New Delhi: The Buddhist community has much to offer to mankind at a time when the world is facing strife and climate crisis, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday. In her address at the inaugural ceremony of the first Asian Buddhist Summit here, she also underlined that Buddha Dhamma (tenets of Buddhism) is encapsulated in the word 'Karuna' or compassion, which is "what the world needs today".
"When the world today is facing an existential crisis on many fronts, not only strife but also climate crisis, your large community has much to offer to humankind. The various schools of Buddhism show the world how to counter narrow sectarianism, their central message remains focussed on peace and non-violence," Murmu said.
There is also a need to discuss the role of Buddha Dhamma in "strengthening Asia", the President said. "Indeed, we need to expand the discussion to see how the Buddha Dhamma can bring peace, real peace to Asia, and to the world, a peace free from not only physical violence but also from all force of greed and hatred," she added.
Her remarks come amid the Ukraine-Russia and West Asia conflicts. In her address, President Murmu emphasised how several Buddhist literary pieces through translations by Chinese and other scholars contributed to its preservation even after many of the originals got destroyed in the past.
This makes "Buddhist literature a truly shared heritage for us", she said. Murmu also took note of the classical language status given to Pali and Prakrit, among other languages recently by the government, saying this this will help in preservation of texts in the two languages and in their revitalisation.
"This summit, I am confident, will go a long way in strengthening our cooperation based on our shared heritage of Buddha's teachings," Murmu added. The two-day summit is being hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC).
The theme of this summit is 'Role of Buddha Dhamma in Strengthening Asia'. The Buddha Dhamma has emerged as a valuable component of India's culture, aiding the country in developing steadfast foreign policy and effective diplomatic ties, the ministry said.
The Summit is also a manifestation of India's 'Act East' policy, which is principled on collective, inclusive and spiritual development of Asia with Dhamma as the guiding light, it added.
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