Northeastern and Boston Chinese Buddhist Temples — San Francisco Bay Area Buddhism

Northeastern United States Chinese Buddhist Associations - Boston, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island and Connecticut
漢傳佛教 - 美國東北: 波士頓, 馬薩諸塞州, 羅德島

We have listed here ethnically Chinese Asian-American Buddhist community organizations and temples/monasteries near Boston and northeast of New York.

Massachusetts Buddhist Association 法鼓山普賢講堂
319 Lowell Street, Lexington, MA 02420
www.ddmmba.org
facebook.com/ddmmba.org

The Massachusetts Buddhist Association is the oldest Chinese Buddhist organization in the state, started in 1987 and initially meeting in member’s residences. The very modest temple building opened in 1991, though there were mostly no resident monks or nuns, with teachers visiting from out of state, and all authentic lineages were welcomed. However, given dwindling membership and concerns of the continuance of the group, in 2016 the group officially joined the international Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association and a resident monastic arrived from Taiwan, inaugurating the renamed Dharma Drum Mountain Massachusetts Buddhist Association (DDMMBA).

Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple Boston 佛光山三佛中心
711 Concord Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
www.fgsbtboston.org
facebook.com/fgbtb

Formerly known in English as the Greater Boston Buddhist Cultural Center located at 950 Massachusetts Ave; Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, the Boston chapter of Fo Guang Shan (Buddha’s Light International Association) was established after founding Venerable Master Hsing Yun delivered talks in the area in 1997. The urban location on Mass Ave operated from 1998 and included a vegetarian restaurant; it was on the main MBTA 1 bus route and Red Line subway and in between Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). However, unfortunately (in our opinion), the group was unable to capitalize on its prestigious location and most members were more traditional older Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants, rather than college and graduate students at the many colleges and universities around it. So, in 2014 the temple moved to a more suburban location (though still accessible via public transportation), a renovated small commercial building (formerly a food laboratory).

Kuan Yin Temple 觀音寺 / 美國麻省圓覺學會
480 Quincy Ave, Quincy, MA 02169
https://sites.google.com/site/kytwebsite/home

Tzu Chi Boston 慈濟波士頓
15 Summer St, Newton, MA 02464
http://www.tzuchiboston.org/
Tzu Chi Boston has many charitable activities, including food drives, disaster relief fundraising, scholarships and tuition assistance for low income families, and more.

Tzu Chi Academy Boston 波士頓慈濟人文學
http://www.tzuchiacademyboston.org/
Founded in 1988, this is the weekend Chinese language and culture school hosted by Tzu Chi. For 2021-2022, the location is at Bedford High School in Bedford MA on Sunday mornings. There is also a Tzu Chi Youth Ensemble for traditional Chinese musical instruments. Great for educating children in not just Mandarin, but humanitarian principles and ethics.
Tzu Ching Boston College Students Association
https://www.facebook.com/TzuChingBoston

Amitabha Buddhist Society 美國波士頓行願淨宗學會 - 行願多元文化中心
七 Mohawk Dr, Gardner MA 01440
www.amtb-ma.org
Established in 2003, this group practicing Pure Land chanting moved out towards the suburbs in Ashby.

Wisdom Temple 美國般若學會
7 Marshall St, Billerica, MA 01821
www.wisdom-temple.org/

Fu Hui Temple 羅德島福慧寺
80 Hamilton St, Woonsocket, RI 02895
www.wisdom-temple.org

Part of the same Buddhist group, Wisdom Temple near Lowell MA opened in 2013 and Fu Hui Temple in the suburbs of Providence RI opened in 2019. The resident monastics are connected with the US Zen Institute in Germantown Maryland (Washington DC suburb). As of now, all activities are in Chinese, though plans to host English meditation classes are in the works.

Thousand Buddha Temple 麻省菩提學會千佛寺
53-55 Mass Ave, Quincy, MA 02169
thethousandbuddhatemple.org

The group started meeting in 1990 and the temple location was purchased in 1994.

Jing Jue Temple
15 Robeth Ln, Wethersfield, CT 06109

In addition, the Harvard University Buddhist Alumni Society (HUBAS) was founded in 2020
HarvardBuddhistAlumni.org and HarvardBuddhism.org