Gold Mountain Monastery

A convenient temple for the locals to practise Buddhism. There are sessions of chanting and Dharma talks as well as visits to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas established by Master Hsuan Hua. I was blessed to have joined part of the activity here and a visit to CTTB for Wesak celebration.

The first monastery established by venerable HsuanHua master. Need to ring the bell to get in at the 2nd floor. The first floor is bank of American.

Awesome way place. Great Dharma assembly.

Gold Mountain Monastery is the earliest monastery established by the late Ven. Master Hsuan Hua, founder of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association (DRBA) in the United States of America. Along with the expansion and growth of DRBA, Gold Mountain Monastery relocated and expanded as well. Looking back at the history of Gold Mountain Monastery, we can trace it back to the first way place established by the Ven. Master – The Buddhist Lecture Hall. The Buddhist Lecture Hall was established in 1959. At that time, Ven. Master has yet to arrive in the United States. Weekend dharma assemblies such as dharma lectures and Buddha’s name recitation sessions would be carried out by lay disciples who have taken refuge with the Ven. Master. In February 1962, after a brief transit at Japan and Honolulu, the Ven. Master finally arrived at the San Francisco International Airport. In April of that year, Ven. Master started to lecture on the Vajra Paramita Sutra and established Chan Meditation class to teach young people how to meditate. Golden Mountain Temple is the first temple established in the United States by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, the founder of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association. As the Dharma Association grew, Gold Mountain Temple also relocated and expanded. Looking back on the history of Gold Mountain Temple, we can trace its roots back to the first temple established by Venerable Master in the United States—the Buddhist Lecture Hall. The Buddhist Lecture Hall was established in 1958, before Venerable Master arrived in the United States. Weekend and Sunday Dharma sessions, such as listening to sutras and chanting Buddha's name, were led by lay disciples who had taken refuge in Venerable Master. In March 1962, Venerable Master finally arrived in San Francisco, USA, after a brief stop in Honolulu, following his journey from Hong Kong to Japan. In April, the Venerable Master began lecturing on the Diamond Sutra and established a meditation practice class to instruct young people in sitting meditation. Many of the Venerable Master's early disciples followed his daily life in this lecture hall, learning from his silent and eloquent teachings and actions, which laid a solid foundation for their own Buddhist practice. At the same time, in this lecture hall, the Venerable Master used his compassion and wisdom to inspire many young Americans to dedicate themselves to the cause of spreading the Dharma and benefiting sentient beings. It was not until 1970, when the Venerable Master purchased a mattress factory on 15th Street and renovated it to establish the Gold Mountain Zen Monastery, that the "Buddhist Lecture Hall" officially entered the history of the Dharma Association. Although the lecture hall no longer exists, it still stands firmly in the hearts of every one of Master's disciples. The newly acquired Gold Mountain Monastery had fallen into disrepair. Many windows were broken, the roof leaked, most lights didn't work, and a thick layer of dust covered the ground. Under Master's guidance, all four groups of disciples painstakingly repaired everything themselves. At the time, Gold Mountain Monastery was known as a "refrigerator." Because it lacked heating, the three-story brick buildings perfectly trapped the cold air, often leaving the indoor temperature even lower than outside. Yet, precisely because of this harsh environment, it fostered many steadfast practitioners and laid a solid foundation for the development of Buddhism in the United States. The Gold Mountain Monastery is the premier center of Buddhist history. Xuán Huà, figure clé de l’expansion du bouddhisme sino-américain et fondateur de l’Association Bouddhiste du Dharma (DRBA). Avant même l’arrivée du Maître aux États-Unis, ses disciples laïcs organisaient des retraites de méditation et des récitations de sutras pendant les week-ends. En 1962, après un bref passage au Japon et à Hawaï, le Maître arriva à San Francisco et commença à enseigner Sūtra du Diamant, tout en initiant des cours de méditation Chan. L’ancien centre, nommé « Salle de Conférences Bouddhistes », servit de point de départs à de nombreux pratiquants. Malgré conditions austères à ses débuts, ce lieu devint le berceau d’une pratique résolue et d’une transmission durable du bouddhisme aux États-Unis. --- 골드 마운틴 사원은 선화 스님께서 미국에 처음 설립한 불교 도량으로, 법계불교총회의 시작점이기도 합니다. 스님이 미국에 도착하기 전부터, 귀의한 재가 신도들이 주말마다 경전 강의와 염불을 진행하며 신심을 이어갔습니다. 1962년, 선화 스님은 일본과 Korea 참선 수업을 열었습니다. 초기의 ‘불교 강당’은 많은 수제자들이 생활하며 수행을 배운 장소였고, 스님의 자비와 지혜는 많은 미국 청년들에게 큰 영향을 주었습니다. 1970년에는 낡은 공장을 개조해 본격적인 사찰이 되면서 현재의 골드 마운틴 사원이 탄생하였습니다. 난방도 없던 그 미국 내 불교 전파의 토대를 다졌습니다.