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Mon Buddhists participated in the Unity Walk

 

 

By Nai Sike Mon

MRC (Fort Wayne Branch)

Saturday August 29, 2009

 

A Unity Walk was conducted in Fort Wayne, Indiana on the 29 of August. The walk was sponsored by the Confluence: North-east Indiana Interfaith Alliance. The Interfaith Alliance was founded in Fort Wayne this year to celebrate the city. The Alliance plans to hold a religious festival partly similar to the International Festivals. This walk is a kickoff of the alliance. Michael Spath, a professor from the Indiana University and Purdue University of Fort Wayne (IPFW), said, “Fort Wayne is no more home to sole Christians but to nine religions. It obviously becomes the city of faiths.” Michael is a co-founder of the Alliance and the organizer of this Walk.

 

At 09:30 am, Nine religious communities namely Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Art Traditions, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Sikh, Unitarian met at the Courthouse green reading scriptures and saying words of admiration. After that, all the communities marched to the Headwaters Park. The walkers stopped at the west side of the wooden bridge of the St. Mary River. There, Venerable Ravika, a Mon Buddhist monk, preached on behalf of all communities.

 

“See the confluence of three rivers in Fort Wayne. They come together and they serve for the city of Fort Wayne. Let’s learn from the rivers. Let us come together to serve for the people of Fort Wayne,” said Ravika, “all rivers flow into the great lakes, seas and oceans. When they confluence there, they are one. They share just one taste that is salty. Just like that, when all the religious communities come together, unity is there. They share only one taste that is peace. Only peace can bring happiness and prosperity for us.”

 

After That, Vish Gurudatt, the Hindu leader and one of the organizer of the event, chanted some Hindu verses. Finally all communities walked onto the bridge and combined their water with other faith communities by mingling it into a pot and pouring it into the St. Mary River. The Unity Walk Event ended at 10:40 am.

 

In the event, some communities brought canned goods for the Associated Churches’ food pantries. Some communities brought pots of water and some held posters. From Mon Buddhist community, Venerable Ravika, Venerable Indaka, Nai Mon Jhai, Nai Sike Mon, Nai Chan Thein, Mehm Chan Roh, Mehm Aong Hong, Mehm Mong Wan, and Mehm Vidyamon, Poe Poe Chan have participated in the event. After the event, Mon participants were introduced to the organizers and other communities’ leaders.