< Issue No. 1 (2005)Article
Buddhism in Ottawa
Sumegi, Angela, Carleton University
Abstract
According to the 2001 census, close to 10,000 people in the Ottawa-Hull region of Canada identify themselves as Buddhist. At a glance, one can identify communities that represent all the major traditions of Buddhism – Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Yet, links between them, as well as between the individual groups belonging to each major tradition, are minimal. The purpose of this study is twofold: to provide a profile of the various Buddhist groups in the Ottawa-Hull region; and to explore the benefits, challenges, and the general feasibility of establishing an umbrella organization that could draw on the talents and serve the interests of those who consider themselves members of the Ottawa’s Buddhist community. The scope of this study includes not only those dharma centres and temples that are formally organized, but also the smaller, more informal meditation groups that affiliate themselves with Buddhism, even though they may maintain a more eclectic practice. In other words, the Buddhist ‘community’ of Ottawa may well include many more than those who formally identify themselves as Buddhist.