Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's address on the Occassion of Buddha Jayanthi 2006

"I am delighted to be in your midst on this very auspicious day, the 2550th anniversary of Mahapari Nirvana of Lord Gautama Buddha. This day and the message of Lord Buddha continue to resonate around the world more than two and a half millennia later. Millions of his devoted disciples the world over celebrate this day as the day when a troubled human kind found a path to peace.

The life, the spirituality and the teachings of Lord Buddha have offered solace to millions and millions of people across the world for centuries. They are part of our proud natural heritage. Lord Buddha's mission in life was to alleviate human suffering, poverty and ignorance. He showed exemplary courage in holding a mirror to the society around him. He abhorred dogma and ritual, inequity and injustice. Basing his world view on an ethical vision, he preached the gospel of love and compassion.

"His whole approach", wrote Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in the Discovery of India, "comes like the breath of the fresh wind from the mountains after the stale air of metaphysical speculation". The intellectual, moral and spiritual legacy of Lord Buddha endures and it continues to inspire present generation. It encourages us to follow the path of righteousness, benevolence and humanism.

It is well known that in his quest for understanding the meaning of life, Lord Buddha was struck by the pain of an old man, the sight of a sick man, and of a dead man and finally of a monk with a serene face. Those sights and the questions they raised in his mind set him on an arduous journey to end human pain and suffering. The mighty spiritual force of Buddha's life and practical action have given strength to all those who seek to ameliorate human suffering and relieve pain. They make us aware of the power of compassion.

More than two thousand five hundred years after Lord Buddha's Parinirvana, we find the lasting impact of his teachings on the political, social and other priorities of our times. We too are today seeking a path to peace, to well‑being and liberation from poverty, ignorance and disease. We do so both by upholding Dharma and by striving hard to fulfill our duties and responsibilities as individuals and as members of society and polity at large. In today's world, however, the path to salvation is not necessarily found through renunciation. It can also be found in action, provided our actions are guided by the best interests of all. Doing good in what can do in our daily work, is also a path to seek salvation. We need, therefore, a firm societal commitment to the service of the poorest of the poor and to rid our nation of poverty, ignorance and disease. We have to make Governments more transparent and humane, more caring and honest. Our commitment to building a more inclusive society must harmonize with Lord Buddha's message of a just society.

Gandhiji used to say that Lord Buddha's ideals of non-violence and social reform shaped his thinking on the need for the spiritual regeneration of our country. Gandhiji also sought the economic and social advancement of our people and the removal of all societal, religious and economic barriers to human progress and peace.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, one of the greatest followers of Lord Buddha, dedicated his life to the promotion of education. He was deeply committed to the "enlightenment" of the depressed sections of society. He wanted to emancipate them from social and economic discrimination. In embracing Buddhism, Dr. Ambedkar reasoned, he was seeking Pragyan, that is Enlightenment; Karuna, that is Compassion; and Samata, that is Equality.

I salute the memories of our great heroes like Gandhiji and Dr. Ambedkar who were truly inspired by the teachings and the life of Lord Buddha. In our own lifetime these two great sons of India gave a new meaning and relevance to the ancient wisdom of Gautama Buddha.

Today, when once again superstitious belief and blind faith threaten to capture the minds of our people, the wisdom and rationality underlying the thinking of Lord Buddha have a new relevance. Lord Buddha's teachings are free from dogma, and discourage blind faith. They encourage us to think for ourselves, to experience from the world and to learn from that human experience. He urged his disciples not to follow him blindly in this regard. He said, "One must not accept my law from reverence, but first try it as gold is tried by fire".

This is truly a rational and scientific approach to the search for Truth. It encourages us to question, to examine prevailing norms and accepted notions and find new pathways to salvation. Such an approach can regenerate our mind and open it to new ideas. The gathering crisis of bigotry, ideological close-mindedness and religious fanaticism pose a grave danger to civilization. They encourage blind adherence to faith and discourage rational thought. To have and nurture the ability to think, to question, to reason and seek a solution through peaceful means, is the lasting lesson and legacy of Lord Buddha's teaching. It still has relevance in our modern times, and will always have relevance to human existence and human progress.

Today, we also reflect on Buddha's concept of Nirvana. According to Lord Buddha, nirvana did not mean the extinction of life. It means the end of the state of suffering. It also means the annihilation of false desires. Can we not integrate this broader meaning of Nirvana into our modern life? How can we conquer the urge to fulfill ever-growing materialistic desires unmindful of the consequences of their implications for the survival of our planet and ecological stability that we all seek? If we can, as a society, find a new path to progress, we can considerably reduce the vulgarity and violence we see all around us today. Environmental sustainability can then cease to be a mere buzz word but become a practical achievable goal for human endeavour.

Our path to progress and development therefore must be mindful of the need to maintain a balance between human needs and nature, between man and his environment, between the desires of present generations and the needs of unborn generations of the future. We must chart a path to development that is more accommodative of others, more inclusive, more compassionate, less materialistic, and less acquisitive.

I am sure that the year long commemoration of the Parinirvana of Lord Buddha will spread his message of universal love and benevolence and enrich our life. I wish the commemoration all success."