Their Message of Peace : Buddhist Celebration Includes Plea to Vietnam for Religious Freedom

Combining ancient religious rituals with calls for an end to Communist rule in Vietnam, thousands of Buddhists from the Orange County Vietnamese community and beyond celebrated Buddha’s birthday Sunday at Mile Square Regional Park.

The daylong celebration, which according to organizers drew as many as 20,000 people, including the leaders of Buddhist congregations from as far away as Canada, Texas and Washington, D.C., was the first large organized event of its type here since the fall of Saigon 20 years ago.

“Buddha is a teacher of equality, love and enlightenment,” the Venerable Thich Nguyen Tri, chairman of the organizing event committee, said in an opening statement read in English. “Buddha led a life of dedication to his followers. That is why we, the followers, are here today in celebration of his birthday.

“Yet, this celebration is to also remind us of the problems in Vietnam due to the Communist rule,” he continued. “We have asked them not to discriminate against religion. We have questioned the government of their unreasonable imprisonment of our Buddhist leaders in Vietnam and, to our disappointment, they still have not responded.”

Event organizers said they hoped bringing Buddhist religious leaders from across the United States and abroad to celebrate the teachings of Buddha in one place would send a powerful message of peace and freedom to the regime in Vietnam.

For those gathered Sunday at the park, many holding colorful umbrellas to shield them from the sun, the celebration included prayer, music and a special vegetarian meal. There were also traditional ceremonies in which flowers and holy bathing water were offered to the baby Buddha. Monks from as far away as Sri Lanka and Singapore also joined the celebration.

The day was a happy one for Mong Lan and Trong Nghia of Cerritos, who donated their time to perform songs for the crowd about meditation and other religious teachings.

“In order to serve Buddha, you have to forget about yourself and serve other people,” Lan said.

Vietnamese American Buddhists joined millions of others around the world in celebrating the 2,539th anniversary of the birth of Gautama Siddhartha, the religion’s founder, who came to be known as Buddha. The title means “enlightened one” or “awakened one.”

Buddha was born a prince in northeast India, near the border of Nepal, and his teachings throughout the past 25 centuries spread from India across Asia. The date of the holiday, one of the most important of the year for Buddhists, varies according to the lunar calendar, and traditions and rituals for the celebration vary among the various sects of Buddhism.

Speakers throughout the day, including the Most Venerable Thich Tam Chau, the Most Venerable Thich Duc Niem and the Most Venerable Thich Thang Hoan, highlighted Buddha’s teachings, including compassion for the poor and sick. Prayers were offered throughout the day for those who lost their lives fighting for freedom in Vietnam and for the victims of last week’s bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.

“We are in transition from 20th Century to the 21st Century,” Niem said in his message. “All of us know that war and hatred cannot bring happiness and security to the people. On the occasion of Buddha’s birthday, we base our thinking and analyses on his teachings. This will help us have a better solution to many of our problems.”