, native_name_lang = , image = Ibstemplegarden.jpg , image_upright = 1.3 , alt = , caption = A corner of the Chinese garden at the International Buddhist Temple , religious_affiliation =

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, tradition = , sect =

Mahayana Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...

and

Theravada ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...

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Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, locale = , municipality = , cercle = , state = , country = Canada , map_type = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_relief = , map_caption = , grid_name = , grid_position = , sector = , territory = , administration = , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , heritage_designation = , architect = , architecture_type = , architecture_style = , founded_by = , creator = , funded_by = , general_contractor = , established = , groundbreaking = , year_completed = , construction_cost = , date_demolished = , facade_direction = , capacity = , length = , width = , width_nave = , interior_area = , height_max = , dome_quantity = , dome_height_outer = , dome_height_inner = , dome_dia_outer = , dome_dia_inner = , minaret_quantity = , minaret_height = , spire_quantity = , spire_height = , site_area = , temple_quantity = , monument_quantity = , shrine_quantity = , inscriptions = , materials = , elevation_m = , elevation_footnotes = , nrhp = , designated = , added = , refnum = , delisted1_date = , website = , module = , footnotes = The International Buddhist Temple ( zh, s=觀音寺, p=Guān Yīn Sì;

Guan Yin Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as male in Indian ...

Temple) is located in

, Canada. It is a Chinese Buddhist temple run by the International Buddhist Society. While the Society officially practices

Buddhism, the temple is open to

Buddhist affiliates and visitors, as well as visitors of all religious and unique cultural backgrounds.

History

In 1979, two Buddhists from

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

donated land and funds to the cause of building an authentic Chinese Buddhist temple in North America. The International Buddhist Society was established in 1981 for this cause by the Venerable Guan Cheng and five other individuals. The International Buddhist Temple officially opened to the public after two years, when its Main Hall was completed. Thousands of people, including Richmond's mayor and Member of Parliament, attended the inauguration ceremony in 1986.

International Buddhist Society

The International Buddhist Society is a non-profit organization and a registered Canadian charity. It sponsors charitable programs both in Canada and abroad. Some of the Society's efforts include: *Donations to the Food Bank *Rescuing and releasing sealife and other creatures *Support for the poor and disadvantaged in rural China *Aid for students and the elderly The Society also hosts free events for the community, such as Senior's Day celebrations with free vegetarian lunches for seniors at the temple.

The Venerable Guan Cheng

The Venerable Guan Cheng has been the head of the Society and the temple's Abbot since 1999. A student of Buddhism for more than 40 years, he was ordained in 1999 by the Venerable Master Xu Lang, at the

Miao Fa Monastery Miao may refer to: * Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China * Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages * Miao (Unicode ...

in the US. The abbot speaks Cantonese, English, and Mandarin, and has a B.A. and M.B.A. from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. He was one of two delegates for Canada at the First World Buddhist Forum in China. He travels widely to spread Buddhist teachings and perform charity work, and holds frequent lectures and classes. He hosts a radio show on AM1320 (''Overseas Chinese Voice'') in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, and Metroshowbiz FM99.7 in Hong Kong. He is also a columnist for Hong Kong's ''Buddhist Compassion Magazine''. The Venerable Guan Cheng has written and published: ''Happiness Originates from the Mind'' (2003), ''How to Attain Happiness by Appeasing One's Mind'' (2004), ''Prajna-Paramita Hirdya Sutra Commentary'' (2006), and ''A Bouquet of Incense from the Heart'' (2006).

Architecture

The temple is the most authentic structure of traditional Chinese palatial (imperial) style in North America. Its design is based on the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is the Chinese Empire, imperial Chinese palace, palace complex in the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasty L ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The International Buddhist Temple features golden tiles on its two-tiered roof, flared

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

, and two scholar's courtyards. Beyond the main courtyard is the classical Chinese garden with lotus ponds, twin

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...

s, rock landscapes, and a stone bridge. One attraction is the flowing Wisdom Fountain at the edge of the pond. Worshipers believe that water from the Wisdom Fountain has cleansing properties and other benefits. There is also the Siddhartha Gautama Pool, in which nine white dragons spout water towards the sky. They represent the nine heavenly dragons which bathed Prince

Siddhartha Gautama Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

as a newborn. At the centre of the temple is the Main Gracious Hall. Beneath its Northern imperial Chinese exterior of gold and red is a Western structural frame of concrete and steel. It houses five great

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

and

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

statues. The statue of Buddha

Sakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

is the largest in North America. The building contains a gift shop. Across from the Main Hall in the Worshiping Square is the Seven Buddha Pavilion. Within it are the

Four Heavenly Kings The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhism, Buddhist gods or Deva (Buddhism), ''devas'', each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings is a standard component of Chinese Buddhism, Ch ...

and the Avalokitesvara Buddha, or Guan-Yin, with a thousand hands and eyes. There are also a Thousand Buddha Hall, Ksitigarbha (Ancestral) Hall, and Meditation Hall, as well as many smaller shrines on the grounds. As of 2007, the temple is still undergoing expansions.

Art

From 1986 to 1991, the Society held a monthly Chinese art exhibition, Karma of the Brush. All artists in the

Greater Vancouver Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term ''Greater Vancouver'' describes an area that is roughly coterminous with the r ...

area were welcome to share their works with the public. Out of this arose the Seven Buddha Mural, painted by one of the artists and founders of the exhibition, Fung Kai Mun. It took two years to complete, and is currently the largest Buddhist mural in the world. The wall facing the garden displays the Amitabha Buddha mural. It is engraved with the Buddha's name as a reminder of the Mahayana goal of rebirth into the Amitabha Buddha's

Pure Land Pure Land is a Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddhahood, buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and Other power, sustaining power. Pure lands are said to be places ...

. The Venerable Guan Cheng has an interest in gardening and landscape. All of the flower arrangements around the temple, as well as the garden, are designed by the abbot with both Chinese tradition and Buddhist aesthetics in mind. There are also

bonsai Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...

, and Buddhist idioms carved in stone. The entrance of the International Buddhist Temple is inspired by Deer Park, with its gentle slopes, trees, and artificial deer. Deer Park was where the Buddha Sakyamuni gave his first sermons to his followers. There are also several other Buddhist stories and historical events tied to the place.

Programs and Services

The International Buddhist Society hosts English-language meditation classes every Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. and the temple periodically hosts retreats. Venerable Guan Cheng himself conducts lectures and Dharma Talks regularly in English,

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

, and

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

. He discusses everything from practical applications of Buddhist wisdom to ancient scriptures in Sanskrit. Visitors may honour the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas by making contributions to the temple. Avalokitesvara, for example, is the embodiment of Compassion, and helps individuals overcome troubles and acquire health and happiness. General Guan represents loyalty and righteousness. Contributions to him will bring protection from harm, illness, and evil. The temple offers guided tours for groups of 15 or more. The

Sangha Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...

holds daily prayer sessions and special ceremonies in the Main Gracious Hall.

Awards

The temple is recognized as the city of Richmond's "Point of Pride". It has also won the 125th Centennial Award from the Lieutenant Governor of Canada, for services to the community. For over a decade, the temple has been the first-place winner for Richmond's Landscape and Garden Contest, in the "church/temple" category.

References

External links

* {{Vancouver landmarks Buddhism in British Columbia Buddhist temples in British Columbia Buddhist temples in Canada Buildings and structures completed in 1981 Buildings and structures in Richmond, British Columbia Chinese-Canadian culture in British Columbia Religious buildings and structures in British Columbia 20th-century religious buildings and structures in Canada 20th-century Buddhist temples