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!

Our family has been coming to this temple for over 30 years. It's my mother's must do list on the…read morefirst day of every Chinese New Year to come here to give blessings, give thanks, and prayers for the Buddha. Quan Yin/ Kwan Ying is the Goddess of Compassion in the Buddhist religion. This temple is dedicated to her. I find this temple is more genuine about the true religion and dedicate to patrons to come here seeking prayers, serenity, peace for their beliefs. Although donations are appreciated it's not expected like some of the Buddhist temples around that make you feel that it's all about the money, how much you donate, and everything and services cost money.

What's up: The family comes to this temple to make prayers and ask for blessings during events such…read moreas beginning the New Year as well as ending the year. It's a bit out of our area, but we like that it's a small temple and that they aren't overly extravagant. Parking: They have a small lot that's up front and is almost always full. But...just because it's full, that doesn't mean the temple itself is. Parking is shared with the America's Vietnamese Chinese Friendship Association. You'll have better luck finding street parking on Gates St or Manitou Ave. Environment: Masks are required. We typically bring our own incense to offer to the gods. If you forget, there are incense available for you to use as people like to donate them. Once you walk in, the incense table can be found to the left. It's recommended to use 12 sticks of incense so you'll be able to at least give 1 stick at the incense pots. We like to bring fruits to offer/bless; there are plates towards the back room if you need to use them. Donation boxes are also available if you like to make one. Restrooms are available in the next building over on the ground floor. Yay/Nay/Meh: Yay. I like that this place feels humble and intimate as opposed to the larger temples. They have the main gods that we would make prayers and offerings to and it's rarely busy unless you come in on one of the major holidays.

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!!!

Nice and clean. Feel like home again. They give me suggestions on things. Bring good energy and…read moreluck home. Thank you

Xuan Wu San is NOT a charity. It's a small Buddhist temple. We go here every year after Chinese New…read moreYear to pray for some blessings for the year. There's three different kinds of rituals. One of them requires getting 12 incense sticks to pray at each little shrine in the temple. Each little shrine is numbered so you know which one to go to first. Red envelopes are exchanged for new ones. They also have yellow and green sheets for you to put in the house or in the car for good luck. There is a separate ritual for zodiacs that happen to land on a bad luck year. That's $20 per person. The smell of incense throughout this temple is very relaxing. There's also soothing music that plays throughout. Overall, it's a nice little Buddhist temple. I always feel a little at peace after my visit here. I'll be back again next year.

I have been attending classes at the Kadampa meditation center for more than 15 years now. It has…read morehelped me so much in my life. I am happier now. I am (mostly) free of anxiety and depression. I have a positive outlook on life. Meditating here and studying the Buddhist way of life has made a profound impact on my well-being. The teachers here do a great job of taking the Buddha's message and teachings and presenting them in a way that is relatable to our culture here in the western world. If you would like to live a happy life, free of worry, depression, anxiety, etc., I highly recommend that you come here with an open mind and open heart and give it a try. It is definitely worth it.

I'm so glad that I found Kadampa as I begin my meditation journey. Their teachers have been down…read moreto earth and fantastic!

Beautiful practical teachings in a serene setting. Meditations for a modern world and a busy life…read more... My wife, my kids and I all Thank you:)

From the owner: At the beginning of each class, the teacher will guide a gentle, soothing meditation in which he or…read moreshe will help us to relax our body and mind and let go of our problems. Then the teacher will give a practical teaching on some aspect of Buddhist meditation and practice. There is usually time for discussion and questions and answers. Our teachers are trained in helping us to apply Buddha's advice to our own daily lives with appropriate analogies, stories, reasoning and humor. The session ends with a guided meditation, designed to help us take the teaching to heart in such a way that we are confident in beginning to practice it on our own. Afterwards, for those who wish, there is a chance to talk to the teacher and other students informally. Join a wonderfully diverse and friendly group who -- individually and collectively -- are seeking inner peace and happiness through training the mind.

Peaceful. The temple does not at all look like a temple from the outside, so it is easily missed…read more It is opposite to the church at the corner. The monks are very friendly and provide good advises and suggestions when you are down/hopeless. I would recommend to anyone who needs someone to listen to ur current problems. They are not judgmental but very understanding.

This is a really nice temple. The people and monks here are pretty friendly. Often times they have…read morevegetarian food for anyone who comes. The view from the top is beautiful as well.

I've been coming to this temple since I was a little girl. Fast forward 30+ years, I am still…read morecoming to this temple. Everyone is extremely nice. Clean atmosphere and like another reviewer said, they often cook vegetarian food on the weekends and it is free to anyone. I highly recommend this temple!

I really appreciate this temple because it's close to home and accessible. I normally park on the…read morestreet and just walk right in. I feel that this is more of an intimate setting since it's not a big place. The set up is three rooms right next to one another. Feel free to pick up an incense, light it with a candle, and pray. I made sure to ask for my fortune and this is up to you, but I make a donation after I finished each room. There are signs in Thai. I didn't expect to see this because I thought it was a Chinese temple. I don't visit the temple as much as I should but when I do, I think of this place.

Wong Tai Sen is a place of worship and culture. You feel a sense of community when visiting. We…read morefrequent the temple during Lunar New Year and this year was no different. It's smaller compares to many other temples but it's filled with great volunteers, and religious figures. Behind the temple is an outdoor deity, it's something you can't miss. They usually will sell Buddhist lucky charms, free lucky charms etcetera. Depending on the day and the time you visit, there will also be free meals available for visitors.

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.