Welcome to the new Taste of Zen at the Buddhist Temple! Home to one of North America’s most authentic and recognized Buddhist landmarks, Taste of Zen, located on the ground floor of the Thousand Buddha Hall, offers its patrons healthy gourmet vegetarian dining in an exquisite setting inspired by Chinese meditation and Buddhist arts. Blending elements of western cuisine into traditional Chinese cooking, we constantly seek to redefine the boundaries of vegetarian dining, providing our patrons with a fresh, flavourful and inspiring culinary experience.

For opening hours and other information, please contact our main Buddhist Temple line at 604-274-2822.

We are open on Jan 1, 2024 for New Year’s lunch service from 12pm to 3pm.

 

The Buddha once said, “Just as in the great ocean there is but one taste – the taste of salt – so in the Dharma there is but one taste – the taste of freedom”.

We do not have to travel far away to a monastery in the remote mountains to practice Buddhism nor do we need to drink up the entire ocean of the teachings to find spiritual liberation. The essence of the teachings can be found right here, in how we choose to live and conduct every precious drop of our daily lives in accordance with the Dharma.

The routine choices that we make have a direct impact on the freedom and happiness we create for ourselves and for others in the world. When decisions are made without mindfulness and compassion, we create suffering for everyone. At Taste of Zen, we deeply value the need to extend loving-kindness and compassion to all sentient beings, including animals slaughtered for human consumption.

Meat production has become a thriving industry. Every five seconds, a forest the size of a soccer field is decimated to raise domesticated animals. Towering amounts of animal excrements are polluting our waters and producing dangerous levels of methane in our atmosphere.

Animals are overwhelmed with fear and rage when they are slaughtered and release large amounts of toxins that end up in our own system when we consume them. We must learn to value life, both ours and our friends in the animal kingdom. When we cherish and protect all sentient beings, we can all live happily and harmoniously in a clean and sustainable society.

When you adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet, you are doing more than just eating healthier and smarter. You are following the path of a Bodhisattva and becoming an ambassador for the sustainability and peace of our planet. Every mouthful of food you take then becomes a taste of the Dharma, immersed in mindfulness and love, and bringing immeasurable joy and happiness to all sentient beings.

Nourish both your body and mind with a taste of the Dharma and visit us at Taste of Zen today!

Vegetarianism has become the new dietary standard for a healthy and sustainable way of life. Many who have been educated about its benefits want to become vegetarians, but lack the know-how to cook their own vegetarian dishes, which require the proper selection and combination of ingredients together with the right cooking method. This can make preparing vegetarian dishes a real challenge for the average home cook.

The typical Chinese vegetarian recipe can be excessively oily, salty or watery. To encourage more people to cook healthy vegetarian food at home, we have provided some very easy to follow, nutritious and delicious recipes using only simple ingredients. We hope these recipes will give you a fresh perspective on vegetarianism and inspire you to make your own healthy and delicious vegetarian meals.