INTERNATIONALBUDDHISTCOLLEGE (IBC)

Historical Background:

The idea of starting a university offering courses in  different Buddhist traditions was first raised by Professor Karunadasa when he taught at the Than Hsiang Buddhist Research Center in Penang in 1996. The Center had started running courses offered by the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka in 1994. The Professor saw an interesting mixture of different Buddhist traditions in this part of the world and felt that we really had the unique background to embark on this international Buddhist College project.

After some preparatory work which included citing a good location for this university, Ven. Wei Wu, the abbot of Than Hsiang Temple had the opportunity to meet with Professor Karunadasa, Ven. Anuruddha and Ven. Dhammajoti in Sri Lanka during the sixth executive committee of the World Buddhist Sangha Council in  April 1999. At the meeting, it was felt that the timing was right for starting the International Buddhist College in Southern Thailand. Southern Thailand was chosen because it is very close to Penang, and we also felt that Thailand is a  Buddhist country with liberal visa policy for foreign lecturers and students.

Vision:

The International Buddhist College is the realization of the vision  of establishing an international institute of higher learning offering quality  Buddhist education within a spiritually dedicated, non-sectarian, modern and scholastic environment. The IBC provides students at undergraduate and later at graduate levels, a unique opportunity to acquire a comprehensive and in-depth study of Buddhism while promoting knowledge and understanding of the different Buddhist traditions. It will seek to combine the continuous inculcation of Buddhist spiritual values and the rigours of academic  scholarship and a healthy appreciation of the richness and diversity of Buddhist traditions.

Objectives:

• To train bhikkus and bhikkhunis and serious lay Buddhists as effective Dharma teachers of the timeless and the universal teaching of Buddha.
• To promote Buddhist values and to demonstrate the validity and relevance of the Buddhist teachings as a basis of  a universal humanistic culture for the globalized world.
• To provide a comprehensive and in-depth study of the Buddha’s  teaching with special emphasis on application to our daily lives.
• To serve as a center of  international Buddhist culture, offering opportunities  for intra-  religious understanding and fellowship among the three great Buddhist  traditions.
• To promote fellowship with other seats of Buddhist learning  in Thailand and other countries, through link programmes, joint collaborations and exchange of  students and scholars.
• To offer at a later stage, secular courses promoting educational and welfare work to enable graduates to go back to serve their respective societies in different countries.

Concluding Observation:

The information detailed above shows that the IBC  incorporates many features which will enable it to become an internationally recognized centre of excellence for Buddhist studies: It is fully residential,  thus providing its students with optimum opportunities for their education and  personal enhancement. It makes no discrimination as regards gender, ethnicity,  nationality and religion in admitting students and recruiting teachers. In adopting English as its medium of instruction, it opens the gates to many  students from many parts of the world, and provides them with access to the largest body of modern Buddhist literature in a single language. It will adhere to the most modern methods of academic scholarship, while promoting at the same time the spiritual enrichment of its student community. In teaching as well as in research, it will eschew all sectarian  approaches while promoting knowledge and understanding between different schools  of thought and cultural traditions within Buddhism. While promoting  intra-religious fellowship within Buddhism, it will also encourage inter-faith  understanding among world religions.

We will place equal emphasis on study and practice. By practice we incorporate putting the Buddha’s teaching into daily practice. Our teachers and students will learn to stay together as members of the Buddha’s  spiritual community. Members of the monastic order will lead the spiritual  community.