Two-day Buddhist Chanting Ceremony and World Peace Walk to Be Held in Berkeley, CA, Sept. 18th & 19th, 2015
Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) August 14, 2015 -- Following the success of the event in 2014, the Berkeley-based Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International, in association with its sister organizations of Dharma College, the Nyingma Institute and the Mangalam Centers will host the Second International Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony at the temples of Mangalam Centers, 2018 Allston Way, and Dharma College, 2222 Harold Way, in downtown Berkeley on Friday and Saturday September 18-19th 2015.
The Tipitaka (three baskets) contains the teachings of the Buddha given during his lifetime and preserved in the language of Pali. The event will begin with a Peace Walk procession at 8:00 am from the Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Place, through the campus of University of California, Berkeley to the Mangalam Centers building. Over 50 eminent Theravadin monks and nuns from Northern California’s Burmese, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, Sri Lankan and Vietnamese Buddhist temples will attend the two-day event, along with many lay Buddhist practitioners from around the Bay Area. The general public are warmly invited to attend. A Dharma talk will be offered in English on the evening of September 18th by the Venerable Dr. Walpola Piyananda and a cultural show will complete the event on the evening of September 19th.
“We are so happy to be able to host the second chanting ceremony following our great success in 2014. Many participants were deeply moved by the event, as attending a chanting ceremony is a wonderful experience. May the blessings enter our spirit and bring benefit to all! We are also honoring my father, Venerable Tarthang Tulku for his 80th birthday celebration with the great blessings from the monks and nuns,” Wangmo Dixey, Executive Director of LBDFI said.
There is no fee to participate in the Peace Walk or Chanting ceremonies. Please contact LBDFI at theaddress below to register your interest to attend. Donations (dana) are greatly appreciated. For more information, please visit LBDFI’s website at http://www.lbdfi.org email: lbdfiorg(at)gmail(dot)com or call (510) 809-1025 to reserve your seat.
You can also register online at: http://tipitakachantingcouncil.org/tipitaka-chanting-programs/usa/general-information/
Dharma Speaker
Ven. Dr. Piyananda was born in 1943, in Sri Lanka. He received his first ordination in 1955 and full ordination as a bhikkhu in 1970. After graduating with Honors with a BA in Buddhist Studies from Kaleniya University he continued his studies abroad in India (M.A. Calcutta University) with a Commonwealth Scholarship. In the United States Ven. Piyananda received an additional M.A. from Northwestern University in Evanston in 1980, and in 1985 he completed the requirements for a Ph.D. at U.C.L.A. He also received a Ph.D. from the College of Buddhist Studies in Los Angeles in 1997. He received the title of Tripitaka Dharma Visarada Rohana Kirthi Sri from the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka in 2003. In 2013 the government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar awarded him the title of Agga Maha Pandita.
Since Ven. Dr. Piyananda arrived in the United States he has developed a continuous program of meditation classes and Dhamma discussions both locally and abroad. He lectures at various colleges and universities throughout the United States. He has a deep understanding of human nature and always propagates Dhamma for world peace. He has visited many countries promoting world peace.
About the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International (LBDFI)
LBDFI was founded in 2002 by the Venerable Tarthang Tulku in Berkeley, California with the aim of helping to revive the Buddhist culture of India. It is the primary sponsor of the International Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony, which has been held in Bodhgaya, India, every year on December 2nd -13th since 2006. It now attracts over 3,500 monks and many thousands of lay followers from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, India, Laos PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The Foundation has also sponsored chanting ceremonies in India at Nagpur, New Delhi and Sankasya, along with international ceremonies at the Tooth Relic Temple in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
About the Nyingma Institute
With an emphasis on joyful and compassionate engagement in life, the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, California has been bringing the riches of the Tibetan tradition to the Western world for over forty years. Offering a full schedule of classes, workshops, and retreats that blend cognitive with experiential learning, the Institute offers training in meditation, Tibetan Yoga, Nyingma Psychology, and Buddhist Studies. Its unique fields of study, developed by our founder Tarthang Tulku, provide effective ways to counteract tension, clear the mind, and open body and mind to new dimensions of being.
About Dharma College
The newest educational center founded by Venerable Tarthang Tulku, downtown Berkeley's Dharma College is dedicated to igniting personal and global transformation by helping people of all religions, backgrounds and ages understand the nature of the human mind and its transformative potential. Interactive and discussion-based, Dharma College classes spark the insight needed to change outworn mental patterns, find greater inner peace, and make a stronger and more positive connection to self and world.
About Mangalam Centers
Mangalam Centers was established in 2009 in a beautiful landmarked building in the heart of downtown Berkeley. In addition to the Mangalam Temple, it houses the Mangalam Research Center for Buddhist Languages, the Center for Creative Inquiry, and the headquarters of LBDFI.
Wangmo Dixey, Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International, http://www.lbdfi.org, +1 5108091025, [email protected]
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