Avalokitesvara Buddhist Temple Society

The Avalokitesvara Buddhist Temple Society Inc. was incorporated in July 1997 in Saskatoon. It came about as a result of a long-time desire within Saskatoon's Asian community to have a Buddhist monk living and teaching in the city. In May 1997, several hundred people attended a celebration of the Buddha's birth, which was organized by the society and held in the Union Centre. A commercial building owned by a member had been rented to the society under a legal lease with an annual rent of $1 for a ten-year period. In October 1998 the Avalokitesvara Buddhist Temple relocated to a larger facility in order to accommodate the rising number of members. The society provides spiritual guidance and services according to Buddhism. The mission and objectives of the society are to: promote Buddhism; enrich the quality of life of all members through the practice of Buddhist principles; provide a facility for members to study, meditate and think in tranquillity; arrange for Buddhist monks and practitioners to lecture at spiritual retreats for members and interested individuals; help support local and visiting Buddhist monks and nuns when appropriate; establish a library of Chinese and English Buddhist resources, as well as cultural and other educational materials specializing in Buddhist philosophy; maintain contact with other Buddhist groups for mutual association; provide Buddhist charitable programs; help and support other charities with similar concerns; provide cultural programs such as English and Chinese language training, and the study of Confucianism and Taoism; provide instructional programs such as vegetarian cooking and horticultural classes; and collect donations from members and the public.

Theresa Mui