Officials and dignitaries of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha offer incense to Lord Buddha at the ceremony in Hanoi on May 29 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)Central Committee held a grand ceremony in Hanoi on May 29 (the 15th day of thefourth lunar month) to mark the 2562nd birth anniversary of Lord Buddha.
The event also saw the presence of Deputy PrimeMinister Truong Hoa Binh, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front CentralCommittee Tran Thanh Man, officials of ministries and central agencies, alongwith ambassadors and representatives of some foreign diplomatic agencies inVietnam.
At the ceremony, Most Venerable Thich ThanhNhieu, Vice Standing Chairman of the VBS’s Executive Council, read the messagethat Supreme Patriarch of the VBS Thich Pho Tue sent to Vietnamese Buddhistmonks, nuns, hermits and followers at home and abroad on the occasion of LordBuddha’s 2562nd birthday.
The message highlighted the VBS’s achievementsover the past years, which have upheld the Vietnamese Buddhism’s tradition ofstanding by the nation for thousands of years.
The Supreme Patriarch called on all VietnameseBuddhists to make unceasing efforts to help Buddhism continue playing animportant role in the great national unity bloc and national development andprotection.
[Photos: Procession of Buddha's relics on Hanoi street]
In his speech, Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh saidLord Buddha’s birthday celebration, also known as Vesak, is not only a majorreligious event in the spiritual life of Buddhists in Vietnam but also a globalcultural festival recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999.
He stressed the Party and State’s consistentpolicy of respecting people’s right to freedom of belief and religion andensuring religions are practiced in line with law and have their positivevalues promoted.
The VBS has developed in all aspects and continuallybeen connected with the country, he said, expressing his belief that the Sanghawill continue to carry out religious activities for the sake of people, thusaffirming the pre-eminence of Buddhism and deserving Buddhists and people’strust.
He added he hopes that the VBS will remain animportant bridge linking overseas and domestic Buddhists in order to contributeto the country’s development.
Also on May 29, the VBS held a similar ceremonyin Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate Lord Buddha’s 2562nd birthday.-VNA
VNA
