杜魯多總理祝賀佛教衛塞節

2020 年5 月7 日安大略渥太華賈斯廷·杜魯多（Justin Trudeau）總理今天就衛塞節發表了以下聲明：

“今天，我們與加拿大以及世界各地的佛教信眾一同慶祝衛塞節Vesak，這是最重要的佛教節日。“衛塞節是紀念佛教創始人釋迦牟尼佛誕生、悟道、以及涅槃的日子。

“傳統上，佛家信眾們將會前往當地的寺廟祈禱，供奉禮物以表達對佛陀一生和智慧的尊崇和感激。

“今年，由於COVID-19 疾病大流行，我們的慶祝方式有所不同。這樣的節日再次提醒我們佛陀關於和平、無私奉獻和慈悲為懷之普遍教義的重要性，以幫助需要幫助之人。現在，我們比以往任何時候都能看到這些教導在付諸實踐，在這一疾病大流行期間，我們彼此相互照顧，我們將共渡難關。

“值此節日，我邀請所有加拿大人向我們的佛教社區致意，並感謝他們對我們國家做出的重要貢獻。

“我謹代表索菲和我的家人，祝所有慶祝衛塞節的人們吉祥、和平。”

Statement by the Prime Minister on Vesak May 7, 2020 Ottawa, Ontario The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Vesak:

“Today, we join Buddhists in Canada and around the world to celebrate Vesak, the most important of the Buddhist festivals.

“Vesak is an occasion to commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing into Nirvana of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

“Traditionally, Buddhists would visit their local temples to pray, and offer gifts to show respect and gratitude for the Buddha’s life and wisdom.

“This year, as we celebrate differently because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded of the importance of the Buddha’s universal teachings of peace, selfless service, and compassion to those in need. Now more than ever, we see these teachings put into practice as we take care of one another during this pandemic. We will get through this together.

“On this occasion, I invite all Canadians to honour our Buddhist communities and to recognize their important contributions to our country.

“On behalf of our family, Sophie and I wish everyone celebrating a happy and peaceful Vesak.”