On the occasion of Visakha Bucha Day, 11 May 2025, His Holiness Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatayana, the Supreme Patriarch, graciously offered the following Dhamma teaching:

“Visakha Bucha Day, which commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing away (Parinibbāna) of the Fully Enlightened Buddha, has returned once again. It is fitting that all Buddhists recollect the virtues of the Triple Gem and engage in special acts of merit as an offering of devotion to the Buddha.

The Buddha possessed the perfection of wisdom — complete knowledge of all things. He discovered the Four Noble Truths, which served as the dynamic cause for His attainment of purity and boundless compassion, becoming the Fully Enlightened One, the supreme teacher of gods and humans. As we, who were born long after the Buddha’s Parinibbāna yet still have the good fortune to encounter His teachings, we must not let this rare opportunity of life pass by in vain. Let us establish ourselves as disciples with wholesome desire, always ready to listen to the Dhamma. Let us set a firm determination to cultivate and develop ourselves progressively, with correct and profound understanding. Let us begin with this basic insight: ‘Wisdom is the mental quality that knows things as they truly are.’

But what is the truth, and how does one skillfully realize it within the mind? Anyone who seeks growth in the Dhamma must strengthen unshakable confidence in the Buddha’s enlightenment and diligently study and practice with patience. Do not be misled by conceit, rushing to think, speak, or conclude on your own without proper study of the Buddha’s teachings preserved in the Tipitaka — the foundation of the Buddha’s dispensation that endures to this day. Study them correctly and thoroughly, following proper discipline and methodology, so you will not stray from the path nor fall into wrong view, which is a grave danger both in this life and beyond.

On this Visakha Bucha Day, I invite all Buddhists to firmly resolve to develop themselves according to the Threefold Training — to cherish moral virtue (Sīla), to cultivate steady concentration (Samādhi), and to illuminate the mind with wisdom (Paññā). May you see rightly, think rightly, and act rightly, giving way for noble peace to arise within yourselves and within society, in accordance with the Buddha’s words: ‘Paññājīvī jīvitam āhu seṭṭhaṃ’ — ‘The wise declare that the life lived with wisdom is supreme.’

Jiraṃ tiṭṭhatu saddhammo; dhamme hontu sagāravā.
May the true Dhamma endure for a long time, and may all people hold it in reverence.”