june, 2019
08junAll DayBC Buddhist Festival
Event Details
Two incredible rare Buddha relics come to Vancouver for the BC Buddhist Festival from Sri Lanka June 8th marks the 5th year the BC Buddhist Festival will hold its celebration from
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Event Details
- Gather different traditional dharma masters’ from 16 countries
- Thousand People Offering to Sangha.
- Dharma Conference which unite different traditional Buddhist groups together to community and share their diverse aspects of wisdom, and carry forward the teaching of Buddhist compassion to keep and promote world peace.
Organizers: 65 different Buddhist temples across BC co-host this festival
Location: Queen Elizabeth Park, 4600 Cambie Street – parking lot on top of the park
Arts & Culture: 20 artists from various nationalities will have a Buddhist art exhibition
Class: Free meditation class, Tai-Chi class, Buddhist dharma lectures from high ranking monks
Donations: All proceeds from the BC Buddhist Festival go directly back to the local community:
- 45% to the Children’s Hospital & Vancouver General Hospital’s Palliative Care Unit & BC Firefighter’s Fund
- 45% to the participating Buddhist communities
- 10% to next year’s festival
Olivia Cen, one of the main festival organizers adds: “As a mother of a high schooler and university student, I see the world becoming more violent and dangerous, and people living with more fear than ever. Buddhism has completely changed my life, my health but especially my emotional and spiritual well-being. I’m a much more tolerant and sympathetic person than who I was before, and my perpetual migraine headache disappeared altogether. Knowing the right way to live is absolutely essential in today’s complex modern world. So we want to invite the public to come experience this simple joy with us in an environmentally responsible way. The festival is run by close to 1,000 volunteers, and doesn’t cost anything to visitors; it’s our heartfelt gift to you.”
The BC Buddhist Festival brings together 65 monasteries from 17 nationalities to celebrate Vesak, the sacred day that marks the Buddha’s birthday, enlightenment, and passing.
The festival promotes Buddhism through dharma teachings, song, dance, arts, and vegetarian food. This year’s festival will include a conference titled “Religion and World Peace,” an intercultural dialogue between various Buddhist organizations that prescribes peace, good will, and a greater sense of well-being to the broader community. The festival is a free and family oriented event that highlights the diverse cultures that shape Buddhism in British Columbia.
The BC Buddhist Festival began in 2015, hosted by the BC Buddhist Festival Committee. Tsengdok Rinpoche from Tsengdok Monastery is the chair of the first and second BC Buddhist Festival. The first BC Buddhist Festival was a huge success, attracting 20,000 attendees in 2018.
Time
All Day (Saturday)
Location
Queen Elizabeth Park
