Celebrate Buddhism at Tibetology

NAMGYAL INSTITUTE OF TIBETOLOGY TO HOST BOUDH MAHOTSAV FROM 16 TO 18 SEPT 
From Sand Mandala to Sowa Rigpa, an ancient Tibetan Science of healing, the three-day festival will showcase and highlight various facets of Buddhist culture and traditions.
The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok is organising a three-day Boudh Mahotsav/ Buddhist Festival in Sikkim from 16 to 18 September, 2014, under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The festival is intended to showcase some of the tangible aspects of Buddhism and promote the values of peace, non-violence, compassion and loving kindness practiced by the Buddha.
Preparations are on at NIT premises at Deorali to host this unique festival. Deputy Director, Kelsang Choden informs that all members of the NIT staff are busy preparing and working to make this festival a great success. Sikkim is hosting this festival for the first time while it has already been organised at Arunachal Pradesh this year and Meghalaya is also set to host the festival soon, she adds.
The Ministry of Culture has been promoting Buddhism in a big way, and this Boudh Mahotsav is part of its concerted efforts to promote Buddhism in the same land where the Buddha himself once preached.
It is fitting that the Buddhist Festival is being held at the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology that has, for over half a century, worked tirelessly to preserve, document and disseminate the knowledge of all the four Sects and Schools of Buddhism, as well as Bon. The Institute is today a centre for excellence in Buddhist studies in North East India.
Some of the events being showcased at the Buddhist Festival are: Lama chanting, Cham dance, Sand mandala, Butter sculpture, Thangka painting, and promotion of Sowa Rigpa, the Ancient Tibetan Science of Healing. The showpiece of the Buddhist Festival will be the NIT Museum which has a substantial collection of rare Buddhist artifacts. Additionally, folk dance troupes from seven states of India will be participating.
There will be a free Medical Camp where the Sowa Rigpa team from the Central University of Tibetan Studies, Saranath, Varanasi will see up to a maximum of 60 patients in a day and provide free consultation and medicines for a month.
Buddhism is more just a religion; it is a philosophy and a way of life. In this increasingly strife-torn world, the core concepts of Buddhism continue to be more relevant than ever. The festival is open from 10 am-5 pm on all three days.