New Year's Day: Buddhist temple visit

Bhante (LA Buddhist Vihara); Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, A. Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara now at 1023 N. Glendora Ave., Covina, CA 91724

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Leshan Mountain Buddha, riverside China

Ancient Asian proverb says, "What you do on the first day of the year you'll be doing the rest of the year," according to my very superstitious Chinese-Vietnamese girlfriend. There are lots of things you should avoid on this day, and likewise some things you should make sure to do: Meditate, visit a temple, ask a Wise Teacher a question, stay clean, be happy, give generously, let go. You get the idea.

It's not superstition. It's real!

Wisdom Quarterly covered Chinese customs surrounding New Year's Day, like what color to wear and not to wear, whether to do spring cleaning or not (the Chinese calendar, like most traditional calendars on the planet recognizes that the New Year begins when the Earth renews herself in the verdant spring). Look it up.

Los Angeles has a new option. The Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara (Sri Lankan) today moved from Pasadena to Covina, deep in the San Gabriel Valley, to a massive former Protestant church compound, making it the second biggest temple in the area.

• New Year's "good luck" foods (laist.com)
  

It's true: Auspicious things are good luck!

There is the giant Hsi Lai Temple south of it, the great Dhammakaya temple in Azusa (Thai), the Progressive Buddhist Association (Burmese) and the Parami Temple of La Puente (Burmese) in Azusa, the Lankarama Institute of La Puente/City of Industry (Sri Lankan), the University of the West Buddhist in Rosemead (Taiwanese), and so on. There are an as yet uncounted number of Buddhist temples and meditation centers in Los Angeles, including some Tibetan gompas.