This is the first Kagyu Monastery in the Pacific Northwest and had its grand opening 25 July 2010…read more As you can see by the posted pictures, the interior is a beautiful shade of red but is very small in terms of the number of people whom can meditate there. There are meditation classes on Sundays at 1:30pm. This monastery is located just past the intersection of Blundell Road and No. 5 Road.

Great Tibetan Monastery that under the lineage of 17 Karmapa. They offer chanting services on the…read moreweekly basis opening for the public both in English and Chinese. The lamas sometimes give dharma talks that are helpful. Once in a while, there are big ceremonies or great masters come and give lectures.

The Evergreen Taoist Church of Canada is not your everyday temple, or at least not in Thailand or…read moreMalaysia. The Evergreen Taoist Church of Canada is located on the third floor of 223 Keefer Street. All are welcome. You do not have to be Taoist to go and you are not required to give money, but some change is highly appreciated. The people in the Evergreen Taoist Church of Canada do not speak a lot of English, but some other people may. Feel free to ask questions. Just inside the door, is a cabinet that has fortune telling sticks. Feel free to open the top part of the cabinet and get a cup of the sticks. Knee and pray to God, Buddha, other deity and shake the cup until one stick falls out. Take the number on the stick and open the top drawer of the cabinet. Get the paper with the number of the stick and read your fortune. This is a good time to donate some change... The papers cost money.... You can take pictures inside the temple, but respect others. And as always, Have Fun!!!

If you are Taoist or are curious about Taoism, this temple is an excellent place to check out. We…read morewent here as part of a Chinatown tour and I am glad we did. The place can be a bit smoky from the incense burning but there's a person attending to the place and she was available to answer any questions in English. You could also try your luck at fortune telling. Just grab a canister filled with sticks and shake until 1 stick falls out. Look for the number on the stick and look it up in the nearby cabinet. Your fortune awaits on the piece of paper with your lucky number on it. No money is necessary but donations are always welcomed. =)

This review pertains more to the annual TJ Festival but also some comments about the temple itself…read more I've been to the Temple multiple times in the past. They're a Taoist temple tucked away in a Burnaby neighborhood. The community consists of largely Taiwanese people. What i always liked about the temple is that they're not overly pushy for people who aren't believers of Taoism. Whenever I go, I'd take a packet (free) of the blessed rice (raw) home. It was my first time at the Festival and i was pleasantly surprised. As mentioned above, the temple population is mostly Taiwanese people. However, a lot of the stands and vendors consisted of local organizations. This tells me that the Temple has done a great job of establishing their community presence. There were quite a lot of vendors, and tailored to different age groups, community and interests. There was definitely something for everyone. There was also a live band stage. I would definitely come back again next year.

Low-key Taoist temple tucked away in Burnaby. Most of the community is Mandarin-speaking, but the…read morevolunteers and staff also speak English and are super kind and welcoming. Calming vibes soon as you walk in with no pressure to pray (they offer incense sticks), donate, or do anything specific, you can just do/participate as much or as little as you want here. They also offer: -Classes -Informational brochures (e.g., community programs, senior assistance) -Annual "TJ Fest" that shuts down the block with food, performances, music, and family-friendly activities. -Free community fridge. -Religious services Free parking lot attached to the temple, and lots of free street parking.

* Temple at the heart of the community *…read more This area of Vancouver has seen a lot of change over the years, and a lot of displacement. One of the major groups that used to inhabit the area were the Japanese before World War II. They were interned and had their property and businesses taken away during the War, yet the area is still called Japantown by many. There are many remnants of the Japanese community if you look around carefully. Everything from the Japanese names in mosaic tile in front of many of the modern day non-Japanese businesses to the historical connection between the Japanese community and the neighbourhood. The Powell Street Festival highlights the community each year, and one of the things I appreciate about it is how the Japanese community is so good at integrating all members of the current community in the area. Everyone is welcome, and many aspects of the festival are designed to share both the Japanese culture and other cultures. It has a true community building feel to it. The Vancouver Buddhist Temple is at the heart of the festival and opens its doors. There was a nice ikebono display, some historical photo displays, a shiatsu clinic, and a table from the Japanese consulate explaining their various offerings. Just outside the Temple's doors the festival fills up the nearby streets and Oppenheimer park. You can find everything from a spam musubi booth to freshly made yakisoba to okonomiyaki to takoyaki to karaage, etc. Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/vancouver-buddhist-church-vancouver?select=RVMiB7J595daOBluQvHb6A#RVMiB7J595daOBluQvHb6A The organizers setup everything from multiple music stages, story telling, walking tours of the neighbourhood and its history to cross-cultural tours focusing on the various groups of the area besides the Japanese (history of the Chinese, Indian, and First Nation activities in the area's history). There were also activities for all ages including even a suikawari game. (A Japanese game similar to hitting a pinata while blindfolded, but instead you hit a watermelon.) Many festivals around Vancouver are filled with the same typical corporate sponsors (I'm looking at you big banks and radio stations). None of those were in sight here. It was a very community feel overall, and made for a very nice day. All coordinated via the Vancouver Buddhist Temple headquarters! This Temple is truly at the heart of the multi-ethnic community that this area is.

