White Sands Buddhist Center — Attraction in Florida

When someone told me there was a Buddhist monastery in Mimms I could not believe it. A friend took me there over the weekend, and this place was amazing. The serene landscape and Buddhist statues are astonishing to see in person. Walking around in silence around a very small crowd of others respecting the Buddhist religion had a very calming effect. It is rare to visit any place and have it be so quiet while around others. Manners are the glow on society and it is rare to witness anymore.

The gift shop was very fairly priced. I was expecting double+ what they were asking for. My friend purchased a ring ($11) and I purchased a hand written framed picture ($35) The art is all created by Buddhist nuns on site. It truly will make a unique gift.

Note: I was brought here as a surprise. I then went home and researched Buddhism. I was very curious about the statues (many brought over from Vietnam) and the religious trinkets and fruit that were left at the base of them. I believe to get the full experience you should research Buddhism so you have more of an understanding while visiting. They do have plaques that cover some details, but you will need to do some personal research to fully grasp all that you see.

Pros: Extremely calming experience whether you are spiritual or not Gift Shop prices are extremely fair and offer unique art. 45min to 1 hour experience.

Cons Not knowing if a building allows visitors. The gift shop was clearly marked, But I would walk up to other doors to buildings within the monastery and they would be locked. There were no signs that stated what the...

The grounds are open to the public and it is a serene and tranquil place to visit and unwind. It's in the middle of a large plot distant from busy roads and noise short of air planes flying overhead. You can sit and meditate, take a stroll, read a book, do yoga.. the only rules are no pets and be civil and respectful to everyone.

As a practicing Buddhist, I visit the services on Sunday and the services are also welcome to anyone with a small dress code: pants and covered shoulders, but it doesn't have to be formal clothing. A t-shirt and leggings or sweat pants would suffice. The service is 2 hours long and includes Vietnamese and English chants, a discussion, and a vegetarian lunch afterwards.

Overall, I am glad I discovered White Sands and it has become a fixed part of my weekly routine, and sometimes a place I visit just to get away for a little. The only real negative I have is that the email address supplied by the website, to my knowledge, doesn't get looked at it seems. If you get the direct email address of someone, you're ok, but prior to that, I didn't seem to get a response from using the email address offered by...

White Sands Buddhist Center please beware to pay attention to your turns because you can easily missed them into the center then you make your way on to a white gravel road this is when things start to become calming please note only one way in one way out so if a car is coming you will need to pull a little to the side so people can pass but once you exit the gravel road it's like wow! It looks like the world opened up and created this beautiful 😍 vision of serenity and peace parking is perfect when you park you are greeted with the Shakyamuni Buddha statue which means one who reaches enlightenment I was taken over by emotions then Buddhist Center was closed but the nun offered to open the center if we wanted to watch the little movie and out of respect for the center you will need to take your shoes off plus they have a gift shop with a lot of Buddhist practicing methods and the they have a little restaurant that is only open on Sundays and they also have retreats for different topics we saw the monk taking care of the grounds it really is a community 😊 it feels like a safe heaven please...