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Hsi Lai Temple is the largest Buddhist temple and monastery in the Western hemisphere. It is located on the foothills of Hacienda Heights, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.
Covering 15 acres, Hsi Lai Temple is the largely Buddhist temple in the United States. The temple was finished in 1988 at a cost of $10 million. The planning and construction of the temple, in the 1980s, were met with suspicion and resistance from local residents outside of the Asian community. Those feelings have diminished as the general level of awareness has been raised and as the temple and its residents have proven to be good neighbors. The Taiwanese religious organization Fo Guang Shan, led by Master Hsing Yun, has its North American headquarters at Hsi Lai Temple.
The temple mainly attracts local Chinese-American Buddhists but the general public is welcome provided they abide and respect the rules of the temple (e.g., shorts and miniskirts may not be worn and no meat is permitted).
During the 1996 presidential campaign, Vice President Al Gore held a controversial fundraiser at Hsi Lai. Gore allegedly received contributions from monks who had sworn a vow of poverty. In this context, Hsi Lai was often referred to in the media as simply "the Buddhist temple".
To court the Chinese-American community in the San Gabriel Valley, the temple was a venue during the campaign of the Mexican American Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.
In 1991, Hsing Yun founded Hsi Lai University in Rosemead, California. In 2004, the university changed its name to the University of the West and appointed Dr. Lawrence Lerner as president.
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