Such sweet energy. I loved visiting the Shrine. It is lovingly cared for by community members. We…read morestayed about an hour - there is so much to see in each little shrine. I was glad to see GuanYin so prevalent in each shrine. Thanks to all who hold this space

Beautiful place. Very peaceful. Creative and fun way to beautify this neighborhood. Really love…read morethis place. Highly recommend visiting

Date: 7/21/2018 Time: 4:15 PM 70° Mostly sunny…read more Purpose of my visit: Obon Festival! It's my first time attending this event here in Alameda. These cultural events, and I have been to many different ones, are always fun for family and friends. I always enjoy them. It's the food, entertainment and being around friendly strangers. I found out earlier in the week about this event and shared it with my oldest sister. One of her classmates, Gordon, mentioned he was planning to attend. Thus, my husband, sister, friend and I met up at this temple for a weekend outing. We couldn't stay long for the entertainment, the Taiko drummers and the traditional dance before dusk. We all wanted to head home to watch the Bay Bridge Series between the A's and the Giants. However, we will get to see the performers at the Obon Festival in Oakland on August 4. My chicken teriyaki dinner was quite good. I must have lucked out because everybody else in my group said the chicken was slightly dry. Udon in the bowl looked yummy. Yes, I was looking at what other attendees were having. Even the aroma of the tamales had me yearning for one. I couldn't believe they had donuts for $1.00 each. Ooh, I want a French cruller, please. The Ikebana exhibit was eye candy - so pleasing to my eyes and so creative of the people who assembled them. The lucky cranes in various colors (3 or 5 cranes) were beautiful. When we left, we saw a childhood friend from our past. Ethel, whom we have known from elementary school (1960's), was there as one of the Taiko drummers. Definitely we will return next year for the Obon Festival. Good times, good eats and good fun for family and friends.

I loved the fundraising event yesterday. So much patience, love and unity here. Enjoyed my steak…read more& treasures!

My mom comes here for the festivals and holidays to pay her respects to the monks and our…read moreancestors. The people are friendly here and welcomes visitors. I am amazed at all the Buddhist statues every time I come. My favorite are the two Hell's Henchmen as my mom tells me. They are two men who comes collect your soul when it's your time to go. One has a horse's head and one has a bull's. It's rare to see statues of them, but in this temple, they have them displayed proudly. Go check them out on your way in.

I'm ringing in Chinese New Years writing a review for this temple. It's buzzing with people wishing…read moreand hoping for a good year. Happy Chinese New Year everyone!!!

As a child, I used to go to this temple with my grandmother. After she passed, her name went up on…read morethe golden wall beside bodhisattva, which means she is a devoted follower. I can definitely attest that the leaders are good people. They mean well. They treated my grandmother well, and visited her when she was in critical condition at the hospital to comfort her. Recently I came as an adult and the elderly greeter was very enthusiastic. However, the things she said were very manipulative and unsympathetic. After teaching me how to pray for a baby, she demanded money for the temple when I got pregnant and warned that if I didn't, I would lose the baby. $300 in fact. She said it more than once without a smile and forced me to say it directly to Buddha while watching me do it. She also taught me that I should go up to pregnant women to inconspicuously rub their bellies. I did not need permissions to touch their bodies. I realize that you cannot control the things that people say, but if she is a greeter, she is not in touch with the standards of society. I was too shocked to realize she was threatening me with money. I hope this review gets through to the leaders and monks of 佛光寺 Fo Guang Si and that you prevent this from happening to other visitors. I know that you are a tight knit group, but from this interaction, I do not believe you are as welcoming to newcomers as you can be. No matter how devoted my grandmother was to this temple, I am never coming here again. For visitors, proceed with caution as your milage may vary.

I was asked to bring some mochi for my father's funeral, per the reverends request. But the only…read moreplace that sells funeral mochi in the area now is in San Jose. So on the morning of the funeral, I waited outside the San Jose mochi place for a half hour, first in line with my preorder. Came as fast as I could to this church but arrived 15 minutes late do to traffic. When I finally arrived, the whole place was completely locked and my wife and I were locked out of my father's entire funeral service. Someone finally let us in after it was over. My family has been having services here for generations. But that will stop with me. I will never forgive myself for going on a fools errand to grab some stupid mochi per some ridiculous traditions. And I will never come to support this place again, no matter who dies.

