Wat Phra Dhammakaya Organizes Lifetime Ordination and Vesak Lantern Lighting, Collaborates with International Buddhist Organizations

Brickinfo News – Wat Phra Dhammakaya has organized a lifetime ordination ceremony for 10 ordinands and a Vesak lantern lighting ceremony, while also coordinating with over 10 international Buddhist organizations for the arrangement of International Vesak Day activities.

On May 11, 2025, Venerable Phrakhrusamu Sanitwong Wuttiwangso, Director of the Communication Department of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, stated that Vesak Day is a significant day in Buddhism, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and attainment of Nirvana of the Lord Buddha. To express gratitude to the Buddha for his teachings that liberate humanity from all suffering, Buddhists worldwide organize activities on Vesak Day to honor his virtues and contributions. Notably, on December 15, 1999, the United Nations officially declared the full moon day of the sixth lunar month as International Vesak Day.

The morning session at Wat Phra Dhammakaya included alms giving to the monks, followed by mass meditation and a food offering to the monastic community. The afternoon ceremony featured the lifetime ordination of 10 ordinands (Pali language novices) by the preceptor, Most Venerable Phrapromwachirapanyajarn (a Pali scholar of level 9), the abbot of Wat Ratchaorot, at the chapel of Wat Phra Dhammakaya. In the evening, the temple illuminated lanterns arranged in depictions of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and final Nirvana, with Luang Por Dhattajivo serving as the monastic chairman. Subsequently, laypeople circumambulated the Maha Dhammakaya Cetiya and celebrated the completion of 7,357,000,000 recitations of the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta in honor of the Buddha on Vesak Day.

The following are the International Vesak Day activities organized in foreign countries:

• On May 12, 2025, ground lantern and sky lantern lighting ceremonies will be held in honor of the Buddha at Borobudur, Indonesia.
• Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Johannesburg, South Africa, organized lantern lighting and forest robe offering ceremonies on May 11, 2025.
• Wat Phra Dhammakaya, California, USA, organized necessity offerings to the monastic community and lantern lighting on May 11, 2025.
• On May 14, 2025, The Union of Thai Sanghas in Europe (UTSE) will arrange Vesak Day activities at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), Switzerland.
• International Vesak Day activities will be organized in Kolkata on May 12, 2025, and in Mumbai on May 18, 2025.
• On May 12, 2025, the Embassy of Nepal in Thailand will host Vesak Day 2025 activities at the Anantra Siam Bangkok Hotel, and monastic communities of all Buddhist denominations in Nepal will organize International Vesak Day activities at Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal.
• On May 11-12, 2025, Wat Phra Dhammakaya-Singapore organized a necessity offering activity to the monastic community on International Vesak Day.
• On May 10, 2025, Wat Phra Dhammakaya-Hong Kong and other Buddhist organizations celebrated International Vesak Day by releasing fish into the ocean.
• On April 26, 2025, a mass ordination and Lotus Lantern Festival were organized for the International Vesak Festival in Seoul, South Korea.
• On May 7-10, 2025, the Siam-Lanka Dhammayatra Program was arranged for the International Vesak Festival in Sri Lanka.
• On May 6-8, 2025, Wat Phra Dhammakaya-Melbourne coordinated with Buddhists in Victoria to organize the VICTORIAN UNITED NATIONS DAY OF VESAK in Melbourne, Australia, and the monastic community arranged chanting on May 3, 2025.
• On May 19, 2025, a mass meditation session in honor of the Buddha for the International Vesak Festival of three Buddhist denominations will be held in Taiwan.