The Buddha's Birthday is an important day of celebration for Buddhists around the world. The holiday is traditionally celebrated in most of South and East Asia to commemorate the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama. He founded Buddhism and is also known as the Gautama Buddha. The Buddha's Birthday is a holiday for Buddhists to celebrate and reflect. This immersive event will include the following:

• Storytelling: Participants will learn about Buddhism and the life of Gautama Buddha with Anu Sehgal of The Culture Tree.
• Mindful Meditation Session: Tashi Chodron will teach participants essential meditation practices.
• Momo Tasting and Demo by Tashi Chodron and Himalayan Pantry Inc: Learn about the foods and cuisines of the Tibetan community. Enjoy a demonstration of momo making and taste them for yourself! 
• Mindful Music Session: Enjoy the classical sounds of Raga Kids, featuring Neel Murgai on sitar and Roshni Samlal on tabla.
• Arts and Crafts: Experience various activities from all over Asia, including a live Mandala demonstration by Apnavi Pareek. Participants will also have the opportunity to make their own Mandala! Also, create your own paper lantern! 

Join us for an interactive afternoon for the whole family!

Speakers and Performers

Anu Sehgal is the Founder of The Culture Tree, a company that promotes South Asia's languages and diverse cultures. She is a marketer by profession. She holds an MBA from Yale University and has worked in the corporate sector for almost 15 years. She is also a children’s book author and loves writing stories about Indian culture and languages.

Tashi Chodron is a lay Buddhist practitioner. She is one of the first women of her generation in exile to receive the entire teachings of the Vajrayana path directly from HH Penor Rinpoche (one of the greatest masters of the 20th century), including Ngondro—preliminary teachings, Tsalung and Dzogchen, the pinnacle teachings of the Great Perfection. As the Himalayan Programs and Communities Ambassador at the Rubin Museum of Art, Tashi has taught Awakening Practice and Awakening Wisdom Experience mindful meditation classes and educates university students and adults through gallery tours and classes on Himalayan Art and Culture. Tashi is the founder and current director of Voices of Tibet, an organization dedicated to conducting interviews with Tibetan elders to save their stories for many future generations and to educate the world about Tibet. She is also a board member of the UN Women’s USA NY Chapter.

Raga Kids combines multi-lingual songs and Indian Classical instruments to show kids the awesomeness of Raga music! Raga Kids presents original music and sing-alongs focusing on the culture of India and the US together, as well as the Indian equivalent of Do-Re-Mi and the language of the Tabla, in harmony with classics from the American kid's songbook. Raga Kids has been a Brooklyn mainstay for over 7 years, having performed concerts at BAMKids, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Philadelphia Please Touch Museum, Asia Society, and the Brooklyn Public Library. 

Partners

The Culture Tree provides South Asian-themed educational and cultural programs that enrich the lives of children and their families and promotes a deeper connection with their roots and the world around them. They partner with museums, galleries, schools, and libraries to implement classes and programming, including key festivals and events, puppet shows, bilingual storytime, mindfulness, and language classes in South Asian languages.