Happy New Year!…read more This event was really fun. A lot more people than I expected to be there be prepared to have a hard time to find parking. Free entry. Allows donations at front. You can offer for blessings. The food is fresh in exchange for tokens but soon they ran out of tokens so you could just pay cash if that happens. If you have leftover tokens you can exchange it back for your cash back. Vendors were nice some were selling khmer outfits (traditional clothing), foods such as wrapped banana leaf dessert, boba and more. some were selling parasols for about 12-20$ fair price. I loved the experience fun for kids. They had a dance floor and a live band. Please check this out! :)

Met a girlfriend here during Khmer New Year weekend. I went on Sunday 4/26/15. I can hear live band…read moreplaying & singing traditional Khmer music as I tried to park along the side walk. It's kinda ironic as I enter, I see a monk sitting under a tent chanting and at the same time the live band overpowering him with the instruments, while the ladies singers screeching a tune lol!!! As I continued further in, many happy party goers dancing in the center of the tent. Food vendors selling noodle soups, meat sticks, desserts, one too many jewelry vendors. Toys for kiddos, art and paintings. My favorite vendors are the fashion one, from traditional silk attire to shirts with Khmer pride logos. Hopefully next year they will add a real restroom not a port a potty

Love going to when ever I am out there. So peaceful and relaxing. Such a beautiful templeread more

Really cool place in the middle of nowhere and very nice atmosphere…read more Donation are expected if you light incense. Vegetarian temple food available.

They are selling Thai food every weekend. Come support small businesses. Lots of favorite dishes…read more Boat noodle, pad Thai, larb, dessert, and more.

The temple has been serving the Thai, Lao and Cambodia communities since 1990. There are people…read moreavailable to present a tour in English for those interested. Private meditation sessions are available as well.

My mom wanted to do a good luck prayer for the LUNAR NEW YEAR so I searched on Yelp for the nearest…read moretemple to us and found Hsi Lai Temple!... FIRST OF ALL: WOW!! What a gorgeous and magnificent temple this is!! It has about 2 floors of parking and the temple also has additional floors to go up as well. So be expected to walk up quite a few amounts of stairs!! FIRST FLOOR: We did a prayer with a donation and it came with some apples and other assortments in a red gift bag. The red gift bag required a donation of $20 per bag so me and my mom bought 2. Then, their were some nice ladies there who helped guide is on what to do. We prayed in front of 5 statues and posted the red gift bags in the middle... SECOND FLOOR: This is where we can do another prayer with 1 incense. And this is also where the restrooms were as well so make sure you don't back down to the first floor because the RESTROOMS are on the second floor!!! PARKING: Plenty of parking. There are 2 floors available for parking!! This temple really transported us to another country!! It was also very peaceful and quiet!! SATU HSI LAI TEMPLE!!!

