On Thursday, April 20, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the Global Buddhist Summit in New Delhi.
The two-day Summit will be held on April 20–21, 2023, in partnership with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), according to the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka.
“Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis” is the summit’s theme.
The Summit aims to bring together the world’s leading researchers and practitioners of the Buddhist Dhamma to discuss issues of Buddhist and universal concern and to develop policy recommendations for collectively addressing them. Eminent academics, Sangha leaders, and Dharma practitioners from around the globe, including clergymen and government representatives from Sri Lanka, are present at the Summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated during the opening session that Buddha is a consciousness that transcends manifestation. The extension of Buddha, which unites all of mankind in a single thread, is shown by the attendance of so many individuals at the Summit, he continued. He emphasized the teachings of Buddha’s relevance for today and how the Lord’s ancient teachings might be used to find solutions to contemporary issues.
The prime minister claimed that India has devoted itself to spreading Lord Buddha’s teachings. He discussed the growth of Buddhist circuits in India and Nepal, the renovation of Sarnath and Kushinagar, the Kushinagar International Airport, and the collaboration between the IBC and the India International Center of Buddhist Heritage and Culture at Lumbini.
Noting that the Summit is taking place during India’s 75th year of Independence, the Prime Minister underlined that India has a major goal for its future and new resolutions for the global good. He emphasized that the inspiration behind India achieving the recent global landmarks in various sectors is Lord Buddha himself.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the inaugural Global Buddhist Summit will create an effective platform for the efforts of all nations.
