The 2008 Nashville Buddhist Festival is now over and we had a very nice event. The weather was perfect, as it has been every year so far. One challenge we faced this year was competition from an amazing number of free local events on the same day, especially the Celebration of Cultures at Centennial Park. This did cut into our attendance. However, the people who came to the Buddhist Festival were genuinely interested in learning more about Buddhism and participating in the many practices we offered.
One Dharma presented at 11:25, just after the opening ceremony. We had a nice crowd, and people seemed to enjoy the two meditations Kurt and I facilitated. Eight of our sangha took the stage later in the day to lead the Diamond Sutra Chant . We also had great support from our sangha in staffing the One Dharma table. Patsy created some “chocolate koans” that were really fun and instructive at the same time. We’ll be bringing the rest of these chocolates to the 12South Dharma Center for everyone to enjoy. We’ll also be offering Nashville Buddhist Festival t-shirts at the dharma center for $15, with $5 going directly to the dharma center to help support our wonerful practice space.
If you missed the festival, photos will be posted soon at www.nashvillebuddhistfestival.com.
I enjoyed this year’s festival. The speakers were informative, and the meditation and yoga were well presented. As my friend, Paul, said, you could feel the “presence” of the Buddha in this peaceful setting.
Thanks to all whose efforts made this event possible.
ps-This year’s tee shirt, with Lisa’s lotus flower painting on the front, is awesome.
Thanks Mike, for adding your impressions of the festival. So glad you enjoyed it.
To those who would like a t-shirt, you can still get them through the Buddhist Festival website, http://www.nashvillebuddhistfestival.com, or at the 12South Dharma Center, where several of our groups meet.