SCO CONFERENCE ON SHARED BUDDHIST HERITAGE

Why in news?

Recently, The 2-day international conference of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on “Shared Buddhist Heritage” was inaugurated at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, with focus on India’s civilizational connect with the SCO nations.

More on news:

• The two-day programme is being organized by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of External Affairs and the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC-as a grantee body of the Ministry of Culture).
• The SCO countries include China, Russia, and Mongolia as well as Member States, Observation States, and Conversation Partners.
• Scholars from the SCO are submitting research papers on the subject, including those from the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University in Myanmar, the State Museum of the History of Religion in China, and Dunhuang Research Academy.
• The aim of the Conference is to re-establish trans-cultural links, seek out commonalities, between Buddhist art of Central Asia, art styles, archaeological sites and antiquity in various museums’ collections of the SCO countries.
• One of the natural marvels in this world is the evolution and spread of ideas, since times immemorial. Crossing effortlessly, formidable mountains, vast oceans and national boundaries; ideas that find a home in distant lands; getting enriched with the existing cultures.   So is the uniqueness of Buddha’s appeal.
• Its universality crossed both time and space. Its humanistic approach permeated art, architecture, sculpture and subtle attributes of human personality; finding expression in compassion, co-existence, sustainable living and personal growth.
• The Conference is a unique meeting of the minds, where countries from different geographical regions but with a common thread connecting them based on a shared civilization legacy, strengthened by Buddhist missionaries who played a major role in integrating various cultures, communities and regions in the entire Indian subcontinent and Asia will discuss for two days’ various themes, chalking out ways to continue the age-old bonds into the future.

 

 

Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1906780