About us
The Los Angeles branch of Anfu Monastery, a Bodhimaṇḍala (place of enlightenment) of the Medicine Buddha (Bhaiṣajyarāja) — is the branch institute of Anfu Monastery of Tiansheng Mount in China, which belongs to the branch of the Tiantai School of Mahayana Buddhism. The tenet of “Teaching follows the Tiantai sect, practice depends on the Pure Land” clearly expounds the center’s goal of taking the Tiantai Sect as the way of cultivation and the goal of seeking rebirth in the Pure Land as the guidance. At the same time, it also actively promotes the study and practice of Yongjia Chan. The center is also keen to carry out the four major activities of “meditation, health preservation, caring for the elderly, and charity” created and directed by the headquarters of Anfu Monastery, making wide almsgiving of dharma medicine and bringing benefit and joy to sentient beings.
We are a Mahayana Buddhist monastery in the United States that welcomes Buddhists to study and practice the Dharma for the attainment of ultimate realization. Guided by Master Dazhao 達照法師, Luyuan is operated by the sangha of the Six Principles of Reverent Harmony to promote the Buddha’s teachings, practicing loving-kindness and compassion, and benefiting all living beings. We mainly focus on the teachings and practices of the Tiantai, Pure Land, and Chan sects especially Yongjia Chan). And we also contribute to peace and harmony in our society.
Adhering to the goal and belief of being the inheritor, practitioner, and disseminator of Buddhism, for the Buddhist teachings to be rooted in the soil of the United States more deeply and widely so that every sentient being can obtain the benefits and the joy of the Dharma as much as possible. In September 2019, the center applied to the California state government and the U.S. federal government to register the Los Angeles branch of Anfu Monastery, and on February 5, 2020, it was approved. By far, the Los Angeles branch of Anfu Monastery has been officially established.
Tiantai Sect of Chinese Buddhism
天台宗
Tiantai sect (天台宗), also known as Fahua sect (法華宗), is one of the sects of Chinese Buddhism, which began in the late Northern and Southern Dynasties. It is called Tiantai Sect because of its founder, Zhiyi 智顗, who lived and taught the Buddhist teachings in Tiantai Mountain, Zhejiang Province. With The Lotus Sutra of Wondrous Dharma as its fundamental classic, it is also known as the Fahua Sect. Because this sect focuses on the practice of shamatha-vipassana meditation, it is also called the sect of meditation. Because it attaches great importance to the study of Buddhist teachings and combines the actual practice of shamatha and vipassana, it is famous for “the double beauty of teaching and vigilance”.
Tiantai Sect takes the Lotus Sutra of Wondrous Dharma as its purpose, the Great Perfection of Wisdom Treatise (Dazhi dulun, 大智度论) as the guide, the Great Nirvana Sutra (Da niepan jing, 大般涅盘经) as the support and explanation, and the Great Prajna Sutra (Da bore jing, 大般若經) as the method of contemplation. Zhiyi’s Tiantai three classics, namely Fahua wenju (法华文句), Fahua xuanyi (法华玄义), Mohe zhiguan (摩诃止观) are the foundation of the sect. Zhiyi made the teachings of the Buddha’s time into five times and eight teachings. The five times are the “Huayan” time, the “Ahan” time, the “Fangdeng” time, the “Bore” time, and the “Fahua Niepan” time.
Tiantai Sect is one of the earliest sects in Chinese Buddhism. It gathers the doctrines of righteousness and Chan 禪 from various schools in the north and the south. And it organizes and develops them into a system. It was supported and believed by the court and the folks at that time, and it had a great influence on the various schools established after the Sui and Tang Dynasties. After the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, scholars of this sect often advocated the Pure Land, and formed a style of “teaching and performing Tiantai, returning to the practice of Pure Land” (教演天台,行归净土). Although the Tiantai sect has risen and fallen several times in China, it still continues to this day.
At the beginning of the 9th century, the Japanese monk Mozumi introduced this sect to Japan. During the Heian period (784-1192), it developed side by side with Shingon, and was historically known as the two Heian sects. In the 13th century, the Nichiren sect was separated from this sect. Today, the Tendai Honshu and Nichiren sects in Japan are very prosperous, and in the 20th century, Nichiren sects split into several new sects.
The main practice methods of Tiantai sect are the meditation practice of shamatha and vipassana and the Tiantai repentance method. Shamatha and vipassana: shamatha means concentration, vipassana refers to wisdom, and therefore, shamatha-vipassana meditation is the practice of concentration and wisdom. The Tiantai repentance method refers to the repentance method of Fahua Samadhi, repentance of Fangdeng, the repentance of Golden Light Sutra, and the repentance of envoking Avalokitesvara. At the same time, the Tiantai Repentance Method also established the systematic model of the repentance practice in Chinese Buddhism.
Founder — Venerable Master Dazhao

Master Dazhao, styled himself as Tiantaizi, is the 47th lineage heir of the Tiantai Sect in Chinese Buddhism. He is currently the director of the Buddhist Association of China, the vice president of the Zhejiang Buddhist Association, the president of Wenzhou Buddhist Association, the postgraduate adviser of the Putuoshan College of the Buddhist Academy of China, the postgraduate adviser of the Hanshan College of the Jiangsu Buddhist College, the postgraduate adviser of Minnan Buddhist College, the Standing Committee of the Wenzhou Political Consultative Conference, the vice president of the Wenzhou Buddhist College, and the chairman of the Wenzhou Buddhist Yongjia Chan Association, the abbot of Miaoguo Temple in Wenzhou City, the abbot of Anfu Monastery in Wencheng County, the abbot of Yuanyin Temple in Jinan, Shandong, and the chairman of Zhejiang Anfu Lisheng Charity Foundation.
In 2001, Master Dazhao obtained a master’s degree in Buddhist literature from the Buddhist Academy of China; in 2007, he received the teaching of the 47th lineage heir of Tiantai Buddhism by Elder Jueguang of Guanzong Temple in Hong Kong; In 2017, he initiated the establishment of the Zhejiang Anfu Lisheng Charity Foundation. Over the years, he has been actively engaged in the study and promotion of Tiantai, Pure Land, and Chan Buddhism (especially Yongjia Chan). He has been often invited to give lectures to major monasteries and groups in Asia, North America, and Europe.
《〈金刚经赞〉研究》(The study of the Praise of the Diamond Sutra)
《饬终——佛教临终关怀思想与方法》(End-of-Life — Buddhist Hospice Care Thoughts and Methods)
《永嘉禅讲座(初级、中级、高级)》(Lectures on Yongjia Chan: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
《〈天台四教仪集注〉译释》(Interpretation of “Collected Annotations on the Tiantai Fourfold Teachings”)
《雪莲花》(Snow Lotus)
《一股清泉》(A Pure Spring)
《禅心密印(2010)》(The Heart of Chan and the Secret Seal 2020)
《楞严大义》(Brief Explanation on the Surangama Sutra)
《退一步并不难》(It’s Not Difficult to Take a Step Back)
《佛法的知见》(Knowledge and Views of Buddhism)
《佛法的修证》(Practices and Realizations of Buddhist Dharma)
《觉悟人生》(Awakened Life)
《快乐人生》(Joyful Life)
《心经直讲》(Direct Explanation on the Heart Sutra)
《解脱禅法》(The Chan Method for Liberation)
《阿弥陀经通解》(General Explanation on the Amitabha Sutra)
《生命修学系统》(The System of Practices and Studies in Life)