Service Will Mark Buddha’s Birthday

A multiethnic service observing Buddha’s birthday will be celebrated next Saturday in Los Angeles, part of the first step by American Buddhist leaders to pick a common date for the annual observance.

The holiday, also known as Wesak, will begin at the Los Angeles Vietnamese Temple at 10 a.m. with a procession of priests and monks of varied traditions in Buddhism.

Opening remarks will be by the Venerable Thich Man-Giac, the temple’s spiritual leader, and the Venerable Havanpola Ratanasara, president of the sponsoring Sangha Council of Los Angeles. The Venerable Pannila Ananda, a Sri Lankan Buddhist, will speak.

Ratanasara said that the newly formed American Buddhist Congress has resolved to seek agreement on a common day each year for joint celebrations. This year, the cooperating Buddhist communities in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles picked May 28 as the appropriate date for joint ceremonies. Individual temples will be having their own celebrations the next day.

Ratanasara said the American Buddhist Congress now has about 60 member organizations nationwide--up from about 45 at its formation last fall in Los Angeles.