PATNA (BIHAR NEWS NETWORK- DESK)|
REPORT BY- RANJEET SINHA
News information source- Dr Uma Shankar Sinha, Secretary & Founder Aastha Charitable & welfare Society, Patna Bihar
The year of 2021 marks the 2583rd birth anniversary of Gautama Buddha, who had attained enlightenment(nirvana) under the Mahabodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, Bihar. On this auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima on May 26th 2021, Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA) in collaboration with the Consulate General of India, NY had organized a celebration of Buddha Jayanti in Edison, New Jersey, USA.
The event was graced by the presence of several dignitaries including Consul General Mr. Randhir Jaiswal, Dr. Abha Jaiswal, President of BJANA Dr. Avinash Gupta, President of FIA Mr. Anil Bansal, retired AIG of Prisons (Jharkhand) Mr. Deepak Vidyarthi and ex-president of FIA Mr. Alok Kumar.
Consul General Mr. Randhir Jaiswal along with other dignitaries first visited the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara where they participated in chanting and offered flower to the biggest statue of Lord Buddha in tri-state area.
They then proceeded to Akbar restaurant where many more Buddha followers from different parts of the world joined the event and the program started with chantings of Budhham Sharnam Gachhami.
The event was also live on Facebook and was watched by viewers across the globe.
Representatives from several monasteries across North America also joined the event through zoom and shared their thoughts with the audience.
The speakers at the event shared their perspectives on Lord Buddha and his teachings. The audience were awed by stories shared by Mr.Deepak Vidyarthi where the lives of prisoners was transformed when he introduced them to Vipassana. Vipassana is an ancient mindfulness meditation technique that involves observing your thought without judging or dwelling in them. Mr. Pierre Bouchard, Head of Enterprise Architecture at Bank of America also shared his experience with practices of Vipassana.
Dr. Avinash Gupta congratulated BJANA team on celebrating Buddha Jayanti, an event that connects us to roots of Bihar where Lord Buddha attained nirvana. He also mentioned that Buddha is a symbol of service to society and BJANA-PRAN has followed his teachings and offering it’s service during this time of pandemic.
Consul General Mr. Randhir Jaiswal congratulated BJANA on organizing the first ever event of Buddha Jayanti in New Jersey. He mentioned how Vipassana originated in India but had lost its significance and was more popular in land of Myanmar , Burma and other places. It was then brought back to its land of origin by Mr. S N Goenka who helped bring back the practices of Vipassana and established its centers across India.
Mr.Anil Bansal thanks BJANA of bringing back memories of Buddhist teaching and mentioned the significance of the Buddhist chanting.
Pierre Bouchard, Head of enterprise architecture in Bank of America was also one of speakers and shared how teaching of Buddhism has helped him maintain balance in his life. He proudly let the crowd know that he had 87 visa of India and how each visit is filled with enrichment.
Mrs. Abha Jaiswal also shared how teachings of Buddha to do right action hold importance during pandemic and how we should use the teachings to remove fear of covid vaccines. She also presented awards to BJANA members who won the painting competition of Lord Buddha.