The business actually belongs to the Kong Chow Benevolent Association…read more Growing up in Chinatown, I learned a lot of things in my childhood years from my parents who owned a business in the neighborhood. My father was particularly active in this association as well as the related Bo On Tong. Besides the political groups, family associations, and provincial associations, new immigrants found their comfort zones in joining these and making friends and business contacts in starting their life in a foreign country; it was particularly challenging for those who did not speak a word of English. These men, as it was a very sexist culture in those days, found refuge with people who shared their political views, spoke their dialect of Chinese, or came from the same districts or villages. Kong Chow mainly serves immigrants from the greater Guangzhou (Canton) area and its neighboring districts (Toishan, Chung Shan, Jiang Men, and my dad's Sun Wui). This association has changed over the years with mainly only members living in Chinatown being here on a regular basis. There is a shrine on the upper floor the building, a memorial to members who passed over the years. To get a spot for a memorial, one must make a donation to the association. I learned of this after ordering a plaque for my late father a couple years ago. The association also has its own memorial park in Colma but I am not sure they are still offering plots and the site is pretty well filled now. During the Spring memorial holiday, flocks of family will come to the memorial park for picnics, either family only or along with the family associations. Remains to be seen how this will go this year on April 4th. This association also used to host annual banquets as a fundraising source as well as a community reunion for its members. Needless to say, it's been a while since the last event which used to be held at one of the few remaining banquet hall restaurants in Chinatown (see Far East Cafe and New Asia Restaurant - one is struggling to survive and the other is now a converted supermarket). Let's hope and pray that the pandemic is closer to its end than start and the community can restore its life like before. After all, if we lose our culture, who are we?

Love this place. Always take out of town guests here. They will be taken through a ceremony and…read morehave their fortune read afterward for a $5 donation. I don't speak any Cantonese, and the people who work here are not quite fluent in English and are a little shy at first. But once they warm up they are actually very welcoming and love to joke which is difficult with no common language. Oh, don't even think of taking pictures here. This temple is located above the post office on Stockton, on the top floor, with an elevator!

Some relatives were visiting from out of town and wanted to go to SF. We passed by this temple a…read morefew times and since it was around Lunar New Year/Tết they wanted to stop in and visit. I was surprised to learn that it's the oldest Vietnamese Temple in the U.S. We went inside and placed our shoes on the shoe rack. The relatives lit some incense, prayed, and walked around the main temple/floor area. They got to talking to one of the young ladies at a table and the lady was super nice. She even gave each of us some clementines and red envelopes. She was friendly and wasn't pushy. She said that a mediation/prayer time was going to start and invited us to join. We had to get going and she was cool about it. It's easy to donate to the temple if you'd like as they have boxes with slots on either end. I enjoyed reading the history of Buddhism from the wall art. I thought it was cool to see a temple inside a typical SF/Edwardian(?) type home.

It's weird to rate a temple on Yelp!, but I love this temple and just wanted to express that…read more This is a wonderful temple nestled right next to the Castro District. My grandmother used to come here all the time, so naturally, I've spent a lot of time here. I also have several relatives who frequent this temple, and it's always a treat to come here. The altar is upstairs, and it's very beautiful up there. The downstairs part of the temple where people cook and eat is a bit more worn and torn, but probably because of the sheer numbers of people who come to the temple every weekend. San Francisco buildings are all mostly pretty old and dilapidated. The Buddhist monk who heads this temple is a magnanimous, gentle, warm, and inviting man who is originally from Hue, Vietnam. He always is so welcoming to everyone who enters the temple and is very easy to talk to. The Sunday service is always pleasant, and the carpet is very comfortable to sit on for that hour. There are often memorial services on Sundays that start at 12 pm or so. By the way, the vegetarian food prepared here is always delicious. Even my cousins, who don't usually eat Vietnamese vegetarian food, usually wolf down a plateful with nary a comment about missing any carnivorous products. YUM. TIP: Do not park in the Chicago Title Company parking lot next door, even though the title company is closed on Sundays -- you WILL be TOWED. Boo, Chicago!

