Underlining that “intolerant non-state actors” are now controlling large territories where they are unleashing barbaric violence on innocent people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that “significant, collective and strategic efforts” are required to prevent bloodshed and violence and that the solution to all problems lies in dialogue”. Talking about the conflict “among humans, religions, communities and nation-states, also between non-state actors and states, and even the world”, the PM said, “Intolerant non-state actors now control large territories where they are unleashing barbaric violence on innocent people.” He was speaking at 'Samvad- Global Hindu Buddhist Initiative on Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness'. The three-day event is being held by Vivekananda International Foundation and will shift to the holy Buddhist town of Bodhgaya on September 5. “The second conflict is between nature and man, between nature and development, and also between nature and science. These types of conflicts call for dialogue to bring about conflict avoidance – not just ‘give and take’ conflict resolution negotiations as what is happening today,” he added. The audience included representatives of many Buddhist countries, including those from Japan, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Cambodia. Stating that the “severe limitations in our conflict resolution mechanisms are becoming more and more obvious”, the Prime Minister said, “We need significant, collective and strategic efforts to prevent bloodshed and violence. It is, thus, no surprise that the world is taking note of Buddhism. This is also a recognition of the historical Asian traditions and values, which can be used to shift the paradigm to conflict avoidance, to move from the path of ideology to philosophy.” Modi also said that it was his “firm belief that the solution to all problems lies in dialogue”. “Earlier, it was believed that force indicates power. Now, power must come through the strength of ideas and the effective dialogue. We have seen the adverse effects of war. The first half of the 20th century was witness to the horrors of two world wars. Now, nature of warfare is changing and the dangers are increasing. What took a hundred thousand men or a prolonged battle can now happen through the click of a button, in a span of minutes,” he said. Stating that “all of us here have a cardinal duty to ensure that our future generations lead a life of peace, dignity and mutual respect”, the PM added that “we need to sow the seeds of a conflict-free world and, in this endeavour, faiths of Buddhism and Hinduism have a great contribution”. “They say that this century is going to be an Asian century. I am very clear that without embracing the path and ideals shown by Gautam Buddha, this century cannot be an Asian century!,” the PM added. “I see Lord Buddha doing to our collective spiritual well-being what global trade did to our collective economic well-being and the digital internet did to our collective intellectual well-being,” he further said. Modi added that his government “is doing everything possible to give an impetus to this Buddhist heritage across India” and that “India is taking the lead in boosting the Buddhist heritage across Asia”.
