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Opening Speech

Ven. Jue Xing

Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China

Honourable President of The World Fellowship of Buddhists Phan Wannamethee,
Honorable President of the Japan Buddhist Federation, Most Rev. Shinzan Egawa, distinguished
guests and dear fellows:

In this joyful autumn season, we come to the beautiful country of sakura, attending the 29 th
General Conference of The World Fellowship of Buddhists hereinafter referred to as WFB. This
solemn Buddhist occasion shall please and be blessed by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. On behalf
of the Buddhist Association of China (hereinafter referred to as BAC), I would like to take this
opportunity to congratulate on the successful convening of this conference, and pay my sincere
respect to The WFB Secretariat and the host Japanese Buddhist Community for their great efforts
in holding this significant meeting.
As a global Buddhist fraternity, The WFB has made considerable contributions in many aspects
for the past 68 years since its establishment. For instance, it is actively committed to promoting the
friendship and cooperation among Buddhists of various countries and regions, carrying forward
Buddhism, maintaining world peace and improving the wellbeing of humankind. Its achievements
have been widely recognized and praised by the international community, including Buddhist
communities of different countries and regions. The BAC and the Chinese Buddhist community
are deeply joyful for The WFB’s remarkable achievements and very much admire The WFB’s firm
commitment to Buddhism.
China is one of the founding members of The WFB. As early as the initial stage of its
establishment, the BAC sent delegations to the 4 and 6 General Conferences of The WFB, laying
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foundation for the friendly relationship between the BAC and The WFB. The former president
of the BAC Xirao Jiacuo, Master Zhao Puchu, the Ven. Yi Chen, and the Ven. Chuan Yin were
elected as the vice president of The WFB in succession. The WFB also awarded Master Zhao
Puchu the ‘Highest Medal of Honor’ and elected the Ven. Yi Chen as the Honorary President
of The WFB. In October B.E. 2557 (2014), the 27 General Conference of The WFB was held
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in Baoji, China. It released the Declaration of Baoji as an important fruit of this conference.
The participants jointly pledged to work with all humankind to realize human happiness with
compassion, social harmony with mutual respect, world peace with reconciliation, and good
relations with friendship. Baoji Conference responded to the theme of ‘Buddhism and Charity’,
fully reflecting the spirit of compassion and the concern over reality of Buddhism. It is of great
significance for uniting and encouraging Buddhists all over the world to make more contributions
to the promotion of human welfare.

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RECORD OF PROCEEDING | THE 29 GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE WFB
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