I have a deep respect for all religions and people that believe in various faiths. It brings peace…read moreto my soul to be in this type of setting with other worshippers

I started coming almost a year now. Immediately I found the center warm and welcoming. I was new to…read moreBuddhism and to the Kadampa Buddhist Teachings. I can say it has made my life immeasurably more peaceful and joyful. Thank you to the staff and community.

I hesitated writing this as I wrestled with putting this negativity out there if this center helped…read moreothers. However, after doing some research and finding many others have concerns with Kadampa Buddism in general, I thought it worth sharing that I had an absolutely horrible experience with Tushita. I was looking for a regular meditation practice and to learn more about Buddhism. I found Tushita first and gave it a try one Thursday eve. During the session I attended, the first in a series ostensibly on using Buddhism to Calm Your Mind, the person leading the session and meditation seemed ill-suited to the task and undeserving of the four of us in attendance being instructed to stand for his entrance. Buddhism Speaking in what came off as a performative hushed, slow cadence, he proceeed to sprinkle humble brags "my first trip to Rome," "when I was on the beach in Mexico," gratuitious mentions of past girlfriends, and frankly, lame insults "or you could carry an umbrella and look like tourist." He consistently floated gross generalizations with no nuance: "we're all seeking happiness and joy" (I seek contentment), "things can't bring you happiness" (tell that to the poverty-stricken or unhoused -- or the giant gold [colored] Buddha behind you.) He seemed to also fancy himself a stand-up comedian, peppering his droning, rambling with what he clearly thought were humorous asides as he would invariably giggle at his own delivery throughout. Oh, and the volunteer taking the money and running the A/V encouraged us all to attend the upcoming $200 weekend beach retreat describing it only as "a lot of fun." No other details or information. It took all of my prior training to ease my mind and not walk out before he was even a third of the way through. , If you're genuinely seeking contentment, peace, and calm, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Wonderful Meditation Center and gardens. Group Meditations take place on Thursday evenings at 7pm…read more Today I participated in a meditation retreat starting at 9am. Seated meditation, chants, walking meditation inside and outside. Silent Vegetarian Lunch. I am writing this during a break following lunch. The retreat will end at 5pm. Regular Sunday Service is at 11am. This temple observes the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism. Vietnamese language but if you are seeking enlightenment or understanding of Buddhism the lead venerable monk is very welcoming and helpful. There may be slight language barriers. But they will treat you like family. If nothing else, stop by and walk the grounds, light some incense, enjoy the beautiful sculptures, and breathe.

Excellent place to explore Buddhism however the service is in Vietnamese. There are members that…read morespeak English and there are language classes. It's a place you wouldn't want to pass up if you're looking to explore cultures and religion.

Beautiful temple I just came from Long Beach California To Seattle now I am in Tacoma at the temple…read moreit is a very beautiful place

Very nice temple. Welcoming to all. Good place to go for Thai,Laos and Cambodia NY. Lots of foods…read moreaways after monks eat.

I moved here from Oregon, looking for thai temple, looked the reviews and decided to check it out…read more It is nice and welcoming. They do ask to wear mask inside sala (building). It even has a play area for kids and a big pond in the back. It was peaceful.

The SGI is an amazing Buddhist organization, focused on making positive change. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo…read moreis the main part of the practice. The members are so friendly and encouraging and very supportive. I highly recommend it! www.sgi-usa.org

I went to the 2025 Summer Bon Odori Buddhist Festival here. I have not danced here in several years…read moreor before Cvid. I moved to S. Seattle area, so it's closer to drive out now. They use the same dances and music as the Seattle Bon Odori at the Betsuin Buddhist Church. A volunteer let me change into my kimono in the No Access Area where the restrooms by the Hodo alter area was. It's a large handicap restroom that I used before. So it was helpful. At the Seattle Buddhist Church there was no public restrooms to change. They close them up and have sanicans ionly. I changed at a hotel after I went to a fest. At Seattle Center before going to Seattle's Obon. I bought and found some Kimono underwear gear that I could not find in Little Tokyo in LA. I also found small tabis that fot me at size 4.5. So that was only $3 each and found two luckily. I thought I needed more larger size Tabi. Today my left foot was swollen with a sprained ankle. So some of my other tabis did not fit. I wore a brace and only dance "Tanko Bushi," the Coal Miner's Dance. They do this standard dance all over other Obons all over the US and in Tokyo. I was lucky they had left over Teriyaki Chicken bowl and Tsukemono half price. Retail for chicken was $12 , Unagi was $15. It was not as cheap when they sold them 10 yrs ago. Somen was $4. They did not have regular soda. Just flavored water and water. There was a Beer Garden too but no entertainment there since it off to the side of the church and not in a quieter area. There were a few African Amer. In the audience and other non Japanese Nikkei there too. They drew people from other parts of Tacoma, And other areas besides from the Seattle Obon. After 8pm they had a short Obon Memorial Service for deceased members and for anyone who bought a candle for $10. There were floating lanterns and other nice paper lanterns in their small Jp Gardens. Even in Idaho, there is a Bon Odori, Chicago, LA, SF, Sacramento, Vegas, Vancouver BC,. Hilo, Honolulu, Portland, OR. You can probably find where ever there is a Japanese Community like in Brasil and Peru. The Bon Odorii in the Phillippines is more of a stage show sponsored by Jp Corp. , Jp Gov. and they get many locals selling food. I saw it on You Tube.

Came here a few times for Japanese related events such as the Bon Odori and the latest being the…read moreBazaar and craft festival. Each time we are here we are delighted by the helpful staff and the range of both handmade and well curated goodies. If you also are a fan of Japanese sweets, during these events they offer treats like daifuku and manju that is so fresh and chewy! A lot of street parking in the area but be weary, a lot of them are on hilly areas by the UW Tacoma campus! Also, if you can bring cash - some of the items sold at these events are cash only!

I've been wanting to go to this Buddhist Temple for a while. I really admired the architecture from…read morethe road frequently as I would go by it. I wanted to go in just to pay a visit but wanted to arrive at an appropriate time to check it out. My wait finally ended as this temple was having a yard sale. I took the opportunity immediately not only to go to the sale but to admire the area as well. I briefly took some pictures of some beautiful statuary and the buildings. The garage sale was very impressive! All kinds of different clothing and other household items to browse through. Such a great selection! I don't know if this garage sale is held every year here at this temple but if you ever do see one be sure and drop by!

I lived in Seattle in the 1990's and had been a practicing Buddhist for about ten years. I usually…read moreattended Lao temple in Seattle. I had a friend who was a Theravada monk and had been teaching over in Tacoma. In 1996 he said I ought to come over to Seu Mi Sa to take that five precepts with some of his students. I thought this was going to be a small private affair. I failed to realize it was the late April day when Buddhists celebrate the Birth, Enlightenment and Entrance to Nirvana by Buddha. There were hundreds of people there including the mayor of Tacoma and Mike Lowrey, the Governor of Washington. The temple has an interesting history. It is a Korean Zen temple. It was built by a donation from a wealthy Korean businesswoman. The Temple Building was originally in Korea. It is quite old and was dismantled and shipped to the US and reassembled. It is entirely made of wood and has no metal nails or bolts holding it together. The interior and exterior are very ornate and there are hundreds of small donated Buddha images inside. There is a meditation hall in the hill under the temple. The grounds around temple include the monks quarters and a large meeting hall for meals and other activities. After the ceremony I received a certificate in Korean and Chinese and I was given a Korean name. This was followed by a vegetarian meal in the assembly hall.