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H.H. Somdet Phra Nyanasmavara, the 19 Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
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Inaugurating the Opening of the WBU with The WFB President and its Executive Council Members
at The WFB Headquarters on 9 December B.E. 2543 (2000) at 09:00 am.

It was then that WBU’s first priority programme areas began to focus on developing its
partnerships through the creation of networking systems which will ensure that Buddhist
scholars and institutions engaged in research, training, Buddhist practice, Buddhist
education and the dissemination of the Dhamma can work together and make positive
contributions to securing happiness among sentient beings and sustaining world peace.
Since official commencement of its academic activities in B.E. 2543 (2000), WBU
has worked to live up to its role as a virtual international Buddhist university by expanding
partnership with academic institutions around the world. During the tenure of the WBU
second Rector, Dr. Nantasarn Seesalab and the third Rector, Prof. Noranit Setabutr, the
academic activities were expanded even wider with many academic meetings in various
of The WFB Regional Centres and academic institutions.

In the beginning of its establishment, The WFB had provided office location and
public utilities to WBU which also received other financial donations for functioning the
university. Later, from B.E. 2551 (2008) onwards, the National Office of Buddhism under
the Royal Thai Government allocates a small amount of annual budget for operating
activities of WBU. To be exact, the National Office of Buddhism supports 5 million Baht
annually.

During the tenure the immediate past Rector, Prof. Noranit Setabutr, took steps
(including some amendment of the WBU Charter) to provide the University with the
ability to expand work easier and efficiently.
WBU will continue to extend the scope of its global institutional network and build
on its list of academic collaborations in order to facilitate members of The WFB and
general public equipped with a truly international mindset and the Buddhist knowledge
necessary to address the pressing issues currently faced by the international community.

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RECORD OF PROCEEDING | THE 11 MEETING OF THE WBU COUNCIL
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