A Visit At Hsi Lai Temple

Yesterday, I had enough time to finish my household chores and also I visited the Chinese temple in Hacienda Heights called Hsi Lai Temple which is a very sacred, peaceful, and quiet place conducive for meditation and prayers on top of the hill.

It was raining hard yesterday morning. It's so bitingly cold everywhere and the weather was so dark and gloomy outside. After doing a lot of chores for two days in preparation for the coming New Year and staying at home arranging and organizing my room I suddenly got tired and bored doing it alone.

I decided to take a warm shower and decided to go somewhere else to meditate and spend some quiet time for myself. I remembered my Korean co-worker telling me one time at work that there is a very quiet place situated in the mountains of Hacienda Heights which is more conducive to meditation.

I immediately grabbed my laptop and googled for the name of the temple until I found it. It is the Hsi Lai Temple located and found in Hacienda Heights. I printed the map for the location and took off. I punched the address on my GPS and followed the direction told by the small gadget.

The pouring rain suddenly changed into a slight drizzle but the road was wet and slick. I drove towards Highway 60 which is the Pomona Freeway. I drove for fifteen miles and located the place as instructed to me by the GPS. The temple was situated on top of the hill. It was very easy to locate it.

The temple is situated on an almost 200 acres place and it was wide and vast. The entrace was welcomed by the intricate arch placed in the middle of the concrete stairs resembling like "stairways to heaven" leading towards the entry way of the entrance door of the first building. I continued driving on the right side of the hill and located a parking on the very limited parking lot.

When I came out of the car it was still drizzling a little bit. I started to climbed up on the concrete steps towards the first entrance door where people came in and started to offer food at the altar and meditate solemnly. I bought a tray of fruits and five incense then started to light it and bury it near the altar bowing my head several times as what others had did. I stayed there for a while to meditate then I started to roam around the inside main square.

I went around on the back of the entrance building and there I saw the inside of the temple. What surprised me when I went in the other side was the big concrete square and the very intricate inside temple buildings. The place was very quiet and solemn and all I can hear was the hum and chant of the praying people.

I started to roam around the vast place and peruse the scenery it has to offer. On the left side was a small garden with different replicas of golden buddhas typical from Northern Asia like China, Korea, and Taiwan and on the right side was a small garden with different replicas of golden buddhas typical from Southeast Asia like Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. It was a pretty site.

I started to go up the central building or temple where there were also a lot of people praying and meditating there. I started walking and browsing on the left side building walking and perusing the hallway towards the right side building. The hallways have a lot of buddha bust in each corners of the building. The place was enclosed like a square so it was just easy to roam around. A lot of people were also roaming around.

Different people of all walks of life can be seen meditating near the altar while the bald orange robed disciples dressed like the dalai lama were kneeling in the front altar praying, chanting, and humming songs monotonously. It was a very sacred place and very conducive to praying and meditating.

My purpose of going there to acquire peace and quiet was been achieved. I was so stressed out lately and I really needed my space and this place gave me the autonomy to be alone and thinking things over.

I stayed there for two long hours trying to immerse myself with the peace and quiet of the place. I really felt good after that. I seldom did this kind of things but it really helped a lot for me. Now I felt so light, fulfilled, and not numbed anymore. I just probably needed my space and independence that time. Thanks God I did this, and it helped me alot.

I left the place not drizzling anymore and drove back to Los Angeles. I passed by at Alhambra first to grab some food since it was nearly dinner time. I dropped off myself at The Boiling Crab and ordered an ounce of shrimp and clams. I also ordered three dunganees crab for a takeout but they ran out of crabs that time.

After the hefty dinner, I went back to Los Angeles and drove straight back home where I watched my teleserye. It was a very refreshing day to start although it was raining earlier and this was the rare time for me where I spend some quiet time for myself.

I was glad I did it. At least there were some temporary closure for me despite of the busy and stressful schedules I had. Hopefully, my New Year will be better than this. Thank you God!