This place is still relatively new renovated. Seems like they designed the place themselves and…read morestarted to build since 2007 from the photos they posted in the temple. I didn't provide any inside photos since its not so nice to take pictures in temples. The building has high ceilings for good ventilation and airflow since Theres so much incents burning. They do funeral services and has placement for placques of the deceased. Not overcrowded yet and still have space for now. There are street parking only. Can be difficult to find parking if your group has 3+ cars. They have self-serve water in case you get thirsty & some asian candies on the table for grabs. The ladies that work there are pretty knowledgeable with the traditional stuff so if you don't know just ask. . Hopefully you can speak Chinese or have a friend that does. Else if you just want to check out the Chinese culture I'm sure you can just walk in and tour around.

Great place to prey. There is free food on special days. All volunteers are very nice, so you will…read morelike this temple.

This was my first time stepping into a Brahma Kumari meditation center. What an amazing way to…read morekick-off my solar return weekend! Everyone there was welcoming...the collective energy very positive. Atmosphere was peaceful...the harp added an angelic touch. Spirtual teachings were profoundly deep...the different exercises created a progressive relaxing and centered state. I was uplifted and transformed!! I highly recommend this place to anyone looking to enhance or to begin their meditation practice. They have weekly meditations, weekend retreats/workshops, courses, etc. This elevated experience made my first trip to SF very very special. Brothers and Sisters of Brahma Kumaris, I deeply appreciate YOU ALL.

This is a house run by people from India! They hold meetings and events everyday. You can find it…read moreon the website and sign up. I saw a harp recital the other day. It's a house with a meeting space. It's nice. India!

I've come here to volunteer several times with my friend. The people here are super welcoming and…read morethey like to feed you (only vegetarian food). It is kept very clean and there is a small parking lot that you have to ring a doorbell to get in. The parking lot is not open to the public. I came here for Chinese New Year and I got some good luck trinkets. There is a bookstore connected to this place too, the San Bao Bookstore. They have a lot of books and charms. Great place to learn about Buddha.

I come here because this is the only place that I know of that carries good quality incense,…read moreincense burners, etc. The peaceful, guzheng music CD they were playing in the bookstore was so soothing that I had to purchase one. Yeah, that's pretty much it. I only come here for their amazing incense and material that I can't find anywhere else...not even on eBay. Prices are on the higher end, but the quality is so much better than the incense you find in Chinatown or other Chinese temple supply (haha don't know the exact name) stores. The bookstore is connected to the other place..modernized temple??--not the ancient looking ones with monks you see on tv... I'm not a super hardcore Buddhist, but I follow my family's ritual/practice and customs during special Chinese holidays and also to pay respect to my ancestors. It's kept pretty immaculate. The donation box is right near the incenses that are available for use. hmmm...one thing that bothered me was that when my mom and I stepped into the bookstore/temple, no one acknowledged us. I know we only go once in a while, but the bookstore owner or whoever should at least say a simple, "hello." While I was browsing around, the salesperson kept an eye on me. Actually, she was following me around the bookstore (and it wasn't even that big!) Anyway, maybe she wanted to check if I had any questions (about pricing) but I felt very uncomfortable. And while mom and I were still debating about which incense burner to get, some people came into the store (tourists?) to check out the place and the owner immediately went over and did a small gesture "praying" in front of them. And she did the same thing again when they left (and they didn't even buy anything!) hmm...WHY didn't my mom and I get that kind of treatment? I also felt that she was annoyed at us for asking so many questions (well...put up goddamn prices so you won't be bugged again!!) Anyway, ended up buying the good stuff, again, because we couldn't find them anywhere else. One monk was really nice and answered all my mom's questions, but in Mandarin. The store-owner knew Cantonese and didn't even offer to interpret the Mandarin bits that we couldn't understand. ehhh..the "hello, how are you" *pray* *pray* part was seriously lacking (at least for me) and would I come back? Yes...for only the incense. If eBay suddenly has the nice ones I'm looking for one day, then no need to come back here, unless it's for any special reason. Plus side is, they have a parking lot for their customers in the back of the whole complex. Kinda tricky to find--just go in and ask.

My first visit to a temple. They were very nice. Upon entering the lady at the door greeted me, but…read moreexplained shortly she didn't speak English. I then said to her in Cantonese that this was my first visit to a temple. She then showed me the rest of the place. I knelt where there was a skate for prayer. I Said short prayer, praying for the new year, thanked them, and left.

