Source: Chicago Tribune
On June 4, 2004 the Chicago Tribune reported, "Buddhism teaches that change, or the 'impermanence of all things,' is part of life. Faith in that notion will be on display June 12 at two temples in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood when area Buddhists try to reshape their annual festival from an inward-focused, ceremonial event into one that more effectively reaches out to non-Buddhists. The goal is to open up the International Buddhist Festival so that 'the whole community, if they have questions, they know where they can come," said Cynthia Brooke, a board member of the Buddhist Council of the Midwest, which organized the gathering. The annual festival was founded 20 years ago as a way to unite Buddhists from the various branches and sub-branches of the religion, which can be divided as much by ethnicity as philosophy. The council estimates there are up to 150,000 Buddhists in the Chicago area."