(TibetanReview.net, Nov11’24) –A delegation of top Vietnamese Buddhist leaders led by Ven Thich Tam Tri, Member of the Supreme Patriarch Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), has called on the Dalai Lama at his exile residence in Dharamshala, India, on Nov 8. And it asked him to send representatives of Tibetan Buddhism to attend Vesak, the most significant Buddhist festival, in May 2025 in Vietnam, reported the ANI news service Nov 10.
The VBS is the only Buddhist sangha recognised by the Vietnamese government.
“We requested his Holiness to send a delegation from Tibetan Buddhism from Dharamshala to attend an important Buddhist event to be hosted by Sangha from 6th to 8th of May next year and he has approved our proposal,” Ven Thich Nhat Tu, Vice President of VBS and Vice-Chancellor of Vietnam Buddhist University, has said.
He has further said: “We also requested his Holiness to authorise a Tibetan master to sign an MoU with VBS for long life cooperation between Tibetan and Vietnamese Buddhist. Apart from this we also requested him to allow us to translate some of his books so that Tibetan Buddhism can be read and viewed by more and more people in Vietnam and then we also requested him to live a long life for the benefit of people around the world.”
The 45-member Vietnamese Buddhist delegation visited Dharamshala after attending the Asian Buddhist Conference in Delhi last week.
Vesak, the day of the full moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions of Buddhists around the world. It was on the day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago, in the year 623 BC, that the Buddha was born. It was also on the day of Vesak that the Buddha attained enlightenment, and it was on the day of Vesak that the Buddha in his eightieth year passed away, the report noted, citing the United Nations.
The delegation was earlier received by the Secretary and Additional Secretary of the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at the Kangra Airport at Gaggal on Nov 7 and visited the visited the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives and Tibet Museum in the CTA complex.
The other members of the delegation were stated to included Ven Thich Tam Duc, Deputy Director of Vietnam Buddhist Research Institute and Executive Committee member of VBS; Ven Thích Bổn Đạt, President of Vietnamese Buddhist Association in Canada; Ven Thich Le Nguyen, President of Vietnamese Buddhist Association in UK; Ven Dr Thich Dong Thanh, Vice-Chancellor of Buddhist University in Hue City, Vietnam; Ven Dr Thich Giac Hiep; Ven Ngo Tri Vien, member of VBS; Bikkhuni Dr Dieu Hieu, Deputy Head of Pali Department at Vietnam Buddhist University; and Bhikhuni Dr Giac Le Hieu, Abbess of Vietnamese Temple in Korea.