Ven Rassagala Seewali Thera, a member of the organising committee, said that although the activities had not changed much from previous years, more participants joined the event, which was held at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok.

They included foreign Buddhists from the Theravada, Mahayana and Vatcharayana traditions.

Ven Rassagala said he was glad that representatives from at least nine traditions in Vietnam had joined the conference. Vietnam will be the host for next year's conference.

Vietnamese monks, with monks from China, also chanted together at the opening of Monday's activities.

Buddhist monks and scholars from 61 countries participated in the event.

Taiwan's Most Ven Ching Hsin, who was making his third appearance at the conference, said the event was better every year. The topics for discussion were important and suitable for the time, he said. For example, higher education and promotion of Buddhism practices are crucial for the religion.

Ven Buddharakkhita from Uganda said he was glad and honoured to join the event. It encouraged him to promote Buddhism in Uganda and other African nations.

"There is only one Buddhist monk and 14 Buddhists in Uganda now. The monk is me," he said.

Thailand was hosting the conference for the third successive year. The Day of Vesak (Visakha Bucha Day) is tomorrow. The conference also celebrated His Majesty's 80th birthday.

Its theme was the Buddhist contribution to good governance and development. Promotion of Buddhist higher education was also discussed. An association of Buddhist universities was formed following the establishment of such universities in countries including China, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Five thousand Buddhist monks joined the inauguration ceremony for the conference at Buddhamonthon in Nakhon Pathom on Saturday. On Sunday, 4,000 Thai and foreign monks as well as laymen attended the conference in Bangkok.

When the event was held in Thailand in 2005, it was a historic occasion as it was the first time Buddhist leaders from the Mahayana and Theravada traditions had joined for Visakha Bucha celebrations.

More Buddhist leaders and scholars participate each year. In 2005, they came from 41 countries, but the figure rose to 46 last year and 61 this year. International Buddhist conferences were also held during the celebration.

Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation