turnip cake, boba milk tea, and even Girl Scout cookies. [Parking]: Under normal circumstances, there is free onsite parking at the temple; however, do NOT bother trying to park at the temple on days when shuttle service is available as visitors will be redirected to a shuttle parking lot. Temporary off-site parking and shuttle buses were located at Puente Hills Mall near Round1. Check the website for shuttle service dates. This year the shuttle service was offered on the 1st, 5th, 6th, and 12th days of the Lunar New Year. The shuttle service operated from 8 AM to 5 PM. There were two types of shuttles - big buses dropped off at the street level so guests needed to walk up to the temple while small shuttles dropped off in front of the Bodhisattva Hall. [Other experience outside of food fair]: There were booths selling cute zodiac charms. Most visitors come here to do the following acitivities (1) ring the Peace Bell, (2) view art gallery exhibitions like calligraphy, (3) attend Dharma services, (4) participate in the Light Offering Ceremony on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, (5) enjoy cultural performances on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year, (6) drink free hot teas at the information center, (7) throw pennies and try to hit a bell at the Arhat Garden, and (8) throw golden medallions with red ribbons at the tree. Visitors can go behind the Bodhisattva Hall to stop by the Main Shrine. At the Main Shrine, visitors can get free incense, pray & bow to Buddhas, and place it in the giant incense burner. Visitors can also purchase light offerings for $120 per person as well as other offering items at tables near the giant incense burner. [Photo]: Outdoors ONLY. [Prohibits]: No meat, fish, poultry, alcoholic beverages, smoking and vaping (e-cigarette), any use of marijuana, bicycles, rollerblading, skateboarding, pets (except certified service animals), and drone planes. [Dress code - preferred]: Shirts with sleeves (male and female), no tank tops, shorts, short skirts/dresses, flip-flops, or slippers. [Conclusion]: The temple offers one of the most comprehensive Lunar New Year food experiences in the entire Southern California. This is also one of the most festive places in Southern California during Lunar New Year. Highly recommend to stop by here at least once to experience the celebration. P.S. - The temple has a really good vegetarian lunch buffet.

The most beautiful stunning temple. The food is amazing and delicious. The people are kind and I…read morelove it here. 10000000000/5 stars if I could live here I would.

Hải Tạng Temple. It's the first temple in the West Covina, California, usa. Address: 838 W Merced…read moreAve, West Covina, CA 91790

I had the immense privilege to be able to join this temple's celebration of Losar, the Tibetan New…read moreYear. (Tashi delek) is what I heard upon entering this temple, with kindness emanating from the Tibetan monks as well as the Chinese speaking docent of the temple. Services are often conducted in Tibetan, Mandarin, and English, and visitors such as myself are welcome to participate in the Buddhist religious practices, such as the mantra chanting. Buddhists of all ethnic backgrounds come here to be in community with their faith. On this occasion, Tibetans gathered to celebrate their New Year and generously allowed us to celebrate with them.

I'm taking their Beginner's level Tibetan language class here. Their pedagogy is very different…read morefrom other American schools', e.g., Beverly Hills Lingual Institute, UC extension. Instead of the familiar explanatory and full immersion approaches which American schools usually employ, Land of Compassion Buddha's monks pretty much use the most primitive way to teach a new language-recitation, memorization and repeated practices-in class! I basically don't do any revision at home, as I'm busy with other things; and they go over the new things like 30 or 50 times in class with us to make sure we do the work even if after class we don't study ourselves. I'm wondering if it's a monastic way of language learning as self-study may not take up as much time of a student's, at least when they are on elementary level. Just my guess. Venerable Thupten Jangchu is pretty awesome. I honestly don't remember learning like this after graduating from the kindergarten at six. He guarantees everyone in the whole class "gets it" before he moves on to something new so it becomes not only about learning but also practicing patience, which is sometimes even more important to a student. My class becomes something I look forward to through the week. Nothing is better than learning a new thing in a tranquil place filled with beautiful dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) tools and nice people. The accent/dialect Venerable Jangchu teaches is Khampa which is spoken in Eastern Tibet. If you need to learn another accent/dialect, you should ask in advance when you sign up. I think I paid about $200 for a boot camp lasting 1.5 months. The text book costs $15. A steal, right? Oh, no shoes in the center. There's tea for students. Just make sure you clean up after yourself. Volunteer to put the study trays and sitting cushion back to the storage after class. There are no chairs; we sit on the floor so I find pants more convenient than dresses or skirts. As for lunch, the mall with eateries, Starbucks, Westfield and Ikea is 5 minutes away.

