Karnataka - Gulbarga   

‘Buddhism is the tallest among all religions’

Centre for learning: Peethadhipathi of the Sharanabasaveshwar Samasthan Sharanabasavappa Appa laying the foundation stone for the auditorium at Buddha Vihar complex on the outskirts of Gulbarga on Sunday. KPCC President M Mallikarjun Kharge and others are seen.

GULBARGA: Peethadhipathi of the Sharanabasaveshwar Samasthan Sharanabasavappa Appa said on Sunday that Buddhism was the tallest among all religions in the world and the humanism and compassion for fellow human beings taught by Lord Buddha could not be found in other religions.

Laying the foundation stone for the an auditorium to be constructed at the sprawling Buddha Vihar on the outskirts of Gulbarga and participating in a function to commemorate the 51st Dhamma Parivarthana Diwas, Dr. Appa said Buddhism’s preaching on humanism, equality and principles of non-violence was relevant in the present day, which was marred with conflicts.

Dr. Appa said that it was unfortunate that books on the works and preaching of Buddha were available only in English and other languages, while very few books and translated works were available in Kannada. He said all the works of Lord Buddha should be translated to Kannada.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president and chairman of the Siddhartha Vihar Trust Mallikarjun Kharge, who presided over the function, said the trust would provide financial assistance for the translation of the works of Buddha into Kannada and said that a full-fledged library consisting of the works of Lord Buddha and books relating to Buddhism would be established at Buddha Vihar.

Mr. Kharge said that religion was a necessity for all individuals, but the religion which identified human beings as humans and treated them with respect and privileges should be recognised as the true religion. “Buddhism is the only religion which treats every human being equally and extends respect to all without looking into their caste and creed,” he said.

He said that one of the main reasons for the failure of India to develop despite having the best manpower in the world and natural resources was the inequalities prevailing in society in the name of caste and religion. The inequalities in the economic field owing to deprivation of certain communities due to their caste and colour, led to deprivation of educational opportunities to them.

Mr. Kharge said people should strive for achieving the dream of Dr. Ambedkar to make India a “Buddhist state.”

Buddhist monks, including Bhanta Buddha Prakash from Sri Lanka and Boudha Dhamma from Japan spoke on the occasion.

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