Photo: Hindustan Times
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has honoured the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) with the Vaisakh Samman Prasasti Patra on Buddha Purnima (the Buddha’s birthday) saying, “We are fortunate to have the teachings of Lord Buddha among us even after 2,500 years”. He added that the Government has allocated funding for the development of the Buddhist circuit.
CIHTS is a centrally funded institute, set up in 1967 in Sarnath. It is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture and run by the Central Tibetan Administration which runs programmes for cultural preservation. It is a unique institution in India.
The Buddha Purnima celebration took place at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi, organized and hosted by the Ministry of Culture and the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) and attended by Buddhist monks and leaders from Vietnam, Japan, Srilanka and Thailand. The celebration included Buddhist cultural performances with chanting of hymns and dance theatre, The Light of Inner Self, performed by the Bengal Buddhist Association. Sacred relics were brought from the National Museum and an exhibition showcasing the artefacts, photographs and murals, the Buddham Sarnam Gacchami, was also displayed at the celebration.
Addressing the crowd, Mr Modi spoke of India as a country which has always showed values of compassion, kindness and humanity – values which highly resemble the teachings of the Buddha and said the country was proud the Buddhist philososphy had originated here. He also mentioned that the Government has allocated Rs 360 Crores [$530 Lakh/£390 Lakh] for the development of the Buddhist circuit: The Buddhist Circuit is a series of significant Holy Buddhist Sites – where Lord Buddha was born, attained Enlightenment, preached the first sermon and reached Nirvana.
“Lord Buddha’s message of love and compassion can be of immense benefit to the world today”, added Mr Modi.
Representing the Ministry of Culture, Dr Mahesh Sharma said, “Our Honorable Prime Minister- as an ambassador of Buddha’s noble philosophy of Compassion, Humanity and Love- has been successfully taking these to the countries across the world which he has been visiting. Lord Buddha not just preached but also practised what he preached. He provided human beings the vision of Humanity and Compassion which when practised can make this world a better place to live in.’
Dr Dhammapiya, Secretary General of the International Buddhist Confederation, said “Hatred is a destructive force, it causes destruction and produces nothing but suffering and disharmony that divides and engulfs people into distrust and ill will”, adding, “A definite way to peace and harmony is the practice of universal love and compassion. Love and compassion are positive energy that can elevate human consciousness and be compassionate to all living beings”.
Print
Email