Avatamsaka Monastery

Getting inside is tricky! The front of the Monastery is undergoing some renovating, so I ran around outside in confused circles; getting easily distracted by the Canada Geese outside that were brazenly walking right up to me to inspect my iPhone music selections.
Sarah Louise had asked me the day before to meet her inside, and I was running late, but finally, a kind lady directed me toward the entrance (which was where the renovations were happening) and where the quarterly Vegan Buffet was happening*. I’ve passed by this building so often, but as I am not Buddhist, this was my first time inside. I had also heard about the Vegan Buffet from a family friend that occasionally volunteers for it, but I always seemed to miss it when it was taking place! A thousand thank yous, Miss Sarah Louise, for texting me about it while I was at the Optometrist’s.
For $ 15, you can partake in one of Calgary’s best succulent secrets: Once every three months (or so), The Land of Beef Bacon is home to one of the most amazing Vegan Buffets. Hands down. Barbecued bean curd skin, turnip cakes, assorted curries, soups, veggies, sticky rice puddings, mini-​apple pies, an entire table dedicated to teas; it’s all enough to make you feel like Templeton at the fair. Everything was so divine and fragrant, and the best thing about a Vegan buffet? You don’t feel like a bloated sack of lethargy and remorse, even after tucking in to two plates (not including a big plate of dessert!). And because this is at a Monastery and they’re all about giving, they’ve even lovingly posted the recipes for everything you nosh on, right on their website:
You know, in case you can’t wait 3 months to stuff your face :). They also have a Tai Chi class every Friday, Meditation classes and if you show up for the Vegan Buffet; you can buy some desserts and wares to take home. Visit the website before making a trip, so you can brush up on proper Monastery etiquette and learn about one of Calgary’s more peaceful landmarks.
* The Vegan Buffet happens on the 2^nd floor, as I was kindly instructed :).

«OH YOU HAVE TO GO HERE ANGELOOOOOOOO»
It was all I got from Sarah Lousie about the veggie buffet that occurs every two months. Bless her sweet soul masked in the illusion of a black heart. I gotta admit, I was instantly sold on the idea of trying cuisine that is different from the usual items I’ve been getting from the Chinese and Vietnamese restos in Calgary.
So on the day I sluggishly rolled off bed and gave Kenny M a call, who didn’t even hesitate to come despite for mainly having a taste for anything that once moved.
We strolled into the buffet and were worried about not having enough time to eat seing as we only had 45 minutes left. It was more than enough. Now this isn’t an actual restaurant that is set up to handle buffet style dining, so we had to line up and had Monastery volunteers serve us portions of food. But I liked the intimate community setting which made it very easy to converse with everyone and find out how they came to know about the lunch buffet.
They also had some frozen food to go on the side where I purchased the BEST sticky rice I’ve had. It was filled with tofu and mushrooms and in comparison with the usual meat/​egg stuff sticky rice I get from most Chinese Dim Sum joints.
I tried my best to find out a lot about the Monastery but couldn’t get a chance to at the limited amount of time we had. It was a humbling place to be and having sparsely studied Buddhism I wish I stuck around more to get to know more people there who could’ve offered me more info. OMG DON’T TELL MY CATHOLIC GRANDMA

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Avatamsaka Monastery, although not on typical terms. However, I thought that I would comment on my experience a little bit.
The Avatamsaka Monastery follows the Five Schools of Mahayana Buddhism; Vinaya, Chan, Sholastic, Esoteric, and Pure Land School. It was initially manifested in Calgary in the mid eighties, nestled into a small little nook in Ramsay. Currently, the Monastery’s new building sits along the Bow River. As I walked over to this location this past Saturday morning, it was very serene. The building itself is stunning, and as we entered the main area, this continued.
My friend and I actually attended the Monastery this past weekend because of an event that was going on, one of the Monastery’s notorious veggie buffets. When we arrived, we were guided up the stairs to a beautiful, large room, as beautiful as the main floor area downstairs, but full of vibrancy, balloons, and tables full of food. The buffet itself was $ 12, which was awesome, and we were provided with a plethora of vegan food stemming from a plethora of different regions in Asia. Selections included phở, dumplings, sushi, turnip cakes, bean curd, curried vegetables, as well as some delicious teas.
This was an interesting way to experience the Avatamsaka Monastery for the first time. The atmosphere emanated warmth, and I think that I would be back again. Many of their activities and events such as meditation classes, lectures, and day trips are open to the public. If you are thinking of visiting the monastery for the first time, their website is also very comprehensive, providing guidelines about what to expect, etiquette for your visit, and other useful things.
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