Serene and beautiful monastery grounds. Happy to discover a hidden gem in the hills. When you first…read moreturn in you'll drive along a small tree-lined road and go up the hill to their gated entrance. You may have to call their intercom to enter through the gate if they are not currently hosting an event. When you first visit, go to the reception office for an intro about the monastery and their activities. You can join their regularly scheduled meditation classes and dharma classes. The building to the left of that is where they hold Buddhist classes and talks. To the left of that is a small hill and walking nature loop to see a Kuan Yin statue placed within a circular, eight petaled lotus mandala. The walk has beautiful views of the surrounding distance. Down towards the right is the temple, which is only open to the public during events. They recently finished some renovations inside their main temple and outside gardens. The gardens behind and below the temple opens to expansive views too, yet is still undergoing construction. You can see a small pagoda with a Kuan Yin statue and a rectangle platform with a statue of the Buddha. Inside the temple, it is common etiquette to remove your shoes, place them in a shoe cabinet along the wall, and wear socks inside (no bare feet allowed here) during events. There are bathrooms and a water station too. I joined a recent Friday meditation gathering and it was nicely organized and run very well. They have a welcoming sangha community too.

Beautiful scenery and grounds. The peace I felt was incredible. I love it here. I highly recommend.read more

2015 is the second year I've attended the Japanese Cultural Center's Summer Festival. It is going…read moreon this weekend (August 8th and 9th) and has a variety of activities and Japanese foods - great fun for your whole family! Adults can shop at a couple small booths for trinkets and small goodies. Children's games with prizes are in the lawn area at the back of the Center. Food booths include fire-roasted chicken with rice and cucumber salad and edamame ($8), udon soup ($5), teas and ice cream and sodas ($1-2 ea) and beer, BBQ beef (this was the best) 3 skewers for $6, fried tempura, and gyoza ($5). The lines moved quickly and food is served fast. Tons of tables and chairs are under a shade structure so you can eat and enjoy the cool breeze! The bonsai displays outside are beautiful and the plants are between 15 and 150 years old this year! Inside the Center are beautiful plant/floral displays and calligraphy lessons. There is also a band and dancers that perform. Tonight at 7:30 and tomorrow at 6:30 pm will be a group dance. It's only a couple simple moves and is the traditional Japanese dance to call the spirits of the dead. The event is small but it's very fun. A shuttle from Ygnacio Valley High School will pick you up if you don't want to try to find parking on Treat. It's free to get in too!

This is a great event filled with games great food music and artwork…read more There is gyoza, beef teriyaki, tempura . Udon, edamame, rice, and chicken dinners. The chicken and edamame were delicious. There was a traditional Japanese band that was very fun to listen to. The best part of the event for me was the bonsai competition. Some of the bonsai's were absolutely amazing. Personally I'm 0-2 with bonsai's and I really respect all the work that they put into to making these magnificent works of art.

MDZG has been wonderful. Zazen with them over zoom each morning at 8 am has helped me start off the…read moreday with a very meaningful meditation practice (just sitting). Grateful to Myosho Baika and everyone at Mount Diablo Zen Group.

Mt. Diablo Zen Group is led by Baika Heaton, Zen Priest and Dharma teacher. This group meets…read moreWednesday evenings for Zazen (meditation), study and discussion. Once a month, one day or half day silent retreats are offered for a nominal fee. These retreats include Zazen, Qi Gong, rest period, a mindful meal, a short service and Dharma talk. All members are encouraged to establish a daily meditation practice, with consideration for their daily life schedule. Celebrating it's tenth year this May, Mt. Diablo Zen Group offers an intimate setting and access to the teachings in the Soto Zen Buddhist Tradition.

