Japanese Monk Calls For Peace Prayer At Taxila

A 76-year-old Japanese Buddhist monk has called on monks and followers of Buddhism around the world to gather at Pakistan’s ancient Dharmarajika Stupa in Taxila for a collective prayer for global peace.

Junsei Terasawa said the Buddha’s message of compassion, non-violence and reconciliation should again guide humanity at a time of conflict and suffering.

Speaking after offering prayers at the nearly 2,000-year-old stupa, he said Taxila once helped spread the message of peace across the world and should do so again.

Terasawa is visiting major Buddhist heritage sites in Pakistan on a month-long pilgrimage. His journey has taken him to ancient stupas and monastic sites in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including archaeological remains in the Swat Valley.

He has spent decades promoting peace through non-violent action, interfaith dialogue and humanitarian work in conflict zones including Iraq, Chechnya and Ukraine.

At Dharmarajika, he described the site as one of the most spiritually important places in the Buddhist world. He also highlighted the deep historical and spiritual links between Gandhara and Japan, saying Buddhist art in East Asia still reflects traditions that began in ancient Gandhara.