Washington [US], May 6 : Buddhism is among the "greatest gifts" of India to the world, Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu said while noting that it plays the role of a "unifying factor" in various countries where the religion is being practised.
Sandhu made the remarks while celebrating Buddha Purnima in the United States on Friday along with venerable monks, scholars from the International Buddhist Association of America, and the Indian diaspora.
The Indian ambassador tweeted, "Commemorated the life & message of Lord Buddha with venerable monks from across scholars from International Buddhist Association of America, @IbcWorldOrg, White House officials, academics and India diaspora."
While addressing the gathering, Sandhu said, "All of you know today is a sacred day and across many different cultures in the world of Buddhist philosophy we celebrate Lord Buddha's birth anniversary."
"Buddhism is amongst the greatest gifts from India stretching back to more than 2500 years and it's practiced in more than 100 countries today. It's a strong unifying factor. I have learned in my previous assignment in Sri Lanka and witnessed how strong our shared Buddhist heritage is," he added.
Lauding the Narendra Modi government in India for the steps taken to strengthen Buddhism, he said, "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the government of India is keen to strengthen the people-to-people linkages weaved through the common thread of Buddhism."
Recalling PM Modi's visit to Sri Lanka in 2017 as the chief guest of UN International Vesak Day celebrations, the Ambassador enumerated the initiatives taken for Buddhism.
"I recall, in 2017 Prime Minister Modi's historic visit to Sri Lanka as the chief guest of UN International Vesak Day celebrations. Several initiatives since then have been taken like the development of Buddha circuit in India and Nepal, the rejuvenation of pilgrimage centres like Sarnath and Kushinagar, inauguration of Kushinagar International Airport, the International India Center for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in Lumbini with cooperation of India and the International Buddhist Confederation, assistance to several countries in India's neighbourhood, Southeast Asia for construction and renovation of Buddhist monasteries and joint projects to be set up, International centers and museums for Buddhist culture and heritage are just few examples of India's efforts," he said.
The Indian envoy added that the first global Buddhist summit was successfully orgzed in India last month where scholars from across the world participated.
"In a world which is facing multiple challenges today in the form of pandemic, terrorism, environmental degradation and like," he said.
Sandhu referred to the preachings of Buddha and said that there is no problem for which solutions could not be found in his teachings.
"As Lord Buddha said, be your own light, and he showed us the path which he himself had lived," he said.
"India has been deeply influenced by the Buddhist philosophy and has been working with like-minded partners, including the United States, in addressing the diverse headwinds that we face," the Indian ambassador added.
The gathering was also addressed by the scholars and office bearers of the International Buddhist Association of America.
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