SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL, AT THE INAUGURAL FUNCTION OF BUDDHA VIHAR AND MEDITATION HALL

Gulbarga, 7th January, 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am happy to be in Gulbarga, a region with a rich historical past and a strong association with Buddhism. Sannathi located on the banks of the river Bheema in Gulbarga district was one of the well known Buddhist centres of pilgrimage and learning. Archeologists have found Buddha statues, Buddhist sculpture and other relics dating back to the period of Asoka and Satavahanas. Today, I am glad to be inaugurating the beautifully designed and constructed Buddha Vihar with a magnificent stupa at the front. I complement Shri Kharge ji and his colleagues for this commendable work.

Buddhism arose out of Buddha's search for a way to overcome human pain and suffering. Born as Prince Siddhartha, Gautama was deeply disturbed by the sight of a sick man, an old man and their sufferings.

He became an ascetic, wandering in search of truth about human sufferings. When he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Gaya, he realized that the root cause of unhappiness was the outcome of the attachment to desires. This attachment can be ceased by following the noble Eight Fold Path of right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, thought and concentration.

Buddha's message found resonance and it spread far and wide, attracting great amount of interest. Many scholars came to India to learn about Buddhism and many from India went overseas. There is a belief that Mahindra and Sanghamitra, the son and daughter of Emperor Asoka went from the Gulbarga region to Sri Lanka, carrying the message of Buddha. There are a large number of followers of Buddhism across the world. During my visit to Vietnam, I went to one of the old pagodas built in the 6th century called "Tran Quoc". In the garden there is a Pipal Tree known as the Bodhi tree grown from a cutting of the original Bodhi tree in India and planted in 1958 by President Rajendra Prasad. Buddhism provides, in many ways, a strong bond of friendship between India and other countries where Buddhism has an influence.

Buddhism's appeal lay in the adherence to the Middle Path which advocates the avoidance of extremes. In his life, Buddha had enjoyed excessive luxury as a prince and had also practiced severe austerities as an ascetic. It was only when he forsake both that he became enlightened. In other words, he found a path, or way of living, that gave him peace and calm. The Middle Path calls for approaching issues in a moderate and balanced manner. It requires human activities to be conducted on the basis of high moral values, harmony and kindness to others. The Middle Path is a noble path not only for the personal lives of individuals but could be good basis for activities of nations from economics to politics.

Historically, Buddhism has had a tremendous impact on those who embraced it or followed its principles. Emperor Asoka, one of the greatest kings of India, on becoming a Buddhist completely gave up violence and followed Ahimsa as the policy of his Kingdom. For him the welfare of his people became the guiding principle of governance. Later, Gandhiji won India's independence by adopting Ahimsa as the instrument for India's freedom struggle. It was a unique example in the history of mankind.

Buddha highlighted the importance of community and, indeed, Sangha - the community - is one of the Triple Gems of Buddhism, other two being Dharma and Buddha. Sangha in the broader sense can mean those around us and their welfare. Today, the need is to look at all of humanity as one and the world as a common home that we live in. We thus have responsibilities towards our fellow human beings and towards the conservation of the planet Earth. These responsibilities must be fulfilled by all while working for their own development and peace. A Buddhist proverb says and I quote "if a seed of a plant does not grow, do not blame the plant, instead the fault lies with us for not having nourished it properly". All individuals must strive to follow Dharma, live a life of good deeds so that they can become compassionate and caring human beings. Sanghas were also run on democratic principles and in the debate in the Constituent Assembly, Baba Saheb Ambedkar made reference to the old republics of India and to Sanghas as Parliaments which in their functions used procedures like resolutions, divisions and whips. The ethos of democracy, respect for diverse views and tolerance form part of the Indian civilization since ancient times.

I am informed that the Siddhartha Vihar Trust was established in 1994 by Shri Mallikarjuna Kharge ji with the aim to spread the message of Buddha and to undertake charitable, cultural and educational activities in this region.

I am confident that the Buddha Vihar with its educational institutions, open air theatre, convention centre and library will contribute to the peaceful growth of the region.

I am also told that this Trust seeks to carry forward the work of Dr. Baba Sahib Ambedkar, one of the greatest sons of India, who was an extra-ordinary man, with great human qualities. Baba Saheb shall always be remembered as the principal architect of the Indian Constitution. The enlightened vision of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity that is contained in the Preamble of the Constitution has been guiding the Indian nation, the world's largest democracy.

Throughout his life, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar championed the cause of the oppressed and the downtrodden. As India progresses, we must ensure that we adhere to a strategy of inclusive growth in all areas of national life, so that the benefits of our economic growth can improve the lives of all our citizens, particularly the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes and the disadvantaged sections of the society. We must work relentlessly for the upliftment of the vulnerable sections of society. A life of dignity must be assured to all. The fight against poverty, illiteracy and disease must be fought and won. Delivering social welfare and social justice to our people will be a just tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar who followed the teachings of Lord Buddha. I am informed that the Siddhartha Vihar Trust is undertaking a number of welfare and awareness activities and I would like to encourage them to continue their good work, including in the field of education.

In conclusion, I would like to say that India has a proud tradition of having the pervasive thought of brotherhood and humanism in its philosophy. Buddhism that arose in India is a part of our rich heritage.

I convey my good wishes to Siddhartha Vihar Trust and its Chairman Shri Mallikarjuna Kharge ji to continue to work for the welfare of society in the spirit of the message and teachings of Lord Buddha. My best wishes to all of you on the occassion of New Year.

Thank you.

Jai Hind!