Bringing Buddhism back as a component of India’s strategic culture

Can civilizational values reshape Asian international relations? India currently is addressing that question through Buddhism. Some context: While India has a majority Hindu population, its national emblem and the choice of its flag (specifically the white band) were adopted from Buddhist symbols at the time of independence.

Over the last few years, the International Buddhist Confederation, composed of a network of scholars, has been at the forefront of India’s outreach to the Buddhist world. The IBC is working towards expanding India’s growing ties with the global community of Buddhists. The thrust of the effort, which is sponsored by India’s Ministry of Culture, is to explore alternative forms of engagement based on Buddhist principles and civilizational connections. Specifically, India and its Asian allies are working together to develop a new framework grounded in Buddhist values and aimed at guiding multilateral cooperation on development issues.

Addressing the 74th session of United Nations General Assembly in 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked that India had given the world Buddha rather than Yuddha (Hindi word for war/conflict), emphasizing Buddhism as a cornerstone of India’s global identity and a path to peace. He has reiterated this message in subsequent international speeches, positioning Buddhism as key to New Delhi’s diplomatic approach and response to global tensions.

Even though Prime Minister Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party famously identify with Hindu nationalism, Buddhism’s centrality to Indian and Asian cultural discourse is acknowledged by all political parties across the ideological spectrum. 

The extent of Buddhist civilization’s expanse across Asia is well known and India’s political leadership time and again has reinvigorated this facet in crafting its engagements with Asia. It’s simply that, given the global situation, there is an ongoing conversation among Asian countries to adopt some norms on international conduct. The Modi government has even allocated a high budget to operationalize these issues on a sustained basis. 

Notably, Buddha’s teachings of rationality, compassion and the interconnectedness/interdependency of all things and beings resonate strongly in India’s renewed push for a new normative discourse at the international level. These principles are seen as a foundation for regional cooperation, consensus-building and conflict prevention.

For India, Buddhism represents not only a spiritual tradition but also a diplomatic model for shared prosperity and connectivity across Asia. This aligns with New Delhi’s broader international aspirations, aiming to reconcile its global ambitions with regional harmony and prosperity across Asia.

Buddhism has long been a significant element of Indian foreign policy. The historical expanse of Buddhist influence over Asia became an important element in Indian nationalist thought to imagine and portray India’s place in Asia.

During the colonial era, also, Buddhism was recognized as a powerful counter by Indian thinkers and reformers to combat social inequalities and, simultaneously, as a unifying force in Asia. While it sparked ideological debates among Indian nationalists, there remains broad consensus on its importance in shaping India’s role in Asia, promoting peace and cooperation.

In recent years, Indian foreign policy strategy has placed greater emphasis on soft power in its engagement with Asia. While New Delhi’s narrative of civilizational ties and use of Buddhism dates back to independence, it is now manifesting more concretely in its developmental initiatives and international diplomacy.

Buddhism, which has shaped the cultural and social fabric of India and Asia for centuries, is central to this strategy. Key initiatives include the International Buddhist Circuit, relic expositions, restoration of Buddhist temples across Asia and the return of many Buddhist artifacts to India.   

The success of this strategy can already be seen. In March this year, relics of Lord Buddha and his two chief disciples were displayed in Thailand, where they attracted over four million devotees. A similar exhibition in Mongolia in 2022 received state-level honors. More recently, in June 2024, Modi attended the inauguration of Nalanda University, the highest center of Buddhist learning in ancient times.

Scholars are increasingly focusing on the life and legacy of Guru Padmasambhava, the Indian mystic who introduced Buddhism to Tibet and the broader Himalayan region. His influence, previously understated, is now gaining renewed attention. Padmasambhava (known as the “second Buddha”) is credited with establishing Tibet’s first monastery and shaping the region’s arts and architecture, including in Bhutan and Nepal. He is believed to have transformed the mountain ranges of the Indian subcontinent into conduits for spreading Buddhist culture.

Furthermore, the ancient Pali language has become a focal point for the Indian government, due to the publication of key Buddhist texts, including the Tripitaka (the earliest texts that make up the Buddhist Canon), in Pali. Originally the language of the common people in Buddha’s time, Pali evolved into a sophisticated language as it spread to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, influencing languages including Sinhalese, Burmese, Thai and Khmer.

In October 2024, Pali was declared a “classical language of India.” Modi marked the occasion by addressing a large gathering of Buddhist monks, many from Southeast Asia, reaffirming India’s commitment to preserving “the words of Lord Buddha with their original values.”

In recent years, New Delhi has hosted major international Buddhist summits (with IBC as the nodal knowledge partner), bringing together diplomats, scholars, monks and monastic heads from across Asia. These events, inaugurated by India’s top leadership, foreground Buddhism’s growing centrality in India’s foreign policy.  

For instance, following the First Global Buddhist Summit hosted by India’s prime minister, India hosted the First Asian Buddhist Summit in 2024, with the president of India as the chief guest, reinforcing India’s “Act East” policy. This policy emphasizes regional development through cultural ties, including the restoration of heritage sites, scholarships for students and redefining of economic cooperation grounded in civilizational values. The Asian Buddhist Summit concluded with the announcement of the Delhi Declaration, which outlined a framework for cooperation among Asian nations guided by Buddhist principles. 

Beyond cultural diplomacy, Buddhist teachings are being applied to contemporary challenges facing the environment, mental health issues and combating disinformation. A notable example is the September 2024 International Buddhist Media Conclave in New Delhi, which brought together global Buddhist media outlets and entrepreneurs to explore technological innovations and new approaches to counter disinformation.

Buddhism’s long influence in Asia has shaped the region’s art, architecture, ecology and spirituality, encompassing all aspects of life. These initiatives not only highlight India’s soft power but also reintegrate Buddhism into Asia’s strategic culture, aligning India’s developmental goals with those of the region. This approach helps conceptualize an international order grounded in the principles of Buddha’s teachings.

Prateek Joshi is an Oxford PhD candidate presently handling outreach strategy and media relations as a media executive for the International Buddhist Confederation, an autonomous Ministry of Culture-sponsored body in India that is dedicated to promoting a sustained conversation among Asian governments and scholars of Buddhism.

Genevieve Donnellon-May is a researcher at Oxford Global Society and a fellow at the Indo-Pacific Studies Center. She sits on the advisory board member of Modern Diplomacy and was recognized as a 2023 Pacific Forum young leader.