Dharamshala — A group of Thai Buddhist monks have begun what they say will be a month-long march from Dharamshala to Manali, and then Leh, to promote and share peace among humanity.
Buddha Purnima is a Buddhist festival that marks the birth, enlightenment, and death of the spiritual leader, Gautama Buddha. This gazetted holiday in India is celebrated by visiting temples, listening to monks recite ancient verses, and some devout Buddhists may even spend their entire day visiting temples.
Certain temples display a small statue of Buddha as a child, and as the visitors pour water over the figurine, it symbolizes a brand new, pure beginning.
June 7th, 2017 being the last and final session of the three-day teaching series by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, was attended by an estimated three thousand Tibetan students, and also included the presence of a group of sixty Buddhist monks from Thailand, under the leadership of Hatyai Pharyatha Suthi.
This large group of monks attended the third and last day of Dalai Lama's teaching series, in order to receive His Holiness' blessings on the auspicious day of Buddha Purnima. These monks intend on marching through the towns of Manali and Leh in the Northern states of India. This march signifies an aspiration and advocacy of these monks for World Peace.
This isn't the first, but the second time when this group of monks has decided to march in the name of World Peace. The same group of monks committed to the promotion of World Peace marched to Leh on Buddha Purnima in 2016, after receiving the blessings of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
A participant of the march claimed, "We are participating in the march to promote and share peace among humanity. World Peace through peace of mind and meditation," which remains to be a comment in harmony with the teachings of the Dalai Lama himself.
President of Central Tibetan Administration Dr Lobsang Sangay also met them and greeted them success on the opening day of their peace march at the main temple in Dharamshala.
