On 31 May 2026, Venerable Phrakhrusamu Sanitwong Wuttiwangso, director of Communication Department and assistant abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya related that Vesak Day is an important  day of Buddhism, marking the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and attainment to complete nirvana. This day is officially recognized by the United Nations as the International Day of Vesak on 15 December 1999 and all Buddhists throughout the world organized activities to commemorate the great compassion of the Buddha.

At Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani province, over 10,000 Buddhists jointly offered alms to the monks, practiced meditation and offered food to the monastic community in the morning. The afternoon session was the lifetime ordination ceremony for 19 ordinands at the main chapel of Wat Phra Dhammakaya. The preceptor was Most Venerable Phrapromwachirapanyajarn (Pali scholar of level 9), the abbot of Wat Ratcha Orasaram Ratchaworawiharn. In the evening, there was the lighting of lanterns, arranged in the images of the significant events of the Buddha: his birth, enlightenment, and attainment to nirvana at the ground of Maha Dhammakaya Cetiya, followed by the circumambulation of the cetiya and the celebration for achieving 8,415,000,000 rounds of Dhammacakka recited in honor of the Buddha on Vesak Day.

In foreign countries, the monastic representatives of Wat Phra Dhammakaya branches across 5 continents attended the Vesak Festival of international Buddhist communities from 15 countries (including the USA, Singapore, South Africa, Indonesia, Nepal, Switzerland, South Korea, Vietnam, Australia, Sri Lanka, China, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Italy) and took part in their activities to honor the Buddha. The celebration of Vesak Day is not only a core part of Buddhist culture but also the promotion of global peace through the Buddha’s teachings.

On 28 May 2026, Venerable Phrakhrusamu Sanitwong Wuttiwangso, director of Communication Department and assistant abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya stated that Thai monks jointly celebrated “Canadian Buddhist Heritage Month” with more than 500 Buddhists and monks from 56 Buddhist organizations of all denominations throughout Canada on occasion of International Vesak Day at the Parliament in Canada.

In this event, Venerable Phrakhrusawanpatvithes (abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya Toronto) and Venerable Phramaha Suksanti Sapaphaso (abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya Vancouver) participated in the blessing ceremony with other Buddhist leaders from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, China and Myanmar.

A highlight of this event was the press conference on “The Role of Buddhism in Canadian Society”. Additionally, the activities of the Buddha image bathing and the “National Peace Walk” were organized for all attendees in order to promote peace in a multi-cultural society. Another objective of the event is to encourage the Canadian Government to declare every “May” as the month of “Canadian Buddhist Heritage”.

The gathering of international Buddhist communities reflects the unity of all Buddhists in Canada and represents the Buddha’s teachings as the refuge of all human beings regardless of their culture or race and the path to global peace.

On 27 May 2026, Venerable Phrakhrusamu Sanitwong Wuttiwangso, director of Communication Department and assistant abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya stated that Venerable Phrakhrupiyayanvithes (abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya Hong Kong) and his monastic associates participated in Vesak Festival at the Buddha-Dharma Centre in Hong Kong.

The morning session featured an inspiring lecture by Prof. Dr. Dhammajoti on the significance of Vesak Day—tracing its origins from India and its evolution across various cultures and traditions globally. This was followed by blessing and merit-making ceremonies dedicated to ancestors. In the afternoon, there were ceremonies of taking refuge in the Triple Gem and declaring oneself as Buddhist. The Buddha-Dharma Centre hosted both the Vesak Day celebration and the Kathina robe offering ceremony annually, attended by the Buddhists and peace seekers.

The Buddha-Dharma Centre in Hong Kong was founded by Venerable Professor Kuala Lumpur Dhammajoti (Fa Guang), a renowned Malaysian monk highly respected among Buddhist scholars worldwide. He is best known for his writings on Sarvastivada Abhidharma, among numerous scholarly works. Venerable Professor Dhammajoti has taught at several prestigious institutions, including the University of Kelaniya, Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, Fuyan Buddhist Institute, National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, as well as various universities in China and India.

The dhammaduta monks from Thailand took part in Vesak Festival in Italy to promote the concept “The Outer Peace through the Inner Peace”.

On 26 May 2026, at Milan, Venerable Phrakhrusamu Sanitwong Wuttiwangso, director of Communication Department and assistant abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya related that Venerable Phramaha Itthipong Panyawangso (abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya Italy), Venerable Pasura Tantamano and Venerable Phramaha Kittipong Sirichayo were representatives from Wat Phra Dhammakaya to participate in the Vesak Festival with the international Buddhist communities in Italy. This event was organized during 22-24 May 2026 by the “Unione Buddhista Italiana” (UBI) and attended by representatives of many international Buddhist organizations.

Recognized by the United Nations and Italy, Vesak Day is an important day of Buddhism that the Buddha was born, became enlightened, and attained complete nirvana. The “Unione Buddhista Italiana” (UBI) is a religious organization, officially certified by Italian government. It is comprised of Buddhist organizations and associations of all denominations for the main objective of propagating Buddhism by continuously organizing Buddhist activities throughout Europe.

On 22 May 2026, at Wat Bote Luang Poo Tian, Pathum Thani province, Mr. Ekavit Mee-Phian, governor of Pathum Thani province, presided over the monastic blessing and almsgiving ceremonies in dedication to Queen Rambhai Barni of the Seventh Reign on occasion of the centennial celebration of Her Majesty’s contributions. Most Venerable Phrasriwachirapattamakhun, the ecclesiastical chief of Muang Pathum Thani district, was the monastic chairman. This event was attended by the government officials, soldiers, police and representatives from private sectors to express their loyalty to Her Majesty.

