A series of Buddhist services were held at roughly 20-thousand temples across the nation for Buddha’s two-thousand-557th birthday on Friday.

Around ten-thousand Buddhist leaders, believers, and politicians, including the Venerable Jaseung of the nation's largest Buddhist order Jogye, took part in a celebratory ceremony held at the Jogye Temple in Seoul.

In his congratulatory speech, Jaseung stressed peace through solidarity, cooperation, and recovery of community spirit.

In a message read by Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong, President Park Geun-hye pledged to resolve social conflicts and open a path for national unity and co-prosperity according to Buddha’s teachings.