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.

We took a tour inside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Temple's Visitor's Center…read more The Visitor's center is open to the pubic and it's free. In addition you don't need to make reservations. We were warmly welcomed when we entered and were asked if we wanted a tour or would we just like to look around on our own. We opted for the tour. There was a short video presentation on families and them being together for ever. It was a sweet presentation. Unlike the Carousel of Progress at Disney World where the room moves for you, in this presentation you have to walk to each viewing area. It wasn't an issue. You just moved down the seats 5 feet or so to the next stage. It was a well done presentation. After that we wandered around. In the back part of the visitor's center there are floor to ceiling windows and today was a clear day and you could clearly see the Golden Gate Bridge. What a sight. They also had 3 examples of historic temples. One all the way back in the Old Testament to Moses's time. I thought that was really cool to see temples were built back in the biblical times and not something just made up for today. My parents enjoyed their theater and sat though many of the 8 stores of missionaries and there journeys of faith and service. I listened to 2 and really enjoy hearing about their stories and struggles. The Visitor's Center is Staffed with full time missionaries from the Church off Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Unlike what you may have heard about missionaries, these are just sweet kids trying to make everyone feel welcome and if you're intreasted they will tell you about God and his plan of happiness. These are not used car salesmen they aren't trying to sell you something or pull wool over your eyes. If you are interested in knowing more about them or there church you are free to inquire, but they aren't going to push anything on you. The grounds are beautifully maintained and well manicured. There are always flowers in bloom and the trash is always lush. If you go to the top of the temple you can see a view of the city. There is a staircase to the right and left of the entrance that will take you to the roof. Parking is great. They have there own private lot and parking is free. The spaces are wide and I had no issue parking. Bathrooms, the visitors center has plenty of clean well stocked bathrooms. Concerts and Programs, all free of charge- Their are lots of different offerings depending on the season. I wanted to take a picture of the Easter Celebrations for the week, but my phone died on me. They have some Holy Week activities, if you are interested I'd give them a call and asked for the list of activities that are happening soon. During December there are lots of programs and organizations and other churches participated. I believe they have an interfaith concert which brings people of many faiths together. The last concert I went to was a bell concert. People with musical bells came to perform in the concert hall. It was something I've never heard of before, but enjoyed. Family history center- They have a family history also referred to as genealogy center in the basement and that is also free to the public. We didn't pop our heads in, but we heard it's there.

Really gorgeous building and sunset view but they didn't allow service animals past the gate onto…read morethe rooftop garden (I asked security). I was confused because temples and churches are meant to be inclusive to all people... some cannot go too long without their service animal for medical reasons. It felt like it goes against the message establishments like these pride themselves on... Hoping they will change this soon, for safety reasons.

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 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.

I wanted to do a follow up review to say that two years later, and I still talk and "meet" with…read moreErica. I not only feel different; I can quite literally measure and review the progress I have had from two years ago until now. I have switched to monthly check ins, but Erica's guidance was a life saver and life changer.