International Abhidhamma Divas 2024 was celebrated by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India(GoI), in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) on 17th October 2024 in Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, Delhi.
- International Abhidhamma Divas is annually observed across the globe to commemorate the descent of Lord Buddha from, Tavatimsa-devaloka, the celestial realm of the thirty-three divine beings, to Sankassiya (now Sankisa Basantapur in Uttar Pradesh(UP).
Observance:
The celebration of Abhidhamma Divas coincides with the end of the first Rainy Retreat (Vassa) and the Pavāraņā festival, a time when monks and nuns conclude their retreat period with a ceremony.
- The Pavarana Day is celebrated on the full moon day of the 11th lunar month, which usually falls in October.
Abhidhamma:
i.In Pali, abhi means “higher” or “further,” while dhamma refers to the teachings, principles, and truths.
- The Abhidhamma, or “Higher Teaching” of the Buddha, is a collection of teachings, or suttas that essentially form Buddhism’s map of the mind.
- Abhidhamma was formulated by the Buddha in the 4th week following his enlightenment.
ii.It is the third section of the Pali Canon or Tripitaka, a body of scriptures attributed to the historical Buddha that is central to the Theravada school of Buddhism.
iii.The Abhidharmma teachings, made up of 7 books explore various aspects of human experience, including the nature of consciousness, universal mental factors etc.,
2024 Event:
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (PM) of India led proceedings of the observance of International Abhidhamma Divas 2024 in New Delhi.
- The celebration brought together more than 1,000 participants, including ambassadors, monks, scholars, and young experts from 14 countries.
- PM Modi highlighted the relevance of Abhidhamma teachings and efforts to preserve Pali as a classical language.
Highlights:
i.The celebration included academic sessions on themes “The Significance of Abhidhamma in the 21st Century” and “The Origin of Pali Language and its Role in Contemporary Times.”
ii.Two exhibitions were also organised during the event, one on the evolution of Pali from Ashokan Brahmi script across Southeast Asia, featuring important Buddhist texts like Dhammapada and Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta, and the other focusing on “The Life and Teachings of Buddha.”
Note: On 3rd October 2024, the Union Cabinet approved the classical language status for Pali along with Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, and Prakrit.
Classical Status to Pali language :
On 24th October 2024, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) held a conference of Buddhist monks and scholars in Colombo, Sri Lanka on bequeathing Pali the status of a classical language by the GoI.
- The conference witnessed the participation of Buddhist scholars and the monastic community from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
