In 2008, the 30th Annual Alberta Buddhist Conference (ABC) will be hosted by the Calgary Buddhist Temple!

What a jam-packed weekend!  The ABC was held in Calgary November 7 - 9 and it was a huge success!  The theme for this year was "Living the Dharma Today" and the conference was well attended as it included something for everyone.  We were honored to have Reverend Jerry Hirano of the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple as our special guest speaker.

There were additional speakers who all positively contributed to our theme and sharing of living everyday Buddhism - Calgary would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Sensei Hirano, our own resident minister James Martin, Sensei Izumi, Sensei Kawamura, Sensei S.K. Ikuta and Sarah Empey. 

Saturday evening, a celebration was held to honor Sensei Ikuta on his retirement.  Sunday morning included a Sarana ceremony prior to the service and lunch.

Sincere appreciation goes to a number of hard-working volunteers who were invaluable - we couldn't have done it without you!

ABC Ministers	Sensei Hirano	Sensei Martin	Bishop Fujikawa	Sensei Kawamura	Sensei Izumi
			BTSA
	Sarana Participants	Sensei Ikuta's Cake	Cutting the Cake

(photos courtesy of Tsukishima, Valtr, and Harrison)

       

Program Schedule - find out about the various sessions held at ABC

The evening banquet honoring Sensei S.K. Ikuta, in recognition of his retirement and endless dedication to the community of over 50 years, was well attended.  Sensei and Teruko were overwhelmed by the show of appreciation.