With its flat, rolling farmland, Westlock is far removed from Vietnam. However, thanks to the fundraising efforts of a group of Buddhists, a gigantic bronze statue of Buddha will soon overlook the land for miles.
Ground for the Westlock Meditation Centre was broken July 8 at 58012 Range Rd. 270, just north of Busby. Construction of the statue's foundations, a mausoleum for people to keep the ashes of their loved ones, will continue throughout the fall while the 27-tonne statue is delivered in parts from Putian, China.
The statue itself will stand 14.6 metres, and the entire structure will tower over the area at 21.2 metres high, making it one of the largest structures in the area.
Funded entirely by donations, the statue is expected to cost over $1 million when complete. So far, the Edmonton Buddhist Research Institute has collected $300,000 and is covering expenses as they go. Venerable Thay Phap Hoa said it took the congregation three years to get this far. Construction of the statue is expected to be finished in the spring, just in time for the congregation's 30th anniversary. This is the last big push of construction for the meditation centre, which itself turned 10 years old last year.
Phap Hoa said the statue is an important symbol of the mindfulness for which Mahayana Buddhists strive.
“It is the symbol of awakening, to remind people about their spiritual practice and return to inner peace,” he said. “This is a place for people to come to calm their mind, especially during these busy days.”
Mahayana Buddhism teaches that enlightenment is reachable by anyone and can be achieved in a single lifetime, contrasted with other types of Buddhism, which place more emphasis on reincarnation and moving towards nirvana through several lifetimes.
Phap Hoa said the Westlock area is special because of how peaceful and quiet it is, which provides a good space to meditate.
“Meditation is like a food for the mind. We take food for the body every day, but sometimes we miss food for the mind,” Phap Hoa said. “Humans need to take the time to calm themselves. We only hope we can bring this kind of practice to everyone so they can learn to reduce the percentage of suffering in our daily life.”
Once the statue is finished, the centre will be shifting its focus to organizing more retreats and finding ways to accommodate more practitioners.
“We just want to create a place where people can enjoy and relax,” said Phap Hoa. “Sometimes people can only come to practise for one day, so we would like to have more days for people to practise.”
Peter Trang, the centre’s caretaker, said the centre hosts meditation classes on Wednesdays, though for the summer they are taking a break from teaching to focus on the work at hand. The centre also hosts youth retreats, usually one each season. Roughly 80 per cent of the people who come to meditate come from out of the country. As the centre has aged it’s begun drawing more people from around the area.
“Last spring, we had our first youth from Westlock come to one of our retreats, so that was pretty cool,” said Trang, who added classes will resume in the fall from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Phap Hoa established the Westlock Meditation Centre because he was drawn to its peaceful and tranquil atmosphere, as well as its relative isolation from the hustle and bustle of city life.
While it’s primarily used by Buddhists, the centre is open for anyone and has been used as a retreat by ecological groups, Christians and other peace-oriented organizations.
In the meantime, people are still able to visit the centre. Anyone interested in visiting should contact the Truc Lam Monastery in Edmonton at 780-471-1093 or [email protected].
Eric Bowling is a reporter with the Westlock News.
