Friday October 15, 2010, 4:00pm – 5:30pm
“The Early Development of Shin Buddhism in Canada.”
Michihiro Ama (University of Alaska Anchorage). During the beginning of the twentieth century, Shin Buddhism, Jôdo Shinshû Nishi Honganji denomination, became the major form of ethnic Buddhism in North America. Buddhist Mission of North America (BMNA), whose operation began in San Francisco in 1898, extended its services to the Japanese immigrants in Vancouver in 1905. Since then, they built a Buddhist temple in Maple Ridge, Fairview, Steveston, New Westminster, Royston, and Raymond. According to a 1940 survey of BMNA, Vancouver Buddhist Church had three branches—Kitsilano, Kelowna, and Skeena, while Maple Ridge Buddhist Church had two—Whonnock and Mission. In addition to the BMNA’s survey, the early history of Honpa Buddhist Mission of Canada is recounted by Terry Watada, Kawamura Yûtetsu, Ikuta Shinjô, Tsumemitsu Kionen, and others. Instead of presenting another chronological development of Canadian Shin Buddhism, this paper focuses on its internal conflict and demonstrates the complexity of early Shin Buddhist immigrants in Vancouver. There were many cases of contention among them. The Shin clergy and the laity as a whole clashed one after another, which created a schism within the local establishment and generated competition between its neighboring umbrella associations. One such instance led to the advance of Higashi Honganji in Vancouver, of which history is hardly known. This paper shows that the cause of hostilities need to be analyzed together with the analysis of communal protocol in Japan, as these conflicts did not result from doctrinal differences.
“Administrative Processes of a Modern Buddhist Organization: Changing Roles of the Sangha in True Buddha School.”
Jackie Ho (University of Calgary). With the rise in interest of studies of Buddhism in Canada, many scholars have focused on the history, teachings, and practices of Buddhist groups. However, scant attention has been paid to the administrative processes of how a temple operates from day to day. Research of a Buddhist temple in Calgary, known as the True Buddha Pai Yuin Temple, which is part of a larger Buddhist organization called the True Buddha School, based in Redmond, WA, reveals that the temple operates on a democratic structure in which a representative lay group is given the highest authority to make administrative decisions.1 Such decisions include the requirement of electing the temple’s “Head Master” or abbot, and deciding which monks and nuns are permitted to reside at the temple, as well as delegating services to them.2 The weight of authoritative power in the hands of laypeople, to the extent that they even govern the clergy is a modern feature of Buddhism. In addition, a study of the temple’s regulations has also revealed a highly modern, sophisticated, and elaborate organization. For example, the temple’s board of directors is further divided into seven departments including public relations, marketing, and charity, to name a few, which collaborate together with the organization’s head administrative department in Redmond, WA. (“Temple Regulations/By-Laws.” Calgary: True Buddha Pai Yuin Temple, 2009.) The proposed paper intends to: 1) provide a descriptive account of how the True Buddha Pai Yuin temple operates, 2) discuss its modern features, and 3) elaborate on the changing roles and relationships between laypeople and clergy in a contemporary Buddhist organization.
“Canadian Buddhist Women: Sharing and Creating Traditions.”
Mavis L. Fenn (Waterloo University). Canadian women are making important contributions towards the integration of Buddhism into the nation’s religious mosaic. Through community activities and participation in public forums they are creating an awareness of Buddhism within the broader Canadian context. This paper examines a variety of Buddhism(s) in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. It describes the presence and contributions of Asian Buddhist women in bridging the gap between Asian and non-Asian Buddhist communities and the general populace. It examines the relationships between those of Buddhist Asian background and those who have adopted Buddhism outside of any Asian cultural context. Finally, it raises questions regarding Buddhism within Canadian multiculturalism. Are Buddhists in Canada destined to become ‘two nations’? Or, is there is possibility of creating a distinctly ‘Canadian’ Buddhism? What is the role of gender, ethnicity and social status in the public presentation of Buddhism? And, what role do Canada’s two official languages play in the public understanding of Buddhism?
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