The event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh, former Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son, who is a member of the VBS’s Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs, alongside a large number of Vietnamese Buddhists, as well as delegations of Buddhist organisations in Russia, especially, the presence of the Gyalwang Drukpa, who is the head of the Drukpa Lineage from India.

At the event.

At the ceremony, Ambassador Ngo Duc Manh emphasized: "Throughout its history, Buddhism has always aligned itself with the nation, helping to cultivate the fine values of the people and becoming an essential part in the people’s daily life.”. The Vietnamese Government has always respected the good values of religions that contribute to social life, he added.

The exchange programme aimed to unite the Buddhist followers in the countries to share and cooperate in bringing the Buddha’s teachings to all places, bringing happiness for everyone, according to Most Venerable Thich Thanh Nhieu.

A performance at the event.

For his part, the Gyalwang Drukpa highly appreciated the effort to hold the meaningful exchange and expressed his hope that, through the event, Buddhists from the three countries would create a close cooperation atmosphere to promote the value of Buddhist thoughts in social life, for the development of each country towards the building of a peaceful and prosperous world.

Buddhist Vu Lan Festival in full swing

The Buddhist Vu Lan Festival is now in full swing, taking place during the middle of the seventh lunar month. These days, crowds of Buddhists and non-religious people flock to pagodas and worship places nationwide to hear talks about parental love and pray for their parents.

 

Source: NDO