Yogi Adityanath reaches out to Korean monks in bid to revive Buddhist ties with Asia

Touching upon the ancient spiritual ties between India and South Korea which date back to centuries, Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh described the visit of Korean Buddhists pilgrims to the country as a journey to the “home” of their spiritual ancestors. The CM was addressing a felicitation ceremony organised for South Korea’s Jogye Bhikshu Sangh today at Lucknow.

The function was held on the occasion of completion of the 43 days long pilgrimage of Buddhist monks of JBS which marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and South Korea. The aim of this pilgrimage is to increase friendship and collaboration between the two countries.

Stating that India was not a foreign country for them, Yogi said, “Korea’s meditation school Seon originated from Jaitavana of Shravasti.” He went on to add that the princess of Ayodhya travelled to South Korea and got married to King Kim Su-ro and was named Hu Wang Ank. “The Kadak dynasty was established after them. At present, a large population in South Korea is associated with this lineage,” he observed.

The 200-strong delegation of Buddhist monks participated in this pilgrimage by foot which was organised by the Sangwol Society of South Korea. Their journey started in Sarnath and covered Bodh Gaya, Vulture mountain, Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali, Kushinagar, Lumbini, Kapilavastu and ended in Shravasti. In all they covered 1,168 kilometres in 43 days.

Highlighting Lord Buddha’s close association with Uttar Pradesh, the CM said: “It is a matter of pride for UP that many places associated with Lord Gautam Buddha are located here. Lord Buddha spent two-thirds of his life in UP.” He added that Lord Buddha’s first sermon was at Sarnath, near Varanasi and that his Mahaparinirvana was at Kushinagar which is also in UP.

The different Buddhist sites in the State include, Kapilavastu, Lalitpur, Sankisa, Deogarh and Kaushambi among others.