On Thursday Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Buddha Purnima recalled the teachings of Lord Buddha and said, “Lord Buddha had said that the mind is supreme, and is the basis of Dhamma, that the mind is at the forefront of all the tendencies. That’s why, since our mids are connected, we don’t feel the lack of physical presence."
“It’s a pleasure to be amongst you, but the situation now is not conducive. That’s why, be it from afar and through the medium of technology, I got the opportunity to speak to you and I’m happy about that,” the prime minister said in the virtual Buddha Purnima celebrations.
Buddha Purnima is being celebrated virtually due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The online event is organised in being the honour of the victims and the frontline warriors of coronavirus.
The Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), a global Buddhist umbrella organisation, is holding a virtual prayer event with the participation of all the supreme heads of the Buddhist Sanghas from around the world, a statement from the government said.
Modi praised the organizers for holding this event at a time when the entire world is fighting against the COVID-19 crisis. “I am confident that we will be able to bring humanity out of this crisis through concerted efforts like this,” the Prime Minister said in his keynote address.
Prayer ceremonies on the occasion will be streamed live from the Sacred Garden Lumbini (Nepal), Mahabodhi Temple (Bodhgaya, India); Mulgandha Kuti Vihara, Sarnath; Parinirvana Stupa, Kushinagar; Pirith Chanting from Ruwanweli Maha Seya in the sacred and historic Anuradhapura stupa premises, Sri Lanka; Boudhanath, Swayambhu, Namo Stupa, Nepal, apart from other popular Buddhist sites.