Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Buddha is today not only relevant but essential also and can help the world find solutions to its uncertainties and instabilities, if it moves away from war and paves the way for peace.

He was addressing a ceremony in celebration of the International Abhidhamma Divas and recognition of Pali as a classical language at Vigyan Bhavan. Abhidhamma Divas commemorates the descent of Lord Buddha from the celestial realm after teaching Abhidhamma.

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The celebrations were organised by the Government and the International Buddhist Confederation and attended by academicians and monks from 14 countries and young experts on Buddha Dhamma from various universities across India.

The Prime Minister said “I once said at the United Nations: Bharat has given the world not war, but Buddha. And today, I confidently say that the entire world will find solutions not in war, but in Buddha. On this occasion of Abhidhamma Divas, I call upon the world: Learn from Buddha, move away from war.”

He said “enmity does not end with enmity. Hatred ends with love, with human compassion. Buddha said “May all be happy, may all be blessed.” This is Buddha’s message, and this is the path of humanity,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr Modi said many of his government’s decisions were inspired by Buddha, Dhamma, and the Sangha. Today, wherever there is a crisis in the world, India is present as the first responder. This is an extension of Buddha’s principle of compassion, he said.

“Whether it was the earthquake in Turkey, the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, or the conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic, Bharat stepped forward to help. Bharat is taking everyone along as a ‘Vishwa Bandhu’ (global friend). Whether it’s the yoga movement, the campaign related to millets, Ayurveda, or natural farming, Lord Buddha’s inspiration is behind many of our efforts,” he said.

The Prime Minister said language, literature, art, spirituality– these treasures of a nation define its existence. Every nation connects its heritage with its identity. “Unfortunately, Bharat had lagged far behind in this regard. Before independence, invaders aimed to erase Bharat’s identity, and after independence, those with a colonial mindset took over,” he said.

“An ecosystem had taken hold in Bharat that worked to push us in the opposite direction. The Buddha, who resides in the soul of Bharat, and the symbols of Buddha that were adopted as the symbols of Bharat at the time of independence, were gradually forgotten in the decades that followed. It took seven decades for the Pali language to get its rightful place,” the Prime Minister said.

The nation is now free from that inferiority complex and is moving forward with self-respect, self-confidence, and self-pride, he said. As a result, the country is making big decisions. That’s why, he said Pali and Marathi have been recognised as classical languages.

And what a beautiful coincidence it is that this connects pleasantly with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, father of the Indian Constitution, he said. “Our great follower of Buddhism, Babasaheb Ambedkar, received his Dhamma initiation in Pali, and his mother tongue was Marathi. Similarly, we have given classical language status to Bengali, Assamese, and Prakrit as well,” the Prime Minister said.

“These languages of Bharat nurture our diversity. In the past, each of our languages played a crucial role in nation-building. Today, the new National Education Policy adopted by the country is also becoming a means of preserving these languages,” he said.

Mr Modi said “Abhidhamma Divas reminds us that it is only through compassion and goodwill that we can make the world a better place.” He said this year’s celebration of Abhidhamma Divas is special as the Pali language in which the heritage of the Abhidhamma of Lord Buddha, his words and his teachings, were given to the world, has been declared a classical language by his Government this month.

Three days from now, on 20th October, he said, he will be visiting Varanasi, where several development works in Sarnath will be inaugurated. “Along with new constructions, we are also safeguarding our past. In the last 10 years, we have brought back over 600 ancient heritage artefacts, artworks, and relics from different countries around the world, many of them related to Buddhism,” he said.