Sumeru News — Temples

On the canadianbuddhism.info directory of Canadian Buddhist organizations, you will be starting to see an additional field being added: ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE. For starters, I'm just going to add how many acres each rural centre's property comprises. This will be one small step forward in doing environmental audits on them. My ultimate goal is to share best practices from these organizations. Here is one example of what that might look like: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/ajahn-sona-off-the-grid/

I had posted earlier, in June, about how the IBPS Ottawa was moving at the end of 2018 from their location downtown on Scott Street to a new temple they are building in Richmond, ON (an outer suburb of Ottawa). Here's a link to that post: https://sumeru-books.com/blogs/news/international-buddhist-progress-society-ottawa A few days ago, the Ottawa Citizen ran a story on the move. Here's a link to that story: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/local-buddhist-society-planning-grand-temple-near-richmond The article also ran in the newspaper's sister publication, the Ottawa Sun (for a different demographic audience, I assume).    

I went downtown today to pick up our veggie basket (organic veggies from across the river in Québec) and was early, so I had time to visit the International Buddhist Progress Society. The Bhikshuni there told me they are moving to Richmond at the end of the year and are building a new temple there on 5 acres. Details to follow. Meanwhile, here are some pictures I took in the main hall...

I have been working on a book about Vajrayana shrine rooms for some time now. It comprises 158 photographs I took over several sessions at a large Buddhist temple in the Greater Toronto area, annotated by text I am writing to explain the objects featured in each photo. So far, the book is 122 pages, 11 x 8.5, in landscape format, full colour throughout. Once I get the text finished, it will probably run a bit longer. The book is in three parts: I - A Rosary of Precious Offerings to Enrich the Mind (the shrine room, altar and ritual objects)...

Buddhism in Canada continues to grow and evolve. There are now more than 600 Buddhist organizations in the country, from coast to coast to coast. Find out where to practice in your community:  http://www.directory.sumeru-books.com/?url=canadianbuddhism.info 2018 marks the 50th year of my Buddhist practice. When I first travelled across Canada visiting Buddhist centres in 1972, there were fewer than 10 stops along the way! To all those who have brought the gift of Dharma to our land, and to the many Canadians who have nurtured it here, six hundred and one bows. This is a reminder to centres as well, to check your...