“Bodhi Day commemorates the Buddha’s transformative experience. It is a day for Buddhists in Alberta and around the world to reflect on the core values of Buddhism and to rededicate themselves to embracing kindness, humility and compassion for all people. 
 
“Around the year 500 BCE, Siddhartha Gautama, a young prince who had turned his back on his privileged life, meditated under the Bodhi tree in India. He resolved not to move until he reached enlightenment. When, at dawn, he saw the morning star, he became Buddha, the ‘Awakened One,’ and the spiritual tradition of Buddhism arose.
 
“Our province has long been home to a diversity of Buddhist communities. Alberta Buddhists have made major contributions to the academic study of Buddhism in North America. 
 
“To all in Alberta celebrating the Buddha’s enlightenment, I wish you a blessed Bodhi Day.”