Monastics gather on stage (phathoc.net)Wisdom Quarterly's spiritual adviser, Ven. Karunananda, Ph.D. Abbot of Long Beach's California Bodhi Vihara, addressed the UN General Assembly in May. Mr. Palitha Kohona was presiding, and hundreds of Buddhist monks and nuns were in attendance. They participated in a traditional procession (perahera) on the streets of New York outside the UN marking the 2,600th anniversary of the Buddha's enlightenment (Buddha Jayanti).
Ven. Karunananda, Ph.D., abbot of Bodhi Mission (Bangladeshi Theravada), Long Beach, CA
Ven. Karunananda, Ph.D., abbot of Bodhi Mission (Bangladeshi Theravada), Long Beach, CA
Covered extensively on Sri Lankan TV, the May 23, 2011 commemoration began with an alms walk with nearly 200 monks and nuns of many nationalities dressed in saffron robes walking several blocks in New York City into Dag Hammerskjold Park. There devout Buddhists dressed in white offered alms food to the monastics. Almsround (pindapata) is a tradition encouraged by the Buddha and Buddhists for 26 centuries.
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The anniversary of the Buddha's enlightenment was commemorated in the US at the United Nations General Assembly for the first time ever on May 16, 2011. The event was organized by the diplomatic missions of Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.