PM Narendra Modi to address the first Global Buddhist Summit on April 20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of the first Global Buddhist Summit to be held in New Delhi on April 20.

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 Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Tuesday.

According to the PMO, 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 added.

The Summit is being hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). It will have four sessions: Buddha Dhamma and Peace; Buddha Dhamma: Environmental Crisis, Health and Sustainability; Preservation of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition; Buddha Dhamma Pilgrimage, Living heritage and Buddha Relics.

Earlier, briefing the media on Monday, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy said that the two-day World Buddhist Summit will be centered on debates about applying Buddhist philosophy to current challenges under the topic ‘Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis’.

Delegates from almost 30 countries, including 171 from foreign countries and 150 from Indian Buddhist organizations, are expected to participate in the summit.

In his remarks at the press conference, Reddy stressed the importance of India to Buddhism because it is the country where this religion was first practiced. Moreover, he said that the summit will bring together notable Buddhist monks from several nations, making it an excellent venue for fostering diplomatic and cultural ties.

The conference will feature famous academics, Sangha leaders, and Dharma practitioners from all around the world. The meeting will also feature participation by about 200 people from the NCR region and more than 30 diplomats from international embassies.

His Holiness Thich Tri Quang, the Supreme Patriarch of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha, and Prof. Robert Thurman will each give a keynote address for the academic and sangha sessions, respectively.

The Summit's goal is to look into how Buddha Dhamma's core principles might offer motivation and direction in modern contexts. Its other goal is to promote world peace and harmony in line with the fundamental principles of Dharma and to create a document for future academic investigation to see whether it can be used as a tool for conducting international relations on a global scale.