Quang Thien Temple

I have been to this temple since it first started. I live about an hour away so I do not get to come here as often as I like.
The people here are nice and friendly. The Master monk and the other monks are very welcoming. I like coming here when I feel overwhelmed and stressed out to pray or meditate for a bit because it is just relaxing.
Like my friend wrote in her review, I too use to be a part of the Youth Group here and it was great to take one day out of the week to come here and gather with friends (who eventually became like family) to just talk about the Buddhist religion, hear the dharma talk from the Master or other monks, and share with each other about what has been going on in our lives. It was nice to just get away from life stressors for one night of the week to not worry about what was going on an just relax and stress-​free for a few hours.

As a Vietnamese Buddhist growing up in the I.E. I’m pretty sure I’m a minority O_​O There aren’t that many Vietnamese temples at all, compared to Little Saigon and stuff, but this temple is the closest one to my house.
I used to be a part of the Youth Group they had here and it was great. It wasn’t religion-​centric or anything, moreso a group of friends talking about the stresses of every day life and giving each other constructive advice. Of course there was the religious aspect of meditation and brief prayers and dharma talk. I actually LOVEd going to temple every saturday, in addition to the Sunday prayers.
On Sunday, it’s basically the weekly prayer sessions where cute old Vietnamese ladies come and pray, in addition to gossiping. This is like their hang out spot, cause I mean. . where else do you find Vietnamese people around here.
Despite how gossipy the ladies are, the one thing I respect and admire from them is their kind hearts. It’s quite common to come along to pray at funerals for members of the temples and their families. But I noticed they even go pray for people they have no attachments to. I mean obviously the Master and the other Monks have religious responsibilities and so on, but these ladies don’t have to spend their free time praying for others. They’re just really nice…
And the one thing I love about the smaller temples, is the family-​like attitude. Even when they come and pray for you, you can offer them a donation. It’s not like a set price. Cause I know some temples in Little Saigon have set rates and it gets really sketchy.. I think religious establishments should be less materialistic.
Oh and I LOVE the Vegetarian food they have here. Sometimes on Sundays the ladies here donate food to feed everyone. And in the past there were events were they did a vegetarian buffet where they sold tickets for $ 5 or $ 10 as a fundraiser for building the temple.
Overall, I can see myself growing old and grey with this place. I’ve met many great people here and I wouldn’t know what kind of person I would be if I was never a member of this temple’s youth group :)