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On 15th December 1999, representatives from 34 countries proposed
to the General Assembly of the United Nations that the full moon day in the
month of May be recognized and observed at the United Nations
Headquarters and its Regional Offices as the United Nations Day of Vesak.
The General Assembly so resolved (Agenda Item 174 of Session No. 54)
and accordingly the UN Day of Vesak was instituted in the year 2000 with
the support of all Buddhist traditions. In pursuance of that Resolution, we,
participants from 85 countries and regions, have come together from May
31- June 2, 2012 (B.E. 2555) for the celebrations of Buddhajayanti the 2600
Years of the Buddha's Enlightenment; the 80th Birthday of Her Majesty the
Queen; the 60th Birthday of His Royal Highness Prince Vajiralongkorn of
Thailand; and, the 2nd Conference of the International Association of
Buddhist Universities (IABU). This gathering was generously hosted by
Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University of Thailand and graciously supported by the Royal Government of Thailand under the guidance of the
Supreme Sangha Council of Thailand.
1. Recognizing the profound life-transforming impact on humanity
that the Buddha's Enlightenment and his pragmatic teachings have had
throughout the World in the last 2600 years, we shall tirelessly strive with
our practice of the Noble Eightfold Path to share the Buddha's peaceful
teaching with the world.
2. Being aware of the multifaceted nature of conflicts in the world: the
role of society; the interplay of social responsibility; and economic
development, we urge the governments in the world to be pragmatic and
promote forgiveness to help bring an end to the social and political conflicts
in the world. Especially, the Buddhists of the world seek to promote peace
and reconciliation throughout the world by the skillful application of
Buddhist teachings of forgiveness, non-violence, compassion and tolerance;
and, to work tirelessly against the human nature of unlimited desire, hatred
and ignorance in order to establish a society which embraces the values of
mankind.
3. In appreciation of the unprecedented increase in environmental
disasters facing the world, we promote the greater awareness of
interdependency between human beings and our natural environment.
4. To promote mental, ethical and cognitive transformation in society,
we encourage the promotion of the meditation practices that have been
richly preserved in all Buddhist traditions.
5. Commemorating the Buddhajayanti 2600 years of the Buddha's
Enlightenment, and mindful of the unanimous support expressed for the
establishment of The Centre of World Buddhism, we recognize and rejoice
in the successful roundtable conference organized on 1 June 2012 at the
main campus of the Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University at Wang
Noi, Ayutthaya, jointly by Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University and
the National Office of Buddhism. We seek the implementation of the
decision to establish The Centre of World Buddhism for the purposes,
among others, of more effective networking for the Buddhist world, at
Buddhamonthon; towards that ends, we also joyfully record the foundation
stone laying ceremony for the Centre.
6. Mindful of the close connection that it has with the ICDV, we
rejoice in the successful completion of the 2nd Conference of the
International Association of Buddhist Universities which explored the topic
of Buddhist Philosophy and Praxis, through a process of academic
deliberation, discussions, and collaboration.
7. We continue to maintain and strengthen the progress made towards
two of the ICDV flagship projects: the compilation of the Common
Buddhist Text and Union Catalog of Buddhist Texts.
8. We applaud the cooperation among the UNESCO, the Government
of Nepal, the business sector and various Buddhist non-governmental
organizations (NGO's) in the establishment of measures taken for the
monitoring and mitigation of air pollution at Lumbini, the birthplace of the
Buddha and a designated World Heritage site.
Done as the Declaration of the Ninth International Buddhist Conference on
the United Nations Day of Vesak, this 2nd Day of June 2012 (B.E. 2555).
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