No.5 Road: British Columbia's "Street of Religion"

When I first passed by Richmond, BC's No. 5 Road, I did not believe what I just saw: Institutions that represent most of world's major religions sat next to each other side by side. At the moment I thought maybe one day I would visit each and every single institution on No.5 Road. Finally on Chinese New Year of 2016, I had the chance to visit the majority of them, and now have the honor to present them to you.

The International Buddhist Temple is not actually located on No.5 Road, but it is the largest institution of them all and is considered as a famous landmark in Richmond and around Vancouver. This traditional Chinese Buddhist Temple has Buddha statues and paintings that are just as authentic as the ones you can find in Asia. When I got there at 8 o'clock in the morning, the temple was already packed with those who were there to light up the first incense of the Chinese New Year and seeking for an auspicious year ahead. 

“Namo Amitābha” - The most important mantra in Chinese Buddhism

The Thousand Armed Avalokiteśvara

Panels that depict Buddhist deities

The Main Prayer Hall

Sneak Peek of the Main Prayer Hall's interior (Normally photography is not allowed inside any Buddhist Temple, I broke the rule. To respect each religion I highly recommend everyone of you to NOT take any photos in places where photography is strictly forbidden. Do not act like me in this case)

To be honest, I was surprised to  find a temple like the International Buddhist Temple in Canada. Not only does the place remind me so much of Asia by both the scale and the style, it also appears to be very commercialized like many temples in Asia as well. Vendors selling incense and other products can be found just outside the temple. It might cost 3 or 6 bucks for an incense, but the authenticity of Asia that's present inside the International Buddhist Temple? - Priceless.

Many go to the temple on Chinese New Year to pray for an auspicious year ahead

Many go to the temple on Chinese New Year to pray for an auspicious year ahead

A vendor stand outside of the temple

Ling Yen Mountain Monastery is another  Chinese Buddhist Temple in Richmond located right on No. 5 Road. Yes, it is a monastery, and you can easily spot monks even at the temple's parking lot. There aren't any differences between the building style of Ling Yen and International Buddhist Temple, as both used the two colors that symbolized the ancient Chinese royalty - Red and Yellow. Anyways, that might save some local folks a long trip to the Forbidden City just to see the buildings. However, Ling Yen appears to be the kind of place where you see Buddhism is practiced. The entire monastery just looked so much quieter than the International Buddhist Temple and I found visitors were actually reading Buddhist classics distributed by the temple on a courtyard bench at Ling Yen; whereas most of the International Buddhist Temple people were just there to burn incense and pray to the Buddha statues.  To sum it up, Ling Yen is more like an giant evangelical church building in Colorado Springs, and the International Buddhist Temple is like a touristy cathedral in Europe. I am not a Buddhist, so I don't know which one has more orthodoxy than the other.

Lin Yen Mountain Monastery during the Chinese New Year

Lanterns were added for the celebration of the Chinese New Year

People praying for the New Year at Ling Yen Mountain Monastery

Right next to Ling Yen is a Christian Evangelical Church. There are many churches along No. 5 Road. However, the Chinese New Year also happens to fall onto British Columbia's status holiday in February - Family Day. Family is a very important component to a Christian's life, therefore it was no surprised that not a single church I visited on No. 5 Road was open on that day. Although not a religious holiday, Christians just love to spend their time with their families together by finding whatever excuses.......Well, you  got it, I love spending time with my family too.

An Evangelical church on No.5 Road

I am not saying that other religions don't care about their families at all. Religions like Sikhism in Canada brings a whole community of people together.  Located on No.5 Road, Gurdwara Nanak Niwas happens to be the Indian Cultural Centre of Canada. British Columbia is home to one of the largest Sikh communities outside of India. For generations the Sikh and the Punjabi communities have contributed so much to the province's history and definitely shaped what British Columbia is today. Without them, the province or even the Canadian nation would never be the same.

Gurdwara Nanak Niwas

Murals inside Gurdwara Nanak Niwas

Inside the Temple

Next door, a green - domed Mosque dominating the area's relatively flat skyline. I was trying to visit the Mosque, but was told by a friendly gentleman that there was a funeral going on at the moment. He extended his invitation to me and asked me to come back in about 2 hours to visit the interior of the Mosque after the funeral. I thanked the gentleman for his advice, but decided to come back maybe another day as I would like to show respect to the family of the person who passed away. Moments later, I saw a black Cadillac moving towards the gate, turned right, and disappeared from my sight.

The Mosque

A mural depicting Islam's holiest site: The Grand Mosque of Mecca and the Kaaba

The minaret of the Mosque

Thrangu Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist Temple further north from the green-domed Mosque. It is the only Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Canada. Thrangu is of Kagyu Lineage and recognizes His Holiness the Karmapa as the highest ranking lama. Around Thrangu there are prayer wheels made in Nepal and was transported all the way to Canada during the temple's construction. Inside the main hall (no photography allowed, as usual), a giant Buddha sits in the middle with hundreds of other smaller Buddha statues placed in small cases that are embedded into the wall. The traditional Tibetan decorations and the overall ambiance (plus distribution of free food from the previous day's offering) could be described in only one word: beautiful.

Thrangu Monastery

Prayer wheels

"Om Mani Padme Hum", one of the most important mantra in Tibetan Buddhism

Prayer flags flying over Thrangu Monastery

On the way back, the remaining portion of the Fantasy Gardens passed by my window. It was once a garden center, a movie set, and even a Christian amusement park. The Fantasy Gardens eventually went into a decline and somewhat cost one of B.C's premiers his political career. Although not affiliated with any religions, the Fantasy Gardens stands as a monument to materialism, reminding us that no material thing in this world will last forever. 

The remaining of the former "Fantasy Gardens"

The "Street of Religion" is a great example of Canada's multiculturalism and diversity. While in some other corners of the world we have witnessed that wars are declared in the name of faith, the "Street of Religion" has shown us that peaceful-coexistence is possible. As for which institution you would like me to recommend you to visit, I urge everyone to visit all of these institutions, if you have the time and interests. A great part of peaceful - coexistence is mutual understanding, and I believe that learning more about different communities around us is definitely a good way to start.