Gelman Library's photostream

1. Children in Soweto, 2. Man's Best Friend, 3. Streets of Pyongtaek, 4. Park Street, 5. Children of Nepal, 6. Oasis, 7. Procrastination, 8. Teachers at Primary School, 9. Sunset at Palau Tiomen, 10. Fight to the Death, 11. Let's Eat, 12. Blue Bike and Rain, 13. The End of the Candles, 14. Orchid Trio, 15. Shadows of the Past, 16. Tribute to Fatima

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

The celebration of the Canon’s arrival is co-sponsored by the Melvin Gelman Library and the GW Department of Religion.
Stephen Mandeville-Gamble, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Scholarly Communication
Professor Alf Hiltebeitel, Chair Department of Religion
Professor Reverend An-e Kun-ga Cho-dron, Assistant Professorial Lecturer
Deborah Gaspar, Instruction and Collection Development Librarian

Photo by Deborah Gaspar.

The ceremony concluded with a ritual opening and reading of the Canon.

“May the wisdom which arises
From study, contemplation, and meditation
Ever increase from height to height,
And flourish forever throughout the world.”

Photo by Deborah Gaspar.

Each participant was invited to open one of the 47 volumes. When Venerable Lama Kal-sang Gyal-tsen rang the bell, they all simultaneously read aloud from the various books in a full speaking voice. Reading continued until Lama Kalsang rang the bell again to signal the end.

Photo by Deborah Gaspar.

This ceremony coincided with National Library Day. Access to the complete English translation of the Pali Canon will substantially improve opportunities for student and faculty research in Buddhist studies.

Photo by Deborah Gaspar.