So this tweet regarding the Global Buddhist Summit being conducted by India landed up on my TL some time back and triggered a chain of thoughts that I shall attempt to share here.
Let’s see how it goes ..
Note : Before moving ahead, do go thru the video on the tweet above, even if in form of snippets.
I’ll begin with a disclaimer : This blog post is NOT about religion or evangelism, if at all. Instead, I intend talking a bit about our Buddhist heritage and how it has great potential in deepening ties with the near and far neighbourhood.
First & foremost, as expected, I searched for & quickly found a hashtag about the upcoming Global Buddhist Summit that seems to have been created by some good folks: #GlobalBuddhistSummit .
The event is apparently being organised by International Buddhist Confederation, New Delhi.
The existence of the International Buddhist Confederation itself was a revelation for me!
That such an organisation exists in the country speaks volumes about those who realized the importance of this heritage and the need to preserve and share it.
The motto of the @IbcWorldOrg itself give away the intent : ‘Collective Wisdom, United Voice’.
THIS is what holds a huge potential for the near and even far neighbourhood.
The common heritage of Buddhism directly links India with almost all its direct neighbours less East and West Pakistan.
Nepal : Birth Place of Lord Buddha
Bhutan : Buddhist Majority Country
Myanmar : Buddhist Majority Country that is also credited with saving the practice of Vipassana in its true form as taught by Lord Buddha Himself. Sh. Goenka Ji discovered it while doing business in Myanmar and brought it back to India.Sri Lanka : Yet another Buddhist Majority Country.
Tibet : The Birthplace of the current Dalai Lama, as also thought to be the custodian of a large number of priceless Buddhist manuscripts.
Then there is Japan from where a steady stream of visitors keep landing in Bodh Gaya for pilgrimage, many of whom then settle there in matrimonial bliss with Indian spouses. This is what Google tells me 👇
However, the first Global Buddhist Summit only happened in 2023. We were perhaps a bit late in realizing this common heritage. But as they say: Better Late Than Never!
I’d say that we have been in an overdrive since then, ‘spreading the word’ & getting like-minded folks together!
The first inkling of the sheer GOLD that India has in terms of Buddhist heritage was the reception in Thailand of the sacred relics that were sent there by us. IIRC, it was the IAF that flew the relics to Thailand and back.
(Link to above tweet : https://x.com/AdityaRajKaul/status/1764395457189413163 )
The relics subsequently travelled to Russia and Bhutan as well in 2025.
In fact Prime Minister Modi himself was there in Bhutan when the relics were on display there for the faithful.
Talk about Diplomacy with common heritage links!
The case of Russia is even more interesting, though.
Who knew that a region in Russia would be a Buddhist majority region .. and that too in the EUROPEAN part of Russia.
So technically, the relics also travelled to Europe last year!
On that note, do watch the video in the tweet below for the reception accorded to the holy relics in Kalmykia by the locals.
Bottomline : This common Buddhist heritage has a lot of potential to thicken the already existing bonds of friendship and cultural imprints throughout the Indian Subcontinent and even farther away.
IMO though, the acme of this shall, however, lie in not only deeper cultural linkages but also in deeper economic linkages.
Remember, it was an Indian businessman in Burma – Sh Goenka Ji – who brought back Vipassana to India after millennia. What is to say that the current ambassadors of the Buddhist heritage won’t find a way into translating this forum of Global Buddhist Summit into business partnerships as well?
Especially if a gentle nudge or two is given by the GOI as well?
In any case, as mentioned in the interview in the beginning of this blog post, delegates for this Global Buddhist Summit include not only religious scholars but academics as well.
Here’s to hoping that subsequent iterations will also see businessmen as well!
And as always, when it comes to the question of Buddhism, there is always the China factor as well.
Especially wrt the reincarnation of the next Dalai Lama, whenever that happens.
In fact here is what I wrote about that 14 years ago!
And true to their form, China didn’t disappoint either!
This is what they did after the First Global Buddhist Summit was held in India.
Come to think of it, we weren’t the only ones who were late in recognizing the potential of the Buddhist legacy!
And the Chinese just copied us!
This time round, thought, they have been a bit smarter .. they did theirs a week before the Indian event!
As I conclude this chain of thoughts, all I’ll say is that the upcoming Global Buddhist Summit might just be a much larger event in terms of eventual impact than what we think currently.
This is exactly what triggered this thread after I first came across the report regarding it.
It is as much about sharing the common heritage of Lord Buddha as it is about deepening existing bonds throughout the near and far neighbourhood. And I hope this includes economic bonds as well because in addition to religion, nothing else binds more strongly than money!
True impact of events such as the Global Buddhist Summit can only be seen with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps a few years or even decades after the event. One can only hope and pray that we steer this in the right direction for common good of all.
For Europe and USA, Buddhism is truly one the most ‘popular’ religions that have originated in India, thanks in large part to the charisma of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. In fact, Richard Gere even got banned from travelling to China for talking about Tibet!
However, the question of Tibet is not triggered this thought. That will be decided in due course, probably whenever the Dalai Lama reincarnates next.
That said, this unrelated event by Buddhist monks in USA is also worth following 👇
With this I conclude this chain of thoughts.
I hope the Global Buddhist Summit becomes a regular event, either annually or bi-annually & that dividends shall include peace and harmony for all concerned.
On that note, I’ll leave this post here as well, to tickle your brains!
:Fin:
Harpreet's Blog 