"Buddha teachings relevant when nature playing havoc with mankind"

New Delhi [India], April 21 : International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) Director-General Abhijit Halder on Friday said Buddha's teaching very relevant in today's world when "nature is playing havoc with mankind".

"The world is going through a major crisis and nature is playing havoc with mankind. Today's man wakes up with fear and anxiety and doesn't know how he will take it to next day, so this is where the 'Dhamma' or teaching of Buddha are very relevant," Abhijit Halder told on the sidelines of the ongoing Global Buddhist Summit, 2023 in New Delhi.

Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence at the event and talking about his attachment to Buddhism, Halder said, "Prime Minister Modi has been very closely associated with Buddhism and as far as IBC is concerned he is involved in most of its activities. Last year he laid the foundation stone of a monastery in Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. His very presence in the event is wonderful because people who had come from far and wide really want to understand India's involvement with Buddhism and its Dharma narrative."

Halder said that the IBC was trying to "revive contacts with our friends across the world and bring them together on a single platform and discuss issues like sustainability, world peace, tradition, mutual balance and subjects like metaphysics".

Listing down projects and achievements of the ongoing Global Buddhist Summit, Halder said, "Many of the new projects are coming up in the country are related to Buddhism like the development of walking trail on the path Lord Buddha had walked on. I got the opportunity to interact with members of different orgsations and people from across the world who are here to share their innovative ideas. This event made all these possible."

Earlier in the day, Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, called for focus on wisdom and compassion as he highlighted the situation in Tibet by giving his own example and stressed upon looking at the current situation from a broader perspective.

"I can also share with you that by engaging in this kind of inner development and particularly focusing on Wisdom and compassion. It really can help increase our courage as well. For example: in the case of my dealing with the current struggle and situation of Tibet, if you think just only about it from a narrow-angle, you can lose your hope," the Tibetan spiritual leader said.

Highlighting the teachings of Buddha, the Tibetan spiritual leader also spoke about his teachings on dependent origination and how everything is dependent upon each other.

"Among all the great spiritual teachers of the world, one thing that really defines the Buddha as a unique teacher from the Buddhist point of view is his teaching on dependent origination and it really captures the essence of Buddhist insight and Buddha's teaching. When we look at the term itself, Dependent origination is composed of two syllables, one is dependent and the second is origination. These two capture a powerful insight into the understanding of the nature of reality," said the Dalai Lama.

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