What Hosting the Global Buddhist Summit Signals to the World

The Global Buddhist Summit 2026 in New Delhi highlights Buddha Dhamma as a timeless ethical guide, promoting collective wisdom, compassion, and cooperation to address today’s conflicts and uncertainties.

By Aishwarya Nair: What can guarantee peace in a world increasingly defined by volatility? The question of peace is no longer philosophical, but urgent. The challenges of the 21st century demand more than isolated solutions or singular ideologies; they call for a shared ethical compass that guides action with responsibility, restraint, and compassion. Amid the challenges of contemporary times, aligning actions with universal principles of responsibility offers a meaningful way to navigate uncertainty. The way forward does not lie in adhering to one principle alone, but a collective application of multiple principles. It is in dialogue, reflection, and conscious action that pathways toward stability and harmony emerge. Against this backdrop, the Global Buddhist Summit themed “Collective Wisdom, United Voice and Mutual Co-existence” to be held in January 24-25, 2026 in New Delhi signals a timely response to a restless world. By bringing together voices from across cultures, disciplines, and geographies, the Summit seeks to move beyond discussion toward thoughtful engagement, inviting participants not only to reflect deeply, but to act wisely in addressing the challenges of our time.

Timeless Teachings, Contemporary Challenges

Inspired by the Buddha’s teaching that “the Dhamma is timeless” (Sanditthika Sutta, SN 6.1), the Summit’s theme aims to gather individuals from multifaceted disciplines in order to convey the universal values preached by the Buddha which in the present time can act as a moral compass and provide one with ethical clarity in navigating challenges. The Global Buddhist Summit carries significance beyond religion. The enduring relevance of the Buddha Dhamma lies precisely in its refusal to reduce human problems to power, identity, or ideology. Instead, it speaks to the inner roots. Buddha Dhamma is not merely a tradition of contemplation, but a practical ethical framework for navigating complexity without despair. Rather than prescribing uniform solutions, the Summit creates space to reflect on how followers of the Dhamma, across cultures and different sects, can work in harmony to respond to contemporary challenges. The emphasis is not on doctrine, but on application: how timeless principles can shape present and future action.

From the 2023 Delhi Declaration to 2026 Action

The first Global Buddhist Summit held in 2023, which observed participation from over 31 countries, themed “Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis”, demonstrated the depth and contemporary relevance of Buddhist thought by inculcating a myriad of themes from traditional to modern. Deliberations moved from metaphysical inquiry and philosophical foundations to pressing global concerns such as mental well-being, environmental degradation, and the evolving challenges faced by the Buddhist Sangha. 

Nalanda Wisdom Meets Modern Science

The Summit highlighted the relevance of harmony among world religions, explored Buddhist perspectives on health and healing, and examined how Buddhist principles can offer meaningful responses to complex, multidimensional challenges of the present age. Discussions traced the global spread of the Nalanda tradition, extending even to regions such as Brazil, while also addressing Buddhist tourism, education, and the protection, preservation, and promotion of Buddhist cultural heritage. Notably, the Summit ventured into interdisciplinary dialogues, including the relationship between quantum physics and Nalanda philosophy, as well as unprecedented themes such as the prevention of future pandemics through wisdom and compassion, mindfulness as a pathway to sustainable peace, and reflections on His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings on selflessness. Collectively, these discourses underscored the enduring capacity of the Buddha Dhamma to engage with the modern world while remaining rooted in timeless wisdom.

India’s Civilisational Responsibility as Host

Moreover, the Summit to be held in India adds profound civilisational meaning. As the birthplace of the Buddha, India is not merely a geographic origin point, but the source of a moral and philosophical tradition that travelled across Asia and eventually the world without conquest or coercion. Hosting it in India is an acknowledgement of responsibility. By foregrounding compassion, dialogue, non-violence, and interdependence, the GBS will underscore the Buddha Dhamma as a normative framework for peace-building and cooperative international engagement.

Collective Wisdom for Sustainable Peace

While the previous Global Buddhist Summit laid a broad and inclusive foundation by engaging with diverse themes across philosophy, society, science, and culture, the upcoming Summit will put forth a natural progression from dialogue to deeper convergence. The upcoming Summit seeks to explore more in depth how timeless Buddhist principles can illuminate pathways for social harmony, ethical livelihoods, inner and outer well-being, and sustainable ways of living, while also engaging with evolving fields of knowledge and practice.

Beyond Religion: Buddhism as Global Ethics

The first Global Buddhist Summit led to the proclamation of “Delhi Declaration”. The upcoming Summit aims to build up on the principles enlisted under the Declaration for a more proactive action-oriented outcome. The upcoming Summit seeks to delve in depth the core principles and strengthen collective and collaborative engagement in accordance with the principles. While the Declaration articulated a common resolve to draw upon the Buddha Dhamma in addressing peace, well-being, environmental sustainability, interfaith harmony, and the preservation of living Buddhist heritage, the forthcoming Summit aims to further develop these commitments through sustained dialogue, reflection, and collaboration. It carries forward the Declaration’s emphasis on inner transformation as the basis for social harmony, its call for ethical responsibility towards nature, and its vision of Nalanda-inspired value education, while creating space to explore how these ideals can be meaningfully applied in contemporary contexts. In this sense, the Second Global Buddhist Summit does not deviate from the Delhi Declaration 2023. By creating space for reflection, learning, and meaningful exchange, the Summit aspires to strengthen understanding, deepen compassion, and inspire thoughtful engagement with the world. The GBS will also showcase India’s centrality in the global Buddhist world, reaffirming its role as the land of the Buddha and a contemporary convenor of Buddhist dialogue.

(The author is a Research Assistant at the IR Division, International Buddhist Confederation)

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