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The ceremony to support the preservation of palm-leaf manuscripts and the production of the Dhammachai Tipitaka Series was held in the Kaewsarapadnuk Room 2 at Dhammakaya Temple. The event began with a meditation session, followed by a blessing from the Sangha community led by a presiding monk. Afterward, supporters respectfully offered alms to the monks, including manuscript wrapping cloths, preservation kits, journals, and copies of the Tipitaka. The wrapping cloths and preservation kits will be used in the process of manuscript cleaning to prolong the life of these valuable ancient documents, which will serve as primary resources for creating a critical edition of the Pali Canon in digital format and for other in-depth studies.
Monks and lay staff from DTP assembled at Sakae Temple to present manuscript wrapping cloths as offerings. The event commenced with a three-round procession of circumambulation, followed by the presentation of manuscripts wrapped in fresh white cloths atop the originals. Lastly, all participants enthusiastically joined in storing the manuscripts in cabinets.
In a solemn ceremony, monks and lay staff from DTP gathered at Sawang Arom Temple to present manuscript wrapping cloths as offerings. The event commenced with the abbot leading a procession of three rounds of circumambulation, followed by the presentation of palm-leaf manuscripts, each adorned with fresh wrapping cloths.
In a grand gathering at the Dhammakaya Assembly Hall, thousands of lay supporters came together to offer the critical edition of the Pali canon known as the Dhammachai Tipiṭaka Series to the monastic community. The event commenced with a period of meditation, followed by the formal Pali canon offering ceremony. To conclude, the presiding monk led the assembly in making resolutions and spreading loving-kindness.
Since wrapping cloths serve as a protective shield for ancient palm-leaf manuscripts, shielding them from potential damage caused by rain, sunlight, pets, and other factors, the DTP undertook the preservation of these hundreds of precious documents. This involved the careful cleaning of the original, fragile wrapping cloths followed by the application of new ones. This preservation process is certain to significantly extend the lifespan of these manuscripts, which have been in existence for over a century.
DTP staff members organized a robe offering ceremony at Wat Sai Yai in Sai Noi District, Nonthaburi Province as part of the 11th Dhammayatra Project. This annual event saw the participation of thousands of Buddhist monks during the Dhammayatra procession, which took place from January 2nd to January 31st.
Volunteers from Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University participated in the Palm-Leaf Manuscript Preservation Program. They diligently assisted in cleaning the manuscripts preserved at Wat Yan Ang Thong and organized them systematically by category. This volunteer program not only provided students with a valuable learning experience but also instilled a sense of appreciation for their country's cultural and religious heritage in the younger generation.
DTP staff members and students from Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University participated in a ceremony to offer manuscript wrapping cloths to the monastic community of Thongpu Temple in Ayutthaya. These new cloths were intended to replace the old ones, which had been damaged by the great flood in 2011, in order to safeguard the precious writings from potential harm caused by light and dust.
The Dhammachai Tipiṭaka Project organized a ceremony to mark the auspicious 10th anniversary of the project. Lay people who have supported the project gathered at the DCI Center for Buddhist Studies in Bangban. During the event, they visited an exhibition, participated in a procession to present palm-leaf manuscripts from four traditions (Khom, Tham, Sinhalese, and Burmese), engaged in meditation, and received blessings from monks.
Representatives of donors and DTP staff offered a palm-leaf manuscript cabinet to the abbot of Duang Dee Temple in Chiang Mai. The gesture was made in appreciation for the temple's generous permission to digitize 27 bundles of palm-leaf manuscripts preserved in the temple's library during the period from June 13 to August 20, 2018.
Representatives from DTP embarked on a journey to offer eight palm-leaf manuscript cabinets in the provinces of Lamphun and Chiang Mai. On March 5, the first two cabinets were presented to Wat Sitthi Song Tham and Wat Pratu Pa in Lamphun Province. From March 6 to 8, the remaining cabinets were offered to six temples in Chiang Mai, including Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Methang, Wat Nantharam, Wat Saen Fang, Wat Phra Singh, and Wat Sitthi Songtham.
Six years following the official signing of the MOU between DCI and three universities in Myanmar (SPSU of Yangon, SPSU of Mandalay, and ITBMU) in 2011, the digitization of palm-leaf manuscripts archived at the Research Library in Kaba Aye, Yangon, has reached its completion. On this significant occasion, Ven. Thanavuddho, Director of DCI, presented the Director of the Research Library with a copy of the manuscript image files and a complete set of digitization equipment. This equipment included a high-resolution camera, a light meter, a photography shooting table, studio lights, and a laptop equipped with digitization and editing software.