Field Notes from Northern California: Phuoc Son and Kim Quang Temple

Last August, I began conducting preliminary field work at two Vietnamese Buddhist temples: Phuoc Son in Modesto (Figure 1), and Kim Quang in Sacramento (Figure 2). My journey into field studies can be traced back to 2010, when I discovered that Locked Out, a hardcore punk band from Fresno, included verses from the Tao Te Ching in their song lyrics. The advice contained in Tao Te Ching inspired me to read everything I could about Buddhism, at the time not knowing that it differs as a religion from Daoism. I converted to Mahayana Buddhism at age seventeen and have spent the past twelve years studying Buddhist practices and doctrines from around the world.