At the moment, both the outgoing Betsuin church and the incoming fellowship of families from Myanamar share space in the temple. At the foreground is religious imagery from the Theravada Buddhists and in the rear is the altar for the Betsuin fellowship. Photo by Edward Smith.

It only took three weeks to close the sale on the Fresno Buddhist Temple in Chinatown once negotiations began between a group of families from Myanmar and Japanese Betsuin Buddhists.

Custom has it that a monk must be residing in a temple before the beginning of the Lent season for Theravada Buddhists, according to Dr. Harold Htein Lin, CEO of Mauyk Oo Dhamma Center.

 

So, the incoming community of families from Myanmar and the outgoing Japanese Betsuin community had to rush to get the details worked out to hand over the 99-year-old temple.

The Fresno Buddhist Temple will soon become a monastery for the housing and training of monks as well as a community meditation center following the Fresno Betsuin’s final service this Saturday.

Lin and the Dhamma Center, largely made up of physicians from the area, closed the sale on the temple on July 18 for $750,000.

While the stipulations of the lease had allowed the Japanese Betsuin community 60 days to move out, the congregation decided in order to allow the Burmese community to move in in a timely fashion, they had to expedite the process, according to Gordon Misaki, a member of the church board who is coordinating the move.

The 99-year-old temple, which is on the register of local historical buildings, has been for sale since 2011, following a move to north Fresno by the Betsuin community. There had been multiple offers on the property, but most of them had been low and speculative, Misaki said. Many of the potential buyers were more interested in the 12,000 square-foot annex at the rear of the temple. It was only recently that other Buddhist communities had taken an interest in the temple itself and had been willing to make an offer that the Betsuin church had felt more represented the value of the facility.

Lin had heard about the revitalization going on in Downtown Fresno and he wanted to make a mark.

Of the 30 to 40 families from Myanmar (previously known as Burma) here in the Central Valley, most of them are professionals. Lin wanted to bring these families together to find a place for them to gather as a community. With a monk now living at the temple, this community center would be a hub for meditation to attract people looking for inner peace from around the country.

---

Read more in the Aug. 10 print edition of The Business Journal to learn more about how the transformation of a local landmark, a growing community of families from Myanmar and how a statue of the Buddha came all the way from Myanmar in 1961 to become a part of the revitalization of Fresno’s Chinatown. Subscribe or find a newsstand today.