A day of ceremony and community gathering invites participants to reflect on wisdom, compassion, and the path to awakening.
(PRUnderground) May 8th, 2026
The Monastic Academy (MAPLE) will host its annual Vesak celebration on May 31, inviting community members, friends, and visitors to gather for a day of ceremony, connection, and celebration honoring the birth, awakening, and passing of the Buddha.
Observed by millions around the world, Vesak is a highly significant day in the Buddhist calendar. At Monastic Academy, the event is a deeply rooted annual tradition, one that blends sacred ceremony with joyful community gathering.
The day will unfold from early morning through the evening, with participants welcome to join at any point. Key moments include a morning Vesak ceremony, a Refuge ceremony for those formally committing to the Buddhist path, and a prostration walk in the afternoon to honor the land. Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear a Dharma talk by Soryu Forall, MAPLE’s head teacher.
Throughout the day, attendees will share meals, engage in conversation, and spend time reconnecting with others in the community. The celebration is designed as a living expression of practice, where ceremony, relationship, and shared intention come together.
“Vesak is a time of joy and connection,” said a Monastic Academy representative. “It brings together people who have been in relationship with our community at different times throughout the years, to share spiritual friendship and to celebrate the Buddha’s life and legacy.”
Vesak at MAPLE is considered a precious time to reconnect with friends, offering space for chanting, witnessing commitments to the spiritual path, receiving the teachings of the Buddha, and honoring the land that sustains the community.
The event is open to both experienced practitioners and those new to Buddhist teachings. Guests are encouraged to participate in whatever portions of the day resonate with them, making the gathering accessible while preserving the depth and meaning of the tradition.
Monastic Academy’s Vesak celebration reflects its broader mission to cultivate wisdom and compassion in response to the challenges of the modern world. By bringing people together in shared ceremony and community, the event offers a grounded and meaningful way to engage with teachings that have guided practitioners for centuries.
The Monastic Academy for the Preservation of Life on Earth (MAPLE) is a Buddhist training center that uses structures from traditional monasteries and engagement with the modern planetary crisis to develop a collective that can resolve the crises of the digital age. Its mission is to scale wisdom and compassion through emerging technologies in order to bring forth a society in which all beings can walk the path to enlightenment.
For more information about Monastic Academy, please visit monasticacademy.org.
To learn about the Vesak celebration, please visit https://www.monasticacademy.org/events/2026-vesak/.
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Original Press Release.
