I'm a slacker Buddhist…read more You know those Christians that are called CEOs? Show up for "Christmas and Easter Only"? Yeah, I'm the Asian that only shows up for Lunar New Year Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. I've previously taken my parents and my husband to this temple where we sit and pray and do light meditation and chanting activities as well as fun singing activities in Mandarin Chinese. This temple is very different from the many that I frequented in Houston as a child. Everyone here has both English and Mandarin spoken and the services are conducted in both. Further more, one thing that I think is awesome is the Lunch and food provided here is donation based where as the temples in Houston I grew up with were payment only. I'm really excited to be 2 lights down from them, it's a 6 minute drive from the Arboretum area to this place and they have a parking lot as well as side 360 parking when it gets packed. I went last night to the Mid-Autumn Festival where they had many fun family friendly activities, everything vegetarian based food and many vegetarian asian type desserts which my parents taught me all about. So fun to see the non-asian folk also around here as the Buddhist temples I went to were predominately 90% Asian visiting. Here in Austin, I would say it's 60% Asian, with 40% everyone else. They have very cool meditation, yoga, etc events on Saturday and Sunday mornings, donation based as well as a kitchen that serves Vegetarian based meals. Also, what I love is they are not the type to "shame on you if you don't donate money to a religious cause". They truly are a friendly family type vibe and you donate because you truly believe in doing good and you want to. Totally low pressure. Also, they gave me a mooncake for the Mid-Autumn Festival that was handmade by all their volunteers and in the Lunar New Year, they give you red envelopes in Chocolate coin money, but still money none-the-less. (Houston temples actually give you $1 in a beautiful red envelope!) Celebrating Asian traditions here in Austin are very apparent here and it's beautifully decorated and I will do my best to be back more frequently.

If you've driven up 360 you will inevitably notice a big gold shiny buddha sitting happily in front…read moreof a temple and perhaps wondered what it was all about. Well I sure did and I decided to check it out. I'm not Buddhist but do enjoy meditation and yoga. I looked them up online and saw that they offered meditation classes on Saturdays (in English). Before committing, I wanted to scope this place out. I arrived at around 4:30, thirty minutes before they close. Aside from a few construction workers (apparently they are doing some major renovations), I was the only one there. I snooped into the tea room and felt like I was transported to another time. Beautiful wooden tables, one of which topped with a delicate tea set and a small vase with flowers. I saw that they offered (assumingly) vegetarian Chinese foods and noted to myself that I must try this! I walked deeper into the dining area into another room and found flyers for classes on the Introduction to Buddhism in English, as well as Chinese language classes for adults. I left the tea room and walked across the pavilion into the beautifully ornate main room to find two monks chanting in sync. I couldn't understand what they were saying but I enjoyed how serene and focused they were. At first I thought perhaps I was intruding but then I saw a welcome note on a table, sign in sheet, some information on Buddhism, and some sweets which I happily helped myself to. I will absolutely be returning to check out the meditation session sometime as well as try the food. And I will report back. :)

Sam and Kevin (along with John) really made the services tonight great for beginners like me…read more The whole group tonight was outstanding. I really enjoyed this. They meet every Monday night from 7-8:30 but we were able to stay because I had so many questions until 9:30. If you would like further information, please let me know. Directions here are tricky however Kevin will greatly assist you with that.

Wonderful and compassionate Buddhist community. Very peaceful and great for anyone interested in…read moreBuddhism. They give Introduction to Buddhism classes and have regular chanting for world peace. Come check it out! You will leave feeling more peaceful and empowered. They seek to empower the individual and bring world peace through individual happiness and they seem to be quite successful because these Buddhists are some of the truly happiest and most empowered people I know. They have child care! They even have young women's and young men's meetings! Something for everyone. I know people who have been greatly helped by this community.

This is an amazing place to visit. It's a beautiful Tibetan architectural Buddhist temple,…read moreVajrayana style Temple, from Nyingma Lineage! I was really well treated by resident lama and by the leaders. I really appreciate de visit!

It's a miracle that a Tibetan Buddhist temple connected to an authentic lineage can be found in…read moreAmerica. This is a place where those who want to commit to a serious practice of Buddhism can learn and grow.

I have been meaning to check out Buddhist temples in/around Austin for quite some time and I…read morefinally had a chance to this past weekend with my daughter who is in town from college. This was our second stop of two that day. Nice location and beautiful setting! We enjoyed it but it was very hot and muggy outside so we couldn't walk around outside for very long. I walked inside the temple expecting a quiet place to reflect but there were 3 people inside chatting and their phones next to them, so we just walked around in our socks as they require removal of shoes before going into the buildings, which is a nice thing to do. We saw one Buddhist monk/nun from afar walking around. The old buddha bronze statues surrounding the inside were nice. I assumed it would not be right to take photos inside so we didn't. I walked into the food area and saw they were prepping for an event. Shoes were not permitted in the dining area. The food they had left smelled nice and it was nice to see who was donating the food each day. I look forward to going back some day when it's not so hot and when the inside temple space has chanting or silence. :-)

Very peaceful buddhist temple with hugeeee pagoda. Reminds me so much of Burma. Inside the pagoda…read morewas cool and breezy. It was a quiet place to meditate. Highly recommended for anyone who is visiting Austin. There are plenty of parking spots.

