Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.67

v1.c7.67

In the present age, India-China Buddhist and cultural exchanges have entered a completely new phase. In 1947, India became an Independent Republic. Following the trend of the development of world Buddhism, the new government paid attention to Buddhism. In 1954, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai concluded a friendship treaty with Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru which emphasised “Five Basic Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.” For these “Five Principles”, Indian Buddhists used the Buddhist technical term *pañcaśīla* namely “five precepts”, conveying a sense of pride. In 1956, the activities for the revival of world Buddhism reached a climax. The Indian Government organised a grand ceremony to celebrate 2,500 years of Buddha’s nirvana. China’s Premier Zhou Enlai sent a message of congratulations. At the time, the Indian monks Bhikku Jagdish Kāśyapa and Rahul Saṅkṛityāyana and their organisations came under the programme for Buddhist exchanges. Leaders of the Chinese Buddhist world: Master Banchan (Panchen Lama), Zhao Puchu, President of the Buddhist Association and other public figures of the Buddhist world often led delegations on visits to India. Such visits by the Buddhists strengthened the friendship between the two countries. After 1959, a group of believers of Tibetan Buddhism went to India. Their influence on the development of Indian Buddhism at the time was very great. After 1970, more Taiwanese Buddhists went to India on a pilgrimage. At its peak, there once was a group of 200 Buddhists on a pilgrimage to India. After 2000, Chinese Buddhists on pilgrimage to India became ever more numerous reaching more than a hundred thousand in a year. India-China Buddhist and cultural exchanges have become a great source of binding together the religion and culture of both countries, now and in the future.