KENT – Mornings at the Chuang Yen Monastery in western Kent are quiet and peace-filled, and with the dawn of January first, it will be no different.
The Buddhist Association of the U.S. will continue its holiday tradition by sponsoring an Interfaith Prayer for World Peace tomorrow.
The president of the Buddhist Association of the United States, Bhikkhu Bodhi, invited area residents to “pray for our family, our friends, our nation, our neighbors and our planet. We are moving in one of two directions – increasing cruelty and violence as well as kindness and compassion.”
The priest said for mankind to survive it must empathize with the feelings of others by recognizing that “we all experience pain and pleasure as well as suffering and happiness. We must extend our sense of identity to others while removing their suffering enabling them to unfold their full potential.”
Representatives from religious groups including Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Bahá’í as well as local governmental leaders will gather and recite prayers and well wishes.
The prayer vigil gets underway on New Year’s morning at 10 a.m. at the Big Buddha Hall with a vegetarian lunch provided to attendees at 11:45 a.m. at the facility’s dining hall.
The Chuang Yen Monastery is located at 2020 Route 301 in Kent Cliffs, one mile from the Taconic State Parkway.
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