Backgrounder: World Buddhist Forum

The Third World Buddhist Forum is scheduled to be held from April 26 to 27 at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Over 1,000 Buddhist monks, academicians, entrepreneurs, artists and politicians from more than 50 countries and regions will attend the event.

Jointly organized by the Buddhist Association of China, the Hong Kong Buddhist Association and the China Religious Culture Communication Association, the forum will be the biggest ever international Buddhist conference held in Hong Kong.

This year also marks the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong's reunification to China. The Third World Buddhist Forum, being held in the multi-cultural international city--Hong Kong, will bring great influences domestically as well as overseas.

The Third World Buddhist Forum, with the theme of "Common Aspirations and Actions towards a Harmonious World," introduces TV forums and Internet forums for the first time to attract more followers, especially young people. A theme song is also composed for the event.

During the two-day event, eminent monks, well-known scholars from home and abroad, including the Republic of Korea, Japan, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Australia, the United States and Europe, will participate in seven sub-forums and several TV forums, discussing how to propagate Dharma teachings and protect Buddhist scriptures, exchanging ideas on the development of Buddhist education and the promotion of Buddhist charity.

The 11th Panchen Lama comes from Tibet, one of the two most senior living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism, will attend the event and make a key-note speech.

The theme of the Third World Buddhist forum is a continuation of the connotation "harmony" established in the previous forums. The forum will fully demonstrate the essence of Buddhism "actions and aspirations," and launch comprehensive dialogues and discussions on the role of Buddhism in the construction of a harmonious society and peaceful world.

The First World Buddhist Forum was held in the Chinese cities of Hangzhou and Zhoushan, both in Zhejiang Province, on April 13 to 16, 2006. This grand event played a significant role in the history of Buddhism in China, which have been developed for more than two thousand years.

Buddhist representatives of the Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan traditions from all over the world gathered together for inspiration and discussion.

The Second World Buddhist Forum opened on March 28, 2009, in the eastern city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, with more than 1, 700 eminent monks and scholars from around 50 countries and regions discussing how Buddhism can contribute to building a harmonious world.