A Buddhist monk, who has devoted himself to the restoration and protection of Buddhist relics and monuments across the country, has now taken up the task of spreading the teachings and philosophy of 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara in north Indian States.
“During my frequent tour of Karnataka, I had the opportunity to learn about the work and preachings of Basaveshwara. I found to my amazement that these teachings were akin to the teachings of Buddha. I was also surprised that the teachings and philosophy of Basaveshwara had crossed the borders of Karnataka and Maharashtra,” Bhante Tissavro, who heads the Bodh Gaya-based Budh Avshesh Bachao Abhiyaan, said.
In a chat with The Hindu here on Saturday, he said that in the last three years, he had spent most of his time researching the works of Basaveshwara and holding discussions with his followers. A committee consisting of people from all walks of life had been formed to take Basaveshwara’s philosophy to the people of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
The Buddha Aur Basava Samaj Maitri Sangh would hold seminars, conferences and workshops in all the major cities in the three States. Bhante Tissavro had been appointed the convenor of the sangh. It had been decided to bring out the vachanas and preachings of Basaveshwara in Hindi. Also, life-size statues of Basaveshwara would be installed at Ranchi, Gaya, Varanasi and Patna and libraries would be set up.
Panacea to our problems
If the preachings and the philosophy of Basaveshwara had spread to States such as Bihar and Jharkhand, there would not have been problems such as the rise of Naxalism and peace and tranquillity would have prevailed, Bhante Tissavro said.
He said that Bhante Subod Bodi, Allamprabhu Koppad, Ajay Chowdhari, Pracharya Dulal Thakur, Amardeep Kumar Buddha Ratna Chandrasekhar were in the committee.
The committee would hold conference in different parts of the State and invite Channamalla Veerabhadra Swami of Nidumamidi Mutt, head of the Gavi Siddeshwar Mutt, and Basava Samiti head Arvind Jatti for discussions.
