With at least half-a-dozen Buddhist temples and meditation centres in Waterloo Region, each working in different languages and teaching different schools of Buddhism, different groups are working together for the first time.
The newly-formed Buddhist group -- dubbed the Inter-Buddhist Fellowship of Waterloo Region -- has two main goals, said Ven. Deba Mitra Bhikkhu, one of the monks at Phommaviharam Buddhist Temple, and chief motivator of the fellowship.
The goals are to raise public awareness of local Buddhist communities and to get the different local Buddhist groups to get to know each other and create a spiritual friendship, he said.
In their case, it's the instructions of the Buddha, a great teacher who lived in India nearly 2,500 years ago. All of the fellowship's members mark the Buddha's birthday in May.
Members of some local Buddhist congregations speak Chinese. Others speak Vietnamese, Tibetan, Laotian or other languages. They also follow different schools of Buddhism that have developed rituals that differ from one denomination to the other.
The new fellowship isn't ignoring cultural identity, Bhikkhu said, but is trying to focus on common Buddhist beliefs and move beyond what he calls "particularism."
The four monks, including Bhikkhu, look a lot alike. Their heads are shaven or sport short stubble. They wear robes of brown, ochre, orange and maroon.
At times during the meeting, several conversations are taking place at once. Buddhist Prajna Temple members converse together in Mandarin (Chinese) while the Vien Quang Vietnamese Buddhist Association temple members talk things over in their mother tongue.
But language isn't the only obstacle to the negotiations. Different schools of Buddhism have slightly different rituals to mark the same occasion.
Fellowship members want to begin next month's Buddha Day Celebration with a ritual they do together. So people around the table describe how their own ritual works, then eventually agree on a way to blend different traditions and create a unique ritual.
Lama Karma Phuntsok, of the Palpung Yeshe Chokhor Meditation Centre, suggests that those who will be chanting should rehearse to get their tone and pronunciation just right.
In addition to the joint rituals, each temple will present its own 20- to 25-minute program. Some will include more chanting. Others will highlight singing children. One temple hopes to present a monk from the famous Shaolin Monastery in China, to perform a kung fu demonstration.
For example, rather than providing different treats from various ethnic cultures of different congregations, the group decides to offer only one type of cookie for all. That way nobody can become proud and look down on cookies from a different culture.
Images of the Buddha from India look different than those from Thailand. So when it came to choosing an image of the Buddha for the poster advertising the event, some worried about choosing an image that looks too much like it came from one culture.
Some were also worried about putting any representation of the Buddha on the poster. If the poster falls on the ground and someone steps on it, he or she might accumulate bad karma, Bhikkhu said.
In the end, the group opted to use a picture of the Buddha from South Asia, but decided on a silhouette, in order to downplay the cultural specificity of the Buddha's image.
Using real flowers and fire -- these are staples in Buddhist rituals -- is not allowed. So the fellowship will use plastic flowers and conduct the rituals without burning incense.
"We accept other people's opinion and (it's) important to respect others' opinions," Ven. Xu Zhao of the Buddhist Prajna Temple in Kitchener said through translator Sarah Chen.
In addition to serving as a monk at the temple, Bhikkhu is studying toward a PhD in religious studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo.
The ethic of individualism, which is widespread in North America, encourages people to take whatever they need and use it for themselves, he said.
Bhikkhu said the evolution of Buddhism, at least in North America, could mean the lines between schools of Buddhism will blur as people pick-and-choose practices from different traditions.
1 - 4 p.m. in the rotunda at Kitchener City Hall. A program marking the anniversary of the Buddha's birth about 2,500 years ago. Admission is free. For event details, call 519-579-3046.
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