Peace Begins with Individual Gentleness: Religious Minister on Vesak Greeting

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, said peace begins with the gentleness of every heart, in a Vesak Day greeting published on Sunday, May 31, 2026. He invited Buddhists in the country to make the day as a momentum to spread kindness and strengthen brotherhood.

This year, Vesak Day in Indonesia carries the theme "Dharma as a Source of Morals and Wisdom", with the subtheme "Love As the Source of World Peace". Minister Umar said the dharma, a concept of natural phenomenon and Buddhist teaching, "helps people remain steadfast in the values of truth, morality, and wisdom" amid the dynamics of the time.

"Likewise, the theme of world peace invites us to realize that true peace begins with the gentleness within each individual heart," he said.

Umar also said the loving-kindness value becomes an essential foundation for building a harmonious life. This, according to him, is in line with a mandate of the preamble to the Indonesian Constitution, to contribute to world peace.

"As the Minister of Religious Affairs, I have a constitutional responsibility to ensure that every citizen can practice their faith peacefully and with full devotion," Umar said.

"And as a member of the broader religious community, I believe that preserving harmony is a shared responsibility that belongs to all of us," he said.

He said that religion exists to humanize humanity. According to him, the wisdom taught in Buddhism is "in harmony" with the humanitarian values upheld in Islam, the faith he practices, as well as in other religions.

"Let us use this Vesak Day as an opportunity to strengthen our commitment to spreading kindness and fostering closer bonds of brotherhood and solidarity," he concluded, appealing to the country's Buddhists.