You’ve probably been to enough churches and cathedrals to see that Westerners have perfected the domes of their religious structures during the past few thousand years. Pagodas, which are just as hospitable and gorgeous as their Western counterparts, were built by architects in India, and Japan and polishing stones to create Buddhist and Taoist temples.
List Of The Temples In the USA
1. Hsi Lai Temple
A mountain monastery called FoGuang Shan Hsi Lai Temple is located in Los Angeles County’s Hacienda Heights neighbourhood in the northern Puente Hills. Hsi Lai’s name translates to “going west.”
A Taiwanese Buddhist organisation called FoGuang Shan has a branch called Hsi Lai Temple. It acts as the regional office for FoGuang Shan in North America and is the first foreign branch temple of the organisation. The Buddha’s Light International Association was established in 1991 at the Hsi Lai Temple. The temple practises Humanistic Buddhism, just like its mother temple in Taiwan.
2. PaoFa Temple
One of the biggest Buddhist temples and monasteries in the country is PaoFa Temple. Irvine, California, is where it is situated. Most of the Buddhists who frequent it are Taiwanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese Americans, many of whom attend the University of California, Irvine.
Venerable was born in Taiwan. PaoFa Temple’s founder and abbot is Jen-Yi. He took the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas’ recommendation to construct the temple in Irvine in 1990. The temple, which was built for $5 million on the site of a Pacific Bell facility, was opened in late 2002.
Numerous Buddhist events, such as the celebration of the Buddha’s birthday, different offerings, and numerous other ceremonies, such as chanting and meditation, are held in the PaoFa Temple. In addition, it has a summer camp.
3. San Fran Dhammaram Temple
The San Fran Dhammaram Temple was established on June 24th, 2002 by Venerable Acariya Thoon Khippapanyo. San Francisco’s 11th Avenue served as the San Fran Dhammaram Temple’s first location. Ratima Chintanarod donated this location. AcariyaThoonKhippapanyo and PrarajWachirasophon oversaw the inaugural ceremonies on September 4, 2002, when this location initially opened its doors.
Renovations started in October 2008 when a new location was bought. San Francisco Dhammaram joined the Dhammayuttika Nikaya and became the Dhammayut Order of the United States of America’s 50th temple. After repairs were completed, the temple was formally relocated to 2645 Lincoln Way in San Francisco in January 2009.
4. Guang Ming temple
The largest Buddhist temple in Central Florida is the Guang Ming temple in Orlando, Florida, in the United States. The traditional Chinese-monastic architecture, three-story temple measures 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) and was completed for about $5 million in 2007. The temple is connected to both Hsi Lai Temple in Los Angeles and FoGuang Shan, a monastic community from Taiwan led by Venerable Hsing Yun that boasts over one million followers worldwide. Numerous resident monks live in Guang Ming, which also has a sizable main shrine room, an additional meditation room, a vegetarian cafeteria, a tea room, a gift shop, and guest dorms.
5. Nichiren Buddhist temple
As a Nichiren Buddhist temple, the temple was built in 1902. The temple, which was initially constructed closer to Pahala, was moved to its current location in 1925 after being destroyed by a significant flood in 1917.
The temple was abandoned in the middle of the 1960s when the Ka’u Sugar Corporation stopped doing business there. In order to establish a centre for Buddhist study and meditation on the island, the temple was leased to the Nechung lineage in 1973. This Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism is connected to the Nechung Oracle.
6. New Orleans Zen Temple
In New Orleans, Louisiana, there is a Soto Zen dojo called the New Orleans Zen Temple. The previous abbot was Robert Livingston Roshi, who retired in 2016, and the current abbot is Richard Collins. In 1984, Livingston, a close student of TaisenDeshimaru, established the temple. Deshimarurequested that Livingston travel to the US to establish a Zen dojo and impart authentic Zen practise before he passed away in 1982. The American Zen Association, which supports zen dojos and disseminates rare Buddhist literature, is based out of the temple.
6. New Orleans Zen Temple
Come As You Are: Buddhism and Daily Life, the 2016 Eastern Buddhist League Conference was held at the temple. Kenneth K. Tanaka delivered the keynote address. Hoh Daiko, a troupe of taiko drummers from New Jersey, has their headquarters at the temple. The current temple’s construction started in 1968 with ground breaking, and it was finished in 1969. The temple was formally consecrated on November 27, 1969, in front of the twenty-third monshuTaniKsh and Lady Yoshiko Tani, as well as all of the Buddhist Ministers of the Eastern District.
The temple was established as a nonprofit corporation in 1983. In 1986, a residence for the presiding sensei was added. In 1988, a meditation garden was built.