(Back row, fifth and sixth from left) Ang and Loh posing with some of the representatives of the participating 45 Buddhist organisations. – ART CHEN/The Star
THIS year, the Selangor-level Wesak Day celebration will be held at Bodhi Park and Samadhi Vihara, two adjacent temples in Shah Alam, with the participation of 45 Buddhist organisations.
The three-day celebration will start at 8pm on May 3 and end at 4pm on May 6.
It will begin with a chanting and meditation session led by Venerable Mahinda Mahathero, the abbot of Samadhi Vihara, followed by a music performance and sharing sessions.
On May 4, offerings to Buddha as well as an exhibition of Buddhist-themed stamps and a showcase of the contributions of Buddhist groups to the state’s development will be open to the public.
The stamps are from the World Buddhist Stamp Gallery in Penang.
They showcase the religion’s heritage sites as well as images of Buddha from around the world.
Leong Hao Cheng, 20, from Multimedia University (MMU) Buddhist Society, is looking forward to enjoying the fellowship at the event.
“It will be a good chance to make new friends,” he said, adding that he was expecting an enriching spiritual experience.
MMU Centre For Lifelong Education and Learning Innovation director Prof Dr Wong Chee Onn said the event would greatly benefit youths looking for peers to help them progress in their spiritual journeys.
“When we announced that we would be arranging a bus to take some 40 people to the event, the offer was taken up in a short time,” said Prof Wong.
On May 6, the final day of the celebration, there will be a bazaar featuring vegetarian food like bibimbap, fried radish cake, caramel pudding, steamed buns and biscuits.
Devotees can also look forward to a free outdoor concert at noon featuring Malaysian artistes.
Volunteers preparing for the state-level Wesak Day celebrations.
Two craftsmen from Sri Lanka will demonstrate the art of writing on ola leaves, which are palm leaves used for traditional manuscripts.
Rela personnel along with 200 volunteers will be on hand to direct traffic and assist devotees.
The organising committee is chaired by Selangor exco member for trade and industry Datuk Teng Chang Kim, with Yayasan Belia Buddhist chairman Datuk Ang Choo Hong and Buddhist Missionary Society president Loh Pai Ling as joint chairpersons.
Selangor government, through its special committee for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (Limas), has been involved in the organising of the annual Buddhist festival since 2009.
Ang said the allocation for this year’s event was RM250,000.
Of this sum, RM20,000 will be given out to 100 needy students.
The allocation will also cover the 1,000 voucher booklets to be given free to the public at the food bazaar on May 6. Each booklet contains RM30 worth of coupons.
These coupons are printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper, showing the manufacturing process had been carried out in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
Unsold food from the bazaar will be collected and turned into compost to be used in the gardens of Bodhi Park.
Ang said, “Only two state governments are known to be actively involve in this annual Buddhist celebration – the Selangor and Penang governments.
“For Selangor, the state-level Wesak Day celebrations used to take place at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Building, where the state secretariat is located.
“Over time, the state felt that these events should take place at the ground level to fulfil the new concept which is, ‘go to the people, not make them come to us’.”
Last year, the state-level Wesak Day celebrations took place at the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat.
The working committee for this year’s event anticipates a turnout of about 2,000 people.
As part of the state’s goal to lower carbon emissions, those attending are encouraged to carpool and bring their own shopping bags, food and drink containers.
