Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the world is passing through challenges such as war, economic instability, terrorism, religious extremism and climate change and asserted that Lord Buddha's ideas offer a solution to these problems.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Global Buddhist Summit here, Modi took a swipe at rich countries, saying the world is facing a climate change crisis now because in the last century, "some countries stopped thinking about others and the coming generations".

"For decades they kept thinking that meddling with nature will not impact them. They kept putting it on others," he said.

Emphasising that the path shown by Lord Buddha is the "path of the future and sustainability", the prime minister also said that "had the world followed His teachings, it would not have faced the climate change crisis".

In his address, Modi quoted ancient texts on Lord Buddha's teachings and said the need of the hour is that people and nations prioritise global interests along with that of their own by drawing inspiration from the Buddha's philosophy.

This is the road to a happy and stable world. This is necessary to move from self to the wider world, from narrowness to integral (approach), the prime minister said, adding that the world will have to think about the poor and countries lacking resources.

Inspired by the teachings of Lord Buddha, India is taking new initiatives for global welfare, he said.

Modi asserted that India has been following the path shown by the Buddha and cited the country extending help to others, including Turkiye after it was hit by an earthquake, to say that it has treated every human being's pain as its own.

"Challenges to solutions is the journey of the Buddha ('samasya se samadhan'). The Buddha didn't leave his palace because He was in discomfort, He left because he saw and felt the pain of others," he said.

It is universally accepted that today's time is the "most challenging time of the century, Modi said.

"Two countries have been at war, the world is going through economic instability, terrorism and religious extremism are assaulting the soul of humanity, climate change crisis is hovering over humanity, glaciers are melting, ecology getting destroyed, species getting extinct. Yet there are crores of people, like those sitting here, who have faith in the Buddha. This faith gives strength," he said.

Among the audience were delegates from 30 countries apart from India. Eminent Buddhist monks, scholars, ambassadors and diplomats are taking part in the summit being hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) on April 20 and 21 at The Ashok Hotel here.

The theme of the two-day summit is "Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis".

Modi, in his address, recalled his speech at the United Nations a few years ago and said, "India didn't give war to the world, it gave the Buddha." In his opening remarks, the prime minister said that this "land of Buddha has the philosophy of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' and the presence of so many venerable Buddhist monks from various parts of the world who follow his teachings make "us feel the presence of Lord Buddha".

Lord Buddha is a consciousness beyond a person, a thinking beyond form, and the Buddha's consciousness is eternal and perennial, Modi said.

He said the summit will provide an "effective platform" for putting together efforts of all countries in the direction of achieving a peaceful and prosperous world while fostering sustainability.

Platforms like IBC are giving the opportunity to "like-minded and like-hearted countries" to spread Buddha Dhamma and peace, Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi noted that his government has constantly endeavoured to propagate the Buddha's ideas and highlighted the deep links Buddhism has with Gujarat's Vadnagar, his birthplace where archaeological artefacts have been found and his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi which is close to Sarnath.

He said the summit was taking place at a time when India has completed 75 years of Independence and celebrating "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav". The world is watching this country of 140 crore people, understanding it and also accepting it, Modi said.

Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said, "This Global Buddhist Summit will also help in strengthening cultural and diplomatic ties with other countries." During the course of the summit, discussions will be held on peace, environment, morality, health, and sustainability, among others, he said.

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "India is the birthplace of Buddhism. By hosting this summit, India is not only doing its duty, but it is also showing the way forward".

Modi, in his address, emphasised on sustainability and said that every action of man, from the choice of clothing, eating and vehicles used for travelling, impacts the environment.

"If we work together, we can also tackle this issue as is being envisioned through Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment). If we have to move forward in the right direction, we will have to move beyond our self-interest and the Buddha should not just be a 'pratik' but 'pratibimb' too," he said.

Before his address, the prime minister visited a photo exhibition and offered flowers to a statue of Lord Buddha.

He also offered monk robes (Chivar Dana) to nineteen eminent monks, the PMO said.

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