Vesak Buddha Purnima celebrated with great enthusiasm in New Delhi

Vaisakhya Buddha Purnima, the blessed day of the Birth, Enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha, was celebrated on 15th May by the Government of India, the Ministry of Culture of India and the International Buddhist Conference (IBC) at the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Auditorium (Janpath) in New Delhi.

The Vaisakhya Buddha Purnima was marked by a spiritual discourse and a spiritual talk on ‘Relevance of Buddhist Principles for Conflict Resolution’, which was attended by an eminent panel of Buddhist scholars-monks and experts in Buddhist philosophy.
Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs was the Special Guest of Honour, while Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Government of India, was the Chief Guest.

Venerable Gyaltsen Samten, a learned Buddhist nun, too addressed the gathering.

Geshe Dorji Damdul, Director of Tibet House, New Delhi, Professor Hira Paul Gang Negi, former Head of the Department of Buddhist Studies, University of Delhi, and Bimlendra Kumar, Professor of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi were the panelists for the discussion.
Two videos related to the exposition of the Holy Relics brought from India for the United Nations Vesak Day in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam four cities in Vietnam from Sarnath were screened at the ceremony. The exposition was organized under the themes of ‘Inspiring Buddhist Art and History in India’ and ‘The Life and Teachings of the Buddha’. The film was screened there as a documentary on the spread of Buddhism in Asia.

Although this year’s Vaisakhya Full Moon Poya falls on May 12, due to the sacredness and importance of the Vesak Day celebration in India, it is celebrated throughout the month of Vesak in India and all over the world.

At the end of the event, Dr. Damenda Porage, Chairman of the Foundation for Buddhist Brotherhood and Deputy Secretary General of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), delivered the vote of thanks.

The day’s celebrations concluded with a cultural program hosted by Mrs. Alpana Nayak and her team.