Photo:UN/Pengfei Mi
United Nations – “The principle of moderation, or the middle path, remains more relevant today than ever before. The Buddha’s teachings, simple yet profound, encourage us to transcend our differences and embrace a universal bond of loving kindness,” said India’s Permanent Representative P. Harish at a special event organized Thursday, May 15, 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters to celebrate the International Day of Vesak.
Referring to Buddha’s principle of the middle path at the panel discussion on “Teachings of Gautama Buddha – a Path to Internal and Global Peace”, Harish said, “The teachings of Lord Buddha can be a guide in today’s times of uncertainty.”
Stating that India was the cradle of Buddhism, Harish said, “Vesak is an occasion for us to celebrate the shared heritage of Buddhism, an occasion to reaffirm and strengthen the cultural and civilizational ties that bind nations of our region.”
He also referred to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visits to Buddhist shrines in Thailand and Sri Lanka during which he visited Bangkok’s Wat Pho temple and paid homage to the statue of the Reclining Buddha and offered ‘Sanghadana’ to senior monks. Modi also visited Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka.
A short video on the life and teachings of Gautam Buddha was shown at the beginning of the event, followed by speeches from Vice Chancellor of Nalanda University India Professor Abhay Kumar Singh, Harvard Divinity School visiting professor Santosh Kumar Raut, the permanent representatives and diplomats of Vietnam, Bhutan, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Lao PDR and the Russian Federation.
Harish said the Buddha’s message of compassion, non violence and wisdom offers a path to inner and global peace in a world writ with crisis and suffering.
Harish spoke of the importance of inner and outer peace for a well balanced life. Both kinds of peace can be achieved through compassion, joy, mindfulness and wisdom, and developing a material and physical environment of pleasant and friendly relations with other human beings according to Buddhism, Harish said. Maintaining this peace continuum is necessary in today’s world, he added.
Harish further pointed out that developing the correct attitude, comprehension and reaction to outside stimuli through Vipassana is important in Buddhism and will be of use even today and can be pursued throughout life.
Harish explained how the Buddhist principles could be extended to the modern world through fair distribution of resources, maintaining a universal code of conduct or legal system and through building consensus by constructively dealing with differences. Buddhism further speaks of cultivating peace and compassion through maintaining international peace, between groups, between nations at an international level or a regional level, he said.
Pointing out the ethical guardrails in Buddhism, Harish said following Buddhist practice, although successful at individual level, can fail on an interstate level in today’s world of aggression and pursuit of violence. At such times, harm can be minimized by keeping in focus the greater good, the motive of national defense, protecting citizens and preventing suffering, he said.
“This transformative power of Buddhism is not limited to individuals, but it can change societies. It can change nations and indeed the whole world,” Harish said.
Highlighting Buddha’s teachings of peace and compassion, Professor Singh said it was time that these principles were used in today’s times to achieve global peace.
“Lord Buddha’s message of compassion, non-violence and his wisdom offer a path to inner and global peace, in a world beset with crisis and suffering,” Singh said. Raut provided insights into how Buddhist philosophy could help humanity navigate the pressing challenges of the 21st century.
Other speakers elaborated on Buddhist principles which they said would help solve many problems of the modern world and lead to a more sustainable life globally.
