"Bridging Traditions, Embracing Modernity: A Dialogue on the Buddha's teaching in Today's World".
The International Buddhist Confederation, in collaboration with the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Buddhist Centre, along with 23 co-organizers, organised the First International Sangha Forum (ISF) from 20-22 December 2023 in Bodhgaya, Bihar - the sacred place where Gautama Buddha attained Enlightenment.
During the inauguration session, the event witnessed the presence of practitioners of the Pali traditions of Southeast and South Asian countries, including India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, as well as those of the Sanskrit tradition.
The session began with a group of Theravada Tradition monks reciting the ‘Karaniya Metta Sutta’—'The Buddha’s words on loving-kindness’—in Pali, which was followed by a group of monks from the Sanskrit University in Varanasi who chanted the Mangala Sutra—the Sutra of Auspiciousness—in Sanskrit.
As the Chief Guest of the event, His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated the three-day conference. His key message at the event was about instilling compassion in everyone, regardless of their beliefs and practices for which he indicated that we must follow the practices of Bodhisattva for world peace and ourselves. His Holiness shared that his practices of Bodhisattva has deeply benefited him. Keeping the competitive and harsh world in mind, His Holiness emphasised on practicing the concept of “Bodhichitta — the mind of enlightenment” – a precious practise that works on inner strength, which would subside feelings of anger, hatred and jealousy.
Among other noted and senior speakers of the Sangha, Director General of IBC Mr. AbhijitHalderdelivered the Keynote Address, where he expressed his faith on the meaningful impact of this conference.
At a time when conflict has broken out in several parts of the world, DG, IBC noted, the primary focus of the Dhamma is to develop compassion and wisdom. The Buddha Dhamma is part of the world’s culture, which teaches us how to live in peace with prosperity and compassion. He highlighted the need to shift our attention to what will make human beings more compassionate and peaceful.
Mr. Halder drew the attention of the gathering to the specific mention by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the need for us humans to pay more attention to the health of the environment at the recently held World Climate Action Summit in Dubai.
Mr. Halder quoted what His Holiness had said at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992:
“I believe that to meet the challenge of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for his or her self, family or nation, but for the benefit of all mankind. Universal responsibility is the real key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace, the equitable use of natural resources and, through concern for the future generations, the proper care of the environment.”
Subsequently, Secretary General IBC, VenKhensurJangchubChoeden, offered the Vote of Thanks. He paid homage to the Holy Sangha led by the great 14th Dalai Lama and expressed his gratitude to all the speakers, dignitaries and devotees. A special mention was made for all the supporters and volunteers of the forum. He wished the event every success and said that he would be himself participating in the discussions on Vinaya and will be interacting with a cross section of Dhamma practitioners from across the globe who are participating at the Conference.VenKhensurJangchubChoeden subsequently engaged with all the Sangha heads and tried to understand from them the scope of a larger role that IBC could play in different countries in future.
He also interacted with the media explaining to them the essence & value of Dhamma.
Venerable Heads of Sanghas from different parts of the world present on the occasion also spoke about the core values of Dhamma and its applicability in today’s world. Representatives from Russia, Mongolia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Nepal, Japan, Korea, Maxico were among those who spoke on the occasion.
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