Asian Religions in British Columbia (review)

Three editors and eleven other contributors have done yeoman service in surveying the myriad and complex Asian religious activity in British Columbia today. Apart from the editors’ brief introduction and conclusion, the book is organized geographically by the region of origin—South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East and Central Asia. In each geographic section, individual essays examine broad categories of religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. Generally this is done for specific ethnic groups. Thus, for example, there are essays on the “Making of Sikh Space,” “Vietnamese Buddhist Organizations,” and “Tibetan Religions.” Within most faiths are many divisions; about 250 Asian religious groups have been identified in British Columbia.

A few contributors are members of the groups they describe; most are knowledgeable Religious Studies scholars but not adherents of the religion(s) they discuss. The essays are grounded in the relevant literature, but most also draw on the authors’ interviews with religious leaders. Parts of some essays read almost like inventories of such institutions: churches, temples, monasteries, and organizations. Some details may seem tedious, but they will be valuable as records of these institutions, especially the smaller informal ones whose existence may be fleeting. Many essays include physical descriptions of buildings—whether a spectacular piece of architecture like the Temple of Divine Light of the Radha House group at Kootenay Bay, a recycled Christian church, or the unobtrusive private homes in which many small groups meet. Accounts of the services and other activities, including communal meals, are often included. So too are problems such as the need for trained clergy and the difficulty of replacing the immigrant generation as younger people lack the language skills to comprehend services or do not find relevance in religion.

Through cross references showing contrasts and comparisons between and among religious and ethnic groups, the editors have succeeded in their objective of illustrating the diversity of religious life, while showing what these religions have in common. Thus, for example, it is noted that Vietnamese Buddhism was influenced by China and India and has much in common with Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, but also has its own distinctive characteristics. In some cases, religious beliefs have trumped ethnic identity. Most Zoroastrians in British Columbia are either Parsis or Iranians. Despite differences in ritual and language, they have worked together, rather than forming separate associations. Similarly, Myanmar and Thai Buddhists jointly established a vihara (monastery or place where an image of Buddha is installed). In other instances, ethnic identity has been more important. Thus, for example, Buddhists from Thailand and Laos have different ideas about the role of culture in Buddhism and community involvement and are influenced by historic conflicts between their respective homelands. Most essays include a brief sketch of the history of the particular faith and some have a short outline of its philosophy. More and longer capsule studies of the main tenets of the major groups would make the book even more useful for those seeking to understand these religions.

Another major theme is the role of religion in the adaptation of immigrants. The picture is varied. For some, religious institutions offer a place where they and their children can maintain the language and customs of the homeland or, especially for new immigrants, receive social services to help them adjust to Canada. Not all religious institutions, however, provide such services. Attachment to the homeland varies. Whereas for some Sikhs, Hindus, and Tibetans, emigration stimulated interest in homeland politics, the “double-diaspora” Muslims, whose origins were in India but who came from Fiji and East Africa, have no expectation of returning. While co-operating with other Muslims, they actively participate in Canadian institutions and adopt Canadian ways such as giving a role to women in the mosque. The Koreans are distinct. Most were Protestant Christians before emigrating and established their own churches which allow them “to be Korean more than to help them become Canadian”(165).

Few institutions actively proselytize, but many...