AS in the past, there are myriad “Gandhara” conferences being organized in 2026.
One of the conferences that I have been asked to conceptualize and organize endeavors to bring monks and Buddhists from the world to Pakistan. However, their participation will be anything but traditional. They will not merely be “VIPs and panelists” in sessions full of Pakistani “experts”. On the contrary, they will lead the discussions because they are the experts – not necessarily on Gandhara, but what Gandhara means to the Buddhists. They will also review, give feedback and provide validation to the Pakistan’s 10-year strategy to create a $30 billion Gandhara/Buddhism Pilgrimage sector – a strategy that I have written extensively on in this and other mediums. In Pakistan, this strategy has already been documented and shared with all relevant government departments. Now, it is time to seek guidance from the end-users.
Recently, I was discussing the strategy and the concept of this conference with Dr. Kyosoon Park (she is a South Korean lady who has been dedicated to Gandhara promotion for decades). This amazing individual shared thoughts and ideas that were compelling which I decided to document in this article. As our discussion progressed, Dr. Park intensely supported the concept of this conference and humbly asked if she be allowed to speak at the conference on the Gandharan sculptures. Her reasoning resonated with me and is as follows.
“The reason I (Dr. Park) ask is that no one has interpreted Gandhara sculptures in this way. This is not an attempt to show off, but rather to address a long-standing limitation in the field. Until now, discussions have been dominated by Western scholars focusing almost exclusively on stylistic influences from Greek and Roman art. As a result, Gandharan Buddhist images have been continuously interpreted only through that lens. However, Buddhist sculptures are visual scriptures that embody and transmit profound truths. I strongly feel it is important to convey this perspective, which has been largely overlooked until now.” It is a profound and accurate observation. As she rightfully said, Gandhara has been a subject of study by western experts and Pakistanis who have been trained in the West. Each sculptor of Lord Buddha and his pose is a story and a message that needs to be translated and explained by practicing Buddhists like Dr. Park and the venerable monks.
Another component of the long-term strategy to promote Gandhara is the setting up of meditation centres around selected sites since eminent monks have conveyed that they would like to come (along with their disciples) and spend extended periods immersed in the peaceful energies and light of knowledge around Gandharan sites. Upon hearing of this, Dr. Park had a profound comment. She said, “As AI becomes more advanced, the only true competitive edge left to humans is awareness. This awareness is cultivated most profoundly through meditation. The moment meditation is lost, the true master of one’s life disappears. Establishing meditation centers in Gandhara, where Zen meditation first took root, would not merely be the creation of a place, but a historic act of civilizational significance for our time. In the age of AI, meditation brings human beings back from a purely functional existence to an ontological inquiry into being itself. In this era, I believe that establishing a meditation centre in Gandhara is the most timely and appropriate step.”
In summing up, she opined “Gandharan sites and artifacts are located in Pakistan, yet the countries where archaeology has most strongly developed are in the West. This raises a fundamental question: which is truly stronger—a country that merely possesses archaeological remains or a country that has developed the scholarly knowledge and interpretive power to explain them? In reality, it is not the tangible, touchable objects themselves that confer strength, but the intangible knowledge—the archaeology, interpretation and intellectual framework—that gives those objects meaning. In this sense, nations that possess advanced archaeological scholarship hold greater cultural power than those that simply hold the artifacts.”
“This is precisely the point at which Pakistan must awaken. Will it continue as a country that owns extraordinary Gandharan heritage yet lacks the intellectual capacity to explain and interpret it? Or will it choose to cultivate the scholarly strength to speak for its own heritage? A nation that can explain its archaeology is a strong nation. From this perspective, Pakistan must, at the very least, nurture scholars who can become global leaders in Gandharan studies. At the national level, Gandharan archaeological heritage should be activated not only as historical remains, but as a source of cultural authority and cultural economy, enabling Pakistan to grow into a culturally and intellectually strong country on the world stage.” “Gandharan art and civilization should no longer be fields where knowledge is merely imported from the West. The time has come for Pakistan to become a producer and exporter of knowledge, shaping the future discourse itself.”
While I was fortunate enough to devise and document the strategy to bring Gandhara to the world and bring the world to Gandhara, the first step towards validation of the strategy by practicing Buddhists has begun thanks to Dr. Park. I hope that we can bring our vision to bear and truly create in Pakistan not only an awareness of our Buddhist past, but to take the legacy of Gandhara forward by inculcating a desire to become a nation in pursuit of self-awareness, peace and knowledge.
—The writer is a former Senior Advisor to the Government and a sector development specialist. He is a member of the APP Think Tank and Pakistan’s Buddhist Heritage Promotion Ambassador for GTPL, a company under SIFC.
