Calgary Buddhist Temple Blog

Make a Japanese Wind Chime

Thursday, June 05, 2025
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Everyone is invited to take part in this fun activity that is popular in Japan – make a wind chime!  Join the Sangha and use special POSCA pens to create or design your own personalized glass wind chime on

Sunday, June 22 between 11:30am-1:30pm Make a Japanese Wind Chime – Session 1  and/or

Sunday, June 29 between 11:30am-1:30pm Make a Japanese Wind Chime – Session 2

A Japanese wind chime, known as a furin (風鈴, literally “wind bell”) in Japanese, is a small bell usually found hanging from the balconies and porches of Japanese houses in summer. Originally used in Buddhist temples, where many of these bells can still be found today. Over 1200 years ago, nobility began to hang them on their own porches as a protective charm to ward away evil spirits. Over time, the bells became smaller and more common in Japanese houses.

In the days before air-conditioning, Japanese people used to listen to the sound of furin to promote a feeling of coolness to help get through Japan’s sweltering and humid summers.

The components for the wind chime, including the glass bell, are yours for a fee of only $12 each thanks to support from the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society. 

Registration is required and this activity is open to all.

https://bit.ly/WindChime-22Jun25

https://bit.ly/WindChime-29Jun25

Spring Fundraising Events!

Monday, May 05, 2025
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1. Reverse Garage Sale

Spring cleaning? Support your Temple while decluttering your home.
How: Hold a garage sale, sell your unwanted items on Facebook Marketplace, or do a bottle drive on your own time. Then donate the proceeds to the Temple.
When: On your own time during the month of June
Contact: For more information or to submit the proceeds contact Mickey at mhkuta@outlook.com

2. Requesting donations for Everything Japanese Sale

We are accepting donations of new or used Japanese collectibles & Japanese items.
When: Ongoing
Contact: To drop off your donation or arrange a pickup contact Mickey at mhkuta@outlook.com

Thank you for your ongoing support!
Fundraising Committee
Calgary Buddhist Temple

Temple Spring Fundraisers

The War Between Us

Friday, May 02, 2025
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Movie starts at 2:00pm on Sunday, May 25 at the Temple (658 1 Ave NE, Calgary, AB).

The Calgary Buddhist Temple is honored to present a special screening of The War Between Us, a thought-provoking film that follows the journey of a Japanese-Canadian family who are forcibly displaced and interned as enemy aliens in British Columbia during World War II.  

Anne Wheeler is the film’s acclaimed director, and we are fortunate that she will be with us in-person after the film for an engaging Q&A session.

This is a FREE event open to the public and donations will be gratefully accepted. You must reserve your spot in advance as seating is limited so don’t forget to signup at:  http://bit.ly/WarBetweenUs

We look forward to being able to share this film with everyone!

Sunday Services In-Person and Online

Friday, May 02, 2025
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It is our pleasure to offer Sunday Services in-person and via live-streaming – both start at 10:00am (MST). We look forward to you joining us, and everyone is welcome! 

Online live-streaming is from our Facebook group Calgary Buddhist Temple, and the relevant sections from our service book can be found here approximately one day prior:

NOTE: Temple closed from Aug 4 to Sep 6

Summer Ikebana Class

Friday, April 25, 2025
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May 24, June 7 and 21, July 5 and 26 || 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm at the Calgary Buddhist Temple.

The 5 classes are a series and the total cost including flower material and instruction, is $250 for Temple members and $300 for non-members. No refunds for missed classes.

Students must supply their own containers (please ask Rika for a suitable size and shape), scissors and kenzan (frog). Contact Rika if you need help selecting your items but these are not supplied as part of the lesson.

Rika Saruwatari trained under Ms. Takako Yokoyama, and became acertified Shihan (teacher) in 2012.

光風未生流 (Kofu misho school ikebana) classes

  • May 24
  • June 7 and 21
  • July 5 and 26

Rika’s contact info koufuikebana@gmail.com or call 403-701-0390

Gyoza Making / Fundraiser

Monday, April 14, 2025
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Our first fundraising event of 2025 will be on Saturday, May 3rd from 8:30am-12:30pm at the Temple.

Please join us for a morning of laughter, stories and dumpling folding at our annual gyoza making event. Together, we finely chop and create delicious gyoza to sell and raise funds for the Temple. We are looking for people who are able to do the chopping and the folding, so manual dexterity helps.

We guarantee community, busy hands and Timbits, as well as our gratitude.

Please SIGNUP today to help with this temple fundraiser!