At FAO Headquarters in Rome:

Commemoration of Vesak and 2600th Sambuddhatva Jayanthi

A commemoration of the Day of Vesak was held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, on June 3, 2011.

In keeping with the UN Resolution of February 8, 2000, recognizing the significance of the Day of Vesak as the most sacred day to Buddhists all over the world, as it marks the birth, the enlightenment and the passing away of the Buddha, the Day of Vesak was first commemorated at the FAO in the year 2004. Since then the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the FAO in Rome has been organizing Vesak commemorative events in FAO for the last few years.

This year's event was jointly organized by the embassy of Sri Lanka and the Royal Thai Embassy in Rome and was marked by its special significance given the historical milestone of the 2600th Sambuddhatva Jayanthi, celebrated worldwide to commemorate the message of goodwill, tolerance and peace enunciated in Buddhism.

The programme of the event included the alms-giving and a special Dhamma talk by Ven. Ajahn Ottama of the "Santacittarama" Buddhist Monastery in Rieti, Italy. Ven. Ajahn Ottama presented an enlightening talk on importance of Buddhist ideology and how Buddhist values and norms of conduct are still even more valid in our daily living not only as individuals but also as citizens comprising several communities.

It was followed by a very interactive discussion with the crowd on the Dhamma talk.