I was wandering around the Richmond Art Center campus when I spotted this beautiful little gem out…read moreof the corner of my eye. As I walked closer I noticed some workers painting the sculptures out front so I decided to walk closer. As I turned the corner around back I saw the parking lot gate was open and I decided to walk in. I approached one of the workers and asked if the place was open and he said yes and asked me if I wanted to come inside and pray. I gratefully declined and said I just wanted to have a look so he invited me in and I was allowed to wander around. Everyone I encountered inside was extremely nice and inviting. I sat down in the meditation room and had a moment to myself. It had been a seriously long time since I've had a moment to myself and my mind and body were so glad that this happened. I met a monk on my way out and had an extremely great conversation about how I had been feeling lost and needed this moment to help me get a better footing on my mind. He explained that they were getting ready for Laotian New Years and invited me to come back and join the festivities. I thanked him for his time and quickly hurried back to my day to day. When I got home I told my GF about the experience and mentioned that we should come visit. We came back for the festivities and it was amazing. So many families and so many smiles. Everyone was super inviting and friendly. One uncle saw us standing around and said to us "EAT" so we did. There was so much food and drinks. We almost exploded with the amount of amazing stuff there was available. This place has been built by hand and from donations by the community, a few years of work to have this magic in the middle of Richmond. I'll never forget my experience here and it allowed for me to return to my practice. I will be forever thankful for this first step. Thank you so much

I came here for the first time during the water festival in April. Monks are very friendly or are…read moretemple members. This temple is the center of the community in richmond and the bay area. I really enjoy the festival. It has dancing, singing and many foods to buy during the festival. Donation is not required.

so the old man is a buddhist. for the record i am not. but i adhere to buddhist principles. and…read morewe met at a buddhist retreat center. and we got married at said retreat center on a stage built for his holiness the dalai lama. so when it was time to pick a wedding favor for our guests...we decided to make our own tsa tsa's...or mini molded buddha statues. we took a class on how to mix and pour the molds and they gave us a key to the studio so we could drive up from santa cruz whenever we wanted to make them. we chose to make medicine buddha statues because we got married at land of medicine buddha and were able to able to make them the beautiful royal blue color. it wasn't cheap, but it was a great experience to make our wedding favors from scratch together and we had a lot of fun. they even supplied the boxes and helped us print up little cards to put inside. it is a lot of work but it was worth it.

Beautiful and peaceful setting away from all the city noise to sit and reset for a nice relaxing…read moreday.

Beautiful place to find your peace, walk in the garden and turn some prayer wheels. There is…read moreobviously a very caring community involved to maintain such a beautiful place. Donyo has a great sense of humor. What a bright spirit he is!

This Thai temple is such a hidden gem, was super grateful for friends who introduced us to it. It's…read morea legit Thai temple in Berkeley that has a Sunday morning/afternoon market. You trade in cash for tokens, and then trade the tokens for food that is worth different token amounts (I think that's how they get around the taxes and tip). You can always return the tokens at the end of your meal to get your cash back. My top hits were this pho-like soup with beef and I think bone broth? the Thai iced tea, and the kanom krok dessert (the coconut dessert pastries). CASH ONLY Pros: - the soup is delicious - my friend always brings a container to take the rest of the broth home if she doesn't finish it - all the food is super delicious, and all the workers are super nice - LOTS of options to choose from! Thai food everywhere. Decent prices for the amount of food you get - The temple is beautiful and the statues are gorgeous, even if you're not Buddhist it's a really cool environment to be in - They have covered and uncovered tables to sit and eat at, and you dump your leftovers and dirty dishes in a designated pile, the whole thing is a very well-run ship. Cons: - parking can be tricky - Food can run out if you come closer to noon - lines can be long because the food is so good, recommend you come early - can get loud and crowded - lots of dogs, families, kids, etc. this place is popular. an introvert's nightmare LOL I recommend coming with a party of 2-3 so that one of you can stake out a spot, one of you can stand in a longer line , etc.

The golden paint around the gates instantly demarcated an entrance to the Thai temple. I was…read moreinstantly met with a pleasant aroma of Thai spices. First checkpoint was to obtain tokens in order to purchase the Thai food. Well, I calculated that maybe I had enough stomach space for "two meals" at most, but the portions decent enough to satiate my appetite. I want to gate-keep this experience, however I believe that there is enough publicity that this place is no longer an obscure discovery. The roaming temple dog (maybe a lost but well-behaved dog) mad it an extra fun experience. The food is a great intro to what Thai food is! Pick your personal favorites, I believe each item wouldn't disappoint. I would come again with my friends to revisit this place for a relaxing Sunday breakfast.

