2017
INTERNATIONAL PEACE CONFERENCE, UNESCO, PARIS
Creating a Sustainable Society of Peace: a Legacy of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand
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“Creating Sustainable Society of Peace: A Legacy of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand” is proposed to graciously dedicate merit making and honoring to H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej who is the first laity patron of The WFB ever since its inception in B.E. 2493 (1950) until the last day of His Majesty’s reign. The kindness of His Majesty towards Buddhists and all religions believer was immeasurable. Most importantly of organizing this International Conference is to commemorate and graciously express our mournfulness to H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of which representatives from international countries and religions will deliver messages to commemorate His Majesty.
World Fellowship of Buddhists (The WFB), Permanent Delegation of the Kingdom of Thailand to UNESCO and Pureland Learning College Association are jointly organizing “International Peace Conference” on September 26-28, 2017 under the theme of “Sustainable World Peace” at Conference Hall 1, Office of UNESCO in Paris, France.
2017
Cognitive Transformation Therapy:
A New Buddhist Theory of Transformation
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Cognitive Transformation Therapy or CTT is an innovative therapy developed by Ven. Phra Shakyavongsvisuddhi (Anil Sakya) to work with inmates in Thai prison. The therapy specially aims at inmates of various offences. However, the inmates who voluntarily go through this therapy are mostly drug and drugging offences followed by fraud, corruption and domestic violence. CTT is a therapy which simply teach you to manage your thought process and emotion based on your own existed knowledge to utilize in a real life situation utmost. Traditional approaches to learning seem clear-cut. You identify what you want the student to learn. You provide the knowledge and present an opportunity to practice the skill or concept. You give feedback so the student can gauge whether the learning has succeeded. Educating students in behaviour skills appears to be simply a matter of practice and feedback. This approach to learning relies on a storehouse metaphor. It assumes that the learner is missing some critical form of knowledge – factual information or procedures. The learner or the instructor defines what knowledge is missing. They add this knowledge via a course or a practice regimen or through simple study. They provide feedback to the learner. Then, they test whether the new knowledge was successfully added to the storehouse. Cognitive skills depend heavily on mental models. A mental model is a cluster of causal beliefs about how things happen. Mental models are used to organize knowledge. Mental models are also described as knowledge structures and schemata. Cognitive learning is not simply a matter of adding additional beliefs. Rather, we have to revive our belief system as experience shows the inadequacy of our current ways of thinking. We discover ways to extend or even reject our existing beliefs in favour of more sophisticated beliefs.
The CTT first initiated in July, 2017 and continued on for nine months. The therapy session was done one day per week for each group out of two different groups of male and female inmates in the prison. Each group had 19 voluntary inmates with all different offences who went through the CTT.
After a nine months of intensive therapy sessions, the outcome was remarkable. The inmates were fully transformed with their mental models. Moreover, those inmates who trained through the CTT now became trainers themselves and operates their own version of CTT to over 2,000 inmates within their zone.
The transformation was very obvious as the result of the therapy was attested by the prison wardens, staff and judges who went to evaluate those inmates inside the prison.
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Activities based Project
fulfilled tasks and projects conductive to the WBU in general.
2018
International Conference
WBU RECTOR’S IMPACT AT NAGPUR UNIVERSITY
International Center for Buddhist Studies Ramdaspeth, Nagpur.
Venerable Rector of the WBU was invited by the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University of India to be the Chief Guest of the International Conference on Buddhism in Contemporary Times: Relevance for Peace, Non-Violence and Social Harmony. The conference was well participated by many professors and faculties from other well-known universities for Buddhist studies all over India. With the consultation with the WBU, the registrar of the Nagpur University requested other Indian Universities with Department of Buddhist Studies to work together in unity to increase quality of Buddhist studies offered in India. To maximize the limited resources, Nagpur University urged and requested all universities to share and exchange of curricula and professors within India.
