Religion always accompanies the nation

At the same time, it is a vivid demonstration of the consistent policy of our Party and State on freedom of belief and religion - a basic human right that has been respected, protected and promoted in practice.

The 20th United Nations Vesak Celebration was organized by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Ho Chi Minh City from May 6 to 8, and was the fourth time Vietnam had the honor to host it, with the participation of over 2,700 domestic and international delegates, including many heads of state, leaders of countries, representatives of the United Nations, more than 1,350 international delegates from 85 countries and territories, along with tens of thousands of monks, nuns, Buddhists and people with Buddhist beliefs around the world, thereby becoming a special occasion for Buddhists around the world to meet, exchange and share Buddhist thoughts and teachings in building a world of peace, happiness and sustainable development.

President Luong Cuong attends the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak at the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Ho Chi Minh City in Le Minh Xuan commune, Binh Chanh district. Photo: Thanh Vu-VNA

The ceremony took place at a very special time when the entire Vietnamese people have just solemnly celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025) and are actively preparing to enter a new era, an era of strong development and prosperity of the nation. In that joyful and proud atmosphere, the Vesak flag, a symbol of noble humanistic ideology, of peace, friendship and international cooperation, was once again raised high, flying in the sky of Vietnam, a peace-loving country.

With the theme “Solidarity and Tolerance for Human Dignity: Buddhist Wisdom for World Peace and Sustainable Development”, the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak has conveyed a strong message about the value of tolerance, dialogue and harmony among peoples and religions in the turbulent modern world. Vietnam, as the host country, has demonstrated its professional organizational capacity, hospitality, national solidarity and goodwill for international cooperation. This is not only a major event of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, but also an opportunity for Vietnam to introduce to international friends the image of a peace-loving country with friendly, cohesive people who live in harmony and respect each other, thereby Vietnam once again affirms to the international community the correctness and humanity of its current religious and belief policies.

Many domestic and international delegates attended Vesak 2025. Photo: Thanh Vu-VNA

In his opening speech at the 2025 United Nations Vesak Festival, Vice Supreme Patriarch - President of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, President of the National Organizing Committee of the 2025 United Nations Vesak Festival, Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon stated that as a country with a long-standing Buddhist tradition and closely associated with the process of national construction and development, Vietnam is honored to organize the 2025 United Nations Vesak Festival in an atmosphere where the whole country is jubilantly celebrating the historic victory of the spring of 1975 to unify the country and during that historical journey, Vietnamese Buddhism is proud to have contributed to the heroic victory of the nation, contributing to the bravery and intelligence of Vietnam.

During his lifetime, beloved President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: "Vietnamese Buddhism and our nation have shared the joys and sorrows throughout thousands of years of history" and indeed, over the past 2,000 years, Buddhism has become an inseparable part of the cultural and spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. Through many ups and downs of history, Vietnamese Buddhism has always upheld the spirit of "protecting the country and bringing peace to the people", religion always accompanies the nation. The core values ​​of Buddhism such as patriotism, tolerance, awareness of goodness and compassion have permeated the souls and lifestyles of the Vietnamese people, contributing to the formation of the cultural identity of the Vietnamese nation - a culture imbued with humanity, kindness and harmony.

Candle-lighting night praying for national security and world peace. Photo: Xuan Khu-VNA

The Party and State of Vietnam always appreciate and create favorable conditions for religions, including Buddhism, to operate within the framework of the law, consistently implementing the policy of respecting and protecting the freedom of belief and religion of all people, ensuring equality, non-discrimination on the basis of belief and religion, and considering it an important foundation for building great national unity. The fact that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha is hosting the United Nations Day of Vesak 2025 shows that Vietnamese Buddhism is not only closely attached to the nation, but is also actively contributing to international Buddhist activities. The monks, nuns, and Buddhists of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha have been, are, and will continue to join hands with monks, nuns, and Buddhists around the world to serve the Dharma and humanity, for the common goal of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.

In the context of the world facing many conflicts, climate change, crisis of faith and moral values, the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak has spread a positive message of solidarity, cooperation, sharing and living together in mutual respect. The role of bridging Vietnamese Buddhism with the world Buddhist community not only contributes to enhancing Vietnam's position in the international arena but also deepens people's trust in the Party's leadership and the State's policies. The festival is also a great source of inspiration, awakening faith and arousing good energy in each person; affirming the core values ​​of Buddhism such as compassion, mindfulness and morality, capable of showing an effective and sustainable path to solving current global problems and challenges, from comprehensive human development, environmental protection, to building a solid peace; is a strong call to promote international cooperation to create a world of peace, justice and sustainable development for the common good of all humanity.

It can be affirmed that the success of the 2025 United Nations Vesak Festival continues to send a strong message that our country always respects and promotes religious values, encouraging religions to accompany the nation in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland, for a peaceful, developed, happy and sustainable Vietnam.

According to Hoai Nam (baotintuc.vn)

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/ton-giao-luon-dong-hanh-cung-dan-toc-post322705.html