I saw a feature on this temple in the New York Times. I was taken by the beautiful photos. This…read moreis the main Thai Buddhist temple in NYC. The temple is less than five miles from LaGuardia, tucked away in the typical multicultural Queens neighborhood. Plenty of parking. Everyone at the temple was so nice and inviting! I felt awkward at first, but as I was perusing the garden, someone said, "hello! Have you been here before?" I told him, no, I was just curious and wanted to see what the temple was like. He cheerfully said, "go up to the third floor! Just make sure to take off your shoes." The monks I met inside were also very kind. The third floor was BEAUTIFUL. So many colors, artworks, and Buddhas. I had the whole meditation/worship area to myself. I am not religious, but this room was peaceful and serene. It was comfortable and I was so glad to be there. This temple welcomes everyone and has community events and lunches.

I felt very peaceful while meditating in the temple. Everyone was very friendly. I will…read morecontinuously go back.

I don't think most people outside of the neighborhood know this place exists. But real talk, the…read moreHan Ma Um Zen Center is one of the coolest things in NYC and of course, it happens to be smack dab in Flushing, Queens. One doesn't have to be buddhist to appreciate the gorgeous architecture and it's a destination that could certainly use more recognition. Founded in over 30 years ago, the temple is belongs to the largest buddhist order in South Korean, the Jogye order. There are only a few branches in the United States and it's only fitting to have something like this near the 2nd largest Korean community in the United States (#1). They're open each day from 10AM to 9PM. If entry is not available (#2), then consider walking around the grounds for a beautiful photo on a sunny day. It is about a 25 minute walk from the Main Street subway and residential street parking is available. ______________ (#1) Second only to Los Angeles. (#2) COVID is still happening.

Beautiful building. It is one of those sites that you don't realize you're in a neighborhood as…read moreopposed out in a rural area. A gem of a place hidden to locals. Check it out

People are so kind, warm, and welcoming. They provide very thought-provoking discussions on Sundays…read morefrom 10am-12pm and then provide delicious vegan food! I highly recommend everyone check it out for themselves.

My trip to Maharaja Temple, on March 24, 2023. Grand street…read morestop on D train was where I got off. It was 5 minutes walk from the station to the temple. I was ecstatic and very curious, wanting to explore this temple. Pic 1 Once I got out of the station, I saw this wonderful mural of a rabbit. This is the year of the rabbit and an amazing artist exhibited his artwork beautifully. It was a bright, colorful picturesque, and to me, symbolized a yearning for the forthcoming spring, waited so long by many people. Pic 2 I'd reached the front enterance of the temple, saying to myself "what a magnificent temple." There were many foreigners coming in and out of it. A little history about Maharaja Temple. It was founded in 1962 and is the oldest Chinese temple on the eastern coast of the United States. It was initially founded to fulfilled the needs of Chinese Buddhist in the greater New York area. Now, it is open to the public. Pic 3 As I entered the temple, I saw red color everywhere. I lit the incense and went over to pray to the beautiful Buddha. Pic 4. As I entered further into the temple, I was astounded to see this enormous statue of the Golden Grand Buddha. He was adorned with, what looked like, fire behind his head, and fresh flowers infront of him. I stood there, in awe, and felt so tiny compared to him. And again, there was red everywhere. To my amazement, I stopped and asked a Chinese women passing by, what does the red color means? She said that it means good luck for the people. I wasn't satisfied with her answer, so I looked this up online. It said that red has been Chinese's color of power, celebration, fertility, prosperity, and repelling evil. That covered everything. From now on, red is my favorite color. Pic 5. The exhibitions of the History of Buddhism was displayed with pictures of Buddha with captions on the bottom of each picture. There were 32 pictures alltogether, that lined each side of the walls. Buddhism is believing in faith, so much needed for humanity. Pic 6. I was satisfied viewing everything and decided to head out. Before I reached the train station, I stopped at a local market on Grand street and bought a big Bass Bonanza. He was very fresh. I looked into his cleared, lucid eyes, and he starred back at me, suspiciously, not sure of his future. I finally went home. Chow!!

I hope I'm not asking for too much but it is much smaller than I expected based on the grand…read moreexterior. There are only 2 statues inside. You are allowed to light one incense for the first statue at the entrance, but no photo and incense allowed after that. It is quiet inside but it was hard to feel zen at the center of Chinatown and across from the Manhattan Bridge. What I really like is the big bowl of paper predictions. There is a note saying if you donate $1 you can take one. Make a wish and choose your paper!

This is my temple…read more The monk of this temple, Zhi Ming Sifu, is a kind hearted and patient man. There are celebrations of buddhist/chinese holidays beyond the usual meditation and chanting. If you pass by, you should feel welcomed to stop in and visit. It is a peaceful place.

