ABSTRACT
Buddhism in British Columbia is a complicated and intriguing subject. This is due to its gathering presence in the province over at least one hundred years, and to the wide range of Buddhist sects and organizations that continue to profoundly contribute to the province’s multicultural society. Research for this chapter involved extensive travel and interviews with many Buddhist leaders and devotees. It also included a questionnaire, and a roundtable discussion among local Buddhist leaders in July 2004, aimed at determining the strength of the faith in the province, issues of infrastructure, and both national and international connections with other Buddhists.1 Jim Placzek undertook the study and write-up of the Theravada and Vipassana groups and Larry DeVries researched and reported on the Mahayana and Vajrayana groups. The chapter has been adjusted by the editor of this volume, and he acknowledges that it differs from the original submissions. It contains as well an appendix by Victor Chan on the impact of the visit of the Dalai Lama to Canada, specifically to the city of Vancouver, in the spring of 2004. The chapter opens with a brief geographical perspective of British Columbia in order to set the scene. Next, it gives a short historical sketch of the faith in British Columbia. We then proceed to a detailed review of the Theravada and Mahayana presence, particularly its ‘ethnic’ and ‘convert’ dimensions. It concludes by indicating that the ongoing robust proliferation of the faith continues unabated, largely because the province has become a much soughtafter location for Asian immigration.
