Charity
Care for our communities and support people in need through practical service.
THE HON LOS TEMPLE · About
About
THE HON LOS TEMPLE formally opened in Duarte in 2010. Carefully restored, the historic building became a home for learning, shared practice, and service in the western United States.
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Our story
A historic place carrying a lasting aspiration.
THE HON LOS TEMPLE formally opened in Duarte in 2010. Carefully restored, the historic building became a home for learning, shared practice, and service in the western United States.
01
Our mission
As a member of I-Kuan Tao USA and the World I-Kuan Tao Headquarters, THE HON LOS TEMPLE is dedicated to serving local and international communities through charitable initiatives, mindfulness practices, and cultural and spiritual education. Guided by our four core missions—Charity, Culture, Education, and Propagating I-Kuan Tao—we strive to cultivate benevolent minds, inspire spiritual enlightenment, and foster a world defined by equality, fraternity, harmony, welfare, and justice.
02
Our four core missions
Culture
Carry forward values of compassion, respect, and harmony in daily life.
Education
Offer learning and shared practice that nurture mindfulness and benevolence.
Propagating I-Kuan Tao
Share I-Kuan Tao teachings and help people reconnect with their true nature.
03
Our history
The community takes root
Under the guidance of Grand Senior Elder Kao, the Andong Tao community began its work in the western United States and established home temples in Northern and Southern California.
THE HON LOS TEMPLE is founded
On May 17, the community acquired its first public temple in Rosemead for the western United States and received the name THE HON LOS TEMPLE.
A larger home becomes necessary
As the community grew, members began fundraising and searching for a larger site. In 2007, they committed to completing the expansion within three years.
The Duarte site is acquired
On March 31, the community acquired the century-old building on California Avenue and spent fifteen months restoring it as a center for the western United States.
The new center opens
The opening ceremony took place on May 29, welcoming nearly 300 members, representatives, and neighbors from the local community.
04 · Complete history
Advancing the Sacred Tao, Beginning Again from the Heart
An account of the expansion and opening of Hon Los Public Temple, Andong Tao Community, Los Angeles, United States
The Andong Tao community in Los Angeles acquired Hon Los Public Temple on March 31, 2009. The century-old building stands on California Avenue in Duarte, Los Angeles. After fifteen months of restoration, it reopened with a renewed appearance and became the Andong Tao community's center for the western United States.
The work of the Andong Tao community in the western United States began under the compassionate guidance and long-range vision of Senior Elder Kao (高老前人大德), who made three pioneering visits to the United States between 1983 and 1990. In July 1987, Temple Master Lin Guorong (林國榮) and his wife, Wu Qiuyue (吳秋月), established the Andong Tao community's first temple in the United States, Lin Family Temple (林氏佛堂), in Northern California. From 1989 into early 1990, Huang Jianzhong (黃建中) and Yan Shuhua (顏淑華), before receiving their mandates as Tao Transmitting Masters, each made vows and traveled from Taiwan to help establish the Tao in the United States. Huang Family Temple (黃氏佛堂) opened in Northern California, while Sun Family Temple (孫氏佛堂) and Peng Family Temple (彭氏佛堂) opened in Southern California.
To advance the Tao community's work in the western United States and provide members with a place to practice and learn, members in Taiwan and the United States worked together to acquire the Andong Tao community's first public temple in the West. The property was purchased in Rosemead, Los Angeles, on May 17, 1992, and Senior Elder Kao bestowed the name Hon Los Temple (宏洛佛堂).
After the altar was established, Mingdao and Chengxin classes began. Temple Master Yan Shuhua vowed to serve as the center's Temple Master and became the steward of Hon Los Temple. For more than a decade, she devoted herself to sharing the Tao, serving others, and quietly supporting the temple.
Between 1992 and 1998, Senior Elder Kao successively appointed Tao Transmitting Masters Wu Liya (吳麗雅), Zeng Yiyuan (曾壹原), Zhang Songyan (張松煙), Qiu Si (邱絲), and Li Yanlin (李晏林) to oversee the community's work in the United States. Senior Elder Kao continued to guide and nurture both the work and its people in the West, bringing light to their lives and supporting their spiritual growth.
In 1998, Senior Elder Kao visited Hon Los Public Temple and held a three-day Dunhua class. Temple Master Huang Jianzhong received Heaven's mandate as a Tao Transmitting Master and was entrusted with the work in the western United States, helping the community's work continue to expand. On November 11, 2003, Temple Master Yan Shuhua received her mandate as a Tao Transmitting Master. Following Senior Elder Kao's instruction, she continued to oversee the work in Southern California. Her lifelong service to the Tao community became an example for fellow members in both practice and service.
As the community grew and the number of members increased, the original Hon Los Public Temple could no longer meet its needs. In 1998, Senior Elder Kao encouraged the temple's expansion, beginning a period of fundraising and searching for a new site. Tao Transmitting Masters and members promoted a support campaign based on saving one dollar each day, gathering many small contributions into a shared community effort. During a 2007 altar instruction from Ji-Gong Living Buddha (濟公活佛), the disciples were asked when the expansion would be completed, and they vowed to finish it within three years. With Heaven's grace and Senior Elder Kao's support, the community acquired the present property in March 2009 and fulfilled its expansion goal.
The opening ceremony for Hon Los Public Temple of the Andong Tao community in Los Angeles took place on May 29, 2010, and was presided over by Senior Elder Hsieh Te-hsiang (謝德祥前人). Nearly 300 people attended, including representatives from Andong Tao temples around the world, senior members and Tao Transmitting Masters from different I-Kuan Tao groups in the United States, and members of the local community.
Senior Elder Hsieh, World I-Kuan Tao Headquarters Vice Chair Chen Zhengfu (陳正夫點傳師), and representatives of the different groups' Tao Transmitting Masters conducted the ribbon-cutting ceremony together, marking this historic moment.
In his address, Senior Elder Hsieh drew on the compassionate teachings of Senior Elder Kao, posthumously honored as Emperor Houde (厚德大帝), and encouraged everyone to follow three priorities:
He asked everyone to honor Senior Elder Kao's teachings and use these three priorities as the direction for expanding the Tao community's work in the western United States.
- Cultivate people who spread the Tao, benefit all beings, repay grace, and fulfill their vows.
- Deepen the realization of true reality and embody the I-Kuan Tao tradition.
- Carry forward the spirit of I-Kuan Tao so it may continue for generations.
The renewed Hon Los Public Temple carries eighteen years of moving stories in every step of its journey. Through the act of practice, members came to understand awakening through action. On the path of cultivation, they learned to do what was difficult, sustained by sincere gratitude and a willingness to sacrifice and devote themselves to the Tao.