TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nyanagupta, a monk from Buddhist Ekayana Arama Temple, said that the Buddhist community is concerned with conflicts sparked by religious and race intolerances in Indonesia. Therefore, the Buddhist community picked Understanding Diversity in Togetherness as the theme for the commemoration of Vesak Day this year.
“The theme is applied across Indonesia because the nation is being torn apart by religious and race conflicts,” Nyanagupta told Tempo in Jakarta on Thursday, May 11, 2017.
The Buddhist monk views that the people are being divided with different political views. He said that the condition is no longer suitable with the country’s spirit. Nyanagupta added that Indonesia was not exclusively founded by an ethnic group.
About 10,000 Buddhists attended the commemoration of the Vesak Day at Ekayana Arama Temple. The event was started with a meditation near the peak of the Vesak day at 04:42 pm. After that, they performed a joint prayer.
Nyanagupta explained that the commemoration of the Vesak Day had started in April, consisting of several activities, such as spiritual guidance, charity, and vegetarian food festival.
DIKO OKTARA