The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives
Buddhist
Hour
Radio Broadcast on Hillside 88.0 FM
Broadcast 301 for
Sunday 2 November 2003
This script is entitled:
The
heart of a global network of Buddhist Scholars:
The World Buddhist
University
In the late 19th Century Lord Colleridge spoke of the
greatness of the university in the following manner, 'I speak not of
this college or of that, but of the University as a whole; and
gentlemen, what a whole Oxford is.
'T.H.Huxley once wrote of
the University in Germany as 'the most intensely cultivated and the
most productive intellectual corporations the world has ever
seen.'
In 1998 at the bi-annual conference of the World
Fellowship of Buddhists held at the Nan Tien Temple in Wollongong New
South Wales, Australia, the Charter of the World Buddhist University
was adopted.
Like the United Nations University, The World
Buddhist University has no enrollments and issues no degrees.
It
is a global network of Buddhist Scholars, A University from which
persons can seek global information on Buddha Dhamma.
In 2002
our Centre, the Chan Academy Australia, a Regional Centre of the
World Fellowship of Buddhists was certified as a duly admitted
Associated Institution of The World Buddhist University and entitled
to all the rights and privileges of such associated institutions. The
Certification was signed and duly authorised by the Chairman Dr.
Ananda W.P. Guruge and the Rector Noranit Setabutr on 9 February B.E.
2545 (2002).
At the Third Meeting of the World Buddhist
University Council held on 9 February 2002 and the International
Conference on "Buddhism and World Peace" Maxx Hotel,
Bangkok, Thailand, Dr. Guruge responded to the question of "What
is the World Buddhist University?" in the following way.
The
World Buddhist University does not issue degrees and has no actual
training or teaching. It is a coordinator of data and is an
information warehouse. All forms of Buddha Dhamma are accepted at the
World Buddhist University.
The World Buddhist University is a
storehouse of all Buddhist Curricular for other institutions and let
it be a vast database of every kind of Buddhism.
Today's
program is an edited transcription of an interview with Dr.
Duangsamosorn who first conceived the idea to set up the World
Buddhist University.
Dr. Somboon Duangsamosorn is a scholar
and teacher and has recently been appointed Director of the
Information and Cultural Exchange Centre at the World Buddhist
University in Bangkok Thailand.
On 22 September Chan Academy
Australia Member Pennie White, Vice-president International Dhamma
Activities traveled to Bangkok Thailand to visit the World Buddhist
University.
Pennie is currently studying for her Masters
Degree in Education (Information and Communication Technology) at
Monash University. Part of her work is research into “The use of
Information and Communications Technology by the World Buddhist
University”.
The World Buddhist University Centre is in
Bangkok, Thailand. It was founded in 1998 and now has ten Associated
Institutions.
The University's Acting Rector Dr. Nantasarn
Seesalab requested that the following interview recorded during
Pennie's visit be transcribed for publication.
Dr. Somboon
Duangsamosorn was interviewed by Pennie White during her visit to
Bangkok.
Dr Duangsamosorn began by commenting 'I am delighted
to be interviewed by you as I do appreciate your efforts to a make a
Masters program in this field of study of Education and it will be
very helpful to many other students particularly not only in
Australia of course but also Thailand in the near future.”
“Now
will you please start with your first topic or question of your
interview?”
‘How are you associated with the World
Buddhist University?”
“That is a good question. It
happened in 1984 when I went to study in India after the final
examination. While waiting for the result I had nothing to do so
therefore I thought of setting up the World Buddhist University."
"I
worked it out with the assistance of some Monks and later on you see
the whole project was brought to be kept at the secretariat of His
Holiness The Supreme Patriarch. The present one, but it had been
forgotten for quite some time and then until the General Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh became the Prime Minister and they thought of
celebrating the 90th anniversary of His Holiness The Supreme
Patriarch. He will turn 90 on October the 3rd, next month, this
year.”
“They thought of setting up a World Buddhist
University and then they went to look for this program in a pile and
fortunately they got it and then they gave it to Dr. Nantasarn
[Seesalab] our Acting Rector now, to think about it.”
“One
day we happened coincidentally to meet at the Parliament he went
there and I was also there as their advisor to the Committee on
Religion, Art and Culture the House of Representatives.”
“In
fact we have know each other for quite some time but we had not been
acquainted with each other and he started to talk about this. I said,
‘Ah this is the program I initiated it in India in 1984’.
He said, ‘Oh, now I have come to the right person’ and
since then it started.”
“The Prime Minister also
appointed a committee there were many people involved in the
organisation to set up this World Buddhist University."
In
answer to the question What Information and Communication
Technologies do you use?”Dr Duangsamosorn commented:
“At
the beginning you see at that time modern technology or the IT system
did not yet exist but later on yes of course we have to use this
very, very, very much. I mean we have to use the IT, we have to use
the Internet, we have to use the Computer and everything whatever is
available in the context of mass media.”
He commented
they use the Internet, eternal email, scanners quite often, digital
cameras computers, of course, computer network, internal email,
cd-burners, video camera, audio, telephone, mail, fax…"all
these I use and have been used”.
“Let me say that
mass media technology has been exploited by our University in order
to make ourselves know to the whole world about what we are doing and
so on and so forth.
What will be benefited are people in the
whole world who will come into contact with the World Buddhist
University located in Thailand.
Now I should like to tell you
briefly how it happened. You see at first I was invited to come here
to talk about it at the meeting held by EXCO. (Executive Committee of
the World Fellowship of Buddhists) I gave a talk that lasted for
about twelve minutes to fourteen minutes so I gave a clear
picture.
In Thailand there are more than 30,000 Buddhist
Temples. There are about 400,000 Buddhist Monks and novices. The
constitution of Thailand is committing so to say everybody to be free
to profess any religion of their choice so in that case the Thai
people opted to make Buddhism as their National Religion that
happened a long time back.
Then the most important point I
talked to committee meeting that up to now we have had up to the
present monarch 52 kings since the Sukhothai period which was founded
in the year 1238 and then Sukhothai which was the first kingdom and
also the capital city of Thailand lasted for about 251 years or
something like that as we are not really sure however and it was and
it was ruled by nine kings who belonged to the same dynasty.
Later
on Ayutthaya that was the second capital city ruled by the 33 kings
of 5 dynasties and it lated for 417 years exactly and then Thonburi
came.
Thonburi which was the third capital city and also the
third kingdom was ruled by King Tak Sin the Great and lasted for only
fifteen years.
Early Bangkok period was ruled by six kings,
but other wise they take it as three kinds King Rama the 1st, King
Rama the 2nd, King Rama the 3rd. Then it was continued until King
Rama VII then there was the change in the political system from
absolute monarchy but that was not in Sukhothai period.
In
Sukhothai period the system was Paternalism. In Anyutthaya period for
417 years the system was absolute monarchy and in Thonburi period
also absolute monarchy and early Bangkok Period absolute monarchy
until the reign of Rama the 7th then the system was changed to
democray.
It took place on June the 24th 1932. Then the
political system was changed to what we have today the democratic
political system.
The most important point I raised that day
was all the 52 kings have been Buddhist.
Then the committee
decided that I should be the one who should go and present this idea
at the World Fellowship of Buddhist Conference and NanTien at
Woolongong, New South Wales, Australia.
For this I was invited
by Dr Nantasarn who at that time was the Secretary General of the
World Fellowship of Buddhists.
So I went their to talk for
about fifteen minutes. In fact, there were some other countries who
also would want to contest in order to have the opportunity to set up
this Univesity in their countries.
So I was lucky to pick this
up number one, first speaker and I had spoken with Audio Visual
Aid.
The picture of a Buddhist Centre being shown on the
television set in the hall and when I had finished by presentation
then you see there was a big applause loud and long.
Then the
other four contestants said, ‘Ok, you are the winner. We do not
want to contest’. That was why Thailand was given unanimously by
Members who were in the auudience that day.
From 37 countries
Thailand was awarded this credit honour to set up The World Buddhist
University and the World Buddhist University according to the charter
was worked out this way.
There were two phases. Phase One
would be the period during which we would construct ourselves
regarding the curricular and so on and so forth, it is the period
provided for preparation.
Now we are in the second phase,
that is learning and teaching should be in process and of course for
this one I am writing a course, that is, a post graduate diploma
course that will be offered to public early next year I hope. Also, I
will work out a course that is an MA or Master of Arts, maybe in
Social Sciences or in Tourism Management or in anything or even in
Buddhist Studies."
In responding to the question are
there any benefits in using these technologies Dr. Duangsamosorn
noted
“Well of course, of course. That is a good question
because of the introduction of the new technology IT we have found
that this is very helpful in order to get our message across to many
people overseas, not only locally, but also externally.”
You
see the action has become more convenient to get our news or to get
our message to other people in different parts of the world.”
“Are
there any limitations in using these technologies?”
“I
think that regarding this question, some limitations must be
there.”
“I believe some of us may not be able to
operate the IT equipment so conveniently that is perhaps a draw back
or a short fall but other wise we have so many students who have been
taught and well trained to utilise the equipment.
Dr.
Duangsamosorn noted we are in the process of teaching and training
our young ones to become familiar with the machines or with the
devices used for this one, the IT, laughingly commented it means
Information Technique is that right.
He went on to state:
“Then of course when we are talking about this, some people may
like and some people may not like it, that it is a kind of Virtual
University when you are studying from the computer screen. When you
have any questions, you can ask any questions by writing your message
or by programming your question on the computer screen. But then it
is not really as good as when you are studying with your teacher so
that you can verbally discuss a lot, you can verbally discuss, do not
have to write it.”
“Another one is that because of
the linguistic problem here by that I mean English. So we speak
English ok, but because we also have to speak Thai also most of the
time and therefore when we have to speak English sometimes feel
inconvenient to do so. But once we are motivated to speak with good
English speaking people then only we can speak alright but even me,
myself have used English for more than 40 years but I am bound to
make errors very often.”
Responding to the question “How
does the use of these technologies relate to your objectives?”
Dr Somboon Duangsamosorn stated that:
“The use of new
technology is related to our objectives in such a way: at the
beginning because we do not have classrooms, we do not have
curricular ready to be offered, however, we have to build ourselves
up to the recognition of the world, because we are the World Buddhist
University and we have found that this is the best method to make
ourselves known and recognised by the public internally and
externally and that will make us feel more confident with our second
phase operation that is to offer teaching and learning program.
With the different classes for example, diploma course and
then Masters degree course, even a Ph.D. program respectively.”
In
regard to how the use of technology may assist to meet the
Universities objects Dr Duangsamosorn answered:
“We do
expect and do hope that the technology, that the IT system has
already helped us to a certain extent. That now many people start to
make enquiry about what we are doing here at the World Buddhist
University.”
“So I can say to a certain extent the
IT system has already helped us.”
In thinking about how
it may help in the future Dr Duangsamosorn noted "…what I
can see at the moment is that the Technology in the context of IT
followed by many other things like Internet, computer size, there are
so many things that I am not familiar with because I am not a modern
man I am a man of old age. (laughs).”
“However, in
my efforts to understand all kinds of things I can see that it is
very good. I can see that in the short term it is doing very good. In
the near future we will have to depend on the assistance of these
things or we will be out of touch by the whole world.”
“When
you are switching on your television, computer also you can many
things. Particularly the computer screen you can see many things that
cannot be seen or cannot be viewed on the television screen.”
“You
can go into website (laughs). I am not familiar with this w….
w….w… dot com and so forth and you see many things and a
lot of information is available on the computer screen.”
Responding to the question “do you know of any
publications that may assist with this research?” Dr
Duangsamosorn observed “In so far as my knowledge is concerned I
haven’t heard much about this, maybe you are the first case. The
research through the computer, yes, I have heard some yes but in
order to be substantial I haven’t seen anybody yet. Yours is the
first case.”
In the context of getting ourselves known to
other people, of course, the use of IT is very important but
otherwise word of mouth is also very important, our publication in
daily newspaper, magazines periodicals are also other means to lead
us to our success in the future.”
On the question of
problems and challenges "…number one we haven’t got
sufficient people who can be termed as ‘the right man for the
right job’, so this is our problem that we are facing
now.”
“Number two, because we are newly born even
though the name is, big that is the World Buddhist University,
however, the premises we have, are not lets say good enough, to
welcome the operation or the activities that are piling up and also
queuing up, that are coming up. So we are worried about this because
nowadays you see according to the trends people love to see, number
one, big buildings, two, good organization, three modern, equipment,
to convince that there sons and daughters are educated at a good
university, that is well equipped with all kinds of technology,
devices and this and that in the context of academic perfection. They
only like to have their sons and daughters educated at such a
place.”
“Now about us, we believe that in the near
future we will bring out our products to be offered to our targets
meaning scholars who would like to do their Ph.D. in the Buddhist
Studies or Masters Degrees also in the Buddhists Studies. Also we
will be able to offer them qualifications and also those who just
want to study a short course like a training program in different
fields and areas they will also come to us in the near
future.”
"Most probably will be well prepared by the
beginning of 2004."
In concluding Dr. Duangsamosorn made
the following observations:
"The comments I would like
to give are that many people nowadays or most organisations seem to
be very good at the beginning, seem to be vigorous just at the very
beginning and there is not enough continuity from the starting point
and that is why they have failed, many of them have failed because of
this.”
“Now if you ask why there wasn't strong
continuity I can say in my answer that is because of financial
problems. Number one financial problem. Number Two not enough capable
administration and also many of the cases there wasn't enough unity
because of the interests conflicts that cannot be solved that cannot
be brought to acceptance that cannot be solved in the context of
friendliness but each one wants to get more and more, so because of
this conflict they cannot operate anything successfully.”
“I
would like to tell you that with your research work you will also
come to certain areas of views that cooperation is very important,
unity is very important and also the important one is you cannot
build up unity and diversity then it will be very difficult.”
“We
cannot say we can live alone we have to live with people from
different walks of life, bakgrounds, races, cultures but of course we
have to be able to live peacefully and happily
together.”
“Officially there are five religions that
are recognised by the government namely Buddhism, Islam, Christian,
Hinduism and Shikism and we have not had any religious conflict we
live peacefully even though there are some people who have been
trying to have a religious conflict... however all attempts to
distroy our unity have failed, they cannot our unity is strong our
blood is Thai blood and our religion has not taught us to be violent
but to be peaceful and to be generous with each other and
happy.”
“This is the point and that is why the
population of thailand is now exceeding 63 million people but we
haven't got any conflict, no religious conflict neither racial
conflict.”
“In fact Bangkok is a cosmopolitan city,
where people of different cultures, traditions, races, so on and so
forth can live together happily and you know why? It is because the
Thai people have his majesty the King at the centre of our hearts or
mental center, that is our King Bhumibol the Great, the present
monarch because he is a benevolent King therefore the Thai people are
very happy. Also foriegners are very happy when they have come to
live in Thailand they are also protected by the King and the law, the
constitution of our country. They are welcomed and protected by the
Thai hospitality."
We thank Dr Somboon Duangsamosorn and
Dr Nantasarn who requested this interview be transcribed and
published.
In concluding the interview Dr Somboon
Duangsamosorn said “I don’t mind to be included in your
report that is a gesture of expressing gratitude to a person who have
done something good for you, that is also our practice here in
Thailand.
Even in my thesis I put many names of people who
were helpful to me like my advisor, my supervisor, my secretary who
had helped me to type my dissertation for my PhD program.
So
to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to them so that is our
culture also. So if you don’t mind to put my name there. You can
quote”.
At our General Meeting held on Friday 31 October
2003 formally moved that the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
support Miss Pennie White in her Masters in Education Research
Project, "The Use of Information and Communication Technology by
the World Buddhist University in Bangkok, Thailand".
We
wish Pennie great success and learning in this important research
project.
We wish the World Buddhist University great success
in its Buddha Dhamma work
May all students, scholars and
teachers be well and happy.
May you be well and happy.
This
script was written and edited by Julian Bamford, Leanne Eames and
Pennie White. The recorded interview for the script was transcribed
by Pennie White.
References
Menken, H.L. A New
Dictionary of Quotations Alfred A. Knopf, New York 1991 pp1238
Quotations cited:
Coffman L.D., (President of the University
of
Minnesota) in the Journal of the American Association
of
University Women, Jan 1936.
Huxley, T.H., A liberal Education
and Where to Find it, 1868 (Addres in London)
The Oxford
Dictionary of Quotations, 3rd Edition. Oxford University Press, 1985
pp. 155
Buddha Dhyana Dana Review Vol 12 No.1. Briefing for
our Members and Friends on the Proceedings of the Third Meeting of
the World Buddhist University Council held on 9 February 2002 and the
International Conference on "Buddhism and World Peace" held
on 10 February 2002 at the Maxx Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Counts
Words: 3550
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Paragraphs: 93
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