It was a beautiful moonlit night, though Luna (Soma) did not appear until just after the ceremony officially wrapped up, low to the southeast and reddish. One hundred and ninety Buddhist monastics from about 13 Buddhist countries came together from a cross-cultural, multi-school spectacular. Dhammakaya is a kind of loving cult that is all about giving dana in expectation of rich rewards here and hereafter. It is a big movement in Theravada Buddhist Thailand, boasting the largest Buddhist monument in the world, a spaceship (deva vimana) looking structure out by the Bangkok Int'l Airport topped by a million golden Buddha statues. Quietly nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley, the American international meditation center (DIMC) is a peaceful place to meditate the Dharma-body way.
Dhammakaya literally translates from the Pali as "Dhamma body." The focus of this meditation is not the breath but a visualization of a small crystal ball entering the nostril (right for males, left for females), traveling to seven points in the body, and coming to rest two finger widths above the navel. This clear magic crystal, a kind of nimitta or produced image, vibrates along the way. Its sound emanation or mantra is sammaarahan. This literally means "right full-enlightenment." The crystal starts at the nostril for three repetitions, moves up the nose to the corner of the eye for another three, slowly moves to the center of the skull for another three, down behind the throats, and so forth. Instructions are offered free on weekends. Donations (dana offerings) welcome.
We never thought of the place as an actual cult -- though the many women who surround the place wearing white, do act awfully strange and suspicious, very "nice" but always watching and on edge -- until self-appointed investigative reporter Cori Ander went out and paid the mother center a visit. She doesn't find much, but there are scandals and rumors of scandals, mainly to do with money. If the SGV is a hollow (valley or canyon) then this temple complex is just a holler from the largest Mahayana Buddhist temple complex in the western hemisphere against the hill to the southwest, Coming West Temple.
“Hsi Lai Temple, translated as 'Coming West,' is dedicated to spread the [mostly Mahayana] teachings of the Buddha to the Western hemisphere and help people find inner peace and happiness in their life. It devotes its effort in providing everyone in the society with joy, hope, faith and service.” More: hsilai.us
May 2026 is a special occasion because Prince Siddhartha Gautama (the Bodhisattva) was born on the "Full Moon Day in May," and it's also the day he later became enlightened, and the same day he reclined into final nirvana. This is, therefore, "Buddhist Christmas" but as a thrice blessed day, it is even more significant. This year, because May 2026 has two full moons (according to the Gregorian Calendar forced on us), gives us two opportunities to practice and celebrate. Wisdom Quarterly is teaching at the Eight PreceptFasting Day at the Sri Lankan North Hollywood Temple (Sarathchandra Vihara) by day and attending a grand ceremony representing all Buddhist countries in Los Angeles at the Thai Theravada monastery Dhammakaya in Azusa. Both events are free and open to all.
Please join Coming West (Hsi Lai) Temple in celebration of the birth of our teacher, Shakyamuni (Gautama) Buddha, which is one of the most important events on the Buddhist calendar. During this celebration, we partake in the traditional bathing of the baby Buddha (Prince Siddhartha), and pray not only for auspiciousness in our lives, but to also emulate him and his teachings.
Date
Sunday, May 24, 2026-Sunday, May 31, 2026, 9:00 am-5:00 pm
at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles County, California
Come join us in celebrating the Buddha's birthday, enlightenment, and final nirvana. Chanting, food, tea, and blessings, everyone is welcome.
On Saturday, May 9, 2026, we celebrate Vesak, a day to commemorate the Buddha's birth, mahabodhi, and parinirvana.
Hopefully we will become more aware of the fact that we are intrinsically the same as all buddhas and thus will be inspired to use the Buddha’s teachings, his Dharma (Doctrine), to help ourselves and others.
The full moon day in May is called VESAK and signifies the day Siddhartha Gautama was born, became the Buddha (the "Enlightened One"), and made an end of all further rebirth (by attaining final nirvana). This thrice blessed day all took place on the full moon of the ancient month of Vesakha, roughly equivalent to the Gregorian calendar's May. (It varies every year). This year it falls on the 12th; therefore, most Buddhist temples in America will celebrate it on Sunday, May 11th, to fall closest to it. But in reality it will be celebrated all month long in various Theravada Buddhist temples, monasteries, and nunneries. One of the largest and most well-conceived celebrations happens in the suburbs of Los Angeles in the small town of Azusa (which boasts that it has everything from A to Z in the USA, but the word Azusa is really an ancient place name for a Native American Tongva village, just like Pasadegna, Topangna, and elsewhere all across LA County and beyond).
