“His teachings inspire us, as nations and international community as awhole, to act in unison in finding possible solutions if we are toaddress the multiple and complex threats and challenges facing our worldtoday, including the climate change, environmental deterioration, thespread of deadly diseases, the persistence of crimes, conflicts and warsin many parts of the world,” Quang said in his statement at theSpecial Session of the UN General Assembly in commemoration of the UNDay of VESAK occasion.
The ambassador affirmed that inVietnam, Buddhism has been closely linked with the survival of thenation, whether in its rise and fall, and has become a part oftraditional and national culture.
Now, when Vietnamis practicing renovation and the market economy and the open-doorpolicy, Vietnamese Buddhism is proving indispensable, especially for themaintenance and improvement of ethical values of restraint and toreduce socially negative aspects, he said.
Quanghighlighted the fact that the Vietnamese Government has always givenfavorable conditions for Buddhism to make Lord Buddha’s teachings moreaccessible and widely known, to uphold and preserve the nationalcultural identity.
He said thank to this policy of theGovernment, Vietnamese Buddhism today has developed steadily with morethan 12 million Buddhist followers, over 40 thousand of monks and nuns;almost 15,000 temples, monasteries or places to worship Buddhist.Vietnamese Buddhism is proudly to have has 04 academies, 01 college, 32secondary schools and dozens of classes at primary level which trainover 5,000 monks and nuns each year. Vietnamese Buddhists alsoparticipate in many international fora, dialogues among religions andfaiths and exchange views on religious beliefs to build a society thatBuddha envisioned more than two and half thousands of years ago – asociety free from violence, hatred, for peace, harmony and toleranceamong all beings.
He called on Buddhists andnon-Buddhists alike to work together to translate Lord Buddha’steachings into reality for the common good and for the betterment of allhumankind.
In his message on Vesak Day, UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Kimoon stressed, “Now more than ever, we need the spirit ofnon-violence to help inspire peace and quell conflict.”
The Vesak Day was recognised internationally by the UN General Assemblyin its resolution 54/115 of 1999 to acknowledge the contribution thatBuddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made for overtwo and a half millennia and continues to make to the spirituality ofhumanity.-VNA
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