A growing number of Buddhist voices are questioning how a conference dedicated to peace, compassion, religious freedom and human dignity can be hosted by a state that maintains extensive control over religious life.
The debate has intensified following a formal appeal submitted by Buddhist advocate Shakya Lama, urging the International Council for the Day of Vesak and the United Nations to designate India as a future host of the United Nations Day of Vesak (UNDV).
The appeal comes in the wake of China’s hosting of the 21st UNDV Conference in 2026, a decision that has generated concern among Buddhist practitioners, scholars and human rights advocates who argue that the conference’s founding principles are fundamentally at odds with Beijing’s policies toward religion.
India is not merely another Buddhist nation. It is the birthplace of Buddhism itself.From Bodh Gaya, where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment, to Sarnath, where he delivered his first sermon, and Kushinagar, where he entered Parinirvana, the most sacred sites in the Buddhist world are located on Indian soil.
For centuries, institutions such as Nalanda and Vikramashila served as global centres of Buddhist learning, educating monks and scholars from Tibet, China, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia. The teachings that eventually spread throughout Asia all trace their origins back to India.Supporters of the proposal argue that a conference intended to celebrate Buddhism’s contribution to humanity should naturally be held in the land where the Buddha lived, taught and transformed world history.
The call for India has also drawn attention to what critics describe as a contradiction at the heart of China’s hosting of the event.The Chinese Communist Party officially embraces state atheism and maintains strict oversight over all religious institutions. Buddhist monasteries, temples and clergy operate under state supervision, while religious organisations are expected to demonstrate loyalty to Communist Party leadership and conform to policies of “Sinicization.”
Critics argue that this system transforms religion into an instrument of the state rather than allowing it to flourish as an independent spiritual tradition.
Nowhere is this controversy more visible than in Tibet.
For decades, Tibetan Buddhist institutions have faced restrictions on monastic education, religious expression, language rights and cultural preservation. Monasteries are subject to political oversight, while portraits of Communist Party leaders have increasingly appeared alongside traditional religious imagery in some institutions.
The Chinese government has also claimed authority over the recognition of reincarnate Buddhist masters, including the future Dalai Lama an unprecedented assertion that many Tibetan Buddhists view as political interference in one of their most sacred religious traditions.
Opponents of China’s selection argue that the issue is not about nationality but credibility.
The United Nations Day of Vesak was established to celebrate values such as peace, tolerance, freedom of belief and respect for human dignity. Critics contend that these principles are difficult to reconcile with policies that subject religious institutions to ideological control.
Human rights organisations, academic researchers and Tibetan advocacy groups have repeatedly documented concerns regarding restrictions on religious practice across Tibetan areas. These concerns have fuelled criticism that Beijing is attempting to reshape Buddhism into a state-approved political instrument rather than allowing it to develop freely according to its own traditions.
Many observers therefore question whether a government accused of restricting Buddhist institutions should be entrusted with hosting the world’s most important international Buddhist gathering.Advocates of India’s candidacy point to the country’s democratic system, constitutional protections for religious freedom and long history of hosting diverse religious communities.
India remains home to Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions and hosts Buddhist communities from across Asia. It is also the residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan monks and nuns who rebuilt major centres of Buddhist learning after fleeing Tibet.For many Buddhists, this makes India not only the historical homeland of Buddhism but also one of its most important living centres.
The debate over future Vesak conferences is ultimately about more than venue selection. It is a question of whether the world’s leading Buddhist gathering should be hosted in the birthplace of Buddhism, where diverse traditions can practice freely, or under a political system that seeks to regulate and reshape religion according to state objectives.
For supporters of the proposal, the answer is clear. If the United Nations Day of Vesak is to remain faithful to its founding ideals, future conferences should return to the land where the Buddha first walked, taught and turned the Wheel of Dharma India.
