Members of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association first came to Calgary in 1985. Avatamsaka Monastery was then located in southeast Calgary, near the zoo, in a district called Ramsey. The all-brick building was small, 7000 square feet, in a location that difficult to find.  

Because the number of devotees kept increasing, after three or four years, members began looking for a larger facility. Finally, in 1996 Avatamsaka Monastery moved to the new building located on the edge of the downtown district. The building sits adjacent the Bow River, contains about 21,000 feet of floor space, and is constructed of reinforced concrete capable of supporting 3 additional stories.

Presently, the Buddha Hall, library, reception area, and offices occupy the main floor, while the kitchen, dining hall, monks' quarters, one small classroom, storage space, a workshop, and one office are in the basement. The small house immediately to the west of the monastery houses the Sunday school.

Because the current facilities are not large enough to accommodate all the activities, three more stories will be added. The second floor will house a full-time day school and a large dining hall, and the third floor will have different rooms for various uses, including a meditation hall, living quarters, and memorial halls for both the living and the dead. Finally, the top floor will be the main worship hall for the monastery, with space for 600 devotees. There will be a twenty-foot-high bronze statue of Vairochana Buddha in the center, flanked by sixteen-foot high statues of Manjushri Bodhisattva and Universal Worthy Bodhisattva.

When Avatamsaka Monastery is completed, it will be a fully contained, centrally located facility where anyone may come to take part in the various activities offered therein.  

DHARMA REALM BUDDHIST YOUTH
Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth (DRBY) will host activities at the monastery. DRBY educates young people in the Buddhist tradition of personal growth and self reflection, and helps them develop their full potential as human beings.

We provide a safe space for dialogue between youth of all backgrounds. We encourage, respect, and cherish youth. DRBY unites all people who share this vision of making a better future for the world.

INSTILLING GOODNESS AND DEVELOPING VIRTUE SCHOOL
Instilling Goodness and Developing Virtue School will also be housed at the monastery. The school mission is to provide a unique blend of East/West education that emphasizes ethics, character development, excellence in scholarship, social responsibility and service, leadership, and the development of individual potential. Our school is proud to promote education based on the ideals of the Buddha's teachings, and courses in Buddhist Studies are required for all students. However, students of all faiths are welcome to attend the school. Emphasis is placed on:
1. Respect for parents, teachers, and elders
2. Empathy
3. Good citizenship
4. Trustworthiness
5. Propriety
6. Social justice
7. Integrity
8. Humility  

The teachers and staff are role models for unselfish and ethical conduct, and students are encouraged to cultivate specific skills for ethical leadership and service to humanity.

Furthermore, students who attend our school develop interpersonal qualities such as cooperation, compassion, and benevolence which are of prime importance in the development of the whole person, while our high academic standards fulfill their intellectual potential.

The Six Guiding Principles are an integral part of the day-to-day activities of the school:
1. No fighting (cooperation)
2. No greed (generosity)
3. No seeking (contentment)
4. No selfishness (selflessness)
5. No pursuit of personal advantage (service)
6. No lying (truthfulness)