India to set up library of Buddhist texts: PM Modi

India will set up a library with Buddhist scriptures from monasteries around the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

Modi proposed the creation of the library while participating in India-Japan Samvad conference.

“Historically, the light of Buddha's message spread out from India to many parts of the world. However, this light did not remain static. In each new place it reached, Buddhist thought continued to evolve further over the centuries,” the Prime Minister said. “Because of this, great treasures of Buddhist literature and philosophy can be found in many different monasteries today, across many different countries and languages.”

“This body of writing is a treasure of humankind as a whole,” he said, proposing the creation of a library of all such traditional Buddhist literature and scriptures. He said that his government would provide appropriate resources to set it up in India. “The library will collect digital copies of all such Buddhist literature from different countries. It will aim to translate them, and make them freely available for all monks and scholars of Buddhism,” said the Prime Minister.