Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the inaugural session of the Global Buddhist Summit in Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that the teachings of Gautama Buddha have impacted countless people over centuries. He added that India's new initiatives for global welfare are inspired by the teachings of Lord Buddha, as reported by ANI. The two-day summit is being hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) on April 20 and 21.
Elaborating on the messages of Lord Buddha, the PM said, "The world is suffering from war and unrest today, centuries ago Buddha had given a solution for this. India has not given ‘Yuddha’ to the world but ‘Buddha.’ The path of Buddha is the path of future and sustainability," adding that he has constantly "endeavoured to propagate the Buddha's ideas" in various government works.
"Need of hour that people, nations prioritise global interest along with their interests," PM Modi added.
PM Modi also said, "'Atithi Devo Bhava' is the tradition of this land of Buddha, which means guests are like gods for us."
Modi said that all modern world problems can be solved by Buddhist teaching. "We must remember that moving from crisis to solution is Buddha's path," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the Buddha exhibition in Delhi.
The theme of the summit is "Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis", it said. The Summit will be attended by eminent Buddhist monks, scholars and delegates from different parts of the world. Representatives of 171 countries will be participating during the inauguration of the Global Buddhist Summit.
As per ANI, the keynote speakers at the event will be Professor Robert Thurman, a leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and His Holiness Thich Tri Quang, the Deputy Patriarch of, Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. Professor Thurman was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020 for his work on recovering India's ancient Buddhist heritage, the report mentioned.
"The summit is an effort towards engaging the global "Buddhist Dhamma" leadership and scholars on the matters of Buddhist and universal concerns, and to come up with policy inputs to address them collectively. The discussion at the summit will explore how the Buddha Dhamma’s fundamental values can provide inspiration and guidance in contemporary settings, it added. The summit will witness the participation of eminent scholars, Sangha leaders and Dharma practitioners from all over the world, who will discuss pressing global issues and look for answers in the Buddha Dhamma that is based on universal values," the PMO said.
"The discussions will be held under four themes: Buddha Dhamma and Peace; Buddha Dhamma: Environmental Crisis, Health and Sustainability; Preservation of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition; Buddha Dhamma Pilgrimage, Living Heritage and Buddha Relics: a resilient foundation to India's centuries-old cultural links to countries in South, South-East and East Asia," it added.