The Great Ceremony of Buddha's 2,568th Birthday on May 22 at the Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple. -VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY - On the morning of May 22 (April 15 of the lunar calendar) at District 10’s Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple, the Executive Board of the Việt Nam Buddhist Sangha of HCM City organised the Great Ceremony of Buddha's 2,568th Birthday.

Attending the event were HCM City officials, religious dignitaries, Most Venerable Thích Trí Quảng, Supreme Patriarch of the Patronage Council of Việt Nam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), members of the VBS and thousands of monks, nuns, Buddhists and followers in the city.

Most Venerable Thích Trí Quảng said that the Buddha's Birthday is an opportunity to review the Buddha’s noble life and teachings of selflessness, altruism, love and wisdom, which are not only a source of comfort but also offer solutions to transform personal suffering and create a peaceful environment for all.

"Monks, nuns and Buddhists pray with a united heart for all wars to end and hatred to disappear. With all the sacred meaning of the anniversary of Buddha's birth, I wish all Buddhists around the world to unite, live altruistically together with humanity, and create a world of peace and happiness," he said.

Venerable Thích Lệ Trang, head of the Executive Committee of the VBS in HCM City, read the 2,568th Buddha Birthday Speech of Most Venerable Thích Thiện Nhơn, Deputy Patriarch and Chairman of the VBS Executive Council, which reiterated Buddha's teachings: "Gratefulness to the Fatherland is the most sacred thing. A person who is grateful will have everything. A person without gratitude will lose everything."

"We are living in a peaceful, prosperous country, with a prosperous and happy life. Each of us needs to be grateful and respectful for the sacred sacrifices of countless generations of our ancestors to regain independence and freedom for the nation."

Trần Kim Yến, chairwoman of the City's Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee, sent best wishes to the clergies, monks, nuns and fellow Buddhists for a happy and joyful Buddha's birthday season.

Vietnamese Buddhism is always linked with the Fatherland and the people, and the dedication to serving the Dharma and the nation of the Venerable clergies and Buddhists is a big part of Việt Nam’s history, she said.

Over the past nearly 50 years, the monks, nuns and Buddhism followers in HCM City have contributed to building a good society, following the spirit of Vietnamese Buddhism of “Serving good deeds to sentient beings is the best offerings to the Buddhas.”

They have also been making Buddhism more prominent in the hearts of the nation and affirming the role of the VBS, an important member organisation of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front.

Yến expressed her trust that the VBS in HCM City will continue to foster unity and expand the VBS, promote the unique values of Vietnamese Buddhism, and strengthen the solidarity between Buddhism and other religions in Việt Nam.

The city's Executive Board of the VBS also donated VNĐ2 billion to support the “For the Poor” fund and the "For the national sea and islands – For the Fatherland frontline" fund.

Pagodas in HCM City have been celebrating the Buddha's 2,568th Birthday from May 15 to 22 with many activities, including parades and releasing paper lantern flowers. VNS