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The year 2008 will be a memorable
year to Buddhism followers throughout the world because the United Nations
Day of Vesak (UNDV), one of the biggest religious and cultural festivals
of the United Nations has been solemnly organised in
Vietnam
, a peaceful and
hospitable country.
At the UNDV celebrations, the guests and international friends will
meet with Vietnamese Buddhists who have tolerance, love for religion and
life, together with a huge treasure of Buddhist heritage, from pagodas to
prayer-books and steles, which Vietnamese Buddhism had built up and
accumulated through almost 2,000 years of formation and
development.
Professor,
PhD. Le Manh That, Chairman of the International Organizing Committee of
the United Nations Day of Vesak 2008
The United Nations Day of Vesak is a
world cultural and religious festival of the United Nations to commemorate
the 2552nd Year of the Birth, Enlightenment and Passing Away of
the Buddha Gautama. At the previous celebration,
Thailand
invited guests from
about 60 countries. This time we invite about 570 delegations with over
4,000 delegates from nearly 90 countries and territories.
The theme of this year’s grand
celebration in
Vietnam
is “Buddhism and
Society: Justice, Democracy and Civilization”.
This is the first time
Vietnam
has been honoured to
host such a religious celebration of international stature. It is a
privilege and great responsibility bestowed on each Vietnamese Buddhist.
At the same time it shows the trust of the United Nations and
international friends in
Vietnam
, a peace-loving and
hospitable country having Buddhism with nearly 2,000 years of formation
and development.
Most Venerable Thich Thien Tam, PhD., Deputy Chairman
of the International Organizing Committee of the UN Day of Vesak
2008:
The presence of Buddhist delegations
from different countries in Vietnam shows the unity spirit
of Buddha’s children all over the world. Vietnamese Buddhists meet and
confer with Buddhists from other countries, with the sentiment of
brethren. So the international friends will understand more about the
religious activities and the Vietnamese State’s policies on religious freedom,
contributing to rejecting the long-existing preconception of some people
on the situation of religious freedom in Vietnam.
Thich Nu Khanh Thao, a student at the
5th training course
of the Vietnam Buddhist Studies Institute
in Hanoi:
Being
a disciple of Buddha, I am very glad to know that
Vietnam
will host the UNDV
celebrations. This is an opportunity for us, young students, to study and
learn more about the Buddhist cultures of other countries. It is also an
opportunity for us to introduce to international friends the achievements
of Vietnamese Buddhism, including our study at the Institute.
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The
Vesak celebration originates from Indian Buddhism. The Indian
Buddhists consider the month of Vesak (the name of the
4th month according to the Indian calendar)
a sacred month because on the full moon day of this month, there
were three events relating to the life and cause of the Buddha
Gautama (the Birth, Enlightenment and Passing Away). The Vesak
celebration is organised on the full moon day of the Vesak month,
equivalent to May. Since long ago, the Vesak celebration has been
organised in Buddhist countries, such asSri Lanka and
Thailand. In
Vietnam, the Buddha’s
birthday celebration is held on the 15th day of April
according to the lunar calendar.
With a view
to honouring the moral and cultural values and the thinking of peace
and unity of Buddha, at the request of 34 countries in the world, on
December 15, 1999, the 54th United Nations General
Assembly officially recognised the Vesak celebration as an
international cultural and religious festival of the United Nations,
which would be organised annually at the UN headquarters and centres
from the year 2000. |
Story by
Thinhnbsp;Phat, Van Quy, Thanh Hoa
Photos by Le Cuong, Minh Quoc, Trong
Chinh |