G20 podium
NEW DELHI: Lord Buddha’s ideas offer a solution to the problems plaguing the world, such as war, economic instability, terrorism, religious extremism and climate change, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inaugural session of the Global Buddhist Summit here on April 20.
People and nations need to prioritise global interests along with their interest, said the Prime Minister. It was appropriate that first such summit was being held in India, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, he said, adding, “by hosting this summit, India is not only doing its duty, but it is also showing the way forward.”
The Prime Minister asserted that India had been following the path shown by Lord Buddha and treated every human being’s pain as its own. He cited the country extending help to others, including Turkiye after it was hit by an earthquake, as an example of that.
PM Modi noted that his government had constantly endeavoured to propagate Buddha’s ideas and highlighted the deep links Buddhism has with his birthplace in Gujarat and his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. More than 170 delegates from 30 countries took part in the mega event. Delegates included eminent Buddhist monks, scholars, ambassadors and diplomats.
The theme of the two-day summit was ‘Responses to Contemporary Challenges from Philosophy to Praxis’. Five exhibitions were also organised as part of the summit.
