Korean monk wishes to meet Sofi Mohammad

[Brekhna]

Chief Buddhist Monk upbeat about first Buddhist University in taxila.

“My mission is peace and harmony among different faiths in the region. I would like to meet Sufi Muhammad and other tribal leaders for peace in the region, which is the cradle of Gandhara civilisation, where all cultures of the world met in peace.”
Chief Buddhist Monk Jeon Woon Deok said this while speaking to the media in Islamabad on Sunday. The chief monk, who is also the chairman of the Gandhara Arts and Culture Association, informed that the government response towardsthe plan of establishing the universityh at Taxila was quite encouraging and in this context a piece of land had also been provided free of cost.

The chief monk said that the ancient and sacred sites of Gandhara civilisation scattered around Pakistan is considered to be the greatest monument in the world from religious point of view and if restored properly will be of greater importance and tourist attraction and help Pakistan attain an important and significant position as the centre of religious tourism.

Like every year thousands of Sikh ‘yatrees’ visit Nankana Sahib, Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world will visit Pakistan as it will be the most holiest of place for them, he said. Answering a question, he stressed on the need and importance of culture and religion as a vehicle to bring the people of the world on a single platform, and said that he would wish to sit with Sufi Muhammad and all other religious and political leaders of the Northern Areas to find a way to cooperate for the sake of peace. Holding such a peace meet between the stakeholders and interaction with tribal leaders could have a great impact world over, he said.

The Korean chief monk said that the essence of Buddhism is ‘All is one and one is all’, and following that essence, he wants to preserve Gandhara as the hub of all ancient cultures and civilisations. He said that though the world talks about globalisation, but instead it is heading towards more conflicts and racial tensions. He said “We can only start actual globalisation by opening up our minds and understand one another by accepting peace for everyone.” He said that after working for interfaith harmony all his life and carrying out the renovation and revival of ancient sites around the world, he has now dedicated the rest of his life to the revival and restoration of Gandhara sites. He said that the government and all stakeholders must get together to help conserve and restore this great spiritual inheritance to promote peace and harmony and endorse their commitment to sanction religio-cultural tourism in the region.

Estimated to be constructed at a cost of $1.5 million, the project of the institute would start soon at the site selected by the chief monk in Taxila near the Dharmarajika Stupa. Going through four selected sites, he chose this site as according to his calculations carried both through his spiritual wisdom and special equipment, he finds the site to be full of positive energy. The proposed ten-acre site has already been donated by the government of Pakistan.

The Gandhara Art and Culture Association makes a noble effort to promote religio-cultural tourism in Pakistan and after successful completion of this project, Pakistan would be heading the list of the top countries involved in religio-cultural tourism. Keen to enhance cooperation and assistance to Pakistan with special focus on preservation and excavation of Gandhara sites scattered in various parts of the country, the senior monk said that once restored, Takht Bahi, Sirkap and other important sites would become the centre for Buddhists all over the world.

The association is focusing on conservation, restoration and development of all major Buddhist sites in Gandhara region, especially Takht Bahi, that would bring academic, economic and geo-physical development uncovering great tourism potential in Pakistan to attract tourists from all over the world.

[aimal khan]

The Korean chief monk said that the essence of Buddhism is ‘All is one and one is all’,
This resembles too much to Islamic mysticism/Sufism concept of Wahdatul wajood .....Unity of existence ,,,research is required on the similarities between Islam and Budhism

Also Budhist countries should take action on the situation of Swat as Swat is the birth place of of their second great man after Gautama Budha

Padmasambhava (flourished eighth century AD), also called Guru Rimpoche, Tibetan Slob-dpon (teacher), or Padma ‘byung-gnas (lotus born) legendary Indian Buddhistic Mystic who introduced Tantric Buddhism to Tibet and is credited with establishing the first Buddhist Monastry there.
According to tradition, Padmasambhava was native to Udyana (now Swat in Pakistan)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swat_(P...ritage_of_Swat