The Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA) in partnership with the Indian Consulate in New York and the Bihar Foundation of the East Coast chapter celebrated Buddha Jayanti on May.19 at New Jersey Buddhist Vihara, Princeton, NJ.
Buddha Jayanti is one of the most important Buddhist holidays, commemorating birth, enlightenment (nirvana), and the passing of Gautam Buddha (parinirvana). Bhante Vineeta, a monk from Bodh Gaya spoke to BJANA groups in the United States on this auspicious occasion, illuminating and directing all people toward enlightenment through the ideals and teachings of Buddha.
The event was attended by Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, Consul General of India, Shruti Pandey, Consul (Political, Press, Information and Culture) at the Consulate General of India in New York, Mongolian diplomats from the permanent mission of UN representative Chimguundari Navaan-Yunden and Jargal Enkhbat, as well as people from other Buddhism following nations like Sri Lanka, Nepal and members of the Indian Diaspora from various Indian Community Organizations.
Speaking on the occasion, Consul General Pradhan extended warm greetings and best wishes to all the Buddhist followers and congratulated BJANA and the Bihar Foundation for leading the Indian community and people from Nepal, Sri Lanka and Mongolia to celebrate Buddha Jayanti together. He emphasized that the teachings of Buddha continue to inspire and guide everyone towards a path of peace and harmony.
BJANA president Sanjeev Singh welcomed the attendees and thanked everyone for being a part of the celebrations. The event started with the parikrama of the Lord Buddha statue, followed by poem recitation on Yashodhara, Buddha’s wife, Kathak dance performance by the students of Rutgers University and a Nepali song recital.
On behalf of FIA, president Dr. Avinash Gupta congratulated and thanked BJANA, Indian Consulate and Bihar Foundation for organizing the event and getting all communities together. Alok Kumar, chairman of the Bihar Foundation east coast chapter, spoke on the importance of Buddha’s teachings and also highlighted the importance of tourism in Bihar and Buddhist tourist places like Bodh Gaya.
Sanjeev Singh, BJANA president thanked and expressed his sincere gratitude to the executive team, volunteers, and members of the community for their constant support and to help make this event a grand success.
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