Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of the Global Buddhist Summit on April 20, in the national capital, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) informed through a release on April 18.
The PM’s address is scheduled at 10 am at Hotel Ashok in Delhi. The Union Ministry of Culture is hosting the two-day summit in collaboration with International Buddhist Confederation on April 20-21. The theme for the 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 at the summit will explore how the Buddha Dhamma’s fundamental values can provide inspiration and guidance in contemporary settings,” read the release.
Officials at the PMO said the summit would witness the participation of eminent scholars, sangha leaders and dharma practitioners worldwide. They will discuss pressing global issues and look for answers in the Buddha Dhamma that are based on universal values.
“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,” the release stated further.
Prof Robert Thurman, a renowned scholar of Buddhism who was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020 for his work on recovering India’s ancient Buddhist heritage will be the keynote speaker.
Eminent scholars, Sangha leaders and Dhamma practitioners from all over the world will discuss today’s pressing global issues and look for answers in the Buddha Dhamma that is based on universal values. Over 170 overseas Buddhist Dhamma masters, from more than 30 countries will be participating in the deliberations.
The discussions will fall under the following four themes:
1. Buddha Dhamma and Peace
2. Buddha Dhamma, Environmental Crisis, Health and Sustainability
3. Preservation of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition: it is here that knowledge and culture flourished of diverse spiritual and philosophical traditions.
4. 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.
The other highlights of the event are photo exhibitions, among them is a pictorial 10-year journey of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), the “Life and Legacy of Master Atisa Dipankara Srijnana’, the ‘Sublime Wandering; pilgrimage path of the Buddha’, an audio-visual presentation on the digital restoration of the Ajanta Caves, among others.
The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) is a Buddhist umbrella body that serves as a common platform for Buddhists worldwide.
It is headquartered in New Delhi, India. Established under the patronage of the supreme Buddhist religious hierarchy, it currently has a global membership of over 320 organisations, both monastic and lay, that include world bodies, national and regional federations, monasteries, international organisations and institutions.
United by the motto, “Collective Wisdom, United Voice”, IBC aims to make Buddhist values and principles a part of the global discourse by presenting a united Buddhist voice on issues that concern all humankind. The IBC stands for transparency, inclusiveness and a balanced representation of various traditions, gender and emerging Buddhist communities in Africa, the Caribbean and South America.
