raja@pixel.cps.msu.edu (07/11/90)
CONFERENCE ON BUDDHISM IN CANADA
--------------------------------
--Toward Partnership in the Making of Buddhism
in the West
Duration: July 8 through 14, 1990
Location: Zen Buddhist Temple
86 Vaughan Road
Toronto, Canada.
Registration:
1. All conference sessions are free, and
one can attend without registering.
2. Lunch and snacks will be available.
Donation for lunch & snacks: US $10.00
per day.
3. Dormitory-style accomodation is available
(please bring sleeping bag).
Rate for accomodation (INCLUDING
meals): US $20.00 daily.
PRE-REGISTRATION NECESSARY.
================================================================
Daily Schedule:
5:00 am Meditation (optional)
6:00 am Morning Service (Yebul)
7:00 am Breakfast
8:00-12:30 pm MORNING SESSION
12:30 pm Lunch (Theravada monks: before 12)
2:00-6:30 pm AFTERNOON SESSION
6:30 pm Evening Refreshments
7:00 pm Evening Service (optional)
8:00 pm EVENING PROGRAM
10:00 pm retire
================================================================
================================================================
Detailed Schedule: [HIGHLY EDITED -- Raja]
July 8 (Sunday)--
10:00 am Opening Ceremony
Bells and Drums
Opening Remarks
Address: "Buddhism in Canada, Yesterday & Today"
Ven. Samu Sunim, Zen Buddhist Temple
12:00 noon Luncheon (by Thai community) & Reception -- "THAI DAY"
2:00 pm "An Overview of Buddhism in Canada"
Suwanda Sugunasiri
President, Buddhist Council of Canada
"The Role of Women in the making of Canadian Buddhism"
"Building a Buddhist Monastery in Eastern Canada"
Rev. Lodro Zangpo, Gampo Abbey
6:30 pm Evening Refreshments (by Thai community)
8:00 pm World Buddhism in North America (video showing)
July 9 (Monday)-- Session to be held in TORONTO BUDDHIST CHURCH
918 Bathurst Street
8:00 am "A Jodo Shinshu Minister in Japan & N. America"
Ven. Toshio Murakami
Bishop, Buddhist Churches of Canada
"A Monk in Cambodia and in Canada"
Ven. Hok Savann, Pagode Khmer du Canada
12:30 pm Luncheon (by Toronto Buddhist Church) -- "JAPANESE DAY"
2:00 pm "Overview of Buddhist Movements in the W. Coast"
3:30 pm "Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Movements in Canada"
5:00 pm "Vipassana Meditation Movements in Canada"
6:30 pm Evening Refreshments (by Toronto Buddhist Church)
8:00 pm "Life as a Western Woman Buddhist"
Annabel Cathrall (Engineer)
9:00 pm "Healing and my Tibetan Buddhist Practice"
Dr. Joe Lukezich
July 10 (Tuesday)--
8:00 am "A Monk in Vietnam and in Canada"
Ven. Thich Thien Nghi
President, Vietnamese Buddhist Assn. of Canada
10:20 am "A Monk in Tibet & India and in Canada"
Ven. Geshe Khenrab, Temple Bouddhiste Tibetain
12:30 pm Luncheon (by Chua Hoa Nghiem Temple) -- "VIETNAMESE DAY"
2:00 pm "Overview of Buddhist Movements in the Prairie Provinces"
Dr. Steven Kh Aung
3:00 pm "Buddhism in Toronto in the 60's and 70's"
4:40 pm "Overview of Buddhist Movements in Toronto & Ontario"
Janet McClellan, Buddhist Council of Toronto
6:30 pm Evening Refreshments (by Ambedkar Mission)
"EVENING FOR BUDDHISM IN INDIA"
8:00 pm Roundtable Discussion on Human Rights, Social Justice,
& Ecological Awareness
July 11 (Wednesday)--
8:00 am "A Monk in Korea and in Canada"
Ven. Samu Sunim, Zen Buddhist Temple
10:20 am "A Monk in China and in Canada"
Ven. Yuen Chi, Manshu-Yuen
12:30 pm Luncheon (by Manshu Yuen Chinese comm.) -- "CHINESE DAY 1"
2:00 pm "Overview of Buddhist Movements in Quebec"
Francois Mercier, Universite de Montreal
3:20 pm "Buddhist Movement of L'Association Dojo Zen de Montreal"
Rev. Raymond Dubois
Director, L'Association Dojo Zen de Montreal
4:30 pm "Buddhist Movement of Pratique du Zen Deshimaru in Quebec"
Rev. Alexandre Roy
5:30 pm "Can Zen ever have more than a marginal impact on
Canadian Society?" Albert Low, Montreal Zen Centre
6:30 pm Evening Refreshments (by Tibetan community)
"EVENING FOR TIBET"
8:00 pm Meditation or free time
July 12 (Thursday)--
8:00 am "A Monk in Sri Lanka and in Canada"
Ven. Bhante Punnaji, Abbot of Toronto Mahavihara
10:20 am "A Monk in the Chinese Tradition in Vietnam & in Canada"
Ven. Thich Ngo Duc, Tai Bay Temple
12:30 pm Luncheon (by Tai Bay Temple) -- "CHINESE DAY 2"
2:00 pm "On the Need for a Buddhist Seminary or College
for Canadian Buddhism" Prof. Richard Hayes, McGill U
3:30 pm Seminar on Teachin Buddhism at Canadian Universities
5:45 pm Evening Refreshments (by Toronto Zen Centre)
6:30 pm Tour of Buddhist Collection at Royal Ontario Museum
Dr. Doris Dorenwend, Curator, Far Eastern Dept, ROM
July 13 (Friday)--
8:00 am Roundtable Discussion: "Scholars and Clergy -- how they
can help each other to transmit Buddhism to the West"
10:20 am Symposium on Buddhist Rituals and Ceremonials - I
12:30 pm Luncheon (by Sri Lankan community) -- "SRI LANKAN DAY"
2:00 pm Symposium on Buddhist Rituals and Ceremonials - II
4:20 pm "Women and Buddhism in Canada -- When is the Traditional
Practice an Inspiration, & When is it an Encumbrance"
5:30 pm "On Social and Religious Issues facing Buddhist Women"
Rev. Sujata Linda Klevnick, Zen Buddhist Temple
8:00 pm Evening Refreshments
8:00 pm Colloqium on Women and Buddhism
JUly 14 (Saturday)--
