The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, inaugurated a three-day international Buddhist conference in Nalanda district in Bihar.
The Indian government is sponsoring the conference, titled “The Relevance of Buddhism in the 21st Century.”
In his opening address, the Dalai Lama told Buddhist delegates and experts from 35 countries that all religions share one principle — love and compassion — and that all must promote religious harmony in order to overcome both historical and current problems created in the name of religion.
Previously, some international Buddhist conferences barred the Dalai Lama because of China’s opposition. This time, China did not send delegates to the conference, presumably because of the Dalai Lama’s presence.