My daughter grew up a Buddhist in this temple. This is Jodo Shinshu, vs Zen Soto based, however,…read morethey are conducting "Intro to Buddhism" classes now (3/20/13) thru April, as well as meditation an Sunday services. This is a very very small sangha and many members are Japanese-American (2nd or 3rd gen) but there is a smattering of others, too. There used to be an elaborate Obon festival but as the sangha had aged, well.... If you would like a low-key Buddhist community where there's not hundreds of book-end Buddhists to rush to and away, rather to be part of a quiet sangha, check it out. They will welcome you and adopt you.

on june 22(sunday), the buddhist temple of marin will host a "summer obon festival from 12-7. the…read morepublic is invited. admission is free. they will feature cultural exhibits, food, games, i.e. fun for the whole family" chicken teriyaki is the featured entree. (of course, some events will cost monies. this event is also a fundraiser for the temple). -(from shizko mishima, about..com) "obon is a buddhist event and is one of the most important traditions of japanese people. it is the period of praying for the repose of the souls of one's ancestors. people believe that their ancestors' spirits come back to their homes to be reunited with their family during obon...

It's a beautiful place and the people are even better. It's not what I expected it's so much more.read more

As a former member of SGI-USA, I had heard a lot from them about "the Priesthood issue", which was…read morea covert way of referring to strained relations with Nichiren Shoshu. I was told the Priests are greedy, mean, and power-hungry. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. The Priests are kind, warm, and approachable. The members are open, caring, and loving. The Temple and its administrators value the privacy of the members. I have taken many friends as my guest to the Temple, out of my pride and love for this Temple. It is a very comfortable, even transformative place to be. I find myself making excuses to go there weekly, all the way from Fremont to Pinole! If you are interested in creating peace, joy, and fullfilment in your life, the Buddhism of Nichiren Shoshu is for you! Come check out our Temple!!!

Vallejo Zen Center, or Clear Water Zendo, is fully functioning temple with early morning zazen…read more(meditation), Saturday morning program including lecture, One-Day Sittings and multi day Sessions. There are scheduled classes and monthly Full Moon Ceremonies. This temple has been a big help for me. Daily zazen gets me off to a good start each morning. I enjoy learning the teachings of Dogen and more contemporary teachers. The temple is welcoming and the Sangha is there to help, especially newcomers. Abbess Mary Mocine is available to help students with their practice and how to apply it to our lives. We also have speakers from San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers. Vallejo Zen Center is a wonderful place to discover and develop a Zen practice.

Vallejo Zen Center (Clearwater Zendo) is a welcoming community with a peaceful space to practice…read more There's ample room to feel comfortable in the beautiful Zendo along with chairs and cushions, depending on one's needs. We are fortunate to have Mary Mocine offering Zen teachings in this part of the Bay Area and to experience the warmth of her heart. I am happy to practice here.

This review is for the farm as well as the Green Gulch hiking trail. All of us were quite impressed…read morewith the beauty of the farm produce, and the flowers- very healthy & vibrant. Seems like a pretty neat place to be for a retreat I'm pleased the hike let us through Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. We started at Muir Beach and stayed on the Green Gulch Trail to the crossroads at the top. Definitely some uphill climbing yet doable- met some nice hikers along the way coming down. The views are incredible even with the fog rising over the valley. There was good signage which we appreciated. Back at the beach there are restrooms which was much needed after 6 miles of hiking.

Unreal slice of Heaven nestled in the valley of marin headlands. We hiked from Tennessee Valley to…read moreMuir Beach and decided to hike through the valley on our way back instead of an out and back. What an incredible stumble upon in the midst of our hike. Pictures don't do this beautiful spot justice. It felt unreal when we walked up to the garden then through the zen center. We merely wandered through the grounds, we didn't take advantage of any services so I can't attest to what is available on the grounds besides the incredible gardens. Our round trip hike was almost 10 miles and worth every step taken. Beach, redwoods, valley rolling hills, gardens filled to capacity with beautiful blooms, veggies, and lovingly sculpted grounds. Truly an incredible experience and what a treat to allow it to be open to the public.

We went here recently to sit with Ajahn Amaro, a Theravadan monk in the Thai Forest tradition. He…read moreteaches here once a month. It's an interfaith Buddhist monastery, and there is a variety of stuff that happens here -- sittings, classes, ceremonies, etc. The space is absolutely gorgeous! The main temple room is like 3 stories high, with gorgeous stained glass. There are cushions and chairs, the chairs being quite comfortable and sturdy. You have to remove your shoes, and there is a nice plush carpet (light blue, no less!) in the temple room. If it's winter and you're going to sit here, I recommend wearing a lot of clothing or bringing a blanket. We were freezing when we were there. I imagine it's hard to heat a room that's 3 stories high.

Beautiful peaceful healing place. I have traveled 4 hours to just sit inside the monastery and…read moresoak in the good vibes.