The 2600^th Anniversary of Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanthi was celebrated by the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa, Canada, together with the Sri Lankan expatriate community at the official residence of the High Commissioner.

To mark the event, the High Commissioner and the staff organized a “Pirith Chanting Ceremony” followed by an ‘alms giving’ to the Buddhist priests of the three Sri Lankan temples in Ottawa on 16^th May and 17^th May 2011. Dhamma sermons were conducted by Venerable Panditha Brahmanagama Muditha Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Buddhist Congress of Canada (Hilda Jayewardenaramaya), Venerable Kekanadure Hemalankara Thero of the Theravada Buddhist Centre and Venerable Dr. Walasmulle Siri Sumana Thero, Chief Incumbent of Ottawa Buddhist Vihara.

A special feature at the Pirith Chanting Ceremony was the participation of two Sri Lankan Catholic priests, Reverend Father Freely Muthukudaarachchi and Reverend Father Romesh Lowe.   In a brief address Reverend Father Muthukudaarachchi spoke of the importance of the message of Vesak which is applicable to all communities and religions.

In her address, High Commissioner Chitranganee Wagiswara noted the significance of the 2600^th Anniversary of the Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanthi on the Vesak Poya Day of this year. She also highlighted the important activities being carried out in Sri Lanka under State patronage to celebrate the event.

The official residence was colorfully decorated with Vesak lanterns and Buddhist flags by the devotees.

At this occasion, Dr. Piyasena Hapuarachchi, the President of the Buddhist Congress of Canada (Hilda Jayewardenaramaya) handed over a cheque for C$ 800/= to the High Commissioner which is a donation to be sent to the flood affected victims in Sri Lanka.  The temple organized a function last month to raise funds for temple activities and also to donate funds towards the flood relief efforts in Sri Lanka.

According to senior members of the expatriate Sri Lankan Community, this is the first Pirith Chanting Ceremony held in Ottawa to celebrate Vesak at the official residence with their participation.

Sri Lanka High Commission

Ottawa, Canada