On this occasion, Venerable Rector of the WBU discussed in detail with senior administrators about how to develop Buddhist studies in universities in the 21st century. The International Centre for Buddhist Studies requested cooperation in developing curriculum and support in exchange of the professor program with the WBU. Accordingly, the International Centre for Buddhist Studies handed over a copy of their syllabus to get feedback and improvement notes from the WBU.
In sum, Venerable Rector’s visit to RTM Nagpur University in India was a success. The WBU was well introduced in the Indian Buddhist Study community and got good co-operation in working hand in hand in near future in the field of developing Buddhist studies programs which is available in various Indian universities and academies.
2018
BUDDHA STATUES FROM INMATES TO NEPAL
BUDDHA STATUES HANDING OVER FROM THAILAND TO NEPAL
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After 185 days of training how to sculpt from scratch to group of inmates who took part in the project they are able to create a piece of art of the Buddha all together 10 beautiful statues from their sinful hands. This art therapy is a way to transform a coarse mind of inmates to be more concentrated and wise with their action. Hoping that this experience will prevent them from committing crime again after they are released from the prison.
Venerable Rector of the World Buddhist University has been working with inmates in prisons in Thailand over seven years. The Bang Kwang Central Prison is an oldest men’s prison of Thailand where they imprison death row and long-sentence prisoners. It is the only prison in Thailand with men’s death row and execution chamber. One of the projects Venerable Rector has been engaged in the Bang Kwang Central Prison is teaching death row and long-sentence prisoners to sculpture Buddha statues. While Venerable Rector teaches inmates a spiritual life, professional sculptors from Silapakorn University teach those inmates how to sculpture Buddha statues. Then the Buddha statues sculptured by inmate hands were donated to some forest monasteries and local hospitals across Thailand. The project is called ‘molding clay for merit’ (MCM). The project is partly operated under the Inspire Project under the Royal Initiative of HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha.
In sum
The handing over of the 42 Buddha statues sculptured by death row and long sentenced prisoners of the Bang Kwang Central Prison of Thailand to different places in Nepal was a joint effort among several organizations in Thailand and Nepal. The WBU played an important role of the mediator between Thailand and Nepal. The project creates a good feelings between all parties involved from the sculptor-inmates of Thailand to receiver ends in Nepal. The handing over ceremony was done officially with the involvement of Nepal government authorities. The Buddha statues is becoming an important refuge for villagers, inmates and students where the statues have enshrined. Specially, the stories behind the making of those Buddha statues surely inspire all who see and worship those statues in faraway places. The WBU hopes that the Buddha statues will be developed to be inspirational Buddhist propagation centers in each place where they have been enshrined for peace and happiness of the worshipers. The Buddha statue is a primary object to begin Buddhist activities of Buddhist study and practice in those places where the Buddha statues have enshrined.
The ‘molding clay to merit’ project not only transformed soiling minds to sound minds of those inmates in the prison but their perfect statues just expanded the message of mind transformation to all public who are imprisoned themselves in the life prison.
2018
MIND MANAGEMENT FOR FOREIGN WOMEN INMATES
The WBU initiated a new therapeutic program entitled ‘Mind Management’ for 100 foreign women inmates incarcerated in the Central Women Correctional Institute or more popularly known as ‘Central Women Prison’. This trial program began in September 2018 and will continue on weekly basis for six months. Majority of inmates who applied for this program are Christians and Muslims.
Bringing calm to Bangkok's foreign women prisoners
Thailand's biggest women's prison is home to more than 400 foreign prisoners, mostly serving long sentences for drugs offences. Many now attend cognitive transformation therapy classes to help them cope. BBC Thai's Nanchanok Wongsamuth sat in on one.
A monk tale from Thai prison
Cognitive Transformation Therapy for foreign women inmates, BBC Thailand
BBC Radio
Sunday program: A monk's tale from a Thai prison Changing minds and lives.