City, Temple Compromise on Attendance Limit

A Superior Court judge has pleased both Buddhist leaders and city officials by offering a compromise on how many people may attend services at a local temple.

The city had asked the court for an injunction limiting worshipers at Temple Lien Hoa to 10, while representatives of the temple had requested that 30 people be allowed to attend services at the converted five-bedroom home.

Judge Richard Frazee ruled Tuesday that 20 adults, plus children and monks, may attend the Bixby Avenue temple at one time.

Frazee “is a very understanding person and we, the Vietnamese, the Buddhists here, are very grateful to the authorities because the temple is still working,” said Hien Pham, a member of Lien Hoa since he immigrated to the United States three years ago.

Pham said Lien Hoa has been operating for about four years. However, city officials did not take any action until several months ago, after they received complaints about noise and parking problems.

A group of neighbors presented the city with a petition asking that worship there be curtailed, city spokesman John Bushman said. Temple representatives and other neighbors countered with a petition asking that it be allowed to remain.

The temple is in a residential area and does not have a permit to operate as a church, although an application is now pending, City Atty. Stuart B. Scudder said.

“We are pleased with the overall progress and the ruling,” Scudder said.

In addition to limiting worshipers, Frazee upheld the city’s request to prohibit use of a public address system, as well as a prohibition on chanting, singing or music outside the house.

Pham said that during the week, activity at the temple is limited to a few elderly members who come to pray, with 12 to 15 people generally attending services on Saturdays and Sundays. But Scudder said services in the past have attracted 20 to 50 people.

Attendance is much greater at Lien Hoa’s two major annual celebrations, one commemorating Buddha’s birthday and another his Enlightenment.

Pham said 150 people attended Buddha’s birthday celebration last April, making parking difficult in the neighborhood. For the upcoming Enlightenment in January, the temple plans to rent out a nearby auditorium, he said.

“Every Buddhist would like to come together here for a gathering like a family,” Pham said. “But under the law, we are not allowed to host it like that. So we will rent a big auditorium.”