May This Year’s Vesak Day Bring Peace and Tranquility, President Jokowi Says

INDUSTRY.co.id - In observance of this year’s Vesak Day, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has delivered a message, expressing hope that the celebration will bring peace and tranquility.

Vesak is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists and Hindus in South and Southeast Asia, as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha in Theravada Tibetan Buddhism and Navayana.

“For my Buddhist brothers and sisters, the Vesak Day is celebrated at a time when the world is still combating the pandemic. Nevertheless, we all believe that there’s always light at the end of the the tunnel and easiness will come after adversity. I hope that peace and tranquility will always be with us,” the President tweeted on his Twitter account @Jokowi, Wednesday (26/05).

For the record, this year’s Vesak Day is celebrated by Buddhists around the globe on Wednesday (26/05) amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In the meantime, Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas applauded Indonesian Buddhists for celebrating the Vesak Day in a simple manner and by observing health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“Let me extend my appreciation to Buddhists for celebrating the 2565 Vesak Day in a simple manner in line with the Government’s advice and by following health protocols amid COVID-19 pandemic,” the Minister said, Wednesday (26/05).

Yaqut also appealed to Indonesian Buddhists to use this year’s Vesak Day as a momentum to maintain harmony and strengthen human brotherhood.

“Happy Vesak Day to all Indonesian Buddhists. I hope all Buddhists have a peaceful thought, speech and behavior as a manifestation of the light of truth in enhancing the quality of religious practices and mutual harmony,” the Minister said.

Buddhism is recognized as one of six official religions in Indonesia, along with Islam, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Hinduism and Confucianism. According to the 2010 national census roughly 0.8% of the total citizens of Indonesia were Buddhists and numbered around 1.7 million.