Int'l Buddhist forum to be held in Jiangsu

China will host the Fourth International Forum on Buddhism in Wuxi, Jiangsu province in late October to promote international exchange on Buddhist learning and practice, the country's Buddhist association has announced.

The forum, to be held in Lingshan Mountain of Wuxi, will be attended by more than 800 Buddhist masters, practitioners and experts from China and overseas, said Jiang Jianyong, deputy director of the China Religious Culture Communication Association, at a news conference on Sunday.

"We hope the forum will act as a platform to further promote the influence of Chinese Buddhism and demonstrate the spiritual and social significance of the religion," he said.

The forum will be on the theme of "carrying the same wishes, enhancing exchanges and learning from one another", and will include discussions about how to employ Buddhist thinking to solve common problems faced by human beings.

Master Xue Cheng, vice-president of the Buddhist Association of China, said Buddhism has always served as an important bond for different cultures in the world throughout history, and the forum will enhance the global spread of traditional Chinese culture.

The forum will use new media to better connect with the audience. Its forums will also be televised, and there will be prayer meetings and traditional Chinese cultural performances.

The first international Buddhism forum was initiated by Buddhists in Hong Kong and Macao in 2005 to facilitate international exchanges on Buddhism. The forum was then held in the Chinese mainland in 2006, 2009 and 2012.