Source – en.vietnamplus.vn
Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony was held in Hanoi on December 22 to celebrate the 60th year since then Indian President Rajendra Prasad gifted a Bodhi tree to Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh in 1959.
The event was co-held by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the Embassy of India at Tran Quoc Pagoda where the tree was planted.
Speaking at the ceremony, head of Tran Quoc Pagoda Venerable Thich Thanh Nha said under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya , Bihar in India, Lord Buddha attained enlightenment thousands of years ago.
His enlightenment conveyed a message of peace and a way to free mankind from sufferings, as well as to breed compassion and wisdom, so the Bodhi tree symbolises Lord Buddha’s wisdom and enlightenment, he said.
Six decades ago, Indian President Rajendra Prasad himself brought a sapling from the revered Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya to present to President Ho Chi Minh on the occasion of his visit to Hanoi. Many high-profile leaders from India have visited Tran Quoc Pagoda to worship Buddha and the Bodhi tree, a symbol of the Vietnam-India friendship.
The celebration aimed to further strengthen the long-standing ties between the two countries and to promote Buddhist doctorines for global peace, prosperity and harmony, he added.
Indian Ambassador Pranay Verma, for his part, said the Bodhi tree at Tran Quoc Pagoda demonstrates the long-standing cultural and civilized connection between India and Vietnam as Buddhism was introduced to Vietnam by India nearly 2,000 years ago. It has contributed to consolidating the two nations’ friendship in recent years, he said.