Special UN event to mark 2600th Sambuddhatva Jayanthi

The United Nations held a special event organized by Sri Lanka's Permanent Mission to mark the 2,600th anniversary of the Enlightenment of the Buddha and to recognize the Day of Vesak as millons of people across the globe celebrate the Birth, Enlightenment and Passing of the Buddha, states a United Nations Information Centre release. Paying tribute to the Buddha's teaching at the event UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon said Buddhism and the United Nations share the goals of peace, dignity, and human rights for all people.

"The Buddha's teachings may be twenty-six centuries old, but they are as powerful as ever today," Ban said addressing the gathering. Ambassadors from the participant countries also addressed the event at the UN headquarters.

"This year's theme of socio-economic development may sound modern, but its core is the very problem of human suffering that Siddhartha Gautama sought to address more than 2,500 years ago when he left his palace, relinquished his worldly possessions and went out into the world," Ban said in his message. The special event themed around building peace was organized by the Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Palitha Kohona in cooperation with the Permanent Missions of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philoppines, Korea, Thiland and Vietnam.

As part of celebrations, 500 Buddhist monks paraded the streets of New York for alms. The UN Secretary-General's full message reads: 'I am pleased to celebrate this auspicious occasion with you. It is a personal celebration for me, since my mother is a devout Buddhist. I remember being inspired by the teachings of the Buddha as a child. 'The wisdom of mindfulness, compassion and peace. These values guided me through my early years. And they were part of what motivated me to seek a career in public service'.

'Three years ago, I visited the Buddha's birthplace at Lumbini in Nepal. As I walked through the sacred grounds, I gave silent thanks for his teachings'. Buddhism and the United Nations share the goals of peace, dignity and human rights for all people.

That is why, more than ten years ago, the General Assembly passed a resolution on recognizing the Day of Vesak around the world.

At the time, the Representative of Sri Lanka quoted a famous saying of the Buddha: "One may conquer millions in battle, but he who conquers himself is alone the greatest of conquerors," This reminds me of the first words of the UNESCO Constitution, which states that, "since wars being in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed."

'In our world of conflict and war, the United Nations is building strong defences of peace. Through mediation, dialogue and diplomacy. Through removing the conditions that cause unrest, from hunger and poverty to inequality and injustice. And through our unwavering commitment to protecting our planet's environment. In this great effort, we can learn from the teachings of the Lord Buddha. Two thousand six hundred years ago, he advanced the idea that all people are interlinked.

'Today, we see how true that is. We are linked by air travel, mobile phones and social networks.

We are all vulnerable to threats like disease, environmental pollution and natural disasters.

We can only overcome these problems by banding together for our common humanity.