PURPOSE: the Day of Vesak is marked annually during the full moon of May, the aims of the day is to recognize the contributions Buddhism has made to human spirituality and culture for more than two and a half millennia; The Buddhists celebrates three important events—the birth, full awakening, and the passing away—of the historical Buddha Siddhartha Gautama.
FORUM: Visakha Puja, or the Day of Vesak, is the festival celebrating the birth, enlightenment and parinirvana (passing away) of the Lord Buddha. It falls on the full moon day of the month of Visakha or Vesak, the sixth lunar month, (which usually falls during the period May in the Gregorian calendar).According to the Theravada tradition, the three most important events in the life of the Buddha-his birth, his entry into enlightenment and his achievement of parinirvana-all occurred on the full moon day of Visakha. Aspects of the Dharma relating to the birth, enlightenment and parinirvana of the Buddha include gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #VesakDay, #Buddhism.
EVENTS: The United Nations International Day of Vesak 2023 will be celebrated on May 18th at U.N. Headquaters, in the United Nations offices, at UNESCO and in all the Buddhist Temples of the world. Sixteen Buddhist countries jointly agreed to organize activities on the Day of Vesak at the UNHQ New York, U.S.A., onwards. Each country act, in turn, as co-ordinator in organizing celebration of the Day of Vesak.
STATEMENTS: United Nations Secretary-General message on the Day of Vesak 2023, the Day of the Full Moon. and remarks by the United Nations General Assembly.
PODCASTS: WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE DAY?
The objectives wil be:
To promote among Buddhists an awareness of the importance of the Day of Vesak and of the central teachings and practices related to it.
To help the Buddhists develop skillful thinking and wholesome deeds on the Day of Vesak and to help them in developing their own social and personal lives to practice the central teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness.
To cultivate a positive attitude towards important days of the Buddhist calendar and to help men and women to see the value of living their life in accordance with the fundamental teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness.
To imbue Buddhists with faith and a realisation of the importance of Buddhism.
To help Buddhists to become good Buddhists and to perform their religious duties correctly.
WHAT WILL BE THE BENEFITS?
Buddhists will come to understand the importance of Visakha Puja with its fundamental teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness. Buddhists will come to develop a positive attitude towards Buddhism and to see the value of living a life in accordance with the central teachings of gratitude, the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness. Buddhists will come to be imbued with faith and to realise the importance of Buddhism. Buddhists will become good Buddhists who know correctly how to perform their religious duties.
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
On the 13th December, 1999 at the General Assembly of the United Nations, Session No. 54, Agenda item 174, proposed to the General Assembly members that it recognize the Day of Vesak as an international day, and make appropriate arrangements for international observance of Vesak at United Nations Headquarters and at United Nations Regional Information offices.
The U.N. General Assembly took into consideration the fact that Buddhism is one of the world's oldest religions and that, for over two and a half millennia, it has made, and still continues to make, a significant contribution to human spirituality.
GET INVOLVED!
Encourage peoples to celebrate Visakha Puja by to perform meritorious deeds as a way to prolong life, bring happiness and avoid suffering, sorrow, illness and unforeseen dangers.
Encourage others to observe the precepts, listened to homilies, to make offerings to individual monks and to the Sangha as a whole, offermeals to the monks and novices, and gave charity to the poor, the orphans, the helpless, the aged and the disabled.
Collect some money to purchase animals of four legs and two legs, turtles and fish to preserve their lives by setting them free, in the belief that such actions would prolong your own life and lives of the whole community".
PARTNERSHIPS
The International Day of Vesak is co-hosted by the ASEAN community, the U.N. Permanent Missions and the representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Chile, Cyprus, Grenada, Greece, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Seychelles, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States of America.
World Heritage Properties
Discover the cultural routes of the Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha and the Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur.