The Indian National Centre of ABCP was formed in New Delhi in 1974. It is one of the oldest national centres of ABCP and has substantially contributed to the development of ABCP. It also hosted the 3rd GA of ABCP in 1974 in New Delhi. A national organizing committee was set-up for the purpose under the chairmanship of Most Venerable Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, M.P. The 3rd General Assembly adopted the historic New Delhi Declaration, which many consider the Magna-Carta of ABCP.

The 3rd GA of ABCP was inaugurated by Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, President of India, alongside a galaxy of venerated figures and luminaries from the Buddhist world like H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama, Venerable Fujii Nichidatsu Fujii of Japan, Khambo Lama of Mongolia Venerable Samaagiin Gombojav, Khambo Lama of the Soviet Union Venerable Jambaldorj Gomboev, Ven. Jinnarathana Mahathero and Bhadant Anand Kausalyan, both from India and Buddhist leaders from several other countries. Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, hosted a reception in honour of the delegates at her residence.

Besides holding the GA of ABCP in 1974, the Indian National Centre was also entrusted with the activities of “Commission on Panchsheela” by the ABCP headquarters. It organised several symposiums and related activities in different parts of India.

ABCP held its 10th General Assembly of ABCP in Vientiane, Laos in 2002. Unfortunately, since then due to financial constraints and some other factors, the ABCP has been unable to carry on its activities with the same zeal and intensity and for nearly 15 years it maintained a very low profile.

In 2017, India celebrated the birth centenary year of Most Venerable Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, one of the most celebrated Buddhist leaders of India. The occasion began with a mega event in Leh, Ladakh, India which also proved to be a god-sent opportunity for the ABCP, as it was during this period that the idea of rejuvenating ABCP found a strong voice.

Bakula Rinpoche birth centenary was celebrated in Mongolia too where he was popularly known as Elchin-Bagsh or the ‘Ambassador Teacher’ and which was his last Karma-Bhoomi (land of action). A grand celebration was held in Ulaanbaatar on 25 April 2018 to mark his birth centenary. Mr. Damdin Tsogtbaatar, Honorable Foreign Minister of Mongolia, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, Honorable Minister for External Affairs of India, Mr. Gombojav Zandanshatar, Chief Cabinet Secr-tary of Mongolia and His Eminence Khambo Lama Gabju Choijamts Demberel paid glowing tributes to Bakula Rinpoche on his birth centenary which was marked with deep devotion and solemnity. The year-long celebration culminated with a mega celebration in Leh, India on May 19, 2018, which was attended among others by Honorable Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India.

With the cooperation from the ABCP Headquarters, a meeting of the ABCP Executive Council was held on 22 May 2017 in New Delhi. It was attended by His Eminence Khambo Lama Gabju Choijamts Demberel, ABCP President and Dr. T. Bulgan, ABCP Secretary General and members from several national centres. This was an important step and a landmark beginning in the revival of ABCP after a long silence.

Participating in the meeting, Mr. Sonam Wangchuk Shakspo, Secretary of ABCP Indian National Centre, lamented that the ABCP which was once a shining example of the Buddhist peace movement, has lost its sheen and called for urgent measures to rejuvenate it. He also called upon the members to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the organization in 2019 marking the 50 years of great achievements. All the delegates to the EC meeting endorsed the idea and expressed full solidarity with the ABCP headquarters. They assured all possible assistance towards rejuvenation of ABCP.

In his address to the gathering His Eminence Khambo Lama Gabju Choijamts Demberel, President of ABCP, recalled the organization’s long struggle and its major achievements under the leadership of its founding fathers, successive presidents and ABCP Headquarters. He praised the efforts of ABCP Indian National Centre for hosting the ABCP EC meet and promised to do everything possible to reactivate ABCP. He also called for the support from other national centres in this endeavor. The President of ABCP announced that the next General Assembly of ABCP would be held in Mongolia in 2019 coinciding with its Golden Jubilee year. The EC meeting in New Delhi also decided to hold its next meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2018 when the dates and other modalities for the 11th GA of ABCP would be finalised.