Hsi Lai Temple (completed in 1988) is one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. During…read moreeach Lunar New Year, the temple transforms into a festive spot with cute decors. Many visitors from across Southern California have a tradition of visiting within the first 15 days of the Lunar New Year as this period is still considered a part of the holiday celebration. [Lunar New Year Food Fair]: Each year, the temple sets up a food fair and this year the fair happened on the 1st, 5th, and 6th days of the Lunar New Year. Always check the website for the dates the temple sets up the food fair. All dishes are 100% vegetarian. Booths were selling fa gao (Chinese steamed cake), nian gao (steamed rice cake), turnip cake, boba milk tea, and even Girl Scout cookies. [Parking]: Under normal circumstances, there is free onsite parking at the temple; however, do NOT bother trying to park at the temple on days when shuttle service is available as visitors will be redirected to a shuttle parking lot. Temporary off-site parking and shuttle buses were located at Puente Hills Mall near Round1. Check the website for shuttle service dates. This year the shuttle service was offered on the 1st, 5th, 6th, and 12th days of the Lunar New Year. The shuttle service operated from 8 AM to 5 PM. There were two types of shuttles - big buses dropped off at the street level so guests needed to walk up to the temple while small shuttles dropped off in front of the Bodhisattva Hall. [Other experience outside of food fair]: There were booths selling cute zodiac charms. Most visitors come here to do the following acitivities (1) ring the Peace Bell, (2) view art gallery exhibitions like calligraphy, (3) attend Dharma services, (4) participate in the Light Offering Ceremony on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, (5) enjoy cultural performances on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year, (6) drink free hot teas at the information center, (7) throw pennies and try to hit a bell at the Arhat Garden, and (8) throw golden medallions with red ribbons at the tree. Visitors can go behind the Bodhisattva Hall to stop by the Main Shrine. At the Main Shrine, visitors can get free incense, pray & bow to Buddhas, and place it in the giant incense burner. Visitors can also purchase light offerings for $120 per person as well as other offering items at tables near the giant incense burner. [Photo]: Outdoors ONLY. [Prohibits]: No meat, fish, poultry, alcoholic beverages, smoking and vaping (e-cigarette), any use of marijuana, bicycles, rollerblading, skateboarding, pets (except certified service animals), and drone planes. [Dress code - preferred]: Shirts with sleeves (male and female), no tank tops, shorts, short skirts/dresses, flip-flops, or slippers. [Conclusion]: The temple offers one of the most comprehensive Lunar New Year food experiences in the entire Southern California. This is also one of the most festive places in Southern California during Lunar New Year. Highly recommend to stop by here at least once to experience the celebration. P.S. - The temple has a really good vegetarian lunch buffet.

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 :)

Spoke to one of the sister / nun , even though her English were not perfect she tried her best to…read moreexplain to me about the rituals of 49 days death anniversary rituals . She were so kind and patient to answered some of my questions . She also welcome me and my family to come visit the temple on the weekends for their traditional annual celebration. She says every one is welcome , no matter race or religion background . come to pray pray when ever one feel like . Since it's COVID she states the men hall is closed off to public and some of the inside rooms. We are welcome to pray at the praying hall

For Vietnamese New Years, it is our tradition to visit many temples for good luck. Growing up in…read moreUpland, there were not many Vietnamese Buddhist Temples in the area. Vinh Nghiem Temple is one of the three temples in a 30 minute radius for my family to visit during New Years since my mom cannot drive on the freeways. The Headmaster and the Buddhist Nun here are both really nice and welcoming. My mom and I are not regulars to this temple, but every time we come, they always offer us a vegetarian meal and well blessings. I know the temple underwent construction in recent years and now they have a private lot that makes it easy for visitors to park. Back in the days, we would have to park a few houses down on the street. With the new construction, the main hall has also been refurnished with new Buddha statues. The interior and exterior of this place looks great. I am slightly surprised that Vinh Nghiem Temple has no reviews yet, but then it makes sense since their regular disciples seem to be an older more traditional crowd of older ladies. If you are looking for a nearby temple to visit, this place is great!

I've always wanted to visit this place but the gate is always closed. I always call but no one…read moreanswers. I see the hours are 930-4 but what do I do to go. What are the rules and regulations . I would love to walk and look at this temple. Someone please help by providing information on the proper steps needed in order to be able to walk and enjoy this place .

This place is now open since 9/20/2015. We have waited for so long for this temple to open. Even on…read morea hot day, this place is beautiful and serene. Highly recommended to visit with family.

Great place to offer sangha members requisites.they are open daily. The devotees are very nice and…read morewelcoming.

Temple 2 of 9 This…read moretemple has one of the largest Stupa/Jedi in CA. Long drive+ Boonievile= worth the drive to check out the newly built Jedi.

Wat Suddhavasa is a Thai Buddhist temple established in 1997 where Thai, Laotian, Chinese,…read moreCambodian, Indonesian, Vietnamese, American and European Buddhists worship. There is a library on the bottom level and classes for people to learn the teaching of Buddha, Thai language and culture. The upper level is where the temple is located. There wasn't anyone there when we visited since it was a weekday morning, and I'm sure covid had something to do with it too. My friend and I were looking for a comfortable place to meditate and find inner peace while the external reality of this year continues to tarnish. It was hot because there was no air condition but it didn't matter to us, we were grateful for the temple to be open and for providing us with a safe place to practice. Thank you.

