Postage stamp launched to mark UN Day of Vesak 2019

The stamp to celebrate the UN Day of Vesak 2019 makes debut on May 11 (Photo: thanhnien.vn)

A postage stamp was launched by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha on May 11 to celebrate the UN Day of Vesak 2019.

The stamp, with the face value of 4,000 VND, depicts a majestic Buddha statute with a shining Bodhi leaf at its back, implying that Buddhism brings a well-off and happy life to mankind. Next to it is the images of Tam Chuc Pagoda, where the Vesak celebration is being held, and the dragon of the Ly Dynasty, when Buddhism was at its peak in Vietnam.

Below these images, the stamp features lotus, sky and cloud representing the intersection of sky and earth, which means a peaceful life.

The stamp conveys a multi-dimensional message that honours the traditional values of Vietnamese Buddhism, which has accompanied the country for millennia and contributed to national development.

The stamp is available on the public postal network from now to December 31, 2020.

As part of the Vesak celebration, the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha debuted a social network for Buddhists at http://butta.vn.

The Vesak 2019 celebration, held at the Tam Chuc Buddhist Cultural Complex in the northern province of Ha Nam, is themed “Buddhist Approach to Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Sustainable Societies”.

It will be the third time the UN’s commemoration of Vesak is held in Vietnam. Previously, it took place in Hanoi in 2008 and the northern province of Ninh Binh in 2014.

The UN General Assembly on December 15, 1999 recognised the Day of Vesak to celebrate the thrice-sacred event of the life of the Buddha Gautama (birth, enlightenment and death) and to acknowledge the contributions Buddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made to humanity.

The UN Day of Vesak was first celebrated in 2001.

VNA