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The Lotus Sutra – A Message of Peace and Harmonious Coexistence
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EVENT: |
An exhibition highlighting the relevance of Lotus Sutra in contemporary society, held under the aegis of the Daisaku Ikeda Corner on Culture of Peace, IGNCA |
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VENUE: |
Lecture Hall, Ground Floor, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, Man Singh Road, New Delhi |
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DATE: |
16-23 April, 2008 |
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TIMINGS: |
10 AM to 6.30 PM |
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Rare Buddhist birch bark scrolls, photo panels of wall paintings and murals discovered from a town on the Silk Road and artefacts from early recorded history will be shown during a rare exhibition in New Delhi next month on the Lotus Sutra, the final teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.
Why are we born? Why must we meet the inevitable sufferings of illness, ageing and death? It was only in the core of the Lotus Sutra that Shakyamuni sought to provide answers to the fundamental questions of human existence.
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The exhibits are rare manuscripts and reproductions of items created in the early part of recorded history from the first century onwards - in India, Nepal, China and Japan. Some are in languages now considered archaic and others are from regions along the legendary Silk Route. There are 12 rare manuscripts, 63 photographic panels depicting the relics, documents, manuscripts and facsimile editions of the Lotus Sutra, which have all been brought together in an effort to convey the spirit of Lotus Sutra and its relevance to modern society. |
The exhibition projects the message of the Sutra, the message of empowerment of the individual, the message of mutual coexistence and the need to respect the sanctity of all life. It reveals the great hidden treasure of the heart, as vast as the universe itself, which dispels any feelings of powerlessness. It reveals how the inner determination of an individual can transform everything around. The Lotus Sutra comes across as a living, breathing manual for finding happiness and fulfillment today.
Depicting events in a cosmic world that transcends ordinary perceptions of time and space, the Lotus Sutra presents abstract religious concepts in concrete terms. Nichiren Daishonin, a 13th century Japanese Buddhist sage, who unwrapped Shakyamuni's gift for all of us, says the Sutra "represents the bone and marrow of all the sacred teachings of the Buddha's lifetime”.
Now in the homeland of the Lotus Sutra, this exhibition is being sponsored by the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, Bharat Soka Gakkai and supported by the St Petersburg Branch of The Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the International Academy of Indian Culture.
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Hope Blooms Through the Lotus
- Inauguration of the Exhibition
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The inaugural function of the exhibition “Lotus Sutra – A Message of Peace and Harmonious Coexistence” was held at 5:30 pm at IGNCA. In attendance were distinguished guests, representatives of the press corps and members of Bharat Soka
Gakkai.
SGI President Ikeda’s message was read out by Ms Naveena Reddi, Director General Bharat Soka Gakkai. Expressing his hopes for the success of the exhibition, Dr Ikeda said, “Your country is the birthplace of the Buddhist philosophy, and hence a source of great spiritual significance. It is in fact the spiritual homeland for people like myself, a land to which we are deeply indebted, the land of our teachers. Now, on the occasion of this Lotus Sutra exhibition, I hope we can in some small way repay that debt we owe you.”
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The Chief Guest, Dr Yoganand Shastri, Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Social Welfare, Government of Delhi, speaking in Hindi said, “There was a time when Buddhism, Buddhist art and culture were at their highest glory. Buddhism has given a lot to humanity. India, too, has gained a lot from Buddhism – specially the two art forms – Gandhara and Mathura Schools.”
Eminent Indian scholar of Buddhism and Buddhist art, Prof Lokesh
Chandra, the guest of honour, delivered the key note address. “The Lotus Sutra has been a central point in India’s freedom movement. The recitation of the title of the Lotus Sutra was introduced into the daily hymnal at Gandhiji’s ashram in Wardha by Japanese monks. Gandhiji was moved to enquire about the meaning and expressed interest in the Lotus Sutra. My father, Prof
RaghuVira, managed to get a copy of a Sanskrit manuscript printed in Russia for
Gandhiji.”
Prof Chandra elaborated the significant aspects of the Lotus Sutra which make it an eternal text rather than an ancient scripture. He hailed the Lotus Sutra as a feminist sutra as it promised the attainment of enlightenment by women, and egalitarian as it eliminated all distinctions of class. Prof Chandra also saluted SGI President Ikeda as the greatest interpreter of the Lotus Sutra whose interpretation correlates a very classical text, a text of veneration into a text of action.
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Giving the concluding remarks, Dr KK
Chakravarty, Member-Secretary, IGNCA highlighted the role of upaya kaushalya or expedient means in the Lotus Sutra and shared that the Buddha adopts demonstration as a means to lead human beings to the ultimate.
The visitors were awestruck by the beauty of the murals depicting the parables of and impressed by the universal messages conveyed by the Lotus Sutra. The volunteers from Bharat Soka Gakkai helped visitors understand the significance by sharing details about the different panels and the exhibits on display.
The exhibition garnered good pre publicity and was well covered in all leading dailies, magazines, electronic and web media. The exhibition is open to the public from April 17-23 between 10AM and 6:30PM each day. A seminar titled “The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra: A Teaching for All Ages” will be organised on April 19 at IGNCA featuring imminent speakers including Prof Lokesh
Chandra, Dr Chakravarty.
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