My twin sisters wanted to devoted a day as a lady monk as a way to dedicate that day to think of…read moreour father. It's been ten years since he passed away. Couple rules as a lady monk you cannot touch them, one meal a day, meditate most of the day, do some cleaning around the temple. (A request from a friend to write more so this is going to be off topic, so skip to recap for a low down of Wat Suddhavasa) We started the meditation with four monks. Don't understand what they're saying but into it you feel centered. You should allowed your mind to wonder and allowed it to come back again. Your eyes are closed, your hands together in a praying positions, you're sitting on the floor. I'm not flexible so I just lean against a sofa. Somewhere you started to reflect... "I miss you, papa" It's nice to be at a Temple it's serene, monks are pleasant and I get to practice my Thai. My sisters and mom look beautiful. After the prayer, a monk gave a little speech... had to call mom on this one it didn't really stick hahaha. He(monk) said, and I'm paraphrasing, people give back to monks and temple, to buddhism and they often wonder of all the donation and giving why is it I'm still stuck in a rut. I thought that by giving I will get something in return... perhaps find peace and money would start rolling in? Monk said, it's not enough to just give and expect something in return. There are three things that you should considered: one, your actions. Are your actions withing the realm of buddhism? There are five principles: don't steal, don't cheat, ... dang I don't know the other three. It's been a long time since I'd gone to Buddha school. Two, your donations does not necessary going to show return in this life. Perhaps you are suffering through Karma. In that you are repaying for your past sin. Third, you should have good intention in your action. This is similar to Wayne Dryer teaching, "The power of Intention" I don't remembered the details but in my world I do good with the intention to make others happy. I tried not to hurt other people. Perhaps there are some goodness that comes from buddha teaching that I'm practicing on a day-to-day basis. But it's hard. So again, it comes back to intention. If you mean well, hopefully the other party sees that and if the result happened to be bad. Well, hopefully she/he understands. Then we pray again this time we "Quad Nam", this is a tradition way to focus on your wishes and making wishes. You'd place your index finger in this golden cup and while the monks are saying their prayers you slowly pour "prayer" water from this little golden vase over your finger, your family can join in and if it's too crowded you can receive that goodness for touching the person who's fingers are being blessed from the "prayer" water. All the while you are saying your wishes. Then we go outside and, "Thum Boud" basically each person gets a bowl of rice and we spoon a little of rice for each monk. Naturally you don't want to run out because then the few last monks wont get any rice. So you'll need to know how many monks are coming and portion it properly. You should take off your shoes while doing so and avoid wearing black to temple. White and tan color and consider earthy and grounded so wear them color. Then we passed entrees to the monks and they spoon a little of each in their "bowl" if they don't want it they'll just touch the plate and you hand it off to the next guy who happened to be in front of another monk and he'll hand it to the monk in front of him. Only guys allowed to do this. It's actually kinda fun. I like handing stuff so what! LOL After monks get their food they move to their room. Finally, we go outside and enjoy a home cooking Thai food. Each person bring food to the Temple and after the prayer it's buffet time. And with Thai food you can expect spicy stuff. Love mom's cooking. Usually it's not something you'll find in Thai restaurant. There weren't a lot of people attending since it's in Riverside but plenty of food. I had my mom's spicy fried string beans (not haricot vert, the chinese kind) with pork shoulders so you get a little fat. Very spicy, very tasty! Then I had pan fried minced pork with basil and chilis. And of course, top my jasmine rice with Thai curry, yellow I think. There were coconut milk, button mushroom, young bamboo shoots. Yuummm! Yes, I went back for second. The plastic plate they were handing out were small, yeah that's it hahaha. Nothing fancy about dessert, just cuts of watermelon. Thai desserts are awesome. It's beautifully decorated and usually has coconut milk with plum sugar and sticky rice. And they're in "petit fours" size. You can find them in Thai Town Holloywood area. If you love sweets and coconut you'll love Thai dessert. And if I decided to ask you out, remember to ask me to take you there. It's so much fun Recap: It's serene and peaceful Nice to sit and pray with monks Food is great, since it's Thai mom's cooking