We had continuous taoist praying sessions for my deceased father from around 8 am to 12 pm. The…read moretai-see were accommodating and helpful in guiding us through the needs our dad's funeral service with Skylawn. They will be praying during the service as well. So far so good.

I said that I am trying to get into Buddhism now. Since I live in SF, this is possible because…read moreBuddhism is favorable in this kind of big city. Kadampa is suitable for me. I had been calling to ask about their events. I decided to spend a good portion of my day today at Kadampa. First they had a meeting at 5:30pm called "Heart Jewel Puja." This is the description: By engaging in the Guru Yoga practiced in conjunction with Je Tsongkhapa we can purify negativity, accumulate merit, receive blessings, and attain a very special compassion, wisdom, and spiritual strength....This involved silent meditation and some prayer that I didn't understand. You look toward the buddha. There were two people at this event other than me. After that, I stepped out of the building to walk around Valencia. I came back for the Happy Hour event. A Buddhist nun who works at the center made some nice slider sandwiches with pesto, cheese, and tomato. And there were some sweet potato chips, drinks, etc. It was a nice snack and you could meet some others. After the Happy Hour(6:45pm), there was "Drop-in Class with Gen Kelsang Choma." This went from 7:15pm-8:30pm. It felt like an extended period of time. It's interesting what can stretch an hour of your life. This is described: "Our Tuesday evening drop-in meditation classes provide a basic introduction to Buddhist teachings and meditation that are suitable for beginners and experienced meditators. Each month we explore a new topic from Buddha's teachings and learn how to practically apply it in our daily lives." Basically, this is where you have a Buddhist preacher give a sermon about living life with Buddhist philosophy. Buddhists like love and kindness. Buddhists believe we need to relieve ourselves of jealousy and negativity. We need to find relationships we enjoy with people, so that we are not feeling lonely. Buddhists have basic lessons and I listened to this preaching today. The center seems to be run by older women who have gray, short hair and they wear Buddhist robes. The founder is from Tibet, but this western Buddhist. Most people were white and there was a nice black lady who has a family in Berkeley...and then there was me. It was for liberals. After that, I went home by taking the Muni bus #22 and before I took the bus, I stopped in at Manny's and there was a meeting by leftists who were talking about climate change and reform...something like that. So that is my day in San Francisco, CA. I am at home with my parents now. Good night.

Very lovely and welcoming community. The Buddhist teachings and meditations are very practical and…read morehelpful for daily life. They have certainly changed my life for the better. The center is very beautiful and peaceful and they offer many different classes for all levels. Highly recommend checking it out.

I went by and saw the gates closed. I called multiple times and even texted the number but no…read moreresponse. It says that it's open for public but when I finally got the lady's attention from inside she was so rude. Looked at me like I was crazy and very unwelcome. I was just trying to learn about the culture/ religion but instead got sent away.

A confession: I have never been *inside* of the Ma Tsu Temple, and it's highly unlikely that I ever…read morewill (or can) go inside, not being a Taoist or of Asian ancestry. The temple is small inside, and I would be conspicuous, to say the least! In some ways, that's a shame, but then again -- some romantic notions are best maintained from the outside, lest they be displaced by a cheesy reality. But I am fascinated by the remnants of old Chinatown that have survived, and the Ma Tsu Temple is a very evocative example. A 3-storey brick building, it's the only thing of real interest in the alley, which makes its impact all the more striking. As you approach the Temple from Jackson or Pacific -- especially at night -- it is quite a dramatic sight, with about 40 spherical red lanterns hanging on the fire escape, glowing in the dark and gently swaying. The interior is a profusion of red and gold glitz with an altar and a number of small shrines. Ma Tsu (AKA Mazu) is an indigenous goddess figure worshiped in southeast Asian coastal areas -- especially the islands in the Straits of Taiwan. A goddess of the sea, she is believed to protect fishermen, sailors and those who travel by sea. Considering that all early Chinese emigrants to San Francisco reached these shores by sea, it's hardly surprising that some of them, grateful for a safe passage, would establish a temple in her honor here. If you find yourself in the neighborhood at night, take a walk over to Beckett Alley, stand near the Temple and let its dusty old Chinatown magic cast a spell over you.