VZC | World Peace Ceremony

20 SEPT

World Peace Ceremony via Zoom

Sunday, September 20, 2020 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Place: Vermont Zen Center

The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations in 1981. In 2002 the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace. We hold our ceremony on a Sunday as close to that day as possible.

The World Peace Ceremony begins with a chanting service, which is followed by quote about peace and then the recitation of the names of all the world’s countries along with the Peace Prayer—“May Peace Prevail in [name of country].”

Please join us on this special day. All are welcome. The ceremony will be in both English and Spanish.

DOWNLOAD the two-page COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD.You will need to refer to this for the ceremony. This list is different from that of the World Well-being Ceremony.

Zoom start time & approximate end time

9:00 a.m. sitting | 10:00 a.m. ceremony | ends 11:00 a.m.
Who may come?

Out-of-town members and their family.
Dress code

Robe and, if you have one, your rakusu
Chants & where to find them

Three Treasures, Prajna Paramita, Kanzeon, Dai Hi Shin Dharani, Sho Sai Myo, Dharani of Jizo Bodhisattva, Special Eko, 10 Directions, Four Vows , Three Prostrations
Chants on this page | pdf of Countries of the World (not the same as the list for the World Well-being Ceremony)
Countries of the World

At the end of the chanting service, a short quote about peace will be read. After the reading, there will be a strike on the small keisu, and we will begin saying the peace prayer, "May Peace Prevail in ..." followed by the name of a country according to the list [download the pdf of Countries of the World]. So, the small keisu sounds, and we begin: “May peace prevail in Afghanistan,” (bell) “May peace prevail in Albania . . . ” (bell) until we come to the last country in the first section (in this case Bangladesh), after which the large keisu will sound and we will say together, “May peace prevail on Earth!” Another quote will be read, and we will continue as before. Please remember to wait for the small keisu before beginning the peace prayer.
ZOOM REGISTRATION