Happy that there's a local Thai buddist temple in the Fairfield area. The monks are friendly…read more Sometimes they have festivals where volunteers make authentic Thai food to get donations in for the temple. They also have events for Thai citizens to get their Thai passports and Thai ID cards renewed. Very convenient!

Beautiful temple with very nice monks. Come and see for yourself…read more Wat Chaimongkol is well known by supporting from the people in different locations such as Bay areas, Fairfield, San Francisco and etc. Later on, June 25, 2009 is regarded as the best auspicious day of the time 9 A.M. and 9 minutes. All monks officially moved in living until now. Nowadays, Wat Chaimongkol is also officially acknowledged as a member of Assembly of Thai Monks organization so that it is a legal institutation in both secular and religious views. The total area of the current place is nearly a half of an acre with two buildings. In the big building with 2,422 sq. ft., there are 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 reception room, 1 kitchen room and 1 dining room. In the small building with 900 sq.ft. there are 2 bedrooms 1 store-room and a 2 car garage. The space between two buildings is suitable for doing activities. Moreover, there is a large area at the front suitable for 10 cars parking excluded from the area of main road and than of informal education school.

Serene and beautiful monastery grounds. Happy to discover a hidden gem in the hills. When you first…read moreturn in you'll drive along a small tree-lined road and go up the hill to their gated entrance. You may have to call their intercom to enter through the gate if they are not currently hosting an event. When you first visit, go to the reception office for an intro about the monastery and their activities. You can join their regularly scheduled meditation classes and dharma classes. The building to the left of that is where they hold Buddhist classes and talks. To the left of that is a small hill and walking nature loop to see a Kuan Yin statue placed within a circular, eight petaled lotus mandala. The walk has beautiful views of the surrounding distance. Down towards the right is the temple, which is only open to the public during events. They recently finished some renovations inside their main temple and outside gardens. The gardens behind and below the temple opens to expansive views too, yet is still undergoing construction. You can see a small pagoda with a Kuan Yin statue and a rectangle platform with a statue of the Buddha. Inside the temple, it is common etiquette to remove your shoes, place them in a shoe cabinet along the wall, and wear socks inside (no bare feet allowed here) during events. There are bathrooms and a water station too. I joined a recent Friday meditation gathering and it was nicely organized and run very well. They have a welcoming sangha community too.

Beautiful scenery and grounds. The peace I felt was incredible. I love it here. I highly recommend.read more

It's a beautiful place and the people are even better. It's not what I expected it's so much more.read more

As a former member of SGI-USA, I had heard a lot from them about "the Priesthood issue", which was…read morea covert way of referring to strained relations with Nichiren Shoshu. I was told the Priests are greedy, mean, and power-hungry. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. The Priests are kind, warm, and approachable. The members are open, caring, and loving. The Temple and its administrators value the privacy of the members. I have taken many friends as my guest to the Temple, out of my pride and love for this Temple. It is a very comfortable, even transformative place to be. I find myself making excuses to go there weekly, all the way from Fremont to Pinole! If you are interested in creating peace, joy, and fullfilment in your life, the Buddhism of Nichiren Shoshu is for you! Come check out our Temple!!!

Beautiful and peaceful setting away from all the city noise to sit and reset for a nice relaxing…read moreday.

Beautiful place to find your peace, walk in the garden and turn some prayer wheels. There is…read moreobviously a very caring community involved to maintain such a beautiful place. Donyo has a great sense of humor. What a bright spirit he is!

The golden paint around the gates instantly demarcated an entrance to the Thai temple. I was…read moreinstantly met with a pleasant aroma of Thai spices. First checkpoint was to obtain tokens in order to purchase the Thai food. Well, I calculated that maybe I had enough stomach space for "two meals" at most, but the portions decent enough to satiate my appetite. I want to gate-keep this experience, however I believe that there is enough publicity that this place is no longer an obscure discovery. The roaming temple dog (maybe a lost but well-behaved dog) mad it an extra fun experience. The food is a great intro to what Thai food is! Pick your personal favorites, I believe each item wouldn't disappoint. I would come again with my friends to revisit this place for a relaxing Sunday breakfast.

This is such a cool, community experience in the East Bay. I've heard about Wat Mongkolratanaram…read morefor quite some time from friends in the area, and both read about and viewed so much content about this local Sunday event as well. Finally was able to go and experience it! If you've been, would love to hear about your experience too! Essentially, Wat Mongkolratanaram is a Buddhist temple located on Russell Street in Berkeley. They serve lunch to the community (I believe 10a to 1p, although do research ahead of time to ensure they're serving the day you come). I would recommend coming earlier than later, as some items do go quickly. Bring cash with you because your cash = how many coins/tokens you will receive to give the food stations. Right by the coin checkin area, you will find the beverage area of water/Thai tea, and other bevvies. The Thai Tea goes fast too, so also recommend grabbing one early if that's your go-to. There are community-style tables/chairs and also a grass area to enjoy your meal. I noticed several groups bringing blankets and picnic baskets for their afternoon set up. A great idea! For vegetarians or those looking for a more veggie focused lunch, there was a separate line for that. We arrived a little late, so the food stall I waited in line for only had minced pork, yellow curry, and rice, although that alone was filling enough and so delicious. My husband stood in a line for a beef noodle soup. I noticed a food stall with papaya salad, potentially fried chicken, and I believe a mango sticky rice. For dessert we waited in line for the Thai coconut pancakes or Kanom Krok, in cinnamon and plain flavors..they also were serving chive too! I love that you can 'leave a bag/take a bag' if you want to grab these items to-go, as well as grab plastic to-go containers too. There are napkins, utensils, and a sauce station. This is run by all volunteers I think, and everyone was so friendly and helpful. Parking isn't impossible, but because this happens only on Sundays, it did take a few minutes additionally to grab street parking nearby. All in all, a lovely afternoon paying homage to the beautiful Thai culture through food and community. Would def do it again and just prepare to arrive closer to the beginning of the event.