Vesak in Long Beach, May 17, 2025
Celebrations continue throughout the country and world. This Sunday (May 18, 2025) the Los Angeles Vihara, now located in Covina (after being established in Hollywood then moving to Pasadena), will hold a massive cultural program in honor of Vesak (after last Sunday's Uposatha or Full Moon Lunar Observance Poya Day Eight Precept meditation retreat). The Vihara is now the mindfulnessmeditationcenter.org but now distributes the latest information on WhatsApp rather than Facebook or the website. The event is free. Wear white in honor of longstanding Southeast Asian Buddhist tradition, extending back to the time of the historical Buddha.
WHAT HAPPENED?
It was a 100-mile odyssey in a steel chariot pulled by more than 350 horses, too far to walk.
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We traveled on across Los Angeles (from Pasadena to the Valley over to Hollywood then east and further east) to visit five Buddhist temples in search of holiday festivities, finding three active ceremonies:
Mindfulness Meditation Center of Covina (the Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara, which began on Beechwood under the Hollywood Sign decades ago, moved to Pasadena for another decade or more, then landed in a massive property deep in the San Gabriel Valley with plans for a large stupamonument) to observe the Eight Precepts (Poya Day, Uposatha, for a serious lunar observance, as distinct from next Sunday's more festive cultural event to celebrate the Buddha's birthday, great awakening, and final nirvana) then on to our evening destination:
Peace Point Meditation at DIMC, Azusa
Dhammakaya International Meditation Center, Azusa, to sit with 100 Buddhist monks from a dozen different Buddhist countries and at least 20 Buddhist nuns from all over. It is a strange spectacle in a very green forested area. Due to the cooling heat wave, it felt like being at a resort in Thailand, White Lotus style, with giant imperial Roman banners topped by golden eagles hanging in the distance, as if the Nazis had organized the 1936 Olympics only for Hitler's ego to be trounced by American Jessie Owens. So spectacular is the ceremony that it is shown live on TV in Thailand. Dressed in white, we take our seats as the monastics enter two by two in a long line, drone cam and boom cameras catching it all. The mayor gives a speech in honor of Mother's Day, a science professor named Dr. Gautam Somethingorother delivers a short speech on how much meditation has helped him and how depressed and troubled scientists are without spirituality, Vietnamese monks chant in unison, a representative of Hsi Lai (Going West) Buddhist Monastery from the other side of the San Gabriel Valley (hsilai.org), chants in the style of Taiwanese Fo Guang Shan Buddhism, donations are made to the Sangha by special guests (lots of gift-giving all the way around, as is the custom in Buddhist Thailand), then a giant circumambulation around one of two large golden Buddha statues ensues, while chanting traditional Pali language verses. Finally, candles are lit and we repeat words of loving-kindness (metta) led by a senior monk to bless the entire world. All the while, all the Thai women have their phones out to document their spiritual journey with selfies as if these grand dames were teens. Then gifts and snacks are distributed to the hundreds in attendance, who go off into the clear summer-like spring night. It seemed as if the only SoCal Thai monastery not in attendance was Tan Jeff's (American Ajahn Geoff's) Wat Metta because Ven. Thanissaro badmouthed Dhammakaya and doesn't get invited anymore. Ah, that's just like the Tan Jeff we know. More
Vesak is celebrated all month long at temples across US!
Come celebrate the Buddha's birth, great awakening, and passing into final-nirvana
TheinclusiveinternationalBuddhist flag
Sunday, May 11
Vesak (Visakha) Day: Come celebrate (open to all) through the lighting of lanterns, meditation, and a candlelight procession. many Buddhist disciples will be dressed all in white and keeping the Eight precepts for the 24-hour period in observance of the most special uposatha (lunar observance) of the year.
Join us at the Dhammakaya International Meditation Center for a joyous celebration of Vesak Day! This in-person event is a wonderful opportunity to honor the life and teachings of the historical Buddha.
