People worship Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc's heart relic for the first time after 34 years

People can worship the heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc from 2:00 p.m. on May 6 to May 10 at Viet Nam Quoc Tu (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City).

The ceremony to pay homage to the heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc at Vietnam National Pagoda begins at 2 p.m. today until May 10. Many people, monks, nuns and Buddhists from all over have lined up early.

Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc immolated himself on June 20, 1963 at the intersection of Le Van Duyet and Phan Dinh Phung, Saigon (now the intersection of Cach Mang Thang Tam - Nguyen Dinh Chieu streets, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), leaving behind an immortal heart relic, symbolizing the spirit of compassion and wisdom of Buddhism and the tradition of the Vietnamese people.

At the area in front of the gate of Vietnam Quoc Tu, security forces and the Organizing Committee continuously used loudspeakers to guide groups to move into the temple yard in an orderly manner.

The area for worshiping the Heart Relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc is solemnly decorated on the ground floor of the main hall of Vietnam Quoc Tu. Visitors are not allowed to bring incense, candles, or take photos.

This is the first time people have been able to worship the heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, after 34 years of strict preservation at the State Bank of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City branch.

Along with the Buddha's relics - the national treasure of India - being enshrined for people to worship at Thanh Tam Pagoda (Binh Chanh District), this is a meaningful activity in the Vesak 2025 Festival taking place in Ho Chi Minh City.

In the middle of the room was an image of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc burning himself to death. Many people came to pay homage, clasping their hands in prayer before the relics, unable to contain their emotions. Each group had more than ten people, walked around the relics and then left for about 1 minute.

Before entering to worship, visitors must go through security check.

Inside the courtyard of the Vietnam National Pagoda, hundreds of people waited their turn to worship the relics.

According to the Organizing Committee, as of the afternoon of May 2, there were 1,088 delegations with nearly 50,000 people registered to worship the heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc.

In the grounds of Vietnam National Pagoda, many works, photo documents, and 1963 newspapers about Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc are solemnly displayed.

This morning (May 6), the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak opened with the theme "Solidarity and tolerance for human dignity: Buddhist wisdom for world peace and sustainable development".

On the morning of May 5, the ceremony of raising the 500 m2 Buddhist flag was held with the participation of thousands of monks, nuns, Buddhists and people. At the same time, the Organizing Committee opened the Buddhist Cultural Exhibition with the theme "Where art and spirituality converge" to celebrate the Great Festival. The heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc was brought from the State Bank of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City branch (District 1) to Vietnam Quoc Tu (District 10) for people to worship at 4:20 p.m. the same day.

Along with the heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, the Buddha relic (brought from India to Vietnam on May 2) are two treasures for people to worship during the 2025 Vesak Festival in Ho Chi Minh City. Up to now, the Buddha relic has completed the decoration at Thanh Tam Pagoda for people to visit and worship from 6:00 a.m. on May 3.

TH (according to Vietnamnet)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/lan-dau-nguoi-dan-chiem-bai-xa-loi-trai-tim-bo-tat-thich-quang-duc-sau-34-nam-410979.html