I really appreciate this temple because it's close to home and accessible. I normally park on the…read morestreet and just walk right in. I feel that this is more of an intimate setting since it's not a big place. The set up is three rooms right next to one another. Feel free to pick up an incense, light it with a candle, and pray. I made sure to ask for my fortune and this is up to you, but I make a donation after I finished each room. There are signs in Thai. I didn't expect to see this because I thought it was a Chinese temple. I don't visit the temple as much as I should but when I do, I think of this place.

Wong Tai Sen is a place of worship and culture. You feel a sense of community when visiting. We…read morefrequent the temple during Lunar New Year and this year was no different. It's smaller compares to many other temples but it's filled with great volunteers, and religious figures. Behind the temple is an outdoor deity, it's something you can't miss. They usually will sell Buddhist lucky charms, free lucky charms etcetera. Depending on the day and the time you visit, there will also be free meals available for visitors.

This has been the temple I've been going to since I was younger. I come once a year or maybe twice…read moreto pray to my grandma and grandpa. The people here are so kindhearted & warm. This is primarily a teochow/Chinese temple. :-) They have free vegetarian food on super big holidays like Lunar New Years. I would 100% recommend coming to this temple and praying. It's truly peaceful & everyone here is so kind :')

This temple is Teochew/Chinese and all are welcomed. I come here almost every year. I have an uncle…read moreand a older cousin that works there. It's a small and beautiful place to be a part of. Last year I did not make it in on time and they closed early so be sure to check the times or call in for hours. Don't assume everyone speaks English. There is no entrance fee. Its a great place to visit if you're in town or for the Chinese New Year. There is plenty of parking in the lot. Like most temples, donations are acceptable at any dollar amount and is not a requirement. Most of the time if they see you give donations during the Chinese New Year, you get tangerines or oranges in return. A lot of temples have smoke blowing in your eyes and surroundings from the incense being lit, but not at this place. This place is very clean and less congested. It's really quiet and less crowded too which is good.

Japanese Obon (oh bohn) festivals are summer time local events which originated from Buddhist…read morephilosophy 2,500 years ago in India. One of Shakamuni Buddha's disciples, Maha Maudgalyayana or Mokuren in Japanese, had supernatural powers and could see his mother suffering in the afterworld. He conferred with the Buddha who counseled him to make food offerings to his fellow monks which was on the 7th month of lthe 15th day. This act of kindness released his mother from agony. Mokuren was overjoyed not only by the fact that his mother was no longer suffering, but also remembered her sacrifices & unselfishness toward him while she was still on this earth. This realization made him dance for joy & gratefulness. Hence to this day, during the Obon Festival, ancestors are venerated, and people dance in the dark, warm, humid summer evenings in joy & gratefulness like Mokuren. I have two left feet so I had to opt out of the Obon dancing, but in order to help with the temple fund raising, I bought something that is very near and dear to my heart or should I say stomach. I ordered Yaki To-morokoshi or roasted corn on the cob. Being in California, not only was there the traditional Teriyaki sauce to glaze over the corn, you could butter it up and pour on powdered Parmesan cheese, or sprinkle on Pico de Gallo Chile powder mix, etc. The corn was fresh & sweet and tasted of summer. Also ordered their charcoal grilled beef Teriyaki which was quite good. The Teriyaki sauce had a strong taste of Sho-yu (soy sauce) with a touch of sugar & a soupcon of ginger. I tend to like complex flavours since being in California I am influenced by all sorts of cuisine like Korean & Mexican so at home I would whore my version of teriyaki with garlic, pureed jalapeno peppers & cilantro. But I can see my version would be a little too busy for some people. For dessert, we ordered the Japanese Shaved Ice known as Ko-ri. This variant is called Kintoki which is Azuki beans simmered with sugar for hours until the beans are sweet and soft. The sweetened Azuki beans are then poured over the soft, snowy ice. For added extra creaminess, I ordered condensed milk to be drizzled on top of the shaved ice. The Filipino crushed ice dessert drink called Halo Halo has similar cooked sweet beans that reminds me of azuki beans. By now the Bon Odori (dance) started and the dancers started to circle & dance in a counter-clockwise direction. We watched and hanged around until it became dark. Obon Festivals are relaxed, laid back family/friends events, and are a good excuse to meet people you haven't met for some time. It reminds me a little like Mexico where people do the Paseo around the town square meeting and talking with friends, relatives, lovers, etc. except Obon lasts only 3 days in Japan.

Came here for Obon festival, and it was lit!…read more The crowd was so much fun, there was plenty of food and dancing. The people were really fun, and the Temple's grounds were spacious. Highly recommend!

Beautiful and serene Buddhist temple! On special occasions when a celebration is happening, it is…read morecrowded and delicious Burmese fare is served to anyone who visits from the community. The group who is putting on the celebration will have food ready and anyone can partake. I love this sense of community building. After lunch I will walk the grounds and pray to various deities and make a monetary donation. I always leave feeling better than before. Highly recommend visiting even if there is no celebration going on.

