Prez inaugurates Ashadha Poornima celebrations; Says Buddha’s teaching is woven around love, compassion, non-violence
President Ram Nath Kovind has said that India is proud of being the land of the origin of the Dhamma. He said that people in the country see Buddhism as a fresh expression of the sublime truth and the Budhha’s enlightenment and preaching were in line with India’s tradition of respect for intellectual liberalism and spiritual diversity. Inaugurating celebrations organized by the International Buddhist Confederation on the occasion of Asadha Poornima today, Mr Kovind said, it was from India that Buddhism began to spread in neighbouring regions and grew organically in new fertile soil, eventually branching off into various offshoots.
Mr Kovind expressed happiness at hosting the Asadh Purnima celebration in the Rashtrapati Bhavan as part of India’s civilizational journey for welfare of the universe since time immemorial. He said, it was on Asadha Poornima some 2,500 years ago that the Word of Wisdom was spoken out for the first time. On attaining enlightenment, the Buddha spent five weeks in a state beyond deion. Then, he started sharing with people the nectar he had discovered. He said, it was in the Deer Park in Sarnath, near Varanasi, that the Buddha taught the Dhamma to his five original disciples.
The President called it a momentous occasion unparalleled in the history of humankind. This day is also known as Guru Purnima. Hindus and Jains also celebrate it as a mark of reverence for their spiritual teachers. Mr Kovind said, this day is an unbroken link to India’s eternal pursuit of wisdom without dogma.
Mr Kovind said, Buddha’s teaching was against the current during those times, but the force of his argument was woven around love, compassion and non-violence. He added that the spread of Buddhism around the world was guided by these eternal values. The President said, the ‘Dhamma Chakka’, has been the lodestar, helping spiritual seekers navigate through the maze of worldly life and arrive at the end of suffering. He said, it is so scientific that it resembles psycho-therapy more than a traditional, dogmatic religion. The President highlighted that in modern times, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar found inspiration in the words of the Buddha and went on to shape the destiny of the nation.
Mr Kovind observed that the world is in the midst of a virulent pandemic that has overwhelmed the entire humanity. He said, people have to follow certain discipline and maintain physical distance. He stressed that as the pandemic ravages human lives and economies across the globe today, the Buddha’s message serves like a beacon. He added that the Buddha advised people to shun greed, hatred, violence, jealousy and many other vices to find happiness. The President said, this message is a contrast to the hankering of an unrepentant mankind indulging in the same old violence and degradation of nature. He said, the moment the virulence of the Corona virus slows down, the serious challenge of climate change will be before the world.
Mr Kovind said, in the final phase of his life, the Buddha was acutely conscious of the fact that egotism driven by envy, hatred, greed and ambition would undermine compassion and loving-kindness. He said, the Buddha’s cure for human suffering remains as relevant today as it was over two and half millennia ago. He said, there is no doubt that the urgency of abiding by the values that the Buddha preached is eternal.
