Beyond the pool's fence lies the rest of the temple grounds dominated by the main building  (We knocked but there was no response).  In the June 3, 2001 Arizona Republic, A. Pancrazalo presents the interesting fact that, before the temple was opened, this building had been a drug house.  There is also a stage nearby for addressing a large congregation plus a huge table with dozens of unlit ceremonial candles arranged on it.  Hanging beneath a string of red lanterns in a miniature temple of its own guarded by red wooden lions is the “Great Awakening Bell”, said to produce the “voice of the Buddha” when struck.  Overall, this is a very tranquil and calming place!

The built environment is not the only sign of the great diversity in this area.  As our group ate lunch and watched the people going from place to place, I noticed members of many different cultures passing by, a testament to South Phoenix’s place as a refuge from the homogenized whiteness of the typical Phoenix neighborhood.  (Overall, Phoenix is over 71% Anglo – South Phoenix only 32.8% Anglo)(Morrison Institute, 22 & Burns/Gober, 16).  The presence of the temple, along with all of the other evidence of non-Anglo culture seems to bear out the Morrison Institute for Public Policy’s assertion in Hits and Misses: Fast Growth in Metropolitan Phoenix that “unlike their European predecessors, [who] felt acculturation was necessary in order to succeed…today’s ethnic minority immigrants are attempting to maintain their cultural identities”.

Turning away from the reflecting pool, I look over my shoulder to the North and notice the clear, postcard-like view of downtown Phoenix from the rarely seen (for most Phoenicians) southern perspective. The uniqueness of this place ought to be included in the overall picture of the city.