Meditation In The High Desert: A Center For Peace And Reflection

There are several meditation centres in the high desert, including the Buddhist Meditation Center in Adelanto, Desert Dharma, the Desert Zen Center, and the Insight Community of the Desert. The Buddhist Meditation Center was founded by a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who purchased a 15-acre lot in the barren desert about seven years ago. The centre has since expanded to include a 6,700-square-foot main hall with a large temple, and it draws visitors from all over California and beyond. The Desert Zen Center, located in Lucerne Valley, is a smaller and more humble temple that offers ceremonies, meditation practice, and retreats for its community of American-born Buddhists. Desert Dharma provides Buddhist insight meditation programs and retreats with an emphasis on nature, while the Insight Community of the Desert in Palm Springs offers weekly sits and Dharma talks, as well as half-day retreats.

The Buddhist Meditation Center in Adelanto

The center is anchored by a 24-foot-tall, white marble statue of Quan Yin, a Buddhist saint known for her infinite compassion and healing powers. There are also two rows of smaller white statues of various saints that line a concrete pathway, where Phap leads 5 a.m. meditation walks on Sundays. The center's most recent addition is a 6,700-square-foot main hall, most of which is occupied by a large temple with high-rise ceilings and a red carpet leading up to a shrine adorned with colorful orchids and offerings of assorted fruits.

On weekends, up to 100 visitors will stop by, coming from places such as Orange County, San Diego, Northern California, Arizona, and Nevada. On special occasions, monks from around the world will visit the center. Phap's vision for the center includes further expansion to 50 acres, with plans to add a kitchen, meditation hall, classroom/library, and living quarters that can accommodate up to 30 monks.

Desert Dharma and Sky Mind Retreats

Desert Dharma is a Buddhist meditation organisation that offers insight meditation programs and retreats, guided by teacher Susie Harrington. The retreats are held in nature, in wild and wonderful places throughout the west, including the desert, mountains, and the ocean. By combining meditation practice with time in nature, participants can engage with the inherent silence, aliveness, and intimacy of the natural world.

Desert Dharma also supports other Buddhist Insight Meditation groups and teachers in Utah and western Colorado. The programs, classes, retreats, and weekly groups are the result of the collaboration of many people and area meditation groups. Desert Dharma's mission is to share with participants the love of dharma as it expresses itself in the natural world.

Sky Mind Retreats (SMR) is a non-profit sister organisation to Desert Dharma. SMR is dedicated to supporting retreats and programs in the Buddhist Insight Meditation tradition, with a primary focus on providing support for wilderness meditation retreats. They also support Mindfulness in Education, which provides mindfulness and yoga instruction to students in Grand County, Utah. Additionally, SMR provides scholarships for most of the retreats they sponsor.

One of SMR's missions is to understand, reduce, and mitigate the environmental impacts of running retreats. They purchase carbon credits equal to double the calculated travel impacts of Desert Dharma retreats that they sponsor.

The Desert Zen Center, located in Lucerne Valley, California, is a Buddhist meditation center that has been sharing the Buddhadharma for over 40 years. The center was purchased in 1976 and was initially used for monthly meditation retreats by the members of the Long Beach Zen Monastery and the International Buddhist Meditation Center. The temple was renamed Chua Thien An in 1999 in remembrance of the Most Venerable Thich Thien An, the Roshi's Vietnamese Master. The center holds retreats, ceremonies, and meditation practices, and also offers support and assistance with marriages, blessings of children, dedications, funerals, and memorial services.

The Buddhist Meditation Center in Adelanto, California, is another meditation center in the high desert. Founded by the Venerable Thich Dang Phap, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, the center features a 24-foot-tall, white marble statue of Quan Yin, a Buddhist saint known for her infinite compassion and healing powers. The center also has a 6,700-square-foot main hall with a large temple, high-rise ceilings, and a shrine adorned with colorful orchids and fruit offerings. The center draws visitors from throughout California and beyond, offering a place of peace and happiness.

Insight Community of the Desert

The Insight Community of the Desert is a Buddhist meditation centre in Palm Springs, California. It offers mindfulness meditation in the context of the Buddha's teachings and in a welcoming community.

The centre hosts weekly sits and Dharma talks, as well as retreats and other events. Their weekly schedule includes:

• Sunday Dharma Talks: All Sundays are Zoom-only meetings until further notice.
• Tuesday: 6:30 pm - 8 pm
• Wednesday: 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm
• Friday Metta: 4:30 pm - 5:15 pm PT

The Insight Community of the Desert also offers online events and resources for those who cannot attend in person. Their website includes a calendar of regular and special events, as well as resources and information on mindfulness meditation.

The centre is run by volunteers, and they are always looking for new people to help support their community. Volunteering opportunities include setting up chairs or tables, checking people in at events, greeting at the Sunday group, and providing online support.

The centre's board is considering the possibility of acquiring a physical location for the community but has not yet made any commitments. They continue to run a deficit and rely on volunteer support.

The Insight Community of the Desert is committed to providing accessible and welcoming online gatherings and in-person retreats. They invite people to join their community and participate in their virtual meetings and retreats.

Desert Zen Center

The Desert Zen Center, also known as Chua Thien An, is a Buddhist meditation center located in Lucerne Valley, California. The center has been sharing the Buddhadharma for over 40 years and was purchased in 1976 for monthly meditation retreats by the members of the Long Beach Zen Monastery and the International Buddhist Meditation Center.

In 1982, the Venerable Thich An Giao and his senior disciple, Thich Tam Hien, moved to the desert to take up permanent residence at the Center. The temple was originally named Monjuji, and since then, several buildings have been erected, monks have been trained, and the service to the local community has expanded.

At the first Grand Ordination held at the temple in December 1999, it was renamed Chua Thien An in remembrance of the Most Venerable Thich Thien An, Roshi's Vietnamese Master. The annual calendar of events and celebrations at the Desert Zen Center includes Vu Lan, Buddha's Birthday, Temple Days, Reaffirming the Precepts, Bodhi Day, and the Rains Season Retreats.

The center offers a variety of meditation practices, including seated and walking meditation in the Zendo. They hold Thursday evening meditations starting at 7 pm, followed by tea and conversation, as well as Sunday sessions from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM. The Desert Zen Center also provides support and assistance with marriages, blessings of children, dedications, funerals, and memorial services.

The Long Beach Zen Monastery and the International Buddhist Meditation Center

In 1982, the Venerable Thich An Giao and his senior disciple, Thich Tam Hien, moved permanently to the Desert Zen Center. At that time, the temple was named Monjuji. Since then, several buildings have been erected, monks have been trained, and the service to the local community has expanded.

The Temple was renamed Chua Thien An in 1999 in remembrance of the Most Venerable Thich Thien An, Roshi's Vietnamese Master. The annual calendar of events and celebrations at the Desert Zen Center includes: Vu Lan, Buddha's Birthday, Temple Days, Reaffirming the Precepts, Bodhi Day, and the Rains Season Retreats.

Reaffirming the Precepts is an important Buddhist ceremony that takes place on the last Sunday of every month at 11 am. Video archives of Roshi's dharma talks (a sermon or public discourse on Buddhism) are available on the DZC's YouTube channel, and Sunday services and dharma talks are live-streamed on their Facebook page.

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