Lingyen Mountain Temple (LYMT) Canada was established in 1999 by the compassionate vows of our founding abbot, Venerable Master Miao Lien, and with the support of benefactors far and wide. LYMT Canada is a renowned Pure Land Temple inheriting the ancient monastic etiquettes and traditions from the original LYMT of Suzhou, China and the teachings of Patriarch Yin Kuang. Our objectives include propagating the Dharma, purifying people’s minds, contributing to society and promoting the cultural and religious exchange between the East and West.

Lingyen Mountain Temple is a place for self-cultivation and the deliverance of others. Harmonious sounds of chants and prayers fill the temple day and night. Not only do masters lead the public in chanting and sutra recitation every day, but Dharma events also occur year round. Seven-day and three-day retreats, Flower Adornment Grand Service, and the Water, Land and Air Grand Service are some examples of the many opportunities that LYMT provides the public to practice and deepen their Buddhist cultivation. The Dharma services are held in accordance with ancient monastery traditions and etiquettes, providing a solemn environment for the cultivation of auspicious merits and virtues. The temple also hosts holiday services such as Ringing the Bell Ceremony, Bathing the Buddha Ceremony, Offering to the Sangha Ceremony and other anniversary festivities.

Aside from welcoming practitioners, providing various forms of Buddhist educational support is also one of the temple’s main focuses. The temple offers English Buddhist lectures, Buddhist Youth classes, Buddhist Children classes and other classes to help people of all ages to enjoy and learn about the religion. English Buddhist lectures are held on Saturday afternoons, teaching chanting meditation and pure land ideologies. Buddhist Youth Classes teach both active and passive Buddhist practices tailored to the unique needs of teenagers. Active forms of Buddhist practice include volunteering and providing public services. Passive forms of practice include reciting sutras and scriptures to enable participants to nurture their good roots, purify their minds and develop wholesome character. Buddhist Children classes are for children between the ages of six and thirteen, teaching moral ethics and filial piety in both English and Chinese.The emphasis is on the development of both knowledge and virtues – being wholesome citizens at home and in society.

LYMT promotes involvement in community services as well as palliative care and prayers for the deceased. A main objective of our temple is to facilitate the religious and academic exchange between the East and West, and to introduce Buddhism to a wider audience. Tourist group members visiting the temple exceed 1000+ per year. To cater to the Western audience, the temple has employed many different forms of Dharma propagation, including English publications, translations, and social media. The construction of the third-phase expansion project is well underway and will, when completed, further contribute to the multicultural fabric of Canadian society!