4/14 Celebration of the Arrival of the Pali Canon in Gelman Library
The Celebration will be held from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on April 14 in Melvin Gelman Library, Room 207 – 2130 H Street NW Washington DC. Light refreshments will be served.
The Melvin Gelman Library’s purchase of the complete collection of 47 volumes of the Buddha’s teachings, also known as the Pali Canon, and its accession to the reference collection is a significant literary and academic event. The acquisition will be celebrated with a traditional ceremony, similar to those performed in Tibetan monasteries when a new Canon arrives. Proceeded by music and incense, a procession of students will bear the new Canon into the library. Theravada and Mahayana monastic scholars will chant prayers, and Jack Siggins, University Librarian, and Professor Alf Hiltebeitel, Chair of the GW Department of Religion will make welcoming remarks. The ceremony will conclude with a ritual opening and reading of the Canon. Access to the complete English translation of the Pali Canon will substantially improve opportunities for student and faculty research in Buddhist studies. The celebration of the Canon’s arrival is co-sponsored by the Melvin Gelman Library and the GW Department of Religion.