Date: 8/1/2015 Time: 5:35 PM 70° Sunny…read more Even though I grew up in Oakland Chinatown and attended Lincoln Elementary School (a block from this church), I have never attended the annual Obon Festival. Today is my first time. This is indeed an enjoyable and entertaining cultural event - the music, the Taiko drummers, the dancers in their colorful kimonos, the food, and the handcrafted greeting cards ($3.00 or $5.00 each). They also have chicken/steak/short ribs dinners and baked goods (cakes and cookies) for sale - fundraising for the church. I am highly impressed with the music and singing. Wow...jazz and beautiful singing in Japanese; CD's going for $15.00 each. Then hearing the song, Sukiyaki, brings back memories of my childhood days. I am glad that my husband and I decided to stop by to take in the festive celebration. Much appreciation to the members of this church for organizing and putting on this lovely event. Finally, the Obon Festival was worth attending - free entertainment at its best. It may not be as popular as the Art and Soul Festival several blocks away in Downtown Oakland, but I have to say one thing. I did not have to pay $12.00 to watch and listen to a cultural event.

Even though I more closely subscribe to Theravadin Buddhism, this Chinese temple greeted me with…read moreopen arms. This temple is a diamond hidden in a sometimes, wild and chaotic Oakland. The chief monk chants beautifully! The interior speaks for itself (see photos). I lend my full support to this temple and have donated as much as I am able. I come by frequently during the day when it is open and often patrol at night to ensure this temple remains as vibrant and beautiful as ever. I learned Theravadin Buddhism when I visited "Ceylon" during a doctoral graduate course entitled "Into the Heart of Sri Lanka: Psyche, Culture, Spirit, and Healing." I am including photos from one of my trips to Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Please visit and support this temple if you are able!!! May the triple gem bless you. 儘管我更信奉上座部佛教，但這座中國寺廟張開雙臂迎接我。 這座神殿是一顆隱藏在時而狂野而混亂的奧克蘭的鑽石。 大和尚誦經好聽！ 內部不言自明（見照片）。 我全力支持這座寺廟，並儘我所能捐贈。 我經常在白天開放，晚上經常巡邏，以確保這座寺廟像以往一樣充滿活力和美麗。 我在博士研究生課程"進入斯里蘭卡的心臟：心理、文化、精神和治療"期間訪問了"錫蘭"，學習了上座部佛教。 我包括我去斯里蘭卡（錫蘭）旅行的照片。 如果可以的話，請訪問並支持這座寺廟！！！！ 願三寶保佑你。 Jǐnguǎn wǒ gèng xìnfèng shàngzuò bù fójiào, dàn zhè zuò zhōngguó sìmiào zhāngkāishuāng bì yíngjiē wǒ. Zhè zuò shéndiàn shì yī kē yǐncáng zài shí ér kuáng yě ér hǔnluàn de àokèlán de zuànshí.

I stumbled upon this temple while walking my dog. It's a local neighborhood Mahayana Buddhist…read moretemple inside a small storefront. The alters are elaborate and beautiful and the monks are very friendly. They love my dog and always wish to pick him up and bless him. I love how much he can put a smile on their faces! I enjoy stopping by on my walks with him to take in the warm, positive energy and pay my respects to Buddha.

Teo Chow Temple. Two floors open to public. Came here on 02/22 to pray for lunar new year…read more Folks are very nice and run by the older generation. Parking and drop off for elders can be tough since you can't park right in front of the temple due to a protected bicycle lane. I've parked on the street close by and never had problems but there are some homeless folks around. The praying over the speakers may be loud for some so I always try to pack headphones for my kid. They prayed in teo chow while I was here. They don't have a website but they do post a paper calendar for large events of the year.

Standing modestly at 2 stories tall, this establishment is far from big but it has what you need…read morefor worship in terms of incense, candles, the major deities and a spot for ashes if you cremated a loved one. There's a small fireplace for you to burn offerings indoors. Place is run by older people and they get crowded during the new year. Donations are accepted.