I went to this a church a long time ago. When I was in High School and I had time to attend their…read moreSunday worship. I haven't been here in a long time since after High School I got busy with work and college. I will never forget this church though. They will always be remembered in my heart. The people here are so friendly and helpful. Whenever you are in some kinda trouble or you feel depressed they will pray for you. Whenever you have troubles someone was always willing to give you an ear and if you needed help, they will find a way to help you. They have different worships for the young and the old. I'm actually glad they had a later worship time because I seriously couldn't wake up at 7am sometimes, haha. They also had very powerful bible studies, and if you wanted to do more studies they had groups that were broken down into smaller ones. I went to the one that was for Cantonese speakers. It was great. The people who were teaching was always so helpful, friendly and enthusiastic about what they were teaching that day. I wish I never stopped coming but now I live way to far now like 40 miles away. I sure do miss this church. I hope they are doing well.

very disappointed in leadership pastor does not care or attend to the flock 26 years benny wong as…read morei do not refer him as a pastor because the way he treated my mom who has schizophrenia didn't pray for her or any of the church leaders ever extend a any kind of gesture on what happened to her or ask how she was doing when she in a nursing home. as she is also in the lords eyes she is a child of god and shes been going to this church for over 15 years. all they did was send 2 people to my home to tell my mom not to come to church. so this is how you treat family as a child of god this is why i lose faith in pastors and have really bad trust issues. you're fine if you do have any mental issues or your family maybe you wont feel like a out cast.

My family has been coming to this Buddhist temple since the late 1980s. We generally come here…read moreduring the Chinese/Vietnamese New Year. A very relaxing and calming place to come pay your respects and possibly seeking the answers to your prayers. Parking: They have their own small and dedicated private lot. Should it gets packed, there's also residential street parking (just watch for signs). This Buddhist temple comprises of two levels. After you making your way up the stairs to the entrance, by the doorways is where you can place your money donations with the staff. Afterwards, you'll enter into the Main Floor (Level), which houses the Male and Female Buddhas as well as the Guardian Deities of the Sky. You'll go around the entire Main Floor paying your respects as well as asking for your possible prayers to come true. You can also donate money to purchase a candle to light up along with your prayers or shake out a wooden stick to find out your Dharma meaning to a certain question that you have been pondering. The Monks here are pretty nice and they'll be happy to help interpret for you. The staff volunteers here are pretty nice too and will do their best to assist you with any questions or inquiries that you might have regarding the temple. After you're done with the Main Level, you'll head downstairs to the Basement. Down there, you will head into the room that houses the Master Monk (who was escorted through the world with the Monkey King, Pig and Friar Sandy [Journey to the West Saga] to seek Enlightenment), who oversees the deceases and pay your respects to him as well as wishing safety and goodness for your deceased loved ones in the Underword as well. In addition, the Restrooms are also located in the Basement. There's only one restroom per sex and both are pretty decent and maintained. The Kitchen and Dining Room is also located down there too. The vegetarian meal prepared here, especially, during Chinese/Vietnamese New Year is delicious! Seasoned perfectly and nutritious, my Mom actually prefers the food here more than the vegetarian buffet at Hsi Lai Temple. Each person is given a plate of food and you can either eat it in the dining room or take it home. After you're done paying your respects, you can leave through the small stairway from the Basement or down the stairs from the main entrance (depending on where you're at). Overall, this Buddhist temple has been great to my family. A wonderful and hidden gem in a quiet neighborhood. Definitely worth checking out!

I love GCCI. W Church W pastors W congregation W lunches W sermons W youth group W worship teams.read more

When I first went, I didn't know what I was up for since I was not of the Christian faith…read more This is a decent local church for those that are bilingual or seek community with people that speak Chinese. Although this church treated me with open arms, at some point there was too much politics and stress between members at this generational church. There are Chinese, English, and Spanish services. English and Spanish services are upstairs. When I attended, they had a huge conflict between the English and Chinese congregations. There were a lot of politics at this church. Although I have since left the church, my faith and spiritual well-being took a hard hit from all those issues. Just know that this church predominantly Chinese speaking. Most people that attend the English services are high school - college age. I think most of them are children of the Chinese speaking congregants. The Spanish congregation is a separate congregation that rents out the church building. Just a quick note for those seeking an LGBTQ affirming church: This church is not affirming of LGBTQ relationships and was actively involved in the Proposition 8 campaign.

Peaceful. The temple does not at all look like a temple from the outside, so it is easily missed…read more It is opposite to the church at the corner. The monks are very friendly and provide good advises and suggestions when you are down/hopeless. I would recommend to anyone who needs someone to listen to ur current problems. They are not judgmental but very understanding.