“When the Dalai Lama comes here, he says that this land is not merely a geographical land. This land is a living laboratory of Buddhist culture and compassion. On this land, knowledge has been preserved. India’s civilization has been conveying the message of peace for thousands of years.”
A politically loaded message from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, taking the name of the Dalai Lama knowing full well the Tibetan spiritual leader is anathema to China.
Also to reiterate a fact: that Buddhism is rooted in the Indian soil, Buddha attained enlightenment here and China’s attempts to “own” it amounted to farce for an officially atheist state.
Shah was in Ladakh for the first time since it became a Union Territory in 2019. But this was about the 15-day exposition of the sacred Piprahwa relics of the Tathāgata Buddha, on the occasion of Vesak Purnima.
The relics were recently transported from Delhi to Ladakh on 29 April, recognition of the fact that Ladakh is where Buddhism in its true form began taking shape even as it was enhanced by Tibetan influences later on.
Himalayan Buddhism (often called Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism) is a distinct, esoteric form of Mahayana Buddhism practiced across Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Indian Himalayas.
Himalayan Buddhism has profoundly contributed to the spiritual, cultural, and intellectual landscape of Asia by acting as a “living repository” for ancient Indian traditions.
Tathāgata Buddha is the teaching form of Buddha. The teachings took a final form that came to define today’s modern-day Buddhism in Ladakh.
Therefore, the Home Minister’s focus on Ladakh’s pivotal role in preserving Buddhist knowledge, including during periods of immense stress and crisis, and in spreading these beyond India’s borders to China through ancient trade and cultural routes. He said Tibetan influence gave more depth to Ladakh’s spiritual traditions.
The Home Minister, who paid homage to the sacred relics before addressing a massive gathering at Leh’s sprawling Jivetsal, also said Ladakh is a “laboratory” of ancient Buddhist tradition and culture.
Whenever Buddhism faced any kind of internal or external crisis, Ladakh has been that land that preserved and protected the teachings of the Tathagata Buddha.
“And when peace returned, it helped to expand and carry forward that preserved wisdom,” he added. “The message that emerged from the land of Ladakh has become a guiding force for many people around the world to take their lives forward.”
He said the arrival of the sacred relics in Ladakh is a reminder of India’s ancient civilisation that stands for peace and coexistence.