I recently attended the 70th annual Teriyaki Bazaar. Wild to think that I've been attending this…read moreevent for decades now, as well as making it a tradition to take my son over the years too. Pro Tip: come early to avoid the lines. We arrived close to 11:00am. Found a parking spot of the road. Ticket lines were short. We were 3rd in line for chicken. It tastes exactly as I remember: falling of the bone deliciousness. We stuffed our faces, grabbed some beers and explored the Hall. A lot of the floral arrangements were already sold. Bake sale seemed to be abundant this year. Homemade goods booths are always my favorite. I picked up two jars of pickles this year for my Best Friend who couldn't come. There was no gambling, no plant sale, no Inari sushi, no kids games and no history exhibit. This temple holds a very special place in my heart. It was sad to see that it was significantly smaller with less booths and exhibits. I understand it's a lot of work, without the volunteers it isn't possible. I guess I need to fly back to volunteer next year!

Started going here in the 9th grade. Met some great people from here from attending the Sunday…read moreservices and Sunday school and from joining the youth group. Lots of great Volleyball practices and tournaments with Dennis and Debbie, Mr. Ito and Marcus. Rev. Hamashita did my older brother's wedding. She also did the funeral services and 49 day service when my dad passed. Lots of great memories here. Oh the mochi pounding days! Watch out for your fingers. That's something everyone should experience. The Teriyaki Bizarre in July is always a great fun event for families and check out the Obon festival right after that if you're interested in the traditional Japanese style of dancing to honor the ancestors and those that have passed. The Sunday services are open to all and it's good to have new blood. It is sad to see the elder Japanese that helped mold the temple for so long thin out.

I visited this temple when I was in the area, and I was very impressed with the gentle, kind spirit…read moreof the congregation and with the minister, Rev. Henry Adams. Imagine a white American guy leading a predominantly Japanese American temple--it shows how inclusive they are! We have no Buddhist Churches of America where I live. I wish we did.

very laid back friendly temple. a great experience. interesting architectural statuary and outdoor…read morescenery.

Wahoo indeed. Michael is a wise, compassionate & humorous teacher. Often times, I may feel that I…read morehaven't really gotten "it" and the (talks) apply to future life situations. Michael holds a space for those open to questioning what we are certain about and challenging even that...For those living close enough to benefit from experiencing a physical presence, we are extremely lucky to have someone like Michael in our daily chaotic life. If your geographical location makes it impossible to sit on Monday, the Dharma talks are accessible via Infinitesmile.org or I tunes.

This place charges for meditation, which is antithetical to everything the Buddha taught. I don't…read moremean that they ask for donations. I mean they ask you for cash or credit card payment before you can sit down and meditate. This is not a Buddhist center. No place that requires payment to sit in meditation with the sangha is a Buddhist center.

There current location is in Penngrove, they moved there several years ago. They offer a modern…read moreapproach to traditional Kadampa Buddhist meditation. Each class normally includes short prayers at the beginning and end, a guided meditation and a teaching on a Buddhist topic. The prayers are translations of traditional Tibetan chants that present aspects of the Buddha's teachings. Introductory classes are currently available 3 days per week. Every couple of months they have a more in depth training session on Saturday's. My wife and I found the center about a year ago and have found the training on inner peace to be very helpful in our lives.

This temple in Concord houses five Thai monks from the Luan Pu Mun lineage of the Thai Forest…read moreTradition (http://www.mybuddha108.com/bio/achan_mun.html). The temple was established twelve years ago to serve the needs of the local Thai community. Welcoming all those interested in Theraveda Buddhist practice emphasizing meditation leading to quieting the conceptual mind and following The Buddha's moral precepts. The monks refrain from gainful employment and rely on the generosity of the lay members for food clothing and shelter. In accord with Buddha's advice the monks stop eating after noon each day to relieve the lay community of the need to respond to their food needs for breakfast lunch and dinner. This temple has the loving support of local SE Asian expats as well as Westerners devoted to Buddhist philosophy. If you are interested in this mission please stop by to see for yourself. Morning chanting 6:30 to 7:30 am, Food offering followed by community meal 10:00 am to 12 noon daily, Daily 1:00 to 4:00 pm quiet meditation space, Sunday's 12:30 pm dharma talk (Thai Language). Most of the lay community speak English and one of the monks is fluent in English. Setting in a tree covered converted residential home.

I came here for the first time with my gf who is thai i wanted to be supportive of her culture and…read moreto learn more of her religion this place has taught me the meaning life, love, and harmony, and that is to love yourself more and never give up on anything!