Buddhagunupakan Award

The Standing Committee on Religion, Arts and Culture of the House of Representatives, Thailand recently presented 536 Buddhist individuals  and organizations with the Buddhagunupakan Award to recognize the awardees for their exemplary, dedicated and excellent contributions to Buddhism.



With the Buddhagunupakan Kancanakiartigun presented by the Thai Parliament.

The award presentation which was held on 23 April 2011 at Maha Chulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Ayuthaya, Thailand was presided by His Most Venerable Somdejphramaharatchamangala of the Supreme Sangha Council of Thailand.

With Ven. Hsing Ting (centre) of Fo Guang San and Ven. Dhammakosajarn of Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University

This award has been presented for the last three years for Thai citizens but beginning this year Buddhists from 18 foreign countries were also picked to receive the awards. There are three categories in the award, namely Supreme, Highest and Outstanding Decoration of Excellence. There were 17 receipients for the Supreme category, 195 for Highest category and 324 for Outstanding category.

Among the notable foreign recipients for the Buddhagunupakan Supreme Decoration of Excellence were Most Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh from Plum Village, France and Most Venerable Hsing Yun of Fo Guang San, Taiwan.

Fellow awardees from Taiwan, Mongolia, Malaysia and Thailand

For the Buddhagunupakan Kancanakiartigun - Highest Decoration of Excellence, foreign awardees include the first President of the Republic of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov; Most Venerable Ching Yao of Taiwan; Most Venerable Gyana Ratna Bhikkhu of Bangladesh and Most Venerable Daranagama Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thero of The Buddhist TV Channel, Sri Lanka.

Malaysians who were conferred the Buddhagunupakan Kancanakiartigun award include Loka Ng Sai Kai, former deputy president and currently advisor of the World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth and Ong See Yew, the president of Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia.