Dominican citizens take part in the ITEC’s "Buddha's Words and Teachings" course

New Delhi - Nine Dominican nationals participated in the latest edition of the "Buddha's Words and Teachings" course held from the 28th of July to the 1st August, 2021. The five days on-line learning experience has been conceived under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) in collaboration with the Vipassana Research Institute. 

The participants were led to explore the life and the teachings of The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, as well as the practice of Vipassana. This meditation technique, rediscovered by The Buddha during his lifetime, constitutes the essence of his practice and teachings.  Vipassana means "to see things as they really are". It is today described as a process of mental purification through self-observation.

At the end of the course, the participants expressed further interest in continuing to deepen their knowledge of this meditation technique. Together with Yoga, Buddhism is one of the most popular spiritual practices from India in the Dominican Republic.

The ITEC is the flagship bilateral assistance programme of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India. It is a demand-driven, response-oriented programme that focuses on addressing the needs of developing countries through innovative technological cooperation, exchange of technical know-how and expertise, training and capacity building. In partnership with a wide a range of leading educational Indian institutions, ITEC has developed over the years classroom and online training for government officials and citizens of partner countries.  

Since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2004, India and the Dominican Republic have been strengthening their cooperation under the ITEC framework.