2023 South China Sea Buddhism Roundtable Held in Sri Lanka

Walking Together in Harmony and Gathering the Wisdom of the Silk Road

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a report from Xinhua Silk Road

On December 12, the 8th South China Sea Buddhism Roundtable took place in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. The Forum was attended by more than 400 monks, scholars, government officials, and representatives from all walks of life from 25 countries and regions including China, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Japan, India, Vietnam, the United States, France, etc. It marks the first time that the Roundtable in its entirety has been held in a country other than China, with the number of participating countries and regions and attendees reaching a record high.

Master Yinshun, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China and Abbot of the Shenzhen Hongfa Temple, delivered a keynote speech.

Representatives from various countries and regions focused on the theme of the Roundtable "Walking Together in Harmony and Gathering the Wisdom of the Silk Road." Through exchanges and dialogues, attendees have reached a consensus on multiple topics, including improving the mechanism of mutual learning among civilizations, promoting people-to-people exchanges along the Silk Road, and deepening exchanges and cooperation among Han Chinese, Chinese Tibetan, and Theravada Buddhism. In addition, attendees have signed an initiative for the Roundtable, agreeing to work together to implement the initiative, jointly promote exchanges and mutual learning, enhance people-to-people connectivity, and contribute to peace in the South China Sea.

The South China Sea Buddhism Roundtable was launched in 2016. As the founder, Master Yinshun has been committed to promoting international exchanges on Buddhism. He is known as the Xuanzang (an influential Chinese Buddhist scholar-monk of the Tang dynasty) in modern times, and he is widely lauded for his efforts in driving international communications. Over the past seven years, with Master Yinshun's efforts and the participation and support of all parties, the Roundtable has brought together Buddhists in the region and has made great achievements in Buddhism, education, charity, and environmental protection. The Roundtable has become a high-end platform for international folk cultural exchanges.

Taking the opportunity of the Colombo Forum of the Roundtable, Shenzhen Hongfa Temple and the Shenzhen Chaoshan Youth Chamber of Commerce have jointly launched a medical charity event named the "Silk Road Brightness Tour" which has provided free surgeries and treatment for 100 impoverished cataract patients in Sri Lanka. Over the past decade since its launch, this transnational charity program has brought light and joy to nearly 10,000 patients in Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, and other countries.

During the three-day Roundtable, an education sub-forum and a youth sub-forum will be held.