Prime Minister of India, Honourable Sri Narendra Modi, Addresses the Inauguration at the First Global Buddhist Summit

Namo Buddhaya!

The first Global Buddhist Summit happening today is a historic event. Today’s dignitaries have come from different parts of the world to attend the inaugural Global Buddhist Summit.

We consider all guests who visit our country as gods, ‘Atthi Dēvō Bhava’. That is to say, guests are gods to us. When I see many honourable personalities in front of me who have lived through Lord Buddha’s teachings, I feel the presence of the Buddha around us. Enlightenment is a perception that transcends the individual. A system of thinking that transcends materiality, a volition that transcends creation. Also, the concept of Buddha is an eternal truth. Buddha’s teaching is unchangeable and immortal truth. This is the reason that people from so many different countries and so many different geographical environments are present here today. Buddhism, which is pure and broad, binds humanity in a single thread. Therefore, we can imagine the power of crores of followers of Buddha in different countries of the world when they take a resolution together. That strength is limitless. When so many people work together with one idea for a better future for the world, the end is bound to be monumental. Therefore, I can confidently say that the first Global Buddhist Summit will create an effective platform for the efforts of all our countries in this direction. I congratulate the Ministry of Culture of India and the International Buddhist Confederation for organizing this event.

Friends, there is another reason for my intimate attachment to this summit. Vaḍnagar in Gujarat, where I was born, has a deep association with Buddhism. Many Buddhist tourists and Buddhist monks visit Vaḍnagar. The archaeological replicas among the exhibits when I came here are evidence of that. Look how remarkable this coincidence is! I was born in Vaḍnagar. I won the parliamentary election in Varanasi. Sarnat is also situated in Varanasi.

Friends, the first Global Buddhist Summit takes place when India has completed 75 years of independence. When India is celebrating the immoral great festival (Amrit Mahotsav) of its freedom, we have a considerable aim. India also has a new concept for a better world. Today, India has contributed to the world in many ways. Our biggest inspiration behind those initiatives is the Buddha.

Friends, you are all familiar that the path of Buddha is ‘Pariyatti’, ‘Paṭhipatti’ and ‘Paṭiveda’. That is Theory, Practice, and Realization. India has been moving fast on all these three points in the last nine years. We have worked hard to propagate the priceless value of the Buddha every day. We have worked with a sense of dedication to take the teachings and sermons of Buddha to every home. ‘Paṭhipatti’ is at the forefront in the development of the Buddha Circuit in India and Nepal, efforts to rejuvenate pilgrimage centres like Sarnath and Kushinagar, the construction of the Kushinagar International Airport, the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in Lumbiṇi with the cooperation of India and International Buddhist Confederation. This is the Paṭhivēda in Buddha’s teaching. India considers the grief of every human being, wherever in the world, as its own and shows empathy toward them. Be it peace missions in different countries of the world or calamities like the earthquake in Turkey, India stands with humanity in times of every crisis by exerting its full potential. Today, India’s 140 crore people work towards that thought by understanding it in good faith. Not only that, but also they have identified its need. I believe that this forum of the International Buddhist Confederation is giving a new extension to this feeling. It will provide a unique opportunity for all like-minded and like-hearted countries to spread the concepts of Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. The discussion on how we encounter the current challenges and how we handle the country to overcome them has become a reality. Also, every conversation holds a ray of hope to improve the world. We must understand through this Global Buddhist Summit that we have to follow the path of Buddha to find the solutions to such problems.

Buddha did not leave his palace and royal luxury not because he lived a harsh life there. Buddha left the palace and gave up the royal luxury because he felt that he had all the comforts available to him, whereas there was misery in the lives of others. Therefore, the noble path of Buddha is the only way to make the world a comfortable place, eliminating self and narrow-mindedness. We have to think about the poverty-stricken people who lack essential needs around us. This is the only way to make the world a global village. Today, every individual must prioritize to work towards improving one’s own country and the world.

Friends, it is universally accepted that the current time is the most challenging time of this century. Today, on the one hand, two countries are at war for months, while on the other hand, the world is also going through economic instability. They are attacking the well-being of humanity violently. Climate change is looming large over the existence of the entire society. Glaciers are melting, ecology is being destroyed, and species are becoming extinct. Geo materials are being destroyed. But in the midst of all this, there are millions of people like you and me who have faith in Buddha, who believe in the welfare of all living beings. This hope, this faith, is the biggest strength of this earth. When this hope gets united worldwide, the Buddha’s sermons will become the world’s ideology, and Buddha’s realization of truth will become humanity’s belief.

Friends, Buddha has preached the best solution for every crisis in the contemporary world centuries ago. He preached the answer for the war and unrest that the world is suffering today, hundreds of years ago. Buddha said, ‘Nahī vērēna vērāni.…..’. That is, ‘hatred never ceases through hatred in this world; through love alone, they cease’. He also preached that ‘conquest begets enmity, and the failure destroys the peaceful sleep. Therefore, we can be happy only by discarding defeats, wins, fights, and quarrels. Lord Buddha has also told ‘sukhā sanghassa sāmaggi’. Unity among Sangha is happiness itself. Thus, unity among Sangha is a must before making the world happy.

Friends, today, we find that imposing one’s beliefs and faith on others is becoming a significant global crisis. But what did Lord Buddha say?  Lord Buddha said: ‘Attāna mēva paṭhamaṃ…….‘. That is, one should practice good behaviour before preaching it to others. In the modern era, we see that many world political leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, got inspiration from this advice. But we have to remember that Buddha didn’t just stop there. He went ahead and said: ‘Appō dīpō bhava.…..’. That is, one has to be his light. Today, the answer to many crises in the contemporary world lies in this sermon of Lord Buddha. Therefore, I proudly say that as a federated state, India has given the world a Buddha, not war. Where there is Buddha’s compassion, there is peace. No space for war there.

Friends, the path of Buddha should be the path of our future. If the entire world followed the teachings of Buddha, we would not even have faced such crises as in the contemporary world. Some countries even stopped caring about others, about future generations. They were of the view that the effect of this continuous tampering with nature would not affect them. But the Lord Buddha has clearly said in the Dhammapada that ‘as a water pot is filled with drop by drop, the repeated mistakes become the cause of destruction’. Buddha also said that if we correct mistakes and do good deeds continuously, the existing problems can be solved. A pot gets filled drop by drop of water, and similarly, a wise man, accumulating little by little, fills himself with virtue.

Friends, every person is affecting the earth in one way or the other. Be it our lifestyle, our dresses, eating habits, and all different human needs have an impact on nature. If people become aware of that and change their lifestyles, we can be free from the crises we face in the modern world. The only path to fulfil that is the Buddha’s path. With this spirit, India has started Mission LiFE. Mission LiFE, which focuses on ‘Lifestyle for the Environment’, is also influenced by the inspirations of Buddha. Through these missions, India continuously carries Buddhism to the future.

Friends, today, it is vital that the world comes out of the definitions of materialism and selfishness and imbibe this feeling of ‘bhavatu sabba maṃgalam’ (May all be well). Buddha’s sermons should not only be made a symbol but also a reflection of our spirit. Only then the resolution of ‘bhavatu sabba maṃgalam’ will be fulfilled. Therefore, we have to remember the words of the Buddha. We have to keep moving forward. I believe we will work together to make this concept a reality. I am sure that humanity will get new light, inspiration, courage, and power from this two-day historic summit. I express my gratitude to all of you for coming here on our invitation.

Namo Buddhaya!

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