Japanese monk asks Buddhists to visit Taxila for peace prayers

TAXILA: A 76-year-old Japanese Buddhist monk has appealed to monks and followers of Buddhism across the world to gather at Pakistan’s ancient Dharmarajika Stupa in Taxila for a collective prayer for global peace, saying the teachings of the Buddha that once spread from the historic centre of Gandhara should again inspire humanity at a time of growing global conflict. Speaking to journalists after offering prayers for peace at the nearly 2,000-year-old Dharmarajika Stupa, Japanese monk Junsei Terasawa said the world was passing through a period marked by conflicts, violence and human suffering, making the Buddha’s timeless message of compassion, non-violence and reconciliation more relevant…