This has been the temple I've been going to since I was younger. I come once a year or maybe twice…read moreto pray to my grandma and grandpa. The people here are so kindhearted & warm. This is primarily a teochow/Chinese temple. :-) They have free vegetarian food on super big holidays like Lunar New Years. I would 100% recommend coming to this temple and praying. It's truly peaceful & everyone here is so kind :')

This temple is Teochew/Chinese and all are welcomed. I come here almost every year. I have an uncle…read moreand a older cousin that works there. It's a small and beautiful place to be a part of. Last year I did not make it in on time and they closed early so be sure to check the times or call in for hours. Don't assume everyone speaks English. There is no entrance fee. Its a great place to visit if you're in town or for the Chinese New Year. There is plenty of parking in the lot. Like most temples, donations are acceptable at any dollar amount and is not a requirement. Most of the time if they see you give donations during the Chinese New Year, you get tangerines or oranges in return. A lot of temples have smoke blowing in your eyes and surroundings from the incense being lit, but not at this place. This place is very clean and less congested. It's really quiet and less crowded too which is good.

I can't believe there's only 2 reviews for this temple. Believe it or not but my family helped…read morebuild this temple when it was nothing but a patch of land. My parents and a couple of their friends decided to build a temple, then when word got out, a lot of people donated money to help build this temple. Then as people started to come, they wanted to build an outdoor kitchen to cook for the poor and unfortunate people and people started to donate rice and vegetables and cooking utensils. Then they started to have people joining the prayer group, both my parents and sister joined. They go to temple to do prayer on special occasions and chat for enlightenment. Before Covid, I always go there every Sunday to help them chopped vegetables to make lunch for the needy people, i mean the poor folks, some ain't even poor, they just go for the free food and the take the offerings, which they not supposed to unless the people managed it says is ok. But I see a lot of greedy people who just take more than they need. Every Sunday, lots of people come to help prepare the food, set up the chairs and tables, wash all the pots and pans, serving trays, clean the area. But now, they're only doing it once in awhile. If you want to donate money, they have these metal boxes by the front entrance and the goddess of mercy. You can also donate rice, cooking oil and vegetables. My family also donated grapefruit and tangerines because we grew them, we do it every harvest. We donated a lot of things too like the incense, rice and cooking oil. Is a good place to go and help out, you can also chat with the monks, they have a book if you don't know the words of the chants. Sometimes the chants can go for hours, but they take breaks and then go back to chanting lol. A good time to go is usually on the weekends. But if you happen to drive by and see the gates are open, then is open. Go pray for good health, for new babies , or for your loved ones who passed away to have a good journey and don't pray to win the lottery or get rich, is not going to work and it might backfire, you might end up even poorer lol Everyone is welcome to come by. One more thing, when they serve free lunch on Sundays, they sometimes sell the food for $5 a box and they sell the pickle vegetables for $5, is really good. They make their own pickled veggies. Is that sour mustard green veggies. Is delicious.

The San Gabriel Buddhist Temple is a small community temple. It's a small sanctuary dropped in a…read morebusy street. There is no religious restrictions so everyone is welcome to come to seek prayers or listen to chants offered by monks. From talking to the "manager" the temple is not open regularly Monday to Friday (but accessible by appointment). There are limited services and events aligned to the lunar calendar 1st and 15th of the month so please contact the temple for hours to access the events or services.

This was the quick go-to place for some praying during Chinese New Years, especially when I have…read morework the next day and can't make it to the ones in Los Angeles. So this review applies mainly for that occasion. I came here on Sunday and it was packed even before midnight! They have all the essential Buddhas for luck, wealth, health, love, prosperity, etc. Even if you don't know where to go, they will kindly assist you into the correct direction. No purchases are forced on you and they are based off of donations. After praying, I headed to the back where they gave free books, calendars and charms (they have been blessed for luck & other super cute ones!) SIDE STORY: Back two years ago, my cat had babies and we were unable to take care of too many of them so we donated 2 kittens to this temple. It was actually recently, my mom discovered that they dedicated a page in their yearly books about the 2 cats! Their duty was to keep away the rodents and they became part of the family. I'm glad they were not abused and the owner of this temple really loves them. It is seldom someone would love a stray cat, but bless these people! I'm not too into the whole religion thing, but these people help me see the little hope left in humanity.

