The Pao Fa Temple is a striking presence in suburban Irvine: a full-scale traditional Chinese Buddhist monastery complex, complete with a ten-story pagoda visible from some distance. It is considered one of the largest Buddhist temples in the Western hemisphere, a claim that would seem improbable until you actually arrive and see the scale of it.
The complex serves the Taiwanese-American Buddhist community and is an active place of worship, not a tourist attraction — so approach it with appropriate respect. Visitors are generally welcome to walk the grounds and explore the main hall during opening hours. The architecture is built to traditional standards, with ornate roof tiles and painted woodwork that took skilled craftsmen years to complete. Coming here from the surrounding grid of cul-de-sacs and strip malls has a genuinely dislocating quality. Check current visiting hours before you go, as they vary and the complex occasionally closes for ceremonies.