The conference on “The ASEAN Region and South Asia: A Melting Pot of Culture and Buddhism in Southeast Asia” is underway in HCM City until July 11. (Photo: VNA).

The event, opened on July 9, is co-held by the Vietnam Buddhist Research Institute and the South and Southeast Asian Association for the Study of Culture and Religions (SSEARS) based in India.

Speaking at the conference, Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Director of the Vietnam Buddhist Research Institute, said presentations and opinions made at the event give attendees an opportunity to explore different religions and cultures globally. Through these valuable studies and efforts by scholars, each person will gain an understanding of social and cultural distinctions from across the world, he noted.

The most venerable, who is also deputy head of the Supreme Patriarch Council of the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam, added that Buddhism always calls for respect, love, harmony and peace among nations in spite of culture and tradition.

The workshop provides 19 forums in English and other six in Vietnamese focusing on around eight issues, including philosophy, interpretation, and schools of thought; theories of religions in South and Southeast Asia; cultural heritages and national identity; mind, meditation and well-being in South and Southeast Asia, traditional practices in medicine, nature and the environment; and more.

Source: VNA