Eastern Religions
by Deana Luchia
The vast Pacific Ocean has proved to be a small obstacle for Asian migrants attracted to the promise of a new life in Vancouver. With this ongoing migration comes a rich variety of religious faiths practised in an array of shrines, temples and mosques throughout the Lower Mainland.
The largest Eastern religious community are the Sikhs, with more than 40,000 adherents. Many Sikhs began arriving in Vancouver from India at the beginning of the century (5,800 in 1906 alone), and they first established a place for worship in a rented house at 1866 West 2nd Avenue in 1906.
Another religion introduced from India is Hinduism, which is not as well established in the Vancouver area despite its widespread presence in Asia. Hindu workers first arrived in Vancouver in 1895 on the heels of a visit by Swami Vivekananda, India’s spiritual ambassador.
Because of racist groups like the Asiatic Exclusion League, and legislation like the Canadian Immigration Act of 1910, which specifically barred immigrants from India, the number of arriving Hindus was a trickle compared to other ethnic communities. A formal association of Hindus was not founded until 1971 and today there are about 14,000 Hindus in the Lower Mainland.
Most Buddhists in the Vancouver area are followers of the Jodoshinshu school, which arrived in Canada from Japan at the turn of the century. The first Buddhist church (Bukkyo-kai) was opened in 1905, and operated out of the rented city hall until the following year, when a building was purchased at 32 Alexander Street.
Buddhism’s influence grew steadily until World War II, when people of Japanese descent were forbidden to gather in groups and eventually forced to relocate to internment camps in the B.C. Interior. Their temples were sold, and when the war ended, most returned to Japan or went to Eastern Canada. Those that remained in Vancouver reopened services at the Hastings Auditorium, moving in 1954 to a site at 220 Jackson Avenue, where the Vancouver Bukkyo-kai continues to operate today. There are more than 31,000 Buddhists in Greater Vancouver, including many Chinese.
The first Muslim settlers came in the first few decades of this century, but most arrived after 1967, when immigration laws were relaxed. In 1971 John Norris wrote, in Strangers Entertained, “The three hundred Moslems in British Columbia are not an ethnic group in the proper sense of the word, but rather are members of a variety of groups, including Croats, Serbs, Albanians, Turks, Arabs, Iranians, Pakistanis, Indians, Chinese and Fijians.
Only the Pakistanis--numbering about a hundred--have more than a few representatives. Most live in the Greater Vancouver area.” Today the 23,000 strong Muslim population is served by the Islamic Centre, established in 1964 at 655 West 8th Avenue, and by mosques in Richmond and Surrey.
SIKH Khalsa Diwan Society 8000 Ross Street, Vancouver Sikh Temple Sukhoager 347 Wood Street, New Westminster Guru Nanak Sikh Temple 7050-120th Street, Surrey India Cultural Centre of Canada 8600 No. 5 Road, Richmond Nanak Sar Gursikh Temple 18691 Westminster Highway, Richmond Akail Singh Sikh Temple 1890 Skeena Street, Vancouver
HINDU Hare Krishna 5462 Marine Drive, Burnaby Mahatakrshima Temple 467 East 11th Avenue, Vancouver Vishva Hindu Parshad 3885 Albert Street, Burnaby ShivaTemple 1795 Napier, Vancouver
BUDDHIST Buddha’s Light International Association 6680-8181 Cambie Road, Richmond Dharmadhatsu Buddhist Centre 3275 Heather Street, Vancouver International Buddhist Society 9160 Steveston Highway, Richmond Lions Gate Buddhist Priory 1745 West 16th Avenue, Vancouver PPT Buddhist Society 514 Keefer Street, Vancouver Universal BuddhistTemple 525 East 49th Avenue, Vancouver Buddhist Churches of Canada 4680 Garry Street, Richmond Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canadian Society 2495 Victoria Drive, Vancouver Vancouver Buddhist Church 220 Jackson Avenue, Vancouver World Vietnamese Buddhist Order Chan Quang Temple 1795 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver
ISLAM B.C. Muslim Association 12300 Blundell Road, Richmond Surrey Mosque 12407-72nd Avenue, Surrey Pakistan Canada Association 655 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver
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