Adopt Commendation for Venerable Thich Tue Nhan (Bhikkhu Paññakara) for his dedication to preserve cultural traditions and his focus on Vipassana meditation to foster compassion and promote inner peace as the foundation for global harmony. (Duong/Lee)

County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors Supervisorial District Two Supervisor Betty Duong 128315 DATE: April 14, 2026 TO: Board of Supervisors FROM: Betty Duong, Supervisor Otto Lee, President SUBJECT: Commendation for Venerable Thich Tue Nhan RECOMMENDED ACTION Adopt Commendation for Venerable Thich Tue Nhan (Bhikkhu Paññakara) for his dedication to preserve cultural traditions and his focus on Vipassana meditation to foster compassion and promote inner peace as the foundation for global harmony. (Duong/Lee) Board of Supervisors: Sylvia Arenas, Betty Duong, Otto Lee, Susan Ellenberg, Margaret Abe-Koga County Executive: James R. Williams Page 1 of 1

WHEREAS, this sacred occasion highlights the core Buddhist values of wisdom, compassion, and peace, inspiring individuals and communities to foster understanding, unity, and service in an increasingly interconnected world; WHEREAS, the 2026 Vesak Festival in Northern California will be held April 17-19 at Lake Cunningham Park in San Jose, featuring special guest Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, a Vietnamese-born Theravada Buddhist monk and former IT engineer, to conduct meditations and peace talks; WHEREAS, in 2020, Bhikkhu Pafuiakara, also known as Venerable Thich Tue Nhan, launched the Dhammacetiya Project to preserve the Tipitaka in a monumental marble stupa complex, a vision furthered by his 112-day, 2,100-mile ascetic Dhutanga pilgrimage across India and Nepal. That journey, chronicled in his memoir, "The Footsteps ofa Buddhist Monk," laid the foundation for his most recent undertaking of leading the recently completed 2,300-mile, 108-day "Walk for Peace" from Texas to Washington, D.C.; and WHEREAS, on Friday, April 17, 2026, Bhikkhu Pafinakara will lead a special "Walk for Peace" and Dharma talk at the Vesak Festival in San Jose, California. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that...