Temple History

Fo Guang Buddhist Temple of Boston (FGBTB) is the first temple that Fo Guang Shan Temple established in Massachusetts.  In 1990 Venerable Hsin Ting and Venerable Hui Kai were invited by Boston Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to give Dharma talks and subsequently Venerable Hui Chuan was invited to give a talk on Humanistic Buddhism.  In 1997, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of FGBT Boston gave a public talk in Billerica with more than 300 people attended and from there they established the Buddha’s Light International Association Boston sub-chapter.  In 1998 Fo Guang Shan Temple purchased a restaurant located on Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, in between Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to propagate Dharma in Boston. This place was name as the Fo Guang Shan Triple Buddha’s Center (also known as Greater Boston Buddhist Cultural Center (International Buddhist Progress Society)) which in Chinese means the “Harvard, Fo Guang Shan and Buddha’s Light Center” and the opening ceremony was held on January 3, 1999.  The center was operated as a teahouse and a bookstore, however, the center also includes all kind of interest classes including reading group, English meditation class, Children meditation class, and Dharma with Dinner session  etc.  The center services all range of local communities, especially the professors and students from Harvard University and MIT.  The center also had many interactions with the local Buddhist communities and religious groups.  Due to the growth of the members and also the limitation of the venue, in 2014 Fo Guang Buddhist Temple of Boston has shifted to 711 Concord Ave, Cambridge, MA 01238 to provide a bigger space for propagating Buddhism.

X