International Buddhist Friends Association
9904 106 Street NW
Edmonton, AB
T5K 1C4
https://www.aung.com/spirituality/the-international-buddhist-friends-association
(780) 421-4777
E-mail: draung@aung.com
President: Dr. Steven Aung, Layman
Non-resident teacher: Ordained monk
Alternate contact: Florence Aung-Collins, Secretary
Lineage: The Burmese Sayadaw U-Thilawinta, the Burmese Sayadaw U- at Dat Pon Zon Monastery Yan Gone, Burma (Myanmar)
Practices: Chanting sutras, chanting prayers, chanting mantras, dana to sangha, discussion groups, meditation, music, painting, physical labour, retreats, short-term precepts, sutra study, vegetarian, Wesak celebrations
Meditation: Breaths (counting), breaths (noticing), calming (shamatha), chi kung, insight (vipassana), loving kindness (metta), mudra, tai chi, visualization, yoga postures, walking
Public activities: Qi Gong practice every week, mostly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and Sunday mornings at the Riverdale Community League (9231 100 AVE NW Edmonton, Alberta 780-421-1357). International Buddhist Friends Association organizes annual Wesak celebrations in May attended by all of the Buddhist organizations in Edmonton. Additionally, we schedule and organize Buddhist teachers from all traditions to visit and give lectures and workshops. We run calligraphy and Qi Gong workshops. We also do calligraphy fund-raising events for natural disaster situations around the world.
Other activities and initiatives: We conduct retreats within Canada. We also organize the International Peace Pagoda Project, which builds peace pagodas around the world. We have conducted projects in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Nelson, New Zealand; and Galiano Island, Canada. We also sponsor a Buddhists relics tour, to display bring holy objects for display and fund-raising in Edmonton.
Affiliations: Steven K. H. Aung is also a vice president of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. We are also affiliated with the Dat Pon Zon Monastery in Yan Gone, Burma (Myanmar).
Associated with: World Fellowship of Buddhists, Edmonton Interfaith Association for Education and Action
Languages: English, Burmese, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Tibetan, Vietnamese
Updated: February 2022