Bamboo Forest Monastery
11328 97 St NW, Edmonton, AB, T5G 1X4, CANADA.
(780) 471-1093
Trúc Lâm Monastery is the heart of our institute, and is the primary location for all of our cultural, educational, communal, and Buddhist gatherings. It is the first project of Edmonton Buddhist Research Institute.
The tradition of our practice is called Vietnamese Thiền Buddhism which is a combination of Vietnamese Zen and Amitabha Pureland tradition. Our monastics and practice has close ties with Thích Nhất Hạnh's Plum Village tradition.
Built in 1997 by the Most Venerable Master Thích Thiện Tâm and Venerable Abbot Thích Pháp Hòa, the monastery offers programs and services in both English and Vietnamese.
Facilities of Trúc Lâm Monastery:
Main Hall - Formal Meditation Hall located on the Upper Level of the Monastery.
Ancestor Hall - Located rear of the Main Hall
Kitchen - Commercial Kitchen in the Lower Level of the Monastery.
Dining Hall - Used for all formal and informal meals. (In front of the Kitchen)
Event Space - Multi-purpose open space that is located in front of the Dining Hall.
Living Quarters - Monastic and guest rooms located in the Lower Level of the Monastery.
Monastic Residence - Under Construction. Located behind the Monastery.
Temple
The temple is a 12,400 sqf two level facility and is the heart of activity at Edmonton Buddhist Research Institute. Here, programs are regularly scheduled throughout the week and include: Religious Service, Classes, Dharma Discussions, and Meditation Sessions. A Meditation Hall featuring a large statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is located on the Upper Level. Additionally, located in the back of the Meditation Hall features the Ancestor Memorial Hall. The Lower Level of the monastery includes a large commercial kitchen to prepare free meals for Sunday service and fundraising. Located in front of the kitchen is the Dining Hall and a medium-sized open space designated for events, and pop-up markets. Along the walls of the event space are shared living quarters for monastics and guests.
Monastic Residence
The Monastic Residence began construction in 2022 and is still underway. Once completed, this facility will house the permanent monastics of Trúc Lâm Monastery and guest monastics. The old monastic rooms inside of Trúc Lâm Monastery will be repurposed as classrooms and guestrooms.