Buddha-town: The Buddhist Temple of Chicago

Uptown is truly a place of diversity. Even more so, the diversity is really integrated. You can smell it in the air while walking down Broadway between Wilson and Argyle. In those blocks alone there are several Mexican restaurants, an Ethiopian restaurant (Demera), a handful of Vietnamese restaurants, Chinese restaurants, breakfast joints (The Golden House Restaurant), and a Buddhist temple.

Yes, there is a Buddhist temple. Located at 1151 W. Leland Ave. in Uptown, the Buddhist Temple of Chicago has been providing a space for believers and non-believers alike to congregate since 1944. The temple integrates Japanese Buddhism with some Western Church-based practices such as sermons and hymns. The type of Buddhism practiced at the temple is known as Jodo Shinshu or Shin Buddhism. It is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan today and has obviously gained some popularity in other places such as the United States.

The temple holds regular services every Sunday at 11:00am and 1:00pm. The early service is in English and the later one in Japanese.

For more information, visit their website www.budtempchi.org.