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Buddhists meeting to he held on
April 23rd in support of the creation |
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by Cosy Back Both the Dhammakaya Foundation, and the Lama Gangchen World Peace Foundation share the common aim of contributing to the development of world peace through inner peace. Together, the two foundations have organised the first buddhist meeting in support of the proposal for the creation of a Spiritual Forum for world peace at the United Nations, which will be held at the Dhammakaya Temple in Pratumtanee, Thailand, on the 23rd of April. The first meeting of this initiative will bring together representatives of the different schools of Buddhism from Thailand, China, Nepal, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan as well as representatives from Europe and South America. Since 30 years, the Dhammakaya Foundation, a United Nations affiliated NGO, has been working to develop both inner and world peace through their various activities. With the specific aim of reducing social problems by dealing with the root causes of the problem, for the past 18 years the Foundation has offered, to both ordained monks and lay people alike, the possibility to attend «The Path of Progress - Conscious Ethics Programme». The programme, now co-organised with the International Buddhist Society, is based upon the Manghala Sutra (The 38 Blessings for Life) and teaches participants about the value of ethics and peace in daily life. The Dhammakaya Foundation is also responsible for the construction of the Dhammakaya Cetiya Temple, one of the largest Buddhist Stupas in the world: a symbol of world peace and an inspiration for all people of the world studying the path to enlightenment. Like a historical stupa, it is a place in which the presence of all the Buddhas and their virtues of wisdom, compassion and purity are felt especially strongly. The Temple, which is the central landmark of the World Dhammakaya Complex is designed as a hemispherical dome surrounded by sloping terraces extending to 108 metres in diameter at the base. The dome and its two levels of terrace represent the untiy of the Triple Gem in which all Buddhists take refuge - the inseparable unity of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The dome contains relics of the Buddha and a 4.5 metre high Buddha (Dhammakaya) image, cast from 14 tons of sterling silver. The dome and the concentric terraces are covered with a total of 300,000 18cm high Buddha images cast in silicon bronze. A further 700,000 such images are in the process of being installed inside the Dhammakaya Cetiya. The outer terraces provide a shrine which seats up to 100,000 monks and novices. The meeting area around the Cetiya forms another centric ring and is an open air assembly place for congregations of up to one million people. Beneath the ground, a total of 3,333 foundation pillars support the weight of the pagoda. A further 100,000 platform pillars reinforce the Cetiya - another of the special innovative engineering techniques and materials used to help the structure withstand the test of time.
New temple Inauguration
On the 22nd of April, to coincide with the UN Earth Day, the official inauguration of the Dhammakaya Cetiya Temple will be held. On the preceeding day, 30,000 novices will be present at the Temple to take monastic ordination vows. Lama Gangchen has been requsted by the Dhammakaya Foundation to be present during these celebrations to offer his unique peace message to those assembled. |
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