On this special celebration of the Buddha, Dhammakaya welcomes more than 150 Buddhist monastics from 12 Buddhist countries and traditions to join together as a united Sangha (spiritual community), including monastics from
Burma (Myanmar)
Taiwan
China
Tibet
Cambodia
Vietnam
Laos
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Bangladesh
Japan
Thailand.
(Dhammakaya is a Theravada Thai vihara).
Buddhist monks practicing for calm and insight
We will join in group meditation, sangha-dana (offering of necessities to the monastics), light lanterns to illuminate the meditation lawn, and participate in a candlelight walking meditation.
Vesak Day is a time for all to unite and reflect on the profound impact the Buddha has had on the world. Come and be a part of this meaningful celebration!
Vesak (Pali Vesākha, Sanskrit Vaiśākha) is also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima (full moon day), and "Buddha Day." It is the name of the ancient month on which, on the full moon night, three marvelous things happened:
The Future-Buddha (Bodhisattva) was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama.
The wandering ascetic Siddhartha attained a buddha's great enlightenment.
The Buddha consciously moved through the absorptions and passed away into is final nirvana.
Buddhist countries
Vesak is a holiday traditionally observed for thousands of years by Buddhists and some Hindus on different days in
Buddhism began in Afghanistan (Scythia, Shakya Land, Silk Road) and Bihar (before it India)
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I want to be the Little Buddha
"Buddhist Christmas" or "The Buddha's Birthday" or the "Great Enlightenment Day" is also celebrated in many other parts of the world, wherever Buddhists live or are staying.
The festival commemorates the birth, great enlightenment (buddhahood), and passing (parinirvāna) of Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha in ancient Theravada and Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.More
The full Harvest Moon appearing orange close to the horizon (Roadcrusher, England/Wiki)
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.When is Vesak in 2020 (2563 BE)?
Look for the Earth's timekeeper the Moon.
It's easy to figure out the exact day: Determine when the month of Vaisakha falls then look for the full moon. This year it coincides with May, and the moon is full on the 6th and/or 7th.
The exact date of Vesak is based on Asian lunisolar calendars and is primarily celebrated in the Indian month of Vaisakahaon the Buddhist calendar and the Hindu (Vedic) calendar.
Theravada Buddhist countries follow the BUDDHIST CALENDAR, which is based on the dependable phases of the moon. The uposatha (fasting or Eight Precept observance day), typically in the 5th or 6th lunar month.
Nowadays, in many countries it is celebrated on the full moon day in May on the Gregorian calendar. (Because of all these regional and sectarian variations, Vesak lasts all month longs and usually spills into the beginning and end of adjacent months.More
AFP News Agency; NYT; Prof. Dave, CC Liu, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
South Koreans celebrate Buddha's birthday
(AFP News Agency, April 29, 2020) People light incense and pray under multi-colored swinging lanterns to celebrate the Buddha’s birthday at a Seoul, South Korea Mahayana Buddhist temple, with many offering prayers for those locked down and terrified by the coronavirus panic. South Korea is suffering, but somehow North Korea is happy and their dictator is missing under mysterious circumstances.
(NYT) US propaganda from the paper of record, the New York Times
Dhammakaya International Meditation Center (DIMC) is a Theravada Thai Buddhist center. On this sacred night, people from every Buddhist tradition participate. FREE.
Vesak Day (the Buddha's birthday, enlightenment day, and passing into final-nirvana day) is the most important holiday in Buddhism.
"World peace through inner peace"
It commemorates the life of the historical Buddha marking the anniversary of three major events in the Buddha’s life that all occurred on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month called Vesak.
Come participate in a Peace Point Meditation and candle-lighting ceremony. Dress in white. RSVP FREE.
Ancient stone relief of early Indian Buddhists (monks on the left, a lay couple on the right, with statues behind them) circumambulating a stupa (reliquary) in a chaitya temple (wiki).
Siddhartha became "the Buddha" under the bodhi tree by awakening to the Truth.
We made it ourselves: Kombucha on ice, salad, shiitake-shroom tacos on organic "sliders" (mini corn tortillas) from Whole Foods (Dharma Meditation Initiative/Pasadena Vegan Love)
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