Raymond Buddhist Church
Encyclopedia
The Raymond Buddhist Church is a building in Raymond, Alberta
, Canada
that has been a schoolhouse, a Jōdo Shinshū
Buddhist
temple, and a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Until it closed in 2006, it was the oldest continuously used Buddhist shrine in Canada.
Buddhist
faith purchased the building to use a temple, schoolhouse, and meeting place. It was the first Buddhist temple to be established in Alberta. Beginning in 1932, a co-operative store known as the "Kobai Kumiai" also operated out of the building. The store operated until the 1990s and the temple functioned until 2006, when the temple's altar and ornamentation was moved to a Buddhist temple in Lethbridge, Alberta. In 1988, the Raymond Buddhist Church was described as "one of the finest [Buddhist] shrines in North America."
Raymond, Alberta
Raymond is a town in Warner County, Alberta, Canada. It is located in southern Alberta south of Lethbridge on Highway 52. Raymond is known for its annual rodeo and its large Mormon population...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that has been a schoolhouse, a Jōdo Shinshū
Jodo Shinshu
, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
temple, and a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Until it closed in 2006, it was the oldest continuously used Buddhist shrine in Canada.
Early uses
Construction on the building was begun in 1902 and the building was completed in 1903. It was built by Latter-day Saint settlers of Raymond and was initially used as the settlement's first schoolhouse. It was also used as the meetinghouse for the LDS Church and for other community events. In 1910, the school moved to a larger facility and in 1929 the LDS Church completed a larger meetinghouse.Buddhist temple
In 1929, Japanese Canadian members of the Jōdo ShinshūJodo Shinshu
, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
faith purchased the building to use a temple, schoolhouse, and meeting place. It was the first Buddhist temple to be established in Alberta. Beginning in 1932, a co-operative store known as the "Kobai Kumiai" also operated out of the building. The store operated until the 1990s and the temple functioned until 2006, when the temple's altar and ornamentation was moved to a Buddhist temple in Lethbridge, Alberta. In 1988, the Raymond Buddhist Church was described as "one of the finest [Buddhist] shrines in North America."