My friend and I were in town and came to visit the temple first thing off our iteniery…read more I've only visited once prior for the Christmas lighting and Nativity back in 2016. Christmas lighting happens almost every year and free to the public and members alike. They do free tours and put on quite the show with music ensemble and nativity from all different cultures. You'll see much more abundance of sister and brother missionaries as theyll be the one leading the tours. They're so sweet, kind, willing to answer any questions or concerns you have without pressuring you. I came to love the missionaries bc of that. Ofc if anyone does, feel free to let them know you arent comfortable and theyll back off. Hence, coming here during the summer was a nice treat. We actually happen to arrive in the middle of someone's wedding day. It was a beautuful Tongan wedding. Maybe its a sign?? Lol. The parking inside is ample but when it has events, it does fill quickly. We almost didnt find one, but thankfully we lucked in with the three parking. Everyone visiting was so friendly that we saw and met today. (Xmas, too, in 2016.) There's an abundance of flower garden at the front of the temple, a stream, and water fountain. Up the stairs, to the second floors, has another flower garden. It overlooks the city of SF, so its quite scenic. Our church focuses on making sure its clean so everyone that visits has a pleasant moment with our Heavenly Father. Though, a picnic does seem tempting, I would advise against any food or drinks on the premise as its church grounds and a reverent place. A place is only as beautiful,if everyone puts in the effort to keep it so. We hope everyone visiting can treat this place with the same respect. Other than that, feel free to enjoy. :) Such an ideal place to relax and meditate too.

If you are looking for view one the city this is a great place to come to. Just go onto the rooftop…read moregarden and depending on the fog situation you can see far off into the distance. If you are looking for a quiet place to meditate and to contemplate life this is your place. If you love flowers and want to see them blooming year round then this is your place, If you are looking to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this is your place. They have a fabulous visitors center. The staff isn't pushy. I come here for the pure beauty of the place. It's such a great place to find some solitude. There are benches you can rest on.

I'm in Sonoma County but did my class at the Berkeley TM center which I am grateful for. I find the…read moreteachers there friendly, accessible, knowledgeable and kind. I've done several retreats thru this center and have had nothing but positive experiences. For what you receive from TM - not just in instruction but from the practice itself - I find the center invaluable.

I received my TM instruction in Seattle but am so happy to have found this community now that I…read morelive in the East Bay. I've been to one tune-up and one weekend retreat (both firsts for me) and look forward to attending more. The Zoom meditations during the week are a great complement to my practice. I always feel like I learn something new and come away feeling rested, refreshed, and reinvigorated. And it's always lovely to meditate with others, see familiar faces, and share in the experience.

I highly recommend Erica for Shamanic healing. She is a highly skilled practitioner and her work…read morehas provided me with expert guidance that has had long lasting benefits for me and my family. I had tried many therapeutic approaches (therapy, group seminars, audio books, etc.) but still felt that there were clear patterns that were holding me back. I felt like I was "hitting a wall" with respect to my growth, and wasn't sure what to do about it. I decided to try a soul retrieval with Erica because she was able to really help a friend of mine who had been struggling to heal from some past trauma. The days leading up to the soul retrieval, Erica asked me questions to gain familiarity with my life circumstances, and what kinds of issues I was dealing with. We began the ceremony in a very intentional way, setting the stage for me to completely relax and invite Erica to perform the retrieval for me. Through this ceremony I was able to see clearly, three "underdeveloped" aspects of myself that needed attention. She helped me to engage and strengthen these aspects in a new way I had not done before. I also continued to work with her doing phone sessions for integration for a few months following my session. I am glad I did because it helped me really make some progress. In the weeks after the session, Erica advised me to meditate regularly on the feelings and states of consciousness associated with my newly found aspects of self. My wife reflected that I quickly become less reactive and angry, and I noticed that I had a greater sense of what was upsetting/triggering when it was happening, and could therefore calm down much more quickly. I also feel that I have been freed up to think more creatively, and consider options that I wouldn't have considered before. I have more optimism about what is possible. I'm more flexible, and more accepting of my limitations, as well as those of others. It feels like these shifts have become more profound as time has gone by. It feels like magic because in the past making a big leap seemed to require a lot of work on my part, but I really just needed to meditate and notice what was happening which felt incredibly easy.

I have just completed three shamonic journeys with Erica and feel changed in the most delightful…read moreways. My goal for these journeys was to be able to tap into deeper wisdom within myself around some perplexing parts of my life. Erica's guidance gave me specific tools to find my guides and to work with them in the journey world and to feel safe while I was there. Her reflections after each journey helped me to expand my understanding of my experience and to move forward with confidence. Erica is clearly called to do this work and has immense skill and warmth as a practitioner. I look forward to continuing this transformational work with Erica and recommend working with her to all who are ready to really go deep in their own work.