Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International ______

UPDATE For immediate release: Press Contact: September 15th, 2014 Jo Ann Driscoll Office: (510) 665-5592 Cell: (510) 459-8144

THREE-DAY BUDDHIST CHANTING CEREMONY AND WORLD PEACE WALK TO BE HELD IN BERKELEY, CA OCTOBER 9-11, 2014

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN ALL EVENTS

(Berkeley, CA) -- The Berkeley-based Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International (LBDFI), in association with the Nyingma Institute, College and Mangalam Centers will host the first International Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony in America (pronounced Tip-it-tahh-cah) which will be held at the temples of Mangalam Centers, 2018 Allston Way and Dharma College 2222 Harold Way in downtown Berkeley from Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 9-11, 2014. The Tipitaka is based on the teachings given by the Buddha in his lifetime and was chanted in the ancient period to preserve the teachings until they were committed in written form. This is the first such chanting event ever held in America and builds on LBDFI’s work in Asia, where it has supported the revival of the ancient tradition of chanting the Tipitaka at Bodhgaya, the place of Buddha’s enlightenment, and at other important Buddhist sites.

The public is invited to the event that will begin with a silent procession at 8:30 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 three-day event, along with many lay Buddhist practitioners from around the Bay Area and the general public. Dharma talks will be offered in English on the evening of October 9th by Bodhi and on the evening of October 10th by the Venerable Pasanno Maha Thero. A colorful cultural program featuring a

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Registered at 2425 Hillside Avenue Berkeley California 94704 USA as a 501(c) (3) Non Profit Religious Organization under the Laws of United States.

Mailing Address: Mangalam Centers, 2018 Allston Way, Berkeley CA, 94709 USA

www.lbdfi.org

performance of tales of the Buddha’s past lives, along with Thai and Sri Lankan traditional dances will be held on the evening of Oct.11th.

“Attending a chanting ceremony is a wonderful experience. It is through chanting the teachings of the Buddha that the blessings enter our spirit and bring benefit to all”, Wangmo Dixey, Executive Director of LBDFI said. “It is through such practice that the teachings of the Buddha have come down to us to the present day, bringing their message of tolerance and understanding to all beings. We hope interested people will take the opportunity to experience this profound tradition and that many here in the Bay Area will come and connect to these blessings.”

OPENING CEREMONY AND PEACE WALK The peace walk will begin at 8:30 am on Oct 9 at Berkeley’s Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Place, with a brief ceremony and circumambulation of a Buddhist followed by a silent procession through the UC Berkeley campus to downtown Berkeley, ending at Mangalam Centers located at 2018 Allston Way. The procession is entitled “The Inner Peace Walk – A Walk in Peace and Harmony for the Benefit of All.” The procession will feature venerable monks and nuns as well as lay practitioners and is open to the general public. Following the walk, participants will begin the chanting of the Tipitaka at Mangalam Centers.

PEACE WALK AND CHANTING – ADMISSION There is no fee to participate in the peace walk or chanting ceremonies. Please contact LBDFI at the address below to register your interest to attend. Donations (dana) are greatly appreciated. All donations will be given towards projects in Asia and ceremonial expenses. For more information, please visit LBDFI’s website at www.lbdfi.org, email: [email protected] or call (510) 809-1025.

DHARMA SPEAKERS Dharma talks will be given in English and held at Dharma College, 2222 Harold Way at 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on the evenings of October 9th and 10th. The speakers will be two eminent American monastics.

Venerable is a Buddhist monk originally from New York City. After living as a monk in for 24 years, he now resides at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi is a prolific writer of Buddhist essays and books and a translator who has commented extensively on the Suttas. In 2008, he founded Buddhist Global Relief (BGR), a non-profit organization that provides relief from poverty and hunger among impoverished communities worldwide.

Venerable Ajahn Pasanno Maha Thero took ordination in Thailand in 1974. During his first year as a monk he was taken by his teacher to meet the famous teacher , from the Thai Forest tradition, with whom he asked to be allowed to stay and train. One of the early residents of Pah Nanachat, Ajahn

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Pasanno became its abbot in his ninth year. Spending 24 years living in Thailand, Ajahn Pasanno became a well-known and highly respected monk and Dhamma teacher. He moved to California on New Year's Eve of 1997 to share the abbotship of Abhayagiri in Redwood City, CA, with Ajahn Amaro. In 2010 Ajahn Amaro accepted an invitation to serve as abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England. Ajahn Pasanno is now the sole abbot of Abhayagiri.

CULTURAL PROGRAM A performance of the Buddhist Jataka Tales, along with Thai and Sri Lankan traditional dances will be presented from 6 p.m to 9 p.m on the evening of October 11th at the Mangalam Center.

ABOUT THE LIGHT OF BUDDHADHARMA FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL (LBDFI)

LBDFI was founded in 2002 by the Venerable Tarthang 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, , Indonesia, India, Laos PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The Foundation has also sponsored chanting ceremonies in the Indian centers of Nagpur, New Delhi and Sankasya, along with international ceremonies at the Tooth Relic Temple in Sri Lanka.

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 forty-two years. 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 . These 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

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Mangalam Centers was established at 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 and the headquarters of LBDFI.

ATTENTION CALENDAR EDITORS Thursday, October 9, 2014 8:30 a.m. - The Inner Peace Walk – A Walk in Peace and Harmony for the Benefit of All Route: Through UC Berkeley Campus and Berkeley streets Starting point: Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley End point: Mangalam Center, 2018 Allston Way, Berkeley 10 a.m. Welcoming ceremony with candles lit by senior monks 11.a.m. Lunch for Buddhist monks 12 noon – 1 p.m. Buffet lunch for lay participants 1- 3 p.m. - Chanting 3 - 3:30 p.m. Tea Break 3:30- 5 p.m. Chanting Dharma College, 2222 Harold Way, Berkeley 6- 8 p.m. - by the eminent American monk Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi

Friday, October 10, 2014 Mangalam Center, 2018 Allston Way, Berkeley 9- 5 p.m. - Chanting with same schedule as October 9th Dharma College, 2222 Harold Way, Berkeley 6- 8 p.m. - Dharma talk by the eminent American monk Venerable Ajahn Pasanno Maha Thero

Saturday, October 11, 2014 Mangalam Center, 2018 Allston Way, Berkeley 9- 5 p.m. - Chanting with same schedule as October 9th 6- 9 p.m. - Cultural show featuring dances and performance from Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Admission to all events are free, but donations (dana) are greatly appreciated. All donations will be going towards projects in Asia and for expenses for this event. For more information, please visit the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International’s website at www.lbdfi.org, email: [email protected] or call the office at (510) 809-1025.

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