The Mahabodhi Buddha Vihari will conduct the ‘Dhammapada Festival-2015’ to celebrate the 94{+t}{+h}birthday of Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita. A significant aspect of the festival is Maha Paritta Patha , a night-long chanting of Buddhist sutras for peace, happiness and protection.
Over 60 monks from across the country and the world, including the Mahamewanawa Buddhist Monastery in Sri Lanka, will chant sutras one after the other for 24 hours starting from 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 28, said General Secretary of the Bengaluru-based Mahabodhi Buddha Society (MBS), Ven. Ananda, at a press conference here on Thursday at Ananda Buddha Vihara Trust (ABVT) in Marredpally. It will start with Maha Paritta Patha and end with Patthana Patha (chanting of the Patthana from the Abhidhamma Pitaka ), followed by Dhamma discourse and meditation, he explained, adding that from February 28, ABVT would cease to exist as it was merged with the MBS. Interestingly, Maha Paritta Patha was taking place after a gap of a whopping 1,300 years in Hyderabad, said a Buddhist who was one of the founders of ABVT.