My family is a member here for many year. We make our donations and ask for prayers and guidance…read morefor family and friends during CNY. It's small place inside but very friendly atmosphere. It is not full of smells of burning incense inside. Especially in the back where we also can pray and share offerings to all the Buddhist gods and goddesses. Around the 15th of the month in Lunar calendar, they served vegetarian dishes and dessert. The ladies are very humble and giving, as they serve visitors two boxes of food to go. I am appreciative for the additional services and more that comes with our donations. My heart feels at peace and hopes many other continue support this temple.

Beautiful and serene Buddhist temple! On special occasions when a celebration is happening, it is…read morecrowded and delicious Burmese fare is served to anyone who visits from the community. The group who is putting on the celebration will have food ready and anyone can partake. I love this sense of community building. After lunch I will walk the grounds and pray to various deities and make a monetary donation. I always leave feeling better than before. Highly recommend visiting even if there is no celebration going on.

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.

修行，不是追求完美，而是坦然地接受殘缺。人無完美，做人也好，做事也罷，誰能盡善盡美？人生的修行，就是用智慧看透世間黑白，並用一顆善良的心成就一切美好，用一顆寬容的心，坦然地接納無法的不完美～…read more 淨宗學會， 我來過好幾次了，這個地方有很多的佛教文學， 經書， 師兄姐們態度也都很客氣， 很多經書可以免費跟大眾結緣， 我現在唸的阿彌陀經， 藥師經... 的經書， 都是在這裡請的， 當然， 你也可以隨喜功德， 也可以助印更多經書， 來幫助更多的信眾

The Amida Society is a place where you can learn the Buddha's teachings. Specifically it is a place…read moreof practice and education in the Pureland tradition. They have a regular Dharma Assembly where you chant Amitabha's name (in Chinese). They have english dharma classes as well so don't be shy to shoot an email. Try a more peaceful and simple way of living! It is a lay organization.

Love visiting this place. Was great for a Mother's day trip one year too. Had amazing tea,…read morebeautiful scenery, and the Buddhas were exquisite!

A nonprofit organization, locally, the IBPS is best known as the formal name of organization that…read moreruns the Hsi Lai Temple, the centerpiece of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order in Southern California. The organization's headquarters is in Taiwan. Although most of the people who go to Hsi Lai Temple are Taiwanese or Chinese, a number of English-only speakers (this includes 2nd generation Asian-American people who don't speak Chinese, as well as non-Asians) go there, too. If you want to learn more about Buddhism, check out their website at www.ibps.org or the Hsi Lai Temple site at www.hsilai.com. The IBPS website seems to have some broken links (particularly in the English section, but the Hsi Lai Temple website is quite robust). Check out the Yelp Review of the Hsi Lai Temple: http://www.yelp.com/biz/oT7g-I7sHIoa9X5YcNmu5A?hrid=F8sTI1jyb4WFbX8Dc9UcAw

Love this temple, I always go here for any ceremonies, I've been here since I was little, amazing…read morestaff, amazing monks and nuns, and overall this temple is with going too!

As a Vietnamese Buddhist growing up in the I.E. I'm pretty sure I'm a minority O_O There aren't…read morethat many Vietnamese temples at all, compared to Little Saigon and stuff, but this temple is the closest one to my house. I used to be a part of the Youth Group they had here and it was great. It wasn't religion-centric or anything, moreso a group of friends talking about the stresses of every day life and giving each other constructive advice. Of course there was the religious aspect of meditation and brief prayers and dharma talk. I actually LOVEd going to temple every saturday, in addition to the Sunday prayers. On Sunday, it's basically the weekly prayer sessions where cute old Vietnamese ladies come and pray, in addition to gossiping. This is like their hang out spot, cause I mean .. .. where else do you find Vietnamese people around here. Despite how gossipy the ladies are, the one thing I respect and admire from them is their kind hearts. It's quite common to come along to pray at funerals for members of the temples and their families. But I noticed they even go pray for people they have no attachments to. I mean obviously the Master and the other Monks have religious responsibilities and so on, but these ladies don't have to spend their free time praying for others. They're just really nice... And the one thing I love about the smaller temples, is the family-like attitude. Even when they come and pray for you, you can offer them a donation. It's not like a set price. Cause I know some temples in Little Saigon have set rates and it gets really sketchy.. .. I think religious establishments should be less materialistic. Oh and I LOVE the Vegetarian food they have here. Sometimes on Sundays the ladies here donate food to feed everyone. And in the past there were events were they did a vegetarian buffet where they sold tickets for $5 or $10 as a fundraiser for building the temple. Overall, I can see myself growing old and grey with this place. I've met many great people here and I wouldn't know what kind of person I would be if I was never a member of this temple's youth group :)