Fo Guang Shan Chung Mei Buddhist Temple

As a forewarning, this review is heavily biased.
Allow me to set the stage…
It was late 2001. I was 16 years old, driving home from school one day, when I noticed in the distance a building I had never seen before. Out of curiosity, I decided to investigate. At the time, the temple grounds consisted of only a single, lone building at the end of a long gravel road with an itty bitty statue garden adjacent to it. I pulled into the temple’s gravel parking lot which was completely empty, I walked up to the doors, and I poked my head inside. I was immediately greeted by a friendly monk who invited me in. Having not known much about Buddhism at the time but having a very curious spirit, I accepted walked in and we began to talk. That simple greeting turned into a three hour conversation about my background as well as about Buddhism. And that first day turned into two years. Almost every weekend for nearly two years, I would go to the temple to speak to the monks and to learn about and practice Buddhism. This set the foundation for the practice throughout my adulthood. I stopped attending the temple when I had moved away. But, nearly a decade later, I revisited the temple only to see how much it had grown! I couldn’t believe my eyes! The amount of books amd the private meditation rooms and the tea room! It had all grown so much! And unfortunately the monks I once knew had long since passed on. But just as friendly were the people that greeted me so many years later, not knowing my history with the temple.
This place will always hold a special spot in my heart. It’s a temple of peace and of love. And for me, it will always be the one place where I began my spiritual journey.

Came here originally to check out their tea room, but boy was I impressed! The grounds are clean and peaceful, and the temple itself is serene and beautiful. There are monks nearby who are always happy to welcome visitors and answer your questions. We were given a tour of their mini-​museum next to the temple room by a female monk (they accept both genders, and the monks live on the temple grounds and come from all over the world), and capped our visit with their amber tea and special fruit tea. I highly recommend visiting!

The Tea Room at the Chung Mei Buddist Temple was lovely. We began this beautifully rainy day at 10am. Our planner made the mistake of neglecting some details. They open at 11am. Fear not… our gracious hostesses at the temple said they would accomodate us.
In our rather large group, we tried almost all the teas offered and shared to experience them all… not one complaint… and they were lovely to boot.
We had the same experience with the food. Potstickers, Cazones (that look something like a potsticker, but larger) Noodle, KimChee, Spinach Rice, Purple Rice, Pasta… yum! Make sure you bring someone to share with so you can taste them all… then a brisk walk through their gardens to finish the experience.
I will be back again!

If you’re feeling a little stressed (admit it: we all do), Chung Mei Buddhist Temple is the place to wipe it all away. Take a seat on one of the padded benches in the temple, close your eyes, relax, and meditate… afterwards, you’ll feel like a different person!
If the meditation didn’t do it for you, make sure to stop by the tea room on the way out. There are several kinds of fruit-​infused hot teas, warm mushroom & cheese sandwiches, chinese pancakes, and two kinds of rice. Afterwards, you can wander the sculpture garden.
Make sure to check the website for a calendar of programs and events. I was lucky enough to hear one of the Buddist nuns-​in-​residence talk when I was there. These ladies are really incredible, and they are so wise. They also shave their heads and wear sackcloth, so don’t be surprised if you see them walking around like this.