MYANMAR

LDBFI directors address the conference of the Association of Theravada Buddhist Universities (ATBU)

The ATBU is an inclusive global network. It unites the people, knowledge and skills of every Higher Education Institution with a specific mission to educate students to understand and practice the Buddha’s Dhamma as presented in the Pali Canon.

LBDFI Chief Executive Wangmo Dixey was invited to speak at this conference which was held in Rangoon and in Pagan at Mt. Popa to discuss the Tipitika chanting ceremony. There were meetings with many rectors, principles of major/minor Theravada universities. Some of the major universities present included:

• Nalanda Buddhist Education Foundation
• The Academic Mission and Activities of ITBMU, Myanmar
• Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University, Cambodia
• Mahamakut Buddhist University, Thailand
• Pali University of Sri Lanka
• Two Sangha Colleges, Laos
• Theravada Buddhist University of Vietnam
• Preah Sihamoni Raja Buddhist University, Cambodia
• Buddhist and Pali college of Singapore
• The State Pariyatti Sasana University, Myanmar

Speech to the ATBU Conference Revival of the Dhamma: The Annual 10-Day Myanmar Chanting Ceremony at Buddhagaya Dear Respected delegates, Bhantes, Professors and lecturers. I am not an academic student of the Theravadin tradition, so it is a great honor to have been invited to address you today. I thank Venerable Professor Dhammasammi for extending it to me. I am here today to tell you a little about the work of the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International (LBDFI). LBDFI was founded in 2004 by my father, Tarthang Tulku, a Tibetan teacher who has now lived on the West coast of America for the last 38 years. The Foundation has continued the vision that inspired him when he first came out of Tibet and settled in Varanasi where he taught at Sanskrit University. The holy land of India is blessed as the birthplace of the teachings of the Lord Buddha and is graced by sights sacred to his memory and certain in their authenticity. The Foundation has come into being to help in the task of revitalizing those sites and encouraging the development the Sangha of Indian monks to join those who now grace the countries of the Theravadin world. Last year, we had the great good fortune to be able to sponsor the chanting of the Tipitika at Bodhgaya with an International gathering of monks from Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Thailand. It is extraordinary to think that the words of the Buddha were chanted at the site of the His enlightenment daily for over 1500 years and yet following the abandonment of the temple in the 13th century it was not chanted again on a regular basis until this ceremony was established on the 2550th Buddha Jayanti. Truly this marks the beginning of a new tradition of chanting in the ancient manner. To recognize this development the elders from all the Theravadin temples in Bodhgaya agreed to make the chanting ceremony an annual event. This in turn has inspired LBDFI to continue its sponsorship of the ceremony and to offer all participants printed copies of the Tipitika which will assemble into the entire canon over the course of the next six to nine years. This distribution of books forms part of the core endeavor of LBDFI, for we see that the education of monks is a central theme in the revitalization of the Buddhadharma in the holy land of Aryadesha. We also believe that the International Chanting Ceremony will grow steadily in size and prestige, and attract increasing numbers of venerable bhantes and bhikkhus from all over the Theravadin world along with their attendant devotees. Never again will bhikkhus from the land of India itself feel alone and without support in their noble endeavor! Furthermore, we hope and expect that new bhikkhus will seek ordination when inspired by the sight and sound of the mighty Sangha chanting in unison under the Bodhi tree. Our efforts to support the education of monks have two more themes which I wish to briefly describe to you. The first is that every evening during the event we have organized dharma talks, which from next year will focus on the texts actually being chanted during the ceremony itself. The chanting of the Buddha's words is itself of great value, and as Venerable Dhammasammi pointed out to us in one of his addresses this year, it is an ancient tradition that traces back to Lord Buddha himself. Alongside the chanting, however, we hope that the bhikkhus will listen to the discourses, in English and Hindi, on the meaning of what is being chanted. We have also filmed these talks, and will make them available to all via our web site where they can be downloaded for later study. Of course these efforts at education will rely centrally on one factor, which is a good working knowledge of the sacred Pali language. In this regard, we have also commenced work on the construction of a Pali Training Institute in Sarnath, where we hope that senior and experienced bhantes from all over the Theravadin world will come and share their wisdom and experience with novice and monks in India. We also hope to be able to offer language classes to monks of all denominations and also encourage academics expert in the Pali tradition to come and give language classes and seminars to the monks. Indeed one of my major purposes in being here today is to make contact with those of you who feel able to support our endeavors in this Institute, as the reintroduction and proper growth of the Buddha sasana in India will require long term and concerted effort. We would like to encourage each and every represented university to make contact with us so that we can materialize the aim of making this a world class institute of learning. A final element of the work of LBDFI is to revitalize the holy sites that form the pilgrimage circuit suggested by the Lord Buddha himself and recorded in the Mahaparinibbana sutta. This year marks the beginning of this work, for we have opened new toilet/shower facilities in Bodhgaya, but we hope to be able to sponsor further improvements in the ancient Bodhgaya region and also in the other sites important to the history of Buddhism, most notably at Sravasti, Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda, and Sarnath itself. It is also very heartening to hear that both the State and Central Governments of India have well developed plans to improve access to these ancient and holy places. From its very beginning, the Sangha relied on its interaction with pilgrims and lay followers for sustenance and support. We hope that our work will serve to encourage pilgrims to visit these holy sites of India in ever increasing numbers, and by so doing restart the virtuous cycle that supported the great Sangha of residents at these sites in ancient times. We also hope that we can support from our own resources experienced monks to reside in these places so that pilgrims that come even now will be able to seek guidance and instruction from bhikkhus who understand the history of what happened there and embody the teachings that were transmitted. Revitalizing the Buddha Sangha within the holy land of Aryadesha is a long and noble task. I hope very much that my brief comments have given some inspiration, and that some of you will be able to visit the ceremony in Bodhgaya and assist us in our attempts to revitalize the Bharati Sangha in the land of its origin. Thank you again for the opportunity to speak to you.

