IBAA organizes the Third International Tipitaka Chanting on the East Coast

On June 15, 2018, the International Buddhist Association of America (IBAA), the Cambodian Buddhist Society and hundreds of Buddhists mainly from Washington DC area as well as from across the United States attended the opening ceremonies of the Third International Tipitaka Chanting on the East Coast.

Present at the ceremonies were Ven. Phra Videsratanaporn, Chairman of the Board of Wat Thai Washington DC and Chairman of IBAA Board, Ven. Poeun Puth, Acting  Abbot of the Cambodian Buddhist Temple and Buddhist lay leaders led by Wangmo Dixey, IBAA President and Executive Director of Light Buddhadharma Foundation International in Berkeley, California, and  IBAA’s board of directors, namely , Dr. Sovan Tun and its Secretary General Mr. Prasarn  Manakul.  Mrs. Pattrawan Vechasart, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission and Counselor Phisek Panupat also represented the Royal Thai Embassy.  The Third International Chanting was scheduled from June 15 to 17 at the Cambodian Buddhist Temple in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Minister Pattrawan presented her appreciation to the IBAA, a Buddhist body intending to be a center of Buddhist’s voice advocating diversity and pluralism of religions in the United States as well as the Cambodian Buddhist Society in Maryland for organizing the third event with hope that it would provide standards of teaching of Buddhism that needed to preserve and protect the Pali Canon.  She also stressed on the role of Buddhism and mindfulness meditation in the American society that helped improve relationships and cognitive abilities such as thinking and creativity enabling better communication between cultures and lessening the rising costs of health care.  With growing adherents and teaching centers from across the United States and more American-born leaders reframing ancient principles, we owed much of the Mahasangha for Dhamma teachings searching for meaningful spiritual paths that offered wisdom and ways of reconciliation and peacemaking.