President Abdul Hamid on Saturday said the ideology of great Buddha can play an important role in resisting the decadence of values and establishing peace in society.”The great Buddha throughout his life had disseminated the message of equality and friendship to establish an affectionate and peaceful world. The message of Buddha ‘non-violence is the ultimate religion’ is still applicable in society,” he said. Abdul Hamid made the remark while exchanging greetings with members of the Buddhist community at Bangabhaban in the afternoon marking the Buddha Purnima, the largest religious festival of the community. Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony from the time immemorial, as the people of all religions have been performing their respective religious rituals freely, the President said.”It’s our bright tradition of harmony. I expect that the Buddhist community will continue to put in their efforts for the development of the country practicing the tradition and containing the ideology of the great Buddha,” he added. Religious Affairs Minister Principal Matior Rahman, Buddhists religious leaders, ambassadors and high commissioners of different predominantly Buddhist countries, including Sri Lanka and Myanmar, representatives of various international organisations and professionals of the Buddhist community attended the reception. The President and his wife Rashida Khanom welcomed the guests and exchanged greetings with them. Secretaries concerned to the President’s office were present on the occasion.
