The IBFA Enlightenment Temple in Chinatown offers a place for daily practice and weekly chanting services, guided by Bikkhunis, fully-ordained nuns. Its mission is to make the Buddhadharma available to those seeking to follow the path, and to preserve and spread the original and core teachings of the Buddha.

Bhikkunis are available throughout the day to answer questions in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

TEMPLE SERVICES:
Blessing services for newborns
Taking the Refuges ceremonies
Buddhist and Chinese holiday celebrations (see Calendar & Special Events)
Funeral services in the funeral home and at graveside, as well as in the Temple after the 49-day mourning period
Counseling

TEMPLE HISTORY
Enlightenment Temple was originally formed by a group of dedicated Buddhists practicing out of a two-room storage space in Chicago’s North Chinatown in the spring of 1995. In 1998 the Temple officially became a tax-exempt non-profit, the International Buddhism Friendship Association (IBFA), and  moved into a 2-story building at 5414 North Broadway.

Master Ji Ru, Abbot of the Mid-America Buddhist Association in St. Louis, gradually assumed responsibility for the Temple, its sangha and religious activities, starting in 2000.  Under his direction, Enlightenment Temple saw a growth in educational lectures, classes, and workshops, as well as daily and weekly practice activities, and celebrations.

In 2003, the Temple relocated to 2249 South Wentworth in Chicago's Chinatown to better serve the Chinese community. In June 2005, an Inauguration Ceremony and the Guan Yin Bodhisattva Statue Blessing Ceremony marked the beginning of a new era for IBFA in Chinatown.