<p>Attended by diplomats and monks from around 40 countries, the Second Global Buddhist Summit, which was organised by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) and the Ministry of Culture, in New Delhi on January 24-25, was larger than its first edition in 2023.</p><p>At the summit, Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stressed that India was the custodian of Buddhist wisdom, bridging ancient and modern times. By highlighting India’s leadership in the Buddhist world, the summit underscored decade-long efforts to utilise Buddhism to connect populations across Asia, and position Buddhist diplomacy as a key instrument in its geopolitical competition with China.</p> .'India, China are friends, partners': President Xi Jinping.<p><strong>Buddhist revival, its relevance</strong></p><p>India’s Buddhist diplomacy in the 21st century has focused on rebuilding connections with Asia, aligning with the region’s Buddhist revival. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 and the decline of communist regimes, Buddhism has re-emerged as a dominant social phenomenon in many countries.</p><p>Mongolia, Russia’s three autonomous republics — Buryatia, Kalmykia, and Tuva — as well as parts of Central Asia, have witnessed the institutional revival of Buddhism through monasteries, monastic education, and popular beliefs. Similar trends are visible in Vietnam and Laos in Southeast Asia. India has played a broader role here, fostering connections with monasteries. In Mongolia, for example, India recognised the utility of Buddhist diplomacy very early after the Cold War when it appointed Bakula Rinpoche, a prominent Buddhist monk and leader from the Buddhist-dominated region of Ladakh, to Mongolia as its ambassador for 10 years (1990-2000).</p><p>With the revival of Buddhism, it also has relevance for guiding social-political attitudes and developments across Asia, and, thus, for India, it is pertinent to engage with these nations to build connections.</p> .<p><strong>India’s competition with China</strong></p><p>A key force behind Buddhist diplomacy is India’s competition with China. As both countries vie for influence in Asia, Buddhism — one of the predominant social traditions — has become a site for strategic rivalry. Each has invested diplomatically in Buddhism as a tool to build connections beyond state-to-state ties, particularly across South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.</p> .<p>China has redefined its approach since the 1990s, when Tibetan Buddhism was labelled a foreign religion, to now embracing it under the broader umbrella of Chinese Buddhism aimed at both domestic and international audiences. As a part of this strategy, Beijing has sponsored high-level visits by monks and scholars to Tibet, organised summits with monastic leaders and officials, sponsored heritage conservation and tourism abroad, and donated large sums to organisations associated with key monasteries, such as in Sri Lanka. However, for the Chinese government, a key motivation remains isolating the Tibetan leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, and ensuring domestic political stability.</p><p>India, by contrast, has long been engaged in Buddhist diplomacy, with its constitution and political system favourably oriented towards traditions such as Buddhism. However, its recent push to invest in Buddhist diplomacy is shaped by its geopolitical competition with China.</p><p>Beijing’s use of Buddhist diplomacy in Nepal and Sri Lanka is aimed at eroding India’s influence. Given that many communities across the Himalayas follow Tibetan Buddhism, platforms such as the IBC have become important for India to strengthen its ties with Himalayan Buddhist communities amid recurring border tensions and China’s extra-territorial claims.</p> .<p><strong>India’s advantage</strong></p><p>China has deep pockets to invest in Buddhist diplomacy, but its overt geopolitical motivations and its domestic record of treating Buddhist followers make the task more difficult. India, by contrast, enjoys a natural advantage: Buddhist institutions across Asia have millennia-old ties with Indian monasteries and pilgrimage sites. As the land of the Buddha, India commands global reverence, and despite investing far less than China, New Delhi has built a strong foundation for Buddhist diplomacy.</p><p>The journey of the holy relics of the Buddha — from Piprahwa and those recovered from Hong Kong in 2025, to Inner Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, and other countries — drew thousands of people to pay their obeisance. This illustrates how Buddhist diplomacy engages directly with the population in countries where Buddhism is widely practiced. It is not a coincidence that many of these countries lie in China’s immediate neighbourhood.</p><p>Through Buddhist diplomacy, India seeks to project moral leadership, combining messages of peaceful coexistence at its borders and beyond with outreach that extends beyond political and economic elites to broader Asian societies.</p><p><em>Devendra Kumar is an Associate Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi NCR. X: @DoctorDev.</em></p>
