Kwan Um Temple, which is subordinated to the Korean Buddhist Chogye Order is located in the area of Koreatown in Los Angeles.
- Kwan Um Temple has a membership of approximately 400 families. Our temple served originally the Korean-American people in the Los Angeles community and other outlying areas. Our brief history is as below :
- Kwan Um Temple was established on March 10, 1974 for the purpose of spreading Korean Buddhism to the western society and promoting Buddhism in the United States.
- Board of Directors installed Rev. Doahn to the abbot of Kwan Um Temple on November 14, 1975 and got the approval of Korean Buddhist Chogye Order in Korea.
- Moved to the bigger monastery at 451 South Serrano Ave. in Los Angeles on April 29, 1976.
- Started the 1st weekly TV broadcasting of Buddhist program through the KBS TV network on March 19, 1979.
- Founded a branch of Kwan Um Temple in Las Vegas and held an opening
ceremony on December 4, 1982. - Moved to the current monastery at 4265 West 3rd St. in Los Angeles on December 21, 1986.
- Held the 1st American Buddhist Congress for Buddha's birth anniversary celebration on April 25, 1987. Ten more foreign Buddhist Orders of America participated in the ceremony at the Main Shrine of Kwan Um Temple.
- Opened "Korea Center School" for the adult language education in February of 1993.
- Founded a southern branch of Kwan Um Temple in San Diego and held an opening ceremony on February 5, 1995.
- Held the 4th American Buddhist Congress at the Dharma Hall of Kwan Um Temple for two days of November 17 and 18, 1995.
- Opened Buddhist Gift shop, "Lotus House" for the one-stop shopping of Buddhist items or books on October 11, 1998
- Opened "Lotus Gallery" in the 1st floor to provide Korean artists with a convenient exhibition place for spreading Korean Buddhist Culture to the Korean-American people and western people on January 29, 1999.
- Held the 1st Training Worship of Dongsan Buddhist University in the Kumgang Zen Center in July of 1999.
Facilities
ΆΒ Dharma Hall : Most of religious ceremonies including Sunday workship ceremony are conducted here on the 2nd floor. There are big gold-foiled Buddha statue in the center and 1,380 small metal- embossed Buddha statues on the altar wall. There are also religious performances or assemblies arranged in co-operation with other Korean Buddhist temples or foreign Buddhist organizations.
ΆΒ Kwan Um Hall : Used for Sunday-luncheon which is served from 12:50 PM to 1:30PM after main worship ceremony and international Buddhist conference on the 2nd floor.
ΆΒ Main Shrine : Rites and rituals; praying and meditation; Sunday worship of Junior Young Buddhist Association are conducted on the 2nd floor.
ΆΒ Museum (Exhibition Hall) : Collections of Buddhist remains and artifacts from all around the world are exhibited along the corridor on the 3rd floor.
ΆΒ Kwan Um Buddhist T.V. Studio : Produces all kinds of Audio & Video materials and manages web site for missionary work on the 3rd floor.
ΆΒ Kwan Um Library : Provides Buddhists, Korean-Americans and the general public with all the necessary resources of information for the Korean Buddhism or Buddhist culture. The current collection of more than 17,000 volumes of books, journals and scriptures is continuously increasing in size on the 1st floor.
ΆΒ Lotus Gallery : Displays Buddhist art, painting, craft, drawing, calligraphy, etc. on the 1st floor. Sometimes opens special exhibitions of Korean artists in this gallery.
Organizations
- Board of Directors
- Temple Supporting Committee
- Kwan-Um Families Association
- Zhungto ('Pure Land') Committee
- Kwan-Um Choir
- Junior Young Buddhist Association
- Sunday School Teachers Association
- Sambo ('Three Treasures') Services
- Baramil ('Paradise') Volunteer Organization
Schedule of Sunday Ceremony
09:30am-10:45am Preliminary Pray (Main Shrine)
09:30am-10:45am Korean Language School (Small Theatre)
10:55am-12:45pm Main Worship (Dharma Hall)
10:55am-12:45pm Junior Young Buddhist Association (Main Shrine)
10:55am-12:45pm Sunday School (Small Theatre)
12:50pm-01:30pm Luncheon (Kwan Um Hall)
01:15pm-02:00pm Choir (Dharma Hall)
01:15pm-02:00pm Scripture Study (Praying Hall)
03:30pm-04:30pm Fellowship Meeting (Small Theatre)
