Ruling and Opposition Leaders on Buddha's Birthday "Striving for Unity" to Capture Devotion

On the 27th, Buddha's Birthday, the leadership of both ruling and opposition parties made a unified statement saying, "We will uphold the teachings of Buddha and strive harder for unity," making efforts to appeal to Buddhist sentiments.

On this day, Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, stated on Facebook, "The People Power Party will not forget Buddha's teaching of 'Jata-bul-i' (自他不二, the non-duality of self and others) and will heal the conflicts and wounds in our society," adding, "We will do our best to open a path of coexistence where all citizens can unite."

Kang Min-kuk, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, also released a statement saying, "At a time when we are suffering from conflict, division, and confrontation, Buddha's teaching of 'Jari-ita' (自利利他), meaning 'what benefits me also benefits others,' resonates even more deeply with us."

He continued, "The People Power Party and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration will always remember Buddha's will and teachings, who strived to save sentient beings in pain, and with greater responsibility, we will take care of people's livelihoods and do our best for economic recovery and strong national security."

He added, "Even if we have different thoughts, we promise to once again reflect on the spirit of 'Wonyong-hoetong' (圓融會通), which means harmony and communication as one, and to strive harder for national unity."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is greeting Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, and Lee Jeong-mi, leader of the Justice Party, after the Buddha's Birthday celebration ceremony for the 2567th year of the Buddhist calendar held at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 27th.
[Photo by Presidential Office Press Photographers] [Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook, "We will take Buddha's teaching to move from survival of the fittest to coexistence and mutual prosperity as our guiding light," and said, "I believe that if we unite with the spirit of Hwajeong (和諍) and Jata-bul-i, we can surely overcome the nation's crisis."

Kwon Chil-seung, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party, commented, "We must promptly put into practice Buddha's teachings of Wonyong-hoetong and Hwajeong, which call for overcoming confrontation and contradictions through communication and achieving harmony."

He also stated, "The Democratic Party will uphold Buddha's teachings by caring more attentively for the difficult and marginalized neighbors and striving harder for a world of integration."

However, the chief spokesperson also criticized, "The ruling party, responsible for national governance, has forgotten the essence of politics as conflict mediation, closing their ears to other voices and falling into arrogance and obstinacy, thereby rather intensifying conflicts," and pointed out, "The government and ruling party must take seriously the Buddhist community's national prayer meeting, which sounded a warning against tyranny."