News Highlights:
- Recently, The Prime Minister inaugurated the First Global Buddhist Summit hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation.
- The Summit aims to enhance cultural and diplomatic relations with other countries.
Global Buddhist Summit 2023:
- About:
- The Ministry of Culture is organising the Global Buddhist Summit (GBS) 2023 in partnership with its grantee body International Buddhist Confederation (IBC).
- Buddhist monks from various countries took part in the two-day Summit.
- Participants:
- Eminent scholars, Sangha leaders and Dharma practitioners worldwide attended the conference.
- There are 173 international participants comprising 84 Sangha members and 151 Indian delegates comprising 46 Sangha members, 40 nuns and 65 laities from outside Delhi.
- Theme:
- Theme: Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis.
- Sub-themes: The discussions will fall under the following 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, Southeast and East Asia.
- Objectives:
- The primary goal of the summit is to examine the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, which have been continually enhanced over time through the practice of Buddha Dhamma.
- The objective is to create a platform for Buddhist scholars and Dharma Masters who are not members of the Sangha.
- Additionally, the summit will delve into the message of Buddha regarding Peace, Compassion, and Harmony to promote universal peace and harmony in keeping with the fundamental values of Dharma.
- The summit will result in a document that can be subjected to further academic research to assess its usefulness as a tool for international relations on a global scale.
- Significance:
- This global Summit will mark the significance and importance of India in Buddhism, as Buddhism was born in India.
- This summit will also be a medium to enhance the cultural and diplomatic relationships with other countries, especially with the countries which embrace the Buddhist Ethos.
India’s soft power diplomacy through Buddhism:
- Diplomacy:
- In speeches made on official international visits such as to Sri Lanka and China, among others, India’s Prime Minister has made a conscious effort to emphasise shared Buddhist heritage.
- Additionally, on trips to foreign countries, the prime minister reserves one day for visits to Buddhist temples wherever possible.
- One of the ways in which Buddhism has been used in India’s soft power strategy is through cultural diplomacy. This involves promoting Indian culture, including Buddhism, through various channels such as art, music, films, literature, and festivals.
- Tourism:
- India is currently home to seven of the eight most significant Buddhist sites in the world.
- the Ministry of Tourism is promoting a number of tourist circuits that transgress national borders.
- The holy places of Buddhism, where Lord Buddha was born and taught, preached, and attained ‘Enlightenment’ and ‘Nirvana’, are termed as Buddhist Circuit.
- The organisation of international conferences:
- International conferences have been organised, and councils convened that facilitated interaction between members across sectarian and national boundaries.
- ‘Buddhism in the 21st Century’ conference that took place at Rajgir in 2017.
- In October 2016, the ‘5th International Buddhist Conclave’ was organised in Varanasi by the Ministry of Tourism
- In 2015, the ‘Hindu-Buddhist Initiative on Conflict Avoidance’ was organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation and the Tokyo Foundation in Bodh Gaya and inaugurated by Prime Minister himself.
Pic Courtesy: Freepik
Content Source: PIB