City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

The City Of Ten Thousand Buddhas is an international Buddhist community and monastery founded by Hsuan Hua, an important figure in Western Buddhism. It is one of the first Chinese Zen Buddhist temples in the United States, and one of the largest Buddhist communities in the Western Hemisphere.The city is situated in Talmage, Mendocino County, California, about 2mi east of Ukiah, and 110 miles (180 km) north of San Francisco. It was one of the first Buddhist monasteries built in the United States. The temple follows the Guiyang Ch'an School, one of the five houses of classical Chinese Ch'an. The city is noted for its close adherence to the vinaya, the austere traditional Buddhist monastic code.HistoryThe Dharma Realm Buddhist Association purchased the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas site in 1974 and established an international center there by 1976. In 1979, the Third Threefold Ordination Ceremony at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas was held where monks from China, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and the US transmitted the precepts. It was considered unique as it represented both the Mahayana and Theravada traditions.