The Full Moon Day

The stage lights blazed brilliantly at the My Dinh National Convention Center in 2008, and thousands of people filled the auditorium to capacity. But in the front row, a government representative felt his face burning under the pointed challenges coming from representatives of other religions.

"Why does the Vietnamese state favor Buddhism? Why hold the Buddha's birthday celebration at the national convention center?" The challenges rang out from a group of religious representatives, their eyes full of indignation.

The government representative swallowed hard, feeling sweat beading on his forehead. This was a celebration of "World Culture and Peace Day" initiated by the United Nations, but choosing the full moon day of the fourth lunar month as the date of commemoration had sparked considerable controversy.

He remembered the words of a teacher who had explained this to him earlier: "The United Nations searched for the religion most suitable for humanity, and they chose Buddhism."

He began telling that story to everyone, his voice gradually growing steadier:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the United Nations established three criteria for selecting the religion most suitable for the world."

"The first criterion: The religion must be compatible with science. In their research, they discovered that the Buddha spoke of microorganisms in drinking water thousands of years before the microscope was invented. He spoke of many worlds in the universe thousands of years before the modern telescope came into being. Buddhism was far ahead of science."

"The second criterion: The religion must be able to build world peace. When reviewing the scriptures of various religions, many contain images of slaughter, of deities using magic to kill people en masse. Only in Buddhism is even a branch, a blade of grass not to be cut or trapped; even an ant or a fly, we cannot bear to kill."

"The third criterion: The religion must embody the highest humanism, bringing the greatest benefit to humanity. Other religions call on people to serve the gods; only in Buddhism is it about serving all sentient beings. The Buddha taught: 'I am a Buddha already accomplished; you are Buddhas yet to be' — giving humanity absolute hope."

His voice grew emotional: "And to declare that Buddhism is the most beautiful religion, the United Nations chose the full moon day of the fourth lunar month — the Buddha's birthday — as World Culture and Peace Day. They did not choose a specific number like other holidays, but chose 'the full moon day of the month' — alluding to the Eastern lunar tradition."

The auditorium gradually fell silent. The initial questions gave way to attentive listening.

The government representative continued: "When the Vietnamese state hosted this celebration in 2008, it was not favoring one religion, but honoring a shared value of humanity. Buddhism does not belong to Vietnam alone; it belongs to the whole world."

Someone from among the challengers spoke up, his voice now softer: "Then why was the United Nations so certain?"

"Because they researched thoroughly," the representative replied. "They saw that human beings cannot live without spirituality. Humans, with their intelligence, always seek to understand what lies beyond the material world: What is death? What is happiness? Where do we go after we die? Religions arose to answer those questions."

"But if we misunderstand spirituality, we will act wrongly and incur wrongdoing. For example, we say 'that ghost' instead of 'Grandfather ghost, Grandmother ghost' — with just that much, we have already classified ghosts as mere animals, when ghosts are in fact our ancestors, our siblings, our friends who have died and are awaiting rebirth. The slightest misunderstanding is enough to incur wrongdoing."

The auditorium was completely still. Everyone began to reflect.

After the ceremony, the government representative sat alone in the waiting room, his hand trembling slightly as he held a glass of water. He looked into the clear water and remembered the teacher's words: "In this glass of water there are countless tiny beings."

He smiled, feeling his heart grow light. Though controversies remained, he believed that the light of the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) had been and was illuminating the human soul, helping our lives no longer go astray.

## The Meaning of the Story

The story reveals the uniqueness of Buddhism through the three criteria of the United Nations: compatibility with science, the building of peace, and the highest humanism. The lesson is this: understanding spirituality and religion correctly helps us act correctly, thereby creating merit and avoiding wrongdoing. The choice of the Buddha's birthday as World Culture and Peace Day affirms that Buddhism is a exemplary religion, the most suitable one for humanity.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang.