Most Ven. Dr. Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero has been elected as one of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) presidents at the recently held General Assembly Meeting in New Delhi, India. The Executive Committee, the Governing Council and the General Assembly of the International Buddhist Confederation met in New Delhi on the 27th & 28th of November, 2023.
This year’s General Assembly Meeting is made of IBC members who have been with it since its inception, including the patriarchs of the Buddhist sangha community, senior monks, Dhamma practitioners, Buddhist scholars and leaders from 39 countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Korea assembled with the express purpose of electing office bearers for the world body for the next three years. Most Venerable Dr. Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero, Ven. Prof Palkekande Rathanasara Anunayake Thero, Ven. Dr. Assaji Anunayake Thero, Ven. Dr. Kithalagama Hemasara Nayake Thero, Ven. Dr. Wetara Mahinda Thero, Dr. Damenda Porage, and Dr. Sermila Milroy represented Sri Lanka at IBC this year.
At this year’s General Assembly Meeting, Most Ven. Dr. Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero was elected as one of the eight presidents for three years. Most Ven. Dr. Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero is the mahanayaka of Sri Sambuddha Sasanodaya Sangha Sabha Amarapura Maha Nikaya. In addition, he is the chief incumbent of Radjaguru Sri Subuthi Maha Vihara and Dipadutthamarama Viharaya, the only Thai temple in Sri Lanka. Mahanayaka Thero is also the head of three Buddhist educational institutions: Rajaguru Sri Subhuti Primary School, Sri Subhuti Dharma School and Sri Gunananda Dhamma School. At present, he is also the custodian of the Kapilawasthu Relics. As a missionary, Mahanayaka Thero has taken part in a number of international conferences, cultural events and educational programmes. He is also a world-renowned Dhamma teacher and the author of a number of scholarly publications. Mahindawansa Mahanayaka Thero’s main objective in life is to propagate and proliferate Buddhism, offering people all over the world an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Buddhism and meditation practices.
As a newly elected president of IBC, Mahanayaka Thero will be responsible for gathering “the collective wisdom of Buddhists around the world to speak with a united Buddhist voice; to make Buddhist values part of global engagement while working to preserve and promote Buddhist heritage traditions and practices” together with the other office bearers. At present, IBC is the largest international Buddhist organisation, with its membership drawn from 39 countries and 300 Buddhist organisations.
At the same event, Dr Damenda Porage, the President of SLTBBS, was re-elected as a Deputy Secretary General and an executive committee member, while Dr Sermila Milroy, who was an executive committee member, was appointed as the Dhamma Secretary (Sri Lanka).
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