I am a seasoned meditator, who can't go to sangha night in my home sangha because I work. Our…read moresangha is small and as yet has not reached it's full potential. So there's little programed on the weekends either. I've been looking around for another sangha that I can join in with to meditate with others. I'm also a little curious. I'm pretty committed to the Triratana Buddhist Community, but I'm also curious about other sanghas. So on Yelp there are 10 places listed in Queens. I chose to visit two today. I went to Lin Yan Shan Buddhist Temple of New York first. I talked with a monk coming out a door. He was talking to me until some Chinese people walked by and felt he had to open the door for them, and walked away abruptly from our conversation. He'd said that was a Pure Land outfit. I like to chant and all, but this place felt too ethnic for me, and while it seemed like a lovely place, I didn't see anyone who wasn't Chinese. And while the monk was pleasant and nice, he was surprised I knew that he chanted to Amitabha, which I felt was a bit condescending. Yes, westerners can know something about Buddhism, it's not just something of the east. So it's on to the next one. I ended up at the Ch'an Meditation Center in a very interesting neighborhood in Elmhurst. I was scared to walk in, but was warmly greeted by a Hispanic woman, who introduced me to an African American gentleman. I talked a little while with two women monks, with monk outfits and shaven heads, and the three dots on their heads where I speculate candles burnt down in a ritual, but that's just speculation. Then I talked to Dr. Rikki Asher, who seemed very down to earth and encouraging. I think I'm going to go back sometime--I will update if I do. I googled Rikki Asher and she's a professor at Queens college, and does silk art. Reading reviews on Rate My Professor, seems like it's a site for disgruntled students to vent negativity, though there were many that were positive. It's weird I know these things about her now, because I was writing this review, and wanted to know more about her. Her silk screens are pretty cool. My experience of her was that she was warm and open. They have a very active schedule with movie night, beginners night, Dharma classes, one day meditation retreats and Tai Ji Quan (gentle and relaxing Chinese therapeutic exercise). They are connected to a retreat center upstate in Pine Bush. They had free books, I took one on the Bodhisattva vow. Two thirds of the books are in Chinese and the place does have a distinctive Chinese flavor. They have a quarterly magazine. So I walked out of there with a lot of information and their website, and a desire to go back in. A diverse and welcoming place which I hope to go back to.

My parents are two devoted Buddhists at Chan Meditation Center. You would often see them there on…read moreSundays and Mondays. My husband and I only started going to Chan Mediation Center two years. I enjoy going there on Sundays too, but I guess Monday Buddha Name Chanting is one of my favorites. At the end of chanting, you sit and meditate after a busy working Monday. It feels very tranquil...

I live upstate, but whenever I come into the city, I try to get to Kadampa Meditation Center…read moreBrooklyn. I really appreciate the meditation classes, and feel like I've grown a lot in my own meditation practice by joining here. But even more so I really love the community of practitioners. I always feel welcome when I come, and the community is vibrant and friendly.

I've been going to this center off and on for a few years. I'm not really a group class kind of…read moreperson, which is why I've taken a few hiatuses but this place is really great (why I've returned). The teachers are all experienced meditation teachers and do a good job making newcomers feel welcome while also helping more experienced people continue to develop. One way this works is that classes are structured so one can drop in anytime and understand what is discussed, but if you go consistently classes you will see how classes build on each other. I think the drop-in feature is great because, unlike a gym, there is no required commitment to try it out. A typical class contains a meditation session followed by a philosophical/spiritual discussion from a buddhist point of view. You don't need to be buddhist to understand what is discussed or learn the meditation techniques. I personally found it very interesting to ponder the philosophical discussions and to incorporate them into my daily life.

keep practicing mindfully concentrated breathing meditation to calm the elusive haphazard…read moreconstrcton of the human mind best place to meditate is the nybv spencer street in queens village namobuddhaya

From the owner: We offer you an opportunity to read and learn about Buddhism in the Theravada tradition. Theravada…read more(Pali: Thera=elders, vada=doctrine) or the "doctrine of the elders" represents the school of Buddhism that draws spiritual inspiration from the Pali Canon (or "Tripitaka") generally accepted by scholars as the oldest record of Buddha's teachings. Imparting knowledge with a view toward developing and improving another's knowledge is Dhammadana in Buddhist terminology. The Buddha teaches us to appreciate the value of wisdom since it is the most valuable asset for a living being: hence, the need for us to develop our minds, as well as to help others to develop their knowledge. There are two ways to achieve this end. One is by reading extensively on Buddha Dhamma. The other is by questioning that may invariably lead to discussion. It shall be our endeavor to provide satisfactory answers to such queries. Discussions on the following topics are welcome on this page: Buddha Dhamma Buddhist History Buddhist Culture Personal queries relevant to Buddhism

Traditional Chinese Buddhist temple that serves vegetarian food downstairs. They have a cat and…read moreyard where they conduct funeral chants and burn dead paper money.

A very nice quiet place....in my eyes At a time in need for…read moreprayer and feeling helpless I really could let my hair down and take in the precious moments given to me.

This is an updated review. I previously posted this review for Heavenly Grace Buddhist Temple but I…read morewas told by another yelper that this temple is at 200 Centre Street while the one I was reviewing is actually on 214 Centre Street. I have been coming to this temple for over 10 years and it has not changed at all throughout the years. The decor has not changed at all and the kitchen downstairs that serves a free vegetarian lunch most days has remained exactly the same. It seems to be a pretty authentic temple, except for the random disco ball above the Buddha, which I have never been able to figure out why it is there. The free vegetarian lunch here is very good, if you don't mind eating it in a rather dungeon looking basement. On Chinese New Year, this place is PACKED. The lines goes around the block and it seems like at least a thousand people pass through this temple on one day. The line goes pretty quickly and even though it was looped around the entire block, we waited only an hour. Halfway through the line, they give out a snack and hot tea, which was amazing. Inside, there is pretty much an assembly line and there is no time for prayer. They give you a red envelope and fruits as you pass through the line to go downstairs to get a lunch box.