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.

Beautiful temple. Great Ceremonial events. Nice gardens. Willing to let anyone who would like to…read morehave a statue...

Great Sunday thai food market. The vendors are so friendly and nice. I'm here every weekend…read more(almost) for the thai papaya salad extra spicy and the chicken skewers. I've the stall with the crab fried rice super yummy. The front building with the thai boat noodles very tasty. The thai tea and thai coffee is good as well in the front as well. My goal is hopefully to try all the stalls but that will take weeks to come. Too much good food not enough stomach space. After the viral IGs and online recognition from influencers it has gotten more busy but worth it for the vendors. So happy to see them busy. Hoping this stays here for as long as possible.

Accidentally stumbled upon this temple on a Sunday to find out that they host a food market every…read moreSunday until 3pm! They operate on a token system, so be sure to bring cash or have Zelle ready to exchange for tokens ($1/token). They have a variety of food options, such as a beverage van selling regular/green Thai tea and coffee, as well as staples such as pad see ew and papaya salad. My favorites are the $1 pork skewers and the boat noodle, incredibly worth it and sooo flavorful! Honestly better than some of the restaurants I've had out there. For parking, if you don't want to park in the dirt, you might get lucky with a spot just outside of the entrance by the dead end (I've never had an issue parking at the curb there). The staff there are very friendly and sweet, and they usually have someone singing karaoke :) such a great place, highly recommend!

Spoke to one of the sister / nun , even though her English were not perfect she tried her best to…read moreexplain to me about the rituals of 49 days death anniversary rituals . She were so kind and patient to answered some of my questions . She also welcome me and my family to come visit the temple on the weekends for their traditional annual celebration. She says every one is welcome , no matter race or religion background . come to pray pray when ever one feel like . Since it's COVID she states the men hall is closed off to public and some of the inside rooms. We are welcome to pray at the praying hall

For Vietnamese New Years, it is our tradition to visit many temples for good luck. Growing up in…read moreUpland, there were not many Vietnamese Buddhist Temples in the area. Vinh Nghiem Temple is one of the three temples in a 30 minute radius for my family to visit during New Years since my mom cannot drive on the freeways. The Headmaster and the Buddhist Nun here are both really nice and welcoming. My mom and I are not regulars to this temple, but every time we come, they always offer us a vegetarian meal and well blessings. I know the temple underwent construction in recent years and now they have a private lot that makes it easy for visitors to park. Back in the days, we would have to park a few houses down on the street. With the new construction, the main hall has also been refurnished with new Buddha statues. The interior and exterior of this place looks great. I am slightly surprised that Vinh Nghiem Temple has no reviews yet, but then it makes sense since their regular disciples seem to be an older more traditional crowd of older ladies. If you are looking for a nearby temple to visit, this place is great!

As a Buddhist of the Thai Theravada tradition, I was excited when I first thought I could attend…read moredharma talks by legit Thai monks here in CA. When I looked into visiting, it was quite odd to me that the website was asking me to pay to reserve a seat before ever even going. This struck me as odd. Only a bit of investigation was needed before I quickly learned this is a cult with tremendous wealth and power. Rather than accepting "Dana," a contribution made of generosity in Buddhism, where no one is turned away due to a lack of funds to meditate, they specifically charge and further proclaim, the more you donate, the 'better your merit. Be careful if you get involved with this group. They advocate for materialism and wealth, which is absolutely not in alignment with the ancient teachings of the Buddha. In fact, his views were *the very opposite*.

Beautiful guided candlelight meditation to honor Earth Day! I loved it so much! I practice…read moremeditation daily at home, but I really enjoyed the guided meditation that the monks did for us. It left me feeling grounded, naturally elated, and connected. Loved the message that the monk gave where he emphasized on world peace through cultivating inner peace. Also, loved how he reminded us not to force our thoughts away, but to relax and release into the experience that arises. Thank you so much for such a blessing! Also, the grounds are beautiful! I enjoyed and loved walking in the garden! The staff was also nice and kind as well! 10/10 will come back again for another free collective meditation event!

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.