A call for Sri Lanka to play a bigger role in the international commemoration of Vesak
By Rajitha Weerakoon
A.G.S. Dayaratne, the newly elected President of the Kandy YMBA, while getting ready to launch the YMBA’s Vesak programme, dwelt on the UN Vesak Day of Observance being held in Vietnam.
He said that considering the history of the UN Vesak Day of Observance and the role played by Sri Lanka in initiating this milestone event, it is imperative that Sri Lanka plays an enhanced role in this internationally significant Buddhist event.
Mr. Dayaratne hopes to Initially submit the proposal to the Kandy YMBA. Thereafter, he hopes to follow it up and work in collaboration with other leading Buddhist organisations such as the Colombo YMBA and All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC.) He hopes the efforts will bring about a meaningful result.
An event that draws Buddhists across diverse nations, this year’s United Nations Vesak Day of Obervance hosted by Vietnam, was attended by 80 countries. Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayke, delivered the keynote address at its main ceremony.
Since 2000, the United Nations has observed twenty five days of Vesak observances at its New York Headquarters. And the global Buddhist community, through the International Council for the Day of Vesak (ICDV). has organised 19 UN Vesak Observances. Fifteen were held in Thailand. Vietnam is holding the fourth this year. Sri Lanka in contrast, had hosted just one. That too was as a result of the request made by the then Minister of Buddhist Affairs, Mr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, when he attended the ICDV in Thailand in 2016.
The history of the UN Vesak Day of Observance events goes back to the frequent visits made by the late Venerable Deranagama Kusala Dhamma Thero of the Sri Sanghabodhi Viharaya on R.G. Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 07, to his neighbour, the deceased Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. It was during these visits that he emphasised the importance of uniting Buddhists across diverse cultures and sharing the path towards compassion.
A past pupil of Royal College, Colombo, the Thero, with a Master’s Degree from the University of Kelaniya,founded Sri Lanka’s first Buddhist Media network and tv channel “The Buddhist.” During an interview prior to his untimely death at the age of 54, he identified the late foreign minister as the architect of the UN Day of Vesak. The Minister did not want it declared as a holiday but as a day of Buddhist observance. Buddhist compassion and understanding were needed for the service of humanity and the Buddha’s Teachings could provide today’s world with much needed guidance.
The thero had pointed out that the late minister also took it upon himself to announce to the world that Sri Lanka had been a country which practised Theravada Buddhism for over 2500 years and it continues to do so.
The late Foreign Minister, well briefed on the subject, based his proposal on the resolution passed at the World Buddhist Conference held in Colombo in 1998. The Conference, attended by Buddhist leaders and scholars from the world over, had acknowledged Buddha’s enduring influence on global ethics, spirituality and human development throughout history.
The Resolution highlighted the importance of Vesak as a global event that not only commemorates the Budha’s Birth, but also emphasises Buddha’s Teachings on compassion, non-violence and mindfulness – values aligned with global principles championed by the UN.
The unwavering efforts of the late Foreign Minister as well as Sri Lanka’s diplomatic and religious figures, led the UN General Assembly to pass Resolution 54/115 in 1999 which officially enshrined Vesak as a Day of International Observance.
The first International Observance under the UN framework was held on May 15th, 2000 in New York with 134 nations attending. Since then, UN had observed 25 Vesak Days at its Headquarters while the global Buddhist community through the International Council for the Day of Vesak has organised 19 observances. Fifteen were held in Thailand and four in Vietnam.
Sri Lanka’s only ICDV was held in 2017. Spearheaded by the late Kusala Dhamma Thero, its symposium had “Buddhist Teachings for Social Justice and Sustainable World Peace” as its theme which was participated by 750 delegates from over 100 countries. The thero explained that the theme was selected because the Buddhist view of equality and humanity was relevant today as it was 2600 years ago when the Buddha expounded it.
Held at the BMICH, it was participated by learned Buddhist prelates, religious leaders and over 850 local visitors. Among the visitors were Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhadari. The symposium closed in Kandy with the inking of the “Mahanuwara Declaration” at the Dalada Maligawa.
