An Old Lutheran Church Brought Back to Life — As a Buddhist Temple

A former Lutheran church on the corner of Ulloa Street and 33rd Avenue in the Sunset is filled with people again as a Buddhist temple. The Dharma Treasury Temple offers a dramatic new look.

After a year’s journey from China and Taiwan, ten-foot sandalwood sculptures of the Buddha, flanked by two sages, now grace the altar. They are bathed in the soft light that filters through stained glass windows, vestiges of the church that once occupied the building. Some of the original pews also remain.

The melding of two religious worlds reflects the Temple’s all-embracing ethos.

“Our Temple welcomes all, regardless of ethnicity or religion and does not seek to replace other religions,” explains Master XianZhi, abbot of the Temple. “In our approach to people, we respect their background.”

The Dharma Treasury Temple in the Outer Sunset is the most recently opened of four branches in the U.S. of Bodhi Light International (BLI), a California-based religious nonprofit that interprets Chinese Mahayana Buddhism for American culture and sensibilities. There are also two branches in Korea.

BLI expanded into San Francisco two years ago when it purchased the former Lutheran Church. 

American Mahayana Buddhism helps followers “cope with stress, become more compassionate, and develop deeper resolve for engagement with society,” Master XianZhi says. 

Master XianZhi of Dharma Treasury Temple.

The Temple hosts meditation sessions at 9am Saturday mornings, which are also live-streamed on YouTube. Traditional Chinese musical instruments accompany chant ceremonies, including a large wooden drum carved with fish images, known as the woodfish, and an enormous bell forged in Taiwan. 

Those interested in a deeper understanding of Buddhism are welcome to attend talks at the Temple given by BLI’s founder, Master YongHua that are live streamed in English, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Visitors are also invited to the vegetarian lunch served daily. There is no charge for Temple activities. Donors support its mission.

The Temple also invites the public to ceremonies and special events, including celebrations of Lunar New Year and occasional exhibitions of its collection of 10,000 Buddhist relics. In February, the Temple hosted the unveiling of the Buddhist statues, which journeyed for more than a year from China to Taiwan to San Francisco packed in nine crates. 

The Temple community encompasses people of many backgrounds and personal journeys. Ray Xu first encountered BLI when Master YongHua gave a talk to Google engineers in 2018. He later discovered the Dharma Treasury Temple and has become a regular practitioner and volunteer.

“Our practice is not just Buddhism,” Xu says. “That describes a portion of our practice. But our programs benefit the public from all walks of life.”

Cordellia Le was on her own spiritual quest when she discovered meditation at the Temple.

“Meditation has been helpful to me in daily life,” she says. “I work in a hospital, which can be strenuous. I can now work more effectively. It’s better for my work and my family.”

Children are welcome at the Temple, and Le brings her five-year-old son Evan when she attends meditation sessions.

“Children are really happy here,” Le says. “The Master just lets them be themselves. They don’t meditate, but they hear people chanting Buddha’s name. Evan used to be timid. He is happier and more talkative now.”

Venerable XianMiao, an ordained Buddhist nun from Korea, met Master YoungHua when he visited Korea in 2019. She decided to come to the U.S. three years ago to continue her religious cultivation under him. She is now based at the Dharma Treasury Temple and also travels to other temples to assist with their work.  

“There are so many nationalities in the U.S.,” she says. “Sometimes we cannot communicate with each other. But with meditation, we can be as one. This is beyond nationality.”

Reported and written by volunteer community journalist Jan Cook. We encourage residents with journalism experience, retired journalists, and student journalists in high school and college to volunteer as writers for Supervisor Engardio’s newsletter. Interested? Apply here. Do you know a story you would like to see featured in the newsletter? Tell us about it here.