Numerous followers and monks commemorated the 2568th birthday of Gautama Buddha at his birthplace in Lumbini on Thursday.
Around 100 monks, with half of them representing the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), participated in the celebration. India conducted a special ceremony near the pond in the Maya Devi Temple area for global harmony.
Vijayant Thapa, the Director (Project) at the International Buddhist Confederation, reported that the Lumbini Development Trust had arranged a peaceful chanting event in the morning. The event involved 50 monks from both the Theravada and Bhayala traditions, who participated in a peaceful march from the chanting site to the conference hall.
Accompanied by numerous fellow monks, the religious practitioners later gathered at the International Buddhist Conference to honour the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha, renowned as the “Light of Asia.”
The gathering was orchestrated by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) in collaboration with the Lumbini Development Trust. It saw the presence of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, and Tourism Minister Hit Bahadur Tamang.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, together with the Secretary General of BIMSTEC, Indra Mani Pandey, as well as ambassadors and Deputy Chief of Mission representatives from various diplomatic missions in Nepal, attended the event.
Buddha, revered as the ninth embodiment of Lord Vishnu, was born on the auspicious day of Shukla Purnima in the Baisakh month of the lunar calendar. It is noteworthy that the dates in the lunar calendar marking Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and Mahaparinirvana (passing away) coincide.
The global Buddhist communities, Nepal included, commemorate this Day with great respect. The birth celebration of Buddha, known as the advocate of non-violence and peace, is being honored with the presence of spiritual leaders and gurus in monastic settings.
Buddha, born into the royal lineage of King Suddhodhan and Queen Mayadevi, renounced his palace life at the age of 29 to pursue a life of asceticism. He is also revered as the ‘Light of Asia.’
The teachings of Buddhist philosophy hold prominence in globally renowned institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard universities.
MA-level programs focusing on Buddhist philosophy can be found at Tribhuvan University, Nepal Sanskrit University, and Lumbini Bauddha University in Nepal. The discourses and teachings delivered by Lord Buddha throughout his 80-year lifespan are compiled in texts such as ‘vinaya’, ‘sutta’, ‘abhidhamma’, and ‘tripitaka’.
