Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of the Global Buddhist Summit here on Thursday, his office said.?

The two-day summit is being hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation on April 20 and 21. The theme of the summit is "Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy to Praxis", it said.?

The summit is an effort towards engaging the global "Buddhist Dhamma" leadership and scholars on the matters of Buddhist and universal concerns, and to come up with policy inputs to address them collectively. The discussion at the summit will explore how the Buddha Dhamma’s fundamental values can provide inspiration and guidance in contemporary settings, it added.

The summit will witness the participation of eminent scholars, Sangha leaders and Dharma practitioners from all over the world, who will discuss pressing global issues and look for answers in the Buddha Dhamma that is based on universal values, the PMO said.

"The discussions will be held under four themes: Buddha Dhamma and Peace; Buddha Dhamma: Environmental Crisis, Health and Sustainability; Preservation of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition; Buddha Dhamma Pilgrimage, Living Heritage and Buddha Relics: a resilient foundation to India's centuries-old cultural links to countries in South, South-East and East Asia," it added.

-With PTI Input