What a wonderful place. Friendly people and a beautiful antique altar from Japan. Offering Dharma…read moresessions and a place to unwind.

OK, I'll admit it. I am NOT religious and I am chuckling as I am writing this…read more I had to come here a while ago to appease family. This temple is semi divided into three areas. The top floor is separated into two areas, one for reading of passages and one for praying to the gods and burning of incense. Get this, I mean really get this!!! On the passage reading side, all of this is being done in Cantonese, BTW, they recite stories from whatever or wherever. I dunno and I don't really care. The passage of the day is a story of travels of some monk, and as I am drifting off into some drowsy altered state of semi consciousness, I discover the story is VIOLENT!!!!!! The guy kept reciting things about THROAT SLITTING!!!!! And BLOOD AND BLEEDING. WHOAAAAAA???????!!!!!!!!!! Since when did peaceful monks become violent and talk about slitting throats? I am numb now. So after the story, you go to the other side, and pay your respects to the gods or what have you, stick some incense into the pot, bow your head, yada, yada, yada..... Then you get to the good part, you EAT! FOR FREE!!!!! Yes, you saw that. You go downstairs and eat monk food WOO HOO!!!!!!!! But wait, I know what you're thinking. Bait and switch coming at you,.....it's bland vegetarian food. Luke warm white rice, vegetables, clear soup, and tea. MEH! You sit at a communal bench and eat with a bunch of other worshippers. There are several of these benches, and the place is crowded. I have my doubts that it is for the food. After you're done, they clean up after you and the next round of worshippers come in and eat. So what am I rating? I dunno. The experience was OK. I've eaten vegetarian food before at a temple in San Francisco, and I remember it being better. I guess there is also violence in the Bible that western civilizations follow, so who am I to judge? 3 stars. I'm not coming again. Appease or no appease.

A Great Chan(Zen) Buddhist Temple for meditation(founded by Master Sheng Yen) They have meditation…read moreretreats(1 day, 3 days and 7 days), Dharma talks, books clubs, Buddhist ceremonies, Buddhist Studies, and more! There are also fun activities such as gardening, cooking, choir, drum team and more. For Buddhist birthdays or Chinese new years, there is also open-house with many fun activities! One more thing, there are free great tasting vegetarian lunches(something like all you can eat).

This is my main temple. The people are very friendly and it strikes a perfect balance between…read moreausterity and accessibility. The monastics and the lay people all give off a wholesome vibe and act accordingly. The food is excellent vegetarian fare. They offer everything from beginner's meditation classes to seven day residential retreats and everything else in between. Once in a while they have some great guest lecturers as well, academics, overseas monastics, and even management professionals. Most everything is in Mandarin with English translation via the earphone thing, but most of the people middle aged and younger have fine English, even quite a few of the older people. I've found volunteering to be very fun there as well, as that's when you really get to bond with your fellow practitioners and apply the teachings in an easy setting.

The right Zen temple for people who live in urban area. They have ZEN YU: Young Urban Zen which…read morehappens every Monday evening. Every Wednesday is also sitting that are lead by Teacher Kate and Michael and inspiring Dharma Talks. They are both really great teachers! Once a while, they and sometimes their teacher Norman Fisher also lead retreats( like 3 days, 7 days). They also have practice period in Sep and Oct which help everyone gets prepared for the longer retreats.

Amazing gurdwara. Very inviting and spiritual. Ample parking and all is welcome attitude. Free veg…read morefood for on entry level

Great people good food very clean Gurudwara/ Temple. Best…read moreplace for Yoga on Tuesday & Thursday at 7pm