Mahayana Buddhist Temple is located in Manhattan's Chinatown - the largest in the Western Hemisphere, the Chinese enclave. A remarkable building with two golden lions at the entrance is located near the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge.

The history of the temple is very touching. The first Buddhist temple in New York, was founded in 1962, a married couple Ingov. Anne and James Inga, immigrants from Taiwan, fitted out in the back of his store on Broadway room for prayers. It was a success among the Chinese Buddhists, and Anne knew that we needed a real temple.

She made this conclusion because it got accustomed to the streets of Chinatown. On the pavement were full of elderly Chinese people who did not do anything, just talking and drinking coffee. It was the workers who once came here from China - they planned to work ten to twenty years and return home with dollars. The revolution in China has destroyed their plans. They could not go home, did not know that their families, and America did not become his second home. These people had no choice as to just sit and wait.

Anne Ing regretted losing everything old and decided to create a temple, which also would be the club. She organized, and her husband, James financed the establishment of such a center on Mott Street, 64. There was a small library, people were playing chess and drinking free tea on Saturdays for the public lecture held. And in the back of the building was a small temple. At this address, and is now in the Chinese community center.

Many years have passed, and the irrepressible Anne Ying, who had in the meantime to build another temple near the town, looked around and saw that the New York Buddhists still not enough space for prayer. Then she built a temple Mahayana at Manhattan Bridge - it opened in 1997, on the birthday of James (he turned 83).

Lions traditionally guard the temple from evil spirits, and the building itself is made in Chinese style. Inside, everything is very simple - wooden floor, chairs and red paper lanterns, but this simplicity contrasts the largest in New York statue of Buddha. Five-meter golden Buddha sitting in the lotus position, immediately attracts attention. Many tourists perceive the whole situation as an attraction, but people come here to pray, so visitors are asked to keep quiet and not to take photographs. However, tourists usually spend more time in the gift shop, than about the Buddha. If you donate a dollar, you can get a piece of prediction. However, tourists impressionable better not to do - oddly, written on pieces of paper is not only a good prediction.