As the Government of India is keen to strengthen people-to-people ties woven through the common thread of Buddhism, Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu recently said that Buddhist Dharma is one of the “greatest.” Country’s gift to the world.”

“Buddhism has been one of India’s greatest gifts for more than 2500 years and is practised in over 100 countries today. It is a strong unifying factor. I have learned and seen in my previous assignments in Sri Lanka How strong our shared Buddhist heritage.” is,” he said.

In 2017 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Sri Lanka as the chief guest of the United Nations International Vesak Day celebrations. Since then many initiatives have been taken like the development of the Buddha Circuit in India and Nepal.

Rejuvenation of pilgrimage centres like Sarnath and Kushinagar, the inauguration of Kushinagar International Airport, International India Center for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in Lumbini in association with India and International Buddhist Confederation, India’s neighbourhood, support to many countries in South East Asia Buddhist monasteries Joint projects to be built and renovated and set up, International Center for Buddhist Culture and Heritage and Museum are some examples of India’s efforts.

Recently India hosted The Global Buddhist Summit – a two-day congregation in the national capital – a first of its kind.

Organized by the International Buddhist Confederation in collaboration with the Indian Ministry of Culture, it saw the participation of delegates from around 30 countries, including Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Mongolia.

Monks, scholars and heads of Buddhist organizations from these countries attended the event in Delhi, but none from China – home to the world’s largest Buddhist population – was present.

Contrary to speculation, the 14th Dalai Lama attended the event and delivered a speech stressing the importance of Buddhist philosophy and values.

Through Buddhism, which originated in India, New Delhi shares deep cultural and historical roots with many countries in Asia. The government has introduced the event as “a means to mark India’s significance and importance in Buddhism” and “to enhance cultural and diplomatic relations with other countries”.

The Global Buddhist Summit is taking place at a time when India holds the presidency of the G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and is keen to be a voice for the global south.

(Source ANI)