Buddha's 2,545 Birthday Celebrated
Ha Noi, May 6 (VNA) -- Buddha's 2,545th birthday was celebrated in Ba Da Pagoda in Ha Noi on May 6 (the 14th day of the fourth lunar month).
Most Venerable Thich Tam Tinh, Chairman of the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), and Buddhist dignitaries and followers attended the celebration. Also present were President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front's Ha Noi branch Pham Loi and representatives from the municipal authorities.
Most Venerable Thich Thanh Chinh, Vice Chairman of the Executive Council of the Ha Noi Buddhist Sangha read the VBS Chairman's message, calling on Buddhist monks, nuns and believers in and outside of the country to practise Buddha's teachings, thus contributing to the national development.
Ha Noi's Buddhist followers reviewed the historical significance of Buddha's birthday.
The 2,545th birthday of Buddha was scheduled to be marked at 524 pagodas in the city on the 14th and 15th day of the fourth lunar year (May 6 and 7).
THE BUDDHA'S 2545 BIRTH ANNIVERSARY IN NATIONWIDE:
On May 7, The Buddha's 2545th birth anniversary was celebrated with grand ceremonies in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and other localities across the country.
The Buddha's birth anniversary is observed on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month every year.
A function was organized at the Quan Su Pagoda in Ha Noi in the presence of the Most Venerable Thich Tam Tich, Patriarch of the Viet Nam Buddhist Church (VBC), and many other Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns and followers in the capital city and neighbouring provinces.
Also attending were President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee's Presidium Pham The Duyet; Director of the Government's Committee for Religious Affairs Le Quang Vinh, and others.
The function began with the reading of a message from the VBC leader by the Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, deputy president of the VBC's Executive Council. Many senior VBC dignitaries and Buddhists also spoke, expressing their dedication to the Buddhist doctrine and the nation's interests.
VFF President Pham The Duyet praised the outstanding contributions and services by Buddhist dignitaries and followers to Viet Nam's past wars for national liberation and present tasks of socio-economic development and socialist construction.
In Ho Chi Minh City, a solemn ceremony was organized at the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda with the participation of the Most Venerable Thich Tri Tinh, First Deputy Patriarch of the VBC's Shangha Council and President of the VBC's Executive Council; and more than 7,000 of Buddhist dignitaries and followers.
Buddha's birth anniversary was also celebrated at pagodas in the former imperial city of Hue and other localities nationwide with various functions including prayers for peace, prosperity and happiness, freeing pigeons, and presenting gifts for poor households.--VNA