THAILAND

LBDFI Chief Executive invited to address the United Nations Vesak Day Conference

The United Nations Vesak Day Conference involved several thousand attendees from 61 countries and regions of the International Buddhist world. Declaration Number 9 adopted by the conference reads as follows: 'to reiterate the appeal to all parties, the United Nations, UNESCO and concerned governments and agencies to preserve both the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Buddhists, and to encourage visit to Buddhist holy sites as part of their revitalization.'

For further information on the complete declaration, please visit the website of the United Nations conference at http://www.vesakday.net/vesak50/Bangkok_Declaration.php?trnslang=en-us.

United Nations Vesak Day Speech Preservation and Promotion of Buddhist Art: 'Revival of the Dhamma: The Annual 10-Day Tipitika Chanting Ceremony at Bodhgaya and the Revitalisation of the Holy Places of the Buddha.' Dear Most Venerable Sangha and distinguished members of this assembly, it is a great honour to be invited to the United Nations Vesak Day where we are here to celebrate the birth of our Lord Buddha. I would like to take this opportunity to thank His Majesty the King of Thailand, the United Nations, the Thai government and the Organizing Committee for taking the initiative to sponsor such a monumental event. I will be speaking to you today about the activities of our organization, the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International, in revitalizing the holy places of the Buddha and in supporting an Indian sangha to join those who now grace the other Theravada countries. With this in mind, I will be focusing on one of our core activities, the sponsorship of the annual Pali Tipitika chanting ceremony, which was first held in 2006 in Bodhgaya, India. It is extraordinary to think that starting soon after the Parinirvana of the Enlightened One, the sutras of the Lord Buddha were chanted at the site of the enlightenment daily for over 1500 years, and yet - following the abandonment of the temple in the 13th century - it was not heard again on a regular basis. In February 2006, the first International Pali Tipitika Chanting Ceremony was organized with the Mahabodhi Society of India to honour the 2550th Buddha Jayanti celebration. It has now become an annual event, held from February 12-24th each year. And for the first time in seven hundred years, monks from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos , India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are coming together to chant the teachings of the Buddha. It is truly wonderful and inspiring to hear the word of the Buddha being echoed again, with the great sangha chanting in unison at the place of enlightenment. Chanting is one of the fundamental art forms within Buddhism. Indeed Lord Buddha told his bhikkhus to chant like thunder, so that the Dharma could be heard throughout the universe. He also said that we should chant so beautifully that everyone would want to listen to it. The chanting, he said should contain honesty, integrity, harmony, elegance and purity of sound. It should come from deep within us. Then it will have great range. Most importantly, if all these ingredients are present, it has the "Buddha's voice" within it. By chanting out loud in the most auspicious place where the Buddha took enlightenment, the sangha affirms their commitment to the Buddhadharma. In the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, it reads: "Ananda, be dependent on yourself, take refuge in yourself and not in others, by this be dependent on the Dhamma, go for refuge to the Dhamma -- the righteous principles". It is considerations like these that have made the chanting ceremony a central element of our work. In an effort to preserve and promote the Buddhadharma in India, the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International was founded in 2002 by my father, Tarthang Tulku, a Tibetan teacher who has now lived in America for the last 38 years. The Foundation continues his vision that inspired him when he first came out of Tibet. After my father left Tibet in 1958, he settled in Varanasi where he taught at Sanskrit University. Thirty years later, he established the Nyingma Monlam Chenmo, otherwise known as the ‘World Peace Ceremony’. This ceremony began in 1989 with a modest gathering of 500 monks and nuns. Eighteen years later, close to 8,000 monks and nuns travel from all over the Himalayan region to pray for World Peace. Some 30,000 lay pilgrims arrive from great distances to pay homage to the Lord Buddha and the sangha. Now we would like to make it possible for all Theravada monks to have the same opportunity. The Pali Tipitika chanting ceremony has already doubled in size: this year we had close to 350 Theravada monks. Our great wish is to have 1000 Theravada monks reciting the words of the Buddha alongside with their lay devotees. In an effort to achieve such a vision, my husband, Dr. Richard Dixey and I have been travelling throughout Myanmar and Thailand to promote this ceremony on behalf of the Pali Tipitika International Council with the goal of bringing back the