Kathmandu, Apr. 29:
The International
Buddhist Conference held in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, has agreed
to complete the Lumbini Master Plan, designed by Kenzo Tange, as a global
centre for peace and humanity.
The Kenzo Tange Master Plan
covers an area of 5 by 5 miles with the central square being the Sacred Garden,
within which is the UNESCO World Heritage Property. It includes the new Lumbini
village, cultural/monastic zone and the Sacred Garden.
On his visit to Nepal in 1967, U Thant, then
Secretary-General of the United Nations, had proposed to develop Lumbini as the
major centre of Buddhist pilgrimage. An international Committee for the
Development of Lumbini (ICDL) was formed in 1970,and Tange started his planning
works in 1972.
The ICDL approved Tange’s Master Plan eight years later.
The two-day conference, organised on the occassion of 2562nd Buddha Jayanti with the theme
‘Lumbini Nepal: The birthplace of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism and
world peace’ concluded on Sunday with a 10-point Lumbini Declaration 2018,
which includes issues such as interfaith dialogue, infrastructure development,
connecting Buddhist attractions in Nepal and India, and implementing the
Greater Lumbini Area Master Plan.
“We agree to establish Lumbini as a gateway to the
Greater Circuit of Asian Buddhist Pilgrimage by connecting Lumbini (Nepal) with
Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar (India), and other great Buddhist Centres and
heritage sites in other countries, such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh,
China and Pakistan,” reads the declaration.
Lord Buddha was born in the sacred garden of Lumbini
during 6th century B.C., he attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya,
gave his first sermon in Sarnath and died in Kushinagar.
The Buddhist Circuit has become an agenda in various
Nepal-India bilateral forums, but there has not been significant progress in
materialising the concept.
The conference also agreed to develop an integrated
Greater Lumbini Master Plan, including pilgrimage destinations within the
Buddhist Circuit of Nepal – Kapilvastu, Devadaha and Ramagram.
Tialurakot in Kapilvastu district was the home of the
Buddha, Devadaha in Rupandehidistrict was his maternal home and Ramagram in
Nawalparasi district has a relic stupa of the Buddha.
Similarly, the declaration announced that an
integrated management plan would be created to safeguard the archaeological
cultural and natural heritage of the Greater Lumbini area.
“We agree to safeguard the environment within the
Greater Lumbini Area, and monitor and control sources of all forms of
pollution, and to create an international centre for peace and conflict
resolution in Lumbini,” reads the declaration.
The conference also aims at promoting interfaith
dialogue and bringing the world Buddhist community together, addressing rising
religious and ethnic violence in Asia and working together to find a Buddhist
way to address and resolve conflict.
The summit has also recognised the great relevance of
Buddha’s teachings of the Middle path as a sustainable future for humanity
today as it faces unprecedented global challenges such as ecological crisis,
climate change, widespread poverty, marginalisation, exploitation and violence
in the world.
Addressing the conference Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
said that the Buddha and his teachings had played a significant role in showing
light to millions of people around the world.
He pledged that the Lumbini Master Plan would be
completed within the given time.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation
Rabindra Adhikari expressed his confidence that the conference would help in
promoting Buddhist philosophy globally and religious tourism.
Buddhist scholars, religious leaders, monks, nuns and
other stakeholders from 23 countries participated in the conference.
Published in The Rising Nepal on 30 April 2018.
No comments:
Post a Comment