True Buddha Temple - Chinatown

A fascinating mixture of Chinese Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist, & traditional Chinese (& Fujianese) folk religious deities in sculptural or thangka form. A visual treat found nowhere else in Manhattan. (The affiliated Flushing temple is larger & contains more, but the traditional deities are only found here in Manhattan.) This is a place of worship, so be respectful. It is not always open. It may be closed during services, or in advance of, or after services. Also, the resident monk may have religious or other duties elsewhere that may require him to close for a period of time. Although an artistic, religious, & ethnological spectacle to behold, this is not a tourist location open to the public. It is a religious temple & its privacy should be respected. The inability of a would-be visitor to speak the language of the lone resident monk should not be misconstrued as rudeness on his part. I can only suggest that you bring a friend who speaks Chinese, or at least a sign in Chinese that indicates your interest in Buddhism & wish to enter for a quick visit. I also recognize that polite persistence may be the only way. At a minimum, a brief but respectful head bow & the Chinese 2-handed mudra of prayerful respect & the mantra of greeting & thanks "Amituofo" should be employed.

Fantástico celebrar el año nuevo con la comunidad china. Acogedores, creativos y muy trabajadores.

Very powerful and peaceful place

Always burning oblation on the public street to pollen the air and created heavy smoke for hour long. They usually done this in the late 11pm to early 3 or 4 am. Very unresponsive to healthy environmental.

This week I went twice to the Buddha temple I was working and in school and took the time to go and he didn’t want to open the door. The Asian man gave me sign Language that he was closed it was 2pm .He didn’t want to open the door twice . So rude