Global Buddhist Summit 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the inaugural session of the Global Buddhist Summit in the national capital today (April 20). The event began at around 10:00 am at Hotel Ashok in Delhi.
PM Modi said on Thursday that the world is passing through challenges such as war, economic instability, terrorism, religious extremism and climate change and asserted that Lord Buddha's ideas offer a solution to these problems.
"The noble teachings of Gautam Buddha have impacted countless people over centuries. Inspired by the teachings of Lord Buddha, India is taking new initiatives for global welfare," said PM Modi at Global Buddhist Summit."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," PM Modi said today.
He also visited Buddha exhibition in the national capital.
2-day Summit:
The two-day Summit is being hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). 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.
Theme of Global Buddhist Summit:
The theme of the Global Buddhist Summit is 'Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis. '"The Summit is an effort towards engaging the global Buddhist Dhamma leadership and scholars on matters of Buddhist and universal concerns, and to come up with policy inputs to address them collectively. The discussion in the Summit will explore how the Buddha Dhamma's fundamental values can provide inspiration and guidance in contemporary settings," the PMO stated in a release.
Who will participate:
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 Dharma that are based on universal values, the release said.
"The discussions will be held under four themes: Buddha Dhamma and Peace; Buddha Dharma: 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.
(With agencies inputs)
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