About

In the winter of 2022, specifically on January 18, the DhammaCakraTra Buddhist Community Center, commonly referred to as DCT by the Indonesian Buddhist community in Southern California and America, received a letter from the City of Rancho Cucamonga. The letter stated that DCT’s application to designate a place of worship, currently in the process of being purchased, as a Meditation and Dhamma Discussion Hall, had been approved. This letter was just a piece of paper, but it held great significance for around 120 devotees in Southern California. Why? This letter meant that these devotees could hold public worship and meditation sessions as a recognized entity by the local government. It was a long-awaited moment, anticipated by some devotees for 21 years.

It was a long journey, a journey unimaginable at the start by a small group of devotees at that time. The journey was filled with twists and turns that sometimes seemed impossible. Yet, perseverance and patience finally bore fruit this winter.

DCT began with just a small group of devotees in 2000. They held services by borrowing a temple. Through word of mouth, the group grew, eventually forming a nonprofit organization that met the 501(c)(3) tax code and was registered in the state of California on April 13, 2004. This meant that DCT was now recognized as an institution operating under the Bylaws (Articles of Association), with a legitimate board structure to conduct nonprofit transactions. Through this institution, DCT could raise funds and issue receipts to donors for tax purposes. But what about a place of worship?

These pioneers had a vision that DCT could be a place for Indonesian Buddhists to learn the true Dhamma, engage in good deeds, and practice other Dhamma activities within the comfort of the Nusantara (Indonesian archipelago) culture. Was this possible? These Dhamma pioneers then dared to dream, often echoed here as “The American Dream,” to have their own place of worship. Despite limited funds and the skyrocketing property prices in Greater Los Angeles, they were undeterred. The board then formed the DhammaCakraTra Temple Development Team. Thus, the search process began.