In this event, the laypeople chairman lighted the incense and candles to pay homage to the Triple Gem and to pay respect to Queen Rambhai Barni, followed by the monastic blessing and the almsgiving to 84 monks. Mr. Ong-Ard Not Dhamma-Nitra, a representative from Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Dhammakaya Foundation, attended this event to commemorate the Queen’s contributions to the country.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted a resolution on 13 November 2025, honoring Queen Rambhai Barni by designating the centennial celebration of Her Majesty’s contributions as a UNESCO commemorative event for 2026–2027. The Queen is recognized for her enduring legacy and contributions to education, public health and sustainable social development.

On 18 May 2026, Venerable Phrakhrusamu Sanitwong Wuttiwangso, director of Communication Department and assistant abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya stated that on 17 May 2026, there was a Vesak festival in South Korea and many Buddhist organizations actively joined this event, which attracted many locals and travelers.

In this event, Wat Bhavana Soul, Wat Phutta Gwangju Tai and Wat Bhavana Gyeongju opened a booth for Dhammakaya meditation training, conducted by Dhammaduta monks from Thailand. The meditation practice according to the Great Master Phramongkolthepmuni focuses on stilling the mind at the body center (a two-finger width above navel) with relaxation and consciousness. Most attendees did meditation for the first time and gave feedback that the meditation helped them attain inner peace, relax and concentrate within a short time.

International Vesak Day is recognized as an important day by the United Nations in honor of the Buddha’s teachings, focusing on peace and compassion that will lead to the global peace regardless of races, religions and cultural differences and can be applied in daily life.

On 17 May 2026, Venerable Phravithesphavanadham, assistant abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya and abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya Bavaria, presided over an international seminar to propagate Buddhism among the Europeans in honor of Luang Por Dhammajayo.

This international seminar was organized to exchange ideas and experiences of Buddhism propagation in Europe among Dhammaduta monks, for example Venerable Phasura Thantamano, Venerable Sander Khemadhammo (a Dutch monk with over 10-year experiences in teaching meditation to foreigners) and Mr. Eric Leenderts, chairman of Boeddhistische Unie Nederland (BUN). This seminar was attended by over 100 participants from government sectors and associations / organizations of peace in Europe.

In the afternoon, the ceremony of monastic robe offering was presided by Mr. Paisal Taweechaithavorn and Ms. Saovanee Hiranyasiri to raise funds of Buddhism propagation for 30 Buddhist temples in Europe in order to encourage Dhammaduta monks to perform their duties without any concern about expenses.

The Buddhism propagation of Wat Phra Dhammakaya across all continents is driven by the determination of Luang Por Dhammajayo to bring true peace to the world according to his speech “World Peace through the Inner Peace”. The outer peace starts from the inner peace through meditation practice. These proactive Buddhist activities have received positive feedback and coordination from many international Buddhist organizations.

On 16 May 2026, Most Venerable Phrapromwachirapanyajarn (Pali Scholar of Level 9), abbot of Wat Ratcha Orasaram, was the monastic chairman and Mr. Paisal Taweechaithavorn and Ms. Saovanee Hiranyasiri were the lay chairpersons for the enshrinement ceremony of Buddha relics inside the head of the principal Buddha image at Wat Phra Dhammakaya Netherlands. Additionally, the metal sheets of donors, engraved with their name, were stored inside the Buddha image.

More than 100 monks and laypeople joined the procession of Buddha relics. Most Venerable Phrapromwachirapanyajarn was presented with the Buddha relics to be enshrined within the lotus bud-shaped ushnisha of the principal Buddha image. This event was witnessed by over 500 attendees from Thailand and European countries.

Venerable Phramaha Poonsak Punnasakko, abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya Netherlands, related that Wat Phra Dhammakaya Netherlands is one of the 30 branches of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Europe. Founded in 2017, it has the main objective to propagate Buddhism and serve as the center of Dhammakaya meditation teaching for both Thais and Europeans. The chapel is the former Christian church, built over 130 years ago with the Gothic style in the 19^th century. The temple has propagated Buddhism by ordaining and training Dutch men in Thailand and then assigning them to train the locals in the Netherlands. Moreover, it has promoted Buddhist activities/culture among Thais and locals especially for the important events of Buddhism.

On 16 May 2026, at St Peter’s Eastern Hill Anglican Church in Melbourne, the Buddhists of 14 countries and the Australians jointly offered alms to the monastic community in the morning. In this event, Ven. Prof. Wilegoda Ariyadeva Thero, at the age of 76 and with 63 ordination years, presided over the blessing and chanting of the monks from Mahayana and Vajrayana denominations. This reflects the unity of all Buddhist denominations.

At Parliament Gardens Reserve, the laypeople joined the “Friendship Walk” procession to publicize the great compassion of the Buddha, heading to Melbourne Town Hall. This event attracted the locals and tourists in Melbourne. At Melbourne Town Hall, Venerable Phrakhrusamu Sanitwong Wuttiwangso, director of Communication Department and assistant abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya offered a lantern to pay homage to the Buddha relics together with other monastic representatives of various denominations. This activity was followed by the chanting of all Buddhist denominations, the meditation practice led by Venerable Phrakhru Phavanayanvithes and speeches of many international Buddhist leaders, such as Venerable Thích Nguyên Tạng, abbot of Quang Duc Buddhist Monastery in Victoria.

In this event, Wat Phra Dhammakaya Melbourne opened a booth to contribute souvenirs and to publicize the Buddhist activities of the temple. It also offered free food & beverage to volunteers. This international Vesak activity is not only the religious ceremony but also a proof of the great wisdom and compassion of the Buddha whose teachings can break through the obstacles of cultural differences to bring true peace to the world.