SHIN MEI SPIRITUAL CENTRE

Shin Mei Spiritual Centre is home to Matsuri Foundation of Canada. Here, we offer a sacred space where people can find renewal of spirit and learn Shinto  practice. The Centre itself has spaces for prayer, meditation, and ceremonies and a library of reading materials on spirituality. The property offers a unique opportunity for Walking Meditation on 2 miles of trails through forested paths.

Matsuri Foundation was previously sited at Bright Woods Spiritual Centre on Salt Spring Island. In 2021, the operations were transferred to Shin Mei Spiritual Centre, near Sidney BC which offers more facilities and grounds. This enabled Matsuri to offer a combined Centre for teaching and practice and to expand the walking paths for meditation and prayer.

SHIN MEI JINJA

The kami Sarutahiko no Ō Kami and Ame no Uzume no Mikoto are enshrined in Shin Mei Jinja. The Honden (main sanctuary) looks out over Shin Mei Jinja and the Gulf Islands, with wonderful sunrises—a remarkable experience of Great Nature as the world wakes to a new day.

MEDITATION ROOM

Calm abiding meditation provides us with stability to help us stay present. Practices focused on discovering our own natural kindness and compassion bring ease to our hearts, and deeper meaning to our relationships. With meditations that emphasize the development of clear insight, we gain an open and unbiased mind that can see limitless possibilities in ourselves and our world. The path of meditation provides progressive stages of practice for working with one’s mind. From foundational calm abiding meditation to the profound practices of the Vajrayana, including Mahamudra and Dzogchen, this path covers all stages of teaching in our tradition. This systematic approach creates a welcoming, transformative environment for people of all levels and with different interests.

JANGCHUB CHORTEN

Jangchub Chorten (Enlightenment Stupa) is a magnificent 30 foot stupa named which was designed and built by Khenpo Karpo of Bhutan in 2002. Within the stupa are contained thousands of sacred artifacts. For detailed information on the symbolism and on the specific relics and sacred objects in this stupa, please click here.

Circumambulation, the act of walking in a circle around an object of veneration, is common to many of the world’s religious traditions. Buddhists circumambulate to show devotion, pay tribute, cultivate their minds, and accumulate merit. Although the practice predates Buddhism, the Buddha mentioned it several times over his teaching career and said it purified negative karma and ensured a favorable rebirth.

WALKING MEDITATION TRAILS

Throughout the property there are trails for walking meditation and prayer. Immersing one’s self in Great Nature, being in the presence of the kami in the majesty of the old growth forests and marine vistas are restorative and instructive to the soul.

Misogi Shuho

Misogi Shuhō is an ancient Shinto practice of purifying one’s body and spirit in the cold water of an ocean, waterfall, or river.

Through misogi, we purify and intensify our tamashii, or soul.

For more information in misogi practice, click here.

PEACE POLE

This pole spreads the message of peace throughout the earth, traveling with the winds, and is a favourite site for meditation and prayer. “May Peace Prevail on Earth” is inscribed in four languages: English, Tibetan, Japanese, and Spanish.

If you are interested in sponsoring and “planting” additional peace poles at the Centre, please contact us!

For more information on the global effort, visit peacepoleproject.org