Union Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday launched a coffee table book titled The 8 Fold Path, published and produced by CMYK Printech ltd, in the presence of The Pioneer’s Editor-in-Chief and Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra and His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa.
The book documented the eighth Eco-Padyatra undertaken by His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual head of the 1,000-year-old Drukpa Order based in the Himalayas, and the efforts that went into organising the yatra along with the impact it has had.
Tomar, during the event, said, “Sant Mat or the teachings of the saints have been a great tradition. We now see people being more devoted to spirituality and through this, they have also moved towards a more peaceful state of mind. It was through tapasya that many saints found their way to God, but there are some who have followed spirituality along with a social cause for their nation and His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa is one of them.”
The book gives details about the Eco Padyatra organised by the Drukpa lineage while engaging with the ancient tradition of spirituality similar to Buddha’s journey and his endeavours which were in complete harmony with the environment.
The monks, Kung Fu nuns and volunteers, also made use of these events to create awareness among the masses along with spreading the message of cleanliness and the importance of living in harmony with the environment.
The Minister further shared, “His Holiness is a great human being and through all his yatras, he has spread a great message. Besides plantation drive of one lakh saplings, which was done within an hour with the help of 10,000 people, created a world record. This is inspiring for us.”
The Gyalwang Drukpa’s Eco Padyatras fortuitously coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative to clean India to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a clean and hygienic India. “Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan is being carried out on a very large scale and if social and spiritual organisations take this issue seriously then we can easily solve major issues,” Tomar added.
Speaking on the occasion, Mitra said, “I thank Gyalwang Drukpa for entrusting this job of bringing out this fundamental book to our organisation. I have seen padyatra transforming lives since it began and therefore, it is a remarkable feeling to be here at the launch of the book and share the stories of its impact.”
Elaborating on how Buddhism has seeped in the consciousness of people in India and across the world he said, “The message of Buddha has been carried to all parts of the country. From ladakh to Kanyakumari, we have a central philosophy of peace, harmony and co-existence. Ashoka’s son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra belonged to Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh from where they travelled to Sri lanka to spread the word of lord Buddha.”
Talking about the same he narrated how on reaching Colombo once he found everything shut. later, he was told that it was the anniversary of the day when Mahendra and Sanghamitra arrived in Sri lanka. “It’s astonishing that even today Sri lanka celebrates their arrival,” he said.
He further stressed on different ways of interpreting the teachings of the lord and how the Drukpa tradition has been the foremost in relating them to the present day requirements of society. “We talk so much about diversity, harmony, pollution-free world but where does the philosophy and the inspiration come fromIJ It comes from the teachings of lord Buddha. I must greatly compliment the Drukpa lineage for taking it forward not only in India, but rest of the world. You’ve done India proud but most importantly, you’ve done mankind proud,” Mitra said.