The Sixth World Buddhist Forum (WBF), a globally significant event for the Buddhist community, was hosted by the Buddhist Association of China and the Chinese Association for Religious and Cultural Exchange from 15–17 October at Mount Xuedou in the city of Ningbo, in China’s Zhejiang Province. The forum was held under the theme of “Hand in Hand for Coexistence,” with the participation of about 800 Buddhist representatives, scholars, and leaders from 72 countries, making it a truly international gathering.
The participants of the conference explored the Buddhist understanding of inclusiveness and diversity, with separate discussions on the Dharma’s spiritual essence, monastic lineages, scriptures, social responsibility, plus works of art and material heritage, as well as philosophical concepts such as non-duality, equality, and the notion of humanistic Buddhism.
The forum aimed to promote the Buddhist teachings of compassion and peace and orient them toward benefiting the global community. It also aimed to offer Buddhist wisdom as an aid to the realization of loving-kindness among the nations of the planet, to work hand-in-hand in solving our contemporary problems.
The event began with a grand opening ceremony and the motto “jointly walking with the same aspiration and living in harmony and coexistence.” The program continued with the main forum, seven sub-forums, a new media forum, a broadcast forum, and a closing ceremony. There were several major group activities, as well as a Buddhist art exhibition based on Chinese Buddhist heritage curated by Prof. He Huanhuan of Zhejiang University. The WBF also organized panel discussions based on thoughtful articles by scholars and practitioners under nine sub-forum titles, namely:
Rivalry and Peace,
Anxiety and Stress Reduction,
Celebrated Hermitages and Root Temples,
Preservation and Collation,
Philanthropy and Charity,
Transcendent Images and Sublime Melody,
The Mundane and the Supramundane,
Technology and Ethics, and:
Ecological Environment and Human Habitat.
The occasion also featured a cultural exhibition based on Maitreya Bodhisattva and China’s “Maitreya culture” in the main forum hall of Mount Xuedou Temple. Proponents of Maitreya culture posit that after Buddhism was introduced to China two millennia ago, the devotion to the future Buddha gradually developed into a unique cultural system with distinct Chinese characteristics. The scriptures, art, mythology, and customs related to Maitreya Bodhisattva reflect the process of Buddhism’s adaptation to Chinese culture and its profound influence on the Chinese people’s positive and affirming outlook on the world and human life.
Mount Xuedou Temple was the birthplace of the jolly and rotund monk Budai, the legendary incarnation of Maitreya who gave candies to children and was constantly laughing with benevolent mirth. From the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–979 CE) onward, the legend of Budai in Zhejiang fused with the identity of Maitreya the bodhisattva. This image spread throughout China and even gained popularity overseas. Budai’s humanistic spirit of compassion, tolerance, joy, and harmony fits seamlessly with the contemporary Buddhist wisdom of “harmonious coexistence.” The exhibition of Maitreya Bodhisattva of Mount Xuedou has three sections: the first traces the origins and scriptures of Maitreya belief; the second depicts the dissemination and evolution of Maitreya’s image; and the explores the significance and inheritance of Maitreya culture. The exhibition is a testament to the success of Buddhism’s adaptation to the Chinese context and highlights the progressive spirit of Chinese Buddhist culture and heritage.
The organizers also arranged a cultural excursion for attendees to the cities of Taizhou and Shaoxing, with the theme “Seeking Origins and Ancestors.” Taizhou, located in the central coastal region of Zhejiang Provinc, is a “mountain-sea-water city,” sacred land, and manufacturing capital. Taizhou is also a significant place for the global Buddhist community’s long history and rich cultural heritage, especially Tiantai Mountain being the root of Tiantai Buddhism. To provide a brief overview of Tiantai Buddhism and its root masters, the WBF offered a tour for delegates of Luoxi Missionary Institute, Dafo Temple (Xinchang), and Longhua Temple on Mount Kuaiji. Dafo Temple is a 1,600-year-old monastery in East China established in the early Yongshe period of the Eastern Jin dynasty (345 CE).
The WBF arranged another tour to Shaoxing to see Jishan Academy, the first documented academy founded by Northern Song statesman Fan Zhongyan (989–1052) in Shaoxin. Jishan Academy has a rich lineage of renowned scholars, including Zhu Xi (1130–1200), Wang Yangming (1472–1529), and Huang Zongxi. (1610–95) Today, the academy hosts a postdoctoral program and a higher research institute for Buddhist studies, aimed at cultivating talent in this field while promoting Buddhist cultural exchange with the international community. The academy also publishes the “Jishan Library” series and regularly hosts public lectures and artistic events, ensuring the continuous promotion of Jishan culture.
The WBF was a thriving Buddhist congregation in which academics, monastics, laypeople, and international and Chinese leaders exchanged deep conversations and spent precious time together participating in Buddhist rituals, panel discussions, and cultural excursions. As a participant, I could feel how delighted the delegates were to join this auspicious event. At the end of the conference, the Xuedoushan Statement was proclaimed, in which we all promised to work together for the sake of sentient beings, promoting the Buddhist mission of “hand in hand for coexistence.”
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世界佛教论坛，推动文明交流互鉴 (中国佛教协会)
72 nations to take part in World Buddhist Forum (China Daily)
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