
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 5, 1994                    TAG: 9406040081 
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER                     PAGE: 14    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: 940605                                 LENGTH: Medium

TEMPLE MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF BUDDHA'S STATE OF NIRVANA

{LEAD} THE 2,538th anniversary of Buddha's entrance into Nirvana was celebrated May 28. Nirvana, the state of perfect blessedness, is achieved by the extinction of individual existence and by the absorption of the soul into the supreme spirit or by the extinction of all desire and passions.

The setting for the local Buddhist celebration was under the trees in the courtyard of the Chesapeake Buddhist temple.

{REST} Balloons and streamers were suspended from trees. Water gurgled from a fountain. Plywood cutouts of kneeling female followers faced a standing cutout figure of Buddha. Around his head was a ring of blinking lights.

Walkie-talkies made it possible for young Buddhist Scouts, dressed in gray shirts and wide-brimmed hats, to move quietly through the crowd as they hustled about seating guests.

At 11:30 a.m., with Barnes Street traffic roaring past, about 400 followers of Buddha sat quietly on chartreuse and gray chairs.

A barrel drum announced the entrance of two visiting monks. Three local laymen bearing trays of incense and candles completed the procession. As the group approached the podium, the worshipers stood.

While the monks knelt before Buddha, the believers solemnly folded their hands and lowered their heads. Young children milled about quietly through the trees. Some poked their fingers in water at the fountain. A small boy touched a balloon and was startled when it popped.

A drummer set a slow tempo for a solemn procession of teenage girls. Each wore traditional Vietnamese white or pale pastel high-neck dresses over matching slacks. One by one, the girls placed a fresh floral arrangement offering before a cutout of Buddha.

A group of Buddhist Scouts stood before a microphone facing the audience. As recorded music played, the scouts sang selections from the special celebration program in Vietnamese.

``This ceremony is so important because of Buddha's enlightenment,'' said Anada, one of the monks who came from Washington, D.C. ``. . . So we celebrate his good virtues, and we practice following his good virtues.''

It was Hien Nguyen, a 1983 graduate of Oscar Smith, who prepared and mailed 400 fliers informing Tidewater Buddhists about the special service.

Nguyen, a graduate of Old Dominion University and Georgia Institute of Technology, works for the Navy and is pursuing a doctorate in engineering.

``We had a Saturday night service,'' he said. ``It was like Christmas Eve. People came from the whole area to prepare for today's service.''

by CNB