In early 2008, Venerable Master Jian Liao, the current abbot of Vairocana Zen Monastery, relocated to Los Angeles at the earnest requests of many dharma practitioners in California. During a short time span of several months, many dharma students who had the opportunity to connect and practice with Master Jian Liao experienced great benefit from his teachings and therefore made repeated requests for the establishment of a permanent location of formal practice for the benefit of all beings. Seeing that the causal conditions had matured, master finally gave the consent to being the search for an appropriate site for a monastery. Due to the strong faith of the lay practitioners and the blessings bestowed by the Triple Jewels and protector deities, the search culminated in the acquisition of a church property located in the City of Garden Grove of Orange County that possessed all the ideal characteristics for establishing the Vairocana Zen Monastery.

Through the collective dedications and supports of disciples from Taiwan, China, Mexico, California, and many other cities in the United States and after raising the necessary capital through donations and loans from various sources, the purchase and title transfer of the monastery property was completed in September of 2008. Besides offering dharma talks and receiving visits, efforts to obtain housing and construction permits are still on-going, furthermore additional funds still need to be raised for the completion of various monastery facilities.

Master Jian Liao possesses profound insight into the essence of Zen and had dedicated himself to the propagation and the practice of Zen. The founding of Vairocana Zen Monastery serves the purpose of expounding the essence Zen’s Mind teaching through various skillful means. Master Jian Liao’s core belief and goal of dharma teaching is to lead all beings into the understanding of the all-pervasive, universally applicable truth. Since this universal truth transcends race, religion, and time, it is without exception, it is the only path for the dissolution of dualistic conflict and the resolution of the disparate views among religions and their various sects. Master Jian Liao has vowed to spread and promote this universal truth around the world, through the wisdom of Zen’s Mind teaching and the interpretive vehicles of contemporary knowledges, in order to open a universal path of wisdom and light for meeting with and offering to all beings coming and going in the Ten Directions.