Miao Fa Chan Temple

There are beautiful places in this world that allow us to feel at ease and help us relax and recharge. This is one of those special peaceful places in Portland. The temple is located off of Hawthorne so it is a good place to go if you are in the area.
The temple is open every day from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The temple has English language services available and there are monks and an abbess who speak English. I had an amazing talk with the Canadian Monk who was ordained in Thailand in the Theravadan tradition. He is very interesting, wise and totally down to earth. There is also a lay person working there who was very helpful.
In the Mandarin Language «Miao Fa» means Supreme Ultimate Dhamma/​Dharma. Miao Fa is a Mahayana/​Chan Buddhist temple founded in 1998 by Venerable Master Tsien Tien.
Yes, this is a Mahayanan Chinese Temple but there are also Theravadan services too! This temple welcomes all kinds of Buddhists and non-​Buddhists from all walks of life. The temple also offers Vipassana meditation classes which I would recommend.
There is an English Theravadan service from 10:30am to 11:30pm on Sunday with a short meditation and Dhamma talk. There is also a vegetarian lunch after the service.
There is a Chinese service from 9:30am to 11:30am with Chinese chants from different Mahayana sutras and a Dhamma talk. If you do not speak Mandarin there are prayer books with the text in English available. Afterwards there is a vegetarian lunch.
This temple celebrates all major Buddhist holidays as well as full moon and half moon days. Check out the schedule in the hall with the big Laughing Buddha.
Another great thing is that the temple has a lot of free reading material in many different languages including some in English. There are also some tables in the room in front of the main temple. I sometimes like to sit with some tea there and read some of the books to learn new things on how to better myself and my interactions with others or find out new things about Buddhism.
When you first approach the temple you will see a big outdoor incense burner. There is free incense available for use as an offering and there are lighters inside as well. It is located right inside the first room you enter by the doors to the next room. If you do not see it just ask someone and don’t feel embarrassed. It is free.
There is also a beautiful garden and koi pond on the grounds. You can access it close to the large incense burner outside. There is a doorway off to the side.
The main temple area for worship is beautiful. It is a good place to meditate or chant on your own if you are interested or simply sit in silence. Please make sure you take your shoes off at the carpeted stairs before entering this room. You can use your shoes in the other rooms. Don’t worry, there are signs telling you to take your shoes off at the carpeted stairs.
Feel free to take a bottle of blessed water from the alter but do not take the ones that are displayed like a tower of bottles because they could collapse! There are always some loose bottles on the alter. If you are not sure just ask someone.
When you exit the main temple room where you put your shoes back on right in front of you is an area where you can help yourself to tea. There is a hot water fountain, teabags and sweetener available.
There are a few donation boxes and if you can please give a donation to help support this beautiful temple and its peaceful message of support and care for all people.

Beautiful temple and friendly monks. They are usually very cheerful and happy to help out in understanding of Buddhism. All the statues are beautiful and well maintained and I like how they adopted the no incense inside policy. Makes the air easier to breathe while inside the temple. You can still offer incense on their urn outside.

I was there one time, and one time only. Bit disappointing considering how disorganized the place is. This is not quite your classic Chinese temple, and also not quite your modern day zen center. Somewhere in between, and I left before I had the chance to eat lunch there. Don’t want to owe them, and frankly I was never officially invited. Oh well. I’ll turn my head and will give it another try in the future; down on my list of things to do at Portland. Sorry Miao Fa Chan Temple.

My husband and I were out looking at homes to buy on a Sunday morning and we just happen to be walking down Hawthorn street when I saw this temple. I dragged my husband over and as we stood looking at the outside, a very quiet monk gently took my arm to guide me inside. Other people were also walking in and mumbled «come meditate» so we decided «why not» and went in.
We know nothing about Buddhists but we are intrigued. We stayed for about ½ hour, listen to the talk and tried to meditate. It was a very different experience, much harder than I thought to clear my mind, I actually failed that part. However, when we left we walked around the hall, made a donation (which they did NOT ask for) and found the experience quite enlightening.
We have since bought a home in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Portland and we do intend to go back to this temple weekly once we get all moved in.

As with most things in Portland, even the Buddhist temples here are eclectic. Although this particular temple happens to be a Chinese Mahayana temple in the Pure Land tradition, Ajahn Fathai, the abbot, studied meditation for eighteen years as a Theravadin Buddhist monk in Thailand (at Tiger Caves Monastery) before going to Taiwan on a pilgrimage, ordaining in the Mahayana tradition, and eventually being put in charge of this temple by his teacher. As such, the temple serves a wide variety of Portland-​era Buddhists (e.g., Chinese, Thai, American, Theravadin, Mahayanin, etc.).
While I don’t attend the Chinese-​style services on Saturday (I mainly practice in the Thai Forest tradition), I go every Tuesday night for the Thai-​style evening chanting, meditation, and Dhamma talk from 6:30pm-8:30pm, and try to occasionally make it to the Sunday morning service at 10:30am, which is also in the Thai style with Pali chanting and the taking of the five precepts, meditation, and Dhamma talk, followed by a vegetarian potluck lunch. All the people I’ve met there are extraordinarily kind and welcoming, and the temple itself (originally a spiritual centre for a Catholic church) is quite interesting. If you’re interested in Buddhism or just looking for a place to learn/​practice meditation, give Miao Fa Temple a try.
(Note: the current website url is
.)