Buddhist faith biggest strength in times of war, economic crisis, says PM Modi

“We are going through the most challenging time today. For many months, there is a war between two nations and the world is going through economic volatility. Threats of terrorism and religious fanaticism are attacking humanity’s soul,” he said.

PM Modi added that climate change, with melting glaciers and disappearing ecosystems, was plaguing the world today. “But, at the same time, there are crores of people like you, who believe in the Buddha. This hope, this faith is the biggest strength of this earth. When this hope gets united, the Buddha’s Dhamma will become the world’s belief and Buddha’s realisation will become the belief of humanity.”

The Prime Minister said that had certain countries followed the Buddha’s teachings and thought about the welfare of others and future generations, climate change would not have become the crisis it has today. He also reiterated his statement to the United Nations in 2019, when he said “we are a country that has given the world Buddha, not Yudh [war]”.

“The path of Buddha is the path of the future and the path of sustainability,” Modi said.

Citing the Buddha’s teachings, Modi said, “There is happiness in living together with all people in harmony. Friends, today we see that the thinking of imposing one’s own thoughts and beliefs onto others is becoming a big problem for the world.”

He added that the Buddha’s teachings included that one should first look at one’s own conduct before preaching to others.