AZUSA, CALIFORNIA — Along the sun-drenched stretch of Ranch Road, the concrete driveway of the Progressive Buddhist Association’s Azusa Brahma Vihara Monastery often swelters in the 80s. But just a hundred feet above the pavement, the air changes. A lush, emerald-green canopy blankets the hillside, offering a cool refuge that feels worlds away from the urban heat below.
This 4.06-acre sanctuary, known as Azusa Bodha Gaya, is a living miracle. It is the result of 34 years of physical labor, visionary leadership, and spiritual devotion by two Burmese Buddhist monks: Ashin Ayethaca (77) and Ashin Osadha (67).
A Mission of Greenery in a “Shade Desert”
When Ashin Ayethaca a arrived in the United States in 1990, the landscape was far from a paradise. The mountain was a steep, unruly thicket of dry brush, prone to seasonal flooding and summer wildfires.
The need for shade in Azusa is more than just aesthetic—it is an environmental necessity. According to a Los Angeles County Public Health analysis, Azusa’s tree canopy coverage is only 5.2%, which is 14.5% lower than the California average for urban areas. By planting trees, the monks are directly tackling urban heat islands and improving local air quality.
“We’ve been planting trees since 1991 to make this garden a reality,” says Ashin Ayethaca. “We are preparing the earth for the generations to come.”
Cultivating with “Patience and Pieces”
Building a two-acre hillside garden on a monastery budget required immense ingenuity. To cover the mountain in grass without the high cost of professional sod—which can reach $2.80 per square foot—Ashin Osadha turned to a “slow-growth” manual method.
He harvested small pieces of St. Augustine grass from the monastery grounds below. After enriching the hillside soil with compost, he hand-planted these small sprigs. “It slowly grew from the place where it was planted, as if it were walking, over the next three months,” explains Ashin Osadha.
Today, the garden boasts over 50 diverse shade trees, including sacred Bodhi and Banyan trees, Jacarandas, Royal Poincianas, and Golden Shower trees. Near the replica of the Shwedagon Pagoda, Golden Cacti bloom among natural boulders, blending Burmese culture with California’s rugged terrain.
The Spiritual Root: Nature as a Precept
For these monks, gardening is not a hobby—it is a religious duty. Under the monastic code (Vinaya Pitaka), the rule of Bhūtagāma strictly prohibits monks from intentionally harming living plants or seeds.
As Ashin Osadha spends two hours each day manually watering the trees via a pipeline system, he turns the labor into a meditation. He performs meritorious deeds, sending blessings to the trees and all “31 realms of existence.” This dedication mirrors the famous words of the Buddha inscribed on a stone tablet at the Indian Botanic Garden in Howrah:
“The tree is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence… It affords protection to all beings, offering shade even to the axe man who destroys it.”
A Cultural and Cinematic Landmark
Azusa Bodh Gaya has become a vital hub for the Burmese community in California. “The monks have created a garden that reduces stress; the greenery is refreshing,” says Ma Soe Mon Thu, a regular visitor from Alhambra.
The garden’s beauty has even reached international screens. In 2021, American director Bruce Chiu filmed the short film Imperfectly Complete in the Shwedagon Pagoda courtyard. The film, which features the lush greenery and Burmese architecture of the monastery, was screened at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and other international festivals. “The green garden and the Burmese culture at the same time have attracted a lot of attention, and the film has been selected to be shown at international film festivals.” said the film producer and actress Chrissy Aung.
Ensuring a Sustainable Future
Maintaining such a vast garden is a monumental task. While the monks handle the daily weeding and watering, the monastery must set aside significant funds for essential tree trimming every three years. A single session can cost between $4,000 and $5,000—a necessary expense to protect the trees from wind damage and ensure the garden’s long-term survival.
“There is a saying that if you want to be happy for a lifetime, plant a tree,” says Ashin Osadha. “I am happy to leave this garden to preserve the natural environment. I hope future generations will continue to maintain what this community has established with their own hearts and hands.”
This story was produced by American Community Media in collaboration with the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS) at UCLA as part of the Greening American Cities initiative supported by the Bezos Earth Fund. Read more stories like this by visiting the Greening Communities homepage.
