![\"Buddha](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/building.jpg\")
\u201cIt had been a spiritual place for 90 years \u2014 why not keep it a spiritual place for another 100 years,\u201d Zlotnik said, noting the calming presence and energy of the building. \u201cWe\u2019ve tried to keep everything original that was safe or functional.\u201d<\/p>\n
The journey to acquiring the building wasn\u2019t an easy feat \u2014 the temple had to raise half a million dollars in three and a half months for the down payment. Zlotnik said few people thought they would pull it off, and even he was skeptical himself.<\/p>\n
If they couldn\u2019t raise the funds, the historic property was set to be sold to developers to turn into condominiums. Despite not knowing much about Dharma Bum Temple, the neighborhood rallied behind them, including the church\u2019s old reverend, the University Heights Community Association, and individual Uptown residents. With the community support, the temple was able reach the fundraising goals and move into the building.<\/p>\n
And just like the building, a first impression of Zlotnik may not be what you expect of someone running a Buddhist temple. He is a westerner who grew up Jewish in Del Cerro as \u201ca spoiled, middle-upper class kid\u201d who was angry, depressed and got into lots of fights.<\/p>\n
When Zlotnik went to college at University of Arizona, he read a book about Buddhism that sparked his interest in the philosophy. However, it wasn\u2019t until he was 28 years old that he visited a Buddhist temple in San Diego, where he \u201clooked at a Buddhist statue and [his] whole life changed.\u201d He said he went from a \u201cyoung, big shot consultant making a lot of money and buying a lot of stuff\u201d to a traditional Buddhist lifestyle, involving himself with various local temples and eventually moving to a Taiwan monastery for a year.<\/p>\n
When he moved back home, Zlotnik saw a revolving door with westerners who wanted to learn about Buddhism, but did not feeling comfortable exploring its philosophies. Many San Diego temples operate as cultural centers, with barriers for westerners who may lack knowledge of tradition and language. After floating around different temples for about 10 months, he wound up founding Dharma Bum Temple.<\/p>\n
\u201c[I\u2019m just] a Jewish kid running a Buddhist temple in a Christian Church,\u201d Zlotnik said, laughing. Though the mixture may seem odd, this juxtaposition is a direct reflection of the temple\u2019s mission. Ultimately, the temple\u2019s focus is to integrate Buddhism with Westerners in an approachable way.<\/p>\n Those white \u201cchurch\u201d doors are always open, welcoming anyone in to the building to use the meditation rooms or library. The temple\u2019s schedule offers a wide range of classes for all ages and walks of life. Drawing about 70 people each time, its most popular class is \u201cIntroduction to Buddhism and Meditation,\u201d held every Saturday morning and Tuesday evening, serving as a first step for those interested in the practice.<\/p>\n \u201cI always say we\u2019re a Buddhist temple filled with everybody who is not Buddhist,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe\u2019re just unenlightened folks trying to get through our day \u2013 I think that\u2019s what makes this place work so well, because people can come in and see a person who really looks no different than they are going through the same crap and figuring it out together.\u201d<\/p>\n Buddha For You<\/strong><\/p>\n An interesting element of the Dharma Bum Temple is Buddha For You, the temple\u2019s gift shop located in the same building. Though it has only been in the Uptown neighborhood for a year, its roots began back in 1998.<\/p>\n Its original owner, Alfred Baron, was in his 70s when he opened up the \u201cstrange little Buddhist shop sitting at the end of El Cajon Boulevard,\u201d Zlotnik said. Baron was also a westerner whose wife was from Thailand; she ran an Asian restaurant called Best Thai Food in the same plaza as the store.<\/p>\n When Baron decided to retire and move back to Thailand with his wife in 2009, he (gently) harassed Zlotnik and Lee to take it over. At the time, the pair was in their third year running the Dharma Bum Temple at its Downtown location \u2014 and had no interest or experience in running a retail store, let alone the manpower or resources. Yet after a few weeks of going back and forth, Zlotnik and Lee decided to take the leap.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were the only ones crazy enough to say yes [to the offer],\u201d Zlotnik said. \u201cBecause to us it wasn\u2019t a business \u2014 it was a way of life. Nobody in their right mind would take over a Buddha business.\u201d<\/p>\n Zlotnik said he and Lee initially struggled with the idea of having the shop, since consumerism often goes against Buddhist teachings. But he said they now see it as a way to share the teachings and bring people into the temple.<\/p>\n But taking over the shop \u2014 while also running the temple \u2014 wasn\u2019t a simple path. Zlotnik said that in the beginning, selling $30 worth of inventory \u201cwas a good day.\u201d Hidden in the Campus Plaza Shopping Center, the location didn\u2019t bring in as much business as they hoped for.<\/p>\n To keep it alive, they decided to move into the old Starbucks in the College Area. Turning commercial into traditional, they used the coffee shop\u2019s iconic dark brown shelving to display Buddhas and turned the Starbucks bathroom into a meditation hall. This meditation hall began drawing many college students, and soon the following was large enough to host weekly classes \u2014 eventually starting up the nation\u2019s first-ever Buddhist fraternity, Delta Beta Tau.<\/p>\n Despite the success, the distance between the temple and the gift shop was still difficult for Zlotnik and Lee, who often put in 60-hour weeks. When the temple moved into the University Heights location, they finally had the opportunity to house the gift shop next door. Lee, who was the legal owner of the gift shop, donated all of the inventory to the temple, establishing it as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with all proceeds going back into the temple. Approximately seven volunteers run the shop, including Zlotnik and Lee.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t use the temple or meditation to drive people to the store \u2014 we use the store to drive people to that [passively],\u201d Zlotnik said, adding that the space also serves as a gateway for some people to find the temple.<\/p>\n \u201cThis culture likes stuff \u2014 and if that\u2019s what it takes for them to find a sense of peace in their life \u2026 they use the objects as moments to slow down and breathe, and that\u2019s beautiful,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n Originally from Taiwan, Lee uses her cultural knowledge to fill the shop with intentional and meaningful goods directly from Asia. The inventory includes various Buddha statues, singing bowls, jewelry, books and more. Lee also provides oversight with her knowledge of traditional Buddhism, helping to guide and influence the temple\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n Buddha For You\u2019s 20th anniversary celebration will be held on Dec. 15 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. There will be a meditation and discussion inside the temple, followed by a small pilgrimage around the street to walk everyone down to the store to participate in a chant and enjoy food donated from the owner of Hillcrest restaurant Lotus Thai. It will be casual, open-house style event featuring art projects for kids, an all-ages movie viewing, and a presentation with an oral history of the building.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout Buddha For You, this whole community that we built would not be here \u2013 it truly would not,\u201d Zlotnik said.<\/p>\n To learn more about Dharma Bum Temple or Buddha For You, visit thedharmabums.org<\/a> \u2014 or just swing by University Heights to experience it for yourself.<\/p>\n![\"Buddha](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/meditation-room.jpg\")
![\"Buddha](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/gift-shop.jpg\")