True Buddha Diamond Temple: Buddhism in Flushing, NY
This paper presents an observational and ethnographic study of the True Buddha Diamond Temple located in Flushing, New York. It examines the temple's position as a branch of a global Buddhist organization, its multilingual and multicultural character, and the role of ritual in daily and communal life. The paper draws on the temple's online presence, Yelp reviews, staff interviews, and direct observation to analyze how the organization blends commercial enterprise with genuine spiritual and cultural functions. It also critically evaluates the "Grand Master's" teachings in light of traditional Buddhist doctrine, and concludes by noting the temple's value as a cultural bridge for expatriate Asian communities.
- Introduction and First Impressions: Temple location, global organization, and linguistic diversity
- Online Presence and Community Context: Website evaluation, Yelp review, and community makeup
- Teachings, Hierarchy, and Daily Life: Grand Master's image, doctrine, visitor patterns, hierarchy
- Ritual Practices and Cultural Significance: Incense, collective rites, and commercial dissemination of ritual
- Architecture, Social Events, and Community Integration: Building design, feasts, workshops, and social functions
- Conclusion: Call for research on globalized commercial Buddhism
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper combines multiple research methods — online research, Yelp review analysis, staff interviews, and direct observation — giving the ethnographic account credibility and texture.
- The author maintains a critical but fair tone, acknowledging the temple's commercial dimensions while recognizing its genuine cultural and spiritual value to community members.
- Specific sensory and visual details (the Grand Master's mudra position, the facade's terracotta-style tiles, the incense lighting) anchor abstract claims in concrete observation.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of participant observation as a primary research method, supplemented by secondary source triangulation. The author cross-references the temple's own website, an independent Yelp review, and direct staff interviews to build a multi-perspectival account, then applies doctrinal knowledge of Zen and Tibetan Buddhism to critically evaluate the organization's claims.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with geographic and organizational context, then moves through the researcher's pre-visit preparation (online and Yelp research), an analysis of the temple's teachings and social hierarchy, a discussion of ritual practices, and a description of the physical space and communal events. The conclusion broadens the scope to call for future research on globalized, commercially oriented Buddhist organizations.
Introduction and First Impressions
The True Buddha Diamond Temple is located in a residential neighborhood in Flushing, New York (3332 148th Street), allowing it to be intimately connected with and fully integrated into the surrounding community. As with many Buddhist organizations, the True Buddha society is a global one, and this temple is a branch of a worldwide organization known as True Buddha. The True Buddha Diamond Temple in New York is therefore part of a global community with strong roots in Asia.
In addition to exemplifying the globalization of Buddhism, the True Buddha Diamond Temple exhibits the different ways languages are used in liturgical and community settings. This temple is multilingual, with its website available in both English and Chinese, as well as in the languages of the other countries in which the organization operates, including nations in South America and throughout Asia. The True Buddha Diamond Temple has a globalized model facilitated by multiculturalism and linguistic diversity. It also uses the universal languages of ritual to communicate core elements of Buddhist doctrine and ways of life.
Online Presence and Community Context
First encounters with the temple included its online presence, which was evaluated prior to visiting, along with a preliminary phone call. Online reviews of the temple, such as those found on Yelp, were also consulted. The website of the True Buddha Diamond Temple is in many respects a rudimentary one, suggesting that the temple may lack sufficient financing or interest in using the web as a marketing tool. The dated appearance of the website and the difficulty of forming a clear expectation of a visit were notable.
The Yelp review helped to fill this gap. There was only one reviewer, someone who had been a member of the temple when it was previously located in lower Manhattan. The reviewer appreciated the move because "it's better and easier to find parking in the street vs. the temples in Chinatown or Flushing" (Tillie K.). Certainly, the True Buddha Diamond Temple seeks to entrench itself within the community, which is largely comprised of middle-class individuals from all walks of life. Given the multicultural neighborhood in which it is located, the True Buddha Diamond Temple welcomes persons from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as people from other religious backgrounds who view Buddhism as an adjunct to or replacement for whatever religious tradition they are accustomed to. The teachings of the True Buddha Diamond Temple are derived from multiple Buddhist source texts, the "Grand Master's" writings and lectures, and related texts from various Buddhist lineages, including Tantra and Gelupa ("True Buddha Diamond Temple of New York").
Teachings, Hierarchy, and Daily Life
From the temple's own website, one can observe that the master's smiling image is depicted seated on a lotus in what appears to be modeled after a Tibetan thangka-style mandala. The image is symmetrical, and the master wears a large crown. Both his hands are arranged in a complex mudra position, and he sits cross-legged donned in burgundy robes with a golden shawl, surrounded by flowers. Coupled with his beaming smile, the flowers, the lotus, and the traditional imagery are designed to impart a sense of peace and connection with the Buddhist lineage. The difficulty with "Grand Master" Sheng-Yen Lu's image is that it appears to go against the core precepts of the Buddhist practices he purports to teach — particularly Zen, which avows "no-self" as a doctrine.
As the Yelp reviewer Tillie K. has noted, "this temple is more of a profit organization than a non-profit organization." In spite of that perception, Tillie K. and many other temple members do return because, in exchange for their financial contributions and purchases, they receive teachings perceived to be valuable intellectually, psychologically, and spiritually. Moreover, the temple provides solace and social support. A large number of persons visit the temple after work, and according to staff members interviewed, the early evenings tend to be the busiest time of day during the week. There are approximately equal numbers of male and female visitors to the temple, although the rector noted that fewer females attend the later services. Families are welcome, though young children are discouraged from attending some meditation sessions in order to maintain a quiet environment. Some rituals are not available to new members or beginners, but for the most part the True Buddha Diamond Temple does not maintain a noticeable hierarchy.
Conclusion
Future research should focus on the proliferation of Buddhism throughout the world. A globalized faith, Buddhism is also a remarkably diverse one. Greater attention needs to be paid to temples such as this one, which can be considered for-profit organizations capitalizing on both the panache of Buddhism and its cultural relevance to expatriate Asian communities. The claims made by the "Grand Master" are questionable, and they warrant special critical attention. When analyzed in light of writings by established Zen and Tibetan Buddhist masters, it becomes apparent that the True Buddha lineages draw heavily on marketing as much as on doctrine. The True Buddha Diamond Temple also disseminates its own teachings as pre-digested and adapted versions of Buddhist texts that it claims to be "most suited-to-nowadays fashion" ("True Buddha Diamond Temple of New York"). Nonetheless, the True Buddha Diamond Temple serves a function in the community, providing a cultural bridge between expatriate communities and their ancestral heritage.
Works Cited
Tillie K. [Yelp Review]. Retrieved from: http://www.yelp.ie/biz/true-buddha-diamond-temple-of-new-york-inc-flushing
"True Buddha Diamond Temple of New York." Retrieved from: http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/drabik10website/neighborhoods-2/flushing/houses-of-worship/true-buddha-diamond-temple-of-new-york/
True Buddha School Net. Retrieved from:
True Buddha School Seattle. Retrieved from:
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