Hogets Baerndal (left) and The Rev’d Dr Ellen Clark-King (right)
Wishing a very happy Vesak to all our students and staff. Vesak Day, which falls on Monday 12 May this year, is considered the holiest day in the Buddhist Calendar.
The Buddha's birthday is observed annually on the Sunday nearest to the full moon in May and it is a holiday observed by Buddhists across the world, though the exact date can differ from country to country.
Transcript
Hi everyone, my name is Ellen Clark-King and I'm the Dean of King's. I want to wish a happy and hopeful Vesak Day to all our Buddhist students and staff. Across the world, Buddhists will be marking the Buddha's birthday in early May.
It's a day both to celebrate and to reflect, to light lamps representing enlightenment, to visit and decorate temples, to meditate on the Buddha's teaching, and to consider how to show compassion to those in need. I know I need to receive the compassionate kindness of others, as well as hoping to show it in my own life.
This spring, may we all find inner resources of wisdom and peace, and learn how to bring them into our interactions with one another, especially with those who are struggling with life in any way just now.
And to all who celebrate, may you have a joyful and peaceful festival. Happy Vesak Day.