Zen Buddhist Temple

It was nice and calm Sunday morning service. I enjoyed it very much.

This temple is a VERY special place. Every person I have met is warm, inviting, welcoming, informative.. The building is ran by volunteers who believe in the space, community and practices. They offer classes and worship experiences for humans of all ages. Most importantly, ALL are welcome :) Looking forward to spending more time at the temple!

Very calm and wonderfully organized Sunday service starts at 10:30 am sharp. Great for those who are both experienced and new to Buddhism. If you are late, they may not have staff to let anyone in after 10:30. Get there a little early and sit down either on one of the designated spaces on the floor where cushions have been placed or in a chair if you aren’t comfortable on the floor. Then meditate while you are waiting for service to start. If you are new to meditation, a method described to me is to calm your mind & focus on something in front of you like a spot on the floor. Try counting if you can’t stop your mind from wandering. And if your mind wanders, just bring it back to the spot & try to feel open and calm. What to wear; clean comfortable clothes. If you can sit cross legged then wear something you can do that in. Casual clothes are fine but wear something respectful, don’t wear torn or shredded clothes, and don’t wear midriff baring attire. Wear or bring socks because you will leave your shoes at the entrance. The service is great for people who are new and just want to check it out. Or just want to drop in from time to time when you can. After service, they frequently offer tea to anyone who wants to stay a little longer. This is a great way to learn more, ask questions and meet other people. As for the review from wanderlust, you are right but the management has changed. That particular person isn’t there anymore. There seems to be a change in leadership and it is very calm and I’m seeing attendance growing. There are classes at various times during the year like a meditation class. And there are retreats a couple of times per year -just ask the leadership. There could be a visiting monk doing service so they may not know about the classes, but you can ask your get added to the group email and ask the next time you go if there is a different monk doing the service. The other classes like the one in the review with a picture of baby strollers are groups that have been permitted to use the space for specific things like Mommy & me. This isn’t a public temple where you go to walk around, I’m used to churches generally being open to the public at any time, but this is different. Stick to Sunday service at 10:30 am. Like most places that offer religious services, this is a charity so donations are appreciated. As for how much to give, think about what it might cost to own an old building in NYC and run a temple. You aren’t required to give anything, but consider what you might pay for a nice calming session that puts your mind at ease. Enjoy

So disappointing!!! What is this place?? Definitely nothing like a temple when you walk in! Nobody knows anything about the temple or have any information about how to get there. There are just classes for kids and papers about donation everywhere on the main floor. No information about the other floors but people said there are more classes up there too. Who knows what else! Again, zero information about “the temple”

This 'temple' is run more like a private club than a temple. They play favoritisms, it's very cliquey and more reminiscent of a middle school cafeteria than a place of enlightenment. The young Italian guy 'running' it and delivering the lectures on Sundays is a bit of a shady, disingenuous character and an amateur. There is no organization here, things are done on a spur of the moment, the regulars along with the 'organizers/leaders' or whatever the heck they are, suffer from unchecked egos and it's just and endless display of self-righteous virtue signaling. Just a whole lot of phoniness. Find another temple that's run by real, professional Buddhists who practice what they preach and know what they are doing. This place isn't it!