CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE
For UN Vesak Day 2019
Humanity has reached a stage in its development where the principle of leadership can no longer be understood in a narrow scale of looking after one’s own people only. Leadership now always comes along with a broader awareness of interconnected responsibility for the well-being of one’s society and the planet as a whole – an understanding very much in tune with the Buddha’s ancient teaching. Through history we have seen the overwhelming downsides of ethnocentric exclusivism and egotistic rivalries for gain and power to such a degree that ignoring the con-sequences of our actions on the bigger scale accounts to a blunt unfitness for leadership. Leaders in the many different fields of society have irreversibly come to share common responsibilities regarding that which humanity generally yearns for: sustained well-being and overall peace.
As Buddhists we come from a tradition whose founder has given us an immense amount of advice helpful for today’s challenges. If Buddhists would heed the wisdom of the Buddha more, they could perform better in living up to their part of shared responsibilities. Buddhists should therefore reinvestigate their values. Governments in countries with Buddhist background need to rediscover the Buddha’s values as a moral resource and sound foundation for social ethics, instead of merely viewing “Buddhism” as a cultural asset without relevance to their policies.
This year I feel very honored to be able to participate in this Conference in Vietnam. I am looking forward to learn from the assembled body of Buddhist leaders from all over the globe on how we can contribute and find inspiration on collaborating with fellow
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Buddhists and non-Buddhists to implement the Buddha’s noble ideas and principles for the greater good. It will be a distinguished pleasure to share the insights derived from this Conference with my fellow Buddhists in Germany and my local community here in Freising near Munich.
I sincerely thank the National Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the Committee of the International Council for the Day of Vesak for their relentless work to bring Buddhist efforts for a better world onto the international stage and to a global awareness.
May the spirit of awakening enable us to become a real blessing to this world,

Bhikkhu Thitadhammo
Head of Monastery
Buddhistisches Kloster Freising, Germany