Theravada abbots and monks to join the Indian monks under the sacred Bodhi Tree. In order to support the Pali Tipitika Chanting ceremony, we have provided monks with food and accommodations and in some cases have funded travel as well. At the request of the Pali Tipitika International Council, we have begun to print copies of the Pali Tipitika in Romanized script as a gift to all participants who attend. Over the next nine to ten years, we will make every effort to print the volumes of Pali Tipitika being chanted at the ceremony so that every participant will receive the entire canon over this time period. We are using acid free paper and special ink so that the shelf life of these precious books can survive into the next generation. The development of a uniform chanting style has been an important element of discussion within the chanting ceremony. The first year, the sangha divided into four sections on the basis of chanting styles, with the sanghas of Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh sitting in one section, the sanghas of Thailand and Laos in another, the sangha of Myanmar in a third and Cambodia in a fourth. Following the second ceremony however, the Cambodian, Thai and Laotian sanghas agreed to chant in the Sri Lankan style. To further support this initiative, we have offered to sponsor the training of 108 bhikkhus in the chanting of the Majima Nikaya, the section of the Sutta Pitaka that will be chanted during the 2008 ceremony. Our efforts to support the education of monks have two more elements that I wish to briefly describe to you. The first is that every evening during the event we are helping to organize Dharma talks, which from next year will focus on the texts actually being chanted during the ceremony itself. Alongside the chanting however we hope that bhikkhus will hear, in English and Hindi, discourses on the meaning of what is being chanted. This year we videotaped these talks, and will make them available to all via our web site where they can be downloaded for later study. Secondly, of course these efforts at education ultimately depend on teachers and students with a good working knowledge of the sacred Pali language. To support this, we will be founding a Pali Training Institute in Sarnath, where we hope that senior and experienced bhantes from all over the Theravadin world will come and share their wisdom and experience with novice monks from India. We also hope to be able to offer language classes in both English and Pali to monks of all denominations at this facility, and also encourage academics expert in the Pali tradition to come and give language classes and seminars for the education of monks. A final element of the work of our Foundation is to revitalize the holy sites that form the pilgrimage circuit suggested by the Lord Buddha himself and recorded in the Maha Parinibbana sutta. This year we took a first small step by building new public toilets and shower facilities in Bodhgaya which will provide fresh water and proper hygiene to any pilgrim and local villager. We hope to be able to sponsor further improvements in the ancient Bodhgaya region and also in the other sites important to the history of Buddhism, most notably at Sravasti, Vaisili, Rajgir, Nalanda, and Sarnath. It is heartening to know that both the State and Central Governments of India have well developed plans to improve access to these ancient and holy places, and we look forward to working with them. From its very beginning, the sangha of monks relied on its interaction with pilgrims and lay followers for sustenance and support. We hope that our work will serve to encourage pilgrims to visit these holy sites of India in ever increasing numbers. By doing so they will restart the virtuous cycle that supported the great sanghas that were residents of these sites in ancient times. They will also create momentum for restoring the great works of art that are buried at or near these sites, and in other places throughout India. Our hope is to support experienced monks to reside in these places so that pilgrims will be able to seek guidance and instruction from bhikkhus who understand the history of the Buddha’s life and embody the teachings that were transmitted there. The task of revitalizing the Buddha sangha within the holy land of Aryadesha is a long-term vision, but a profoundly noble one. However, how these holy places will survive into the next generation will depend on our precious sangha. So, we look upon you to assist us in protecting and reviving these precious teachings and places so that they may regain their full vitality. I hope very much that each of you will be able to visit the ceremony in Bodhgaya or assist us in revitalizing the Indian Sangha in the land of its origin. We would request that you please take this invitation to your home country and request as many sangha members to join us in prayer for these ten days. I thank you once again for giving me this opportunity to share with you our activities to promote the Buddhadharma in the holy places of the Buddha. It is truly an honour to be of service to you, the Sangha of Lord Buddha, and I feel blessed to be able to do so.

Back to Project Highlights