Attending the Forum were representatives of 15 countries: Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Bhutan, Vietnam, India, Cambodia, China, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan and representatives of many regions of the Russian Federation.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang; Director of the Institute of Religious Studies of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Chu Van Tuan; Counselor - Minister of the Embassy of Vietnam in the Russian Federation Le Quang Anh.

The 2nd International Buddhist Forum focused on comprehensive discussions on the development of Buddhism, Buddhist culture, philosophy and practice, aiming to promote the development of scientific, educational and cultural cooperation among Buddhist organizations of different countries.

The forum is organized by the Russian Traditional Buddhist Church, the Government of the Republic of Buryatia, the Foundation for the Promotion of Buddhist Education and Research with the support of the Roscongress Foundation in Buryatia from August 12 to 14, 2024.

In his message to the forum participants, Russian President V. Putin appreciated the contributions of Buddhist organizations in maintaining peace, harmony and mutual understanding in society, as well as the development of inter-religious and inter-national dialogue.

The Russian President expressed his belief that this forum will be organized creatively and constructively, contributing to strengthening international humanitarian cooperation and implementing joint projects.

In his welcoming speech to the participants of the forum, the head of the Republic of Buryatia Alexei Tsydenov affirmed that the integration and values ​​of Buddhism are becoming increasingly important in the world today. Buryatia is a region where people can deeply discuss Buddhist issues.

Speaking at the plenary session, Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang said that Buddhism was introduced to Vietnam more than 2,000 years ago, becoming one of the largest religions in Vietnam. During the process of introduction and development, Buddhism has become a peaceful religion, integrating with the traditional beliefs of the Vietnamese people. Vietnamese Buddhism has always been a worldly religion, connecting religion and life, accompanying the nation and making many contributions to the cause of national construction and development.

Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang emphasized that in the field of spiritual culture, Buddhism has made great contributions to the Vietnamese national culture. Some philosophical systems of Buddhism have been popularized into symbols and standards that are very close and familiar to the Vietnamese people.

Therefore, Buddhism quickly entered social life, was accepted by the people and gradually contributed to consolidating, maintaining and promoting traditional Vietnamese cultural values.

In addition, Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang also said that Buddhism is also a bridge to preserve many traditional cultural values ​​of the Vietnamese people. Through Buddhist activities, traditional cultural values ​​of the nation have been promoted in the current social life of Vietnam.

Immediately after the opening session, the delegates attended the Scientific Conference with the theme "The Pandiđo Khambo Lama Dashi Dorzhi Itigelov Phenomenon. Nearly 100 years ago, in 1927, this eminent Zen master entered a state of "incorruptible body". His body still retains signs of a living person and this has yet to be scientifically explained.

Associate Professor, Dr. Chu Van Tuan, Director of the Institute of Religious Studies, presented a paper at the conference and stated that the issue of the incorruptible physical body of monks after death is a very worthy issue to study because it is very difficult to explain from a conventional scientific perspective. Many opinions hold that only monks who have attained enlightenment can achieve full body relics.

Associate Professor, Dr. Chu Van Tuan focused on the case of the incorruptible physical bodies of three Vietnamese monks: Vu Khac Minh and Vu Khac Truong, monks who lived in the 17th century, and monk Thich Minh Duc, a monk who lived in the 20th century who attained enlightenment and whose physical bodies remain intact to this day.

Some photos of the Vietnamese delegation in the Republic of Buryatia, Russian Federation: