Writen by
sadataley
11:02 PM
-
0
Comments
The general secretary of the World Council of Churches Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has offered greetings to Buddhist partners in dialogue on the day of Vesakh which celebrates the founder of the faith, Siddhartha Gautama.
The 1st of June 2015 has been recognized by the United Nations as Vesakh Day.
In a letter addressed to Buddhist partners, the WCC general secretary said, “As you commemorate the birth, enlightenment and the passing away of Gautama Buddha on this festive occasion this is an appropriate occasion to be reminded of the growing need in today’s world to transform suffering into peace, joy and liberation – something which was at the heart of the Buddha’s teachings.”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki Moon, also offered greetings on the occasion of Vesakh. In his greeting Mr Ban Ki Moon said "The spirit of Vesakh can help to animate a global response to the challenges of our day. As the United Nations works for the adoption this year of a set of new sustainable development goals and a meaningful new agreement on climate change, we would do well to heed the Buddhist teaching that life and the environment are essentially one. "
The World Council of Churches has a longstanding commitment to developing inter-religious dialogue and cooperation with Buddhists.
Affirming that the Buddha’s teachings on generosity (dana) and compassion (karuna) assume much pertinence in a world of escalating consumerism which is confronted with the imminent danger of being obsessed with the self at the expense of the “other”, Tveit expressed the hope that this Vesakh will be “a time of well-being and wholeness for all - especially those struggling to overcome suffering in our world today”.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
No comments
Post a Comment