Vesak, commemorating the birth, the enlightenment and the passing away of the Buddha was celebrated at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing on May 26, 2021.
Over 150 invitees, including Ambassadors from Buddhist countries, representatives from Diplomatic Missions in Beijing, the Sri Lanka community, Chinese friends, media and the China Buddhist Association were present.
The programme commenced with the offering of flowers to Lord Buddha by Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, followed by chanting by Buddhist monks from the Lingguang temple, Shaolin temple, White Horse temple and Da Xiang Guo temple.
The Shaolin monks, White Horse monks and the Da Xiang Guo monks spent many hours to come by the fast train to attend the event on the personal invitation by the Ambassador.
Subsequently, Dr. Kohona delivered a speech in which he stated that China and Sri Lanka have enjoyed a long and warm relationship spanning two millennia, especially based on Buddhist links and China boasts of many relics of the Buddha as well.
He invited the Chinese Buddhists to visit the Sacred Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.
In order to provide ambiance and the feeling of Vesak, the Embassy premises were decorated with Vesak lanterns in Buddhist flag colours and a thousand lights. Devotional songs were sung by the staff of the Embassy and their family members.
The event was enhanced by a Gu Zheng performance by Chinese artistes, viewing of printed temple arts of Sri Lanka and China.
The event was concluded with all guests being treated to a Sri Lankan style dansala supplied by a well wisher.
