Under the 36 degree Celsius heat, mixed with showers that tested patience, the group of Buddhists inched their way towards the gate of Thanh Tam Pagoda (Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City). Each person had to queue for nearly 2 hours, before the cool air-conditioned breeze blew through the door and the sparkling stupa appeared before their eyes.
For Vietnamese Buddhists who have only "met" Buddha Shakyamuni through sutras and dharma talks, being able to see the Buddha's relics with their own eyes during the Vesak season is a special experience.
Welfare of the believer
On May 6, delegates from 85 countries flocked to the Buddhist Academy (Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) to attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 United Nations Vesak Festival. Buddhist flags were hung all over the streets to welcome guests.
In the grand ceremony grounds, a 500m2 large Buddhist flag was pulled high up by a hot air balloon, fluttering in the wind.
The Great Buddha Flag flutters at the 2025 Vesak Festival (Photo: Nam Anh).
Also on May 6, 62 years ago, the Ngo Dinh Diem government issued an order banning the display of religious flags right before the Buddha's birthday, sparking a wave of discontent among Buddhists in the South. A non-violent struggle for freedom and equality for Buddhism ensued, culminating in the self-immolation of Venerable Thich Quang Duc in Saigon on June 11, 1963.
More than half a century later, the country is no longer divided. The relics of the heart of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc are preserved and worshiped. The city where Bodhisattva burned himself is now the place where groups of monks, nuns, and Buddhists from 85 countries gather to attend the United Nations Vesak Festival. They bring to Vietnam their congratulations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of national reunification.
"The Party and State of Vietnam always consistently implement the policy of respecting and protecting the freedom of belief and religion of all people, considering it an important foundation for building great national unity," President Luong Cuong affirmed to delegates attending the opening ceremony of the 2025 Vesak Festival.
Vietnam today welcomes not only Buddhism, but also the diverse development of this religion. The opening hall of the Great Ceremony became a colorful space with monks from many countries, ethnicities, languages, traditions and sects.
Along the way to the Vesak Festival hall, Vietnamese Buddhists respectfully bow to foreign monks (Photo: Ngoc Tan).
Another Buddhist treasure that was also welcomed with great honor was the Buddha's relics from India. From Tan Son Nhat airport, the treasure was brought to Thanh Tam Pagoda, located next to the Vesak Festival grounds.
The Buddha's relics are enshrined in a high-ceilinged room on the ground floor of Thanh Tam Pagoda. The relics are placed in a wooden tower with intricate carvings and glass walls on all four sides. White flower garlands hang down from the four corners of the roof. Chrysanthemums and lotus flowers are arranged around them.
"Buddham saranam Gacchami..." the Pali chant resounded deeply and the incense smoke spread throughout the room. The chant translated into Vietnamese is: "I take refuge in the Buddha...".
The reverence for the relics made the people passing through the room try to walk slowly. Some people bent their backs, bent their knees, and hesitated to kneel in worship, but they couldn't because of the stream of people walking behind them. Outside the door, many people turned to face the relics and knelt in worship.
After 2 hours of waiting, the experience of walking around to worship the relics only lasted about 5 minutes. "It was the happiest 5 minutes," Thuy Dung, a Buddhist woman from District 6 who came to worship the Buddha's relics, shared with reporters.
Space for worshiping Buddha's relics (Photo: Organizing Committee).
The image of millions of people lining up to worship the Buddha's relics and the heart relics of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc in a joyful, loving and orderly manner, as Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh said, is a clear affirmation of the results in caring for the spiritual life of the people.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the success of the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak affirms many humanistic values and great achievements of the country and people of Vietnam, affirms the cultural tradition of peace, compassion, kindness, and love of peace of the Vietnamese people and the Party's correct policy of freedom of belief and religion.
Prayers for peace from a war-torn country
The United Nations Day of Vesak is the largest and most important annual event of the world Buddhist community. Not only is it a ceremonial and diplomatic event, it is also a major academic forum for researchers and experts to discuss the trends of the times and the development direction of Buddhism.
This year, the main theme of the festival is Solidarity and tolerance for human dignity. Buddhist wisdom for world peace and sustainable development. The scientific conference taking place during the Vesak Festival also revolves around this theme. In the nearly 1,000-page long summary of the conference, the keyword "peace" is mentioned more than 1,500 times.
Minister Dao Ngoc Dung attends the flower lantern festival to pray for world peace (Photo: Bao Quyen).
Sharing with international friends on the sidelines of the Vesak Festival, Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religions Dao Ngoc Dung said that Vietnam is one of the countries that has suffered the most from war. To gain peace, the country had to pay a great price with 1.2 million martyrs and 800,000 wounded soldiers. The wounds of war continue to last into the third generation.
"Therefore, Vietnam, more than anyone else, values and cherishes peace and freedom, including religious freedom," Minister Dao Ngoc Dung shared.
The head of the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions affirmed that the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak is also an opportunity to introduce a peace-loving, friendly, and united Vietnam to international friends, while affirming to the international community Vietnam's policy of respecting and protecting freedom of belief and religion.
On the evening of May 6, after attending the Vesak opening ceremony, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung and international Vesak delegates walked and meditated and lit 35,000 lanterns to pray for world peace. 12,000 people released lanterns together, sincerely praying for world peace, national peace and prosperity, and for humanity to overcome suffering.
"Mindfulness", "engagement", "solidarity", "healing"... are also the key words mentioned by scholars at the 2025 Vesak International Conference. In an effort to define the role of the Buddhist community in the face of social issues and global challenges, delegates adopted the Ho Chi Minh City Declaration.
The full text of the Ho Chi Minh City Declaration is 6 pages long with 6 agreed points, including: (1) Solidarity and tolerance for human dignity; (2) Nurturing inner peace for world peace; (3) Forgiveness, healing through mindfulness and reconciliation; (4) Buddhist compassion in action: Shared responsibility for human development; (5): Mindfulness in education for a humane and sustainable future; (6) Promoting solidarity, cooperative efforts for global harmony.
World peace lantern festival at Buddhist Academy (Binh Chanh district) (Photo: Bao Quyen).
The Ho Chi Minh City Declaration also acknowledged the strong transformation of Vietnam, especially witnessing the great achievements in all aspects of life, economic, cultural and social development... in which Ho Chi Minh City stands out after 50 years of national reunification. Vietnam's international position is increasingly enhanced and plays an important role in the region and the world.
"The 4th UN Vesak Celebration held in Vietnam allows us to see more clearly the rich, diverse, and free religious life in Vietnam. We clearly see the strong commitments and practical implementation of the Vietnamese Party and State in respecting and ensuring the freedom of belief and religion of all people," the Ho Chi Minh City Declaration stated.
As a historical meeting point, Ho Chi Minh City is the place to successfully organize two great ceremonies: the 50th anniversary of national reunification and the 20th United Nations Vesak Festival. International visitors to Ho Chi Minh City on this occasion witnessed a unified, prosperous Vietnam that values freedom and peace.
Dantri.com.vn
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/du-am-vesak-2025-niem-vui-chiem-bai-xa-loi-va-uoc-vong-hoa-binh-20250509153537256.htm
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