8:00 am "Social Justice, Peace and Ecology in Modern Buddhist
Movements" Peter Timmerman, Inst. for Envir. Studies
9:00 am "Human Rights in Buddhist Asia"
10:00 am Evaluation of the Conference &
Adoption of Resolutions/Statements of Consensus
11:30 am CLOSING CEREMONY
12:00 Luncheon (by Korean community) -- "KOREAN DAY"
2:00 pm Tour of Temples in Toronto (to be confirmed)
================================================================ramanath@unix.cis.pitt.edu (J Ramanathan) (07/17/90)
In article <1121@idunno.Princeton.EDU> raja@pixel.cps.msu.edu writes: > > CONFERENCE ON BUDDHISM IN CANADA > -------------------------------- > > --Toward Partnership in the Making of Buddhism > in the West > > Duration: July 8 through 14, 1990 > Location: Zen Buddhist Temple > 86 Vaughan Road > Toronto, Canada. > ... I discovered this group just now, so I got to read the above article only after the event. Your description of the conference sounds very interesting, and if I had known about it earlier, I'm sure I'd have tried to make it to at least some days' events. Will someone who did manage to attend the conference please post a synopsis here? Alternatively, you may e-mail it to me. Also, is there a proceedings of the conference available? I'd appreciate your help in this regard. Jayaram Ramanathan ramanath@unix.cis.pitt.edu University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Business
raja@bombay.cps.msu.edu (Narayan S. Raja) (07/20/90)
In article <1262@idunno.Princeton.EDU>, (J Ramanathan) writes: |> CONFERENCE ON BUDDHISM IN CANADA |> -------------------------------- |> |> --Toward Partnership in the Making of Buddhism |> in the West |> |> Location: Zen Buddhist Temple |> Toronto, Canada. |Will someone who did manage to attend the conference please post a synopsis |here? Alternatively, you may e-mail it to me. Also, is there a proceedings |of the conference available? This was not an academic conference, so there won't be any formal "Proceedings". I would say this Conf. was really meant for Buddhists or their "fellow-travellers". If there is any summary-type document I will let you know. Having relatives in Toronto, I was there for 4 days and attended many of the sessions. Here are the impressions of an interested and sympathetic non-Buddhist: 1. I was quite surprised at the number of Buddhist groups all over Canada (apparently there are at least 35 big/small temples in Toronto alone). They are of all sorts -- Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana (Tibetan), and non-denominational. 2. Estimates of the no. of Buddhists in Canada range from 85,000 to 250,000. Generally speaking, they are concentrated in Ontario, British Columbia (Vancouver), and Montreal. 3. Most of them are "ethnic" Buddhists from Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan, S.E. Asia, etc. Most such groups seem fairly "closed" -- serving their own community and not much interested in the outside world. In fact, most of the conference attendees were non-immigrants ( "native" Canadians or Americans). 4. There was a LOT of discussion about how Buddhism can be "Canadianized" and become part of the mainstream, breaking away from its cultish image -- which, everyone agreed, was essential. Even some of the ethnic groups have made English translations and provide services in English. 5. There is little awareness of or co-operation between different Buddhist groups. 6. By far the oldest (and largest) group is the "Buddhist Churches of Canada", which is mainly populated by Canadians of Japanese origin. It is about 80 years old, has "churches" all over Canada, and claims several ten thousand members. 7. The "ethnic" groups all face the problem of how to keep their organization alive as older members die and the younger generation is not particularly interested. The Vietnamese community alone seems to have succeeded in getting their younger generation very actively involved. 8. On the other hand, the "native Canadian" groups seem to be growing both in number and size. 9. The most aggressively proselytizing group (and allegedly the fastest growing) is NSC (Nichiren Shoshu of Canada). Its fanatical and intolerant aspect was criticized. 10. At this point, I must say that in general the Buddhists do seem to be more interested in "growth" than I, being of Hindu origin, am used to. Of course they are nowhere in the the same class of pushiness or proselytizing as Christians or Muslims (no offence). Or maybe I should say, rather, that they are open to the idea of non-Buddhists becoming Buddhists -- which is not really the case among Hindus (IMO). 11. There was a lot of discussion of whether and how Buddhists should get involved in social justice, ecological, and related topics. Ended inconclusively. 12. I couldn't stay for the sessions on Women and Buddhism -- to my great regret. 13. In general, I found them un-pushy, open-minded, generally "liberal", and disinclined to bad-mouth other religions -- all of which I liked. 14. If there is another such conference nearby, I'll probably show up at least at mealtimes -- fantastic vegetarian food from all over the world!! :-) :-) Narayan Sriranga Raja.