<p>Attended by diplomats and monks from around 40 countries, the Second Global Buddhist Summit, which was organised by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) and the Ministry of Culture, in New Delhi on January 24-25, was larger than its first edition in 2023.</p><p>At the summit, Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stressed that India was the custodian of Buddhist wisdom, bridging ancient and modern times. By highlighting India’s leadership in the Buddhist world, the summit underscored decade-long efforts to utilise Buddhism to connect populations across Asia, and position Buddhist diplomacy as a key instrument in its geopolitical competition with China.</p> .'India, China are friends, partners': President Xi Jinping.<p><strong>Buddhist revival, its relevance</strong></p><p>India’s Buddhist diplomacy in the 21st century has focused on rebuilding connections with Asia, aligning with the region’s Buddhist revival. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 and the decline of communist regimes, Buddhism has re-emerged as a dominant social phenomenon in many countries.</p><p>Mongolia, Russia’s three autonomous republics — Buryatia, Kalmykia, and Tuva — as well as parts of Central Asia, have witnessed the institutional revival of Buddhism through monasteries, monastic education, and popular beliefs. Similar trends are visible in Vietnam and Laos in Southeast Asia. India has played a broader role here, fostering connections with monasteries. In Mongolia, for example, India recognised the utility of Buddhist diplomacy very early after the Cold War when it appointed Bakula Rinpoche, a prominent Buddhist monk and leader from the Buddhist-dominated region of Ladakh, to Mongolia as its ambassador for 10 years (1990-2000).</p><p>With the revival of Buddhism, it also has relevance for guiding social-political attitudes and developments across Asia, and, thus, for India, it is pertinent to engage with these nations to build connections.</p> .<p><strong>India’s competition with China</strong></p><p>A key force behind Buddhist diplomacy is India’s competition with China. As both countries vie for influence in Asia, Buddhism — one of the predominant social traditions — has become a site for strategic rivalry. Each has invested diplomatically in Buddhism as a tool to build connections beyond state-to-state ties, particularly across South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.</p> .<p>China has redefined its approach since the 1990s, when Tibetan Buddhism was labelled a foreign religion, to now embracing it under the broader umbrella of Chinese Buddhism aimed at both domestic and international audiences. As a part of this strategy, Beijing has sponsored high-level visits by monks and scholars to Tibet, organised summits with monastic leaders and officials, sponsored heritage conservation and tourism abroad, and donated large sums to organisations associated with key monasteries, such as in Sri Lanka. However, for the Chinese government, a key motivation remains isolating the Tibetan leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, and ensuring domestic political stability.</p><p>India, by contrast, has long been engaged in Buddhist diplomacy, with its constitution and political system favourably oriented towards traditions such as Buddhism. However, its recent push to invest in Buddhist diplomacy is shaped by its geopolitical competition with China.</p><p>Beijing’s use of Buddhist diplomacy in Nepal and Sri Lanka is aimed at eroding India’s influence. Given that many communities across the Himalayas follow Tibetan Buddhism, platforms such as the IBC have become important for India to strengthen its ties with Himalayan Buddhist communities amid recurring border tensions and China’s extra-territorial claims.</p> .<p><strong>India’s advantage</strong></p><p>China has deep pockets to invest in Buddhist diplomacy, but its overt geopolitical motivations and its domestic record of treating Buddhist followers make the task more difficult. India, by contrast, enjoys a natural advantage: Buddhist institutions across Asia have millennia-old ties with Indian monasteries and pilgrimage sites. As the land of the Buddha, India commands global reverence, and despite investing far less than China, New Delhi has built a strong foundation for Buddhist diplomacy.</p><p>The journey of the holy relics of the Buddha — from Piprahwa and those recovered from Hong Kong in 2025, to Inner Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, and other countries — drew thousands of people to pay their obeisance. This illustrates how Buddhist diplomacy engages directly with the population in countries where Buddhism is widely practiced. It is not a coincidence that many of these countries lie in China’s immediate neighbourhood.</p><p>Through Buddhist diplomacy, India seeks to project moral leadership, combining messages of peaceful coexistence at its borders and beyond with outreach that extends beyond political and economic elites to broader Asian societies.</p><p><em>Devendra Kumar is an Associate Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi NCR. X: @DoctorDev.</em></p>
