The Midwest Buddhist Temple cordially invites you to the next Eastern Buddhist League (EBL) Conference to be held in Chicago, Illinois on September 3-5, 2010.

The conference theme is “Strengthening Connections: Learning through Tradition, Community and Religion”. In Japanese, the theme has been chosen as 温故知新 , (おんこ ちしん).This year's EBL conference will focus on strengthening our connections to Buddhism as we learn from our rich histories and strive towards a successful future.

As interest in Buddhism and our temples continues to grow, it also gives us an opportunity to network and learn from each other. The conference will feature Rinban Bob Oshita from the Buddhist Church of Sacramento as our Keynote Speaker. Participating temple ministers and special guests will help facilitate our workshop sessions and activities as we uncover new ways to strengthen our communities and reflect on our own identities.

We will also participate in the 750th Memorial Observance of Shinran Shonin by hosting a special service and lecture at the Midwest Buddhist Temple on Sunday of the conference. We are honored to be joined by Socho Koshin Ogui, Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America, Jeff Wilson, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies at the University of Waterloo and George Bond, Professor of Religion and Chair, Department of Religious Studies at Northwestern University. We look forward to working with each of them to commemorate this special occasion and to further explore our theme. 

We are delighted to offer our registrants a very special room rate of $149.00/night plus tax at one of the finest hotels in Chicago.  Please make your room reservations directly with the Westin Chicago River North Hotel by calling 1-800-233-4100 and mentioning the “Midwest Buddhist Temple” group block rate or accessing the reservation site, http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/ebl2010.  Please make your room reservations early because rates are only guaranteed through August 3, 2010. As a bonus, the Westin has offered our registrants the same special rate if you choose to stay three days before or after the conference.  Visit the Official Visitors Site for Chicago at http://www.choosechicago.com to take advantage of other events planned around the city.

Activities are being planned for all ages! We open the conference on Friday evening with Obon and Taiko workshops. Morning activities of Tai Chi, Yoga, Zen Shin Meditation and a City Walk are planned on Saturday and Sunday. We are also coordinating a group reservation on the renowned Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise and a casino outing to the recently renovated Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. Reservations for the river cruise and the casino trip will be accepted before August 15, 2010.  We will end the conference with a banquet dinner in one of the elegant ballrooms at the Westin hotel with an entertaining program to celebrate the event.

We encourage you to register early for the conference. There is a late registration penalty after July 15, 2010. Cancellations may be made before August 15, 2010 for a full refund (other refunds will be handled on a case-by-case basis). Please see the registration page to download the registration packet. Registration may also be completed online (coming soon).

All of the generations in our temple are working together to provide you with a thoughtful and memorable conference for the entire family. All of us at MBT look forward to greeting you at the 2010 EBL Conference in Chicago!

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