2 hours ago It's been at least a year since I had been here…read more I came today very much looking forward to starting up my meditation practice again. The meditation was happening in the smaller Ayala room this day. As I approached I noticed there was a walking meditation taking place. Not sure if I should go inside or wait until the group was seated again I asked a woman who has just exited if it was ok for me to enter. She tried her best to avoid eye contact with me and stated "I don't know you!" With a straight face. I felt so offended by her lack of compassion and basic kindness I immediately left. What a negative energy this woman brought into the place. I didn't feel comfortable there. I won't be back.

It's been nine years that I've been attending the Austin Shambhala Center, and have felt no…read morepressure to do anything. It's all a personal path, and the sangha (community) is your support along the way. Everyone is so supportive if you voice your need to learn more. Chogyam Trungpa was a messenger. The teachings he gave have been passed down for thousands of years. Regardless of his imperfect nature, the teachings still stand firmly rooted in basic truth. Please come by and see how wonderful this group is.

Beautiful and peaceful temple with friendly and inclusive people. Kirtan was really energetic and…read moreeveryone participated. Prasadam was served with much love and generosity. We felt very welcomed and supported.

Awesome! - Ever since I visited Thailand last year, I've missed the sticky rice you could buy at…read morepretty much any market you came across. They make it in bamboo and you have to crack the shell and peel it back to eat it. It's essentially a cheap energy bar for the rice farmers there. - Very tasty! Anyway, I thought I'd have to go back to Thailand to ever get one of these again but I recently came across a little piece of Thailand in Austin. If you ever want to get a feel for what a Thai market feels like and/or just check out a fairly genuine Buddhist temple without having to fly 17+ hours check this place out. Calendar here: http://www.my.calendars.net/watthaiaustin I've only been to one Mahachat Festival so far but I'm definitely planning to check out songkran ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran ) in April along with some other cool events. We are lucky to have this in Austin. It's a long drive and a little hard to find but so worth it!

I came here for the Loi Krantang festival yesterday and can't contain my excitement. Having…read morerecently moved to Austin (from NYC and LA prior), I figured that I'd have to give up finding superb Asian cuisine (except Vietnamese). Arriving at this Thai temple to find two dozen or so food vendors for this fe(a)st was like coming upon cases of ice cold Topo Chico in the middle of a desert. Sure, one vendor served pad thai and some curries, but many of the offerings represented the cuisine of Northeast Thailand (Issan) and Laos. This has to be some of the best Thai food in the Austin area, and it is incredibly authentic to boot. Sticky rice galore. Sour sausage. Yen tau fu with cubes of congealed blood, squid, shrimp and fish balls. Bags of kaffir lime leaves and incendiary Thai chilis for a good price. Skewers of grilled meats, including chicken hearts. Deep-fried and grilled whole fish. Fantastic deep-fried bananas. Mystery surprises wrapped in bamboo leaves. Freshly prepared papaya salad. Fantastic little stacks of coconut and rice pancakes reminiscent of kanom krok (but alas, no actual kanom krok). And dozens more iterations of desserts based on those ingredients, sometimes laced with palm sugar. Then, I ate an entire one of those chilies and lost track of the rest. Pinch me, I must still be dreaming! And anxiously awaiting the feast for the Thai new year in April.

Radha Madhav Dham is a peaceful Hindu spiritual center dedicated to Radha-Krishna devotion,…read moreRoopdhyan(Meditaction of Divine form of God), sadhana(Spiritual practice), and spiritual retreats. It offers kirtan, satsang, devotional programs, and a serene space for spiritual practice, with many programs also available online. Don't let other individual's perception hold you back from discovering the deep calm and quiet beauty waiting for you here. Step onto the grounds with an open heart, and let the peaceful trails, and serene atmosphere form your own true experience.

For anyone considering visiting, I think the documented history of this property and its former…read moreleadership is important to know. Radha Madhav Dham was formerly known as Barsana Dham and was the North American headquarters of the religious movement led by Prakashanand Saraswati. Texas court records document that Saraswati was charged with 20 counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact involving two girls and incidents alleged to have occurred at Barsana Dham in the 1990s. There is also a documented connection to businessman Peter Spiegel, who is currently the founder and co-CEO of Ideal Living, the company behind brands including AirDoctor and AquaTru. Contemporary reporting based on Texas corporate records identified Spiegel as a managing member, director and treasurer of JKP-Barsana Dham. His partner and Ideal Living co-founder Katie Williams was also identified as a managing member of Barsana Dham. The connection went beyond simply attending the temple. A Texas Court of Appeals opinion records that in 2008, while Saraswati was facing the child-sex charges, Peter Spiegel testified that he was willing and able to guarantee a $10 million personal bond if Saraswati was permitted to travel to India. The resulting agreement returned Saraswati's passport, named Spiegel as guarantor of the $10 million bond, and was signed by Spiegel. In March 2011, a Hays County jury convicted Saraswati on all 20 counts. Saraswati subsequently failed to appear for the punishment phase and became a fugitive. He was sentenced in his absence. Shortly afterward, Barsana Dham changed its name to Radha Madhav Dham. These facts are documented in Texas court records, corporate records cited by contemporary news reporting, and reporting from the time, not merely allegations originating with a recent documentary. There are now much broader allegations circulating online concerning Ideal Living, JKP and human trafficking. I have not found a criminal judgment establishing that Ideal Living itself operates or finances a human-trafficking organization, so I don't think those allegations should be presented as proven fact. What is established is serious enough on its own: the former spiritual leader of this property was convicted of 20 child-sex offenses, and Peter Spiegel (now founder and co-CEO of Ideal Living) held leadership positions within the organization and personally guaranteed a $10 million bond for Saraswati while he was facing those charges. I believe prospective visitors deserve to know this documented history and research it for themselves.