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Sunday, 10 May 2009

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Discovering the rich legacy of Buddhism..

International Buddhist Festival:



International workshop on ‘Buddhism and films’

A three day workshop (from May 10-May 12, 2009) will be a prestigious event with a high academic input to it. Local and foreign scholars will form the panel and main speakers.

Although the focus of the workshop is primarily on Buddhist themes and communication, general subject matters such as script writing, film editing etc. will also be covered during the workshop.

An eminent panel of resource personnel will take part in the workshop.

The International Buddhist Festival which is being held at the BMICH from May 9 to May 12, 2009, offers a unique opportunity for Sri Lankans as well as foreigners to discover the rich legacy of Buddhism.

The Festival will set the precedence for the Buddhist Resurgence that will take place in 2011 the year which marks the 2600 anniversary of the Enlightenment by ascetic Siddhartha.

Homespun tradition of Sri Lankan Vesak

Over the years Sri Lanka has evolved its own tradition of Vesak with its unique traits of Sri Lankan culture. The Vesak Full Moon Day marks the Birth, Enlightenment and the Passing Away of the Buddha. Sri Lankan Buddhists celebrate the day with colourful religious ceremonies on one hand and practising the Dhamma on the other.The serenity of the evening of the Vesak is further enhanced by the flickering flames of earthenware oil lamps which are arranged in different deco from cajan-thatched huts of the farmers to the Buddhist temples and the street corner and the gateway to the temples are also lit up with oil lamps.

Chithrapata Dansala / Buddhist Film Festival

Chithrapata Dansala, the exhibition of local and foreign films on Buddhist themes will be a novel feature where the visitors could watch films. The Buddhist Film Festival is made up of three segments; local and international film festival local short film competition, international short film competition, mobile short film competitions and Feature Film Exhibitions and International workshop on Buddhism and Films.

It will also be a venue where would be filmmaker will meet would be sponsors and financiers. The festival will have a special booth, where the would-be-film makers who could meet would-be financiers and sponsors. With the inaugural film festival, the Buddhist Film Festival intends to expand its scope making it the international film festival for films on Buddhist themes. The festival has already attracted a large number of foreign films produced on Buddhist themes in addition to a considerable number of scripts.

The festival organisers are of the view that by 2011 Sri Lanka will be a hotspot on the international cultural map for filmmaking particularly on Buddhist themes.

In countryside, one could see the devotees in immaculate white observing Sil (precepts) and reading out ancient Buddhist texts such as Sadharmaratnavaliya (a devotional book full of stories) and Jataka Stories (Buddhist parables) to the eagerly listening children. Apart from intense religious ceremonies, Pandols depicting the Jataka Stories (Stories from Buddha’s previous existences), puppet shows and drama on Buddhist themes have also become part and parcel of the celebrations. Another significant aspect of Sri Lankan Vesak is Dansala (food and beverage stalls).

Dansala set up by community organisations and diverse Buddhist youth clubs in the villages as well as in cities and suburbs, serve visitors and devotees with food and beverages free of charge during the Vesak.

Vesak 2009- birth of a festive tradition

The Vesak 2009 will, for the first time, set a convention for a unique cultural festival making Sri Lanka the focal point of celebrations. The activities include electronic pandals, water - fountains forming a stupa, devotional songs by film stars and other devotees, puppet shows , E-Vesak Card Exhibition, book and DVD fare.

The other principal activities include Vegetarian food festival, exhibition of art works and photographs or Buddhist themes, display of replicas of Buddhist sculpture and architecture, display of old Vesak cards, exhibition of Ola-leaf books; the process of making ola-leaf books from the treatment of the ola-leaf to blackening of the letter and meticulous decorations will be demonstrated live at the venues.

The ola-leaf books preserve the doctrine of Buddha for generations. Earlier the doctrine was handed down from one generation to another by word of mouth.

Jumbo screens will be set up to enable the visitors to see and hear themselves what is going on, from any location in the festival grounds. Special emphasis should be placed on a specific item of high significance.

Live performances at this Buddhist festival include a Ballet on a Buddhist theme, dramas by schoolchildren and the recital of Buddhist devotional songs. The children accompanying adults will be especially fascinated by puppet shows, presented by traditional groups, who possess high skills in this field. “Heaven and Hell” will be yet another area that will especially impress the children. The principle sponsors for the International Buddhist Festival are Light Asia Foundation, BMICH and the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka.

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