We took a tour inside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Temple's Visitor's Center…read more The Visitor's center is open to the pubic and it's free. In addition you don't need to make reservations. We were warmly welcomed when we entered and were asked if we wanted a tour or would we just like to look around on our own. We opted for the tour. There was a short video presentation on families and them being together for ever. It was a sweet presentation. Unlike the Carousel of Progress at Disney World where the room moves for you, in this presentation you have to walk to each viewing area. It wasn't an issue. You just moved down the seats 5 feet or so to the next stage. It was a well done presentation. After that we wandered around. In the back part of the visitor's center there are floor to ceiling windows and today was a clear day and you could clearly see the Golden Gate Bridge. What a sight. They also had 3 examples of historic temples. One all the way back in the Old Testament to Moses's time. I thought that was really cool to see temples were built back in the biblical times and not something just made up for today. My parents enjoyed their theater and sat though many of the 8 stores of missionaries and there journeys of faith and service. I listened to 2 and really enjoy hearing about their stories and struggles. The Visitor's Center is Staffed with full time missionaries from the Church off Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Unlike what you may have heard about missionaries, these are just sweet kids trying to make everyone feel welcome and if you're intreasted they will tell you about God and his plan of happiness. These are not used car salesmen they aren't trying to sell you something or pull wool over your eyes. If you are interested in knowing more about them or there church you are free to inquire, but they aren't going to push anything on you. The grounds are beautifully maintained and well manicured. There are always flowers in bloom and the trash is always lush. If you go to the top of the temple you can see a view of the city. There is a staircase to the right and left of the entrance that will take you to the roof. Parking is great. They have there own private lot and parking is free. The spaces are wide and I had no issue parking. Bathrooms, the visitors center has plenty of clean well stocked bathrooms. Concerts and Programs, all free of charge- Their are lots of different offerings depending on the season. I wanted to take a picture of the Easter Celebrations for the week, but my phone died on me. They have some Holy Week activities, if you are interested I'd give them a call and asked for the list of activities that are happening soon. During December there are lots of programs and organizations and other churches participated. I believe they have an interfaith concert which brings people of many faiths together. The last concert I went to was a bell concert. People with musical bells came to perform in the concert hall. It was something I've never heard of before, but enjoyed. Family history center- They have a family history also referred to as genealogy center in the basement and that is also free to the public. We didn't pop our heads in, but we heard it's there.

Really gorgeous building and sunset view but they didn't allow service animals past the gate onto…read morethe rooftop garden (I asked security). I was confused because temples and churches are meant to be inclusive to all people... some cannot go too long without their service animal for medical reasons. It felt like it goes against the message establishments like these pride themselves on... Hoping they will change this soon, for safety reasons.

Super welcoming, efficient and kind... Keep trying the various teachers and I find there's someone…read morefor everyone in terms of style and Dharma offerings with the various programs in wide variety of teachers... Improvement could be made with donating one portal easy like IMC Redwood City and I would really appreciate less aggressive dana talks and an easier portal /platform for donating going to each individual teachers platform and having to sign up with the platform is not a solution and I appreciate your kind attention and hope this can be made easier for all beings to donate to East Bay Meditation Center because basically I'm waiting until the teachers come to Insight Meditation Center Redwood City and donating to them at that venue because easier. Also another Meditation Center that even has an easier platform for donation is Flagstaff Meditation Center you go in pull down the teacher's name click in the donation arrives to the teacher and or Center....

I have been attending workshops at EBMC sporadically for close to 2 years now. I am not a regular…read moremeditator, despite my intentions, I accept what is for now lol. I value EBMC so much as a learning space. The workshops I have attended always provided information for me, whether about the nature of things or about my inner world that was right on time! I have definitely grown as a result and feel helped along through life's challenges & lessons. I love the gift economics model they use, I just wish we could venmo our donations or some other way online where eventbrite doesn't charge fees. I try to pay cash on site instead when I have it, but yea I hate the fees. Tip: scent free space, and they mean it! I actually love fabric softener (it was a luxury my family did not afford when I was a kid) and now I dump it enthusiastically all over my laundry, so attending events at EBMC requires some extra planning on my part, but I appreciate that they are serious to make it accessible for everyone and it's well worth my effort.