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Readers of LawPundit : Hacienda Heights, California : Location of the Hsi Lai Temple : Buddhism and Chinese Culture

By Andis Kaulins

We recently had a visitor at LawPundit from Hacienda Heights, an unusual unincorporated census-designated place in Los Angeles County, which is definitely one of the most interesting communities in the State of California, if not the entire United States. The Wikipedia notes:

"Hacienda Heights is notable for being home to one of the largest Buddhist temples in the United States, the Hsi Lai Temple (meaning "Coming West"). The temple encompasses 15 acres and a floor area of 102,432 sq. ft. The temple's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) architecture is faithful to the traditional style of buildings, gardens, and statuary of traditional ancient Chinese monasteries. Hsi Lai was built to serve as a spiritual and cultural center for those interested in learning Buddhism and Chinese culture."

The Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights is one of two locations in California which claims to be the largest Buddhist monastery in the Western hemisphere. As written at the Wikipedia:

"Since 1988, members of Hsi Lai and others have claimed that their temple is the largest temple in the Western Hemisphere. However, the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas situated in Talmage, Northern California has over 80 acres of built-up land on 488 acres (1.97 km²) of property as compared to Hsi Lai Temples' 15 acres, but rather than a temple complex as is Hsi Lai Temple, the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is more of an entire community with several large buildings clustered together. Therefore, both organizations lay claim to being the largest Buddhist monastery in the West....

Hsi Lai is a popular venue for tourists interested in learning more about Chinese culture and Buddhism, and has even been coined the "Forbidden City of America."

The former Hsi Lai University in Hacienda Heights moved to Rosemead, California in 1996 and was renamed The University of the West (Hsi Lai means "Coming West"). It is the first Buddhist-funded university in the United States but students need not be of the Buddhist faith.

Full post as published by LawPundit on July 21, 2008 (boomark / email).