Sensei Ulrich played a major role at the 2010 Alberta Buddhist Conference. The Manitoba Buddhist Church minister opened the conference, with discussions on "Engaged Buddhism". He also closed the weekend's events by giving a dharma talk at the Sunday service.

Over one-thousand people took in the event on October 29-31, which included a Buddhist film festival and Calgary Buddhist Temple's Shinran Shonin's 750th Memorial celebration.

READ MORE AT THE LIVING DHARMA CENTRE WEBSITE...

The JoyTV program, "Discovering Buddhism" introduced viewers to the teachings of the Buddha. The 18 part, half-hour program was produced in 2009. The main participant was Sensei Fredrich Ulrich of the Manitoba Buddhist Temple.

In this clip, host, Tim Smith asks Sensei Ulrich to explain why some may choose to not think of Buddhism as a religion but more of a teaching.

Rev. Ulrich's rich knowledge of history and art provided viewers with a unique perspective on the historical Buddha. He describes the symbolism in the statues that often represent Amida Buddha.

Check your local TV listings to see when the series will air again. Unfortunately, JoyTV is only seen in B.C. and Manitoba.

SEE MORE JODO SHINSHU VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE...

CBC Radio and CBCNews.ca are exploring the question "Where is God today?" Commentators, religious thinkers and ordinary Canadians give their thoughts. Among the particpants is our own Sensei Ulrich. He was interviewed about how he came to become a Jodo Shinshu Minister and was featured in a photo slideshow.
LISTEN TO THE CBC REPORT...
WATCH THE SLIDESHOW (Sensei Ulrich is the fourth person presented)...

Also in the series is Bonnie Tittaferrante from Thunder Bay. Bonnie is the Lay Leader of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhists of Thunder Bay. Here is part of the essay she wrote for CBC.CA:

Following the Path in a Northern Town
Gold, red, mahogany and marble Buddhas from various sects fill my home. But a single statue of my Buddha, Amida, graces the home shrine (butsudan), his fit physical features a mixture of many races. He stands with one hand upward and one reaching down to me. After chanting and readings of the Dharma (Teachings), the welcoming smell of sandalwood incense permeates my home, as it does Jodo Shinshu temples and homes worldwide. Once a predominately ethnic Japanese-based sect, Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (also called Shin) is slowly growing among those of non-Japanese descent.
READ MORE ON CBC.CA/WHATISGOD...

A recent e-mail:

Question:
I was wondering if you teach meditation to beginners? Where would I go for this, and when would I come if so. Thank you.

Answer:
We do some meditation in our Sunday Services. I also teach meditation on a biweekly basis for five meetings. That is coming to an end on Nov 8. If you want to drop by at 7pm then to observe that would be ok. The same is true for our Sunday services at 10:30am. some are formal and others are informal, still some are geared to meditation. There are also many groups in the city.

A word of advice:
1. There are many types of meditation. Choose a group and a teacher that suits you and your needs. Don't be afraid to change a few times until you are getting the work you need.

2. Meditation is so popular now that everyone is getting into the act. some teachers are borrowing extensively from Buddhism but do not give credit where credit is due. Other jump on the bandwagon and really don't know what they are doing. There is now money to be made, books to sell, and reputations to have; all at a great price.

3. To use Buddhist meditation is to have Buddhist experiences: awareness of the universal experience of suffering, universal compassion, relativity of all our identity scenarios, oneness with emptiness, moral and ethical groundedness, nirvana (end of ignorance, hatred and greed). Many people are not ready to face these and want a kind of feel-good escapism. They want to borrow status from their teacher and gain a spiritual superiority. This can be very misleading and waste years of effort.

Buddha Smiles
Sensei Ulrich